First the Music and Then the Words! - Lunchbreak Opera

Lunchbreak Opera is a new company set up in the summer of 2017 dedicated to performing high quality opera in the heart of the City of London which can fit into a working day - free of charge! The Company is both a creative platform for emerging young artists and also respresents an attempt to offer opera in an accessible and digestible format to the general public. We are preparing a production of Antonio Salieri's opera 'Prima la musica e poi le parole', in an English translation by Lionel Salter, in February in the Hall of St Botolph's without Bishopsgate (around the corner from Liverpool Street Station).

There will be 7 performances.

12th-14th at 1:10pm
15th and 16th at 1:10pm and 6:10pm

Salieri's opera in 1 act, 'Prima la musica e poi le parole' was commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II and was first performed at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna in 1786, alongside Mozart's 'Der Schauspieldirektor'. Salieri's work remained practically untouched until the 20th century when it was inspiration for Richard Strauss's Capriccio. Salieri's opera is a playful and witty look at the internal workings of staging an opera, complete with artistic arguments between composer and librettist as well as infighting between rival singers. Running at just 50 minutes, this comical send up of operatic tropes is perfect for a lunchtime divertissement. Lionel Salter's English version of Giovanni Battista Casti's libretto brings a natural clarity to the humour, retaining much of the nuance of the original text whilst adding plenty of fresh satire and wordplay.

Join us in February!