Font de Mora: “The Palau de les Arts has placed Valencia at the top level of world opera”

15.05.2007

Alejandro Font de Mora made these statements at the press conference for the presentation of Paseo bien paga, the jazz opera directed by Miloš Forman, which closes the season at the Valencian coliseum.

The Regional Minister took the opportunity to review the first season, which he described as a success, “despite the difficulties and problems.” Font de Mora attributed this success to various factors, such as season ticket and individual ticket sales, and the support of private and business initiatives, which generated revenues of 4.2 million euros. Furthermore, the Minister of Culture, Education, and Sport emphasized the unanimous praise from international critics for the Valencian theater's productions, especially Fidelio and the first two operas of the Ring Cycle, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre.

Another key to Font de Mora's success has been the high quality of the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, which debuted with great success at the prestigious Teatro La Fenice in Venice and has already become a cultural ambassador for the Comunitat Valenciana throughout the world.

The Minister of Culture, Education and Sport also emphasized that the Valencian coliseum has stood out for its competitive cultural offering, since compared to other theaters in the world, the Valencian auditorium offers more affordable prices.

Another distinctive and successful aspect of the Palau des les Arts, according to Font de Mora, has been its commitment to encompassing all forms of art: opera, symphonic music, zarzuela, recitals, chamber music, lectures, round tables, exhibitions, films, jazz…

A quality, as the councilor has emphasized, has been recognized by the prestigious Teatro Campoamor awards in Oviedo, which recently awarded the Palau de les Arts two prizes to Zubin Mehta and Matti Salminen for Fidelio, as well as another award to Plácido Domingo for his work in Operalia, which held its last edition in Valencia.

A moralistic fable

Film director and two-time Oscar winner Milos Forman explained today that The Well Paid Ride, the jazz opera premiering tomorrow at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, “has everything I like to see as a spectator: intelligent humor, surrealism, music…”.

During the press conference, which was also attended by his sons Matıj Forman and Petr Forman, who are responsible for the staging and set design, respectively, as well as the musical director, Libor Pešek, Forman explained that A Well-Paid Walk “is a moralistic fable that has a lot to do with Czechoslovakia in the 1960s under Soviet totalitarianism.”

For Forman, it has been fantastic to return to the 1960s and his youth. He also explained that the premiere of the first version of this work in the 1960s was "a breath of fresh air for the youth of that time."

For his part, he also highlighted that this work marked a professional reunion after 50 years with Libor Pešek, the musical director with whom Forman collaborated on the first version of this work. Pešek, former principal conductor of the renowned Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, emphasized that the main task was to unite the different musical styles that converge in A Well-Paid Walk.

Likewise, the Director of the Palau de les Arts, Helga Schmidt, has argued that a work like Paseo bien paga should be a Broadway show.

Success in Prague

A Well-Paid Walk was created by Jiří Šlitr and Jiří Suchý, the most popular theatrical musical duo in the Czech Republic since the 1960s. The arrangements and musical direction are by Libor Pešek.

Its premiere in the Czech capital was a resounding success, attended by some of the country's most prominent figures. The audience gave it a standing ovation that lasted over 20 minutes.

Milos Forman has said he is thrilled to be able to present Paseo bien paga in Valencia and especially in such an impressive building as the Palau de les Arts.

The well-paid show "Paseo bien paga" will be performed at the Palau de les Arts on May 16, 17, 18, and 19. On the final day, the Valencian opera house has scheduled two performances: the first at noon and the second at 8:30 p.m.