PREPARATIONS are well in hand for what promises to be one of the most fascinating musical events of the year in the region.
At Newtown's Theatr Hafren next month Mid Wales Opera premiere their new production of Offenbach's magical The Tales of Hoffmann.
With a nationwide reputation for productions that are always ambitious, original and entertaining, and with its pro
mise of melodic and scenic magic The Tales of Hoffmann contains all the ingredients for an enchanting and entertaining evening.
Performances in the Festival of Opera at Newtown will be on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, September 3, 5 and 6, at 7.30pm.
Following the overwhelming national successes of their productions of The Bartered Bride and La Bohème in the last two years, the company will present a rare chance for Mid Wales audiences to see and hear one of the world's most popular operatic masterpieces before it embarks on a 30-performance tour around Britain.
The Tales of Hoffmann is a director's dream, with its fantastical story line and a wide range of colourful and frequently supernatural characters. There is also a more profound underlying message beneath the brilliance and comedy, as Hoffmann comes to terms with his amorous failures," said the company's new general director Mike Penn.
To direct the opera the company welcomes the distinguished duo of Tim Hopkins and designer Anthony Baker in their first MWO production.
Both have worked regularly with major opera houses throughout the world; Tim directed an opera in the Royal Opera House last year and is preparing two operas for Opera North.
Tim Hopkins will be employing all his wide directorial experience to draw the opera's complex threads together, searching to deploy his lively team of artists in the most effective way to bring out the range of emotions that the opera demands.
The wide emotional range of the tales and their multicoloured characters necessitated continually changing moods, and Offenbach responded with customary genius and dramatic flair.
Once again Mid Wales Opera has chosen a cast with a suitable blend of youth and experience, all regular performers with the UK's leading opera companies.
The chamber orchestra will be conducted by its artistic director, Keith Darlington.
Tickets, priced £5-£26, can be had from the theatre box office on 01686-625007 or visit the website www.theatrhafren.com
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