A Fairy-Tale-Like Opera

Twenty years after its previous incarnation, the new operatic staging of “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” perhaps the most popular of the “Arabian Nights” stories, premiered October 22 at the Ankara Opera House. The opera, containing references to contemporary society in addition to the classic Ali Baba story, presents a true feast to art lovers with its fantasy-infused narrative and the traditional music that complements it. A visual, aural spectacle, this truly Turkish opera will meet with audiences again at the Ankara Opera House on November 2 and 21.