An opera with music and speech

Every year we look to Paphos for the Paphos Aphrodite Festival in September and this year the festival has double the importance as it is part of the European Capital of Culture Pafos2017 events. So, get booking your tickets from now.

This year the 19th Paphos Aphrodite Festival will host performances of Mozart’s popular and romantic opera Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) on September 1,2 and 3 at the square of the Paphos Medieval castle. The performances will also see the participation of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra.

The Abduction from the Seraglio is in the genre of singspiel, a comic opera in German combining music with spoken dialogue. It is in three acts with a libretto, based on the theatrical comedy Belmont and Constanze, by Christoph Friedrich Bretzner and adaptations by Gottlieb Stephanie.

The plot takes place in the 16th century at the house of the Turkish Pasha Selim where Konstanze, the fiance of the Spanish nobleman Belmonte, is held captive along with her servants Blonde and Pedrillo. They were captured by pirates and sold into slavery to the Pasha in Turkey. The Pasha falls passionately in love with the beautiful Konstanze.

Belmonte, who has managed to escape captivity, arrives at the palace to rescue his fiance and the others and introduces himself to the Pasha as an Italian architect.

The Abduction from the Seraglio
Performance of the opera by Mozart. September 1-3. Paphos Medieval Castle. 8pm. €70/50/40/25. In German with Greek and English subtitles. Tel: 26-822218

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