(Credit: Sesto Quatrini Official Website)

The Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet are set to present a new production of “La Juive.”

The showcase, which will be conducted by Sesto Quatrini, will star Viktorija Miskunaite, Mickael Spadaccini, Mindaugas Jankauskas, and Tomas Pavilions, among others. Performances are set for April 8 and 9, 2022.

“I felt it was appropriate to revive such a fascinating, rarely-performed work and, at the same time, to create a bridge to reinforce the cultural, political and diplomatic relationship between the National Opera Theatre and the Lithuanian Jewish Community and, in a broader perspective, between Lithuania and Israel, already on excellent terms with each other,” Quatrini noted in an official statement. “Unfortunately, the outbreak of the health emergency delayed the long-awaited return on stage of ‘La Juive’ for a further two years. It will at last see again the light of day in Vilnius on 8 and 9 April after seven years of silence.”

“It is a very complex opera, partly because the chorus not only sings, but also rises to take on the role and the importance of a true and proper ‘solo character,’” he added. “The masterful, demanding and extremely virtuoso vocal composition clearly reflects the characteristics of the great singers for whom the opera was originally composed. I would say that we’re dealing with a Belcanto opera in the French language; at least, that’s how I’ve decided to approach it, with the same ‘techniques’ that I would use for a ‘Roberto Devereux’ or a ‘Guillaume Tell.”