Iris

The moving opera Iris by Pietro Mascagni, composer of Cavalleria rusticana, transports us to one of the musical pinnacles of verismo. This concert version comes to life under the musical direction of Daniele Callegari, who conducts the acclaimed soprano Ermonela Jaho alongside a cast of outstanding singers in this tale of shattered innocence.

Like Madama Butterfly, Iris is set in a fantastical, orientalist Japan and tells the story of a woman trapped in a cruel society. The protagonist, Iris, is a naive young woman who, mistreated by a perverse trio of men representing seduction (Kyoto, the seducer), greed (Osaka, the wealthy libertine) and betrayal (her own father), is taken against her will to a brothel. An opera that also features the famous ‘Hymn to the Sun’, one of the most beautiful passages in the history of opera.

Title from the historical archive of Teatro Real, exclusively available for subscribers.