La Fura dels Baus is working on its technological and futuristic interpretation of Les Troyens, which will inaugurate the fourth season of the Palau de les Arts.

Valencia (14-10-09).- La Fura dels Baus is immersed in rehearsals for the staging of Les Troyens by Hector Berlioz, the opening opera of the 2009-2010 season at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía.

Carlus Padrissa, director of La Fura dels Baus, is finalizing the details of the "futuristic and technological" staging of this co-production with the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg and the Wielki Theatre of Warsaw at the Valencian arts center, which will premiere on October 31 in the emblematic building by Santiago Calatrava.

Les Troyens is considered Hector Berlioz's most ambitious work due to its scenic complexity and exceptional vocal and musical demands. The libretto, also written by the French composer, is based on Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid, as well as on the dramatic work of William Shakespeare. This is also the first time this monumental opera has been performed in its entirety in Spain.

Following the critical and public success of their staging of Richard Wagner's tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) at the Palau de les Arts, La Fura dels Baus has reunited its creative team for this co-production: Carlus Padrissa as stage director; Franc Aleu - from Urano Films - as creator of the video projections; Roland Olbeter as set designer; Chu Uroz as creator of the multimedia costumes; and Peter van Praet as head of lighting.

As Padrissa himself explains, this new adaptation of The Trojans will focus “on technology, computer science, and science fiction, in a reading that also draws on the usual elements of the Fura dels Baus tradition, such as folklore, human architecture, and monumental stage sets accompanied by the latest audiovisual resources.” Valeri Gergiev will conduct the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana in this production, for which the Valencian arts center has brought together some of the most prominent figures in contemporary opera.

Dramatic tenors Stephen Gould and Lance Ryan share the role of the Trojan refugee Aeneas. Stephen Gould, who debuted in the role at the Munich State Opera under the baton of Zubin Mehta and is a regular at the prestigious Bayreuth Festival, will sing on October 31, November 3, and November 6. Lance Ryan, who, following his performance in The Ring of the Nibelung at the Palau de les Arts, has established himself as one of the leading Siegfrieds on the contemporary stage, will sing the role of Aeneas on November 8 and 12.

For the role of Dido, the Valencian arts center boasts two of the most prestigious mezzo-sopranos of our time. Daniela Barcellona, who has sung in the world's finest opera houses with renowned conductors such as Riccardo Muti, James Levine, Claudio Abbado, Colin Davis, and Riccardo Chailly, and who has garnered numerous accolades including the Abbiati Prize from Italian critics, the 2002 Opera Award, and the Rossini d'Oro, will take to the stage of the Valencian arts center's Main Hall on October 31, November 3, and November 8. Veronica Simeoni, winner of the 2008 Pavarotti Prize and widely known for her role in Franco Zeffirelli's film adaptation of Madama Butterfly, will perform on November 6 and 12.

Soprano Elisabete Matos, who has already won over Valencian audiences with her Turandot in Puccini's opera of the same name and her Gutrune in Götterdämmerung, will sing the role of the prophetess Cassandra. Her lover, Coroebus, will be portrayed by Gabriele Viviani, also known to Valencian audiences for his Valentin in Faust and Marcello in La Bohème. Bass Stephen Milling, a leading figure in performances of Richard Wagner's works at the Valencian cultural center, will sing the role of the Carthaginian minister Narbal under the baton of Gergiev, a role he has previously performed under the direction of two other renowned conductors, Colin Davis and Zubin Mehta.

Giorgio Giuseppini (Panteo), Zlata Bulicheva (Anna), Dmitri Voropaev (Hylas), Askar Abdrazakov (Priam) and Eric Cutler (Yopas) complete the cast of big names in this new production of Berlioz's work.