Ancient tales, modern voices: Wexford Festival Opera returns
As general booking opens for the 74th Wexford Festival Opera, Artistic Director Rosetta Cucchi introduces this year's programme, which is built around the theme of Myths & Legends.
This year for Wexford Festival Opera 2025, we journey into a world where music and myth merge, where the legends of old are brought to life by the soaring power of the human voice. Lyric opera, a timeless art form, has long drawn inspiration from the myths and legends that shape our collective imagination. It is a vessel through which ancient stories are renewed, reinterpreted, and reborn.
The 74th Wexford Festival Opera, will feature 3 main stage operas:
Conducted by Marcus Bosch and directed by Ben Barnes, Le Trouvére by Giuseppe Verdi is a rare chance to hear Verdi's French version of Il trovatore - around the rivalry for the love of the young Leonora between the troubadour Manrique and the Comte de Lune.
George Petrou will conduct and direct Deidamia, George Frideric Handel's last Italian opera before he turned to oratorio, an unjustly neglected tragi-comic masterpiece.
Francesco Cilluffo will return to Wexford to conduct The Magic Fountain by Frederick Delius, which will be directed by Christopher Luscombe. A lyric drama in three acts The Magic Fountain is set in a mythical, exotic location and centres around the legend of a magical fountain that grants eternal youth. This production is supported by The Delius Trust.
Alongside these there will be a performance by the Wexford Factory artists of Il Viaggio a Reims by Gioachino Rossini. The Community Opera this year will be The Little Midsummer Night's Dream and the Pocket Operas will be La Tragédie De Carmen by George Bizet sung in French with English dialogue and The Dwarf (Der Zwerg) by Alexander Zemlinsky in a Wexford commissioned English translation. Another treat for Wexford audiences will be a new WFO commission, late night event Urban Legends by Colm Tóibín and Andrew Synnott.
Why do we keep returning to these ancient stories? Because they remain relevant.
All of these are brought together under the theme of Myths and Legends.
Myths and legends are the beating heart of human storytelling. They explain the unexplainable, personify our dreams, and confront our fears. They speak of gods and mortals, of love and betrayal, of triumph and tragedy. From the timeless epics of Greece and Rome to the heroic sagas of Northern Europe, these stories remind us who we are and who we aspire to be.
Why do we keep returning to these ancient stories? Because they remain relevant. They address universal themes: the power of love, the inevitability of loss, the clash between destiny and free will. They speak to us now as they did centuries ago. And in lyric opera, these themes become visceral, unforgettable.
As we immerse ourselves in the myths and legends brought to life through the magic of opera, let us remember: these are not just stories of the past. They are stories of the present, told in music that transcends time. They call on us to reflect, to dream, and to feel deeply. And above all, they remind us that we, too, are part of a greater story—one that spans generations, cultures, and the ages.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Frederick Forsyth dead at 86: Day of the Jackal author and former MI6 agent dies after brief illness
FREDERICK Forsyth, the author of The Day of The Jackal, has died at the age of 86 after a brief illness, his literary agents Curtis Brown said. The best-selling author was surrounded by his family as he died at home on Monday morning, Curtis Brown added. 3 Frederick Forsyth died at home after a brief illness Credit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun 3 Forsyth made his name with thrillers such as The Odessa File Credit: Getty 3 The author wrote over 25 books Credit: Arthur Edwards / The Sun Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, said: "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers. "Only a few weeks ago I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life - In My Own Words, to be released later this year on BBC1 - and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived. "After serving as one of the youngest ever RAF pilots, he turned to journalism, using his gift for languages in German, French and Russian to become a foreign correspondent in Biafra. "Appalled at what he saw and using his experience during a stint as a secret service agent, he wrote his first and perhaps most famous novel, The Day of the Jackal (1972), and instantly became a global bestselling author. Read more on News "He went on to write more than 25 books (many of which were made into films) that have sold over 75 million copies. "He will be greatly missed by his family, his friends, all of us at Curtis Brown and of course his millions of fans around the world - though his books will of course live on forever."
