All Aboard for Opera

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This is frakkin brilliant.

Opernhaus Zurich mounted a production of La Traviata last night and turned Zurich's Hauptbahnhof into a living breathing set for the Verdi classic. Using the main hall, coffee shop and train platforms the performers moved through the station and mixed with commuters, workers and observers while performing the opera which was televised live and watched by 1/3 of all the households in Switzerland.

Talk about bringing opera to the people!

Looks like what we have here is an opera broadcast arms race and Zurich Opera just dropped the bomb.

A bunch of behind the scenes videos can be found on the official SF1 television site. Excerpts above and below. Enjoy!

- Edward



Comments

Anonymous said…
Arrrgggghhh! Brilliant! I've been subjected to spontaneous serenades on the streets of Downtown San Diego a few times, but the homeless singers usually are singing to either god or their imaginary Drop Dead Fred rather than to me... and they're rarely ever in any kind of tune.

It'd be so cool to waltz into... say.. Santa Fe Depot and be greeted by a perky Zerbinetta who is chastising a couple of ticketless travelers with her long aria while Ariadne feeds the pigeons in the courtyard.

..and so you can see why nobody hires me to stage an opera... ;oP

Bravo to Herr Pereira at the Opernhaus! And SDO's next season can't come soon enough, too! :o)
October 3, 2008 at 11:35 PM
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