Maria Stuarda Programme Book 2022

lovers Così fan tutte. And in between we are offering a veritable
smorgasbord of operatic delicacies. As a Swiss person, I must
of course highlight William Tell, the tale of the Swiss hero who
leads the fight to free Switzerland from the clutches of the
Austrians. The plot is very dramatic, and includes the famous
apple-on-the-head scene, and the music is astonishing,
Rossini as you have never heard him before, though everyone
will be familiar with the overture. We were privileged to be able
to announce our season at the Swiss Embassy in Dublin, our
sincere thanks to Ambassador Gubler for welcoming us to his
residence and hosting our season launch.
Our last season was of course much disrupted by Covid
regulations and restrictions. However, we managed to
produce a remarkable number of operas, both for live
performance and as films. Earlier this year, though restrictions
began to ease, we had to change the opening night date and
time of Bajazet by Vivaldi three times and we are grateful
to the Solstice Arts Centre in Navan for facilitating this.
Thanks to a nimble and tenacious cast and production and
administrative teams, we finally had an opening night and
after touring the production in Ireland, we presented it at the
Royal Opera House in London. Our Bajazet went on to earn
two Olivier Award nominations, London’s most coveted
award for theatre, opera and dance, and won one, for
Outstanding Achievement in Opera for Peter Whelan and
the Irish Baroque Orchestra.
We all now hope that the days of restrictions are well behind
us. Of course none of us knows what the future holds in these
uncertain times. But we will continue on our quest to create
unforgettable operatic experiences for everyone in Ireland
and beyond.
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