The Opera Company of North Carolina

Subject: Future operas

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Future operas

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[quote]Posted By n/a on 05/24/2008 1:43 PM

The idea of doing some more Strauss or perhaps at least a Flying Dutchman is wonderful.  I might also recommend doing Weber's Der Freischutz (especially if it is scheduled around Halloween! Perfectly appropriate!), and Ariadne auf Naxos is gorgeous.  If you get a stage director who will really bring out the in jokes about theater and performers that are in both the prologue and the actual opera while allowing the apotheosis that is part of that opera to shine through, you'd have a stunning production.  And supertitles would make it understandable to the audience. 
  
 Faust is a good opera, and although the story comes from Germany, the opera is typically French.  And I would heartily recommend Samson et Dalila by Saint-Saens.  Although there is chorus in it, that chorus doesn't need to be huge, and the scene between Samson and Delila in which she gets his secret out of him is to die for. 
  
 Fledermaus is a great idea, especially if you could do it around the New Year as a gala.  And you could do Jenufa, which is a gorgeous opera, perhaps even in a good English translation, although I would probably prefer the original Czech with supertitles.  It doesn't demand a great deal of chorus and has wonderful scenes and good parts. 
  
 Finally, you might consider doing some more really great classic operettas and even some of the classic musicals, especially those that tend toward opera anyway.  West Side Story, Candide, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, all have a lot to give if done well, and they can also help draw in audiences.  Opera is music theater, and it is good to remember that there are plenty of operas that have dialogue in them.  For instance, Carmen was originally a dialogue opera.  Fidelio (and this is another opera you guys should really consider) has dialogue in it.  So does Magic Flute, another great opera.  Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio also has dialogue, as does Freischutz mentioned above. 
  
 There is a wealth of repertoire to choose from that wouldn't necessarily chase the audience away if it is done well, and while I love Italian opera, not all opera is Italian, by any means.  The Rape of Lucretia or Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten would be great choices for a season.  It all comes down to how it is introduced to your public, and along those lines, a Taste of Opera is an excellent idea and much to be continued. 
  
 A long rant, perhaps, but sincerely meant.[/quote]

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