Corinne Winters: 'Humans do stupid stuff and I think art should reflect that.'
News
Cool concerts: MELD
NewsWith multiple cameras placed around Royal Albert Hall, The Space has captured a concert experience where "the end result places the audience at the heart of the experience, giving a vivid sense of the movements and interactions of the musicians and singers with the space."
Don't miss: Anthropologies imaginaires
News"The experts on screen comment on invented vocal traditions demonstrated by the singer-performer. Various odd or isolated vocal expressions from around the world are woven together and revisited through imaginary folklore and experimental voice techniques, showcasing the virtuosity, versatility, and strangeness of the human voice."
Young singing done right: Aksel Rykkvin
NewsIt's entirely refreshing to hear 13-year old Aksel Rykkvin, Norwegian boy soprano. With early classical training, Rykkvin has already appeared with Norwegian National Opera; now, he has released an album of arias by Mozart, Handel and Bach, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under conductor Nigel Short.
Ian Smith of the EMC: "We unite through the common language of music"
NewsIn the wake of disbelief following the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, we are saddened and stunned for the British and Northern Irish people. Among the industries that will surely feel the effects of an independent UK are the arts. We'd like to share a statement by Ian Smith, Head of Music at Creative Scotland, and Chair & President of the European Music Council.
Call for submissions: Mahogany Opera Group's Various Stages
NewsA Mahogany creation, with the aim to test and challenge new ideas in opera and music theatre, Various Stages is an annual programme that offers selected artists the chance to put their projects through various workshops, sharings, and public showings, with support given along the way.
Great ideas: Fenlon & Fenlon
NewsIt's an extremely personal way of presenting music; with Liebesbotschaft, Fenlon shows audiences not only what she feels about Schubert's songs, but distills her interpretation of the voice and piano parts into a singular source. The cycle is compiled to evoke "striking poetic and harmonic expedition", and the autonomy she earns by self-accompaniment offers "a spontaneous, relevant, and impromptu feeling" to familiar music.
Great ideas: a streamable opera miniseries
NewsRemember how we complained about how there's no opera on Netflix? Well, there still isn't. But we've discovered Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witch's Accuser, a project that will hopefully inspire more like it. Composer Lisa Bielawa and librettist Erik Ehn are in the midst of creating Vireo, a series of operatic episodes, two of which are now available to stream online.
Don't miss: Composers (of the) Roundtable
News"Children express themselves through singing, play-acting, dancing, making up stories, dressing up, and generally being over-the-top - which is pretty much what opera is all about. So a medium which might seem elitist and esoteric to adults comes naturally to children. Kids especially love storytelling, and opera is a great way to tell stories. "
The TFCO kicks off with Tolkien
NewsDavid Day, author of A Tolkien Bestiary, will give a talk and discussion about the fantasy worlds of King Arthur and J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Also on the docket are sneak peeks of two operas for young people, coming up later in the TFCO line-up, The Sword in the Schoolyard and The Hobbit, both by Canadian composer Dean Burry (The Brothers Grimm, The Bremen Town Musicians).
Violetta, haute couture, & sharing the opera stage with fashion
NewsCombining fashion design and opera is like any use of cross-disciplinary art - it's about finding balance. Valentino wouldn't be a great choice for the costumes of Hänsel und Gretel, say, and perhaps Coppola wouldn't have been wise to choose a brand new work as her first foray into directing opera. Likewise, there's little room for homage to hip-hop in Dialoges des Carmélites, or to try adding the Can-Can in Wozzeck.