A strange thing by the Valencian Vicente Martín i Soler, at the Palau de les Arts

• Director Francisco Negrín reviews the final details of Una cosa rara, the second opera by the Valencian composer, which is being staged at the arts center
• Soprano Ofelia Sala and tenor Joel Prieto lead the cast of this new production, musically directed by Ottavio Dantone.

Valencia (03-02-10). The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía is hosting the final rehearsals of Una cosa rara by Vicente Martín i Soler, the second opera by the Valencian genius that the arts center is staging and which will premiere next Sunday, February 7.

Francisco Negrín, who has already achieved great success at the Palau de les Arts for his Orlando by Handel and the zarzuela La corte de Faraón by Vicente Lleó, is currently finalizing the stage work for this opera, the most successful work by the Valencian composer, a contemporary of Mozart, with whom he rivaled in popularity in 18th-century Vienna.

Ottavio Dantone, who has conducted other works by Martín i Soler at the Palau de les Arts, such as the concert version of L'isola del piacere and the oratorio Philistaei a Jonatha Dispersi that inaugurated the Teatre Martín i Soler in June 2008, takes the reins of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana in this new production that the Valencian arts center will record in high definition for later commercialization.

A Strange Thing premiered on November 17, 1786, at the Court Theatre in Vienna to undeniable public and critical acclaim, which spread to theatres in London, Naples, Paris, Lisbon, and St. Petersburg, among others. Its staged premiere in Valencia took place two centuries later, at the Teatro Principal in 1992.

The libretto is by Lorenzo Da Ponte, with whom Mozart collaborated on some of his most celebrated operas: Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, and Così fan tutte. In fact, the popularity of Martín i Soler's opera led the Austrian composer to include the Valencian composer's theme, 'O quanto un si bel giubilo,' in his own opera Don Giovanni.

The action of Una cosa rara takes place in a village in the Sierra Morena mountains and narrates the attempts of Prince Juan (son of Queen Isabel) to win the heart of the beautiful mountain girl Lilla, whose love for the shepherd Lubino remains unwavering despite the prince's advances. Hence the subtitle that accompanies Martín i Soler's work: Una cosa rara, ossia Belleza ed onestà (A Strange Thing, or Beauty and Honesty).

The cast of Una cosa rara is headed by another Valencian soprano with an international career and a regular at major opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York and La Scala in Milan: Ofelia Sala as Queen Isabel. This marks the soprano's second appearance in the repertoire of Vicente Martín i Soler at the Palau de les Arts, where she sang the role of Diana in L'arbore di Diana last season. Alongside her is tenor Joel Prieto as Prince Juan, who is also returning to the Valencian composer's repertoire. His performance as Ferrando in Così fan tutte last season earned him critical acclaim.

Soprano María Hinojosa (Lilla) and bass Savio Sperandio (Lisargo) join the cast of Una cosa rara, which includes singers from the Centre de Perfeccionament Plácido Domingo: Javier Tomé (Corrado), Maite Alberola (Ghita), Isaac Galán (Lubino) and Lluís Martínez-Agudo (Tita).

A Strange Thing will premiere next Sunday, February 7, at 7:00 p.m. at the Teatre Martín i Soler. The Palau de les Arts has also scheduled performances on the 10th, 12th, 14th, and 21st of this month. An educational performance will take place on February 18.