Proms Operas 2011 - a fallow year?

[Guest]

Is anyone else unimpressed with the Proms Operas this year? Only three, of which one is the "expected" Glyndebourne Prom (a jokey production of "Rinaldo", when we might have had Jurowski's acclaimed "Meistersinger"?). "William Tell" probably caters to Rossini completists, but few others. I am all in favour of "Der Freischutz", even in the Berlioz reworking... but it seems a thin year overall.

Which potential Proms Operas would you draw to Mr Wright's attention for next year? I know that this season isn't over yet! But the singers needed for major works will already be filling their diaries! Bear in mind... the genre of "Proms Opera" has come to imply some large-scale work that is rarely performed in a stage version.. either because of production costs, or the limited chance of making a fully-staged production pay its way.

[french frank]

Dunno about Meistersinger for this year - they did it last year, didn't they (WNO)?

What's Rusalka like?

[Al R Gando]

Dunno about Meistersinger for this year - they did it last year, didn't they (WNO)?

What's Rusalka like?

I dunno about WNO, but Glyndebourne's Meistersinger was brand-new this year, and won every plaudit imaginable :)

I haven't seen the current Glyndebourne Rusalka, so I can't say. But the opera itself combines truly magical music with a storyline that goes beyond the traditional fairytale approach of the dastardly deceiver - I'd go a long way to hear a decent Rusalka

[Chris Newman]

The problem for us punters at home is that the Royal Opera and ENO have not yet formally announced what is on next summer. In the past Charles Mackerras regularly brought ENO concert performances to the Proms. Solti and Colin Davis brought ROH productions. From the ROH I would suggest something from Wagner's Ring which I read somewhere is due for partial production. From ENO I would go for something like Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, Adams' Death of Klinghoffer or Offenbach's disgracefully neglected and tragic Tales of Hoffman. In the days of Pritchard and Haitink Glyndebourne used to come to the Proms twice a season. If that was possible I would love to see them in The Cunning Little Vixen and the double bill of L’Heure Espagnole and L’Enfant et les sortilèges. Of course it would be good to have WNO back again. And why not push the boat out and get a performance from English Touring Opera, Garsington Opera, Grange Park Opera, or Holland Park Opera? How about Opera North's Rheingold? Certainly we used to have about five operas per season. Bring it on.

[french frank]

Yes, Meistersinger was performed on the first weekend (I'm only mentioning this as a reason why they wouldn't do the Glyndebourne one this year).

The ROH Rusalka promises:

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Rusalka Camilla Nylund
Foreign princess Petra Lang
Prince Bryan Hymel
Ježibaba Agnes Zwierko

[Al R Gando]

That's a tempting list, Chris Newman!

Although what I really had in mind are the concert performances the Beeb itself mounts, of more exotic fare that isn't showing in an opera house... for example like the extract of The Masque Of Orpheus which was done at the Proms recently? But I would certainly be pleased to see any of the other items you mention included in the Proms in future too!

Of course, the ROH used to have its very own Proms, which involved taking all the seats in the Stalls out. I s'pose those days have gone now?

[Al R Gando]

The ROH Rusalka promises:

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Rusalka Camilla Nylund
Foreign princess Petra Lang
Prince Bryan Hymel
Ježibaba Agnes Zwierko

The Glyndebourne Rusalka this year featured

Rusalka Dina Kuznetsova
Prince Pavel Cernoch
Foreign Princess Tatiana Pavlovskaya
Vodnik Mischa Schelomianski
Ježibaba Larissa Diadkova

[Chris Newman]

I would be very happy with either cast for Rusalka though Glyndebourne would not bring it back without a run beforehand. I hope to see two different productions in Prague in March (National Theatre and State Opera). I will not be surprised if the casts overlap.

[Al R Gando]

I would be very happy with either cast for Rusalka though Glyndebourne would not bring it back without a run beforehand. I hope to see two different productions in Prague in March (National Theatre and State Opera). I will not be surprised if the casts overlap.

Of course, there is more opera from along the Vltava in next year's Glyndebourne season :) And it's V Jurowski's last season as MD. It might not be entirely his shout on this, but I am sure he would want to slot his final Glyndebourne show as MD into the Proms if he could :)

Another potential synergy might be to achieve some London/BBC performances for the high-profile concert performances of opera Elder's been doing with the Halle.

[BudgieJane]

You do know that the Ring is planned for the 2013 season, don't you?

[Al R Gando]

You do know that the Ring is planned for the 2013 season, don't you?

No, I'm a complete outsider to the planning of the Proms seasons :( Any news on the cast. orchestra or conductor of this good news? ;)

[BudgieJane]

Any news on the cast. orchestra or conductor? ;)

Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Staatsoper.

Google is your friend.

[french frank]

Mary will no doubt wonder what from Britten's repertoire will be chosen for his centenary year ...

[Al R Gando]

Mary will no doubt wonder what from Britten's repertoire will be chosen for his centenary year ...

Probably the same as they did for Tippett in his centenary year

[amac4165]

I think we have had as many operas this year as previous

William Tell
Rinaldo
Verdi's Requiem

and coming up Der Freischütz in French - presumably the title got missed in translation !