They are staunch defenders of culture in all forms, from acting to literature and painting, to music… precisely because of this last art. King Felipe and Letizia This Friday afternoon at the Euscalduna Palace in Bilbao, where they will preside over a historic moment: the performance of the opera il tritico, Which is about four hours long including rest. This is a production by ABAO Bilbao Opera signed with stage direction by Paco Azorin that commemorates the centenary of the death of Giacomo Puccini, one of the greatest Italian composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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© SMEL Ray HouseAround 6:30pm they arrived at the Euscalduna Jauregia Conference and Music Palace, located at 58,200 m and in the center of Bilbao. The Kings were received by ABAO President Juan Carlos Matelanes; Mayor of Bilbao, Juan Mari Aburto; General Deputy, Elisabeth Etxanobe; Government Representative, Marisol Garmendia; Security Advisor, Bingen Zupiria; and Health Minister Monica Garcia. The head of state and his wife were welcomed with orescu, a popular Basque dance. The exhibition was held in the hall of the building, which was designed by architects Federico Soriano and Dolores Palacios and inaugurated on February 19, 1999. Before entering the box, they were able to congratulate the aforementioned local artists.
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© SMEL Ray HouseOnce placed in the box, which they entered amid applause, the Bilbao Opera Choir performed agur jaunak (usually played at solemn events) with all present standing. Furthermore, a few moments before the start of the performance, a minute of silence was observed for the victims of DANA, which devastated part of Valencia at the end of October. The King made a previous visit to the Basque Country hours before the storm, to celebrate the 185th anniversary of the foundation of the Bilbao Society, a private club founded as an entertainment and cultural society.
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© GtresonlineThe Navarra Symphony Orchestra (OSN) is in charge of the show which has just four dates in Bilbao (23, 26 and 29 November and 2 December). It is very relevant that Euscalduna has included this performance in its agenda, since the technical, economic and artistic complexity of its staging means that this show is not common in theater programming. It is, therefore, a unique occasion that the author of works such as Turandot, La Bohème and Madame Butterfly died under treatment on November 29, 1924, aged 65, of a heart attack. He was suffering from cancer.
© Europa PressFor tonight at the opera, Queen Letizia opted for a look with Teresa Helbig’s signature simple lines. She opted for an off-white shirt dress with pleated relief and patent leather slingback kitten heels. After suffering a fracture in the proximal phalanx of the central toe in May, he opted for one type of footwear for most of his outings. It should also be noted that he has had Morton’s neuroma for several years. For jewelry, she opted for minimalism with some earrings from Sure Jewels, a family jewelry store located in Alfafar, one of the Valencian towns influenced by Dana.
© GtresonlineThe presence of the Kings on this occasion is a source of immense joy for the Bilbao Association of Friends of the Opera (ABAO). “The King’s presence is very important to us. His Majesty’s presence at an opera in the ABAO season is quite an event. It means institutional support for the work we have been doing for these 71 years. Their presence is not only full. Satisfaction, but it will have a positive impact on the world of poetry. ,” the association president indicated.
An exceptional delivery
Pedro Halfalter as conductor, who has had an illustrious career. A member of the Royal BBAA Academy of Santa Isabel de Hungary in Seville, he has been artistic director of the Nuremberg Symphony, the Gran Canaria Philharmonic, the Seville Symphony and the Maestranza Theater in Seville. He regularly conducts important orchestras on internationally prestigious stages. Among his successes as a composer, his versions of Wagner and Ullmann stand out, as well as twenty of his own works. He has recorded for the Deutsche Grammophon, Warner Music and Warner Classics labels.
On stage, thrilling the kings and the rest of the audience with their voices and their interpretations, we find outstanding professionals such as Carlos Alvarez, Ángeles Blancas, Marco Berti, Chiara Isoton, Carita Mattilla, Ioan Hotea, Stefano Palacci, Ana Ibarra. , Ana Goma, Sofia Esparza, and Itziar de Unda.
© Europa PressWritten by Puccini Il trittico As a continuous triad inspired by the structure of Dante’s Divine Comedy and its division of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. But precisely this division means that sometimes these titles are performed in a standalone program or with other smaller works. Therefore, we encounter for the first time that the ABAO Bilbao Opera programs the complete work, as conceived by the composer: Il tabarroA true tragedy of mystery and crime; Sister AngelicaA melodrama of religious liberation; And Gianni Schicchi, A comic farce.
Portraits of kings
The event culminates a program of monarchs this week where the portraits created by Annie Leibovitz for the Bank of Spain’s collection have caused great excitement. These impressive photographs, printed on canvas, already hang on its walls, showing Don Felipe and Dona Letizia as we have never seen them. The images, presented as diptychs, were taken on February 7, 2024 in the Gasparini Room of the Royal Palace, a room internationally renowned for capturing the prestigious portraitist, Prince of Asturias Prize winner and Isabel through his lens. II, Richard Nixon leaving the White House for the last time, Mick Jagger in a bathrobe and John Lennon hugging Yoko Ono.
Queen Letizia’s styling surprised and admired in equal measure: a long black dress with a strapless neckline drapes and hem enhanced with tulle by Cristobal Balenciaga. It is a piece from the 1940s donated by the Antoni de Montpalau Foundation. Falling over her arms is a spectacular fuchsia cape that was seen in a previous exhibition about Guettaria’s master at the Thyssen Museum and is also seen with the 60s necklace and chaton earrings worn at many public events.
