In Focus

DID YOU KNOW...

... Mozart disliked prima donna Adriana Ferrarese del Bene, for whom the role of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte had been created. Knowing her idiosyncratic tendency to drop her chin on low notes and throw back her head on high ones, Mozart filled her showpiece aria "Come scoglio" with constant leaps from low to high and high to low in order to make Ferrarese's head "bob like a chicken" onstage.

... Werther is still regularly performed around the world and has been recorded many times. Although the role of Werther was written for a tenor, Massenet adjusted it for a baritone, when Mattia Battistini sang it in Saint Petersburg in 1902.

... Strauss had trouble deciding on a title for Der Rosenkavalier. Among the candidates were Ochs auf Lerchenau, The Amorous Adventures of Milord Ochs, and The Country Cousin. It was Strauss's wife who lobbied for the final, memorable title.

Delve deeper into the background of opera with Irish National Opera’s free In Focus series. Each event takes a closer look at an opera in INO's season, exploring the music and the context in which it was created.

Remaining booking details to be announced soon.