Chamber Opera Prague
The top soloists of the Prague State Opera and the principals of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra gather for the Prague Chamber Opera's performance in Japan!! All the singers are in line, and Martin Ottava, the young No. 1 director who is in demand at opera houses around the world, is in charge of the overall production of both performances.
[Program] The Magic Flute 2008 2006
In Prague, the city of music, where opera groups from all over the world gather, it is an opera that has received the most support from audiences, as evidenced by its performance period. Rumors of the unparalleled popularity of performing for such a long period of time with a single production have spread not only in European countries, but also in countries around the world, and in fact, offers for this opera are pouring in from all over the world. Last time, in commemoration of the Mozart Year, he performed in Japan for the first time and received a lot of support.
In 2008, it has already been decided that they will return to Japan with the same production!!
A rare opportunity to appreciate a real magic flute drawn by Mozart.
[Program] The Barber of Seville 2008
A full-fledged new production by the genius Martin Otava. This production, which will be unveiled for the first time in Japan, is an easy-to-understand and enjoyable stage that fully incorporates the comical worldview depicted in the original work.
The stage is a love story in Seville, Spain, which is also known as the tobacco factory of Bizet's opera "Carmen".
Original work by Beaumarchais that later led to "The Marriage of Figaro" and "The Guilty Mother".
Doctor Bartolo is aiming for Rosina's legacy and plots to marry her while she is old. However, Count Almaviva, who fell in love with Rosina, pretended to be a poor student and won love by singing a serenade under the window. The problem is how to rescue Rosina from house arrest. Therefore, he singled out Figaro, a barber who claims to be the "everything shop in town." From there, the rescue operation devised by Figaro begins. Figaro and the Count, together with Basilio, are chasing Bartolo, but a big conspiracy awaits them at the end...
After going through all the obstacles, the two declare their marriage.
In the sequel, "The Marriage of Figaro", Figaro, a handyman (barber) who was recognized for his work and became a servant of the Count, this time has a conflict with the Count over another woman... .
[Program] The Marriage of Figaro 2008 2006
In recent years, many operas are performed every night in various parts of Europe. Mozart's operas are especially popular, and the number of performances is very high. However, the current situation is that the audience is really tired of the many unremarkable productions. Therefore, Martin Ottawa, who is currently building a solid career as a director in various parts of Europe, was singled out. He has moved away from the classical staging up to now and pursued the original fun of the script. The first performance was experimentally performed by students of the music college in Prague, and the applause for Ottawa who appeared at the curtain call that day did not stop. Rumors spread throughout Europe overnight, and even now, many years after its premiere, it is still popular as one of the best productions. In 2006, he received enthusiastic support during his first visit to Japan.
Chamber Opera Prague
It is composed of the core members of the Prague State Opera, the Prague National Theatre, and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.
It was founded in 1965 by young artists from the Prague Conservatory and the Prague Academy of Music and Arts, with the aim of becoming a progressive opera company unconstrained by old conventions.
His enthusiastic efforts to respect and inherit the Czech musical heritage have attracted attention, and his youthful and energetic performances have captured the hearts of audiences. I didn't.
At the time of its establishment, under the artistic director Petr Janász, who was also one of the founders, he reaffirmed the Mozart tradition that underlies Czech art and focused on staging Mozart operas.
His sincere activities greatly energized the Czech classical world, especially among young musicians.
In 1968, his activities were severely restricted due to the military intervention of the former Soviet Union (“Prague Spring”), but after the collapse of the socialist regime, he resumed his vigorous activities while also picking up avant-garde works.
Led by the genius director Martin Otava, it is currently ranked among the top opera companies for its high degree of perfection and is attracting a great deal of attention.
In addition to various theaters, performances have also been held in historic buildings and sports venues. Especially fresh were Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, La Traviata, The Barber of Seville, and The Magic Flute at the Liechtenstein Palace in Prague. The full-house audience was impressed with a performance full of surprises. In addition, "Ezio", a joint production with the Bayreuth Festival, attracted a great deal of attention as it pioneered a new frontier in baroque opera. Overseas, he has had success with The Barber of Seville and The Bat. They have a good reputation for their stage production skills, and their costumes and stage sets, which are made using their many years of experience, are of excellent quality. In 2006, all 19 performances of the first tour to Japan were highly acclaimed in various places, leaving a new mark on the history of Japanese opera.
Martin Otava ( director )
Director and Principal Director of the Prague Chamber Opera, Principal Director of the Prague State Opera
Up-and-coming stage director in the Czech Republic.
Zdenek was born into a family of famous artists whose grandfather was a baritone at the Prague National Theatre, and whose mother was a ballerina at the National Theatre. He himself studied vocal music and appeared mainly in operettas and musicals as a singer and actor.
He was interested in directing from an early age, and after honing his skills at a small theater in Prague, since 1991 he has been a director of the Prague State Opera, producing works such as "Love Elixir", "Gioconda", "Lohengrin", "Faust", "Il Trovatore". He worked on a series of works such as Bats. In addition to Prague, he has directed Giuditta, Don Giovanni, and Aida in Brno and Liberec. Giovanni”, Monte Carlo “The Barber of Seville”, Munich open-air opera “Aida”, Cannes “Valkyrie”, also in Japan “Aida” “Tosca” at the Prague State Opera, “Katya Kabanova” at the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra , Hilary Griffiths starring "Batman" and others were well received. From 1995 to 2001, he was the general director of the Prague Open-Air Opera Festival, producing stage performances for each summer's music festival, such as La Traviata, Rigoletto, and The Magic Flute. His modern staging is in the spotlight all over the world, and offers are endless, starting with the Bayreuth Festival. He is currently the principal director of the Prague State Opera and the Prague Chamber Opera.
Martin Mazik ( Conductor )
Music Director of the Prague Chamber Opera, Principal Conductor of the Slovak National Opera
Born in Presov, Eastern Slovakia. Studied clarinet, piano, composition and conducting at the Bratislava Conservatory. Later, at the Bratislava Academy of Music and Arts, he studied conducting under L. Slovák and B. Rezha, and composition under J. Hatlik. At the same time, he studied conducting under K. Aesterreicher and composition under K. Schwertsik at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Participated in conducting courses with A. Checkart and S. Celibidache.
While still a student at the Academy, he has been a guest performer with the Kosice National Philharmonic Orchestra, and has appeared in more than 40 performances so far. After working as assistant conductor of the Slovak National Opera in Bratislava and conductor of the Kosice National Theater, he has been the conductor of the Slovak National Opera since 1996. His repertoire includes Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Mascagni, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Bartok, and Prokofiev. He is also active in performing opera and ballet for children, producing works such as Dubovsky's Mysterious Key, Khachaturian's Spartacus, and Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.
He has conducted orchestras and opera houses not only in Japan but also in the United States, Austria, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. He has also been invited by the Slovak Philharmonic and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2005, he toured the United States and received high praise from various American newspapers. In 2006, the tour of "Merry Widow" will be held in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France (30 performances in total), and in 2007, tours in the United States, Germany, and Japan are also scheduled. He is attracting attention as a conductor who will lead the Slovak music world in the future.
