The opera performance 'Lakme' by Leo Delibes, directed by Andrei Serban and under the musical direction of maestro Tiberiu Soare, will be staged for the first time at the Bucharest National Opera House (ONB) on July 2 and 3.

Director Serban expands the meaning of 'Lakme', placing it in the gallery of great impossible loves, alongside masterpieces such as 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Aida' or 'Madama Butterfly'. From this perspective, the story of colonial India becomes a universal parable of how political boundaries and fanaticism destroy human destinies. The keystone in deciphering this tragedy remains the music, especially the famous 'Flower Duet' and 'The Bell Song ' functioning as a territory of absolute reconciliation.

'I was nine years old, I guess, when I listened with my father to 'Lakme' on a record with the great Russian bass Chaliapin as Nilakantha before and after the October Revolution - I imagine that the subject had not created problems for either the Tsars or the Communists. It seems that the opera was also in the repertoire in Bucharest in the '50s, in a period of harsh Stalinist censorship, with the libretto translated into Romanian, 'to understand the people', although, when the rhythms are fast, the words are not understood in any language. According to the communist ideology, the Indians represented the oppressed proletariat, and the British colonialists - the bourgeois-landowner class as the enemy,' according to Serban.

He said that 'Lakme' has been absent from the stage of the National Opera for more than half a century.'

'It is true that it is rarely performed in the world, first of all because it is not easy to find sopranos and tenors who meet the requirements of an extremely complex vocal score. Today, when the post-communist ideology is back in fashion in all the arts, the splendid music of the opera, the simple, beautiful story, with a tragic ending, conquers the hearts, and not the concepts, of whatever nature they may be. Our show focuses on the love affair between two beings from different cultures in times of war. It is absolutely natural to compare the context of the work with the moment we live in today's world, in which different religious beliefs intertwine with power struggles and in which love is annihilated. Lakme is not only a young woman who discovers life by falling in love, but also a being who believes in the power of hope and forgiveness in a world of violence. Her final sacrifice has a value that goes beyond the individual gesture of the lover who refuses life without her lover. He comes from a foreign civilisation shrouded in mystery, which reminds us of the universality of faith, hope and love,' added Serban.

The cast consists of Lakme - Madalina Barbu, Monica Luca; Gerald - Bogdan Mihai, Alexandru Badea (guest); Nilakantha - Leonard Bernard; Frederic - Alexandru Constantin, Adrian Marcan; Mallika - Mihaela Ispan, Martiniana Antonie (guest); Miss Ellen - Daniela Carstea, Cristina Eremia; Hadji - Liviu Indricau, Andrei Lazar; Mistress Bentson - Sorana Negrea, Sidonia Nica; Miss Rose - Stanca Maria Manoleanu, Anna Stanescu (guest); Lakme's double - Maria Gogonea; Lakme's sisters - Andrada Corlat, Serin Jemaa, Alexandra Sarbei, Alexandra Stroe.

Tickets can be purchased on the http://tickets.operanb.ro/ and at the Ticket Office of the Bucharest National Opera House.

The AGERPRES National News Agency is a media partner of the event. AGERPRES (RO - editing by: Petronius Craiu; EN - writing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)