Garbriele Klein
Contributor
The Metropolitan Opera’s Emmy Award-winning series of High Definition (HD) Live from the Met continues in Salmon Arm for the twelfth season thanks to the vision of the Salmar Community Association.
The 10 live transmissions range from the classics to contemporary, by a variety of composers with world-class singers and productions. There is high drama and engaging comedy—something for everyone.
The Salmar is again bringing in Mozart’s The Magic Flute as a pre-Christmas treat. This is an ideal first opera for anyone, but especially for young visitors. Check out the Salmar website for details.
Local and neighbouring residents can take a bite out of the ‘Big Apple’ in the comfort of the Salmar Classic without the expense of travelling to New York City. English subtitles, close ups of the action, interviews with the artists and a peek at the amazing scene changes during intermissions are features of the HD Live from the Met transmissions.
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Turandot, the first of this season’s HD Live from the Met showings at the Classic at 9:55 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, is Puccini’s thrilling final masterpiece and features dramatic soprano Christine Goerke in her fierce portrayal of the icy princess who has renounced all men. Canadian Yannick Nézet-Séguin is on the podium for Franco Zeffirelli’s dazzling production. Tenor Roberto Aronica is the mysterious prince Calàf who sings the famous aria Nessun Dorma. Soprano Eleonora Buratto is Liù and bass-baritone James Morris is Timur.
The world premiere of Puccini’s final opera was at Teatro alla Scala, Milan in 1926. The story is an epic fairy tale set in the exotic China of legend, loosely based on a play by 18th century dramatist Carlo Gozzi. The original commedia dell’arte characters in Gozzi’s play wandered from Italy to China and were members of the Imperial court.
The large Turandot orchestra calls for a wide variety of instruments and includes several genuine Chinese themes integrated into the score in a brilliantly original manner especially the big imperial anthem in Act II. The opera also contains moments of sheer melodic beauty most notably in the tenor’s Act II unforgettable song of triumph, Nessun Dorma.
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