This Friday, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia presided over a performance of ABAO Bilbao Ópera for the first time at the Euskalduna Palace in the capital of Biscay, where the third performance of Il Trittico the day in which It commemorates the centenary of the death of its author, Giacomo Puccini.
Minutes before seven in the afternoon, the Kings have been received at the doors of Euskalduna by the president of ABAO Bilbao Opera, Juan Carlos Matellanes; the mayor of the city, Juan Mari Aburto; the Government delegate, Marisol Garmendia; the Basque Security Councilor, Bingen Zupiria, and the Deputy General of Bizkaia, Elixabete Etxanobe.
The monarch and the queen greeted several dozen people who applauded and cheered them behind the security fences. Afterwards, they were treated to a Aurresku (a type of Basque dance) of honor inside the Euskalduna Palace.
In the year of Puccini’s centenary, ABAO Bilbao Opera has programmed for the first time in its history, with the sponsorship of the BBVA Foundation, which it considers “the most intense and exceptional work” of the composer, ‘Il Trittico’.
The show consists of a indissoluble triad that integrates three short operas: Il tabarro, Sister Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. ABAO has pointed out that due to the technical, economic and artistic complexity of this opera, its staging represents “a historical milestone.”
Its performance, which extends with breaks up to four hours in length, includes more than 170 artists between stage and pit, and 29 solo performers, with four performances, the last one on December 2.
The Board of Directors of the Bilbao Association of Friends of the Opera (ABAO), authorities and institutional representatives, as well as sponsors and personalities from the cultural, academic, economic and political world, were present at the event.
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