ZEMIRA E AZOR Grétry – Nationaltheater Mannheim

In a lonely palace lives Prince Azor who has been transformed by a vengeful fairy into a beastlike form. When a foreign merchant disturbs the palace peace, the creature-occupant demands a human sacrifice as punishment. Zemira, the merchant’s daughter, is ready to give her life but soon discovers Azor’s beastly form hides an altogether different soul. Will love save the day? Beauty and the Beast needs little introduction. Here the magical fairytale finds the form of an entertaining comedy by the Belgian-French composer André Grétry which premiered in Fontainebleau in 1771 with arias, a ballet and spoken dialogue that quickly conquered audiences far and wide. The version that had its first performance at the Mannheim Court Opera in 1776 was the first Italian translation of the opera, which replaced all spoken dialogue with recitatives. Now the Nationaltheater Mannheim’s new production of Zemira e Azor takes to the stage of the historic Schlosstheater Schwetzingen built in 1753. Conductor Bernhard Forck and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin join forces with director, set and costume designer Nigel Lowery to breathe new life into this enchanting work. Streamed on OperaVision on 10 June 2023 at 19:00 CET and available until 10 December 2023: CAST Zemira Amelia Scicolone Azor Patrick Kabongo Ali Raphael Wittmer Sandro Thomas Berau Fatima Seunghee Kho Lesbia Maria Polańska Orchestra Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin Music André-Erneste-Modeste Grétry Ignaz Holzbauer Niccolò Jommelli Text Jean-François Marmontel Mattia Verazi Conductor Bernhard Forck Director / Sets and costumes Nigel Lowery Lighting Lothar Baumgarte Dramaturg Xavier Zuber OperaVision is a freeview opera streaming platform, supported by the European Union’s Creative Europe programme. Watch live streams as the performances themselves unfold in the opera house. Enjoy a variety of shows - including opera, operetta, musical theatre, dance, ballet and concerts. Opera connaisseur or curious newcomer, there is something for everyone on OperaVision. WEBSITE: FACEBOOK: TWITTER: INSTAGRAM: TIKTOK: @operavision