Maratona Opera XXI
Contemporary opera competition
5th Edition Maratona Ópera XXI - New Opera
September 11th 20h
Teatro Camões
2 opera world premieres in competition
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 2024, 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. Secret Life of Thing by Francisco Lima da Silva revolves around issues raised by Artificial Intelligence and digital service platforms, while Last Movement 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 Maratona Opera XXI – New Opera 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 MARATONA ÓPERA XXI 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.
Maratona Opera XXI Prize
The awarding of the Maratona Ópera XXI Prize by a jury from various artistic and knowledge fields, fostering a pluralistic vision, to the best works in public performances.
Past Editions…
2020
Its first edition, in 2020, was dedicated to small-format operas, with the world premiere of seven new short operas, with grants awarded to the composers: Diogo Costa Ferreira, Fábio Cachão, João Ricardo, Miguel Jesus, Sara Ross and Tiago Videira.
Winner: composer Sara Ross, opera Margarida
2021
The second edition focused on the composition of arias or scenes with arias. Seven original arias/scenes were presented.
Winner: composer João Ricardo
2022
The third edition, co-produced with the MPMP ensemble, focused on the dissemination and revisiting of contemporary Portuguese repertoire in Portuguese language, with excerpts from the operas Cânticos para a remissão da Fome by António Chagas Rosa and Ninguém e tudo o mundo by Daniel Moreira, aiming to foster the emergence of new opera directors from dance and theatre backgrounds.
Winner: director Rodrigo Aleixo
2023
In 2023, in its 4th edition, the focus, in co-production with the MPMP ensemble, was on emerging singers, once again showcasing contemporary repertoire in Portuguese, with excerpts from operas by Alexandre Delgado, António Chagas Rosa, Dimitris Andrikopoulos, and Nuno Côrte-Real.
Winner: soprano Beatriz Maia
2024-2026
Its 5th edition invested in new librettos, commissioning two librettos from playwright Miguel Castro Caldas, focusing on gentrification, new forms of labor exploitation, tourism as a predatory activity, and Artificial Intelligence: Secret Life of Thing and Last Movement. In November 2024, two composers were selected to compose two medium-length operas based on these librettos and were awarded composition grants. The two operas in competition will have their world premiere at the closing of Operafest Lisboa e Oeiras 2026. The best opera will be awarded the Maratona Ópera XXI Prize – New Operas.