AFTER 40 years, the work of a Slovak composer is being presented on the world opera stage for the second time. The Köln theatre in Germany was on May 25 to premiere the opera The Players by Juraj Beneš, who drew inspiration from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
The theatre will perform the opera again on May 31, followed by four reprises before the end of the season. The Köln musicians are led by conductor Johannes Stert. Christian Schuller directed the work.
The first Slovak opera to be performed on the world stage was Mister Scrooge by Ján Cikker in 1963, which played in Germany's Kassel.
Beneš wrote many operas and orchestral works, winning several local awards. He learned the art of composition from Cikker.
By Zuzana Habšudová
