Mendi-Mendiyan

As he did with Obabakoak and Bernardo Atxaga last season, Calixto Bieito is facing again the challenge of staging a gem by a popular Basque artist. This time, it will be Mendi-Mendiyan’s turn – an operatic gem and José María Usandizaga’s masterpiece. It will be one of the season’s grand productions at the Arriaga Theatre.

Mendi-Mendiyan is Usandizaga’s first opera, commissioned by the Bilbao Choral Society in 1909 and premiered on 21 May 1910 at the Campos Elíseos Theatre to great success. The first recorded staging at the Arriaga Theatre dates from late May 1911, while the latest one took place in 1987. (In 2001, there was a concert version.) Staged by Calixto Bieito, the opera will bring the 2018/2019 season at the Arriaga to a close.

Première

Arriaga Theater’s new production

Show in collaboration with

A closer look at Mendi-Mendiyan

Accompanying the staging of this opera on 20 and 22 June, 30 minutes before the show (that is, at 7pm) there will be a talk on Mendi-Mendiyan and its composer, José María Usandizaga. The 20-minute talk, to be held at the foyer of the Arriaga Theatre, will be delivered by Xabier Monasterio of Zenbat Gara elkartea. It will give opera-goers a bird’s eye view of the show they will enjoy later in the evening. For two years now, the Arriaga Theatre and the Basque Language Area of the City of Bilbao have been offering talks preceding shows in Basque produced by the Theatre itself.