After a succession of absolutely charming songs and Virtuosos, where the musician of “Postillon of Longjumeau” has perhaps put in a lot of his genius. In discovering the musical scores of Si J'Etais Roi, one has the feeling of being before a Secret Cabinet, each drawer unfolding to us the discovery of different degrees of the music score.
On the first hearing, Adam's music seduces the ear by its elegant melody, supported by a brilliant orchestra, illustrating how he had assimilated to perfection the lessons of Boieldieu who had counseled him during his youth, to throw scholarly stodgy fugues out of the window and to learn how to write melodies. Then, on opening yet another drawer of this work, we discover Adam's humor – hidden or at least veiled in a tissue of the Orient-ironic, biting but never mean.
The question here is not one of historical reconstruction but rather an illustration, by the decor of Dominique Pichou and the lights of Geneviève Soubirou. This idea of the fairytale, of a fantasy which European Orientalism was able to develop in an imaginary interaction with India.
With its naivety and quasi unreality, which remind us the melodramatic love story with extreme decency of bollywood movies. Thus, Si J'Etais Roi offers us a grand liberty and a fantasy; the direction is presented like a Grand open Book from which engravings come out.
By the use of projectors, these ancient engravings which are reworked permit us a multiplicity of decors (many from the point of view of the fisherman's village, many the scene of a palace) and largely facilitate the problem of transport in the cadre of a tour. On the stage, other elements take on the same graphic treatment, on moving screens (some are practical like for example the throne) put in place by the actors of the scene, or even by the choir and the dancers (in the case of the engraving of war for example).
Technically, these are painted screens stapled on a chassis. The screens are wheeled and there is nothing but the chassis to reconstruct for each place (in the method of Italian tradition!).
French and Indian soloists and 80 choir singers, will be surrounded by dancers in pure Bollywood style and some traditional musicians will bring a typical ambiance between the scene and the comedy. A meeting between French music by Adolphe Adam and the traditional Indian music!
A work which has not been performed in France for 20 years, this is a musical and human adventure of such power which, thanks to the Neemrana Music Foundation and Francis Wacziarg, gives back Si J'Etais Roi to the same country in which it was imagined by Adolphe Adam and his librettists Dennery and Brésil “ (Bonjour India!”)
Jean François Vinciguerra
(Director)
Adolphe Adam
Composer
Adolphe Charles Adam was born on July 24, 1803 in Paris, France. His father was Jean Louis Adam, the acclaimed concert pianist and professor of piano at the Paris Conservatory. Adolph Adam enrolled in the Paris Conservatory against his father's will in 1817. There he studied piano, and from 1821 also studied composition under Francois Boieldieu.
Adam is credited for developing a genre of the 'opera- comique', a French opera with extended recitative, a spoken dialog, not necessarily comic. The development of such a genre was welcomed by many professional actors,
who did not possess opera-quality voices. Among his important operas are "Pierre et Catherine" (1829), "Danilowa" (1830), "Le Chalet" (1834), "Le Brasseur de preston" (1838), "Regine, ou Les Deux Nuits" (1839), "Le Rose de Peronne" (1841), "Lambert Simnel" (1843). "Richard en Palestine" (1844), "Cagliastro" (1844), "Le Toreador, ou L'Accord parfait" (1849), "La Paupee de Nuremberg" (1852), "Le Roi des Halles" (1853), 'La Muleter de Tolede" (1854), and "Falstaff" (1856), among many of his other operas.
Adolphe Adam is best known for his classic ballets "Faust" (1832), "Giselle" (1840), and "Le Corsaire" (1848). The most popular of his ballets "Giselle" was written on the plot by 'Theophile Gautier' and the libretto by Saint-Georges. During the turbulent times in the 19th century France this exquisite ballet had less publicity than it deserved and completely passed out of the European repertory. "Giselle" was revived by Sergei Diaghilev in 1910. It became the hit of the season thanks to the lavishly opulent production with the stage design by Alexandre Benois and choreography by Mikhail Fokin for "Seasons Russes" in Paris. Since it's revival by Sergei Diaghilev Giselle was performed by Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina' , Galina Ulanova, Alicia Markova, Margot Fonteyn and Natalya Makarova. The role of Gizelle is one of the most sought-after roles in ballet.
