By Megan
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1MNN-d87CE&t=2s
Available until: 4th June 2021
Don Giovanni is a sad opera but it has lots of really beautiful music, some really interesting characters and a great story. There are lots of really good productions which are available to watch online or on DVD but the Liceu Opera Barcelona’s production is extra special because it was filmed in the pandemic.
By Aashiq
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1NdOy1-1uw&t=2s
Available until: 5th May 2021
I went to the London premiere of Prima Donna! I dressed up and we walked down the red carpet and I looked SO much better than Rufus Wainwright, though you can’t say his outfit wasn’t eye-catching. Janis Kelly and Jonathan Summers were in it and they were both brilliant. I had a massive crush on Jonathan even though he was probably in his 60s, I'm not saying I had wedding dreams or anything like that, but his performances are just so on point emotionally and never overdone, he always makes me care about his characters.
By Dave
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sGir07KhVY
Available until: 13th June 2021
Sometimes it’s not obvious which productions were filmed during the pandemic. There are no masks in sight and if the cast are in a bubble, there’s no social distancing. Even if social distancing is considered necessary, it’s often worked around so skilfully, you probably wouldn’t guess it was filmed in the pandemic if you didn’t know.
By Louise
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFeeVfnecBU
Available until: 12th March 2021
Manon by Jules Massenet was first performed in 1884. It is based on a book, Manon Lescaut, which was published in 1731. It is not a story which you might expect to be very relevant to the 2000s, but I thought this production was very relevant. It is partly that people probably haven’t changed that much, it’s more that customs and beliefs have changed. But I think it is relevant in other ways too.
By Imogen
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SqpcFOchjA
Available until: 14th May
2021
I’d never even heard of Teatro Real
Madrid. If you’d asked me what it was I’d have guessed that it was the
Bernabeu, the stadium where Real Madrid play, their theatre of dreams. Spain
doesn’t exactly have a great operatic tradition. It is a very musical nation
but there aren’t many operas written in Spanish. Even the ones with a Spanish
feel like Carmen aren’t written in Spanish.
By Cal
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDya671Jc3A
Available until: 2nd
January 2021
Some productions are difficult to
review. There are many things about this production which are really good, but no
matter how much you might enjoy aspects of a production – or even the
production as a whole – all productions have a specific aim and if you feel
they haven’t succeeded in this aim, I don’t really feel that’s something you
can ignore.
By Dave
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9Qx8YXUSEQ
Available until: 11th December 2020
I’ve never seen The Gambler before so I’m grateful to
Opera Vision for giving me yet another opportunity to enjoy a new opera. It’s a
bit of a funny one because none of the characters seemed to be particularly
likeable apart from the little girl who was given a soft toy as a present but I
did still enjoy it.
By Dave
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwNz8C33JOc
Available until: 16th February 2021
I like a good pun and this isn’t a bad one. You’ve got to
admire the speed with which they’ve put it together (I know the opera houses
were probably all closed, but that didn’t mean nobody had anything to do). There
is some great singing, obviously some great music and there is a lot about this
production which is really enjoyable.
By Louise
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aka3KCx847A
Available until: 21st October 2020
There isn’t much time to watch this, but it is a really
enjoyable performance of an opera which is very well-known but which I think
I’ve only seen once.
It is a really lovely production and because it’s filmed, we
have the opportunity to see the set up close and it’s beautiful. Hugh De Ana is
the director, set designer and costume designer for the production and that’s
not a surprise as the set and costumes go so well together. The set is full of
beautiful greys and dark blues and that is echoed in the singers’ clothes. The
beautiful colours show the romance and love in the story, but the set is full
of angles and shadows which show how difficult it is for the three central
characters in particular.
By Emma
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM_hYz1vFPU
Available until: 4th December 2020
Orpheus and Eurydice is a really beautiful love story
and loads of composers have written operas about it. One of the first operas
ever was Orfeo by Monteverdi. A composer called Philip Glass did an
opera called Orphee this century. There have been others too including
an operetta but they’re probably not as good as this one because it’s perfect.
I couldn’t get into the Monteverdi one because the music was quite weird and I
don’t really understand Philip Glass and I couldn’t imagine doing an operetta
of such a sad story.
By Emma
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2NF4r7qFMM
Available until: 28th March 2021
This opera is just so relatable. It was composed 100 years
ago and I think it was set even earlier but starts with four guys sharing a
flat which still happens all the time. They go out clubbing, they go out with
their girlfriends, they have a bit of banter but they obviously like each other
a lot and have a good friendship which is really lovely.
By Cal
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9-GvuLZnds&t=2s
Available until: February 2021
Very strange things happen in Turandot. Strange and horrific. Usually, the music is enough to ensure we don’t think about this in too much detail, but it’s more difficult in this production, which seems not only to focus on the horror but to revel in it.
