The Palau de les Arts will host the revival of the opera “L´ Isola del Piacere”, by the Valencian composer Martin i Soler

09.09.2006

The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of Martin i Soler with the contemporary premiere on November 14 of his opera “L´Isola del piacere” (“The Island of Pleasure”), a work by the most universal and distinguished Valencian composer.
The revival of this opera by the Palau de les Arts, within its first season 2006-2007, represents a true cultural event, rescuing for the public one of the best works of Vicente Martin i Soler, after more than a century and a half of being forgotten.

“L’Isola del piacere” will be presented in concert at the Martin i Soler Hall of the Palau de les Arts by the Accademia Bizantina di Ravenna, considered one of the finest ensembles for the artistic performance of 17th- and 18th-century music. The ensemble will arrive in Valencia under the direction of Ottavio Dantone.

The concert will also feature a strong vocal cast, including a large Valencian representation.

Martin i Soler, who died in Saint Petersburg on February 11, 1806, was one of the most important composers of his time and one of the few whose music could be compared to that of Mozart himself at the Viennese court of Joseph II. In fact, Mozart praised the work of the Valencian composer and included a quote from Martin i Soler's work "Una cosa rara" in his opera Don Giovanni.

“L’Isola del piacere,” premiered in London on May 26, 1795, was the fifth and final operatic collaboration between the Valencian composer and the renowned librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its contemporary premiere at the Palau de les Arts, in the composer’s hometown, would be a pivotal moment in early opera.

Promote the work of Martin i Soler

The Palau de les Arts aims to promote the international stature of Martín i Soler and his work worldwide. To this end, in addition to premiering one of his operas each year as part of its program, the Valencian opera house will establish agreements with the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, which owns a significant portion of the composer's works, with the goal of recovering his entire vast operatic oeuvre.

Furthermore, the Palau de les Arts will be carrying out co-productions with other theaters in an effort to internationalize the work of Martin i Soler.

Martin i Soler (1754-1806) composed more than thirty operas and about twenty ballets, and saw his works performed in the most renowned European theaters (San Carlo in Naples, Burgtheater in Vienna, Hermitage in St. Petersburg, King's Theater in London).