Franco Zeffirelli's final stage production will premiere at the Royal Opera House Muscat in December.
The National can exclusively reveal the late film and stage director's version of Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto will be performed over three nights.
Opening on Thursday, December 16, the opera will also be be held on Friday, December 17 and Sunday, December 19.
Tickets will soon be made available from the venue’s website.
A co-production with Italy’s Arena di Verona, the lavish opera features the company’s orchestra and choir performing alongside the Omani Opera Choir Group under the baton of British conductor Jan Latham-Koenig.
The costumes will be designed by long-term Zeffirelli collaborator Maurizio Millenotti.
The Italian received two Oscar nominations for Best Costume Design for his work on Zeffirelli films Otello (1986) and Hamlet (1990).
News of the premiere comes as the Royal Opera House Muscat prepares to resume live performances after the pandemic halted all shows from March 2020.
The National can reveal the venue will launch its 2021 / 2022 season in November, with the full programme to be unveiled in September.
Zeffirelli's Rigoletto was initially announced in 2018 and meant to premiere in November 2020 as part of Oman's 50th anniversary celebrations.
Not only would it have been the first Verdi opera by Zeffirelli since a 1964 production at London's Royal Opera House, but it would have marked the director's first return to the Royal Opera House Muscat in a decade.
The glittering venue announced itself to the world in 2011 with an opening-night production of Puccini's Turandot.
Directed by Zeffirelli, the opera was attended by Oman’s late ruler, Sultan Qaboos.
"The intrinsic synchronicity of celebrating our 10th anniversary season with a wonderful work by the same great director with whom we opened our first season, gives this moment a special significance," Royal Opera House Muscat director general Umberto Fanni tells The National.
"With Puccini's Turandot in 2011 we began a wonderful relationship and a journey full of hope for the Royal Opera House Muscat.
"Now, in 2021, with Rigoletto, we mark the achievement of a decade of brilliant musical performances, with the anticipation of many more to come."
With Zeffirelli dying aged 96 in 2019, Fanni says his vision will be realised with the director's adopted son, Pippo, involved in the production’s management.
The 'Italian-style' passion of Franco Zeffirelli
A maestro of the screen and stage, Zeffirelli's operas set new standards for production.
Born in Florence, Zeffirelli first established himself in the early 1950s by directing comic operas by 19th-century Italian composer Gioachino Rossini. He went on to helm major productions across Europe and the US, starring revered sopranos Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland.
It was a 1960 production of Romeo and Juliet at London's The Old Vic, starring a then-unknown Judi Dench, for which Zeffirelli received international acclaim, with critics praising the "Italian-style" passion of the performances and innovative set design.
The Old Vic went on to become the venue for many acclaimed productions including Eduardo De Filippo's plays Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Filumena Marturano, starring Australian actress Joan Plowright.
Zeffirelli also went on to direct high-profile productions for New York's Metropolitan Opera including La Boheme, Tosca and Don Giovanni.
Zeffirelli's eye for design and colour translated well to the big screen.
After his well-received debut – 1967's The Taming of the Shrew starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton – he found box-office success and a Best Director Oscar nomination for 1969's Romeo and Juliet.
With English actors Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey as the star-crossed lovers, the film was praised for its luscious visuals and moved eminent US critic Roger Ebert to declare it the "most exciting film of Shakespeare ever made".
Zeffirelli's fondness for literary classics resulted in further film adaptations, including Shakespeare's Hamlet in 1990, starring Mel Gibson, and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre with actresses Charlotte Gainsbourg and Anna Paquin sharing the title role.
Zeffirelli's final film was Callas Forever, a 2002 fictionalised account of the life of Greek-American soprano Maria Callas, starring Fanny Ardant and Jeremy Irons.
Back to the stage
Rigoletto is part of the first batch of public shows at the Royal Opera House Muscat in 18 months.
In March 2020, the venue cancelled the rest of its 2019 / 2020 season as a safety precaution against Covid-19.
Like many cultural organisations across the region, the opera house migrated performances online and launched the From our Stage to Your Home series in April, with pre-recorded concerts at the venue featuring the best of the sultanate’s classical musical talent.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
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Greenheart Organic Farms
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www.greenheartuae.com
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