Opera San José Presents Mozart's THE ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO

On September 15th, Opera San José's 35th season opens with Mozart's comedy The Abduction from the Seraglio. The opera was commissioned by Emperor Joseph II, and as the myth goes when he first heard it, he complained to Mozart, "That is too fine for my ears - there are too many notes." Mozart replied, "There are just as many notes as there should be."

Mozart's rollicking comedy tells us the story of Konstanze and her feisty maid who have been captured by pirates and sold to the Pasha Selim. The Pasha has added the elegant Konstanze to his harem while Blonde has been passed on as a servant to the gardener. Spanish aristocrat Belmonte arrives to rescue Konstanze, who is his fiancée. His sidekick Pedrillo, already on the Pasha's staff, jumps in. Hijinks ensue and so does Mozart's unfailing sense of humor and humanity as this unexpected mix of high art and slapstick comedy unfolds in an 18th-century Turkish fantasy that was conceived to entertain.

This is a new production and an Opera San José company premiere funded in part by a City of San José Cultural Affairs grant and a grant from the Packard Humanities Institute.

The Abduction from the Seraglio will be sung in German with English supertitles. Runtime is approximately three hours. Opera San José presents six performances of this opera, opening in San José's California Theatre on September 15, 2018, closing September 30, 2018. The California Theatre is at 345 S. First Street in downtown San José.

Tickets: Tickets are available by phone, online, and at the Opera San José Box Office at 2149 Paragon Drive in San José. Prices range from $10 for students, ages 25 and younger with a current student ID, and $56 to $176 for adults. Box office phone: 408-437-4450 or go to operasj.org.