Adam was elected the Member of Institute. After the death of his father, Adam was made the professor of composition ar the Paris Conservatory in 1848. He was the most important force behind the attempt of establishing a National Theatre in Paris. His effort was motivated by his idea of a venue for young composers and actors, where they could show their works to the public. During the turbulent times after the revolution of 1848 he funded the National Theatre himself. After a few seasons of financial struggles the National Theatre was closed leaving Adam in serious debt. Adam died on May 3, 1856 in Paris.
His Christmas song "Cantique de Noel" (O, Holy Night), composed in 1850, became one of the most performed and recorded piece of music.
ORCHESTRA Prométhée
Founded in 2004 by Pierre-Michel Durand, Prométhée re-organised young professional musicians from many European establishments. The orchestra strategized itself with new innovations with the young and passionate artistes.
Prométhée is a dynamic force of professionalism and perfection in orchestral practice. They research a
veritable culture of orchestra and share it with the public, through performances in the city. The orchestra is also associated with some very great singers. It adapts itself to programmes in different festivals and many environments.
Prométhée follows an important development in cultivating a specific musical identity and in enlarging its many partnerships. Many nationalities are represented within the group. The Orchestra has developed an international character. Many of its musicians are now taking part in National Orchestras as Paris Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio-France, Philharmonic Orchestra of Strasbourg & Ile de France National Orchestra.
Every season, the orchestra is presenting a major show with 300 children and created two operas: “When a child travels” by Grazciane Finzi and “Pinoccio” by Etienne Perruchon. Since its creation in 2004, the orchestra has given 60 concerts and have been invited to many festivals: : Lacoste, Labaune in music, the violin of peace in Boulogne sur mer, Floral Parc in Paris, Angouleme, Divonne les Bains and the orchestra is in residence at “ The musicals of Auberive Abbey”. They did many shows with Eve Ruggieri like Mozart's Requiem with Orchestra of Paris Choir broadcasted on France 2 and Verdi's Requiem for the 20 years of the festival with Cecile Perrin and Beatrice Uria Monzon.
The solo violinist Marianne Piketty worked on “the four seasons form Vivaldi to Piazzolla” with sopranos Uran Urtasan-Cozzoli and Noriko Urata. The orchestra also accompanies one of the best opera singers at “music from the heart” with Roberto Alagna, Marioa Bayo, Max Emmanuel Cencic, Mireille Delunch, Nathalie Dessay, Franck Ferrari, Vivica Genaux, Sophie Koch, Jennifer Larmore, Dame Felicity Lott and Patricia Petibon…
They have graciously accepted the initiation to come to New Delhi. Prométhée is excited about meeting the challenge of working with Indian musicians and performing in India.
Francis Wacziarg
Producer
Coming to India in 1970 as a journalist, Francis Wacziarg joined the French consulate in Bombay. Shifting to New Delhi in 1974 he, took up the reins of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) before setting up his own company to help Indo- French trade and joint ventures. In 1990 he took Indian citizenship.
Apart from his professional involvements, Francis has co- authored two books on the frescoes on the Marwari havelis of Shekhavati and on the Art & Crafts of Rajasthan with Aman Nath. Now they are both actively involved in the restoration of romantic ruins, run as the Neemrana ‘non-hotel’ Hotels.
Jean François Vinciguerra
Director
Born in 1967, Jean-François Vinciguerra is Barython and Director. He Studied at National Superior Conservatory of Music of Paris with Michel Roux and at Art Lyrique school of Opéra de Paris with Michel Sénéchal. He has directed the following operas and operettas: Barbier of Séville and Le Comte Ory by Rossini, Une Nuit chez Jacques Offenbach, La Mélodie du Bonheur by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Les Saltimbanques by Louis Ganne, Le Petit Faust by Hervé, Monsieur de Chimpanzé with extracts from Jules vernes and Carmen by Georges Bizet in a 4 000 seats stadium on 2nd Festival of Voix du Monde at Saint-Denis, La Réunion.
