Welsh National Opera offers a colourful mix of music, dance and spectacle this autumn.
There's the Welsh premiere of Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov's opera Ainadamar, directed by acclaimed choreographer Deborah Colker and starring Cardiff Singer of the World 2023 audience prizewinner Julieth Lozano Rolong; the return of Alexander Joel to conduct Sir David McVicar’s production of La Traviata starring Stacey Alleaume; the launch of a new Compact performance series with La Traviata, and the family concert Play Opera LIVE returns with a space theme.
Those willing to travel to Cardiff can also see the WNO orchestra perform Brahms’ First Symphony and Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs with soprano Chen Reiss at St David’s Hall (October 29).
Flamenco and poetry meet opera with the Welsh premiere of Ainadamar, a co-production with Opera Ventures, Scottish Opera, Detroit Opera and the Metropolitan Opera.
The UK stage premiere was presented by Scottish Opera in the autumn of 2022 to wide acclaim.
Sung in Spanish – a first for WNO - the twice Grammy-winning work reimagines the life of Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca as an artistic martyr through flashbacks by his muse and collaborator, actress Margarita Xirgu.
In the director’s chair is internationally renowned and Olivier award-winning Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker (Rio 2016 Olympics, Cirque du Soleil) whose work promises a colourful spectacle of music, dance and theatre combining classical opera and traditional flamenco.
The international cast includes Argentinian soprano Jaquelina Livieri (Margarita Xirgu) and Polish mezzo Hanna Hipp (as Lorca). Joining them will be rising Colombian soprano Julieth Lozano Rolong and Andalucian flamenco singer Alfredo Tejada (Ruiz Alonso).
Ainadamar arrives at Venue Cymru in Llandudno on October 10 as part of an autumn British tour.
Sir David McVicar’s acclaimed production of Verdi’s La Traviata returns to WNO with Sarah Crisp directing. Conducted by Alexander Joel, the production will feature Australian-Mauritian soprano Stacey Alleaume in her WNO debut as the elegant courtesan Violetta Valery. Her lover Alfredo Germont is played by Korean tenor David Junghoon Kim, with American bass-baritone Mark S Doss as Germont Senior. The work has two performances in Llandudno (October 12 and 14).
WNO will continue its much-loved concert series for families, Play Opera LIVE, blasting off with a space-themed show presented by Tom Redmond. It's in Llandudno on the afternoon of October 14.
The company's Compact pilot performance series will begin this autumn with a condensed version of La Traviata. The project will offer abridged versions of classic operas to encourage newcomers to the art form. Launching in Cardiff, performances can also be seen in two of WNO’s regular touring venues, one of them Llandudno in conjunction with the performance of the full opera.
More info and tickets here