Name: Animal Farm
Start: 2023-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2023-03-16T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Dutch National Opera & Ballet

Organization

Bass-baritone

Frederik Bergman

Mr. Pilkinton

Conductor

Bassem Akiki

Stage director

Damiano Michieletto

Set designer

Paulo Fantin

Costume designer

Klaus Bruns

Lighting designer

Alessandro Carletti

Chorus master

Edward Ananian-Cooper

Anaïs de la Morandais

Choreographer

Thomas Wilhelm

Dramaturge

Wout van Tongeren

Luc Joosten

Bass

Gennady Bezzubenkov

Old Major

Tenor

Michael Gniffke

Snowball

James Kryshak

Squiller

Baritone

Germán Olvera

Boxer

Karl Laquit

Benjamin

Countertenor

Artem Krutko

Minimus

Contralto

Helena Rasker

Clover

Mezzo-soprano

Maya Gour

Muriel

Soprano

Elena Vassilieva

Blacky

Pigletta

Marcel Beekman

Mr. Jones

Francis van Broekhuizen

Mrs. Jones

Wiener Staatsoper

Singer

Alexander de Jong

2 men of Mr. Jones

Joris Van Baar

Mark Kurmanbayev

2 men of Mr. Pilkington

Michiel Nonhebel

2 men from veterinary car

Holly Flack

Mollie

Finnish National Opera

Teatro Massimo di Palermo

Dutch National Opera & Ballet

Others

Netherlands Chamber Orchestra

Nieuw Amsterdams Kinderkoor

Koor van De Nationale Opera

Misha Kiria

Napoleon

Berend Stumphius

English

Animal Farm

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Animal Farm Raskatov

Public

Private

Approved

A group of animals stages a rebellion on a dilapidated farm to free themselves from a tyrannical farmer, only to be subjugated to a new despot from their own ranks. A must-see world premiere: Orwell’s timeless classic about a fight for freedom doomed to failure.

This performance is part of Opera Forward Festival
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Opera in two acts, nine scenes and an epilogue
Sung in English

Composition: Alexander Raskatov
Libretto: Ian Burton and Alexander Raskatov

Musical direction: Bassem Akiki
Stage direction: Damiano Michieletto
Set: Paolo Fantin
Costumes: Klaus Bruns
Lighting: Alessandro Carletti
Choreography: Thomas Wilhelm
Dramaturgy: Wout van Tongeren, Luc Joosten

Old Major: Gennady Bezzubenkov
Napoleon: Misha Kiria
Snowball: Michael Gniffke
Squealer: James Kryshak
Boxer: Germán Olvera
Benjamin: Karl Laquit
Minimus: Artem Krutko
Clover: Helena Rasker
Muriel: Maya Gour*
Blacky: Elena Vassilieva
Mollie: Holly Flack
Pigetta (young actress): Karl Laquit
Mr. Jones: Marcel Beekman
Mrs. Jones: Francis van Broekhuizen
Mr. Pilkington: Frederik Bergman
2 men of Mr. Jones: Alexander de Jong, Joris van Baar
2 men of Mr. Pilkington: Mark Kurmanbayev, Michiel Nonhebel
2 men from veterinary car: Alexander de Jong, Mark Kurmanbayev

*Dutch National Opera Studio

Netherlands Chamber Orchestra

Chorus of Dutch National Opera
6 sopranos, 6 mezzo-sopranos, 6 tenors, 6 basses
Chorus master  Edward Ananian-Cooper

New Amsterdam Youth Choir (part of Nieuw Vocaal Amsterdam)
8 sopranos, 8 altos
Youth chorus master  Anaïs de la Morandais

Composition and co-production by Dutch National Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Massimo (Palermo), and the Finnish National Opera and Ballet (Helsinki)

Masks, decor and the story of Animal Farm | behind the scenes [1/2] | Dutch National Opera

Op een verloederde boerderij vechten de dieren zich vrij van hun heerszuchtige boer, maar al snel moeten zij hun schouders buigen naar het juk van een nieuwe heerser uit eigen gelederen. Een wereldpremière om reikhalzend naar uit te kijken: de operabewerking van Orwells tijdloze boek over een mislukte bevrijdingsstrijd.

George Orwell schreef Animal Farm als actuele parabel over de ontaarding van de Russische Revolutie in Stalins dictatuur. Maar ook nu is het satirische verhaal nog pijnlijk herkenbaar. “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others”: het wereldnieuws toont telkens weer varianten van dezelfde plot.

Het was een langgekoesterde wens van regisseur Damiano Michieletto om Animal Farm naar het operatoneel te brengen. De netelige verwikkelingen en scherp getekende karakters zijn een kolfje naar zijn hand. Met Alexander Raskatov kreeg Michieletto’s droomproject zijn ideale componist.

Raskatov bewerkte met zijn onstuimige opera A Dog’s Heart (2010) al eerder een literair meesterwerk tot weergaloos muziektheater. In Animal Farm verwerkt Raskatov bovendien zijn eigen toespelingen op de beladen politieke geschiedenis van Rusland.

Animal Farm brengt de Nederlandse zangers Marcel Beekman en Helena Rasker terug op ons toneel, samen met onder anderen bariton Misha Kiria (Il barbiere di Siviglia, 2018), die geknipt lijkt voor de grimmigkomische rol van het bazige varken Napoleon. Het Nederlands Kamerorkest staat onder leiding van de jonge Libanees-Poolse dirigent Bassem Akiki, die internationaal indruk wekt met zijn uitvoeringen van gevestigd repertoire én hedendaagse opera’s.

Nederlands

A group of animals stages a rebellion on a dilapidated farm to free themselves from a tyrannical farmer, only to be subjugated to a new despot from their own ranks. A must-see world premiere: Orwell’s timeless classic about a fight for freedom doomed to failure.

George Orwell wrote Animal Farm as a contemporaneous cautionary parable, highlighting how easy it was for the Russian revolution to degenerate into Stalin’s violent dictatorship. The warning in Orwell’s political satire remains relevant today. “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others” – the world news keeps offering up subtle variations on the same theme.

Damiano Michieletto had always dreamt of adapting Animal Farm, with its powerful characterisations and surprising twists and turns, for the opera stage. In Alexander Raskatov, the perfect composer for his dream project was found.

Raskatov himself is no stranger to adapting fiction to opera. In 2010, he adapted the literary masterpiece A Dog’s Heart, creating a compelling and fiery musical piece that was unlike any other. In Animal Farm, Raskatov also incorporates his own allusions to Russia’s fraught political history.

This staging of Animal Farm will see Dutch tenor Marcel Beekman and contralto Helena Rasker return to the stage of Dutch National Opera, as well as baritone Misha Kiria (Il barbiere di Siviglia, 2018), who is an ideal fit for the grim-comic role of Napoleon – the autocratic pig. They are joined in the pit by the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of up-and-coming Lebanese-Polish conductor Bassem Akiki, who has achieved international acclaim with his interpretations of both the classical repertoire as well as contemporary operas.

Animal Farm by Raskatov, From (2023/2023), Directed by Damiano Michieletto,, Conductor Bassem Akiki, Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

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