Kanye West has announced that he is staging his first ever opera. Taking to Twitter to share a photograph of the golden invitation artwork, the US rapper (and husband of Kim Kardashian) revealed that his Nebuchadnezzar will open next week in Los Angeles.
Little is known about the work, save for the engraving etched at the bottom of the artwork: ‘Music with Sunday Service, Peter Collins & Infinities Song’. It is believed, however, that gospel and hip hop will be at its core, just as they were in West’s recently released album, Jesus Is King.
The opera, named after the longest-reigning king of ancient Babylon, is not the first time that West has engaged with the genre: in May 2016, he and Kardashian attended a performance of Verdi’s La traviata at the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome. They also went to Philip Glass’s Einstein on the Beach in 2013.
Directed by Italian performance artist Vanessa Beecroft, Nebuchadnezzar will be premiered at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, on 24 November.
