ARIA SERIOUS?

Shoppers at Ikea in London this past week have been entertained by an in-store opera that takes advantage of ready-made Ikea sets to represent different areas of domestic life. Called " Flatpack ", the opera offers answers to questions such as "Why is my bookcase called Billy?" "What is domestic harmony?" and "What do our homes have to say about us?" The opera is performed by Mammoth Music Theater. You can read about it here and see a clip down below. A sequel called "How the $#@! Do You Expect Me to Follow Your $#@! Directions" is currently in the works. - Edward

Here's a confession: we haven't watched a second of American Idol here at the Aria Serious tower. Why? Well, the TV is rarely on at home and when it does go on it is strictly for movies these days. But we're not immune to the buzz local boy Adam Lambert has created as it seems everyone else in the world has been talking about how talented he is. San Diego News Network asked some opera professionals, including our very own Dr. Nic, to give a few of Adam's performances a listen and to critique him. The verdict? It seems Adam has Star Power! You can read the article on the SDNN site . And yes, fine, I'll watch an episode next week to see what the big deal is. - Edward

In honor of JJ Abram's new Star Trek reboot, it seems fitting that we here at Aria Serious pay tribute to one of the most neglected art forms in the known galaxy. No, we're not talking about Vogon Poetry Reading but Klingon Opera, the musical choice of sensitive interstellar warriors from Alpha Centauri to Zeta Prime. Leave it to the Dutch members of the Klingon Terran Research Ensemble (what are they smoking?) who are now workshopping u , a Klingon Opera based on the ancient treatise called the paq'jachchcu or "book of the perfect scream" - essentially a theory manuscript on Klingon music. Of course interstellar music calls for new instruments and the members have created some fascinating instruments to create a "Klingon sound" such as a duel bendy horn controlled by parabolic dishes. Check out the video below which shows excerpts of the workshop of u . The subtitles are in Dutch but the dialogue is in English and, well, Klingon. The Klingon Terran R...

Courtesy of our lovely friend the Opera Chic comes this surreal video featuring Russian baritone, Dmitri Hvorostovsky called "You and I". When opera collides with electronic music the end result is usually less than the sum of the parts and this is no exception. But the imagery is fascinating, provided you take enough hallucinogens and turn the volume down. I've watched it a few times now and I'm still not sure what I've seen beyond a shirtless baritone dressed like an elf whipping the lady of the lake into an orgasmic frenzy. Needless to say, this is NSFW , unless you work in the bizarro world of opera or as a dominatrix which if you do, call me. I'm filing this one under " WTF ?" - Edward

Sure they're strange but that's part of their charm. Electro brother and sister duo The Knife have announced premiere dates for their opera based on the works of Charles Darwin. We touched on this earlier and we were giddy like a schoolgirl. We're still giddy but much of that energy has been channeled into looking for cheap airfare to Copenhagen for the opera's premiere on September 2, 2009. Additional dates are also planned. You can read about the opera through Pitchfork Media, here . - Edward

It's back; the Twitter Opera Synopsis contest. More than 20 Opera Companies are now participating with tickets and DVDs for the best 140 character opera synopsis you can come up with. This time, celebrity judge Danielle de Niese will chose the winners. You can read about the contest and submit your own tweets here . We here at Aria Serious would also like to play along, even give some tickets away, you know, once we figure out how to circumvent office firewalls... Sigh. - Edward

L'Opéra de Rennes will be presenting a simulcast of their production of Don Giovanni in a few months. What makes this one special is that the opera will be presented in 3-D. The cost of this venture? 820,000 Euros. Seems a hefty price tag to create something in 3-D which already exists in 3-D at your local opera house. Yes, yes, we know that 3-D is the future of movies and when done right it makes for an entirely immersive experience (see Coraline for an example on how to do it right) but for my money nothing provides better immersion than, you know, actually watching a live opera in the flesh. Call me a Luddite . Personally, I'm holding out for Opera: Smell-O-Vision. Just think of what we could do with Peter Grimes , the smell of the ocean, a dead fish under every seat in the theatre. And you know something, it's not as far fetched as you think . You can read the entire 3-D broadcast article here (in French). - Edward

Let's face it, life is busy and it is hard to unwind , let alone find the time to escape to the theatre for a few hours of quality opera. Blackberries and iPhones makes getting away even harder, the office is in your pocket now, jut a button press away. For those strapped for time, Twitter has you covered. The Omniscient Mussel has compiled a list of Twitter Opera Synopses which are limited to 140 characters. My favorite, for Carmen : If a cigarette doesn ’t kill you, the girl who made it will… But then I'm an ex-smoker, and a hopeless romantic. Your can read the rest of them here . And when you come see Peter Grimes on Saturday you can Twitter your own synopsis. Enjoy! - Edward

We here at Aria Serious love it when opera is used in commercials, especially when it is selling things that have nothing to do with opera like cars, or beer, or football. From across the pond comes this incredibly racy ad from Durex selling, well, orgasms. Far too racy for American TV, this clip is probably not safe for work either; unless you work in a crazy place like an opera company or a sex shop. Just saying... Enjoy, but perhaps not as much as these people... - Edward

Opera is going mainstream and prime time it seems. *** I am a Casting Producer for ABC families hit reality show 'Wife Swap.' We are currently casting for our fifth season and we are looking for Opera Families! The premise of Wife Swap is simple: for seven days, two wives from two different families with very different values exchange husbands, children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover what it's like to live a different family's life. It's an interesting social experiment and a great way to see your family in a whole new light. It is shot as a documentary series, so NO scripts and no set. It's just one camera that is documenting your life. Families that appear on the show will receive a financial honorarium of $20,000 for lost wages, time and commitment. And if you refer a family that appears on the show you would receive $1000. Here at 'Wife Swap' we look for a two-parent home with at least one child between the ages of 6 and 17 living at home ...

