Composer Patrick Cassidy to unveil epic opera 'Dante'

The world premiere of Patrick Cassidy’s opera ‘Dante’ will take place at Theater Hof in Bavaria on 15 June. A distinguished alumnus of UL, Patrick Cassidy is widely recognsed as Ireland’s preeminent living classical composer, celebrated for his contributions to film scoring. Patrick is perhaps best known for his iconic aria 'Vide Cor Meum,' originally featured in Ridley Scott's 'Hannibal,' starring Anthony Hopkins. This aria has become a modern classic and has earned its place among the '40 Most Beautiful Arias of All Time' by Warner Classics.

His opera ‘Dante’ had its genesis in this aria which was taken from the first sonnet in Dante’s ‘La Vita Nuova’. This opera tells the immortal tale of Dante's tragic love for Beatrice. Beatrice was Dante’s muse, whom he first met when he was nine years old. Sadly, she would die at a young age, but Dante would immortalise her in his poetry. The opera starts with the first meeting of Beatrice and Dante and it ends with their reunion in the Earthly Paradise. The entire libretto is drawn from Dante’s great works 'La Vita Nuova' and 'La Divina Commedia,' and tells the story through his own words. The central themes revolve around the loss of Beatrice through her premature death, Dante’s betrayal and his exile from Florence.

This much-anticipated production will debut at Theater Hof in Bavaria, Germany, and it is expected that a large Irish contingent will travel there for this very special evening. In conjunction with the opera's premiere, the Institute for Cultural Travel (ICT) has curated a four-day cultural tour to Germany. For further details regarding the cultural tour, please visit the ICT website.