The Italian orchestra conductor, Daniele Callegari leads a new production in concerto version on the work by Pietro Mascagni. This production can be seen as part of the new season at the Teatro Real on 4 and 7 October.
The piece is set in legendary Japan, where Iris is a naive and happy young woman who lives with her blind father. Iris attracts the attention of a rich young man, Osaka, who plans to kidnap her with the help of Kyoto, who has a house of geishas. Under the pretext of a party in her honour, Osaka takes Iris to Kyoto’s house of geishas. There, Osaka tries to seduce her but does not succeed, whereby he soon loses interest in her.
Meanwhile, her father is deceived by Kyoto and believes that his daughter has gone voluntarily. Desperate and ashamed, on going there, her father publicly rejects Iris. Disappointed, Iris flees and throws herself into an abyss. On her deathbed, Iris has a mystic vision that grants her spiritual redemption. She dies in peace and her body is transformed into a flower that bears her name.
Premièred in 1898, this is an intensely symbolic and lyrical production that explores dark topics, such as innocence, exploitation and personal reconciliation. On this occasion, the title role is performed by the Albanian soprano, Ermonela Jaho, who is returning to the Teatro Real after her brilliant performances in Madam Butterfly, La Traviata or Adriana Lecouvreur.
Artistic File:
- Musical Conductor - Daniele Callegari
- Choirmaster - José Luis Basso
- Orchestra and Choir - Teatro Real Resident Orchestra and Choir
Cast:
- Blind Man - Jongmin Park
- Iris - Ermonela Jaho
- Osaka - Gregory Kunde
- Kyoto - Gabriele Viviani
- Dhia / Geisha - Carmen Solís
- Merchant / Beggar - Pablo García-López
Programme:
- Melodrama in Three Acts
- Music: Pietro Masagni (1863-1945)
- Libretto - Luigi Illica
- Opera in concerto version
