LONDON, April 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, inside the newly
renovated King Fahad Cultural Centre, Riyadh, the Saudi Theater and Performing Arts
Commission premiered Zarqa Al Yamama - the first-ever Grand
Opera produced by the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia.
A groundbreaking new international production bringing to life
one of the most iconic tales from pre-Islamic Arabia, Zarqa Al
Yamama tells the story of the eponymous heroine's struggle to
warn the Jadis tribe about the approach of an army threatening to
annihilate her people.
Sultan Al-Bazie, CEO of the
Theater and Performing Arts Commission, commented: "It is
our privilege to unveil the legend of Zarqa Al Yamama to the world,
and to use one of our most beloved national stories as the launch
of the next chapter for Saudi
Arabia's cultural prosperity. This production represents an
achievement in international cultural exchange, and in bringing
together outstanding Saudi-born talent with leading singers and
technicians from all over the world, and we are delighted to have
showcased the first performance in a new series of arts experiences
inspired by the rich tapestry of stories from Saudi
folklore.''
Zarqa Al Yamama is the first Grand Opera to feature
international and local artists performing a libretto exclusively
in Arabic, written by the award-winning Saudi poet Saleh
Zamanan and adapted into an original musical score by
Australian composer Lee
Bradshaw, under the creative direction of
Ivan Vukcevic.
The titular role of Zarqa was performed by world-acclaimed mezzo
soprano Dame Sarah Connolly,
alongside a principle cast of leading international artists
including Amelia Wawrzon,
Serena Farnocchia,
Paride Cataldo,
Aleksandar
Stefanoski and George
von Bergen. Of the nine main roles, three were performed
by Saudi-born singers, including tenor Khayran Al Zahrani,
and sopranos Sawsan Albahiti and Reemaz Oqbi.
Led by conductor Pablo González, the opera was
performed by the Dresdner Sinfoniker featuring vocal
accompaniments by the Czech Philharmonic Choir Brno. The
transformative staging and special effects were devised by
internationally renowned stage director Daniele Finzi Pasca.
Zarqa Al Yamama will run for ten performances,
closing on Saturday 4 May 2024.
Tickets– starting from 100
SAR/£20/$26 – can be booked
via:
https://dc.moc.gov.sa/home/event-tickets/208/zarqaa-al-yamama-opera/.
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2398549/Zarqa.jpg
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zarqa-al-yamama---the-first-grand-opera-produced-by-the-kingdom-of-saudi-arabia--celebrates-international-premiere-in-riyadh-302128617.html
SOURCE Saudi Arabia Theater and Performing Arts Commission