US opera to be premiered in Leeds
mainOpera North has announced its season.
The only surprise is the UK premiere of Kevin Puts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night, based on the story of the 1914 Christmas truce.
Full season:
A new production of Tosca, directed by Edward Dick, touring alongside a revival of The Merry Widow
A new production of The Magic Flute, directed by West Yorkshire Playhouse Artistic Director James Brining
Three works composed in the years around the First World War: a revival of Katya Kabanova, and a double-bill of Puccini’s short comic opera Gianni Schicchi paired with Stravinsky’s iconic ballet, The Rite of Spring, in partnership with Phoenix Dance Theatre
Concert staging of Aida at Leeds Town Hall, touring to major concert venues throughout the country
UK premiere of Kevin Puts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night, based on the true story of the 1914 Christmas truce, at Leeds Town Hall
Not Such Quiet Girls, a new commission focusing on the experiences of women during WWI, written by Jessica Walker with musical arrangement by Joseph Atkins and co-produced with West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Well, it’s still more new productions than the New York Met.
Great…. a new opera with music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzzkuZ7nMmk
And I have the great joy of having moved out of London as a Londoner five years ago, and having chosen to live in close proximity to Leeds, get to hear and see everything now from Opera North – and only £90 for the whole season to see first class opera and enterprising productions, not just bog standard operas all the time. Okay, in the gods but we’re not talking about the gods of the Met – a theatre, not an opera house, that holds 1,500, and it never gets sold out. They are a wonderful company, and I don’t know why people in London don’t come up and patronise them a bit more. An apex ticket on the train, which is just over two hours, and a Travel Lodge or Premier Inn stay over and the ticket is much cheaper than any other opera company in the country. Yes, you can argue it’s not an international house like Covent Garden, but they are superb – not least their orchestra who get out and give orchestral concerts as well. Three cheers for Opera North! They also cut their coat according to their cloth.
…and they also use artists who have or are building international careers, so Opera North is much more than an opera company in the provinces.