Cities of Salt

At Royal Opera House, Prize-winning Syrian composer Zaid Jabri presents a world premiere concert performance of four scenes from his new opera Cities of Salt. Writers Yvette Christiansë and Rosalind Morris provide the libretto, adapted from Peter Theroux’s translation of the seminal novel of the same title by Abdelrahman Munif. The opera is written for full orchestra with seven soloists and chorus; this concert will feature scenes from each of the opera’s three acts.

Jabri’s music for Cities of Salt skilfully draws on Arab and European musical traditions, infusing the Western symphonic tradition with a sense of the Middle East through the use of microtones and vernacular traditions. His intelligent score brings this modern and timely tale to life in all its poignancy and violence. Performed by Southbank Sinfonia, conducted by Michal Klauza.