FILM NEWS

« go back

Opera goes to the cinema

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:24
A scene from The Enchanted Island

South African cinema-going opera fans can delight in the next instalment of the 5th season of The Met Opera, The Enchanted Island, which releases exclusively at Cinema Nouveau and Select Ster-Kinekor theatres on 10 Feruary.

“This is our fifth season of The Met Opera, and due to previous success, we have extended the screenings to include various Ster-Kinekor theatres in addition to Cinema Nouveau sites, to reach as wide an audience as possible. Our successful attendances reinforce the fact that opera is widely appealing to our local market, and we are confident that The Enchanted Island will also be greatly received,” says Raksha Singh of Ster-Kinekor Theatres.

In the 18th century, composers like Handel, Vivaldi, and Rameau often repurposed their own work to create fabulous theatrical evenings that showcased the greatest artists of their day. Now, the Met is breathing new life into the charming form of the pastiche as a way to celebrate Baroque opera’s renewed popularity and to spotlight its extraordinary current interpreters, including Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels, and Plαcido Domingo.

The Enchanted Island, with a new libretto conceived by the brilliant director, writer, and composer Jeremy Sams, places the four lovers from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on Prospero’s island from The Tempest. It’s all set to the music of the greatest Baroque master composers, from Handel and Leclair to Vivaldi and Rameau. The dazzlingly inventive production, which combines Baroque period scenery and advanced video techniques, is by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch (the team behind Satyagraha).

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

Gφtterdδmmerung 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


« go back