3 weeks ago
Mozart's Figaro Gets Indian Classical Twist in Bradford
A very long time ago, a man named Mozart wrote a funny opera called The Marriage of Figaro.
It is a story about servants and rich people, and how a clever servant named Figaro outsmarts his boss.
Now, a group called the Bradford Opera Festival is putting on a brand-new version of this opera.
The new version moves the story to Bradford in the 1970s.
People will sing parts of it in English with a Yorkshire accent, and other parts in Punjabi and Urdu.
The music will mix old classical sounds from Europe with Indian classical music.
Three opera singers from South Asian backgrounds are playing some of the main roles.
The person who translated the songs says this will help people from different communities enjoy the opera.
The story still asks big questions about who has power and about fairness.
You can see the show in Bradford, Leeds, Skipton and London in November.
Bradford Opera Festival is staging a new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro relocated to 1970s Bradford.
The production mixes Indian classical music with Western instruments and includes arias translated into Punjabi and Urdu by Kauser Mukhtar.
Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan adapted the opera into a Yorkshire dialect, performed by three south Asian opera singers: Oscar Castellino, Natasha Agarwal and Kanchana Jaishakar.
Composer Ben Crick reorchestrated Mozart's original score for a combined ensemble of Western and Indian classical musicians.
The production runs in Bradford, Leeds and Skipton from Nov. 17-25, followed by a limited run at London's Wilton's Music Hall from Nov. 23-25.
- Who
- Bradford Opera Festival, director Alex Chisholm, adapter Ian McMillan, translator Kauser Mukhtar, composer Ben Crick, and singers Oscar Castellino, Natasha Agarwal and Kanchana Jaishakar
- What
- A new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro adapted with Indian classical music, Punjabi and Urdu translations and a Yorkshire dialect, set in 1970s Bradford
- Where
- Bradford, Leeds and Skipton, and London's Wilton's Music Hall
- When
- November 17-25 (touring dates), with a London run at Wilton's Music Hall from Nov. 23-25
- Why
- To make the opera more accessible to Bradford's diverse communities and to reclaim the 'radical spirit' of Figaro for a new generation
Key facts
- Production
- Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (adapted)
- Producing company
- Bradford Opera Festival
- Director
- Alex Chisholm
- Adapter
- Ian McMillan
- Setting
- 1970s Bradford
- Languages
- Yorkshire dialect, Punjabi, Urdu
- Musical adaptation
- Reorchestrated by Ben Crick for Western and Indian classical musicians
- Performance dates
- Nov 17-25 (Bradford, Leeds, Skipton); Nov 23-25 (London's Wilton's Music Hall)
Quotes
Alex Chisholm
Bradford Opera Festival artistic director
“"Britain's cultural identity has always been shaped by the meeting of different traditions, stories and communities," he said, adding that the production was rooted in a specific place while remaining relevant to audiences elsewhere.”
easterneye.biz
“He said the production aimed to reclaim the "radical spirit" of Figaro and present it to a new generation.”
easterneye.biz
Kauser Mukhtar
Singer, poet and lyricist
“Mukhtar said the fusion of Western and Indian classical music and the use of Punjabi and Urdu would make the production more accessible to Bradford's diverse communities.”
easterneye.biz
Sources
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