Where to see opera in Tokyo - The New National Theatre Tokyo - DVJ - Italian Dolce Vita in Japan 〜日本におけるイタリアン・ドルチェ・ヴィータ

Image credit: NNTT

Craving some Figaro or Papageno? Opera is not an everyday meal. More than a “pasta al pomodoro” is the “lasagna della domenica” (Sunday lunches are typically big in Italy): it’s a special occasion. And I personally miss sitting in a beautiful theatre hall, watching scenographies and costumes, listening to artists singing, acting, playing, and I miss laughing (quietly) at the misadventures of funny protagonists.

The place to go in these cases is the New National Theatre Tokyo in Hon-machi, Shibuya-ku ( https://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/ )

Image credit: IG @scrivo.con.la.luce

Introduction – top class acoustic

The New National Theatre Tokyo (NNTT) is Japan’s first and foremost national theatre for the performing arts of opera, ballet, dance and drama.

NNTT is the first Opera House in Japan designed specifically to stage opera and ballet and since it was opened in 1997 it has hosted more than 750 productions.

Three performance halls regularly host classical music performances along with opera, ballet and stage plays. The largest and most spectacular hall is the Opera House with over 1,800 seats.

According to the research in 2000 based on the questionnaires from 21 opera conductors, the acoustic system of New National Theatre Tokyo takes second place in the ranking of theatres in the world. Moreover, The Guardian named the adjacent Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall as one of the 10 best concert halls in the world.

To attend a play prices normally range from 1,650¥ to 29,700¥ depending on the time of purchase, the kind of production and the position of the seat. Check for discout, there are several eligible categories such as students, less than 15 and over 65 years old.

Image credit: NNTT

Schedule

Check their website for the latest schedule. Right now the forecasted plays for February-July 2023 are:

Falstaff: comedy by Verdi based on Shakespeare plays at the time of Henry IV
Così fan tutte (NNT Opera Studio): love comedy set in Naples, written by Mozart, libretto by Da Ponte
Les Contes d’Hoffmann: love story and only one opera play by the French Jacques Offenbach’s
Aida: probably Verdi’s most famous play. Set in ancient Egypt, is of the devoted love between a military commander and Aida, the queen of Egypt’s enemies.
Rigoletto: heart-breaking story by Verdi around Mr. Rigoletto, a jester at the court of the playboy Duke of Mantua
Salome: episode from the New Testament by the German Richard Strauss
La Bohème: Puccini’s 19th century Paris tale of pure love between the poet Rodolfo and the seamstress Mimì

Image credit: NNTT

Streaming

A new streaming service even allows users to watch (at present) completely free of charge recordings of their Opera, Ballet, Dance and Drama performances. No need for registration, the view is just one click away. This is the official website: https://www.nntt.jac.go.jp/english/stream/

NOW playing: Orfeo ed Euridice

Viewing Period: 8 Oct. 2022 2:00 – 7 Apr. 2023 19:00 JST

Image credit: NNTT

Curiosities

Franco Zeffirelli worked on a new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s much-loved opera “Aida”, his first in 35 years, to be performed in January 1998. This “Aida” has been revived every five years to celebrate the theatre’s anniversary year.　
On the occasion of the opening of “Opera Street” , commemorative plaques and explanations handwritten by directors Franco Zeffirelli and Wolfgang Wagner were installed on the north and south end of the streetlights to commemorate the opening of the New National Theatre.
Since December 2015, Opera and Ballet melodies signal the train approach to Hatsudai Station on the Keio New Line. The melodies on Platform 1 and 2 are “The Garland Waltz” from the ballet “SLEEPING BEAUTY” by TCHAIKOVSKY, and the “Triumphal March” from VERDI’s opera “AIDA”.