Featuring real helicopters, two choirs, octophonic sound, numerous musicians, the Radio 1 DJ Nihal and requiring two separate performance halls, this will be the first time that all six parts of the opera have been staged together.
Yeah, helicopters.
Wednesday from Light easily ticks the once-in-a-lifetime criteria. Its finale, in which a string quartet perform in separate helicopters – so the whirring blades become part of the music – has been performed in isolation, but never as part of a complete performance. Vick said the DJ Nihal would be part of the helicopter segment in the role Stockhausen intended for himself, as a kind of moderator or commentator.
Last night I saw the dress rehearsal of Birmingham Opera Company’s Life is a Dream. It was excellent and featured:
A big guy with a phenomenal voice
A man in a Spiderman costume pushing a pram
A king who fashions himself after the dad out of The Royal Family
A cast of hundreds
A couple of brave guys in nothing but underwear (their choice apparently, and it’s not warm in that building)
A woman in killer heels with a bloody great big sword
I know I always go on about BOC’s stuff but I don’t care – we’re lucky to have Graham Vick and co doing their thing in Birmingham. And if the ‘opera’ tag puts you off then there’s all the more reason to see this one. Buy a ticket. Go and see it. Do wrap up warm though, it’s a bit chilly in there.
If you want a sneaky peek at what they’ve done with Argyle Works this time, here’s a video of us all clapping at the talented people (well, I was waving my phone around like some sort of pillock, but you know what I mean).
Just a quick one to say that BBC 2 are broadcasting a double bill of Birmingham Opera Company this Saturday, 19 Feb. You can catch Verdi: The Director’s Cut at 3.25pm and Othello at 4.25pm – 7pm.
Verdi: The Director’s Cut – Graham Vick prepares his production of Verdi’s Aida for Bregenz Festival on the banks (and sometimes in!) Lake Constance. The film maker, Andy King Dabbs then followed Graham Vick to Birmingham to document the creation of another new Verdi production, Othello, with Birmingham Opera Company in the Argyle Works, a former factory, in Digbeth.
Othello – a broadcast of the Birmingham Opera Company production in its entirety starring Ronald Samm as Othello – the first time in a professional production in the UK the role has been sung by a black tenor. He is joined by Stephanie Corley as Desdemona and Keel Watson as Iago and the Birmingham Opera Company Orchestra & Chorus is conducted by the distinguished UK conductor Stephen Barlow.
I attended this last night, the performance was absolutely incredible. I am a huge fan of Birmingham Opera Company, they blow me away every year. We are so lucky to have such an exciting organisation in Bham.
And I have to say I absolutely agree. It was great, and had more ideas, cheekiness and more serious things to say packed into its 30 minute running time than just about anything else I’ve seen this year.
A proper review of the show won’t be worth me writing – if I’m honest I’m still not quite sure what happened. I hardly remember the music and had no idea what was going on most of the time. Everything was going on most of the time. It was more an installation than anything with the cast (hundreds of brides and grooms) running riot throughout AE Harris.
Things started as soon as we started drifting into the building, with the cast getting into character and assuming odd positions all over the place. I know I’m not the only person to have taken this picture:
And to think this was ‘just’ a quick little thing to fill the gap before a bigger production in the spring of next year. Can’t wait for that.
Now I think of it, there’s been quite a bit of Stravinsky around recently. BRB included The Firebird in Russian Steps in 2008 and the 3D audiovisual spectacular version of The Rite of Spring will be at the Symphony Hall next year. Anyone for Petroushka?
This weekend Birmingham Opera Company will be presenting Stravinsky’s The Wedding at A E Harris. The experimental performance will last half an hour, as audiences are drawn around the space, with no formal seating and performance area.
The Wedding is a screaming, shrieking, flat out masterpiece with its rhythmic drive and unique sound world – 4 virtuoso pianists on grand pianos, a dazzling array of percussion, 4 soloists and a chorus. Written as a ballet in 1923 for Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes, Stravinsky drew on Russian traditions to conjure up a vivid and intense depiction of the old ways, and the not so old!
Performances take place on Friday 19th November 8.30pm / Saturday 20th November 7.30pm & 9pm / Sunday 21st November 4pm & 5.30pm.
Tickets are £7.50 (£5 concessions) and can be booked through The Ticket Sellers on 0844 870 0000
Birmingham Opera Company’s Verdi’s Othello and a documentary on the work of Graham Vick are to be broadcast in June 2010 on BBC 2
Which is good. I remember hearing that the BBC came in to film Othello during it’s hugely fantastic run at the end of last year but I also heard it didn’t go quite as planned. Looks like everything turned out alright after all.
It’d be pointless me adding to the mounting pile of gushing reviews this performance is receiving, so I’m going to float an idea instead (which should give you an inkling of what I thought of it).
