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.

(photo by Pete Ashton)

I saw Birmingham Opera Company’s staging of Stravinsky’s The Wedding on Friday night – the dress rehearsal, to be precise. Claire Ferrell has commented on our previous post to say:

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

Info about The Wedding here.

a behind-the-scenes look at Graham Vick’s productions of Aida and Othello

In fact I’ve just noticed that BOC have announced that:

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.

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.

The performance will incorporate professional opera singers, an amateur chorus (to include Pete Ashton, who’s occasionally seen around these parts and who has been taking photos during rehearsals, including the one below), a new children’s chorus and a dance company of 200 young people as part of the People Dancing programme (read about Smash Bro’z involvement in that).

Here are some bonus bulletpoints:

• In this production, Ronald Samm will be the first black man to play Othello for a professional opera company in the UK
• Pete Ashton’s done a good analysis of the poster and what lies behind it
• Shoes may not be worn in the performance space – socks will be available
• The Saturday shows (5, 12 and 19 Dec) have already sold out
• You really should buy yourself a ticket. Worst case scenario – you won’t know what you missed

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.

There’s plenty more info on the press release here.

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.

1. Traffic wardens are routinely told to wander around abandoned industrial units in Ladywood at night looking for cars to ticket; or
2. 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.