A world premiere, Arab headliners and large-scale family shows feature in the new season at the Royal Opera House Muscat.
Running from October to May, the programme has more than 50 events and features artists and production companies from the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
The concert line-up includes veteran Saudi singer Rabeh Saqer and Lebanon’s Diana Haddad, while a grand opera production of Sindbad: The Omani Sailor will open the season with a world premiere.
Family favourites include a screening of the Oscar-winning animated film The Lion King with live orchestra, as well as the popular dance show Cinderella on Ice.
Here's a look at what is on offer.
The operas
The opening night curtain rises on Sindbad: The Omani Sailor on October 3 and 5. The production features music by Egyptian composer Hisham Gabr; an Arabic libretto by Nader Salah El Din; and the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. A regional and international cast will bring to life the legendary sailor and adventurer, long tied to Oman’s seafaring heritage.
Puccini’s tragic opera Tosca, set in 19th-century Rome, will be staged on January 29 and 31, featuring Italian soprano Carmen Giannattasio in the title role, Vittorio Grigolo as Cavaradossi and Ambrogio Maestri as the villainous Scarpia. The opera is backed by the Orchestra and Chorus of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre under conductor Fabio Mastrangelo.
Donizetti’s Don Pasquale is another highlight, with shows on April 9 and 11. It tells a comedic tale of an elderly bachelor who gets more than he bargained for in his quest for marriage. The cast is led by Italian bass Carlo Lepore, with Francesco Lanzillotta conducting the Oviedo Filarmonia and featuring Choir 1685 of the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Ravenna.
The Arab stars
Diana Haddad will take the stage twice, first as a special guest at the Omani Women’s Day Concert on October 17 with the Egyptian duo Ayoub Sisters and the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra Ladies’ Ensemble; and then performing her hits in a solo show on October 18.
Rabeh Saqer, who has a repertoire that spans five decades, will perform an outdoor show at the opera house’s courtyard, the Maidan, on November 13.
The sultanate’s rich music tradition will be showcased on December 12 with the Omani Night concert, featuring the works of renowned local composer Sayyid Khalid Al Busaidi performed by the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra.
There will be three Evenings of Sufi and Inshaad performances that run on February 26, March 5 and March 9 during Ramadan, with prominent performers from Egypt, Syria and Oman.
Lebanese singer and composer Abeer Nehme will deliver her signature repertoire of Levantine folk and opera with concerts on May 14 and 15.
Classical and ballet
The Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra will perform on October 4, joined by the Oman Traditional Music Ensemble.
Russia’s Ossipov National Academic Folk Instrument Orchestra performs on November 17, presenting folk song arrangements alongside symphonic works by classical composers reimagined for Russian folk instruments. Soloists include Sofia Onopchenko, Albina Degtyareva and Arslan Umurzakov.
The Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra closes the year with a December 31 concert featuring pianist Behzod Abduraimov in Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and violinist Elli Choi performing Alexey Shor’s Violin Concerto No 5.
On January 30, Helene Mercier and Louis Lortie will perform Liszt’s two-piano arrangement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with choir and soloists.
Meanwhile, the ballet Coppelia by Astana Opera, based on 20th-century choreography by Roland Petit, will be staged on December 4 and 5, while Spain’s National Ballet brings Estampas Flamencas on May 7 and 8.
World music and jazz
The Janoska Ensemble from Slovakia and Vienna Chamber Orchestra will collaborate on October 30 and 31 with a repertoire that blends improvisation, original works and their popular reworking of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
American jazz singer Emmaline will perform on November 27 and 28, joined by pianist Anthony Strong. The programme features her original songs and jazz standards.
Family entertainment
The Maidan will once again host Military Music: Oman and the World from November 6 to 8, featuring Omani military and police bands performing alongside international marching ensembles in full regalia.
French company Lumen Creations brings its acrobatic theatre piece Symphony of Lights on December 18 and 19, while Cinderella on Ice opens the new year with performances from January 1 to 3.
The Lion King Live in Concert, accompanied by the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, will be performed on February 13 and 14.
All performances are staged in the main auditorium unless noted otherwise. Tickets and timings are available on the Royal Opera House Muscat website
