Royal Opera House, London will stage Artaxerxes, sung in English, running for 2 hours 30 minutes.
Performance schedule is as follows:
Fri 30 Oct 2009, 7:30 PM
Sun 1 Nov 2009, 2:30 PM
Tue 3 Nov 2009, 7:30 PM
Thu 5 Nov 2009, 7:30 PM
Sat 7 Nov 2009, 2:30 PM
Mon 9 Nov 2009, 7:30 PM
Most often remembered today as the composer of ‘Rule, Britannia!’, which forms part of his masque Alfred, Thomas Arne (1710-78) was the foremost English theatre composer of his day, but many of his works are either lost or survive incomplete.
One of his biggest successes, Artaxerxes, which received its premiere at Covent Garden in 1762 and set Arne’s own translation of an Italian text by Metastasio, was a Covent Garden favourite until the 1830s and was admired by Haydn on a London visit.
In this new Royal Opera production celebrating Arne’s 300th birthday, and which is a new performing edition by Ian Page and with finale by Duncan Druce, Ian Page conducts the Orchestra of the Classical Opera Company and leading young singers in Arne’s melodious and often virtuosic score.
The plot is set in ancient Persia and shows the young prince Artaxerxes supporting his innocent friend Arbaces, who has been found guilty and condemned to death by the real murderer, his own father. -- www.roh.org.uk
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