Monday, May 5, 2014

Opera Siam Previews New Production of Cavalli Opera


Opera Siam gives a preview of their new production of Cavalli's opera La Calisto on 13 and 14 May 2014. Check out the description below for more information:


OPERA SIAM’S YOUNG SOLOISTS team up with top San Francisco director
La Calisto Preview on May 13-14

Opera Siam will be presenting another ASEAN first - the first production of an opera by one of the most important early baroque opera composers — Cavalli's wild, gender-bending romp through Greek mythology.

There will be a special FREE WORKSHOP PREMIERE of excerpts from this production, with comecting commentary, on May 13 and 14 at 8 pm. This will be an opportunity to become familiar with this incredible music in advance of next season's full production.

An intimate production created by Richard Harrell, former head of opera at San Francisco Conservatory and head of San Francisco Opera's world-renowed Merola program for young singers, the opera will be performed in the Small Hall of the Cultural Center, in a similar setting and size of theatre to how it was originally performed in 1651. As was originally performed, the staging and costuming blends elements of ancient Greece and 17th Century to form a phantasmagorical mélange.



Heading the music will be Thailand's early music expert Trisdee na Patalung, whose baroque credentials include conducting operas by Monterverdi and Handel in Amsterdam, and the work of Charpentier at the world-famous Concertgebouw, one of the great music venues of Europe.

True to Opera Siam's tradition of encouraging young singers to pursue international careers in opera, the cast includes almost all of the top local young singers, from Jak Cholvijarn, last seen as the Buddha in "The Silent Prince" to award winners like Areeya Rotjanadit.

Monteverdi may have been the "father" of opera, but Cavalli's operas were the most popular of his time, and really created an enduring popularity for opera that made all the big classical and romantic works possible.

La Calisto tells how the god Jupiter, smitten with love for the nymph Calisto, who has sworn everlasting virginity in service of her patron goddess Diana, disguises himself as the virgin goddess in order to attract the nymph's attention. Heaven and Earth are thrown into comedic chaos as Jupiter's passion knows no bounds, and meanwhile Diana herself has fallen for the beautiful but unresponsive youth Endymion. As Satyrs frolic and Furies cast spells, the only solution appears to be transforming Calisto into a bear and setting her among the stars.

Only 240 seats are available for each of two performances due to the nature of the hall.

For a FREE reservation, please send an email to tickets@bangkokopera.com and state the following:

(a) your name
(b) your email
(c) your contact info (phone, address)
(d) which night you would prefer to come
(e) how many tickets you would like

You will receive an email confirmation

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