Richard Wagner’s The Ban on Love is a comedy that breaks radically with the composer’s mysticism to embrace the musical hedonism of southern Europe. The Teatro Real revives this satire, which mocks puritanism, under the direction of Ivor Bolton and Kasper Holten, with Christopher Maltman and Manuela Uhl in the leading roles.
In Palermo, Sicily, the rigid governor Friedrich decrees a ban on the carnival and condemns extramarital relationships to death, imprisoning the young Claudio. The novice Isabella, the prisoner’s sister, leaves her convent to plead for clemency before the governor, awakening in the censor a hidden and uncontrollable passion that will test his own dogmas, and which will lead to a scheme involving blind dates, disguises and hidden identities amongst the citizens to set a public trap for the governor.
Grosse komische Oper en dos actos
Music by Richard Wagner (1813 – 1883)
Libretto by Richard Wagner, based on the play Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
Premiered at the Stadttheater, Magdeburgo on March 29, 1836
New Teatro Real production, in coproduction with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London and the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires
Artistic team
Conductor | Ivor Bolton
Stage director | Kasper Holten
Set and costumes designer | Steffen Aarfing
Lighting designer | Bruno Poet
Choreographer | Signe Fabricius
Chorus master | Andrés Máspero
Assistant to the conductor | Francesc Prat
Assistant to the stage director | Barbara Lluch
Set and costumes designer collaborator | Rebekka Bentzen
Assistant to the choreographer | Alejandra González
Assistant to the costumes designer | Tiziana Magris
Assistant to the choreographer | Tiziana Fracchiolla
Diction coach | Roxane Taghikhani
Cast
Friedrich | Christopher Maltman
Luzio | Peter Lodahl
Claudio | Ilker Arcayürek
Antonio | David Alegret
Angelo | David Jerusalem
Isabella | Manuela Uhl
Mariana | Maria Miró
Brighella | Ante Jerkunica
Danieli | Isaac Galán
Dorella | María Hinojosa
Pontio Pilato | Francisco Vas
Actors dancers | Carlos Rodas, Álvaro Hurtado, Sergio Mariottini, Sergio Arce, David Ventosa, Nacho Rodríguez, Amaury Reinoso, Santiago Cano, Gabriel Nicolá and Jordi Casas.
Teatro Real Chorus and Orchestra
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