Some free events for opera lovers who are able to get away from whatever they are doing in the middle of the day on Thursdays for a few weeks. The Dublin City Council’s Opera in the Open is back and it’s offering 5 different classical operas at the Civic Office’s Amphitheatre at Wood Quay!

The season starts today and will run for 5 weeks in total. Showtime of 1pm makes it a bit awkward for anyone who’s stuck at work, but otherwise for those around in the city centre, this could be a nice place for extended lunch break if you could afford such flexibility.

• Thursday 07.08.2008 – Così Fan Tutte (Mozart)
• Thursday 14.08.2008 – Alcina (Handel)
• Thursday 21.08.2008 – La Bohème (Puccini)
• Thursday 28.08.2008 – The Barber of Seville (Rossini)
• Thursday 04.09.2008 – Don Pasquale (Donizetti)

Now, just one thing to bear in mind. These are not going to be one of those highly elaborated opera sets so don’t expect one like those in Arena di Verona, or something like that. The enjoyment lies in appreciating operatic music with a limited number of cast members. This perhaps require just that little bit more from the cast than usual, in order to continue captivating the audience.

Hopefully the weather will hold up (I know, the last few days have been rubbish weatherwise) and with a little blue sky over the head, this should be fun. I wonder if I could sneak out from work for a bit today…