Theatre Royal Brighton
Senbla presents Opera International’s award-winning Ellen Kent Productions with international soloists, highly-praised chorus and full orchestra
The award-winning Opera producer Ellen Kent returns to
Theatre Royal Brighton with the International Opera Festival tour. Madama Butterfly on Wednesday 9 and Carmen on Thursday 10 March 2022
The fabulous International Korean Soprano Elena Dee returns to sing her critically-acclaimed role as Cio Cio San, together with the international soprano Alyona Kistenyova.*
Vasyl Vasylenko, artistic director and conductor for the National Municipal Opera and Ballet Theatre, Kiev, returns. Also returning is the guest conductor and artistic director of the National Opera of Moldovo, Nicolae Dohotaru with 30 members of the National Ukrainian Orchestra, Kiev.
Madama Butterfly, playing Wednesday 9 March at Theatre Royal Brighton, is Puccini’s popular tale which the hit West End musical Miss Saigon is based. One of the world’s most popular operas, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly tells the heart-breaking story of the beautiful young Japanese girl who falls in love with an American naval lieutenant – with dramatic results. Highlights include the melodic Humming Chorus, the moving aria One Fine Day and the unforgettable Love Duet.
With exquisite sets, including a spectacular Japanese garden and fabulous costumes including antique wedding kimonos from Japan, designed by the renowned Russian designer Felix Bessonov,
from St Petersburg.
Bizet’s masterpiece, Carmen, playing Thursday 10 March at Theatre Royal Brighton, is an evening of passion, sexual jealousy, death and unforgettable arias. Carmen is the story of the bewitching gypsy girl whose tantalising beauty lures a soldier to desertion and leads to her own murder. The opera includes some of the most evocative and best-loved melodies in opera – The Habanera, The Sequidilla, The Flower Song, The Chanson Boheme and perhaps the best-known baritone aria of all The Toreador’s Song.
The stunning new set reflects the magnificent architecture of Seville with its Roman and Moorish influences, which includes the main square, the bull ring and the famous tobacco factory. The set was built for Ellen Kent in England by Setup Scenery, who also build sets for the Royal Opera Covent Garden.
Maria Davydova*, a young and talented Russian Mezzo Soprano, will be singing Carmen and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly on the Opera Festival International Ellen Kent tour in the UK and Ireland. She lives in Rostov Russian and sings with the Rostov State Musical Theatre, Rostov State Philharmonic. She has sung many roles including Carmen in Carmen, Suzuki in Madam Butterfly, Olga in Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky), Polina in The Queen of Spades (Tchaikovsky), Flora in La Traviata (Verdi), and Laura in Iolanta (Tchaikovsky). Maria has won many awards in competitions in Moscow, Izmir (Turkey) and Europe.
As with any of Ellen Kent’s shows all of the soloists have been hand-picked and directed by Ellen to create a visually beautiful and moving production of Madama Butterfly.
Ellen Said: “My operas have to be emotional and beautiful.”
“Above all it was a production with captured the raw emotion at the centre of the opera. Don’t take a handkerchief with you, take a box of them.” – The Independent on Madama Butterfly
“Hot-blooded, a joy” – The Independent on Carmen
Madama Butterfly will be sung in Italian, and Carmen in French with English surtitles.
*Cast subject to change