Shakuntala

The Unfinished Opera by Franz Schubert (approx. 100 mins)

An Austrian Embassy & Jasubhai Foundation Presentation

Shakuntala is an unfinished opera in three acts, written in 1820 by Franz Schubert to a libretto by Johann Philipp Neumann. The opera is based on the Sanskrit story of Shakuntala’s love for King Dushyanta and her rejection. In 1789, Kalidas’s Shakuntala was translated by Sir William Jones, reportedly the first Indian play to be translated into a Western language. The famous love story caught the attention of Schubert. This concert version of the musical masterpiece was arranged and completed by the composer, conductor and president of the Vienna Boys’ Choir, Professor Gerald Wirth. It will be performed by an Austrian chamber orchestra, consisting of musicians of the Collegium Ennsegg Orchestra and the Bruckner Orchester Linz, together with voices from the Shillong Chamber Choir of India, making it a true Indo-Austrian cultural enterprise. The story will be presented by an Indian narrator in English. Schubert’s musical text will also be interpreted by Indian classical dancer Shovna Narayan.

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