The City Council of Seville, through the Department of Tourism and Culture, announces that the Real Fábrica de Artillería de Sevilla will host an exceptional cultural event on April 25th; the recital interpretation of La Estrella de Sevilla, a romantic opera unknown by the Irish composer Michael William Balfe, never before performed in modern times.
In this regard, the delegate of Tourism and Culture, Angie Moreno, emphasized that “this historical recovery is part of the program of Seville City of Opera, the project promoted by the City Council of Seville, through the Culture Department, to establish the city as an international reference in lyricism”.
“Seville has not only been a muse for great composers, but today it is also a place of reinterpretation, discovery, and artistic production. With La Estrella de Sevilla, we recover a lost title that speaks directly to our history, our city, and its capacity to inspire,” said Angie Moreno.
The event will start at 6:30 pm with an introductory conference open to the public until full capacity, in which the historian and music critic Andrés Moreno Mengíbar, the musicologist Julián Jesús Fernández, the main specialist in this work and author of a monographic study on it, and the members of the artistic cast will participate. The activity will provide historical, aesthetic, and musical keys that will allow the public to delve into the context and uniqueness of this opera forgotten for over a century and a half.
The concert format interpretation will begin at 8:30 pm and will offer a selection of significant scenes from the one-hour long work, allowing the audience to appreciate the melodic richness and dramatic treatment of Balfe, a composer well known in his time for titles like The Bohemian Girl, but whose French production remains largely unexplored. The cast will be composed of Javier Povedano (baritone), Pepe Hannan (tenor), Silvia Arce and Paula Ramírez (sopranos), accompanied on the piano by Manuel Navarro Bracho.
“These kinds of proposals reflect the true spirit of Seville City of Opera, combining artistic excellence with a deep heritage perspective and the desire to offer new cultural experiences to the public,” highlighted Moreno. “The talent of this cast, together with the uniqueness of the work and the symbolic value of the space, make this event one of the most special of the season.”
The original libretto of the opera, written by Hyppolite Lucas, is based on the Golden Age drama La Estrella de Sevilla, attributed with certainty to the playwright Andrés de Claramonte. Set in 13th-century Seville, the plot unfolds in iconic settings such as the Real Alcázar and includes historical characters like Sancho IV “El Bravo”, highlighting the deep connection between the story and the city’s identity. “It is not just an interpretation, it is a gesture of memory and future,” emphasized Moreno. “With projects like this, Seville reaffirms itself as a city that not only inspires operas but also nurtures them, investigates them, and shares them with the world from a contemporary perspective.”
This initiative, framed within Seville City of Opera, exemplifies the comprehensive approach of the project, recovering lyrical heritage, activating historical spaces, and generating knowledge around music and the stage. Under the artistic direction of Francisco Soriano, the program includes operas, recitals, themed routes, and educational activities that will culminate in September with the celebration of the first Seville City of Opera Festival.
TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased through the website: and at the physical box office of Teatro Lope de Vega, from Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to 8 pm.
General admission tickets are priced at 16 euros. Discounted tickets for groups are priced at 12.8 euros.
