Plácido Domingo, Maria José Siri & Juan Diego Flórez Headline Royal Opera House Muscat’s 2018-19 Season

By Francisco Salazar

The Royal Opera House Muscat has announced its 2018-19 featuring 40 new programs and a total of 69 performances. The season will include some of the best conductors and singers in the world leading the world’s finest orchestras, the concentration of orchestral talent appearing at ROHM this season is impressive.

Here is a look at the operatic and vocal events that will take place throughout the season.

Productions 

Alexander Borodin’s grand epic, “Prince Igor,” opens the operatic season with a production from the Mariinsky Theatre. Valery Gergiev leads an all-Russian cast.

Performance Dates: Sept 27 & 29, 2018

Johann Strauss’ “Eine Nacht in Venedig,” a delightful romantic comedy of errors will be co-produced by ROHM with Opéra de Lyon and Oper Graz. Peter Langdal directs the production with  Daniele Rustioni conducting Orchestra and Chorus of Opéra de Lyon.

Performance Dates: Nov 29 & 30, 7:00 pm

Giacomo Puccini’s great masterpiece, “Madama Butterfly” takes the stage with the Orchestra of Ópera de Bilbao and Chorus of Gran Teatre del Liceu under the baton of the charismatic conductor, Marco Armiliato. Co-produced by Festival Castell Peralada and Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the production will star Maria José Siri, Roberto Aronica, George Gagnidze, and Veronica Simeoni.

Performance Dates: Jan 17 & 19, 2019

Verdi’s “La Traviata” is presented by LA Opera in an updated version by Marta Domingo, with the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro Massimo di Palermo conducted by Plácido Domingo who also sings on two nights. Russian soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan, second prize winner at Operalia, the World Opera Competition in 2017, stars as Violetta and Canadian lyric mezzo-soprano, Wallis Giunta, winner of the 2018 International Opera Awards Young Singer of the Year competition, sings Flora.

Performance Dates: Feb 7, 9 & 10, 2019

The Rossini Opera Festival brings Damiano Michieletto’s production of “La Scala di Seta” with  Ivan Lopez Renoso conducting  the Orchestra Sinfonica Gioachino Rossini, with a cast including soprano Marina Monzó, tenor Piero Adaini, and baritone Paolo Bordogna.

Performance Dates: Mar 7 & 8, 2019

Russian tenor, Sergey Romanovsky, Italian mezzo-soprano Raffaella Lupinacci, and Mexican soprano, Karen Gardzeadabal debut at the Royal Opera House Muscat in Delibes’ “Lakme.” The new production will be directed by Davide Livermore with the Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova under the direction of Jordi Bernàcer. The production by the ROHM is in collaboration with LA Opera, Teatro Dell’Opera di Rome, Fondazione Arena di Verona, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Cairo Opera House, Astana Opera, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, and Opera Australia.

Performance Dates: March 28, 29 & 30, 2019

For the first time, the ROHM is presenting an Arab operatic drama, “Antar and Abla.” The work will be performed with a fabulous cast of over a hundred solo and choral singers, dancers and musicians.

Performance Dates: May 3 & 4, 2019

Opera Galas 

Legendary Plácido Domingo sings a Zarzuela gala with soprano Ana Maria Martinez and tenor Arturo Chacón Cruz, which opens the new season. The concert will include romanzas, duets, and trios in the Spanish popular tradition of zarzuelas. Jordi Bernàcer conducts the Orchestra Fondazione Arena di Verona.

Performance Dates: Sept 6 & 8, 2018

Superstar Juan Diego Flórez performs alongside rising star Fatma Said in a programme that features well-loved arias from bel canto masters including Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti. The Hungarian State Opera Orchestra accompanies the two soloists with Guillermo García Calvo conducting.

Performance Dates: Oct 25, 2018

Leading tenor Vittorio Grigolo will sing in a dazzling Opera Gala with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marcello Mottadelli. Grigolo sings alongside soprano Maria Mudryak, with the participation of pianist Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev.

Performance Dates: Dec 30, 2018

Kristine Opolais and the European Union Youth Orchestra perform a gala evening with works by Puccini, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, and others. Vasily Petrenko conducts.

Performance Dates: Apr 18, 2019

Spectacular Shows

To celebrate the holiday season the ROHM’s stage will be transformed in a real ice rink for the breathtaking show, Opera on Ice, which combines the inspirational artistry of operatic singing with the virtuosic talent and grace of world-class ice skating. Olympic gold medallist ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White and Australian baritone, Markus Werba, perform in this original evening.

Performance Dates: Dec 20, 21, & Dec 22, 2018

A formidable artistic force, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra and its choir, along with the Bratislava Boys’ Choir, are conducted by Emmanuel Villaume in Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 in D minor.

Performance Dates: Apr 4, 2019

Family and Children

For the first time, the Royal Opera House Muscat will present a show for infants aged six to eighteen months. Produced by Scottish Opera in collaboration with Manchester International Festival and Improbable, “BambinO” is a pioneering production that successfully introduces infants to music theatre. Participation per show is limited to sixty: thirty infants, each accompanied by one adult.

Performance Dates: Mar 31 to Apr 6, 2-3 Shows per Day

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