We at Saint Bartholomew’s are delighted to announce the forthcoming Irish première of a fascinating piece of music – the earliest surviving Spanish-language opera!
‘Celos aun del aire matan’ – a story of love, jealousy and revenge among the gods – was composed in 1660 by Juan Hidalgo to a libretto by the leading seventeenth-century dramatist Pedro Calderòn. The production is being brought to Ireland by students from the University of Sheffield, England, under the direction of the world-famous early music expert Andrew Lawrence-King. The manuscript lay undiscovered for centuries and has only recently been prepared for modern-day performance. This will be its first performance in Ireland.
The Irish premiere will be an event of some cultural and musical importance, and we are looking forward to welcoming a capacity audience to our ornate and beautiful church. The performance will be semi-staged, with colourful costumes and clever use of the building, and it is suitable for all ages. Although it is sung in Spanish, the full synopsis in the programme and the use of a narrator who comments on the action in English make it fully accessible to all – even to those who have no knowledge whatsoever of seventeenth-century Spanish!!
The performance is on Wednesday 2 July at 8.00pm, and tickets are available now. Demand will be high, so we advise you to book now to guarantee your seat! Tickets are available at the very reasonable cost of €12 (concessions €10; under 16s €5). Book now by calling the church office on 01 668 8522. Tickets may be available on the door, but this cannot be guaranteed!