SEASON OPENING WITH DONIZETTI'S LES MARTYRS
With the rarely performed Grand Opéra Les Martyrs by Gaetano Donizetti, the MusikTheater an der Wien yesterday opened the 2023/24 season in the MuseumsQuartier / Hall E.
At the time of the persecution of Christians in late antique Armenia, a young woman is caught not only between two religions, but also between her husband and her former lover. Private and ideological fault lines collide in an opera that dares to make a risky contrast between Italian bel canto and French romanticism. In his production, Polish director Cezary Tomaszewski focused on the tragic history of the country in which the plot is set: Armenia.
The audience thanked all those involved - Roberta Mantegna (Pauline), John Osborn (Polyeucte), Mattia Olivieri (Sévère), David Steffens (Félix), Nicolò Donini (Callisthènes), Patrick Kabongo (Néarque), Kaitrin Cunningham (Une Femme), Carl Kachouh (Un Chrétien), the Arnold Schoenberg Choir, the dancers and extras as well as the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna under the musical direction of Jérémie Rhorer - with long-lasting applause.
We warmly congratulate all on this entertaining evening of music theatre.
Les Martyrs can be experienced at the MuseumsQuartier | Halle E until 28 September.