Fixed Gear Opera Appreciation Society

I find myself going to as much opera these days as I can afford, and I wanted to see if anyone else on here did the same.

Tonight I went and saw OperaShots, two short new operas by people that normally don't get the chance to make them.
For £11 I saw The Tell-Tale Heart (written by Stewart Copeland) and The Doctor's Tale (by Terry Jones).
They were great, especially the weird and funny tale of the doctor who happens to be a dog.
Get in on this, it's not that often that you get a chance to have such a great night for such little money.

http://www.roh.org.uk/whatson/production.aspx?pid=15108

And a much better review of the program:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/operashots-the-telltale-heartthe-doctorrsquos-tale-royal-opera-linbury-studio-theatre-london-2265580.html

That sounds all kinds of awesome.

It was pretty good. And if you're feeling flush they even have a dinner menu that they serve in the half hour between the two shows.

I wish I could...

I'm thinking to go and see The Damnation of Faust at the ENO. Terry Gilliam is directing it, so I'm prepared to overlook the fact that it'll be sung in English just this once.

Anyone fancy it?

http://www.eno.org/see-whats-on/productions/production-page.php?&itemid=1087

Well I have to say I never thought I'd see an Opera appreciation thread on here!

Nhatt, Damnation of Faust is a great opera. I was in the pit for Don Giovanni at ENO last year and it is very strange hearing it in English but you do get used to it pretty quickly.

When I was freelancing I worked at the ROH all the time but now I have a job in a Symphony Orchestra I don't get the chance to play there, and I really miss it. The music that I really love is in Opera, it is where I hope to end up working in the future.

People should take up the offer from Nhatt, go with an open mind (it's far too easy to be cynical while watching opera) and see if it is for you. Like all live performance, when it is good it can make something you will really remember

I love the ROH so much, I would have loved to have seen you play there!

I went and saw Ariadne auf Naxos in Paris this winter, it just wasn't the same in such a modern opera house (but the staging was excellent).

Do let me know if you ever end up playing there again.

Yeah the ROH is great, an amazing place to work. I don't know the Paris Opera personally but it's easy to forget that the ROH is a world-class institution. It's up in the top 5 (at least) Opera houses in the world, so I'm not suprised Paris didn't quite match up. I'd guess the quality of the singers won't have been quite as high either

An excellent thread - thanks Nhatt!

I've not been to an opera for a while; I got seriously into it when I was working in Vienna, as one of the people I coached there was the son of people who worked in the Staatsoper administration and, as well as paying me in cash, they showered me with tickets for the opera. Usually in the first few rows of the stalls, but often in a box. Me and my flatmates used to feel a bit weird turning up in our impoverished scruffy gear, sometimes with carrier bags of damp swimming kit, but it was all good stuff.

I've been to many shows at the Coliseum over the years, particularly enjoying Richard Jones productions. One of the most memorable shows was "Gadaffi", featuring Asian Dub Foundation. It was truly awful in many respects but refreshingly different, but the best part was that I emerged from the Coliseum to see the two tallbikes that had just that day finished their tour of the British coastline (can't remember the names of the chaps who rode them) locked up outside. Had they pedalled round Britain and then decided, "Hey, let's go and see a semi-operatic show that attempts to overwrite some of the vile slanders against our mate Muammar"? Anyway, after taking a photo of the tallbikes I then set off on an overnight bike ride to Brighton, one of the earlier FNrTTCs.

Anyway, do keep flagging up interesting shows!

I've watched plenty of Opera over the years, but have always struggled with it as an art form. Contemporary Opera is often amazing, but I think it's a combination of the poor acting and simplistic dialogue common in classical performance/music that has tainted it for me.

I'll always favour an orchestral concert or the ballet.

.... or a game of footy and a fight.

Id be up for going to more opera, although Ive found it a little hit and miss in the past.

Still not seen anything at the ROH simply because its (generally) so bloody expensive, but am a member of the ENO's Access All Arias which is well worth checking out if your under 30 and interested.

I absolutely love Opera (although Mozart can go piss up a rope).
This is odd as I am not a classical music lover, and I hate the theatre. Especially musical theatre.

I was enormously pleased to see that the English Touring Opera got increased government funding this year despite the cuts. They are a superb company and play everywhere, in places such as the Hackney Empire for very little money. You can afford to see the whole season usually.

