What's brewing Operatically?

For HGO we will have:
The Barber of Seville and
Fidelio in the fall,
Followed by
La Traviata and
The Rape of Lucretia in the winter and finishing the season with
Don Carlos (The long French version) and
Maria Stuarda.
And in Memoriam of 9/11 HGOCo is planning a song cycle for small venues ...

And at The Met one will see and hear
“Anna Bolena” (Oct. 15)
“Don Giovanni” (Oct. 29)
“Siegfried” (Nov. 5)
“Satyagraha” (Nov. 19)
“Rodelinda” (Dec. 3)
“Faust” (Dec. 10)
“The Enchanted Island” (Jan. 21)
“Götterdämmerung” (Feb. 11)
“Ernani” (Feb. 25, 2012)
“Manon” (April 7, 2012)
“La Traviata” (April 14, 2012)

I shall post others as they become known.

Meanwhile Europe is in an uproar about the recent World premiere of...
ANNA NICOLE, the opera.
Background
A young Playboy model, an octogenarian billionaire husband, intrusive media fascination and a tragically early death. This is a roller-coaster of a real contemporary life for a blockbuster of a contemporary opera by the acclaimed opera composer Mark-Anthony Turnage (Greek and The Silver Tassie) and librettist Richard Thomas (Jerry Springer: the Opera). The story of Anna Nicole Smith is under the brilliant and idiosyncratic direction of Richard Jones and the baton of Antonio Pappano, Music Director of The Royal Opera, to make this a major event of the Royal Opera Season.
Sex, extreme language and drug abuse are part of the opera – after all, they were ingredients in a life that went from the dubious glamour of the sex symbol, through long and vicious legal struggles to a fatal overdose. How Anna Nicole was treated and how she was viewed is as much a reflection of the society that hounded her as of her own feelings and ambitions –
Eva-Maria Westbroek creates what is a challenging and complex central role.
This new opera is provocative in its themes, exciting in its bravura style and thrilling with its sheer contemporary nerve. Anna Nicole Smith’s life made the news – this world premiere has done soo, too.
Among the cast  and production are some reputable names:
Composer: Mark-Anthony Turnage
Librettist: Richard Thomas of Jerry Springer fame ;-)
Director: Richard Jones
Set designs: Miriam Buether; Costume designs: Nicky Gillibrand
Co-Lighting Designers: Mimi Jordan Sherin, D M Wood
Choreographer: Aletta Collins
Conductor: Antonio Pappano
Anna Nicole: Eva-Maria Westbroek
Old Man Marshall: Alan Oke (seen at Santa Fe)
The Lawyer Stern: Gerald Finley (seen at The Met's Doctor Atomic)
Four Lap Dancers: Y. Barclay, A. Catt, A. Floyd, K. Batho
Four Meat Rack Girls: K. Lyness, M.Cotterill, L. Armit, A. Hazell
Onstage Band: John Parricelli (Guitarist), John Paul Jones (Bass Guitarist), Peter Erskine (Drummer)

Westbroek

The Real Anna Nicole





Pole Dancers scene

Westbroek and Oke





These pictures came to me via email.

Photo credist are listed on each one.

Is it just "Another Personality Opera"?

Well guess, we will have to wait for an USA premiere?  Unless, of course, you, chers readers, have this urge to fly over the pond to take a gander at it in London! If one can believe all ones reads and hears it was a huge success!

We've had:

• An opera about Abraham Lincoln
• Jerry Springer, the opera!
• Alberto Gonzales, the oratorio!
• Joe Lewis, Shadowboxer, an opera!
• And others I may have missed-if you know of one such, do communicate !
• And of course, the Twitter opera, all posted about much earlier!

Who/what will be next?

Some ideas are floating about:

"Off pitch" music by Catan (about Aguilera-in Spanish)?

"Glove Glitz", music by ?? (about Michael Jackson)?
 "The Underwood/Fisher Saga" with music by herself and performed on ice!
And so I shall leave you  - with an earful.. and an eyeful!