‘La Traviata’ will be staged until August 10, featuring three performances at the Convento da Cartuxa in Caxias, Oeiras. Alongside Darija Augustan in the lead role, the cast includes Ermin Asceric, Christian Luján, Luís Caetano, Nuno Fonseca, Luís Mayer-Bento, Alexandra Calado, and Laura Matadinho, joined by the Operafest Choir under the direction of Filipa Palhares, and the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra, in a co-production between the festival and the orchestra.
The artistic director of Operafest, soprano Catarina Molder, stated that extending the festival to Oeiras, adjacent to Lisbon, has allowed for increased funding, enabling the operas to be presented in their original versions for large orchestra and choir. This expansion caters to the festival’s growth needs and brings in a significant financial and logistical partner, enhancing audience reach.
This year’s theme, “Forbidden Loves,” aims to challenge all prohibitions with grand dramas from Mozart, Verdi, and Henry Purcell, running until September 16. It includes the usual Operatic Rave, happening on Friday, August 8, featuring Tó Trips & Fakes Latinos, Bateu Matou, and DJ Marfox, promising “A Night from Another World” at Convento da Cartuxa.
A highlight of this year’s edition is the national premiere of the opera “Julie” by Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans (1936-2022), who spent much of his career at La Monnaie Opera in Brussels.
This opera, inspired by August Strindberg’s play “Miss Julie,” will feature musical direction by Bruno Borralhinho, staging by Daniela Kerck, and performances by Julia Deit-Ferrand, Camila Mandillo, and Michal Marhold, accompanied by the Beira ensemble.
“Julie” will be on display at Culturgest in Lisbon on September 5 and 6.
Henry Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas” will be presented on July 29 and 30 at the Aula Magna of the University of Lisbon, with musical direction by Marcos Magalhães, staging by Rui Horta, and starring performances by Margarida Simões and Luís Rendas Pereira, alongside Eduarda Melo, Beatriz Volante, Ana Cloé, and Arthur Filemon, accompanied by the festival choir and the period orchestra Os Músicos do Tejo.
“The Magic Flute” by Mozart will be performed at the Olga Cadaval Cultural Center in Sintra on September 12 and 13, marking the festival’s closure.
This is the Portuguese version by composer Alexandre Delgado, directed by Mónica Garnel, revisited from the 2023 edition of Operafest.
Mozart’s final opera will be conducted by Pedro Carneiro, with voices from Cecília Rodrigues, Bruno Almeida, André Henriques, Patrícia Modesto, and Nuno Dias, accompanied by the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra.
The program also features the usual cinema cycle at the Portuguese Cinematheque in Lisbon, merging the Seventh Art with opera.
Films such as “Bluebeard’s Castle” by Michael Powell, “Miss Julie” by Alf Sjöberg, “The Day of Despair” by Manoel de Oliveira, and “La Traviata” by Franco Zefirelli are included in this lineup, running from September 3 to 9.
Two conferences at the El Corte Inglés cultural space in Lisbon, by musicologists Paulo Ferreira de Castro and Rui Vieira Nery, extend this 6th edition of Operafest until September 16. On September 15, Paulo Ferreira de Castro will discuss “Opera and Literature,” and on September 16, Rui Vieira Nery will talk about “Opera and Forbidden Loves.”
The full program is available on the Operafest website.
