Tenor Rafael Rojas passed away

Category Archive:News

• Tenor Rafael Rojas passed away

  21 January 202213:19 Comments Off on Tenor Rafael Rojas passed away

  The sad news reached us that Tenor Rafael Rojas has passed away at the age of 59. Rojas, born in Mexico, sang the role of Dick Johnson/Ramerrez in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West with Opera Zuid in 2001. We wish his loved ones a lot of strength with this loss.

• Interview with director Julien Chavaz

  13:12 Comments Off on Interview with director Julien Chavaz

  Roméo et Juliette is a love story between two people from rival families. Director Julien Chavaz turned the opera into a contemporary love story. A story of today! “In my production I play with the question of what you can and cannot show in public.”

  How do you bring this time-honored love story to the present day?

  “In my experience, Romeo et Juliette is about the constant field of tension between public and private. In directing we play with these different perspectives. One moment you are witnessing everything from the two families, who are fighting each other in public. Then to switch to the intimate perspective of Roméo and Juliette, who meet in secret. The decor is also based on this change of perspective. It’s like looking out the window one minute and surveying the entire city and peeking through a keyhole the next.”

  How does this compare to our time where social media makes just about everything public?

  ‘In the piece I reflect on the question of what you can and cannot show in public. We are used to everyone displaying their entire life on Instagram and Facebook. I occasionally drop a curtain on stage, behind which characters disappear. The audience hears that something is happening, but is not part of it. That arouses curiosity.”

  As a director you are known for giving rhythm to an opera. How do you do that in this opera?

  First of all, the rhythm must be in balance between the large choral scenes and the intimate solo singing, but also between the musical transitions between the scenes. I use these musical transitions without vocals to tell more than is written on paper. I show the story from a different perspective and have characters come back to create magic and mystery. The audience gets to know the characters in a more intimate way than is possible in the action-oriented storyline. Thanks to the magic and mystery, despite knowing the storyline, the audience continues to ask themselves questions.”

  Does this mean that the opera is a recreation of Roméo et Juliette?

  ‘I make all these choices about rhythm and structure together with the conductor. While we should not lose sight of the fact that the original material of this opera is, of course, already Gounod’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s text. That makes opera art. In my view, art is the constant reassembly and transformation of existing material. An opera is never finished, it is an ongoing process.”

  What role do the singers play in this transformation?

  In this opera, the body language of the singers is fundamental. An opera can only take the listener on a three-hour journey if the singer’s body is completely connected to the music and lyrics. Opera singers are not ballet dancers, so what matters to me is that singers use their bodies in a personal and abstract way. What I hear, I want to see reflected in the bodies. Only in this way does the energy come across to the public. Otherwise you might as well listen to a CD.”

  INFO & TICKETS: operazuid.nl/romeo-juliette

  Interview: Manon Berns

• Update impact new corona-measurements tourdates

  20 December 202114:21 Comments Off on Update impact new corona-measurements tourdates

  Due to the Covid-19 measures announced by the Dutch government on Saturday 18 December. the planned shows of Buurt Opera Malpertuis on Thursday 23 December and the performances of Goud! will unfortunately not take place at Dutch National Opera & Ballet until 14 January.

  Registered visitors to the shows of Buurt Opera Malpertuis will be informed personally by Opera Zuid. Ticket Holders of Gold! will be contacted by Dutch National Opera & Ballet.

  We hope to be able to play a next edition live for you in the new year together with the participants of Buurt Opera Malpertuis. The planned Dutch Gold! tour in spring 2022 will continue as usual for the time being.

  We would like to thank you for your understanding.

• Update tour Roméo et Juliette

  26 November 202121:11 Comments Off on Update tour Roméo et Juliette

  On Friday, November 26, the cabinet of the Dutch government held a Covid-19 press conference announcing new measures to further contain the pandemic. As a result, non-essential sectors must be closed from 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for three weeks from Sunday, November 28. This means that the catering industry, gyms, shops and theaters will close earlier.

  Unfortunately, these measures have a direct effect on the course of the tour of our opera production Roméo et Juliette, since the performances are without exception scheduled in the evening. The dates scheduled from Sunday 28 November will therefore be cancelled.

  On Saturday November 27, Roméo et Juliette will be seen live for the last time, in Parktheater Eindhoven, at 20:00.

  We hope to see you at the performance on Saturday!

  TICKETS & INFO www.operazuid.nl/romeo-et-juliette

• Interview met regisseur Julien Chavaz

  3 November 202109:01 Comments Off on Interview met regisseur Julien Chavaz

  Roméo et Juliette is een liefdesverhaal tussen twee mensen uit rivaliserende families. Regisseur Julien Chavaz maakte van de opera een eigentijds liefdesverhaal. Een verhaal van nu! ‘In mijn regie speel ik met de vraag wat je wel en niet in het openbaar laat zien.’

