The comic opera “The Marriage of Figaro” comes to Heraklion and Sitia – Culture

Those who come will have the opportunity to watch Mozart’s comic opera “The Marriage of Figaro” today, Saturday, August 13, at the garden theater “Manos Hadjidakis” in Heraklion and tomorrow Sunday, August 14, at the Venetian fortress of Kazarmas in Sitia.

It is a show curated by the Lyric Theater of Crete, directed by Manos Christofakakis and Heather Tan, with an international character, with more than 20 artists on stage from 14 different countries in Europe, America and Asia. The music will be performed by a distinguished string quartet based in Vienna, accompanied by a piano, while the first violin will play a Stradivarius from 1699, one of the rarest musical instruments with an exquisite sound.

The plot of the play revolves around Figaro’s attempt to marry his beloved Susanna and the way he deals with the womanizing Count Almaviva, who lusts after her and puts obstacles in their marriage. The story is interspersed with intrigue and various comic incidents.

The direction escapes from the traditional barriers and places the action of the play in the present day, in the hideout of an illegal organization. In this mafia “family” the leader is Almaviva, that’s why they call him “Count”.

Coefficients: The direction and set design are by Manos Christofakakis and Heather Tan (Singapore), the musical direction by Berislav Jerkovic (Croatia), the lighting design by Alexandros Politakis, the musical preparation by Mélisande Sinsoulier (France), the subtitling by Zoi Karabekiou and the sound engineering of Dimitris Hatzakis.

They interpret the: Johanny Nemeth-Nagy (Suzana, Hungary), Manos Christofakakis (Figaro, Greece), Heather Fetrow (Countess Almaviva, USA), Berislav Jerkovic (Count Almaviva, Croatia), Kristine Matvejeva (Cherubino, Latvia), Clare Ghigo (Marcelina , Malta), Katerina Vassiliadou (Barbarina, Cyprus), Balint Vegh (Bartolo-Antonio, Hungary) and Dean Parker (Basilio-don Curcio, Netherlands).

Musicians: Alexandra Tirsu (first violin, Moldova), Farid Feyzullayev (second violin, Azerbaijan), Vladimir Paulen (viola, Slovakia), Lidiya Mashek (cello, Ukraine) and Mélisande Sinsoulier (piano, France). Choir Ensemble “Apollo Voice Ensemble” from the “Apollo” Music Association. Sopranos Irini Angelaki, Myrto Konidakis, Maria Lourakis and Zoe Souliotakis, altos Areti Melani, Christina Metochianakis and Despoina Michoudis, tenor Nikitas Ladakis and basses Manos Zoumboulakis and Vassilis Mourtzakis. Direction/teaching: Manos Panagiotakis and Antoaneta Radocaj-Jerkovic. Musical preparation: Elena Perisynaki. Photo: Manos Politakis.