In Oman a cultural hub between East and West

(ANSA) - MASCATE, JAN 08 - A new production of Mozart's FluteMagico performed by the Barocchisti directed by DiegoFasolis and the world premiere of Tahr el Bahr, the treasures of the sea, by the Egyptian composer Monir Elsweseimy are two of the shows included in the season of the Royal Opera House diMuscat. These two titles are enough to make us understand the objective of the Omani theater, which is a candidate to become a cultural hub and a meeting point between the western and Arab musical tradition. The structure, with 1,100 seats, was inaugurated in 2011 but now a 600-seat auditorium (the Casadelle arti arti) has been added and a library and music library and a large exhibition space dedicated to Western and Arabic music are also opening. "It will be a door between the West and the East", explains the director of the Royal Opera House Umberto Fanni. The goal is to become a production theater. Lakmé, staged last season under the direction of Davide Livermore, is the first 'world' co-production involving theaters of all five continents (the Los Angeles Opera, the Teatro dell'Operadi Roma, the Arena di Verona, the Carlo Felice di Genova, the Cairo Opera House, the Astana Opera, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center and the Sydney Opera House). And for the inaugural season of the new House of Musical Arts, the theater has created a new staging of Mozart's Magic Flute, always directed by Livermore. "It is a tribute to Sultan Qabus, who loves Mozart in a particular way", underlines Fanni. The work is set in the State, with typical costumes, the inevitable Khanjar (the dagger-manita), the dhow (the traditional boat), the desert and even the Aladdin's lamp. Even the booklet has been adapted, removing all references to alcohol because "you have to keep in mind where you are". The audience appreciated. (HANDLE).