Pierre-Michel Durand
Conductor
Won first prize in the Prague International Orchestra's at the age of 21, As the head of the Prague Symphony Orchestra he won the Talich Prize and was then invited to the MIDEM Classic with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. As the chief assistant at the Paris Opera House, he spent five years as the musical director of the Opus Gattières Lyrical Festival.
In 2002 he was appointed the Musical Director of the Orchestra Education Department at the Regional National Conservatory in Paris. He has organised and directed, an opera with a choir of 300 children from local schools, many from deprived areas, at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Theatre. He has worked with great soloists such as Michel Beroff, Gauthier Capuçon, Olivier Charlier, Brigitte Engerer,
Patrice Fontanarosa, Eric Le Sage and many more. The Prométhée Orchestral Ensemble, founded by Pierre-Michel Durand, brings together young musicians duly selected from among the prizewinners at the Superior National Conservatories in Paris and Lyon, and the Paris Region National Conservatory.
Genevieve Soubirou
light Designer
Since 1968 : Geneviève Soubirou creates all the lights for numerous shows of Jean Louis Barrault which she follows during their tours, from the Elysée Montmartre to the Théâtre du Ront Point, Le Recamier and Orsay Theater, but also in Japan, Soviet Union, Mexico, U.S. and all over Europe.She worked with diverse directors, among whom are Clause Regy (Le Vaisseau Fantôme at the Opera de Nancy, Par les Villages at Chaillot) with Jean Paul Roussillon (Les Trois Soeurs and Tartuffe at Comédie Française), with Jean Luc Boutte (Don Juan at Comédie Française), with Maurice Béjart (les Cinq Nô at Brussels and Paris), with Pierre Jourdan for the creation of Mignon and L’Education Manquée. She has also worked with Eric Rohmer, Andreas Voutsinas, Pierre Dux, Gerard Caillaud, Stephane Hiller, Michel Piccoli, Simone Benmussa,
Jean Luc Moreau, Coline Serreau and Benno Besson.Since the last few years she collaborates regularly with Jean Francois Vinciguerra (Une Nuit chez Jacuqes Offenbach, Carmen at the 11th Festival des Voix du Monde of Sant-Denis in La Reunion)
Dominique Pichou
Set & Costume Designer
Dominique Pichou has created numerous décors and costumes for the stage.He began his career at the theatre in collaboration with many independent companies and Dramatic Centres or National Theatres : la Comédie de Saint- Etienne, and of Marseille (La Criée). He has worked with many opera houses in France which includes Paris (Opéra- Comique, Casino de Paris…) Avignon, Montpellier, Marseilles, Tours, Nantes, Bordeaux, Limoges and abroad : Lausanne, Genova, Liège (Royal opera of Wallone) Portland, Los Angeles, Turin, Klagenfurt, Monte Carlo.
These are his recent works, Andrea Chénier by Umberto Giordano, La Donna del Lago by Rossini, Orphée aux Enfers by Jacques Offenbach, (under the direction of Claire Servais) Marius et Fanny (worldwide creation in Marseilles, from Vladimir Cosma's opera based on Marcel Pagnol's work) three works directed by Jean-Louis Grinda.
Parvesh Jai
Collaborating Fashion Designer's
After launching their label in 2003 they have showcased at world's prestigious fashion weeks and events i. e prêt-a-porter, ethical fashion show (Carrousel du Louvre),Dubai Fashion Week, etc.
Their creative essence earned them a show together with world's renowned fashion icons i.e Armani, DKNY etc at St- Andrews(UK).They launched their Beachwear line “Blue Coral” in 2006, which is a well known brand in Europe, U.K., & USA now. They are also known for their haute couture range which they showcased in Dubai ,Paris and NY for A/W 09. Apart from their stores in Delhi and Ludhiana, their two flagship international outlets now in Paris and New York make them available worldwide.
