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

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in 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 estimated populati ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. It presents an international

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

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 ( th, กัลยาณิวัฒนา; ; 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 w ...

. 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 Uni ...

. 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 composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncertain. It was com ...

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

The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that in ...

'', and ''

Turandot ''Turandot'' (; see below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, posthumously completed by Franco Alfano in 1926, and set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. ''Turandot'' best-known aria is " Nessun dorma", ...

''. 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 ''Nibelun ...

''. 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'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

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

Thailand Cultural Centre The Thailand Cultural Centre ( Thai; ศูนย์วัฒนธรรมแห่งประเทศไทย) is a performing arts venue in Huai Khwang district, Bangkok, Thailand. History Built with a grant from Japan, the Thailand Cultur ...

, 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. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

, 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 Queen Sirikit ( th, สิริกิติ์; ; ); born ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sirikit Kitiyakara ( th, สิริกิติ์ กิติยากร; ; 12 August 1932) is the queen mother of Thailand. She was Queen of Thailand as the wif ...

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

Trisdee na Patalung Trisdee na Patalung ( th, ทฤษฎี ณ พัทลุง; ; born 9 March 1986) is a Thai composer and conductor. He is the Music Director of the Bangkok Baroque Ensemble and the Resident Conductor of the Orpheus Choir of Bangkok. Na Pata ...

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