Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

Read more

Latvian National Opera House has successfully staged Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni".

Principal conductor of the Azerbaijani State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev was invited to stage the two-act opera, the conductor told AZERNEWS.

Mozart's opera staged by Italian director Marcelo Lombardero was a huge success at the Latvian National Opera House. Note that Ayyub Guliyev made his debut at Latvian National Opera House last year. In 2022, he was invited to conduct Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La Traviata."

"This is my second appearance at the Latvian National Opera House. The theater has a very large and close-knit team led by world-famous opera singer, bass-baritone Egils Silins. Several years ago, he was on an official visit to Baku at the invitation of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Latvia, the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry. During his visit, Egils Silins showed great interest in Azerbaijani culture, especially Azerbaijani State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. I am very pleased that his trip to Azerbaijan was not limited to certain meetings. At the moment, we are actively cooperating and my participation in performances in Latvia is a clear example of this. I made my debut at Latvian National Opera House in 2022. Back then I conducted Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Traviata. Even then I was pleasantly surprised by the high level of this theater in all respects," Ayyub Guliyev said.

Speaking about Latvian National Opera House, the conductor noted that the theater has brought together strong vocalists.

"Latvian National Opera House unites incredibly strong vocalists, choir and especially orchestra, which stands out for his professionalism. It seems like the orchestra musicians understand you in half word. Undoubtedly, all this has a positive effect on the opera performance. A very warm and pleasant atmosphere reigns in the theater, which sets you in a creative mood and inspires, and this time was no exception," he said.

Principal conductor of the Azerbaijani State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater also provided insight into Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni".

Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legend about a libertine as told by playwright Tirso de Molina in his 1630 play El burlador de Sevillay convidado de piedra. Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni" was premiered in 1787.

"Don Giovanni is called the opera of all operas. This opera is difficult both to perform and to conduct. Latvian National Opera House staged the opera in its full version, which is a rarity. As a rule, the performance of this opera is shortened, some dialogues are removed. However, the Latvian theater has taken a huge step by retaining almost all of the author's text. As you know, the opera Don Giovanni has two editions - Prague and Vienna, where Mozart included new performances. The Vienna version, which is much longer, was staged in Latvia. For me, this is a great experience to work with such professionals," Ayyub Guliyev emphasised.

Mozart's "Don Giovanni" in its full version was met with a storm of applause. The audience sat through the entire performance, which lasted almost four hours.

Among the guests were the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Latvia Elnur Sultanov, leading public and cultural figures and representatives of local media.

" This is a great achievement for the Azerbaijani conducting school. It is a great honor for me to represent the country at the international level. I am really glad that the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Latvia Elnur Sultanov did not leave us without attention. He was in the opera hall, watching our performance. I am sure to continue the partnership with the Latvian National Opera House," the conductor said.

In conclusion, Ayyub Guliyev shared the prospects with the Latvian theater. He noted that the director of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, People's Artist of Azerbaijan Yusif Eyvazov will take part in the projects, which will further strengthen cooperation between Azerbaijani and Latvian opera theaters.

The conductor is looking forward to new performances in Latvia.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz