16-18 February 2007 Press

16-18 February 2007

Press kit Table of content

1. Press release p. 3 2. The European Opera Days, by Bernard Foccroulle p. 4 3. Opera, mirror of Europe, by Gerard Mortier p. 5 4. The future of opera, by Nicholas Payne p. 6 5. Youth and Opera, by Federico Mayor Zaragoza p. 7 6. The European Opera Days around Europe p. 8 7. The European Opera Days in Paris p. 11 a. Conference programme b. Performances 8. The European Opera Days partners p. 14 a. Opera Europa b. Fedora c. RESEO d. Opéra national de Paris e. Réunion des Opéras de France f. Opera XXI g. Professional Chamber of Opera Managers h. Juvenilia i. Other partners 9. Opera Ambassadors p. 19 10. Tous à l’Opéra!, by Laurent Hénart p. 20 11. The revival of Opera in Spain p. 21 12. Recent landmark productions p. 22 13. Opera, alive and kicking p. 26 14. Opera in the community p. 28 15. Opera education, by Katie Tearle p. 29 16. Opera and modern music p. 30 17. Opera and the movies, by Serge Toubiana p. 31 18. Opera and architecture: new opera houses p. 32 19. Opera and fashion p. 35 20. Famous people and opera p. 36 21. Quotes on opera p. 37 22. Fun facts about opera p. 39 23. Contact details p. 41

1. Press release

European Opera Days – celebrating 4 centuries of "Opera"

During the weekend of 16 to 18 February 2007, opera houses all around Europe are inviting neighbours, fans and critics, new and existing audiences to (re)discover the amazing world of opera in their community and all around Europe. Each and every one will be given the opportunity to live the opera experience in a unique way!

The same weekend, the European Opera Days conference will be hosted by the Opéra national de Paris. Opera professionals, members of the audience, decision makers, artists and media representatives will meet to discuss opera’s role and future. Young delegates selected by opera houses all around Europe will be invited to take part in the activities and debates on opera and its place in society.

The three-day conference will explore subjects on 'the European Opera heritage, its diversity and common values', 'working with and for new publics' and 'the future of Opera’. José Manuel Barroso, Bernard Foccroulle, Peter Eötvös, Peter Gelb, Gerard Mortier, Deborah Warner, and many others, will contribute to the debates.

On www.operadays.eu , readers, listeners, viewers can find out what's happening in their community, learn more about opera or discover how to participate in the Paris conference.

The year 2007 marks the 400th anniversary of opera’s first masterpiece, Monteverdi’s Orfeo . It creates a unique opportunity to speak across national barriers to the public of today. You will find attached the European Opera Days press kit. Diverse subjects are covered, ranging from reflections on the future of Opera and its role in Europe, to opera and fashion, passing by opera in the community and opera fun facts. You will find an impressive overview of new opera houses, as well as a list of famous people linked to opera and opera quotes. Please take a look at our Opera Ambassadors list – we are proud that these artists agreed to be the face is this unique initiative. They look forward to sharing their views on today’s opera with you.

If you’re interested in participating in or if you want more information on the European Opera Days and its conference please send your request to [email protected] .

The European Opera Days are a joint initiative of Opera Europa, Fedora, Reseo and Opéra national de Paris, in partnership with the Réunion des Opéras de France, Opera XXI and CPDO. The project is under the leadership of Federico Mayor Zaragosa (president of Fedora, ex-president of Unesco), Gerard Mortier (general director of l’Opéra National de Paris, ex-president of Fedora and Intendant of the Salzburger Festspiele), Bernard Foccroulle (general director of La Monnaie, president of Opera Europa) and Nicholas Payne (director of Opera Europa, ex- general director of English National Opera and director of the Royal Opera Covent Garden).

2. The European Opera Days, by Bernard Foccroulle

From Paris to Moscow, from Lisbon to Helsinki, opera is an art which for four centuries has taught European citizens to overcome linguistic and national barriers and to share a common heritage. From Europe, opera has developed towards the whole world. It carries a certain vision of the world, it is a mirror of human emotions and it puts on stage humanist values which have contributed to the emergence of democracy.

The European Opera Days will provide an ideal opportunity for hundreds of participants, and in particular many young people from all over Europe, to compare on the basis of the operatic repertory their respective sensibilities and their common identity.

European opera possesses an unusually collaborative dynamic. Often considered a luxurious and elitist art, it welcomes each year among its audiences tens of millions of spectators, it affects a growing number of children and young people, and it generates substantial economic returns. Right across Europe, partnerships are being established between opera houses, schools and universities, written and broadcast media, private business and public authorities.

What can we expect from these partnerships? Does opera thereby risk losing its soul, or on the contrary will it win a new recognition?

From what will opera’s future be made? Is there a risk of witnessing the burn-out of a genre which may not be sufficiently regenerated by popular creations? Where can one identify the signs of a renewal of opera?

Besides the more publicised activities, some experiences are gradually coming to light: creations outside traditional spaces, opera productions in the suburbs or in schools, creation of intercultural and multimedia works, interventions from new technologies, etc.

The European Opera Days give us the dream occasion to see clearly, to exchange good practices, to make known the most innovative and promising experiences to the public, the media and the decision makers.

Bernard Foccroulle President of Opera Europa

3. Opera, mirror of Europe, by Gerard Mortier

The fragility of the construction of Europe shows us that the moment has come for a reflection on the why and the how of a future Europe. In any case, limitless consumption and the free market cannot be the final goal of it. They are precisely the opposite of the historical evolution of Europe as a social and political entity and they carry within themselves cynicism and nihilism. The great problem of Europe today therefore lies in the fact that it is part of a perspective wherein worship of material choice overshadows basic reflection on principles. This reflection is rendered all the more difficult by the almost complete disappearance of our historical consciousness and of the references of an artistic tradition.

We must awaken and teach this historical awareness.

The approach to art is indeed too often an expression of art’s consumption, even though the deep knowledge and study of works of art makes possible a realisation of the spectacular evolution of European thought, of the road which leads from the Empires to the Declaration of the rights of man. Büchner’s Danton’s Death, for example, shows the problem which the historical Danton presents and exposes the question of the (non-) chances of a revolution. One grasps better the evolution of a woman’s position in western society by reading Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Wedekind’s Lulu; the modern myths of Faust and Don Juan uncover for us the hubristic thinking and desires of European man; it is through the understanding of European theatre from Greek tragedy, passing through Elizabethan theatre, the bourgeois drama of the 19 th century and the musical drama of Verdi, and of Wagner, up until the films of Buñuel, Pasolini, Fellini, Bergman and Kubrick, that political debate in Parliament takes all its meaning and that democracy can be fully understood.

Europe will only get accustomed itself to the condition that European citizens become aware of this history of the arts of this great historical evolution and of the fundamental inheritance of the Enlightenment. Opera, specific form of this heritage, is an ideal mirror in which European man can study himself and wonder about his hopes, his failings, his Utopias. For that, it is necessary to throw the mirror out of the ‘curiosity shop’, and to make from it a living and fascinating reflection of man in our time.

Gerard Mortier General Director of Opéra national de Paris

4. The future of opera, by Nicholas Payne

Four centuries old, where lies the future of this mythological hybrid beast – opera?

Despite its magnificent heritage, opera is not a collection of masterpieces to be looked after by the curator of a museum. It belongs in the theatre, where it comes alive through the reinterpretation of contemporary artists. Because it is a live event experienced in the company of an audience, its outcome cannot be entirely predicted. There lies part of its fascination.

In the culture of the 21 st century, opera must compete with an increasing variety of entertainments. Film came to dominate popular taste in the 20 th century. The worldwide internet has created new forms of individual access in the 21 st century. Most new music is amplified. Opera needs to come to terms with these changes, to confront them or embrace them. Some leading practitioners – composers, directors, filmmakers, creative producers – will show their response to these challenges during the European Opera Days in Paris.

‘Ei blot til lyst’ – not only for pleasure – is the motto above the stage at the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen. It is an enduring warning in our consumerist age. While the music and the drama must please with their beauty and excitement, they must also provoke thought and disturb the emotions. People yearn for a spiritual dimension in their lives, and in a secular age great art has the power to provide it.

Opera houses are learning that they need to open their doors to new audiences and to reach out to new constituencies. They will find that many of that public do not share a cultural educational background, nor do they necessarily have the same attention span or the same social prejudices. Shorter operas are likely to appear. Opera will have to become as comfortable with film and video and television treatment as it did with audio recording during the 20 th century.

Opera will survive and thrive if there are great artists to compose and perform it. One of the most encouraging features of the European Opera Days is the list of Young Opera Ambassadors who are endorsing them. Mostly aged between 25 and 35, such artists represent the future of opera as a living art form.

The other vital ingredient for the future of opera is the renewal of audiences. Young delegates from all over Europe will be joining the European Opera Days in Paris. They will be asked where tomorrow’s audience for opera is coming from. From this debate, we shall be seeking a bold initiative which can invest in the future of opera across national boundaries and carry it out into a brave new world.

Nicholas Payne Director of Opera Europa

5. Youth and Opera, by Federico Mayor Zaragoza

At the dawn of a century and of a millennium, it is particularly timely for everyone personally to decide on what are the expressions of art which they individually prefer, what kinds of music they like to hear, what cultural activities they would enjoy and/or practice. Youth has many years ahead, and those years can only be fulfilled by your own choices.

I sincerely encourage young people to put aside all stereotypes and misconceptions, and to discover or rediscover opera, where so many different dimensions converge – music, theatre, spectacle, singing, and dancing too… With modern communication technology, it is possible for new audiences to be entranced without any detrimental effect in quality. Measures for widening the presence and direct representations of opera must be adopted and supported at both public and private levels.

Opera is a truly European cultural expression which is rapidly expanding worldwide. Opera has the capacity to touch you emotionally, because it is the closest reflection of this plural and complex orchestra that makes up every unique human being.

Have you ever tried it?

Now is your chance. The European Opera Days are particularly focused on young people with open minds. They will offer opportunities which you dare not miss.

Federico Mayor Zaragoza President of Fedora

6. The European Opera Days around Europe

This is a small taste of the local events, selected to represent the diversity of European Opera Days in geographical reach, in the variety of events planned and in the many scales of opera house participating . For more comprehensive information, see the Around Europe section of www.operadays.eu.

Belgium, De Vlaamse Opera, Ghent Alongside a lunchtime concert performed by students of the Operastudio Vlaanderen and two performaceos of Die Walküre , Vlaamse Opera invites its local communities to Discover the Flemish Opera . The programme for the afternoon of Saturday 17 February includes: an introduction to the opera house, a guided tours in the theatre & ballrooms, an introduction to its educational project and an interactive workshop. www.vlaamseopera.be

Czech Republic, The National Moravian-Silesian Theatre, Ostrava NMST celebrates EOD by activities including: free guided tour, press conference, workshops, projections of NMST productions and productions from other theatres, meet the artist opportunities, and two operas: Cosi Fan Tutte and Ngoa-É. Cosi Fan Tutte is presented in a contemporary translation by famous Czech folk singer and poet Jaromír Nohavica. Ngoa-É is project that enables wide spectrum of children and young people to develop their creativity by the means of communication, which is common to all people – music and art. www.ndm.cz

Denmark, Det Kongelige Teater, Copenhagen Det Kongelige Teater is planning to have open rehearsals, a live opera quiz on the main stage with participants from the audience, its young opera network, university and music academy as well as a sing-along-session on stage, where everybody can join in and sing the Nabucco-chorus (music available on our website in advance), lectures, guided tours, a vocal recital, screening of clips from a forthcoming DVD of its recent Ring cycle. www.kglteater.dk

France, Opéra de Lille Opéra de Lille’s European Open Day celebrations focus on La Traviata; a number of activities between 16-18 February will be on offer in some unexpected places, all linked to Opéra de Lille’s staging of Verdi’s opera in production conducted by JC Casadesus and directed by I. Brook: an open rehearsal of with the Opéra de Lille chorus and workshop with its director; apartment concerts with soloists from the Orchestre national de Lille; a ball; opera karaoke in local cafés; directing workshops with local young people; and a special evening at the Opera, which will include projected extracts from other productions of Traviata from other theatres across Europe. www.opera-lille.fr

France, Opéra national de Bordeaux The Opéra national de Bordeaux opens the doors of its Grand Théâtre with a programme including: guided tours of the scenery and costume departments; Opus, operis… opera, a exhibition celebrating the musical history of the Opera; a concert by the Opera Chorus; three performances of Verdi’s Rigoletto ; and You are the artiste! , an invitation to try your hand at opera, and in full costume and make- up. www.opera-bordeaux.com

Germany, Staatstheater Nuernberg On Saturday 17 February, the Staatstheater offers a high-energy programme to Nuremburgers under the title, A day at the Opera : Pursuing, catching, defeating – a martial arts workshop by Rebekka Stanzel; Let there be light – the head of lighting design, Olaf Lundt, will let you in on the lighting secrets of the Staatstheater Nuremberg; Sing-a-long choir rehearsal – an opportunity to rehearse the Prisoners’ chorus from Nabucco ; An afternoon in make-up; and From an idea to a costume – a workshop detailing the different stages of costume design, production, and fitting, with a tour of the wardrobe collection. And if they still want more, on Sunday 18 there is a workshop on Der Fliegende Holländer. www.staatstheater.nuernberg.de

Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg Between 17 and 18 February, the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg offers workshops on the voice and singing for children, master classes with the HSBC laureates from the 2006 European Music Academy, guided tour of the theatre and an all-comers singing event with Luxembourg choirs. www.theater-vdl.lu

Russia, Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre is planning to project opera performances from it theatre archives alongside productions from other European companies. They are also going to organise an open doors day for anybody interested in the life of the Theatre. www.opera.permonline.ru

Spain, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona The Liceu will open their European Opera Days with Don Carlos , directed by Peter Konwitschny and conducted by Maurizio Benini. Don Carlos is a wilfully European choice of opera to mark the EOD, assembling as it does elements of the musical, literary and historical European cultural heritage. The Liceu will promote this opera among young audiences with special offers. Open Opera : one of Don Carlos performances will be transmitted live around 50 universities across Spain. On Saturday 17 February 2007, the Liceu offers its audiences a day in the life of Gran Teatre del Liceu. Through this free open day, the Liceu welcomes all comers of all ages to explore the inner workings of the theatre. In parallel, the Liceu will project recordings of opera from other European cities. www.liceubarcelona.com

Spain, Teatro Real, Madrid Teatro Real will be organising an Open Doors Day . Teatro Real will welcome visitors to see the main auditorium as well as the public reception rooms. The Opera takes to the streets: There will be giant screens in different crowded and popular streets showing operas. Radio Competition: Teatro Real, in collaboration with some radio stations, will launch a competition specifically created for young people. Winners will receive complimentary tickets to different operas during the season. Open Opera : Coinciding with the different commemorative events there will be transmission of live opera around 50 participating universities across Spain. www.teatro-real.com

United Kingdom, English National Opera, London English National Opera is opening its doors virtually to mark European Opera Days (EOD). Inside Out is its multimedia project, linked to La Bohème , giving audiences unprecedented access to the process of staging an opera. An interactive website will track the opera production from planning, through rehearsal to the first night and beyond, through blogs from the cast and interviews with the artistic team. The backstage areas will be opened up with eye-popping 360 tours, a flys-eye view of the stage, footage of a show turnaround and interviews with technical staff. Audience who want to develop their own singing can view a singing lesson with ENO principal Janis Kelly and they will be invited to send in their own version of a La Bohème aria. www.eno.org/insideout (from mid-January)

The list of opera companies taking part in this event is available on www.operadays.eu .

For more information on other local events celebrating European Opera Days please contact RESEO at [email protected] or dial + 32 2 217 68 17.

7. The European Opera Days in Paris a. Conference programme

Friday 16 February 2007 European Opera’s heritage, its diversity, its common values

Afternoon plenary sessions Welcome address French Minister of Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres and Gerard Mortier, Director of the Paris Opera, will welcome the participants at Opéra Bastille’s Amphithéâtre. Opera, mirror of Europe’s diverse identity José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Union, will debate with Bernard Foccroulle, President of Opera Europa, Federico Mayor Zaragoza, President of Fedora, and Gerard Mortier the role of opera as an agent for cohesion and progress within a multilingual Europe

Saturday 17 February 2007 Working for and with new publics

Morning breakout sessions Children’s opera by Georges Aperghis Performance of Le petit chaperon rouge followed by a workshop with its composer and the artists of Ensemble Reflex Opera in the community Graham Vick on his groundbreaking productions with different communities in unconventional spaces in Birmingham Don Giovanni on film Young people’s approaches to Mozart’s opera at the Accademia of La Scala Milan and by the graduates of As.Li.Co in Como Discovering an opera: Cardillac Film based on André Engel’s production for the Paris Opera Is the future of opera beyond the opera house? The role of cinema and television in broadening the audience for opera with contributions from Pierre-Olivier Bardet, producer of Kenneth Branagh’s Magic Flute film, the International Music + Media Centre (IMZ Vienna) and Serge Toubiana, Director of la Cinématèque Française European Audience Mapping Report on the recent survey of audiences at opera house in 9 European cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bologna, Brussels, Cardiff, Oslo, Paris, Strasbourg, Vilnius Attracting young adults to the opera Kasper Bech Holten, Director of the Royal Danish Opera Copenhagen, will interact with a diverse panel of young delegates

Afternoon plenary session in the Amphithéâtre Where is tomorrow’s audience coming from? Richard Morrison, chief music critic of The Times, will lead a debate involving opera and marketing professionals, with the aim of reaching a practical proposal for action Preceded by Opera is it, a short film produced by RESEO

Sunday 18 February 2007 The future of opera

Morning breakout sessions Creating opera now Workshop with composer Peter Eötvös Conversation with composer Kaija Saariaho and her librettist Amin Maalouf Film of Powder her Face by Thomas Adès Music, words and short operas Workshop led by director Deborah Warner with singers Ian Bostridge and Joan Rodgers and actress and writer Fiona Shaw Commissioning opera Discussion of process and purpose by Pierre Audi, Artistic Director of Netherlands Opera, Bob McPhee, composer and Opera.ca chair, Robert Sirman, chair of Canadian Arts Council, and Klaus Zehelein, Dramaturg and Director of Theater & Schule Munich Singers of the future A selection of young Opera Ambassadors will share their experience, fears, ideals and views with participants. Marrying film technology with opera An exploration of the possibilities and pitfalls of introducing new technology to opera by Edward Gardner, Music Director of English National Opera, Sally Potter, film, TV and theatre director, and Jan Younghusband, commissioning editor arts for UK’s Channel 4

Afternoon plenary session in the Amphithéâtre Is there a future for opera? Keynote address by Peter Gelb, General Director of the Metropolitan Opera New York, followed by open debate

12 b. Performances

Friday 16 February

19.00 Opéra Bastille La Juive by Jacques Fromental Halévy, conducted by Daniel Oren, directed by Pierre Audi, sets by George Tsypin, costumes by Dagmar Niefind, with Annick Massis, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Neil Shicoff and Robert Lloyd

20.00 Palais Garnier Diary of one who vanished by Leoš Janáček / Duke Bluebeard’s Castle by Bela Bartók, conducted by Gustav Kuhn, directed by Alex Ollé and Carlos Padrissa (La Fura dels Baus), designed by Jaume Plensa with Michael König and Hannah Esther Minutillo / Willard White and Béatrice Uria-Monzon

Saturday 17 February

10.00 Amphithéâtre Bastille Le Petit Chaperon rouge by Georges Aperghis, performed by Ensemble Reflex

19.00 Amphithéâtre Bastille Brundibár by Hans Krása, performed by the Prague Children’s Opera

19.30 Opéra Bastille Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadé Mozart, conducted by Michael Güttler, directed by Michael Haneke, designed by Christoph Kanter and Annette Beaufaÿs with Peter Mattei, Christine Schäfer, Ana Maria Martinez, Aleksandra Zamojska, Shawn Mathey, Luca Pisaroni, David Bizic and Mikhail Petrenko

20.30 Studio Bastille The Magic Flute , a new film by Kenneth Branagh

8. The European Opera Days partners

a. Opera Europa, European Association of Opera Houses and Festivals

Opera Europa is the European association of opera houses and festivals. Its membership encompasses over 90 opera companies in 30 countries. Opera Europa acts as a platform for discussion and collaboration on subjects of common concern to opera professionals, and encourages specialist forums to focus on specific areas of expertise. Among other projects, Opera Europa has coordinated a pan-European audience survey. Ten opera companies selected from around Europe have submitted their public to a questionnaire which will lead to a portrait of the audience for opera today. The results of the survey will be presented during a session at the European Opera Days conference in Paris. For more information about Opera Europa and its activities, visit www.opera- europa.org .

b. Fedora, European Association of Friends of the Opera

FEDORA , the European Federation of the Associations and Foundations supporting Opera houses and Opera festivals, is a non profit organisation gathering 24 Opera Friends Associations , in and outside Europe. FEDORA is a platform of communication for Friends Associations, giving them the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences. FEDORA organises Special events and Friends events, every season, in different countries, to promote contacts between Friends Associations and their members. As a tribute to its founding President Rolf Liebermann, FEDORA has created a Fund supported by FEDORA Events’ profits, and donations. The purpose is to help young artists, to promote Opera to a young public, to support Opera Houses in Eastern European countries, to give scholarships, to encourage original recordings, etc. The Rolf Liebermann fund is supporting the participation of young European representatives at the Paris conference of the European Opera Days by sponsoring their travel to Paris. For more information about FEDORA and its activities, visit www.fedora-opera.org

14 c. RESEO, European Network of Opera House Education Departments

RESEO is the umbrella organisation for opera education. Over the last 10 years, its membership has grown to fifty opera companies of all sizes from across Europe. RESEO ’s aim is to develop the opera education sector, encouraging mutually enriching exchange between its professionals. RESEO ’s current project is a collaboration between opera houses, schools and youth culture organisations to engage young people with Mozart and his operas. Working with artists, teachers and young people from across the continent, the partner organisations are exchanging, comparing, brainstorming, documenting and, above all, producing ways to bring Mozart alive for young people 250 years after his birth. The project offers young people a range of creative ways to Mozart from the production of a rap opera called Hip H’opera, to interactive workshops on the composer’s best-known works. The project is the subject of RESEO ’s first major publication. As well as contributing to the general programme of the event in Paris, RESEO will also focus on coordinating the activities that opera houses around Europe will organise to mark European Opera Days. For more information on RESEO and its activities, visit www.reseo.org .

d. Opéra national de Paris

Founded in 1669, the Opéra national de Paris , led by Gerard Mortier, is made out today of 2 theatres : the Palais Garnier (1975 seats), built by Charles Garnier at the end of the 19 th century, wordly reknown architectural work, and the Opéra Bastille (2.735 seats), by architect Carlos Ott, inaugurated on 13 July 1989, which constitutes un big modern theatre. The Opéra national de Paris , a public establishment, programs operatic and choreographic shows, symphonic concerts, ‘border’ performances, performances for the young audiences, but also events around the shows: ‘Pleins feux’ and ‘Casse- croûte à l’Opéra’. The Opéra national de Paris welcomes over 830.000 spectators each season, for around 360 performances of repertory and contemporary works. The Opéra de Paris also represents: an orchestra , an elite formation, led by the greatest conductors ; chorus artists , used to the most extreme repertoires and to the demands of the great stage directors of today ; a ballet of 154 dancers with a world-wide reputation, and its dance school which will celebrate its tri-centenary in 2013, established in Nanterre since 1987. The Opéra national de Paris also offers a programme within the Atelier Lyrique to prepare young singers, pianists and ‘chefs de chant’ to their future working conditions. The Opéra national de Paris will welcome the European Opera Days conference on the weekend of 16 to 18 February 2007. For more information on the Opéra national de Paris , visit www.operadeparis.fr .

15 e. Réunion des Opéras de France

The Réunion des Opéras de France is a professional association presided by Mr Laurent Hénart, which gathers 23 French opera houses. One of the particularities of the association, created in 1964 under the name "Réunion des Théâtres Lyriques Municipaux de France", is to gather within in Board on one side city representatives, and on the other, artistic and administrative opera directors. The association is a national resource point and insures a mission of services towards its members. Its mission is the professionnalisation of opera houses and the sharing of experience between these structures. The ROF is coordinating the French ‘Tous à l’opéra!’ initiative and is thus acting as a partner in the European Opera Days. For more information of the ROF and its activities, visit www.rof.fr .

f. Opera XXI

OPERA XXI , founded in February 2005, was created as a response to the increase of activities related to the world of opera over Spain in the last years. OPERA XXI unites the professional opera companies and opera festivals throughout Spain and it is committed to promote all actions that lead to bring the opera to a wider audience and to encourage the production of new operas. OPERA XXI , as first achievement, has produced: Dulcinea , an opera for children based on Don Quijote by Miguel de Cervantes, recently presented at the Teatro Real and now on tour. OPERA XXI is involved in projects to improve practical aspects of management that especially concerns to its members. OPERA XXI is working in partnership with the European Opera Days promoting programmes dedicated to make opera more popular. For further information about Opera XXI, visit www.operaxxi.com .

16 g. Professional Chamber of Opera Managers (CPDO)

The objective of the Professional Chamber of Opera Managers (CPDO in French), chaired by Pierre Médecin, is to bring together the greatest possible number of General Managers, Artistic Directors and Financial Directors working in opera houses in the European Union. The CPDO consists in a general section with the managers of all operas within the European Union with a right to vote. The general section will have the power to call on European structures, either on its own initiative or combined with other organisations with comparable aims, be they national trade employer organisations (such as the Deutscher Bühnenverein) or employer unions, such as Pearle*. The main focus of the CPDO is to further and defend issues of specific interest to opera theatres. The French section consists of managers of opera houses in France. It operates as an employer trade association, and enjoys all the usual rights and powers conferred by law to organisations of this type. Lastly, associated managers working outside the European Union take part in our activities with a consultative vote, in order to bring their own experience and express their problems. It is very naturally that the CPDO decided to join the Réunion des Opéras de France for the event "Tous à l'opéra!" in the context of the European Opera Days. For more information on the CPDO and its activities, visit www.directeurs- opera.org .

h. Juvenilia

Juvenilia is the European Association of Young Opera friends. This informal association gathers young opera fans for events around Europe all year round.

The European Opera Days conference in Paris will be a Juvenilia event, and welcome many young opera lovers.

For further information about Juvenilia, visit www.juvenilia.org .

17 i. Other partners

The European Opera Days would like to thank the Fondation Hippocrène, the Fondation Annenberg, HSBC France and the AROP for their support.

The Association pour le Rayonnement de l’Opéra de Paris is assisting and supporting the organisation of the European Opera Days conference. More information on www.arop-opera.com

The Fondation Hippocrène is dedicated to reinforcing cohesion between young Europeans, and therefore is supporting the European Opera Days as a commitment to building Europe through its youth and culture. More information on www.fondation–hippocrene.com

La Cinémathèque française will be organising a special day of ‘Opera on film’ in Paris on Saturday 17 February 2007. The programme will include Moïse et Aaron of Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, Tosca of Benoît Jacquot, Madame Butterfly of Frédéric Mitterrand and Boris Godounov of Andrzej Zulawski. On Sunday 18 February, Opéra national de Paris and the Cinémathèque française will collaborate to bring Carmen Jones and Kenneth Branagh’s The Magic Flute to the Studio Bastille . More information on www.cinematheque.fr

The Annenberg Foundation is dedicated to the development of communication for public well- being, particularly in matters of culture and education. The Annenberg Foundation regularly supports initiatives by the Opéra national de Paris through the American Friends of the Paris Opera, thanks to the involvement of Gregory and Regina Annenberg Weingarten. More information on www.annenbergfoundation.org .

9. Opera Ambassadors

These predominantly young artists have agreed to become Opera Ambassadors for the European Opera Days in Paris and beyond.

Contact via Sopranos Natalie Dessay (French) Agence Artistique Thérèse Cédelle Sally Matthews (English) Maxine Robertson Artists Management Tatiana Monogarova (Russian) Allied Artists, Robert Slotover Anna Netrebko (Russian) IMG, Jeffrey Vanderveen Danielle de Niese (Australian/American) IMG, Peter Wiggins

Mezzo-sopranos Maite Beaumont (Spanish) KD Schmid, Franziska Hunke Elina Garanča (Latvian) IMG, Jeffrey Vanderveen Magdalena Kožená (Czech) Askonas Holt, Robert Rattray Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Canadian) [email protected]

Counter-tenor William Towers (English) Allied Artists, Andrew Rosner

Tenors Aleksandrs Antoņenko (Latvian) Latvian National Opera, Jochem Breiholz Joseph Calleja (Maltese) IMG, Jeffrey Vanderveen Juan-Diego Flórez (Peruvian) Ernesto Palacio Artists Management Rolando Villazón (Mexican) Opéra et Concert, Dominique Riber

Baritones and basses Mariusz Kwiecien (Polish) CAMI, Bill Guerri Luca Pisaroni (Italian) IMG, Stefania Almansi Marco Vinco (Italian) Ernesto Palacio Artists Management

Conductors Edward Gardner (English) IMG, Wray Armstrong Vladimir Jurowsky (Russian) Glyndebourne, David Pickard Andris Nelsons (Latvian) Latvian National Opera, Jochem Breiholz

Directors Mariame Clément (French-Lebanese) Opéra du Rhin, Nicholas Snowman Stefan Herheim (Norwegian) [email protected] Kasper Bech Holten (Danish) Royal Danish Theatre, Louise Pedersen Thaddeus Strassberger (American) [email protected]

Composers Thomas Adès (English) Faber Music, Sally Cavender Kris Defoort (Belgian) Het Muziek Lod, Hans Bruneel Bruno Mantovani (French) [email protected]

10. Tous à l’opéra!

Saturday 17 February 2007 An initiative by the Réunion des Opéras de France In partnership with the Professional Chamber of Opera Managers In the context of the European Opera Days

The Réunion des Opéras de France is a professional association which brings together 23 opera houses in France. Its board made the decision in December 2005 to organise a ‘national opera day’ in 2007. In this way, Opera Europa’s proposal for European Opera Days – to coincide with the Forum which would take place in Paris in February 2007 – met our immediate partnership because it answered all of our expectations.

These days are an invitation to discover opera, a unique institution in the world of living arts. In France, over 6,500 artists and technicians bring together music, dance and performing arts to create and share with all the marvellous and fragile moment of performance.

A meeting between our two structures in Paris in January 2006 sealed a partnership which I am delighted with. This operation is without precedent in the history of French and European opera companies, as is the collaboration presiding over the simultaneous door opening of over 90 opera houses.

I wish that our engagement be written in time and encourage more access to these places to a wider audience, in order to offer a better readability of lyric art in France and in Europe.

Laurent Hénart President of Réunion des Opéras de France

11. The revival of opera in Spain

One of the most significant things that illustrates the spectacular revival of opera in Spain is the foundation in 2005 of Ópera XXI, an association that brings together 28 theatres and festivals with the aim of promoting opera.

With the arrival of the 21st century, Teatro Real in Madrid and the Liceu in Barcelona emerge as the veritable engines of the Spanish opera scene, becoming part of the traditional European circuit and as such, two of the most highly respected theatres on the continent. The Palau de les Arts was opened in Valencia in the autumn of 2006, which also saw the consolidation of the opera seasons of Bilbao, Oviedo, Las Palmas, Seville and A Coruña. Other houses of no less importance in Jérez, Tenerife, Málaga, Santander or Valladolid, as well as members of the association Ópera XXI in Pamplona, Córdoba, Mahón, Sabadell, Albacete and Mallorca, experienced a similar development.

This is an impressive, almost explosive panorama, if we consider that just 20 years ago, the Liceu in Barcelona was the only stable opera theatre in Spain.

The political will of the democratic governments led by the Ministry of Culture and the priority given to the cultural offer by autonomous communities and City Councils can explain this phenomenon. It has also occurred in response to public demand, manifested by the high level of occupation at opera performances. Other important factors have made this generalised interest possible: the construction of new auditoriums and theatres in all of the autonomous communities since 1983 and the fascination and popularity caused by the existence of great Spanish performers such as Teresa Berganza, Montserrat Caballé, Jaime Aragall, José Carreras, Plácido Domingo or Alfredo Kraus, to quote a few.

The result is that in a single year, 140 opera titles by 50 composers shall be performed to hundreds of thousands of viewers throughout Spanish territory, due in great part to the collaboration between European houses, that never has been so strong as today. Spain welcomes each year a significant number of international productions, as well as sends high quality Spanish productions on tour abroad, through partnerships and co-productions. Therefore the involvement of Ópera XXI, a building block of the European opera, in the European Opera Days, was a must we could not decline.

Miguel Muñiz President of OPERA XXI General Director of Teatro Real

12. Recent landmark productions

Austria, Wiener Staatsoper, Don Carlos – 2005 Directed by Peter Konwitschny A rare complete rendition of Verdi’s original French grand opera was revealed in a politically iconoclastic staging by Peter Konwitschny, which plunged the audience into the auto-da-fé. It will be performed at the Barcelona Liceu during the European Opera Days.

Belgique, La Monnaie, Die Zauberflöte – 2005 Directed by William Kentridge

This recreation of Mozart’s late masterwork was conceived by the polymath South African artist William Kentridge, who combined elements of animated film and video to bring an extra dimension to a staging which was both modern and magical. Co-produced with Lille, Caen and Napoli, it returns to Brussels next summer.

Germany, Sächsische Staatsoper, Wozzeck – 2004 Directed by Sebastian Baumgarten

Masterpiece of the 20 th century staged in its German heartland with searing contemporary immediacy and bleakness by 37-year-old Sebastian Baumgarten, who returns to Dresden to direct a new Peter Grimes during European Opera Days.

France, Opéra national de Paris, Tristan und Isolde – 2005 Directed by Peter Sellars

Wagner’s revolutionary ‘action’ of love and death, the iconic masterpiece of the 19 th century, reinvented for the 21 st century by Peter Sellars within the parallel visual universe of video artist Bill Viola.

France, Opéra national de Lyon, Die sieben Todsünden – 2005 Directed by François Girard

Kurt Weill’s compact ballet chanté with texts by Bertold Brecht charts its dual-personality heroine’s loss of idealism in capitalist America. Canadian film-director François Girard’s spectacular staging involved a group of street-dancers from Lyon’s urban wastelands.

Italy, Teatro alla Scala, Idomeneo – 2005 Directed by Luc Bondy The inaugural production of Stéphane Lissner’s regime at La Scala delivered stylistically aware playing Daniel Harding and beautiful but urgent stage direction by Luc Bondy in contrast to the static spectacles of Milan’s recent past. It reaches the Paris Opera in autumn 2006.

Netherlands, De Nederlandse Opera, Der Ring des Nibelungen – 2005 Directed by Pierre Audi The stage area of Amsterdam’s Musiktheater was partially rebuilt to accommodate Pierre Audi’s groundbreaking conception which involved both singers and orchestra on stage in realising Wagner’s epic in several sold-out cycles of the tetralogy. The premiere of Audi’s production of La Juive opens the European Opera Days in Paris.

Norway, Den Norske Opera, Giulio Cesare in Egitto – 2005 Directed by Stefan Herheim

36-year-old Norwegian director Stefan Herheim located Händel’s dazzling depiction of crumbling empires in a recognisable recreation of Oslo’s soon-to-be gone opera house. The company’s first baroque opera, conducted by Italian specialist Rinaldo Alessandrini, attracted a new public during a sold-out run.

Russia, Bolshoï Theatre, Eugene Oneguin – 2006 Directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov

Tchaikovsky’s ‘lyric scenes’ performed like a Chekhov play by a young cast of singing actors in the city of their premiere. A revolutionary staging by 35-year-old Dmitri Chernyakov at a theatre once regarded as a bastion of tired tradition. It will be performed there during the European Opera Days.

Spain, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Wozzeck – 2006 Directed by Calixto Bieito The passionate Catalan director Calixto Bieito re-imagined Berg’s opera in a present-day industrial inferno. His cutting- edge production, which might have been expected to alienate the traditional public, drew capacity audiences of both opera- lovers and newcomers to the Liceu.

United Kingdom, Welsh National Opera, Mazepa – 2006 Directed by Patrice Caurier & Moshe Leiser

Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser updated Tchaikovsky’s setting of Pushkin’s violent story of conflict in the Ukraine to its more recent struggle for independence, and drew fiercely committed performances from their multi-national ensemble.

United Kingdom, Royal Opera House , Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk – 2006 Directed by Richard Jones

In Shostakovich’s centenary year, Richard Jones returned to give added sharpness to his already award-winning production, which offsets the despairing tragedy of the bored murderess with sardonic humour and blatant sexuality. The production reaches La Scala Milan later this season.

13. Opera, alive and kicking

Opera takes to the street!

In November 2004, at Paddington Station in the heart of London, commuters going back home were surprised by an unordinary couple. To the tunes of Madame Butterfly , Don Giovanni and La traviata , Mike and Sally were quarrelling over the fiancé’s obsession with football, while Sally wondered whether she would run away with an attractive stranger…

Flashmob – The Opera was commissioned and broadcasted by the BBC. It draws on from the ‘flash mob’ trend, a falsely spontaneous gathering of people who do something unusual for a brief period of time and then vanish. On this particular day, ‘flashmobbers’ were invited by sms to join in with the 60-strong orchestra, the policemen chorus and the three soloists of this opera of a new type.

In May 2004, the Dutch opera festival Yo! presented 30 mini-operas in a shopping centre. In 2005, the experiment was renewed with the project ‘Opera in the Bus’. Based on the story of some bus routes and their destinations, the idea generated six ‘bus operas’, one drivers’ choir and six neighbourhood projects with pupils and inhabitants of the city of Utrecht, near Amsterdam.

Who said opera was an ivory tower?

Opera on the streets

'The Threepenny Tetralogy' ( La Tétralogie de quat’sous ), a reworked version of The Magic Flute ( La Flûte en chantier ), operas played on the street, with trumpets, and singers – or even a whole choir! – hidden among passers-by… Such are the surprises of the Grooms' company, an 'all-terrain brass band' which takes opera on to the streets and moves the audience, both literally and figuratively. Since 1984, the band has been performing throughout the world in international festivals and formal ceremonies. For instance, they welcomed officials at the Paris Stade de France for the World Cup final in 1998 and participated in the 5Oth anniversary of London's Royal National Theatre in 2001. This is one more fresh initiative placing opera within everyone's reach!

Opera in stadiums

The present technical means allow for flamboyant productions, worthy of 19 th century Grand Opera:

In May 2005, at the Paris Stade de France, Zhang Yimou ( Raise the Red Lantern ) directed Puccini’s Turandot in a gigantic production: the reconstitution of the Forbidden City was 35 meters high, 175 meters long and 35 meters wide. In other words: from the second level, the set filled the stadium from one stand to the other, and the largest house was as wide as the pitch. The production brought together no fewer than 80 musicians, 120 members of the chorus, 100 dancers and 150 walk-on actors.

Verdi's Aïda lends itself well to splendid reconstitutions: already in 1932, it was performed at the Colombes stadium, in the Paris suburb. In September 2001, at the Stade de France, horses, camels and a multitude of walk-ons appeared in a performance crowned by fireworks. In 2006, the opera was performed in Bercy's Palais Omnisports (17,000 seats) with 30 dancers, 70 musicians of the Czech national orchestra and a 60-strong chorus.

14. Opera in the community

Opera companies all over Europe set up projects created with and for members of their community. By working with inhabitants of difficult neighbourhoods, handicapped people, inmates, they allow these fragile audiences to repossess a place of which they often feel excluded, and to reflect upon themselves and the society which they belong to. Here are a few examples:

In France , Opéra de Lyon has, for the past four years, allowed two classes for children with studying difficulties and two classes of mentally handicapped children to create their own musical performance. At the beginning of the programme, the children watch a rehearsal and a performance of a repertoire opera, and meet with the artists. The whole year long, they conceive their show through workshops, with the assistance of trained artists. They also receive the opportunity discover the theatre, its backstage areas and all the different professions. The experience ends with two performances of their piece: once at the opera with an audience of partners, and then in their own neighbourhood, in front of their families. For more information, contact Hélène Sauvez ([email protected] ).

In Belgium, the Vlaamse Opera has built a ‘bridge between cultures’ by allowing new immigrants to discover not only the Flemish language, but also European history and culture through opera. Activities taught them vocabulary specific to the opera house and its professions; guided tours gave them keys to understanding to understand the 19 th century society; interventions in classrooms introduced them to two operas, Semele and Die Zauberflöte , and through those, to mythology, music history… By the end of the project, participants had the option of seeing the performances. A great majority chose to go, and mentioned their interest in visiting the opera as individuals in the future. For more information, contact Joséphine Schreibers ([email protected] ).

Finnish National Opera works with the secondary School of Art and Music of Savonlinna since 1998. The collaboration started with a simple statement: the Savonlinna Opera Festival welcomed every summer many tourists and opera fans in this little town, 300km out of Helsinki. But locals didn’t connect with this major event. In order to gain their interest and develop their knowledge on opera, Finnish National Opera trained school teachers who then put on a production with their students. Since then, new projects are created each year. They all include a visit to the Helsinki opera house, meetings with artists involved in the festival, and student performances in Savonlinna. Since 2002, a specific course on opera and musical theatre has been made available to students. For more information, contact Ulla Laurio ([email protected] ).

Glyndebourne Festival has been involved with the Lewes prison, in UK ’s Sussex, for several years. Different projects have allowed inmates to work together. This collaboration gives them the opportunity to live an enriching creative experience, to develop communication skills, to work and solve problems as a team, and to reinforce their self esteem through music, theatre and art. For more information, contact Katie Tearle ([email protected] ) or Anne Lockwood ([email protected] ).

15. Opera education

Over the last thirty years the emergence of opera education in European Opera houses has been an extraordinary journey of encounters and imagination. For the work of opera education departments is enormously varied and ranges from taking artists into schools, schools coming to the opera house for performances of repertory work, to working with disadvantaged community groups and devising projects for interactive CD-Roms and websites. It is through education work that opera houses have the opportunity to engage with their community.

Operas for young people can be on many different scales: Hip h’opera , a rap reworking of Mozart Cosi fan tutte had sold out runs and critical acclaim on the main stages of the Komische Oper, the Finnish National Opera and Glyndebourne. Smaller-scale work - small enough to fit a van and be mounted in a school classroom in a day - is also common. Dig, Mig og Mozart (You me and Mozart), Den Jyske Opera’s classroom introduction to Mozart’s operas, is currently touring primary schools in Denmark. They are just two of many projects featured in RESEO’s most recent publication, Creative Ways to Mozart, celebrating the work of Europe’s opera houses to engage young people with the anniversary composer.

During the European Opera Days in Paris, there will be the opportunity to see operas created for young people:

Hans Krása wrote the children’s opera Brundibár for a children’s home in Prague in 1938. Deported as a Jew to Terezín concentration camp in 1942, he produced a revised version that received 55 performances and was immortalised on a Nazi propaganda film during inspection by International Red Cross Committee.

Le Petit Chaperon rouge, George Aperghis’s reworking of the Little Red Riding Hood classic, will also be on the programme, showing youth opera in the hands of one of France’s most inventive composers.

As Europe’s forward-thinking opera houses stage opera for and with young people, no event to celebrate European opera would be complete without the voices of young people themselves. Many participating opera houses will be sending young delegates to Paris: they will no doubt make very clear their views on opera for all and right now.

Katie Tearle Head of Education Glyndebourne Chair RESEO

16. Opera and modern music

Rock opera

As suggested by its name, a rock opera is a musical production with elements from traditional opera, but put on rock’n’roll tunes. Instead of assembling songs unrelated with each other, a rock opera album tells an articulated story in which various characters express themselves. The concept is very close to that of rock musical. It was most successful in the late 60s-early 70s, and some rock opera albums were made into live shows. In the 90s, Jonathan Larson’s musical Rent , inspired by Puccini’s La Bohème , revived interest for the genre.

Some of the most famous rock operas are: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1968) by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber (Cats , The Phantom of the Opera ) Tommy (1969) by The Who: the first album labelled as a rock opera, which was later made into a film and performed on Broadway. The Who released another rock opera in 1973, Quadrophenia , and their leader Pete Townshend is one of the pioneers of the genre. Jesus Christ Superstar (1970) by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974) by Genesis Tycoon (1978) by Michel Berger and Luc Plamandon, adapted by Tim Rice Joe's Garage (1979) by Frank Zappa The Wall (1979) by Pink Floyd : this great classic of rock’n’roll was staged as a spectacular show, by Pink Floyd in 1980-81 then by Roger Waters alone in 1990, in front of the Berlin wall. Greendale (2003) by Neil Young and Crazy Horse American Idiot (2004) by Green Day

Opera and hip-hop

Sopranos and hip-hop dancers; young amateurs and theatre professionals; a story of the 18 th century transposed in an inner city of the 21 st … but always the same question: will she remain faithful when I am away?