Gabriella Boda-Rechner
Chorus conductor
Specialist in the “Kodàly Method” (Hungarian pedagogy of teaching), Gabriella created the choruses of children and adults and a school of music in Morocco to train future choir conductors. In France she worked with the children's chorus of the Opera House of Paris & has worked with students in China. In India since October 2006, she has created Vasant Valley School choir and directed The Neemrana Opera Choir, Jubilate-Golden Jubilee Alliance Francaise, Delhi Opera Ensemble, The Capital City Minstrels.
She has won the Kodàly prize, Media prize (Hungary), Chevalier de l'ordre des arts et lettres (France).
SANTOSH NAIR
Choreographer
Santosh Nair is one of the leading choreographers of Delhi. Experimental work and innovative choreography are his forte. Coming from a family of artistes, he has been trained in Kathakali, Mayurbhanj, Chhau and contemporary dance.
To his credit are performances and choreography both at national and international level. His latest work is a Mohiniattam version of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”. With a vision of using dance as a bridge between tradition and modernity, Santosh initiated Sadhya a contemporary performing arts academy.
Rawat, Sangeet Kumar Gupta.
SADHYA – BALLET
Sadhya is synonymous with excellence and prides itself with a range of performances from traditional to contemporary, as also to a special blend of the two. Its recent multi-media dance production, based on Mahabharata, ‘The Game Of Dice’ brought art back with a zing, exposing a new style to the audience.
Tonight’s performance will let you enjoy the way they perform a mix of traditional Indian dance and ballet, specially designed for the occasion.
PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE: Nalini Sharma
DANCERS: Bhavini Misra, Shailja Nalwade, Sunita Menon, Falguni Mazumdar, Tushar Kalia, Amit Kumar Kashyap, Vijay
Antoine Redon
Executive producer
Starting from the music industry in France (Warner and XIII bis Music) Antoine has been President of the association Infinitiff for five years.Infinitiff produced 15 shows in Paris France of the two musicals “Hair” by Jerome Ragni and “Jesus Christ Superstar” by Andrew Loyd Webber with thirty singers dancers and musicians. Antoine himself sang main roles as baritone. After being director assistant of the Pearl Fishers in Mumbai and Delhi 2005, with 150 artists on stage, Antoine became Programmes Coordinator of the Neemrana Music Foundation. After on year and a half he has taken part in the organisation of around fifteen concerts and operas. Future plan: “Carmen” in April 2008 with Indo-French artistes in Delhi and continue to educate and develop Western Classical Music in South Asia.
Philippe Do
ZÉPHORYS, Fisherman (tenor)
Born in France of Vietnamese origin, Philippe Do made his debut with the Lyon National Opera and quickly embarked on an international career : Théâtre du Châtelet and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Capitole of Toulouse, Teatro alla Scala in Milano (debut in 2006), Teatro La Fenice of Venice, San Carlo di Napoli, Concertgebouw and Het Muziekteater of Amsterdam, Baden- Baden's Festspielhaus, Lausanne Opera, Città della musica in Roma, Prague State Opera and National Theatre de Prague ; Opera North, Stuttgart Opera. Philippe Do is a renowned singer for « the beauty of his lyric tenor voice with its refined mezza-voce, and the purity of the style
» (Alan Blyth in Opera) especially in the French repertoire he has often been compared with Georges Thill and Nicolai Gedda. His roles include a.o. Don José (Carmen) Nadir (Les Pêcheurs de Perles), Gérald (Lakmé), Nemorino (L'Elisir d'amore), Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Roméo (Roméo et Juliette), Sou Chong (Das Land des Lächelns), Des Grieux (Manon), Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Tom (The Rake's Progress), Lensky (Eugen Onegin), Alfredo (Traviata), Duca (Rigoletto), Fenton (Falstaff), Fra Diavolo. He took part to many world-premieres such as Elephant Man by Laurent Petitgirard at the State Opera in Prague, Le Premier Cercle by Gilbert Amy and Il Canto della Pelle by Claudio Ambrosini at the Lyon Opéra, Kwasi & Kwame by Jonathan Dove at Rotterdam Opera. He sang under the baton of Evgeny Svetlanov, Gennady Rojdestvensky, Maurizio Benini, Christoph Eschenbach, Jan-Latham König, Michel Plasson, Marc Minkowski, Alberto Zedda, Vladimir Jurowski, David Robertson, Claus-Peter Flor, Christopher Hogwood. During the 2008/09 season he will sing Roméo et Juliette (title-role) at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Fra Diavolo (title role) by Auber at the Wiener Volksoper, Madama Butterfly (Pinkerton) in Lublin, Die Zauberflöte (Tamino) at the Teatro de Opera de Irun, Falstaff (Fenton) at the Prague National Theatre. In concert, he will sing Mathilde de Guise by Hummel in France, L'Heure Espagnole by Ravel in Paris, Clovis et Clotilde by Bizet in Lille.
