THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST Comes To Estonian National Opera Next Month

The Estonian National Opera is presenting THE GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST, running from Sept. 21 to Sept. 29.

Puccini's gorgeous melodies and orchestral colours are set against the backdrop of a gold-mining frontier camp, where a poker-playing, pistol-carrying saloon owner Minnie finds herself in a love triangle with a handsome outlaw Dick Johnson alias José Ramirez and the sheriff Jack Rance, who is in hot pursuit of him. Minnie has to fight for her love and for the chance to start a new life with her love by her side.

In the wake of the first literary westerns and as cinema began to exploit the genre, Puccini gave opera its first ever western. "The Girl of the Golden West" influenced many composers of the 20th century, especially Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose "Phantom of the Opera" (1986) features an aria "Music of the Night" that copies Dick Johnson's Act I aria "Quello che tacete".

Puccini's musical vision of the American West is vividly brought to life by one of the greatest operatic names of our time, José Cura - an Argentinean tenor, conductor, director, scenographer known for his intense and original interpretations of opera characters. Seen and Heard International heralds Cura as "A a polymath, a Leonardo da Vinci of our time.

For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.opera.ee/en/lavastus/the-girl-of-the-golden-west/