Join us for a season of French Opera in the Open
Dublin City Council in partnership with the French Embassy in Ireland is pleased to present a season of French Opera in the Open. To celebrate the relocation of the French Embassy to Merrion Square and its engagement to contribute to the cultural liveliness of the neighbourhood, a special one-off performance of Orphée et Eurydice by Christoph Willibald Gluck will be performed in Merrion Square Park at 1pm on Thursday 30th July 2015.
Dublin’s much loved annual opera event will then return to the Amphitheatre, Wood Quay where the programme of French Operas will continue. Lunchtime concerts will take place every Thursday during the month of August from 1 -2pm each day.
“Opera in the Open is one of Dublin’s most popular summertime events. Now in its sixteenth year this season marks a special collaboration with the French Embassy with a wonderful selection of French Opera performances. Come along to our Amphitheatre and enjoy sunny afternoons (hopefully) and beautiful music” said Ray Yeates, Arts Officer, Dublin City Council.
Take this opportunity to find out more about French Opera and relax on the grass in the leafy surrounds of some of Dublin’s hidden gems. The Amphitheatre is located just off Wood Quay and is easily accessible from Winetavern Street, which runs up to Christ Church Cathedral.
Each performance features excerpts from the Opera sung in French but narrated in English. Not only do we have an opportunity to appreciate the development of Orpheus and his adventures through the medium of Opera between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries but also Offenbach’s parody of Gluck’s Orphée et Euridice (1762) in the form of Orphée Aux Enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld, 1858).
Programme Schedule:
Launch at Merrion Square Park:
30th July, 1pm ORPHÉE ET EURYDICE Christoph Willibald Gluck
Main Programme at Civic Office Amphitheatre:
6th August, 1pm CARMEN Georges Bizet
13th August, 1pm PYGMALION Jean-Philippe Rameau
20th August, 1pm L’HEURE ESPAGNOLE Joseph-Maurice Ravel
27th August, 1pm ORPHÉE AUX ENFERS Jacques Offenbach
Admission Free to all performances
Programme: http://bit.ly/OperaFlyer
For further information contact: artsoffice@dublincity.ie or 01 222 5455
or scac[at]ambafrance-ie.org 01 2775053