Saturday 21 March 2020

CANCELED: LA CLEMENZA DI TITO

AGAINST THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CORONA PANDEMIC, THE BERGEN NATIONAL OPERA AND THE MUSIC COMPANY HARMONIEN HAVE DECIDED TO CANCEL THE OPERA LA CLEMENZA DI TITO.

The infection situation has developed rapidly, and we all have a responsibility to do everything we can to prevent further spread.

We have had 120 actors who have worked hard every day for many weeks to perform this Mozart opera for our audience in Bergen and we are really sorry to have to cancel. We hope to be able to perform the opera on a later occasion.

- It is heartbreaking to have to cancel this great production which involves so many talented and committed artists. But the responsibility for preventing this crisis rests on all of us, say opera manager Mary Miller at Bergen National Opera and Bernt Bauge, managing director of the Harmonien Music Company.

In the next few days, we will contact all our audience members who have tickets.

RAW POWER STRUGGLE, LUST, JEALOUSY AND MOZART'S BEAUTIFUL MUSIC
What should a political leader be like? In a time when perhaps power and control have never been more critically exposed, we present Mozart's timeless opera in which an act of violence is met with forgiveness. The story is driven by jealousy, intense love and loyalty, in a political drama with clear parallels to "House of cards". Read the full plot

Mozart's music is as timeless as the plot, delivering all the beauty and intense emotion we expect from the master of masters.

The Greek director Rodula Gaitanou visits Bergen for the first time and moves the action from antiquity to our contemporary extremism and polarizing society. Has the desire for power and the use of violence to achieve power changed in 2000 years?

Tenor Charles Workman has the challenging title role of Tito and soprano Lauren Fagan is his vengeful counterpart Vitellia. We are also delighted to have two young Norwegian singers on the soloist list: Beate Mordal interprets Servilia, who is in a secret relationship with Annio, sung by Ingeborg Gillebo. This opera offers two so-called trouser roles, where Annika Schlicht is central as the deeply in love man Sesto, who follows Vitellia's murderous path. We also know bass Barnaby Rea as Publio well from our critically acclaimed version of Peter Grimes.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart / Music
Caterino Mazzolà, after Pietro
Metastasio / Libretto
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Edvard Grieg Choir with guests

Full stage opera in two acts
Introduction 1 hour before the start of the performance (At the premiere: Gunnar Danbolt, then program director Nicolai Riise).

A new production from Bergen National Opera
Presented by the Bergen National Opera and the Harmonien Music Society