Curtains raises on '˜The Merry Widow' musical

Following our exciting debut production of Carmen last year , we at Foyle Opera have set our course for the embassy of Pontevedro in Paris and Franz Lehar’s

comic operetta The Merry Widow.

This sparkling, comic operetta was premiered in Vienna in 1905 and has enjoyed almost half a million theatrical performances since.

The Merry Widow is one of the

world’s most popular musical shows. Lehar’s famous melodies, including Vilja, the Merry Widow waltz and the famous Can-can, bring vividly to life the glamour of

Parisian high society at the turn of the 20th century.

Foyle Opera’s new production (sung in English, with spoken dialogue) will bring an international team to the Millennium Forum, led by our artistic director, the Irish soprano Ann Jennings, featuring the orchestra of Foyle Opera under the baton of French conductor Franck Chastrusse Colombier, and the chorus and dancers of

Foyle Opera under the direction of Paris-based director-choreographer Jochen Sautter.

The international cast of artists include the German tenor Markus Herzog who has guested with the Munich State Opera and sung leading roles in several theatres in Germany and at the Salzburg Festival; Frits Kamp, a bass-barirone from the Netherlands who has sung about 35 operatic roles to date and has also appeared in recital and oratorio in Germany, Austria, Switzerland,Chile, Ireland, Italy, Czech Republic and the USA; Owen Gilhooly, a tenor from Northern Ireland who has

appeared in principal roles in the opera companies of the British Isles and Sarah Richmond, a mezzo-sopranno from Belfast.

Ann Jennings, the artistic director, has performed in Germany, France, Ireland, England, Austria and Egypt as a soloist undertaking title roles in opera and as a Lieder singer in Germany. She plays the title role in this production.

The production runs on Friday, August 3 and Saturday 4 in the Millennium Forum.

So why not go along and find out for yourself if Count Danilo can stand by his principle to “fall in love - frequently, become engaged – rarely , and marry – never“.