  Hoe til je dit aloude liefdesverhaal naar de huidige tijd?

  ‘Roméo et Juliette gaat in mijn beleving over het voortdurende spanningsveld tussen publiek en privé. In de regie spelen we met deze verschillende perspectieven. Het ene moment neem je alles waar vanuit de twee families, die elkaar in het openbaar bevechten. Om vervolgens naar het intieme perspectief van Roméo en Juliette te switchen, die elkaar in het geheim ontmoeten. Ook het decor is gebaseerd op deze wisseling van perspectief. Alsof je het ene moment uit het raam kijkt en de hele stad overziet en het volgende moment door een sleutelgat gluurt.’

  Hoe verhoudt zich dit tot onze tijd waarin door sociale media zo ongeveer alles openbaar is?

  ‘In het stuk reflecteer ik op de vraag wat je wel en niet in het openbaar laat zien. We zijn het gewend dat iedereen zijn hele leven op Instagram en Facebook etaleert. Ik laat op het podium af en toe een gordijn vallen, waarachter karakters verdwijnen. Het publiek hoort dat er zich iets afspeelt, maar is er geen deelgenoot van. Dat wekt nieuwsgierigheid op.’

  Je staat er als regisseur om bekend dat je ritme aan een opera geeft. Hoe doe je dat in deze opera?

  ‘Allereerst moet het ritme tussen de grote koorscènes en de intieme solozang in balans zijn, maar ook tussen de muzikale overgangen tussen de scènes. Deze muzikale overgangen zonder zang gebruik ik om meer te vertellen dan er op papier staat. Ik laat het verhaal vanuit een ander perspectief zien en laat karakters terugkomen om magie en mysterie te creëren. Het publiek leert de personages hierdoor op een intiemere manier kennen dan in de op actie gerichte verhaallijn mogelijk is. Dankzij de magie en het mysterie blijft het publiek, ondanks het feit dat ze de verhaallijn kennen, zichzelf toch vragen stellen.’

  Betekent dit dat de opera een herschepping van Roméo et Juliette is?

  ‘Al deze keuzes over ritme en structuur maak ik samen met de dirigent. Waarbij we niet uit het oog verliezen dat het originele materiaal van deze opera natuurlijk al een interpretatie van Gounod van de tekst van Shakespeare is. Dat maakt opera tot kunst. Kunst is in mijn ogen het constant opnieuw in elkaar zetten en transformeren van bestaand materiaal. Een opera is nooit af, het is een voortdurend proces.’

  Welke rol spelen de zangers in deze transformatie?

  ‘In deze opera is de lichaamstaal van de zangers fundamenteel. Een opera kan de luisteraar alleen meenemen op een reis van drie uur als het lichaam van de zanger volledig verbonden is met de muziek en tekst. Operazangers zijn geen balletdansers, dus het gaat mij erom dat zangers hun lichaam inzetten op een persoonlijke en abstracte manier. Wat ik hoor, wil ik gereflecteerd zien in de lichamen. Alleen zo komt de energie over bij het publiek. Anders kun je net zo goed naar een CD luisteren.’

  INFO & TICKETS: operazuid.nl/romeo-juliette

  Interview: Manon Berns

• Love on stage

  26 October 202116:51 Comments Off on Love on stage

  Love and desire are so overwhelming and compelling in Roméo et Juliette that they can only find a way out in death. How do Anna Emelianova (Juliette) and Peter Gijsbertsen (Roméo) experience it to show this intense love in public?

  How do you prepare for such an iconic role?

  Peter: ‘There was already contact about this role two years ago and I have been reading and singing the score ever since. For a role as big as this one, it was nice to have the time to really empathize with Roméo. Finally, together with Anna, I carry a large part of the performance on my shoulders. Nevertheless, the pressure is high. Audience always compares. That is why it is so important that you do not perform a role as others did or as the audience expects. We create our own Roméo and Juliette.” Anna: “Juliette is one of my dream roles. The large number of arias requires a lot of strength from me. Technically it has to be good and precise and I naturally look for connection with my own thoughts and feelings. The popularity of this opera does create a sense of responsibility. People will compare me to previous Juliettes. I think it’s important that they appreciate my interpretation of Juliette.”

  How do you put yourself in this special love between Roméo and Juliette?

  Peter: ‘There’s nothing special about the love between Roméo and Juliette. It is love as we all experience it. You meet and there is a spark. Pat’s boom, you’re in love! That is what makes this story special for everyone. From the moment I sing the beautiful music makes me feel the love. It’s in the notes, in my words and in what I get back from Anna. Her eyes, her voice.” Anna: “I imagine this youthful love very easily, because as a young girl I was very much in love. I still remember the emotions and thoughts so clearly. I use these feelings to put myself in Juliette’s place. That works very well. But of course it could also be Peter, haha. It’s hard not to fall in love with him, isn’t it?”

