Les Arts offers 64 days of artistic activity and more than 160 educational sessions in the 2016-2017 Season

The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía offers 64 days of artistic activity and more than 160 educational sessions in the 2016-2017 Season, which were presented today at a press conference by the Minister of Education, Research, Culture and Sport, Vicent Marzà, and the Intendant of Les Arts, Davide Livermore.

The Valencian soprano Lucrezia Bori (1887-1960), recreated by the Valencian artist based in Los Angeles, Pepe Moreno, is the image of the eleventh lyric course of Les Arts.

From September 25th, the date on which activity begins in the Calatrava building with the Open Day, his figure becomes the common thread of the different proposals of the theater.

The 9th Open Day will include, in addition to free tours of the building's spaces, other free activities such as a concert by the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana with Roberto Abbado or a recital by the artists of the Centre Plácido Domingo.

A new preseason with affordable prices begins on October 1st. With tickets ranging from 7 to 50 euros for opera and zarzuela, and from 10 to 20 euros for concerts, this initiative is being repeated, and the first performance of the subscription season is also being offered at affordable prices.

Five shows make up the range of activities. Donizetti's opera "L'elisir d'amore", in Damiano Michieletto's production, set on La Malvarrosa beach, with Keri-Lynn Wilson in the pit, the second woman to direct opera in the ten years of the theater's existence, the five performances of this work on the: October 1, 4, 7, 9 and 12.

Spanish opera returns with Valencian composer Manuel Penella's production of "El gato montés" (The Wildcat). Óliver Díaz, musical director of the Teatro de la Zarzuela, will conduct this work, which will be presented in a production also by this theater, directed by José Carlos Plaza, on October 30, November 1, 3, and 5.

The concert program is complemented by a Vivaldi monograph under the baton of Fabio Biondi, musical director of Les Arts, on October 6 at the Auditori; “Cantúria Cantada”, by Carles Santos, performed by the Cor de la Generalitat, directed by Dolors Ricart on November 10, and an opera gala with the artists of the Centre Plácido Domingo, directed by Ramón Tebar, principal guest conductor of the opera of Valencia, on the 26th of that month.

For the first time, Les Arts is including a performance with affordable ticket prices, ranging from 7 to 50 euros, as part of its season. It will take place on February 22nd, for the penultimate performance of Verdi's most famous opera, "La Traviata." A young cast, but with the same musical direction by Ramón Tebar and stage direction by Sofia Coppola as the subscription performances, will headline this show.

Tickets for this production of "La Traviata" will go on sale during the Pre-Season period. Les Arts is once again offering Pre-Season passes with discounts ranging from 20% for the general public to 50% for holders of the Carnet Jove (Youth Card). A Pre-Season pass that includes "L'elisir d'amore," "El gato montés," the performance of "La Traviata" on February 22, the concert show "Cantúria Cantada," the opera gala "Noves Veus," and the Vivaldi concert will cost from €150 for the most expensive option (maximum visibility, general public) down to €62 for young people in Zone 3.

Ten operas

Along with the two Pre-season titles, there will be eight other operas in the Main Hall, Auditori and Teatre Martín i Soler between December 2016 and July 2017.

Verdi's "I vespri siciliani" opens the Subscription Season on December 10 with Roberto Abbado in the pit and a top-level cast: tenor Gregory Kunde (Arrigo), recent winner of the International Opera Award; soprano Anna Pirozzi (Helena), who triumphed at Les Arts in "Nabucco" in 2015; Juan Jesús Rodríguez, a great Verdi baritone who has sung in Valencia in "Rigoletto" and "Il trovatore"; and Russian bass Alexander Vinogradov, who debuted at the arts center under Lorin Maazel in 2006.

Davide Livermore is responsible for the staging of this ABAO and Regio di Torino production, chosen by “Musical America” as one of the ten best shows of 2012. There will be five performances of “I vespri siciliani” on December 10, 13, 16, 18 and 21 in the Main Hall.

In January, the Teatre Martín i Soler hosts one of this year's most innovative shows: Haydn's "Philemon und Baucis," a puppet opera by the Carlo Colla e Hijos company, conducted by Fabio Biondi and featuring the voices of the Centre Plácido Domingo. There will be four performances of Les Arts' first puppet show on the 8th, 12th, and 25th, with an educational performance on January 11th.

In February, Verdi's "La Traviata" returns for the third time since Les Arts opened. There will be seven performances, including one at affordable prices, on the 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.

Ramón Tebar conducts this Rome Opera production, a collaboration with filmmaker Sofia Coppola and featuring costumes by Valentino. It's a lavish production with a stellar cast, including Plácido Domingo as Germont, Marina Rebeka, one of today's most sought-after sopranos, and tenor Arturo Chacón in the roles of Violetta Valéry and Alfredo Germont, respectively.

In March and April, the first new production of the 2016-2017 Season, Donizetti's "Lucrezia Borgia," premieres. Fabio Biondi conducts one of the composer's most demanding scores, especially for the title role, the daughter of Pope Alexander VI, sung by the diva Mariella Devia, winner of the International Opera Award, among other roles, for her performance in "Norma" at Les Arts. She is joined in the cast by Silvia Tro Santafé, Valencia's most internationally renowned mezzo-soprano. Emilio Sagi designed this new production, which will be performed on March 26 and 29, as well as April 1, 5, and 8.

