Opera Siam, formerly Bangkok Opera, is an opera company in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. It presents an international

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

repertoire, together with home-grown favorites.
Fodor's Bangkok 25 Best
', p. 90 (2015). The company was founded in 2001, as a production company to mount ''Madana'', the first full-length grand opera by Thai composer S. P. Somtow under the Royal Patronage of H.R.H. Princess

Galyani Vadhana Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Naradhiwas (; ; 6 May 1923 – 2 January 2008) was a princess of Thailand and the elder sister of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) and King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX). She was also a direct granddaughter of King Ch ...

. This production featured in the title role the American soprano

Stacey Tappan Stacey Tappan (born June 13, 1973) is an American coloratura soprano. Tappan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Pasadena, California. Both her parents are instrumental musicians. She studied in the voice program at Chapman Universi ...

. In 2002, with Somtow as artistic director, the Bangkok Opera began a series of productions, the first being Purcell's ''

Dido and Aeneas ''Dido and Aeneas'' (Z. 626) is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque music, Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncer ...

''. The series then moved onto larger-scale works such as ''Mae Naak'', ''

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...

'', and ''

Turandot ''Turandot'' ( ; see #Origin and pronunciation of the name, below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. Puccini left the opera unfinished at the time of his death in 1924; it ...

''. At the end of 2005 the Bangkok Opera declared its first "complete" season and also started a five-year project to perform the complete Wagner's ''

Ring Cycle (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compos ...

''. Its resident orchestra is the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra and its resident chorus is the Orpheus Choir of Bangkok.Turnbull, Robert.
"Thai Impresario Prepares A 'Ring' With a Difference"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (April 18, 2006). The company performs regularly at the

Thailand Cultural Centre The Thailand Cultural Centre () is a performing arts venue in Huai Khwang district, Bangkok, Thailand. It is located about 700 meter from Thailand Cultural Centre MRT Station, a station on the Blue Line (Bangkok), MRT Blue Line. The station is und ...

, and at other venues in Bangkok. Somtow says the Bangkok Opera was set up based on the idea that, "nothing important has ever happened in art when an audience has been ready for it." He says the opera caters to three groups:

expatriates An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

, high society, and other Thais who love opera. He seeks to bring all three groups under one roof. In 2013 Opera Siam International premiered S. P. Somtow's ballet-opera ''Suriyothai'' in honour of the birthday of Queen

Sirikit Sirikit (born ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara; 12 August 1932) is a member of the Thai royal family who was List of Thai royal consorts#Rattanakosin Kingdom, Queen of Thailand from 28 April 1950 to 13 October 2016 as the wife of King Bhum ...

. It starred Stacey Tappan and Winita Lohitkul, and was conducted by Trisdee na Patalung.

References

External links

Official website of the Bangkok OperaSomtow's WorldOrpheus ChoirSiam Philharmonic
{{authority control Musical groups established in 2001 Thai opera companies 2001 establishments in Thailand

See also

References

External links