Pittsburgh in the Round: Pittsburgh Opera, shortly after announcing that its Education and Outreach programs have earned the company a prestigious spot as a finalist in the 2019 International Opera Awards, has released details as to repertory and production information for its upcoming 2019-2020 season, the company’s 81st. In keeping with recent seasons, the lineup includes old standards and novelties, and is an attractive combination sure to have something for everyone–be they opera veterans or newcomers to this magnificent art form.
4 comments:
Looking over the upcoming season for Pittsburgh Opera, it's very clear that there is a wide range and options of things to see. It's a good balance of classic power operas and newer works. I am really excited to see that they will be performing Florencia en el Amazonas, I had never heard of that opera and many works are not in Spanish. When Madison Opera brought this piece to the stage lat season, I was able to meet the widow of the composer, and she led a talk about the work itself. Because opera has such connotations with being an old, stuffy art form it's so different to hear so close from the source about the work. The opera itself is absolutely beautiful, and I recommend everyone to go see it once it comes to the Benedum. The other operas are also strong works. Norma is a very powerful opera, that is not only vocally challenging, but emotionally challenging. The role itself is meant for strong leading ladies, and the story has many parallels to modern society. The more classical pieces of Don Giovanni and Carmen are popular, and operas that I think everyone needs to see before they die. I've only heard music from Alcina, and I am not familiar with The Last American Hammer, but it's good to see an established company making efforts to bringing smaller, and different genres of music to their audiences.
The arts in Pittsburgh are pretty spectacular for such a small city. I know that it is partially because of the old money from the Carnegies and the like, but I think the culture here also values art a disproportionate amount compared to most other cities. At home in Fort Worth, Texas, our orchestra and ballet are underfunded, regional theatre is healthy but relatively sparse, and our opera can’t afford to support a season, so they do a festival, hoping to attract people from across the country to come and see multiple operas in a weekend. They come, but in the last few years, the festival has shrunk from four operas to two. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh, with a third of the population of Fort Worth, supports an orchestra, a more active ballet, a variety of regional theaters, and an opera season of six productions, several of which are large productions like Carmen and Don Giovanni… generally not cheap to produce. I think a lot can be gleaned from how much a place values art, and in this regard, Pittsburgh seems like a really great place to be.
Opera is something that I have been exposed to from such a young age and have always enjoyed. A lot of people think it is boring and that it is hard because you cannot understand them, but I have never felt that way. This year I got to see the "Madame Butterfly" at the Pittsburgh Opera, and I was a little disappointed in the production. One of the leads had just flown in as a stand in, so I understand that it was hard for him. However, the other people were still not amazing, and they had been working on this piece for a little while. I am excited to see more Pittsburgh Opera because maybe it was just a bad performance, and next year's season sounds exciting because I love "Carmen" and "Don Giovanni". I am surprised about some of the shows that they chose because they are somewhat strange and definitely not the mainstream operas - ie. "Magic Flute" - but I want to see them and see how they are done.
It’s so insane how at home I feel in Pittsburgh! The show season is so similar to Cincinnati Opera’s past seasons and 2019-2020 season. The arts environment in Pittsburgh is so vibrant, there is always opportunity to see and be apart of a production. After working for Cincinnati Opera and being apart of my school’s student opera council, I have a newfound appreciation for operas. While I don’t think I’ll ever work in opera, the art form itself is beautiful. PLUS! I loveeee Carmen! The music is gorgeous, the costumes are always fabulous, it is visually spectacular. They have a very extensive season, as a couple people in the comments have mentioned, so I wonder how the production value will be impacted with such a busy season such as that. Even though it is pretty expensive, I am very excited to see what Pittsburgh Opera has to offer in its future season!
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