  You switch between public scenes where many actors are on stage to private scenes with just the two of you. What does that ask of an opera singer?

  Peter: “One minute Roméo is fighting the Capulets, the next he’s in bed with Juliette. The scenes show different sides of Roméo; from an overly confident fighter to an insecure lover. It is precisely because of the different emotions and quick transitions between the scenes that I like to play this role.’ Anna: ‘I like the strong character of Juliette, she is not shy at all and knows what she wants. You can see this confidence most strongly in the private scenes. In the public scenes she lets herself be confused and the emotions become too much for her. Both emotions are great to play.”

  Do you recognize the tension between public and private in your daily life?

  Peter: ‘My wife and I met each other on the internet, so very public. Later we got married to show our immediate environment that we chose each other. Not one photo from the wedding day has made it to the internet. Proof that you can live your life very publicly and at the same time keep it very private.” Anna: “In Russia, your family is extremely involved in your private life. I speak to my mother about two or three times a day. That is expected of me and even though I sometimes set limits, in general I think it’s cute.’

  Finally, what is your favorite scene?

  ‘The bed scene’, Anna and Peter answer laughing in unison. Anna: ‘Because of the beautiful duet. Roméo and Juliette are emotionally one, the scene is cheerful and playful.” Peter: “In the duet they show for the first time that they will be together.” Anna: “And it is of course very comfortable to take a break in the middle of the performance. to lie in bed under a blanket.’

  INFO & TICKETS: operazuid.nl/romeo-juliette

  Interview: Manon Berns

• Kick-off Roméo et Juliette

  18 October 202113:23 Comments Off on Kick-off Roméo et Juliette

  We have launched with Roméo et Juliette! The cast received a presentation from the artistic team about their intentions and view of the production. The super romantic drama will be updated. We eagerly await the final result!

  When Romeo and Juliet meet, it’s love at first sight. But their rival families do everything they can to keep the two apart. A battle that ultimately kills the lovers. Charles Gounod based his opera Roméo et Juliette on the popular play by Shakespeare. The universal love story is interpreted in a contemporary way by director Julien Chavaz.

  Tour: 12 Nov. until 11 Dec. 2021

  For more information and tickets: operazuid.nl/romeo-juliette

• Guest at OZ: Maartje Rammeloo and Jan-Willem Schaafsma

  9 June 202111:13 Comments Off on Guest at OZ: Maartje Rammeloo and Jan-Willem Schaafsma

  TELL ME THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE is a music theater performance about love, distance and proximity with the Limburg soprano Maartje Rammeloo and tenor Jan-Willem Schaafsma. Two opera singers from one household: they may be close to each other on stage, but is that really necessary to be able to convey true love? An intense performance with humor and perspective, but above all with a lot of love.

  Watch the try-out this Sunday at 2:30 pm in Studio Malpertuis. The performance will be shown again at Parkstad Limburg Theaters on 14 July at 20:30.

  Info & tickets: https://www.ticketkantoor.nl/shop/Tellmethetruth

• Opera Zuid, Nederlandse Reisopera & Dutch National Opera sign for cooperation

  20 May 202111:54 Comments Off on Opera Zuid, Nederlandse Reisopera & Dutch National Opera sign for cooperation

  On 19^th of May, in the decor of L’elisir d’amore, the three opera houses signed a covenant in which agreements were made about working together to support young opera talent. It is the first time that the three companies have so explicitly expressed the ambition to work together.

  All houses consider it an important part of their mission to enable artistic opera talent to develop further. The three houses are therefore joining forces and using their resources and experience for a long-term collaborative program aimed at talent development in the Dutch opera and music theater.

  The tangible result of the collaboration will be an annual co-production with the three companies, which will be promoted nationally through a tour.

• Gratis livestreampremière van L’elisir d’amore

  30 April 202116:28 Comments Off on Gratis livestreampremière van L’elisir d’amore

  Onze voorjaarsproductie L’elisir d’amore zal dit seizoen niet spelen in de theaters. We hadden het stiekem gehoopt maar de realiteit heeft ons ingehaald. Echter niet getreurd want de première zal toch doorgaan! Deze wordt live vanuit Studio Malpertuis gestreamd op zondag 23 mei om 20:00 uur op het internationale platform OperaVision.

  In deze ‘coming of age’ opera komt een prille liefde tussen twee jonge mensen onder druk te staan. We volgen de emotionele ontwikkeling van deze twee personages tijdens een lange zomeravond. Tegen het ochtendgloren zijn ze niet meer de personen die ze waren…

  L’elisir d’amore is een coproductie van Opera Zuid samen met Nederlandse Reisopera en De Nationale Opera. Met een jonge talentvolle cast afkomstig van De Nationale Opera Studio.

  Klik hier voor meer informatie over de productie.