Saudi Arabia will present its first opera this month, inspired by the legend of a 6th-century Arab woman, and which it is billing as a major production with international artists including Spanish conductor Pablo González.Riyadh set to present ‘greatest Arab opera’ on April 25, a government commitment under the supervision of the Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Authority which stages the first opera in the Arab kingdom inspired by the story of “Azul de la Paloma”.
There The story is about a woman who lived in Najd, the current center of the country, around the 6th century., who had the ability to anticipate events and who warned his people of the arrival of an army with the intention of conquering them, but his neighbors ignored him and were exterminated by the invaders, reports EFE. This tragedy happened in real life and Historians called them “the Vanished Arabs,” although the storytellers added imaginative elements that made them a legend.
This the narration inspired the Saudi poet and playwright Saleh Zamanan, who wrote the final text of the opera with the voices of its main characters, who are seven in total: three women and four men. The Saudi Theater Authority held a conference in London last month to announce the project in a ceremony attended by a group of artists from the British capital, as well as the Saudi Minister of Culture, Badr bin Farhan Al Saud .
The work’s composer, Lee Bradshaw, told EFE that The music for this piece is inspired by “Arabic music and Saudi heritage, fused with international operatic compositions created by Verdi, Bocelli and Mozart.”. Bradshaw dedicated himself to the study of Arabic music and spent time in the Saudi kingdom to learn about the country’s musical heritage and capture the essence of this operatic composition.
According to playwright Zamanan, the importance of this work lies not only in its precedent in the Saudi art scene, but “it is based on a classic Western mold to tell an Arab story with the depth of a distant history.” “The Arabs have become accustomed to combining myth and heritage, to singing with the environment of the place in an impressive poetic mold, but they have not used these elements in opera acts because it is not their domain of predilection”.he added.
He added that “the story itself is of very inspiring symbolism for the Saudi woman, it evokes the legend of a strong and wise woman who enjoys keen eyesight and brilliant vision and whose people faced a tragic fate because they did not listen to his voice. “. The work is directed by Swiss director Daniele Finzi Pasca, The musical composition is by Australian Lee Bradshaw, while the orchestra is conducted by Spanish musician Pablo González.
There International soprano Sarah Connolly leads the chorus in the role of “Dove Blue”, alongside nine other Saudi singers, including Jairan Al Zahrani, Sawsan al Bahiti and Rimaz Al Aqbi, prominent names in the Saudi music scene, who share the stage with other international artists. The Dresdner Sinfoniker Orchestra performs the musical pieces from the opera, accompanied by the Czech choir of the Czech Philharmonic.
The stylist Giovanna Bozzi, with her team, designs the costumes that reflect the spirit of the opera and the visual aesthetics of the pre-Islamic era, elements that come together in the scenography that represents moments in history that will convey to the spectator the atmosphere of the opera.