Peter Grimes from La Scala Added to BIG ARTS 'Opera & Ballet in Cinema' Lineup

Peter Grimes from La Scala Added to BIG ARTS 'Opera & Ballet in Cinema' Lineup

BIG ARTS opens its 2012-2013 Opera & Ballet in Cinema season Nov. 15 with La Bayadère from the Paris Opera Ballet. Peter Grimes: Dec. 14, Norma: Jan. 10, Carmen: Feb. 27, Don Quixote: Mar. 27, & The Rite of Spring: April 11. 7 p.m.; $20.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) - Sep 28, 2012 -
BIG ARTS opens its 2012-2013 Opera & Ballet in Cinema season November 15 with a screening of Petipa’s La Bayadère at the Paris Opera Ballet. The season continues December 14 with the opera, Peter Grimes, Norma (January 10), Carmen (February 27), Don Quixote (March 27), and The Rite of Spring (April 11). All screenings are 7 p.m. at BIG ARTS Schein Performance Hall, 900 Dunlop, Road, Sanibel; General Admission $20.

BIG ARTS brings live and pre-recorded performances directly from the world’s most distinguished theaters and opera houses via Emerging Cinemas http://www.emergingpictures.com/, the largest all-digital theater network in the U.S. Nearly 100 arts institutions, media arts centers and independent art houses are connected through state-of-the-art digital technology that enables venues to exhibit exclusive independent cinema, documentaries, arts programming and foreign language films. All screenings are presented in hi-def surround sound.

Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère from Paris Opera Ballet was choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev. La Bayadére tells the story of a temple dancer indentured to a high priest but secretly in love with a warrior who, in turn, is betrothed to a princess. This lavish revival, streamed via satellite in surround sound and high-definition, is a breathtaking classic performed by one the greatest companies in the world.

Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes premiered in London in 1945. It is set in a drab fishing village on the east coast of England around 1830, and is described by Britten as “the struggle of the individual against the masses.” Peter Grimes is about a fisherman accused by his neighbors of committing unspeakable crimes, and how their actions ripple further and further. Britten’s incredible score includes the Four Sea Interludes, instrumental music between scenes that perfectly express the mystery and pain at the heart of this opera. This production, captured live at La Scala in May 2012, stars John Graham-Hall, Susan Gritton, Christopher Purves and Felicity Palmer.

Norma is considered Vincenzo Bellini’s magnum opus, and the apex of the bel canto operatic style. The opera is the story of a high priestess forced to choose between duty and desire, due to her treasonous love for a Roman soldier. This production stars Chiara Taigi, Gregory Kunde, Irina Lungu and Giacomo Prestia. Flowing, lyrical melodies - including the infamously difficult soprano aria Casta Diva - heighten this sweeping drama.

Carmen is an opera in four acts by Bizet, set in Seville, Spain, in the early 1800s. It tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier seduced by the charms of Carmen, a young gypsy maiden. When Carmen abandons José for the toreador Escamillo, José seeks fatal revenge against Carmen for her treachery. Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre, the toreador’s song from Act 2, is one of the best-known arias in the history of opera.

Based on the epic masterpiece by Cervantes, Don Quixote is a ballet which follows the aged don’s quest for the love of his dream woman, Dulcinea, whom he believes he has found in the earthly form of peasant girl Kitri. His plans clash, however, with Kitri’s father’s insistence that she marry a rich nobleman instead of her penniless lover, the barber Basilio. This stunning production from Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet stars Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev.

From Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, The Rite of Spring is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky and choreography by Vaslay Nijinsky. With music by Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring had its premiere in Paris in 1913, and has been entirely rechoreographed for the Bolshoi by Wayne McGregor for the hundredth anniversary of the work’s creation. Bolshoi Ballet Artistic Director Sergei Filin said, “What makes this program unique is that it will feature four different versions of The Rite of Spring to music by Stravinsky.” The Finnish National Ballet, the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, the Pina Bausch Dance Theatre, and the Bolshoi will each perform their version of The Rite of Spring. In addition, the companies will present some pieces from their current repertoire. The Rite of Spring was popularized through Walt Disney’s Fantasia in 1940, wherein it is the fourth piece in the film's program, depicting the evolution of life on earth.

Wagner’s Lohengrin opera from La Scala will not be shown December 7 at BIG ARTS, as was scheduled; the screening has been cancelled.

Tickets for all Opera & Ballet in Cinema performances may be purchased online at http://www.bigarts.org/dd.php and also by calling BIG ARTS Marks Box Office at (239) 395-0900 or visiting BIG ARTS Center at 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, Florida.

Want to read more? Please visit www.BIGARTS.org for more event information, including ticket prices for all BIG ARTS season performances and links to artists’ websites.

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/11986282/1
--- End ---