3rd Zagreb Opera Festival: A Dialogue between Artists, Opera Lovers and Citizens
Modern European operas and a dialogue with the audience make the Zagreb Opera Festival a first-class music, but also social event.
After exceptionally successful first two editions, the 3rd Zagreb Opera Festival will take place from 9 to 20 September at the Croatian National Theatre (CNT), which is also the organiser of the event.
Since the very beginning, the festival has been conceived as a platform for cooperation and gathering of Croatian and foreign opera artists, profiling the Zagreb CNT as a central place of contemporary opera events on the European theatre map.
This year’s festival edition will start with the ensemble of the Opera of the Zagreb CNT and a successful title Werther co-produced by Teatro Carlo Felice from Genova. After this, there are visiting productions: Manon Lescaut (Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana), Die Walküre (Sofia Opera and Ballet), Otello (Slovene National Theatre Maribor) and a concert and stage performance Ariadna Alive by the Ensemble Dialogos under the artistic guidance of Katarina Livljanić. Mono opera Human Voice by Francis Pulenc will have its premier and the sequel of the successful piece for children Gita and the Hidden World: A Tale of Sorrow and Love by Borna Erceg will be performed in the lobby of the CNT.
This year’s edition of the Zagreb Opera Festival offers additional programmes that expand the festival experience and deepen the bond between audience and opera. For all those who would like to know more, before every performance a short introductory talk will be held in front of the building of the Zagreb CNT to present the visiting opera production. Also, an outdoor listening booth will be installed so visitors and passersby will be able to follow festival performances in real time. Again this year, opera audience will get a chance to try their luck in an opera-themed quiz held during breaks between performances.
This year once again the festival is an important social event and a place of encounters, experience exchange and deeper understanding of opera artform. In addition to performances, a particular emphasis is placed on programmes that prompt dialogue and help audience to understand the context of visiting productions.
This year marks 130 years since the opening of the building of the Croatian National Theatre. The jubilee will be celebrated this autumn with an exceptionally important event in the life of this national theatre – opening of its new, second theatre stage.