17 October
A colourful spectacle of music, dance and poetry at Welsh National Opera
Welsh premiere of Ainadamar (Osvaldo Golijov) directed by internationally acclaimed choreographer Deborah Colker, and starring Cardiff Singer of the World 2023 Audience Prize winner Julieth Lozano Rolong
Flamenco and poetry meet opera as Welsh National Opera’s Autumn Season opens with the Welsh premiere of Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar. A co-production with Opera Ventures, Scottish Opera. Detroit Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera, the UK stage premiere was delivered by Scottish Opera in Autumn 2022 to wide critical acclaim. Sung in Spanish – a first for WNO – the twice-Grammy winning work reimagines the life of Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca as an artistic martyr through a flashback of memories by his muse and collaborator, the actress Margarita Xirgu.
In the director’s chair is internationally renowned and Olivier award-winning Brazilian choreographer Deborah Colker (Rio 2016 Olympics, Cirque du Soleil) whose approach promises a colourful spectacle of music, dance, and theatre. Ainadamar combines classical opera and traditional flamenco to tell Lorca’s story.
Matthew Kofi Waldren returns to WNO to conduct Ainadamar, following a triumphant run of Migrations with the Company in Summer and Autumn 2022. Led by a trio of female voices, the international cast includes Argentinian soprano Jaquelina Livieri (Margarita Xirgu) and Polish mezzo-soprano Hanna Hipp (Federico García Lorca).
Rising star, Colombian soprano Julieth Lozano Rolong (Nuria), who has recently been crowned Cardiff Singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Audience Prize winner will join Andalucian flamenco singer Alfredo Tejada (Ruiz Alonso). The cast also includes Annie Reilly (Niña 1) and WNO’s new Associate Artist Beca Davies (Niña 2).
Ainadamar opens at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff on 9 September before touring to Llandudno (10 October), Bristol (17 October), Plymouth (31 October), Birmingham (7 November), Milton Keynes (16 November), and Southampton (22 November).
The Bristol Hippodrome
St Augustines Parade
Bristol
BS1 4UZPart of the Ambassador Theatre Group
