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The cast

401DutchOperas has assembled a outstanding cast for Vestas Feuer.

Barbara Schilstra, the lyric-dramatic soprano of the company, sings the noble Roman beauty Volivia, musically a preliminary study for Beethoven’s Leonore. Fire, passion and power come together in Schilstra’s rendition.

Sericia’s captivating aria ‘Ich flieh zum heil’gen Hain’ holds no secrets for the renowned soprano Renate Arends, who, like Schilstra, has earned her laurels as a champion of Dutch opera. Haunted by evil men like Malo and Porus, Sericia must save herself by fleeing to Vesta’s temple. Arends shares with us her journey between love, despair and fear.

Fortunately for beautiful young noble women of Rome, there is always a gallant prince in opera coming to their rescue in the form of a sweet-voiced, heroic tenor. In this case Marcel Reijans. Not only is he madly in love with Volivia but in the process he is also the saviour of all possible young ladies in need. In preparation for Sartagones, Reijans recently sang countless Florestans in Fidelio, a part that sprang directly from Sartagones.

Then the assailants, Porus and his base slave Malo. Porus only cares about money, status and power. He wants to marry off his daughter Volivia against her will. Influence, that’s what all the bad guys in this bloodthirsty opera strive for. The opinion of the women in Vestas Feuer is rarely asked. Our villainous villain is the thundering bass Nanco de Vries. Tried and tested in the practice of murder & villainous evil, De Vries has never refused a role because it was not woke!

Finally, there’s the evil evil genius who brings about all disaster, Malo. Being a direct predecessor of Loge and Mime, Malo is also a tenor role. And what a role! The word ‘villainous’ is an understatement in this case. Up-and-coming Flemish tenor talent Timothy Veryser could not suppress a demonic smile when reading the text of Malo’s great revenge aria: ‘Vernichten will ich sie, dem Vater wie das Kind!’ Poor Malo, slave and yet in love with Volivia, a dazzling beauty of Roman nobility… To achieve his impossible goal there are only two options: kill every rival including the Emperor in his path, or perish. Experience the adventure and the outcome of all this madness from the feathered pen of Emanuel Schikaneder in the worldpremiere of 401NederlandseOperas/Cees Nieuwenhuizen reconstruction of Beethoven’s breath-taking opera torso Vestas Feuer.