Page 374 - Opera News Today

Applause i really love la gioconda, despite its tragic plot. and judging by the applause, so too did the audience. but i wonder if they really appreciate all the work that goes into staging such an opera. i was thinking about

All opera houses are having to deal with the challenges of sustainability, as well as ensuring that audiences can enjoy the big spectacle they expect from a live performance. now, we must change every action and we can choose action that creates value with the sustainability and the theatre can tell, can — can communicate the importance of sustainability to our society. so, staging a traditional opera in the 21st century is complex, but opera is musical theatre. so, above all, the role of the ...

Who created all this. and with the glitter and the dresses and with the singing and the coordination, it seems to be so, such a huge work. im kind of a little bit of a technical person coming from a lot of technical backgrounds. so that definitely plays into enjoying the opera as well as the singers. yes, lots of talent. im sitting there thinking, - how are they even doing this? i dont know how they created these amazing sets. - so for sure, i think thats as much a part of it as the singing. - i...

And the artistic and technical teams working behind the scenes to deliver amazing sets, costumes, make—up and wigs, well, the listjust goes on and on. la gioconda was written in the 1870s by italian composer ponchielli. it means "the happy woman." but in fact, its a tragic story of a young heroine in 17th century it means "the happy woman." but in fact, its a tragic story of a young heroine in 17th century venice who sacrifices her life to save her true love, the sea captain, enzo. dominique m...

It gave me a chance to hang out with istanbulites. its coming to life in quite creepy fashion. ifeel like i have made an actual person now. look at that face! but what are the judges think? she says its perfect. thank you. we all have work but with these activities we can have fun. make some new friends. actually after covid—19, its a big relief for all people in istanbul. art certainly has a way of bringing people together. a short hop on the old tram takes you to pera, which this hotel was n...

Sonya believes that having children has had a big impact on her stage performances. i remember, for instance, doing madea, who is so angry at her husband that she kills basically her kids. and for me, not being a mother and performing this role, it was going to be harder to understand her. you know, im an actress on stage. clearly being a great singer is not enough. you have to inhabit a character on stage. its opening night for la gioconda and itsjust under an hour before curtain is up. so im g...

As well as the sets in an opera production, audiences love the costumes and these need to be made and fitted with incredible care. at the academy, i ask one of the students how long it takes to make a dress for a soprano. for my opinion, at least one month. one month? because its basically all made by hand. it requires a lot of people, a lot of time, and we have to be super patient. its extraordinary what difference a costume, makeup and headdress can make to a performer. this one is actually mo...

Instincts in music. when sonya is in a full opera production, she shares the stage with a cast from across continents, and the cosmopolitan nature of her work extends to her personal life, too. well, first of all, the nationalities, bulgarian and venezuelan, is totally, you know, 12,000 miles away with some oriental flavored bulgarian has this slavic root. myself, im a son of a syrian—armenian mother with turkish grandmother. its quite complicated. it adds different flavors to our big mixed sa...

This is not very easy. so if on top of that, if the singer is a great star, it helps, of course. but we need the complete package. of course, the casting is vital, but getting the set and staging right for la gioconda is an immense challenge. there are 175 performers on stage, including ballet dancers. the plot involves scenes in sumptuous palaces, a colourful carnival and a ship in flames, all of which provide plenty of scope for ambitious and cutting edge design and technology. ive come to la ...

The headlines: englands lionesses will attempt to make history this afternoon when they take on germany in the final of the european championship. the office of the prince of wales has insisted that all rules were followed when the princes charitable fund took a donation of £1 millon from the bin laden family of saudi arabia. just days before ballot papers arrive with tory members, rishi sunak and liz truss set out new promises on health and education. the chair of the public inquiry investigat...