French opera returns in May with Massenet's "Werther." Henrik Nánási, principal conductor of the Komische Oper Berlin, will conduct for the third time at the Palau de les Arts. "Werther" is one of the most formidable tenor roles, and it will be sung by one of the finest voices of our time, Jean-François Borras, who garnered critical acclaim after replacing Jonas Kaufmann in the same role at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Alongside her sings one of the most captivating voices on the scene, mezzo-soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci (Charlotte). Jean-Louis Grinda directs this new production, which Les Arts co-produces with the Monte-Carlo Opera and will be performed on May 20, 23, 26, 28, and 31.

In June, the arts center delves into 20th-century repertoire and the work of Britten with "The Turn of the Screw," at the Teatre Martín i Soler on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 10th of that month. Christopher Franklin leads the resident companies of Les Arts in this masterpiece with its intriguing plot and powerful theatrical flair. Davide Livermore directs this new in-house production featuring artists from the Centre Plácido Domingo.

That same month, on the 15th, the Auditori hosts an opera in a concert-show format. Fabio Biondi introduces the audience of this cultural venue to another score far removed from the mainstream: “Piramo e Tisbe”, by the German composer Johann Adolf Hasse, starring Vivica Genaux and Valentina Farcas.

Rossini closes the operatic offerings with his first mature opera, “Tancredi”, with Roberto Abbado as musical director in a production by Emilio Sagi for the Lausanne Opera and the Municipal Theater of Santiago de Chile with outstanding interpreters of the work of the composer from Pesaro in the main roles.

Daniela Barcellona, a leading Rossini mezzo-soprano who last sang at Les Arts in 2010, will sing the role of Tancredi. She will be joined by soprano Jessica Prat, who performed in Rossini's "Stabat Mater" in 2015, and the acclaimed Chinese tenor Yijie Shi. Performances of "Tancredi" will take place in the Main Hall on June 23, 25, 27, and 29, and July 1.

Ballet, concerts, chamber music, recital

For the second year in a row, the program includes a ballet performance. From April 21 to 24, in the Main Hall, the director of the National Ballet of Spain, Antonio Najarro, presents a tribute performance to Antonio Ruiz Soler, “Antonio the Dancer,” featuring several of his most emblematic choreographies, including “The Three-Cornered Hat.”

Works of different styles and periods comprise the concert program for the 2016-2017 Season. Fabio Biondi will conduct "Israel in Egypt" at the Auditori on December 22, an oratorio by Handel, a composer of whom the musical director of Les Arts is a great connoisseur.

On April 6, the cultural center will host the premiere of Francisco Coll's symphonic work, "Mural," a commission from the Valencian composer, who is currently performing his acclaimed "Café Kafka" at the Teatre Martín i Soler. The evening's program will also include Gustav Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde," featuring tenor Gregory Kunde.

On May 11, Francesc Perales will conduct the Cor de la Generalitat in Palestrina's "Mass of Pope Marcellus." The public can enjoy this concert in a lesser-known space at Les Arts: the Galeria dels Arcs, located in the art corridors on the third floor.

Another new feature of the season is the return of chamber music to the artistic program. This project, thanks to the dedication of Fabio Biondi and the musicians of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, will take shape in three sessions at Espai los Toros, another new space within the building now open to the public.

On January 14, in the month of the Salzburg genius's birthday, Fabio Biondi presents 'Around Mozart,' featuring works by Mozart's contemporaries: Joseph and Michael Haydn, Salieri, and Beethoven. On March 30, coinciding with performances of Donizetti's 'Lucrezia Borgia,' Maestro Biondi offers pieces by great bel canto composers such as Bellini, Cherubini, Mercadante, and Rossini. On May 6, the maestro and the OCV's musicians invite you on a journey to Baroque Germany with scores by Telemann, Handel, and Bach.

In the recital section, the distinguished pianist and repertoire specialist Roger Vignoles will accompany the artists of the Centre Plácido Domingo on March 25 at the Teatre Martín i Soler.

ActiviArts

Throughout the 2016-2017 Season, free activities are growing with two innovative proposals: “Les Arts Volant” and “Mozart Nacht und Tag”, in addition to the traditional “Open Day” and “Nit à Les Arts”, the white night of the arts center.

“Les Arts Volant” is an unprecedented initiative to bring opera to every corner of the city of Valencia and the Valencian Community, which will be launched with the collaboration of the Regional Secretariat of Tourism and the City Council of the capital: a stage on wheels with which to perform Mozart's Singspiel “Bastian und Bastienne” anywhere.

“Mozart Nacht und Tag” is a 24-hour marathon about the genius from Salzburg with free music, recitals, concerts and activities about him in different rooms and spaces of Les Arts, coinciding with his birthday, January 27.

Teaching Program

The increase in educational activity is another pillar of the new Season, with more than 160 activity sessions, 40 more than the current course and with an expected attendance that will exceed the 12,000 students who have passed through Les Arts to date.

This year's educational program includes independent activities as well as those linked to artistic activity, such as: "Detectives in Opera", "Drawing Music", dramatized readings, workshops, "The Voice of…", master meetings, "Tots a Cor", "Feel the Opera", "European Opera Days", dress rehearsals, educational performances and "Around…".