WNO announcement re 2015-2016 seasons

[aeolium]

Here is an announcement on the WNO website (mainly by the WNO music director David Pountney) about forthcoming seasons in 2015 and 2016. There are some new commissions including a third Figaro opera, based mainly on a combination of Beaumarchais and Ödön von Horvath, and a musical setting of David Jones' In Parenthesis:

http://www.wno.org.uk/news/20152016-season-announcement

(Pountney's address starts about 3 minutes in).

[french frank]

The David Jones piece sounds exciting. I don't know Iain Bell at all? Or Elena Langer?

[aeolium]

I was interested also in what Pountney said about the "common environment" for production sets, which I noticed in the two Rossini opera performances I attended - i.e. basic structures would be used in the sets of more than one production so it would be a more efficient use of the props (and easier for touring I imagine). It does not mean that the sets need to look very similar, and the Rossini sets did not even though they shared two main structures. This "common environment" approach is to be used in the trilogy of Figaro productions, which makes sense.

[french frank]

I was interested also in what Pountney said about the "common environment" for production sets, which I noticed in the two Rossini opera performances I attended - i.e. basic structures would be used in the sets of more than one production so it would be a more efficient use of the props (and easier for touring I imagine). It does not mean that the sets need to look very similar, and the Rossini sets did not even though they shared two main structures. This "common environment" approach is to be used in the trilogy of Figaro productions, which makes sense.

It makes perfect sense in the case of the Figaro operas (saves money a bit too?). That's a fascinating project. Beaumarchais' La mère coupable wasn't published until 1792, but there are some details in the Mozart/Da Ponte Nozze which seem to foreshadow the later play ...

[Dave2002]

Here is an announcement on the WNO website (mainly by the WNO music director David Pountney) about forthcoming seasons in 2015 and 2016. There are some new commissions including a third Figaro opera, based mainly on a combination of Beaumarchais and Ödön von Horvath, and a musical setting of David Jones' In Parenthesis:

http://www.wno.org.uk/news/20152016-season-announcement

(Pountney's address starts about 3 minutes in).

Thanks, though this demonstrates the power of written text. I could probably read a page of A4 with most of the details in a minute, whereas the online announcement appears to take 24 mins 50 seconds. So - now - where is the text web page with the same information?

[aeolium]

I don't know the Beaumarchais La mère coupable at all, and am only vaguely familiar with the Horvath Figaro lässt sich scheiden which I read ages ago. There is already an opera based on the Horvath play by a C20 composer, Klebe, but the new opera will presumably use elements of both Beaumarchais and Horvath, plus material added by Pountney himself. Anyway, it's good that WNO are still taking some risks despite the tough economic climate (and I'm pleased to see that the nonagenarian Ralph Koltai is to direct a production).

[aeolium]

Thanks, though this demonstrates the power of written text. I could probably read a page of A4 with most of the details in a minute, whereas the online announcement appears to take 24 mins 50 seconds. So - now - where is the text web page with the same information?

I suppose they want to get all the information about cast lists, performance dates, venues etc together for publication on the website.