ZORAIDA DI GRANATA Donizetti – Wexford Festival Opera

The action takes place during a Spanish attack on the Moorish capital of Grenada, where Almuzir has deposed and killed the legitimate King and usurped his throne. Almuzir is in love with Zoraida, but she is already betrothed to general Abenamet. Machinations ensue and, though Almuzir tries to dispose of Abenamet, the general outwits the ruler by disguising himself as an unknown knight. Will Abenamet finally win the day and the hand of his beloved Zoraida? Any A-Z of Donizetti’s 70 or so operas must eventually come to Zoraida di Granata, but actually, it belongs much higher up the list: a very early work, it was his first big success. The composer was only 24 when Zoraida di Granata was premiered at Rome’s Teatro Argentina in January 1822, although the opera was nearly born under an unlucky star, since the tenor originally cast as Abenamet fell fatally ill during rehearsals. Only a handful of Donizetti’s operas hold a place in the mainstream repertoire, but our appreciation of them has been radically changed by a better acquaintance with some of the lesser-known titles. The music shows the composer, if still under the influence of his teacher Simone Mayr, absorbing the brilliance of Rossini. OperaVision is delighted to host its first stream from the 2023 Wexford Festival Opera, which has produced more works by Gaetano Donizetti than any other opera festival in the world, only topped by Donizetti Opera Festival (Bergamo, Italy). In particular, WFO is credited for the rediscovery of L’elisir d’amore, in 1952, which has subsequently found its way into the operatic canon. The production is conducted by Diego Ceretta and directed by Bruno Ravella, several of whose productions (notably from Garsington) have delighted OperaVision audiences. Full performance streamed on OperaVision from 3 November 2023 at 19:00 CET to 3 May 2024 at 12:00 CET: CAST Zoraida Claudia Boyle Almuzir Konu Kim Abenamet Matteo Mezzaro Ines Rachel Croash Almanzor Julian Henao Gonzalez Ali Zegri Matteo Guerzé Dancers Luisa Baldinetti Miryam Tomé Orchestra Wexford Festival Opera Orchestra Chorus Wexford Festival Opera Chorus Music Gaetano Donizetti Text Bartolomeo Merelli Conductor Diego Ceretta Director Bruno Ravella Sets and costumes Gary McCann Lighting Daniele Naldi Assistant Director Noemi Piccorossi Assistant Designer Gloria Bolchini OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. WEBSITE: FACEBOOK: TWITTER: INSTAGRAM: TIKTOK: @operavision