Posted on 06/28/2010 6:09:49 AM PDT by La Lydia
On Saturday, April 24th, the Opera Company of Philadelphia teamed up with the Reading Terminal Market Italian Festival for a large-scale "Flash Opera" event! Over 30 members of the Opera Company of Philadelphia Chorus and principal cast members of LA TRAVIATA performed the famed "Brindisi" in the aisles of Reading Terminal Market, entertaining hundreds of Philadelphians, and proving that the perfect accompaniment for all things Italian is a little Verdi! The Opera Company sincerely thanks members of the Opera Company of Philadelphia Chorus and cast for generously volunteering their time and talents... BRAVI TUTTI!!... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zmwRitYO3w
(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...
Rock on, Philly. Flyers still suck.
Ping
...thanks LaLydia...there’s a similar YouTube like this going around that was done at a Spanish market earlier this year...I think it’s catching on and I like it....there’s even a commercial on TV now that’s done in operatic style...maybe opera is making a comeback.
I loved this - really uplifting. Goodness knows we can use something uplifting these days.
If they can do flash performances of “Thriller” all over the place, why not La Traviata?
“If they can do flash performances of Thriller all over the place, why not La Traviata?”
.....exactly....I think the problem that opera has is in it’s cost....high costs to put one on, and high costs for a ticket...these little flash performances may inspire enough interest to make things more affordable....the crowd reaction is certainly very positive.
A big part of the cost comes from union stage hands, electricians, lighting, etc. A "flash opera" has none of those costs.
Bravo, brava!
I also think part of it is that, 100 years ago, it was only for the elite and a lot of people never had a chance to learn to enjoy it. The unions are certainly a problem in New York, and, I think, San Francisco, but not everywhere. I think who ever thought up the “flash opera” idea is on to something. Once people hear real opera, the stereotypes begin to fall away, and they realize what it is: performance art that in some ways is even more compelling than popular music because of the amazing talent of the performers.
...here is the version performed in a Spanish market earlier this year...notice the crowd reaction at the end....some people were so moved that they wept openly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds8ryWd5aFw
Thanks for the post. Even though it is Monday morning it makes me want to have a beer..
Stupendous.
A lot of people do enjoy opera, only they don't think of it as opera. "Les Miserables", "Phantom of the Opera", etc, are not less operatic because they happen to be in English.
Very sweet video! ( Smiling)
By the way, I noticed that, in a city that is predominantly black, the crowd is overwhelmingly white.
Of course you are right, and it is a matter of semantics. But I am old school and, to me, Les Mis and Phantom of the Opera are not opera, they are Broadway musicals. It’s a fine line. Of course, I can’t stand Alban Berg, and don’t think his work is opera, either. Strict upbringing, I guess.
Opera, like Shakespeare, is meant to seen on stage.
Our state has a regional opera festival every year, and I **love** it!!! I never thought I would but seeing it performed makes all the difference.
(We have a regional Shakespeare company as well, and I had the same reaction to the bard’s plays.)
What state?
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