Maratona Opera XXI
Contemporary opera competition
5th Edition Maratona Ópera XXI New Opera
September 11th 21h
Aula Magna
2 operas world premiere in competition
Carlos de Pontes de Leça Prize 2500€
The 5th edition of the contemporary opera competition, Maratona Ópera XXI, returns to Operafest with two entirely new, medium-length operas, premieres, by two young composers selected in 2025, based on two librettos commissioned for the event from playwright Miguel Castro Caldas, who is writing opera librettos for the first time.
It evokes themes of our present and future reality. “Vida Secreta de Coisa” by Francisco Lima da Silva revolves around issues raised by Artificial Intelligence and digital service platforms, while “Último movimento” evokes the effects of gentrification and the growing dehumanization of cities, stripped of their population.
Both composers also received composition grants, and the best opera will be awarded the Carlos e Pontes Leça Prize.
Meet the two opera of this edition!
Libretto Miguel Castro Caldas
Portuguese with English subtitles
Length: 1h
Eve, an artificial intelligence platform, learns to deal with the amalgamated thoughts we normally call feelings, in a city occupied by slaves who come from outside to serve their vacationing masters. Suddenly, she seems to have the ability to develop something new within herself, like a plant blossoming into a flower. As always, love will overcome all barriers.
Libretto Miguel Castro Caldas
Portuguese with English subtitles
Length: 1h
A local lodging tenant is having an affair with his landlady. Her husband is jealous, and while they argue about who has to leave and who has to stay, they realize they are inside the orchestra playing Joseph Haydn’s Farewell Symphony, the one in which, in the last movement, the musicians leave the stage as they finish their performance in protest. Where are they going?
More about it…
The OPERA XXI MARATHON is the only Portuguese competition for contemporary opera and has been held as part of the OPERAFEST Lisboa Festival since 2020. This competition aims to stimulate the beginning of the careers of new composers, librettists, directors, and performers, promoting new repertoires and the development of tools for operatic composition and production.
It seeks to foster the opera of the future and bring it closer to the world and audiences of today.
Enhancing opera multiple disciplines
In each edition, the competition focuses on specific aspects of operatic creation, strategically defined to reinforce the multiple facets of the complex process of composing musical-dramatic works, addressing shortcomings in academic training and, on the other hand, counteracting the lack of real opportunities that composers, librettists, and directors have to train and learn to use the essential tools.
Carlos de Pontes Leça Prize
It includes the awarding of the Carlos de Pontes Leça Prize (honoring the celebrated musicologist who played a key role in promoting contemporary Portuguese music and opera) by a jury from various artistic and knowledge fields, fostering a pluralistic vision, to the best works in public presentations, always in a performance format.
Edições passadas…
2020
In its debut in 2020, the competition was dedicated to new operas. Seven short opera were premiered and the winner was “Margarida” by Sara Ross.
2021
In 2021, it focused on the composition of arias. Seven scene and aria were premiered and the winner João Ricardo);
2022
The 2022 edition, in co-production with ensemble MPMP, focused on the dissemination and revisiting of contemporary repertoire and the emergence of new opera directors (from dance and theatre, winner Rodrigo Aleixo)
2023
In 2023, in co-production with ensemble MPMP, the focus was on emerging singers (winner Beatriz Maia), once again promoting contemporary repertoire in Portuguese.
2024
It focused on new librettos, holding a workshop for the emergence of new librettists and commissioning two librettos from playwright Miguel Castro Caldas, revolving around gentrification, tourism as a predatory activity and Artificial Intelligence: Secret Life of Thing and Last Movement.