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
‘Didn't know you could read and write' – Online row between Conor McGregor and Liam Cunningham over Gaza-bound aid boat ‘Madleen'
Israeli naval forces boarded and seized the vessel carrying 12 people, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan, that had tried to break a naval blockade of the war-torn Gaza Strip earlier today. The British-flagged yacht operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) aimed to deliver a symbolic amount of aid, including antibiotics and baby formula, to Gaza and raise awareness of the crisis. However, the vessel was boarded during the night before it could reach shore, the FFC said on Telegram, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the boat was under Israeli control. Mr Cunningham, best known for his role as Davos Seaworth in HBO's series Game of Thrones, has shared several tweets in the wake of Israel seizing the aid boat. The Dublin actor, who has been vocal about his support for Palestine, helped launch the vessel carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza in Catania, Italy, on Sunday, June 1. "The Freedom flotilla was attacked during the night,' he wrote on his X account today. 'The ship was rammed, boarded, and the 12 volunteers kidnapped.' He described it as 'more reprehensible behaviour from the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv'. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content Shortly after, Conor McGregor responded to the actor's tweet on X, saying: "I thought you were on this boat Liamo, what happened?' "You forgot your goggles? You get seasick off the gargle? Bottler,' McGregor added, to which Cunningham responded: "Didn't know you could read and write, Conor. Thought you used your hands to tap out.' The MMA fighter then uploaded a picture depicting Greta Thunberg, which was originally posted by the Israeli Foreign Ministry. ADVERTISEMENT We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review your details and accept them to load the content In a separate tweet, McGregor said: 'Tell us you're plotting an Irish goodbye without telling us.' "Two bags full packed and ready to skid! Ah Liamo you little bottler!' he added. His post was accompanied by a picture of Liam Cunningham during the Madleen launch in Sicily with activists Thiago Ávila and Yasemin Acar, who are both onboard the vessel. He later added: "For the record, Liam Cunningham is a virtue signaling bottler. He was right there and did not go. That is absolutely embarrassing.' Speaking last week at the launch of a new People Before Profit pamphlet 'No To War – Defend Irish Neutrality', published in opposition to Government plans to change the triple lock system for overseas deployments, Cunningham said that it was never planned that he would be on the Madleen boat as it is a small vessel, RTÉ reported. He also said the Irish Government is 'siding with warmongers' while the actor endorsed an opposition campaign to 'defend Irish neutrality'. Under the current system, Ireland cannot deploy more than 12 Defence Forces peacekeepers overseas without a mission being approved by the UN, the Government and the Dáil. As part of the draft legislation being advanced by the Government, it is proposed to remove the requirement for formal UN approval and replace it with a stipulation that the deployments are in accordance with the UN Charter. The Government argues this will prevent the five permanent members of the Security Council – Russia, China, the UK, the US and France – from exercising their veto against Irish peacekeeping missions. However, Mr Cunningham accused the Government of 'lying' and 'obfuscation' over the mechanics of the existing triple lock, adding that the current system allows the UN General Assembly to approve such a mission in the absence of a green light from the Security Council.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Novelist Frederick Forsyth dies, aged 86
Frederick Forsyth, the author of The Day of The Jackal, has died at the age of 86 after a brief illness, his literary agents Curtis Brown said. The best-selling author was surrounded by his family as he died at home on Monday morning, Curtis Brown added. Jonathan Lloyd, his agent, said: "We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers. Frederick Forsyth on The Late Late Show "Only a few weeks ago I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life - In My Own Words, to be released later this year on BBC1 - and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived. "After serving as one of the youngest ever RAF pilots, he turned to journalism, using his gift for languages in German, French and Russian to become a foreign correspondent in Biafra. "Appalled at what he saw and using his experience during a stint as a secret service agent, he wrote his first and perhaps most famous novel, The Day of the Jackal (1972), and instantly became a global bestselling author. "He went on to write more than 25 books (many of which were made into films) that have sold over 75 million copies. "He will be greatly missed by his family, his friends, all of us at Curtis Brown and of course his millions of fans around the world - though his books will of course live on forever." Source: Press Association
