Jasmin Solfaghari discusses Humperdinck’s “Dornröschen” aka “Sleeping Beauty”

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ARCHIVAL RECORDING OF THIS EVENT: https://youtu.be/Emx8jOq93rY

In 1902, Dornröschen was Humperdinck’s 3rd opera. Following his very successful Hänsel und Gretel, Dornröschen (Sleeping Beauty) is another opera based on a popular fairy tale. While it never gained the renown of Hänsel, Humperdinck created a charming and graceful score for this work which is more similar to an operetta with its spoken dialog.

Author, director and master teacher Jasmin Solfaghari was recently engaged to direct this rarely performed work in Neustrelitz Germany. In her talk, Solfaghari provides insight into this rarely performed opera and its unique orchestral writing. Solfaghari will illustrate her talk with numerous photos from the Neustrelitz production.

Solfaghari was born in Freiburg, Germany in 1963, the daughter of German-Persian parents. After having spent the first six years of her childhood in Teheran, Iran, she got her early education in Freiburg. In 1989, she graduated in stage directing at Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg in the class of Götz Friedrich (diploma). Solfaghari continued to work as assistant to Friedrich and directed the final revival of Friedrich’s famed Berlin Ring. In 2018, Solfaghari stepped in as director for The Ring of the Nibelung for the Odense Symfonieorkester and a cast e.g. Catherine Foster, Torsten Kerl, Lioba Braun, Gerhard Siegel, Jennifer Wilson, James Johnson.

She has written Opernführer für Einsteiger (German-Alemannic; German-Saxonian (both 2017); German-Franconian (2019), “Opera Guide for Beginners” (Translated by Dr. Ursula and Alan Cemore), and Crashkurs Oper (both 2020). The English translation of this book was supported by a William O. Cord Grant from the Wagner Society of Northern Calfornia.