Ruth Leon recommends… Opera de Paris

Opera de Paris

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There’s a new kid on the streaming block. L’Opera de Paris has just opened its archive to the world and there are some great treasures to be discovered.

For instance, by making available the entire 22/23 season on video, we get the chance to see their production of Nixon In China which has been generating a lot of talk in opera circles.

I never miss an opportunity to see John Adams’  first opera and here, for its entry into the Paris Opera repertoire, this work has been directed by Valentina Carrasco, who underlines the importance and the mediating power of ping-pong, the Chinese national sport.

For those not familiar with its sources, in February 1972, the American president Richard Nixon went to China to meet Mao Zedong. In the context of the war in Vietnam and the cold war, this encounter marked a turning point in Chinese‑American relations.
Nixon in China tackles the political thaw instigated by ping-pong diplomacy, begun by the invitation of the American table tennis players by their Chinese counterparts, one year before the presidential visit.

This is a mesmerising work in which the pulsations and repetitions typical of minimalism are combined with melodic lines of great lyricism. For those who think they don’t like contemporary opera, this is a great starter.
 
Also, check out the ballets, operas and concerts now available on the Paris Opera platform, including two conducted by Gustavo Dudamel before he decided that he was leaving Paris four years early, “to spend more time with his family”, shortly after having been announced as the new Music Director of the New York Philharmonic.
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In common with most major arts organisations these days, this new streaming platform is giving us a choice of subscribing to the entire archive on an annual basis (€99 with two months free) or on a monthly basis which means that you can have a month’s worth for a single performance (€9.90 with a week’s free trial) as long as you remember to cancel before the end of 30 days. If you’re under 28 there’s a special monthly subscription rate of €4.95.

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