Productions of classical and contemporary repertoire are returning to the newly reconstructed Janáček Theatre in March and April. Part of the programme will be L’Amour de loin and the Epic of Gilgamesh / Dido and Aeneas.
One of the most respected operas of the 21st century, L’Amour de loin [Love from Afar], by the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and Lebanese librettist Amin Maalouf, is coming back to the stage of the Janáček Theatre. The authors found inspiration in the historical figure of troubadour Jaufrude Rudel. Amin Maalouf wrote a libretto as beautiful and ambiguous as the songs of troubadours, and Kaija Saariaho filled it with music where musical instruments, electronic sounds and human voices intertwine into a unique complex full of colours and emotions. This poetic production by director Jiří Heřman and conductor Marko Ivanović is returning for three performances to be staged on 23, 24 and 29 March 2019.
A combination of Bohuslav Martinů's oratorio Epic of Gilgamesh with the Baroque opera by Henry Purcell Dido and Aeneas will be brought back to the stage in April. Martinů was one of the composers who rediscovered the beauty of Baroque masters in the first half of the 20th century, and his Epic of Gilgamesh evokes this beauty manifold with its clarity, distinctive rhythm section and echoes of ancient instruments. Henry Purcell's work has not lost its emotional strength despite the abyss of centuries, and the lament of Dido bidding farewell to Belinda before her death will always be one of the most beautiful pieces ever written for the human voice. For this occasion, the opera orchestra will be extended by members of Collegium 1704 along with conductor Václav Luks. Only two reruns are announced to take place – on 4 and 7 April 2019.
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