The ROH is fantastic. The last thing I saw there was Turandot, for my mum's 60th. She had no idea, and we maintained the surprise all the way.

I'm currently boycotting the ENO because they ruined my birthday last year. I had wanted to see The Pearl Fishers for years and they had a production, imaginatively staged, Alfie Boe in the lead role. Should have been brilliant, but Boe got sick, as did his understudy, so instead of cancelling the show or offering refunds they got some not very good bloke to sing from the book at the side of the stage, whilst a small Sri Lankan actor who looked nothing like Alfie Boe "acted" the part silently. (there was a dream sequence featuring projected footage of Boe swimming underwater, so the lack of resemblance was important). If they had not got this ridiculous policy of singing everything in English (because of course we are too thick to follow a plot with surtitles) they could have got any number of subs in - it's one of the basics in any tenor's training. As it was they destroyed any suspension of disbelief.

They have a production of Simon Boccanegra coming up, which is a great Verdi opera. But in English I suspect it may be a bit shit.

(although Mozart can go piss up a rope)

...and frequently did, I suspect. The last Oprah I saw was the Marriage of Figaro (that's also the name of one of our cats) in Sydney last year which was particularly good because we were right at the back and couldn't see the surtitles and I could concentrate better on the music. Oh, and we came out of the opera house onto the harbourside into bright sunshine just as a humungous cruise liner was heading out under the harbour bridge, then went and had a meal in a rooftop place in the Rocks and it was the end of a magical holiday with family who live out there.

Damnation of Faust looks cool... tickets purchased for the 14th May.

Thanks for letting us all know :)

I would say dont be put off by the ENO's language policy too easily, the last thing I saw there was La Boheme and it was absolutely incredible.

Saw a modern interpretation of La Boheme at the Soho Theatre recently. Great fun.

@ Nhatt, I might be up for some Berlioz action depending which date you're going.

I absolutely love Opera (although Mozart can go piss up a rope).
This is odd as I am not a classical music lover, and I hate the theatre. Especially musical theatre.

I was enormously pleased to see that the English Touring Opera got increased government funding this year despite the cuts. They are a superb company and play everywhere, in places such as the Hackney Empire for very little money. You can afford to see the whole season usually.

The ROH is fantastic. The last thing I saw there was Turandot, for my mum's 60th. She had no idea, and we maintained the surprise all the way.

I'm currently boycotting the ENO because they ruined my birthday last year. I had wanted to see The Pearl Fishers for years and they had a production, imaginatively staged, Alfie Boe in the lead role. Should have been brilliant, but Boe got sick, as did his understudy, so instead of cancelling the show or offering refunds they got some not very good bloke to sing from the book at the side of the stage, whilst a small Sri Lankan actor who looked nothing like Alfie Boe "acted" the part silently. (there was a dream sequence featuring projected footage of Boe swimming underwater, so the lack of resemblance was important). If they had not got this ridiculous policy of singing everything in English (because of course we are too thick to follow a plot with surtitles) they could have got any number of subs in - it's one of the basics in any tenor's training. As it was they destroyed any suspension of disbelief.

They have a production of Simon Boccanegra coming up, which is a great Verdi opera. But in English I suspect it may be a bit shit.

Can't believe that - completely outrageous.

I've written this elsewhere on the forum (classical music thread) - but my father was an opera singer and I basically grew up in opera houses.

I've not really been to see any opera since he died, but would really like to go to ENO again soon - have really fond memories of being a kid and sitting in the lighting box and watching him play Ulysses.

Best place to watch Opera in the UK is still Glyndebourne - pricey though.

.... Glyndebourne - pricey though.

Understatement of the century.

yeah. Big time.

They sometimes flog cheap seats - but usually only to people who live in Lewes. Shamefully I've never paid - only been given comps, taken by people or dragged there to watch my Dad when I was a kid.

yeah. Big time.

They sometimes flog cheap seats - but usually only to people who live in Lewes. Shamefully I've never paid - only been given comps, taken by people or dragged there to watch my Dad when I was a kid.

I think the last time we checked, prices STARTED at around £250.

Edit: hmmm, quick look at the website, not quite as expensive as I remember, but still super pricey.

I love 'A Night at the Opera' with the Marx Brothers. It doesn't have any fixed-gear bicycles in it, regrettably.

I just got tickets to go see Werther.

Not heard the music yet, but the premis seems interesting..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werther