FILM NEWS

Opera from The Met live at Ster-Kinekor

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:54

The fifth season of The New York Metropolitan Opera, or The Met as it is commonly referred to, will release exclusively at Cinema Nouveau and select Ster-Kinekor theatres on 4 November.

According to a statement, the highly anticipated season consists of 11 world-class operas and includes some of the most renowned singers and composers of our time, filmed in HD.

“The Metropolitan Opera in New York City, the world's largest and most prestigious opera house is making its talent heard in South Africa, thanks to the massive strides in digital technology. This is evident from the attendance figures which have grown over several seasons. Besides the Cinema Nouveau brand, we will now be taking these ‘live’ opera events to select Ster-Kinekor Theatres nationwide to allow a wider audience to experience the operatic singing and splendour that is associated with such productions. We constantly aim at enriching the audience’s experience through our state of the art cinemas,” says Dr Raksha Singh, Ster-Kinekor select and commercial manager.

The Metropolitan Opera is home to many of the most creative and talented artists, including singers, conductors, composers, orchestra musicians, stage directors, designers, visual artists, choreographers and dancers from around the world, and is known as ‘the venue’ for the world’s greatest voices.

Opening this season is Anna Bolena, composed by Gaetano Donizetti, with Librettist Felice Romani. This Opera is set in England in the year 1536 and tells the tragic story of love, friendship and betrayal. Queen Anne’s star is sinking since King Henry VIII has fallen in love with another woman. When Anne learns that her bedchamber, Jane, is in fact the king’s new lover, she is devastated, leaving Jane guilt ridden. But the King, not willing to admit his true heart, insists that Anne is in fact being unfaithful herself, ultimately leading to the crumbling of their marriage and a web of lies and deceit taking over their lives. Anna Bolena opens on 4 November 2011.

The other Opera productions to look forward to this season are:

Don Giovanni composed by Mozart                                                        18 November 2011

Siegfried composed by Wagner                                                               25 November 2011

Satyagraha composed by Glass                                                                9 December 2011

Rodelinda composed by Handel                                                              23 December 2011

Faust composed by Gounod                                                                     6 January 2012

The Enchanted Island composed by various                                      10 February 2012

Götterdämmerung composed by Wagner                                         2 March 2012

Ernani composed by Verdi                                                                       16 March 2012

Manon composed by Massenet                                                            27 April 2012

La Traviata composed by Verdi                                                               4 May 2012

These will be released at the following sites:

Cinema Nouveau - Gateway

Cinema Nouveau - Cavendish

Cinema Nouveau - V&A

Cinema Nouveau - Rosebank

Cinema Nouveau - Brooklyn

Ster-Kinekor - Irene Mall

Ster-Kinekor - Shelly Beach

Ster-Kinekor - The Bridge

Ster-Kinekor - Vincent Park

Ster-Kinekor - Somerset

Ster-Kinekor - Bedford