Welsh National Opera head to Dubai in March 2017 with Madam Butterfly and La bohème
Welsh
National Opera to Perform Madam Butterfly and La bohème at
Dubai
Opera in March 2017
Dubai
Opera is proud to host the renowned Welsh National Opera (WNO) for the first
time at the stunning venue in March next year (2017).
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| Madam Butterfly Photo by Neil Bennett |
Performing
two of the world’s most beloved Giacomo Puccini operas; Madam Butterfly from 2nd
– 4th March followed by La bohème from 9th – 11th
March, tickets will go on sale for all performances on 9 November at 9am. We
are delighted that these performances are part of UK/UAE 2017, a year of Creative Collaboration led by the
British Council, who are also supporting a programme of learning activities
with Welsh National Opera. This will
involve WNO working with schools and colleges across Dubai, where young people
will have the chance to take part in workshops and masterclasses with WNO
singers and orchestral players and will get to see behind the scenes of an
opera company at open rehearsals. WNO
will also be offering ‘Come and Sing’ workshops where anyone who enjoys singing
can get involved, and a special Access All Arias – a pop-up opera event taking
place in public spaces.
One of Italy’s greatest composers, Puccini’s
work often includes a tale of love and tragedy and both operas are no exception.
La bohème is based on the book written by Henri Murger called La Vie de bohème and is set in Paris in
the 1830s where a young poet; Rodolfo, falls in love with a seamstress, Mimi,
and Madam Butterfly is possibly one of the saddest tales of unrequited love
ever to grace the stage. Centred around Cio Cio San, a young Japanese girl who
falls in love with a careless American naval officer, Pinkerton, the opera is
set in Japan and based on a short story (of the same name) by John Luther Long.
Both operas are a beautiful, poignant reminder of the fragile nature of the
human heart and love.
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| La boheme Photo by Robert Workman |
This
year, WNO celebrates its 70th anniversary and with an operatic
pedigree which includes performing 145 different operas in 391 different
productions and their first performance at Dubai Opera promises to be a
must-see event for all music and culture lovers from across the GCC and beyond.
WNO Artistic Director David Pountney says:
“It is an enormous privilege for Welsh National Opera to take part in
the inaugural season of the magnificent Dubai Opera House. We carry the
passionate and emotional musicianship of Wales around the world, and it is a
special honour to be entrusted with bringing the wonderful qualities of
Puccini’s sublime operas to a new audience in the Gulf. We look forward to
working with young and old in Dubai to convey the special transformative power
of music and theatre.”
Jasper Hope, Dubai Opera Chief Executive says: “Madam
Butterfly and La bohème offer audiences everything that is magical about great
opera productions. Their stories of love
and loss are brought to life with some of the greatest arias ever written and
the result is going to be two exquisite Puccini masterpieces to treat audiences
in Dubai.”
