August the 20th, 2024 – The remarkable summer festival which douses the Pearl of the Adriatic in magic each year has plenty left up its sleeve. This, otherwise the 75th Dubrovnik Summer Festival, has no plans to stop impressing its audiences.
the 7th dubrovnik summer festival is set to impress art-loving audiences from far and wide…
the tempest
Beginning on August the 20th, and continuing on over the 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th, the final premiere of the 75th Dubrovnik Summer Festival will be held. Who else could possibly be worthy of such a title other than the one and only William Shakespeare? His incredible The Tempest will take to the stage, bringing a vision of the new age, the future Shakespeare once believed was coming.
The play will be directed by Slovenian director Vito Taufer and performed by the Festival Drama Ensemble, while the beautiful, mysterious island of Lokrum will provide the perfect setting for the legendary English Bard’s final work.
The almost uninhabited island of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, as a kind of terra nullius, is a place of endless possibilities for those who agree to inhabit it. In this no man’s land, subject to its own laws and the laws of artistic illusion, Shakespeare, in what is considered to be his last play, puts each character through extreme and laboratory-refined situations, leaving them to face their essential nature, thereby examining the capacities of human nature and the nature of its civilisational knowledge.
The Tempest is open to many interpretations. Shakespeare’s play was initially performed as part of the court festivities, while Dryden’s version dominated the performance history later on. The 75th Dubrovnik Summer Festival’s adaptation, in line with the principles of Shakespearean theatre, is primarily focused on the relationship with the contemporary, real and living world.
Today, that same confusing world throws out the burning question of how we may begin to understand the conditions of our survival. This enchanting performance delves deep into the inseparable mixture of the poetic, while exploring the cruel and grotesque. This is because beauty and ugliness in Shakespeare’s and our own reality are only a matter of point of view.
world music and jazz concert series
Also on August the 22nd, following on from the shining example of major international classical music festivals, the 75th Dubrovnik Summer Festival has started the World Music and Jazz Concert Series with the aim of audience development. It will offer truly unique cultural-artistic experiences.
The cycle ends with the flamenco show programme called Tarab. Tarab is an Arabic word that refers to a state of ecstasy induced by music. It is that moment of trance in which one connects with oneself and the energy takes over.
In the Arabic language, Tarab linguistically refers to a state of heightened emotion, also translated into words such as “rapture”, “ecstasy” or “enchantment”; but this can also evoke feelings of sadness as well as joy. Tarab is also associated with a style of music, execution and performance where these emotional states are evoked and provoked by both the performer and the audience. Tarab represents the challenge of reaching that state of pure ecstasy that the singing and the playing of the guitar provoke in the inner world of the dancer.
Performed by the Cristina Aguilera Flamenco Trio, we’re guaranteed a treat. The talented Cristina made her debut flamenco dancing debut at the age of eight. She trained with Maite Galán, finishing her degree in Spanish Dance and Flamenco in 2010 at the Carmen Amaya Professional Dance Conservatory in Madrid.
In 2015 ,she presented her first show “Encrucijada” in Granada. Since then Cristina Aguilera has participated in numerous festivals of prestige in collaboration with some of the main flamenco dance companies.
The absolute best of the rich and infectious flamenco tradition is brought by the cantaor (flamenco singer) Miguel Lavi, David Caro, with his toque, or guitar playing skill. This programme for the 75th Dubrovnik Summer Festival is powered by Mastercard.
opera gala
Moving on the August the 25th and the real peak of the 75th Dubrovnik Summer Festival, we have the spectacular Opera gala to celebrate this incredible anniversary.
It will feature one of today’s biggest opera stars, the Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva, Joseph Calleja, a Maltese tenor compared to the likes of Pavarotti and Gigli, and one of the most sought-after basses on the international scene, Ante Jerkunica.
Joining them in front of the Cathedral will be the Croatian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra under the baton of the renowned Ivan Repušić, whose conducting skills are evidenced by numerous engagements and plenty of amazing sold-out concerts.
For more information on this timeless summer lineup, click here.