Aude Priya
Néméa Princess of Goa, Cousin of the King of Goa (soprano)
Mumbai-born Aude Priya started her career as a theatre actress and discovered her soprano voice in a play by Pirandello. Started acting at the age of sixteen, and discovered her opera voice with Situ Singh Buehler in New Delhi when she was 20. She then completed her curriculum in classical music and singing at the National Conservatory of Toulouse, France, and at the Bernstein School of Musical Theatre in Bologna, Italy.
Aude Priya has performed in concerts throughout the world: Paris, Florence, Verona, Geneva, Manila, Cape Town, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pondichery accompanied in recitals with a piano or an orchestra, as well as in opera productions. She sang the role of Sundra in “The Fakir of Benares” in New Delhi and Mumbai, Leila in the Pearl Fishers (India and Sri Lanka), Zerlina in Mozart's “Don Giovanni”, Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata and Lucia in Donizetti's “Lucia di Lammermoor”. She will shortly be Musetta in La Bohème in Palermo (Italy).
Vikrant Subramanian
Moussol (baritone) King of Goa, Cousin of Néméa
Young baritone of 18, Vikrant Subramanian began to sing with the Neemrana choir in Delhi. The Neemrana Music Foundation decided to offer him a deeper training and sent him in France 2007-09 to participate to several French workshops (in Grillon, Messery and the “Moulin d’Andé”). He played Zurga, the leader of the fishermen, in the opera “The Pearl Fishers”, by Georges Bizet, staged in Colombo in January 2008. He sang the roles of Morales and El Dancairo in “Carmen” by Georges Bizet in Delhi, April 2008.
Patricia Fernandez
Zelide, Zéphoris sister (Dugazon)
Patricia Fernandez studied Ecole d'Art Lyrique de l'Opéra de Paris in the class of Denise Dupleix. She was invited by the Capitole de Toulouse for Mercedes in Carmen under the direction of Michel Plasson, role which she also sang at Nancy and at the Opéra-Comique. She appeared at the Salle Pleyel in the role of the 3rd Servant in Elektra, at Nancy in Annius of La Clemenza di Tito, at the Festival of Saint-Céré in Cherubino of Le Nozze Di Figaro and Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, at the Opéra-Cimique in L'Heure Espagnole and Les Mamelles de Tirésias, at Montpellier Isolier in Le Comte Ory, at Metz in Callas, Le Comte Ory, Les Saltimbanques and Die
Zauberflote, at Toulouse and at the Theatre of Chatelet. She began in the title-role of La Cenerentola and interpreted the title-role of Carmen in Hong-Kong, Dublin and at the opera Royal of Wallonie (MECC- Maastricht), Pelléas and Mélisand at Rennes, Jeanne au Bucher at Massimo in Palerme and Dorabella at Cosi Fan Tutte in Rennes, Nicklausse in Les Contes d'Hoffmann at Paris-Bercy, Mercedes in Carmen at Massimo in Palerme as well as at the Scala of Milan in June-July 2004 .
