A M A G N I F I C E N T N E W S E A S O N AT R O H M
Residents in the Sultanate of Oman can look forward to plenty of culture and artistic excellence, as the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) announces its new season for 2017. Set to take place between September and December of this year, the new season at ROHM sees an eclectic mix of performances, such as operas, ballets, world music, traditional dances and concerts, to entertain and educate lovers of the performing arts in Oman and the Middle East.
Titled A Legendary Season, several iconic performances are scheduled to be held in the capital, chief among them being Aida, Giuseppe Verdi’s timeless opera, which opens the season on the 14th, 16th and 17th of September. A troupe of the best opera singers in the world will be arriving in Muscat to perform this masterpiece.
The highlight of this season’s performances are an already soldout performance by iconic British pop star Sir Cliff Richard, who will be arriving in Oman for a one night only show on the 7th of October, and an homage to Luciano Pavarotti, one of the world’s all-time greatest opera singers, on the 14th of December.
While Aida is a love ballad set in ancient Egypt, L’occasione fa il ladro – translated into English as Opportunity makes a Thief – is a more light hearted offering, and is set to take place on the 28th and 29th of October.
“Gioachino Rossini had the amazing skills of making his music vividly express humour and finding plots to match,” said Awatif Al Aamri, press and media officer for ROHM.
“Through a cleverly entangled web of amusing obstacles, ill-fated deceptions and lucky twists of fate, those who are meant for each other eventually realise their hopes and dreams.”
The upcoming season at ROHM also provides families in the Sultanate the opportunity to introduce children to the wonders of the performing arts.
Schoolchildren will be participating in The Moth Princess on the 9th of December, which has been touted as an exciting education project.
“It was inspired by Giacomo Puccini’s last masterpiece,” added Al Aamri.
“The Moth Princess will be performed by Teatro Sociale di Como AsLiCo, the company that in April 2015 brought to ROHM the immensely successful interactive operatic show, Magic Flute for Children or Defeating the Monsters. School children participating from the audience will use props and sing in Arabic, English, and Italian.”
That’s not the only family fare on offer: both Cinderella and Swan Lake are also on this year’s playbill.
Legendary Russian playwright Piotr Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake will be performed by the Astana Opera Ballet Company from the 28th to the 30th of September, while Charles Perrault’s Cinderella will be given a modern-day twist by France’s finest performers from the Ballet de L’Opera de Lyon on the evenings of the 21st and 22nd of December, concluding with an afternoon show on the 23rd.
“A concert by the Argentinean singer Marcelo Álvarez will be performed on the 31st of December, celebrating the end of the current year,” said Al Aamri. “One of the most important tenors in the world, Álvarez is also famous for performing Tango music and popular Spanish and Italian folk songs to great acclaim.
“Since the beginning of his career in 1994, he has won many prestigious prizes and has toured regularly, participating in thirty-four premier performances in prestigious venues such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, among others,” he added. (To see the ROHM programme in full, and to reserve tickets, download the ROHM app for Android and iPhone, call the box office on + 968 2440 3332, or email them at boxoffice@rohmuscat.org.om)