Rome's opera season opens with The Bassarids by Hans Werner Henze.

27 Nov-10 Dec. The opera season in Rome opens with the first Rome performance of Henze's operaThe Bassarids. It was composed to an English libretto by W.H Auden and Chester Hallman adapted from the ancient Greek tragedyThe Bacchae by Euripides. First performed in a German translation in Salzburg in 1966 it then had its debut in English in the US and the UK in 1968, the same year it was also first performed at La Scala. Here it is conducted by Stefan Soltesz and directed by Mario Martone with a new production. This season's programme includes 10 operas, some poplar classical ballets and a concert season, under the heading Specchi del Tempo. One of the new events this season is the work of the composer in residence, Wolfgang Rihm who will also be involved in the Festival Internationale di Teatro Musicale Contemporanea, to promote modern musical works for the theatre. Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Piazza Beniamino Gigli 7, www.operaroma.it.