If you’re in Maine (and, this time of year, why wouldn’t you be?), head up to Bangor for a 7 pm La Traviata put on by Opera Acadia. I was there last night and everything about it was great:
- orchestra (sounded liked they’ve played together all year and did not overpower the singers)
- singing (entire cast, but Sarah Joyce Cooper was amazing as Violetta)
- acoustics (hall isn’t cavernous; seats about 500?)
- comfort (lots of legroom, width for, um, today’s Americans, and luxurious padding)
- supertitles (unobtrusive)
I do miss the Franco Zeffirelli sets, as seen in the 1982 movie and also at the Metropolitan Opera until they trashed them (thus beginning the financial/audience decline that was accelerated by coronapanic?). Here’s the program:
If you can’t make it to Maine, stream the movie! (Maybe it has to be pirated? Supposedly, it isn’t available on any of the usual platforms due to the licensing hassles combined with the minimal revenue potential.) Here’s an alternative that might be worthy:
Trigger warning for recent college graduates: It’s sad and somebody dies.
(I’m irrational so am posting this while in transit back to the summer heat and humidity of Jupiter, Florida. Can’t stay away from the kids (back in skool) and the pup for too long!)
Related:
What’s opera doc? That ol’ fat betty sounds like a cat being strangled. Shit’s wack.
I was just in Bangor last month! Did not go to the opera as I haven’t founded any companies yet.
Unrelated to your post, opinions on the recent Harvard layoffs/staff eliminations?