Aribert Reimann’s Lear, based on William Shakespeare’s tragedy and directed by Calixto Bieito, will premiere at the Teatro Real on 26 January and 7 February.
In the long life of Reimann, now 87 years old, singing has occupied a primordial place, both as an exquisite pianist of lieder alongside his most illustrious performers, and as the author of an enormous and very varied vocal production, in which his nine operas stand out (Lear is the third in his catalogue).
The opera, premiered in Munich in 1978 with an excellent libretto by Claus Hennberg, respects the essence of Shakespearean tragedy, giving the orchestra a very important role, both in the psychological profile of each character and in the dramaturgical development of the conflicts.
Bieito’s production evokes King Lear’s road to redemption as a sort of Stations of the Cross, set in a conceptual space delimited by burnt wooden stakes and with a powerful symbolic iconography ranging from Spanish and Italian Baroque to Central European Expressionism.
The musical direction is by Asher Fisch, and will be led by a choral cast of 13 fantastic soloists, led by Bo Skovhus, who will perform alongside the Teatro Real’s Titular Chorus and Orchestra.
The Real will be the first opera house in the world to offer Lear with all the instrumentalists in the pit, as the theatres that have presented the opera to date have not been able to do so due to the enormous space required to accommodate the large orchestral staff, which includes 8 percussionists. Tickets can be purchased at this link.
