Ópera de Tenerife takes on a historical record with 1,150 subscription holders just eleven days before the season starts.

 

The Tenerife Island Council presents Ariadne auf Naxos, by Richard Strauss, or a return to the house opera productions with a large format at the Auditorio de Tenerife.

This first subscription title takes place on the 15, 17 and 19 October at 7:30 p.m. in the Symphonic Hall. José Carlos Acha gave the show details; the regional minister of Culture of the Tenerife Island Council, the General Director of Cultural Innovation and Creative Industries, Cristóbal de la Rosa, José Luis Rivero, the Artistic Director of the Auditorio de Tenerife; the musical director, Diego Martin-Etxeberria, the stage director, Nicola Berloffa, and the soprano Irina Churilova in representation of the cast.

The island minister for Culture took the opportunity to announce that "with 11 days to go until the season kicks off, the number of subscriptions for Ópera de Tenerife has reached 1,150, which is a record for the Tenerife opera season". "With this show, we return to our large-format production, similar to the size of Lucrezia Borgia in 2020. The set design is 8 metres high and 18 metres long, which has been in the works since May in the training and scenic creation workshop of the Auditorio de Tenerife", explained José Carlos Acha.

Cristóbal de la Rosa recalled that "from the Canary Islands Government, we support Ópera de Tenerife and the opera productions in Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. We are convinced of how valuable opera is, not only as a total performance but also as one of the best ways to get the population closer to the necessary reflections of today". The general director wanted to end his intervention by congratulating "the entire Auditorio de Tenerife team for maintaining this lyrical programme and for putting on their productions like this one, which generates extraordinary value in our society".

José Luis Rivero acknowledged that "we begin the subscription season with Richard Strauss, one of the greats, and are very happy with the team we have to carry it out". Without everyone's teamwork, making a production of this kind come true would be impossible. We feel very proud of the great team we have", said the artistic director, who reminded the audience that "at the Auditorio de Tenerife, we create culture for all citizens, so we hope that they like it very much and enjoy it as much as we do make it".

Diego Martin-Etxebarria has lived in Germany for 17 years. He is "very grateful that they have thought of me for this production, a German Strauss repertoire with which I feel very comfortable". The conductor, who will take the baton of the Sinfónica de Tenerife, pointed out "the good atmosphere that exists in the production, both on the part of the exceptional cast and the rest of the team". "I love music, but more than that, I love being happy. In this production in Tenerife, both things are happening, where everyone is rowing for us to be successful," he declared.

For Nicola Berloffa, "It is a pleasure to return after Lucia de Lammermoor (2018). I am grateful that they have allowed an Italian director to do this German title". He also had thankful words to all his artistic team and the cast, "who have lent themselves to this journey, a new project with a frenetic pace". The maestro pointed out the "difficulty of making two operas in one, which apparently have nothing in common: a prologue in a palace, which we have set in Vienna during the First World War, and an opera that takes place in a mythical time, invading the first stage with the sand of the desert in a dreamlike atmosphere, like an escape from reality".

Irina Churilova, the soprano who plays Ariadne, said she was "pleased to be in Tenerife in this theatre where I dreamed of singing one day". "Many amazing colleagues with powerful and enchanting voices have come together on this magical island for this production, something that rarely happens," said the singer. "We are in the hands of two wonderful maestros and with an orchestra that is everything to us", declared the artist, who emphasised that "we are all part of the opera, and we are making it for the public so that they can be as happy as we are performing it".

This opera consists of a prologue and one act and is based on the mythological story of Ariadne, abandoned by her lover Theseus on the Greek island of Naxos shortly after she helped him defeat the Minotaur. Commedia dell'arte characters led by Zerbinette, played by the soprano Serena Sáenz, will encourage the princess, the leading role played here by the soprano Irina Churilova, who ends up meeting the god Bacchus, who will be brought to life here by the tenor Michal König. The mezzo-soprano Na'ama Goldman will play the role of composer.

The rest of the cast includes soprano Marie Lombard as Najade, a water nymph; mezzo-soprano Claire Gascoin as Dryade, an earth nymph; soprano María Miró as Echo, an air nymph; baritone Nikolay Borchev as Harlequin and a music teacher, tenor Emmanuel Faraldo as Scaramuccio and an officer, bass Francesco Leone as Truffaldin and a footman, tenor Paul Schweinester as Brighella and a dancing master, actor Giulio Cervi as the butler, and bass Aleksandr Utkin as the hairdresser. The cast also features actors Joan Carlos Expósito, Daniel Marrero, Jonatan Fernández, and Saulo Trujillo, as well as the children Jorge Hernández and Raúl Aladrén.

The artistic team is led by Nicola Berloffa, the stage director and costume designer. Valerio Tiberi's lighting and Andrea Belli's set design complete the team. The scene is inspired by one of the rooms in Schönbrunn Palace, and the costumes are reminiscent of the House of Austria, the name given in Spain to the Habsburg dynasty.

For the new season, the subscription for Tuesday and Thursday is 100 euros, and Saturday is 150 euros. Those aged under 30 still have the option to get a subscription for 20 euros. The offer has discounts for large families, wheelchair users, and the person accompanying them.

In addition to Ariadne auf Naxos, the titles that make up the subscription are Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly (November), a production of the Teatro Comunale di Modena; La Bella Susona, by Alberto Carretero (December), a contemporary proposal co-produced by Auditorio de Tenerife and the Teatro de la Maestranza of Seville, Giovanna d'Arco, by Giuseppe Verdi (March), co-produced by the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, and Parsifal, symphonic-choral synthesis in three acts by Pedro Halfter (June), an adaptation of the work by Wagner for choir and orchestra.

To facilitate access to these performances, the Island Council has set up an Opera Shuttle, offering free transport on Saturdays. Two TITSA buses will depart at 5:15 p.m. from the south (Adeje) and the north (Buenavista), with the Auditorio de Tenerife as their destination. Once the event is over, there will be a 15-minute gap until the buses drive the route in the opposite direction.

To access this service, you must collect a bus ticket, which is purchased as a show; instead of choosing a fare, select the name of the stop where you will join the journey. Whether you have a ticket for the show or have not yet bought one, you must collect this invitation to board the Shuttle. Places for the Opera Shuttle are limited and will be available until the day before the show at 3:00 p.m.

The Ópera de Tenerife is an initiative organised by the Island Council through the Auditorio de Tenerife with the collaboration of the ICDC (Regional Institute of Cultural Development) and the INAEM (National Institute of Performing Arts and Music).

The tickets and subscriptions can be purchased on the website www.auditoriodetenerife.com, at the auditorium's box office or by dialling the phone number 902 317 327 from Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Check the special discounts for students, unemployed people, and large families, and a special price for the audience under 30 years of age.