TEHRAN – An opera is scheduled to be performed at the Grand Hall of the Interior Ministry in Tehran next week, which will recount a story from “The Conference of the Birds”, Farid ud-Din Attar’s allegorical masterpiece from the Persian classical literature.

A number of screen stars such as Merila Zarei, Mohammadreza Forutan and Abolfazl Purarab head the cast of the opera “Seven Cities of Love”, which will be directed by Mohammad Abdizadeh, the Persian media have announced.

The Tehran Symphony Orchestra will perform along with the troupe, including about 200 actors and performers. 

Vocalist Salar Aqili and pop singers Ruzbeh Bemani and Ruzbeh Nematollahi will also collaborate with the troupe as Esfandiari Qarebaghi, Abbas Abedinzadeh, Vadud Moazzenzadeh, Shahid Arian and Hadi Qozzat will sing the tenor solos.
     
The troupe is scheduled to give six performances, the first of which will be on December 22.

The opera was first set to be performed for three nights, but co-producers Marzieh Mahdizadeh and Ali Aqinasab have agreed to arrange three more performances due to popular demand.

VIP tickets for the opera are being sold by scalpers online for 10,000,000 rials (about $240), four times the original price.

Photo: A poster for “Seven Cities of Love”.

MMS/YAW