Didier Henry
Prince Kadoor, (bass)
Didier Henry (born 24th May, 1953) is a French baritone. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris before joining the Opéra National de Lyon. He has frequently been invited on the international stage, as much for his lyrical productions as for his concerts and recitals. His career is marked by the role of Pelléas which he created in Moscow in 1987 under the direction of Manual Rosenthal ( recorded for Decca and awarded the Grammy in the USA and the Preis Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik in Germany). He performed this role both in France and overseas. His repertoire also extends to “Oreste d'Iphigénie en Tauride” (Scala in Milan), Comte in the Marriage of Figaro, Marcello in “La Boheme” and many others. Didier Henry is a musician passionate about melody, and more extensively about chamber music, and he keeps his music vibrant and alive via his concerts, his master-classes and his recordings. He teaches vocal music and particularly French Melody to singers as well as pianists and young conductors.
William Richmond
Piféar, a fisherman (tenor)
William Richmond Basaiawmoit, is 20yrs of age studying at St. Stephen's College Delhi. He is from Shillong. He has performed in Switzerland, China and Korea. Also a soloist and member of The Shillong Chamber Choir and member of The Delhi Chamber Choir.
He performed with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, sung at The Forbidden City Concert Hall Beijing, the China Conservatory Beijing and Museum of Contemporary Arts Shanghai and represented India at the World Choir Championships Korea 2009, winning Silver in the Folklore Category. Also performed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the President of India and at The Bahai Temple Delhi.
He performed for the Mozart's Requiem held at the Kamani Auditorium Delhi and at the Church Of Redemption Delhi. As a soloist he represented India at The Renewal Arts Forum held in Caux, Switzerland. Performed at the Hungarian Cultural Center Delhi, singing popular Opera pieces like Nessun Dorma composed by G. Puccini.
Yvan Rebeyrol
Zizel, Magistrat (1st comique)
Acting alternately in operetta and opera, he expressed himself particularly well in a number of important roles such as Malicorne in “Les Saltimbanques”, Microscope in “Le Voyage dans la lune” and Don Pedro in “La Périchole”. More recently, He sang Monostatos in “La Flute Enchantée” at the Operas of Metz and Massy, Goro in “Madame Butterly” at the Opera Theatre of Besançon in May 2000 under Dominique Trottein, le Remendado in “Carmen” at Reims and Metz where he rejoined the troupe of artistes in residence in 1995 and took part in numerous productions. He sang Andrès, Cochenille, Frantz and Pittichinaccio in “Les Contes d'Hoffman” in May 2001 and was Schmidt in “Werther” and at Opera of Vichy, Don Gaspart in the French version of “La Favorite” which he redid in 1994 at the Grand Theater of Tours.
Reuben Israel
Atar Minister (bass)
Reuben Israel has a wide vocal repertoire: classical, opera, jazz, the blues, Broadway and popular. His repertoire is predominantly in English. It also includes songs in French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Hebrew. He has performed in
'The Threepenny Opera' (role: Macheath, 2003), 'The Magic of Broadway' (chorus and solo, 2004, 2008), 'The Pearl Fishers' (chorus, 2005, 2008), 'An Evening of Schubert Lieder (In English) and Piano Pieces' (solo, 2007, 2008), 'Carmen' (chorus, 2008) and several variety concert programmes in India, Germany and France. He sings with the Alliance Francais Choir, the Capital City Minstrels, the Delhi Chamber Choir, the Delhi Opera Ensemble, and the Neemrana Choir.
Nitya Urbanna Vaz
Un Bayadère (dugazon)
Nitya Urbanna Vaz is a soprano soloist who has received raving reviews for her performances in the capital. Nitya began her voice training under Zohra Shaw and Mr. Hur Chul Young. She has received her ATCL Diploma from Trinity College London, under the tutelage of Situ Singh Beuhler. In her career spanning under a decade.
During her childhood in the Philippines, Nitya performed in two operettas – Cinderella and Thumbelina; and as a child artist in an adult production on Sophia the Queen of Hungary. In India as a member of the Neemrana Music Foundation productions, she performed as a soprano in the
'Fakir of Benares' in 2002-03, and the 'Pearl Fishers' in 2005. She has performed in a number of recitals rendering musical compositions by Schubert, Mozart, Bach, Handel, Rossini, Debussy, Hayden, Puccini, Schumann and Strauss, in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. As part of the many prestigious choirs in the Capital, like the Capital City Minstrels, Neemrana Music Foundation Choir and Delhi Chamber Choir, she has performed as a solo artist with these choirs.
