26. 08. 2025

The International Co-production of Ravels' L'heure espagnol staged by Gábor Tompa at the Enescu Festival

Maurice Ravel's one-act comic opera, L'Heure espagnole, directed by Gábor Tompa, will be presented at the 27th George Enescu International Festival. The production will be performed by the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana of Spain, conducted by James Gaffigan, at the Romanian National Opera on Friday 29 August at 7.30pm.

One of the most prestigious classical music festivals in the world, the George Enescu International Festival's theme this year is Celebrations. The festival will pay tribute to several important anniversaries: it is 70 years since the death of George Enescu, 150 years since the birth of Maurice Ravel, 100 years since the birth of Pierre Boulez and 50 years since the death of Dmitri Shostakovich.

L'Heure Espagnol is a farcical story set in the house of a watchmaker in Madrid, where the wife of a jealous husband wants to take advantage of his absence to have a secret affair.
The charming muleteer Ramiro, the student poet Gonzalva and the wealthy banker Don Iñigo Gomez all vie for her affections, but the situation soon leads to comic entanglements.
The giant grandfather clocks serve as a hiding place and means of transport for the men who drop in unexpectedly, until the clockmaker finally returns home and the characters are forced to resort to increasingly absurd arrangements. 

The main roles are performed by such outstanding singers as Gaëlle Arquez (Concepción), Iván Ayón Rivas (Gonzalve), Mikeldi Atxalandabaso (Torquemada), Armando Noguera (Ramiro) and Manuel Fuentes (Don Íñigo Gómez).