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NEW: The synopsis to ¨Zarah¨, scene by scene
(Photo: Mats Bäcker)The phenomenal Ulrika Tenstam as Zarah Leander.
¨Zarah¨ was performed 52 times until the new years eve, which was the last of the three last days sold-out performances. ¨Zarah¨ was seen by 25.235 people (82% sold tickets in average). Numbers which corresponds to those for ¨Carmen¨, ¨Aida¨ (according comparable statistics) and even to some wellknown musicals which were performed the same season.
Below you will find all that was previously on the front page:
23/11: ¨Zarah¨ - one of the most visited (20.000!) theatre performances all categories in Stockholm during the season (from the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet 20/11) - a new opera just after some of the most wellknown musicals:
Oct.17: Announcement in swedish newspapers about the release of tickets for the prolonged performances of ¨Zarah¨:
¨ZARAH - admired and despised¨ - the poster of Folkoperan.
Sept.27: Prolonged performances of ¨Zarah¨ until Nov. 25th.
Some quotes from pressrewiews about the premiére of ¨Zarah¨:
¨This is a great art of opera¨ (Martin Nyström, Dagens Nyheter 25/9)
¨It is like an expressionistic fist punched in solar plexus¨ (Per Feltzin, Cultural news in Swedish Radio channel 1, 24/9)
¨It's quick, it's tight, with music to be absorbed by¨ (Hanna Höglund, Expressen 24/9)
¨Sometimes the suggestion felt strongly gruesome¨ (Jan Kask, Upsala Nya Tidning, 25/9)
¨When the choir sings 'Shema Yisroel' , in the elegy in the second act, it is as beautiful that it makes you shiver¨(Michael Bruze, Norrköpings Tidningar, 25/9)
Since Zarah Leander still is a legend in Germany the premiére was covered by the German Television (ARD) for their newsbroadcast the same evening.
(click on picture to play)
A great number of german newspapers also reported about the premiére.
The premiére of ¨Zarah¨ recieved positive appreciation from the audience:
(Foto: Malwina Nilsson)
Before the last week of rehearsals of ¨Zarah¨(première on Sunday 23rd Sept.):
Pictures from the orchestral rehearsals together with the choir and soloists at the Swedish Radio studio 2
Listen to a sample from a rehearsal from ¨Zarah¨ and see interwiews (in swedish)