Alongside being a busy performing artist, she is currently a professional staff member of Voice and Piano faculty at the Performers' Collective School of Music, affiliated with the London Trinity College of Music, Trinity Rock School and Associated Board Royal School of Music. Most of her students have performed successfully in these examinations as distinction students.
CHOIR: 80 singers from India & Sri Lanka:
Since 2002, TNMF has encouraged talented Indian singers to participate in all the 5 opera productions to date. They were given intensive training and have got the opportunities to be on stage. They come from Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Colombo and are also members of various local choirs.
MUSICIANS:
Selected musicians from Delhi and Kolkata have been partners with the French musicians that made up the operation for our 5 opera productions.
CAST & PRODUCTION TEAM
160 Indo-Sri Lankan-French artistes
Producer : Francis Wacziarg (India)
Stage Director : Jean François Vinciguerra (France) Conductor : Pierre Michel Durand (France)
Light Designer : Geneviève Soubirou (France) Set and Costumes Designer : Dominique Pichou (France) Collaborating Fashion Designer : Parvesh Jai
Chorus Conductor : Gabriella Boda Rechner (India) Choreographer : Santosh Nair (India)
Executive Producer : Antoine Redon (India) Zéphoris a fisherman (tenor) : Philippe Do (France) Néméa, Princess of Goa (soprano) : Aude Priya (France)
Moussol (baritone) : Vikrant Subramanian (India) King of Goa
Zelide, Zéphoris sister (dugazon) : Patricia Fernandez (France) Prince Kadoor, (bass) : Didier Henry (France)
Minister of the king
Piféar, a fisherman (tenor) : William Richmond (India) Zizel, policeman (comique bass) : Yvan Rebeyrol (France) Atar minister (bass) : Reuben Israel (India)
Un Bayadère(dugazon) : Nitya Vaz (India)
35 musicians from French Orchestra Prométhée
15 musicians from Indian Orchestras
20 dancers from Sadhya Ballet
The Neemrana Music Foundation chorus of 80 singers from
1) Delhi, conducted by Gabriella Boda Rechner
2) Kolkata, conducted by Debashish Ray Chaudhury
3) Colombo, conducted by Menaka De Fonseka
4) Chennai, Singers from KM Music Conservatory, founded by Padamshree A.R. Rahman
The objectives of The Neemrana Music Foundation are: To promote classical music in India. To impart music education and to award scholarships to young Indian singers and musicians to study in India or abroad. To organise classes and workshops for musicians and singers, in which they can interact with artistes from all over the world. To create a core group of world class musicians and opera singers in India. To organise in India concerts and recitals with Indian and foreign artistes. To build up an opera repertoire for performances in India and abroad with trained Indian and foreign singers & musicians. To form a chorus and an orchestra to support visiting music companies. To organize and take part in shows, recitals, exhibitions, conferences, seminars on western and Indian classical music in India and abroad, both at a government level and with private sponsored initiatives.
So far The Neemrana Music Foundation has produced four operas;
“The Fakir of Benares” by Leo Manuel in 2002(Delhi) and 2003 (Mumbai)
“The Pearl Fishers” by Georges Bizet in 2005 (Delhi & Mumbai) and 2008 (Colombo) “Carmen” by Georges Bizet in 2008 (Delhi)
“Violetta a traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi in 2008 (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata)
And has organised several concerts and workshops
Workshops with Marco Baldieri, Sarah Véronique, Vijay Upadyaya followed by concerts at various venues in Delhi.
“Dido and Aeneas” by Purcell in 2007 (Delhi, Jaipur & Agra) by The Paris National Opera's Youth
Choir.“Requiem” of Mozart in 2008 (New Delhi)
THE NEEMRANA MUSIC FOUNDATION
A-58, Nizamuddin East - New Delhi 110013, Ph.: +91-11-4077 5177, Fax: +91-11-4077 5151
Website: www.tnmf.org, E-mail : tnmf@fwacziarg.com
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