The New York Times is reporting today that a production of Cosi fan tutte will ask audience members to vote at intermission for which characters should be married in the final scene. The singers will then perform the chosen ending. Called Cosi fan tutte : Defining Women , the opera will be set in present-day Massachusetts "where nuptials between any combination of three men and three women would be legal.” -- Edward

Some things in life were just meant for one another. Take chocolate and peanut butter, bacon and eggs, beets and goat cheese (really, it's amazing), vodka and tonic, oh, forget that last one; Friday happy hour can't come soon enough... Courtesy of procrastination, and a fast Internet connection, comes this gem of a clip of bridges being blown up to opera. Even on mute there is this strange choreographed beauty of the charges detonating in sequence, like ballet -- but with explosions and explosions, we all know, makes things better, especially ballet. Of course, adding opera to the mix just sweetens the pot. So enjoy! And don't try this at home, however tempting it might be. -- Edward Note to future-self: when you get to direct that opera be sure to include at least one explosion.

I'll let you in on a little secret. I'm a gamer. Been one all my life starting with the Atari 2600. And so I'm always excited when I come across opera in video games, which is pretty much never. Sure, there was Double Clef FM in Grand Theft Auto 3, playing a selection of opera "hits" while I drove around making "hits" of my own, but that's about it. Via Kotaku comes this trailer for a new platformer currently called "Game #3" that uses Verdi's Requiem as its soundtrack. Sure, the Requiem is not technically opera but it is close enough because it's Verdi and well, because I say so. Not only does this look fun, but it sounds amazing. So here's a plea to all you developers out there: more opera in video games. I'll play it until my thumbs are sore. Promise. -- Edward

Over the weekend, Senator Ted Kennedy celebrated his 77th birthday at the Kennedy Center. Singing "Happy Birthday" to him was Aria Serious friend mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, mezzo-soprano Frederica Von Stade , folk singer James Taylor and America's newest baritone, President Barack Obama. One thing is for certain, he sure sings with enthusiasm. But you can tell he's new at this whole opera thing because he broke the golden rule: never, ever, stand in front of the soprano. Not even if you're the P rez . -- Edward

The mayor of Waitakere City near Auckland, New Zealand has discovered a new use for opera: vandal deterrent . The mayor is using recordings of New Zealand opera star Dame Kiri Te Kanawa to deter youths from vandalizing shops and public works of art. "If it's not your music, and you really don't like it all, why would you, how could you, stay around?" said Mayor Bob Harvey. Meanwhile, in the southern city of Christchurch, officials are planning to play Barry Manilow songs to deter aggressive youths who gather in a central shopping plaza. And I thought the Dharma Initiatives Sonic Fence was cool... - Edward

Word has it that the Royal Opera House in London is moving forward on Anna Nicole Smith, the Opera . British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage will work with librettist Richard Thomas, who created Jerry Springer, the Opera. The opera is expected to open in 2011. When one reads the story of Anna Nicole Smith it does make for good opera fodder . No word yet on if this is coming to the States, but once we hear something we'll share it here. -- Edward

Eagle-eyed Aria Serious reader, OperaMan , sent me an email pointing out that last year's Dorito's superbowl ad also featured opera. And he's right. Obviously someone in the marketing department at Frito-Lay must love their opera. I've included the clip below, which I find hilarious, especially those last few unnecessary punches thrown at the end. OperaMan also offers this sage advice: "Eating Doritos and typing on the computer at the same time stains your keyboard orange." And makes them nacho-y as well. You've been warned. -- Edward

We here at Aria Serious sometimes feel we're always at work because opera shows up in some of the most unexpected places. Take last Sunday for example; comfortably ensconced on the couch, dogs asleep at my feet, ice cold beer within reach, a heaping plate of soy chorizo nachos on my lap, the big game on the TV when all of the sudden, bam, you guessed it -- opera starts playing in a commercial. "Hey, you should blog about," suggested my wife. And she's right. Opera showed up in two Superbowl commercials which I find somewhat strange. I mean, when you're paying $3 million for 30 seconds of air time, it seems strange to use opera as your background music considering your viewers are not typically an opera going crowd. But there is something to be said about the timelessness of opera, and the fact it is so ingrained in our consciousness that it is instantly recognizable even if you've never seen an opera before. I've put the two ads below. The first, from Mons...

We here at Aria Serious love irony. Even more so when it is delicious irony. So we love the new Red Bull commercial although we're just as surprised as you are that we used delicious and Red Bull in the same paragraph. This commercial consists of a cat licking his chops and flossing his gums while Mozart's "Der Vogelfanger Bin Ich Ja " from The Magic Flute plays in the background. This is Papageno's (the bird catcher) aria, a fact lost to probably 99% of the people who've seen this commercial. Of course, I personally think Papageno is one of the creepiest characters in all of opera so I like to think the cat has eaten Papageno, which makes the commercial even more delightful for me. Enjoy! - Edward

Courtesy of Sleeveface comes this Carmen inspired entry by Anais Lefeuvre. Never heard of Sleeveface? It is defined as: One or more persons obscuring or augmenting any part of their body or bodies with record sleeve(s) causing an illusion. See! Finally something to do with those old records gathering dust in the garage. You can submit your best opera inspired Sleevefaces to the website up above -- and you should check the website out anyway, some of them are quite wonderful. And a special shout out to Culture Lust for the heads up. -- Edward