First-ever operatic Ramleela in Delhi

There is an interesting cultural specimen on the global opera stage these days. He is the barihunk, a taut-bodied baritone. On Thursday, Delhi will get to see a leading Italian barihunk, Mattia Olivieri, playing Ram in dancer Reela Hota's ambitious opera, Ramleela.

It's a rare collaborative musical that brings opera together with five Indian dances, classical as well as folk-Yakshagana, Purulia chhau, Odissi, Manipuri and Kathak. "People are used to watching Ramleela in Indian languages, but parts of this will be in Italian as well. Audiences are sure to enjoy the lyrical arias and music compositions the artistes have been working on," says Hota, an Odissi dancer. The opera is a part of the 5th International Ancient Arts Festival organized by her.

Besides Mattia, there are two other Italian artists in Ramleela-Raffaele Abette (tenor), playing Lakshman and Federico Benetti (bass), playing both Janak and Hanuman. The opera music has been composed by the renowned master Antonio Cocomazzi. Fabrizio da Ros will be conducting the 28-member orchestra.

"While we'll be presenting pure Italian lyric opera, it'll be a challenge to work in parts with Indian musicians too," says Cocomazzi.

Olivieri has been preparing for his role for the last couple of months, reading up and talking to experts. "Ram comes across as a perfect human being-an epitome of calmness, patience and love," says the 30-year-old who made his debut in 2008 as the Imperial Commissioner in Puccini's Madama Butterfly and Fiorello in Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia. "I am already looking forward to getting into Ram's costume-it's completely new for me," says Olivieri.

Working on Ramayana has been "an interesting challenge" for Marco PuCatena, the director for the operatic parts of Ramleela. He has a copy of the epic in his library but started reading it seriously only after he became involved with Ramleela. "Now I can see that the Ramayana lends itself so beautifully to opera," he says observing artistes play out the scene in which Ram sees Sita (played by Hota) for the first time and is mesmerized by her.

"I want to present the opera bits keeping Indian sensibilities in mind-hence no intimacy between Ram and Sita till they are married," he quips. From the meeting in the garden, Ramleela moves on to Ram's marriage to Sita, the banishment, Sita's abduction, Hanuman of Kishkindha, Ravan's court, the battle scene and finally ends with the coronation and the ensuing celebrations. "What makes the Ramleela particularly interesting for us Europeans is the coming together of gods, humans and animals in one story," says Federico Benetti who plays the role of Sita's father Janak ("I must remember not to pronounce that the Italian way-'j' as 'y').

The 5th International Ancient Arts Festival is being held on December 4 (Antar Yatra) and December 5 (Ramleela) at Siri Fort Auditorium

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=operatic Ramleela,Odissi dancer,Mattia Olivieri,Lakshman Benetti

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