Manaus Ágil tourism and culture of the AmazonThe work, commissioned especially for the festival, will be presented on May 27, 31 and June 2 at the Teatro Amazonas.
With the presence of elements such as Indonesian volcano, shadow theater, international musical instrument, as well as unpublished compositions, the audience of "Kawah Ijen (Blue Volcano) - the last premiere of the 21st Amazon Opera Festival (FAO) - will find magic and culture on the stage of the Amazonas Theater. The libretto by the Brazilian João Guilherme Ripperbased on the original story by Fernando Baratawill have its world premiere on May 27, at 7pm.
The opera tells the story of the Dutchman Van Roory, owner of a sulfur mine in Indonesia, who sells his soul to the volcano goddess, Roro, in order to obtain the best quality sulfur, as well as wealth and comfort. In exchange, he must feed Roro uninterruptedly with the souls of young miners and their wives, who die by inhaling the gases from the volcano. The tragedy begins when the Dutchman falls in love with Nabila, the police chief's wife, but is unrequited. Van Roory then sets up a plan that will change his fate and Nabila's life.
According to João Guilherme Ripper, composer of "Kawah Ijen", the creation process counted on the participation of three countries: Brazil, Portugal, and Indonesia.
"The composition of everything began in Portugal, when Fernando Barata, who wrote the story that gave origin to 'Kawah Ijen', told me of his desire to transform this into an opera. From then on, I started to work and entered a curious process of adding other people in this journey. The biggest challenge was to bring the three ends together: Brazil, Indonesia, and Portugal," says Ripper. "First I wrote the libretto and then I started to choose the songs. The decisive factor was receiving the 'yes' from conductor Luiz Fernando Malheiro to perform this opera at Teatro Amazonas. This is a work especially made for the 21st Amazon Opera Festival. All the efforts that began a year ago converge on the stage.
The cast is formed by Homero Velho (baritone), who plays Van Roory; Isabelle Sabrié (soprano), as Roro; Carol Martins (soprano), playing Nabila; Daniel Umbelino (tenor), as Gandung; Juremir Vieira (tenor), as Kasidi; Murilo Neves (bass), as Ahmed; Inácio de Nonno (baritone), who is Agus; and Matheus Sabbá, as Van Roory's employee.
French soprano Isabelle Sabrié, who also participated in "Faust" at this year's FAO, will play the Indonesian deity who feeds off the souls of young miners. For the artist, the highlight of "Kawah Ijen" is the originality of the opera.
"For me it is fascinating. It is about creating a role that has never been sung before and was even written for my voice, so I am immensely honored and happy. For Amazon, a cooperation with Indonesia is an immense gain, that of having a world premiere, something very rare in the international opera world," comments the singer.
The Corpo de Dança do Amazonas (CDA), o Amazonas Choir and the Amazonas Philharmonic will brighten up the presentation under the musical direction and conduction of Marcelo de Jesusstage direction and light design by Willian Pereira, costumes by Olintho Malaquias, sets by Giorgia Massetani, and choreography by Tíndaro Silvano.
Gamelão
he highlight of "Kawah Ijen" is the Gamelão, a collective musical instrument typical of the islands of Java and Bali. The object is composed of xylophones, drums, gongs, string instruments, and metallophones. The Gamelan was commissioned and donated by the Government of Indonesia, through Ambassador Toto Riyanto, for the 21st FAO.
The musical director of "Kawah Ijen", conductor Marcelo de Jesus, says that the instrument, which will be played by Portuguese musicians, should be used later to teach Amazon percussionists.
Besides May 27, "Kawah Ijen" (Blue Volcano) will be re-presented on May 31 and June 2, at 8pm, at Teatro Amazonas.
Service
'Kawah Ijen' will have a world premiere at the 21st Amazon Opera Festival (FAO)
- Date/Time: May 27, 2018, Sunday, at 7pm
- Venue: Teatro Amazonas (Av. Eduardo Ribeiro, 659, Centro Histórico)
- Admission: Tickets are available at the box office of the theater itself and on the website aloingressos.com.brwith prices ranging from R$ 5 to R$ 60