Graham Vick is the Artistic Director of Birmingham Opera Company. Year-round he works with the world’s major operas and returns to Birmingham to let his imagination run riot. If you’re lucky enough to see one of his BOC productions he’ll be the guy with the look of impish enthusiasm ushering the audience around and mouthing the words.
Here are his notes from Othello’s programme:
After the first night thousands hijacked Verdi’s carriage to parade him through the streets of Milan in triumph
I think Birmingham owes Graham Vick the same treatment.
Othello is deservedly sold out. However, I’ve heard a rumour that the BBC will be filming the show for broadcast, so fingers crossed on that.
It’s taken me a while to mention this one although it’s been on my radar for ages.
Birmingham Opera Company are doing Othello on 7 dates between 5-19 December. It’s going to be amazing and epic because, by and large, amazing and epic are what Birmingham Opera Company do.
Like last year’s King Idomeneo, this will be a walkabout performance in a massive industrial building – specifically Argyle Works on Great Barr Street. However, BOC manager Jean Nicholson has suggested that the days of the company putting on shows in this way may be limited.
Warwick Uni’s opera, drama, and dance societies have got together and are putting on performances of Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas‘ at a selection of churches around the West Mids, including a show at St Martin’s church on Wed 26 November.
Set in no particular time this opera draws freely from past, present and future to create an upbeat cautionary tale for discerning audiences of adults and children
It’s a family affair by the looks of things, and will be taking place on Sat 6 Dec at the Town Hall between 11am and 1pm. The first 45 mins will be a workshop to prepare the kids for singing roles in the chorus for the performance, which will start at 12pm.
Pete at Spaghetti Gazetti reminded me of this. His post also has the flyer and a story about Paul Murphy from back in the day.
Jamie at Audiences Central has blogged about something interesting which makes me wonder which is more likely:
Traffic wardens are routinely told to wander around abandoned industrial units in Ladywood at night looking for cars to ticket; or
Visitors to (the nationally acclaimed) Birmingham Opera Company’s King Idomeneo are being opportunistically targetted by the city’s traffic wardens.
After hearing council leader Mike Whitby expound on the importance of the arts in the city last night I sincerely hope it’s not the latter.
Now, fair enough, a double-yellow’s a double-yellow and there’s a fire station a couple of roads away that it wouldn’t be very smart to block off. But why does the response have to be to send people to ticket the cars (and rake in the cash) night after night? Those streets surround derelict buildings and are deserted in the evenings so surely there’s a more constructive solution.
I understand the Opera Company have actually been managing the limited parking availability as well as possible – stewards are telling people where not to park and they’ve put on buses from the Town Hall – so there’s a sense of satisfaction when the wardens (allegedly responding to ‘a complaint’) are unable to ticket anyone. Maybe, in hindsight, the Company should have contacted the council themselves to put extra arrangements in place.
Birmingham Opera Company are busting a gut to do something spectacular, putting Birmingham on the map (for the right reasons) and providing something genuinely exciting to attract new audiences and people from outside the city.
Why on earth would anyone from the city want to stand in their way?
By the way, I’ve tried to be a proper journo about this and have called the council’s press office for a response but I’m still waiting for that and, heck, there’s a comment box below. If I do hear back from anyone I’ll update this post.
Oh, and the final performances of King Idomeneo are tonight and tomorrow – if you’ve not gone yet then please do, it’s great.
If you spot a review, some photos, film or whatever (or produce something yourself) then let me know in the comments. I’ll be searching out what I can and hopefully we’ll collect together some interestingness.
I went to the full dress rehearsal of Birmingham Opera Company’s King Idomeneo on Sunday night and loved it. What’s not to like about an abandoned factory stuffed with shipping containers, opera singers, dirt and orange trees?
Anyway, I have two tickets for tonight’s proper opening show to give away to the first person who shouts up for them in the comments.
Here are some guidelines:
No-one associated with CiB (that includes Creative Republic types) can claim the tickets
First to claim the tickets in the comments wins
But feel free to stake a claim after the first post, just in case (see below)
I need to give your real name to the ticket-giving people. If you post under a pseudonym then remember to use a real email address. If I you don’t reply to a confirmatory email quick enough and/or I think you’re messing about I’ll work my way down the list of commenters
Tickets are to be collected on the door no later than 6.30pm today, 12 August 2008 – don’t claim them if you can’t make it (it sounds obvious but…)
My decision on anything and everything is final
If whoever goes would be good enough to blog about the show or send me a review to post on CiB that’d be great. Not essential or anything but it’d be nice.
If you don’t win the tickets then maybe consider buying one and going along anyway. You’re not likely to get the chance to see anything like this for a while.
