Commuters at Pearse Street train station in Dublin stood bemused today as bow-ties, ballgowns, and glittering shawls fluttered by - heading for the Wexford Opera Train.
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(L-R) Tom Curley, Eileen Roche, John Bryne and Brid Donoghue before they board the Wexford Opera Train at Pearse Station this afternoon.
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Spruced up in full evening-dress, champagne glasses in hand, over 200 opera-lovers boarded the return train to the 50th Wexford Festival Opera where they will enjoy the opening performance of the
Alessandro Stradella
by German composer Friedrick Flotow.
Tonight’s opera marks the start of 18 days and nights of musical performances in Wexford. Alongside the opera programme, the festival will feature an exciting variety of artistic and musical productions including recitals, concerts, art exhibitions, plays, lectures and historical tours.
This year sees a repeat of the festival’s "sell-out" popularity as all 19 operas - featuring 170 performers and stage personnel from 15 countries - are sold out, as are many of the fringe events.
Audiences will delight this year in an extra special treat as, for the first time, a computerised "surtitle" system is being introduced. So no multi-lingual skills are needed as the English translation of the operas will appear on a screen above the stage.
Highlights include
- Tonight's fireworks display to launch the festival at the Wexford Quayside;
- the three main productions
Alessandro Stradellaby Friedrich Flotow,
Jakobínby Antonín Dvorák, and
Saphoby Jules Massenet;
- and I Capuleti e I Montechiby Vincenzo Bellini.
The programme also features also late night events such as concerts by Juliet Turner, and Sean Keane, lunch-time recitals and a children's opera, The Raven King, produced by the Wexford Festival Opera and University of Limerick's Opera Project Department.