This autumn we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Jonathan Dove and April de Angelis’ opera FLIGHT, commissioned by Glyndebourne, and one of the most successful contemporary operas by a living composer. The World Premiere on 24 September 1998 by Glyndebourne Touring Opera brought to the world a comic opera which immediately found universal popularity and continued relevance, inspired by the true-life story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, the Iranian refugee who lived in the terminal of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris for 18 years. The 1998 production for Glyndebourne Touring Opera by Richard Jones and conducted by David Parry had a rapturous reception and was revived for the Glyndebourne Festival in 1999 and 2005.
A bold commission brilliantly realised - The Times
Dove’s music flies, the opera is fun, and people are going to love it - The Evening Standard
To date there have been 37 productions worldwide with 168 performances. And this anniversary season there are three new productions.
The Irish premiere by Opera Collective Ireland opened on September 5 in Dun Laoghaire. Working with the Irish Chamber Orchestra this production was directed by Stephen Medcalf and conducted by Wyn Davies in the new chamber version recently arranged by Jonathan Dove (19 – 30 players).
On September 23 Oldenburg Staatstheater present a new production directed by Kobie van Rensburg, conducted by Vito Cristofaro. Oldenburgisches Staatstheater: Flight.
And on January 21 2024 Theater Bonn’s production directed by Adriana Altaras, conducted by Daniel Johannes Mayr opens. Flight - Theater Bonn.
