With the aim of revitalizing the Aragonese scene with stable quality proposals, the Government of Aragon, with the collaboration of the City Council of Zaragoza, organizes the II Season of Lyric and Dance. This year’s program combines great Aragonese, national and international artists in first class shows updated to the 21st century, with the purpose of keeping the loyalty of the music-loving public while bringing opera and dance closer to the general public.
The General Director of Culture of the Government of Aragon, Víctor Lucea, accompanied by the manager of the Municipal Board of Performing Arts and Image of the City Council of Zaragoza, José María Turmo, presented at a press conference this second Season, which is consolidated with three proposals of the Aragonese Government’s own production in two top class venues: the Teatro Principal, the Auditorio de Zaragoza and the Palacio de Congresos.
The II Season of Lyric and Dance will kick off in November with two performances (on the 5th at 8 p.m. and on the 6th at 6 p.m.) of ‘The Barber of Seville’, in a Teatro Principal that will see the return of the most famous barber in the history of opera in a show reconverted to modern times, with the aim of attracting a new audience. The staging will introduce the audience to the classic world of the famous barber, mixing Rossini’s buffo imaginary and the present, and establishing an unexpected dialogue between the music of the young Rossini and modern youth music movements such as rock and punk.
See the program here.
Leading this production will be the regisseur Leo Castaldi and the Orquesta Reino de Aragón, conducted by Ricardo Casero. Accompanying him in this lyrical challenge will be the Coro Amici Musicae and a cast of young voices led by veteran bass-baritone Carlos Chausson.
As a novelty, this year several complementary activities have been organized so that the public can enjoy the lyric in a different way. Thus, the IAACC Pablo Serrano will host two conferences on ‘The Barber of Seville’ (October 25, 7 pm) and ‘Rossini and Spain’ (October 27, 7 pm), while the School of Hospitality of the IES Miralbueno will hold a gastronomic conference from October 24 to 28 with a tasting menu and dishes inspired by Rossini, under the name ‘From the stave to the plate’.
Later, on December 17 (8 p.m.) and 18 (6 p.m.), the Aragonese company LaMov will rescue Shakespeare’s myth at the Palacio de Congresos with ‘Juliets and Romeos’. The proposal is inspired by the captivating story of love, hate and death of the young Juliet and Romeo. And it does so by bringing it to the present day, starting from the Shakespearean era and the complex and multifaceted concept of love. In this play, and through different characters and relationships, LaMov will portray some of the various types of love and the different ways in which it can manifest itself. Thus, he will make a journey from the concept of romantic love, oppressive love, idealized love, forbidden love, impossible love, etc., to all kinds of love and polyamory. LaMov’s movements will be accompanied by the music of the Katharsis Ensemble Orchestra.
Finally, the Auditorio de Zaragoza will host on December 21 (8 pm) a great tribute to the centenary of Miguel Fleta’s debut at the Teatro Real in Madrid, which will close the II Temporada de Lírica y Danza. A young Fleta played the role of Don José in ‘Carmen’ in March 1922, with such success that even the Royal Family attended the second performance of ‘Carmen’. On these stages, Fleta sang four performances of ‘Carmen’ and another four of ‘Tosca’, leading the audience to delirium with this Puccinian title. One hundred years later, the Auditorium will host a spectacular lyrical gala with pieces from these two operas, popular and attractive to the public, but with top artists such as mezzo-soprano Ketevan Kemoklidze.
