Princess Muna attends ‘La Traviata’ opera in Roman Theatre

AMMAN — HRH Princess Muna on Wednesday attended the first performance of the Amman Opera Festival  at the Roman Theatre in Downtown Amman, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

“La Traviata”, an opera in three acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, revolves around a love story adapted for the stage from the French novel “The Lady of Camellias” by Alexandre Dumas.

Jordanian soprano Zeina Barhoum played the role of Violetta, the opera’s lead, alongside Andres Veramendi as Alfredo, Simon Svitok as Germont and Jordanian Tenor Ady Naber as Gastone, Petra added.

“Zeina Barhoum has helped to put Jordan on the map with all her hard work that she does, both here and around the world… I consider her a great ambassador of music for Jordan,” Princess Muna was quoted in a statement from the organisers as saying.

Held under the patronage of Princess Muna, the performance included over 150 musicians and dancers from more than 10 countries. 

The main singers were accompanied by the Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring musicians from La Scala and local musicians, as well as the Batumi Opera House Choir, led by conductor Lorenzo Tazzieri and directed by Luigi Orfeo. 

“This is an exceptional event, unprecedented,” Minister of Tourism Lina Annab noted in a previous interview with The Jordan Times, adding that “it will definitely help promote Jordan as a venue for more cultural events, not only in the field of opera.”

A second performance is scheduled to take place on July 22. 

Amman Opera Festival is supported by Greater Amman Municipality, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and the Jordan Tourism Board, the embassies of the People’s Republic of China, Italy and Georgia and Royal Jordanian Airlines, according to organisers.