A ‘Hidden Gem’ in Bologna

Hi, everyone. I am Darren Hargan, Artistic Director of 'Le Foyer des Artistes'.

It is my great pleasure to announce our participation in the upcoming edition of the Festival Respighi Bologna this October in Italy. On the 16th of October, 2026, at the Teatro Laura Betti in Casalecchio, we shall present a world premiere: Maudlin of Paplewick - a chamber opera and the final work of the Irish composer, Ina Boyle.

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For decades, this score remained a hidden treasure; today, we finally bring its melodies out of the archives and into the light of the stage. Starting from the original manuscripts at Trinity College Dublin, the opera is reborn today in my own critical performing edition, which has recently been published by the prestigious house of Faber Music London. This work, based on a libretto by Ben Jonson, narrates the celebrated tale of Robin Hood and the wicked witch, Maudlin. It is a story of enchantments and deceptions set within a magical forest.

The Respighi Festival provides the ideal setting for this debut: Respighi and Boyle were contemporaries - two distinct voices who lived through the same epoch of our history. Thus, co-produced with the Respighi Festival and in collaboration with the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna and the Orchestra Fondazione Luciano Pavarotti, Le Foyer des Artistes will present this significant work alongside an extraordinary cast of young Irish singers.

Finally, with the generous support of Culture Ireland, we present this work within the framework of celebrations for the Irish Presidency of the European Union. It promises to be a moment of genuine musical discovery, and an occasion to celebrate this historic artistic bond between Ireland and Italy.We look forward to seeing you in Bologna, and we await you at the theatre. See you very soon