Operafest returns in August under the theme 'Forbidden Loves'

The Convento da Cartuxa, in Caxias, in the municipality of Oeiras, is the new venue for the festival, where the event kicks off with 'La Traviata', by Verdi, on the 7th, 9th and 10th of August, and the traditional 'Rave Operática', on the 8th of August, with Tó Trips & Fakes Latinos, Bateu Matou and DJ Marfox.

Speaking to Lusa, the artistic director of Operafest, Catarina Molder, stated that the expansion of the event to the neighbouring municipality of Lisbon allowed "not only greater funding, making it possible to present the operas in their original versions for large orchestra and large choir", but also corresponds to "the festival's need to expand and have a strong partner, financially and from a logistical point of view, by increasing the capacity to reach a larger audience".

One of the highlights of this festival is the national premiere of the opera 'Julie', by Philipe Boesmans (1936-2022), a composer who spent much of his career at the La Monnaie Opera in Brussels. The opera, based on Strindberg's play 'Menina Ju´lia', will be performed at Culturgest, in Lisbon, on September 5th and 6th.

'Julie' is presented in co-production with Artway, directed by maestro Bruno Borralhinho, directed by Daniela Kerck, and performed by Julia Deit-Ferrand, Camila Mandillo and Michal Marhold, accompanied by the ensemble Beyra.

Another new feature in this year's edition is the presentation, for the first time, of a baroque opera: 'Dido and Aeneas', by Purcell, which will be performed on the 29th and 30th of August, at 9:00 pm, at the Aula Magna of the University of Lisbon.

The musical direction of Purcell's opera will be in the hands of Marcos Magalhães, the staging is by Rui Horta, starring Margarida Simões and Luís Rendas Pereira, and the rest of the cast is made up of Eduarda Melo, Beatriz Volante, Ana Cloé and Arthur Filemon, accompanied by the festival choir and the group Os Músicos do Tejo.

Returning after a presence in the 2023 programme, for the closing of this year's festival, is 'The Magic Flute', by Mozart, at the Olga Cadaval Cultural Centre, in Sintra, with musical direction by Pedro Carneiro, staging by Mónica Garnel and a cast comprising Cecília Rodrigues, Bruno Almeida, André Henriques, Patrícia Modesto and Nuno Dias, among others, accompanied by the Portuguese Chamber Orchestra.

Catarina Molder stated that "this year there is a very rich programme", highlighting that the chosen theme of 'Forbidden Loves' arose from the themes that run through the programmed operas.

With the Oeiras City Council now as the main municipal partner and with the support of the Directorate-General for the Arts and the 'La Caixa' Foundation and BPI, the festival's artistic director stated that the continuity of the event is due to "a great passion, perseverance, and an iron will to reach people", creating "a good dynamic for everyone and for the growth of opera".

"Opera generates losses - unlike pop music, which generates profits -, it involves long rehearsal periods and relies on a whole plastic part of scenography and costumes, creative teams and logistics, for large artistic bodies that exponentially increase costs. It is almost a miracle that we have maintained our financial health and the programming that we have managed to do, year after year, with all the risks we have taken and without ever having resorted to hidden labor exploitation, as is the case with volunteering, which almost all festivals resort to. At Operafest, everyone gets paid", declared Molder.

In this year's edition, the conferences will once again be held at the cultural space of El Corte Inglés, in Lisbon, by musicologists Paulo Ferreira de Castro and Rui Vieira Nery, respectively on September 15th, under the theme 'Opera and Literature', and the following day with 'Opera and Forbidden Loves'.

The programme also includes a film series, which combines the Seventh Art with opera, at the Cinemateca Portuguesa, in Lisbon. On 3 September, 'Bluebeard's Castle', by Michael Powell, will be shown, and the following day, 'Miss Julie', by Alf Sjöberg. On 8 September, 'The Day of Despair', by Manoel de Oliveira, will be shown, and the following day, 'La Traviata', by Franco Zefirelli.

The program is available at https://www.operafestlisboa.com/pt/.

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