Helga Schmidt asserts that the third season at the Palau de les Arts is "within reach of very few theaters in the world"

The Director of the Palau de les Arts, Helga Schmidt, presented today at a press conference the third season of the Valencian theater, a season that remains "true to the hallmarks that have catapulted us to the top international status: the high quality and diversity of musical genres and artistic disciplines," as Schmidt indicated.
The opera season will open on October 25 with a new production of Wagner's Parsifal, with Lorin Maazel as musical director and great filmmaker Werner Herzog as stage director, and with which the Palau de les Arts joins the events that will be held in Valencia next autumn around the Holy Grail.

“A program that is within reach of very few opera houses in the world due to its quality, quantity and variety of offerings,” said the Mayor.

Opera, zarzuela, symphonic and chamber music, ballet, theater, jazz, film, painting, and photography “are the hallmarks of a season open to all audiences, which will once again transform the Palau de les Arts into a multidisciplinary hub of culture,” as the Director has stated. The third season is a carefully curated combination of operatic styles and periods, ranging from the Italian repertoire with Verdi’s Luisa Miller and Puccini’s Turandot—this time conducted by Lorin Maazel—to sacred opera with Parsifal, the comic opera Così Fan Tutte, Gluck’s tragicomic opera Iphingénie en Tauride (Gluck being the great reformer of the genre), and the romantic opera Faust by Charles Gounod, one of the pinnacles of the French repertoire. In this third season, the Spanish genre could not be missing and will be represented by the fun zarzuela El rey que rabió, by the Valencian Ruperto Chapí and one of the most celebrated operas of Martín i Soler, a new production of L' Arbore di Diana.

Artistic excellence and 48 opera performances

The 2008-2009 program at the Palau de les Arts will feature eight operas, three new productions, successful productions rented from leading theaters, 48 opera performances - nine more than last season - with leading figures in orchestral conducting such as Lorin Maazel or Patrick Fournillier and in stage direction and, of course, a cast of great lyric voices.

Thus, the Palau de les Arts once again joins forces with artistic excellence with the great lyric voices of Plácido Domingo - who will perform in Iphigénie en Tauride and in Die Walküre - Violeta Urmana, Sergei Leiferkus, Marcelo Álvarez, Carlos Álvarez, Orlin Anastassov, Ofelia Sala, Maria Guleguina and Erwin Scrott, among others.

Symphonic concerts

The operatic proposal, which is complemented by a program of six symphonic concerts at the Auditori and a tour in September through the Valencian Community, “will have a highlight in the concert on November 18 with the participation of the great tenor Juan Diego Flórez and the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana in a tribute from the Palau de les Arts to Bel Canto,” commented Helga Schmidt, in addition to those directed by Lorin Maazel.

Following the magnificent public response to the first Mediterranean Festival, the Palau de les Arts will once again program ballet, and Carlos Acosta, one of today's leading stars, will return. "Dance and ballet will be a constant feature of the Palau de les Arts' programming after confirming at the last festival the existence of a dedicated audience in Valencia for this art form," said the Director.

Cycles and themes

The Aula Magistral will once again host cycles of Chamber Music and Valencian Voices at affordable prices, thus confirming that the coliseum's commitment to Valencian music and musicians is a priority.

Alongside this program, a series of activities are developed, grouped into various monographic themes around the different operatic titles: conferences, exhibitions, round tables, meetings and colloquiums, film screenings, recitals, theatrical performances and various vocal and instrumental cycles.

Educational program and open house

The Palau de les Arts' big bet this third season is the educational project with an ambitious program aimed at primary, secondary and university students.

Thus, the feature film Peter and the Wolf, based on Prokofiev's music, will be screened, and Cinderella, based on Rossini's opera and presented in collaboration with the Valencian Institute of Music, is also scheduled. The educational program is rounded out with educational performances of Diana's Tree and The King Who Went Mad.

Another new feature this season will be the start of open days on October 11. Valencians will have the opportunity, through guided tours, to explore the Palau de les Arts facilities, as well as enjoy free concerts and musical performances throughout the day, presented by the musicians of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Joven Orquesta de la Comunidad Valenciana.

Season ticket and sales campaign

The season ticket renewal period will begin on September 8 (starting July 21, season ticket holders will receive all the information regarding the renewal period at their homes) and the new season ticket campaign will begin on September 16.

The general sales period for the public begins on October 14th.

II Mediterranean Festival

The second Festival del Mediterrani will begin on May 30, 2009, with the final installment of Wagner's Ring Cycle, Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods), performed by Zubin Mehta and La Fura dels Baus. In addition, the Catalan company will present a new show, L'anell del Nibelung, outside the building.

The main focus of this second edition will be the revival of two complete Wagner tetralogies, "an unprecedented event in a Spanish opera house," the Mayor noted.

“In two seasons we have achieved important things: becoming an international benchmark for the quality of our productions, creating our own innovative style in a new way of understanding opera, and launching the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, already considered one of the best orchestras internationally,” said Helga Schmidt.

Les Troyens de Beriloz in the 2009-2010 season

The Mayor has announced that the 2009-2010 season will open with Berlioz's Les Troyens (The Trojans), conducted by Valery Gergiev and directed by La Fura dels Baus. She also indicated that Gergiev will have a more frequent presence at the Palau de les Arts in the coming seasons.