School 4 Lovers – a Hip H’opera derives from the fusion of Mozart's Così fan tutte and hip-hop, rap and soul music. In this version, the two young heroes are an MC's roadies who are concerned about their girlfriends' faithfulness while they are away on tour. The show, performed in Glyndebourne and Helsinki, was made by and for the young. In both cities, groups of local teenagers (orchestras of young musicians and young hip-hop artists) had the opportunity to work with professionals for the final production.

In Berlin, a similar approach resulted in Così fan tutti, a production in which classical music and hip-hop succeed and confront each other. Three soloists and three rappers play a practically unchanged libretto, while a hip-hop chorus comments on the action.

Both shows are part of the project 'Creative Ways to Mozart', coordinated by RESEO and supported by the European Commission's framework programme Culture 2000.

17. Opera and the movies: Opera, in close-up

Cinema and opera have often enjoyed a good relationship. The most famous opera films are well-known: Ingmar Bergman’s Magic Flute and certainly Joseph Losey’s Don Giovanni. To this ‘short list’ we should add Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet’s magnificent Moses and Aaron after Schoenberg’s opera, nor should we forget the films directed by Francesco Rosi ( Carmen ), Hans-Jürgen Syberberg (Parsifal ), Andrzej Zulawski ( Boris Godunov ), Luigi Comencini ( La Bohème ), Benoît Jacquot ( Tosca ), or again Frédéric Mitterand’s Madam Butterfly. There are others, directed for television, which are no more than recordings of ‘theatrical’ productions – that does not necessarily imply any pejorative criticism. The films cited are those which have in common that they were conceived by and for the cinema, requiring specific resources tied to film production. So the singers, transformed into actors, must submit to a cinematic shooting-script, and move differently inside a space or scenery, due to the demands of film technology. It must be admitted that that these artistic adventures may be complex, often clumsy. But they challenge these two arts, Opera and Cinema, to find mutual ground and a common language.

Everyone knows the distinguished role played by Daniel Toscan du Plantier, equally passionate about opera as about cinema. At the beginning of the 1980s he was the instigator of most of these films: so to speak, a ‘go-between’. What interested Toscan du Plantier was challenging the cinema to record the great songs of opera, preserving them on tape, and above all, giving them a visual extension thanks to the experience of prestigious, international film-makers. The goal was also to place opera within the range of the largest audience. To do this, the cinema returned to the studio, and called on the great voices (Ruggero Raimondi, who often took part, Plácido Domingo, Kiri Te Kanawa, José van Dam, Teresa Berganza, Julia Migenes, Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, etc.) So Opera had an easy passage into the audiovisual age. A unique performance became ‘reproducible’, once recorded on tape. The development of digital technology, notably with the support of DVD, today gives these opera films a new life, since each person can view them at home under the best projection conditions for both images and sound.

What does an opera gain by being filmed? It is an interesting, essential question. Conversely, what does cinema get out of it? One could say that Opera has everything to gain from the close-up. When you attend an opera, you see the stage in long shot. You have a broad, synthesised view, but from a distance. What the member of the audience misses is the opportunity to get nearer to the protagonists, to see them in close-up. At the cinema you are in and among the characters. You see them closely. None of their acting or their expression escapes you: they sing for you alone. They are transformed from fictional characters. Another advantage of an opera film is sub-titles. A song, of which you know the text, rhythm and modulations by heart, suddenly becomes more familiar once you have the chance to read the simultaneous subtitles. The dimension of Opera, at the same time grandiose and trivial, only appears more tangible, stronger, more moving and mysterious. Grandiose, because feelings, even if they are simple, express themselves in a manner which is tragic, exaggerated, eloquent. Trivial, because one realises that at the basis of the greatest operatic arias, there is a simple story: a man, a woman, a lover… Cinema, at the bottom, is of use as a ‘developer’ of Opera. It tells the truth about it, while magnifying it.

Serge Toubiana Director of La Cinémathèque française

18. Opera and architecture: new opera houses in Europe

2008, Oslo

Located in a part of the city characterized by harbour activities and heavy traffic, the new opera house will be a tool to make the area more vibrant and attractive. The building will look as an iceberg emerging from water. It will comprise two performance venues, including the 1,350-seat auditorium, and visitors will be able to enjoy the view over the sea from the roof-top park! For the European Opera Days, den Norske Opera plans special events around the new house. © Snohetta

2007, Aix-en-Provence: Grand Théâtre de Provence

The famous festival of lyric art had no concert hall so far. Next 29 June, it will be inaugurated in a new, 1,300-seat venue, with Wagner's Walküre .

2005, Valencia: Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía

With a surface of over 40,000 square meters, and over 75 meters high, this building with a maritime profile has four halls for opera, musicals, ballet and theatre.

2005, Belgrade: Madlenianum Opera and Theatre

The Madlenianum was established in 1998 in the former building of the Zemun theatre, devastated in the early 90s. After a seven-year-long renovation, the new theatre, with its elegant decoration and state of the art equipment, could re-open its doors .

Photo: Djordje Cubrilo Photo: Djordje Cubrilo

2005, Copenhagen: Operaen

The brand-new opera house, donated by a wealthy businessman, is situated on the Holmen island and looks out to the sea. It is the largest cultural building in Denmark, with no bad seat!

Operaen/Copenhagen Opera House Operaen/Copenhagen Opera House Photo: Lars Schmidt Photo: Steen Larsen

2004, Cardiff: Wales Millennium Centre 'Unmistakebly Welsh and internationally outstanding'

The Wales Millennium Centre is an edifice dedicated to all the performing arts, located in the renovated area of Cardiff Bay. Inspired by Welsh landscapes and traditions, it is made up of aesthetically allied stone, wood, metal and glass. On the façade are engraved the English and Gaelic words 'In These Stones Horizons Sing'.

2002, Moscow: the Bolshoï New Stage

Next to the Bolshoï, just across the square, the New Stage is a second opera house, especially used for contemporary and experimental productions. Since 2005, it has also been a replacement theatre during the renovation of the Bolshoï main Stage.

1999, Barcelona: Gran Teatre del Liceu Founded in 1847, the Gran Teatre del Liceu stands in the central part of Barcelona's bustling Rambla, the emblematic promenade of the Old Quarter, which has retained its leading role and colourful personality over the years. After the fire of 1994 the Liceu reopened its doors in 1999, retaining its historic role as a culture and arts centre in the city.

1997, Madrid: Teatro Real Built in 1850, used as a concert hall since the end of the 1960s, the Teatro Real officially re-opened as an opera house in 1997.

And beyond… 2009, Dallas: Winspear Opera House 2007, Beijing: National Grand Theatre of China 1998, Shanghai: Shanghai Grand Theatre 1997, Tokyo: New National Theatre

19. Opera and fashion

Opera does not only give its name to pairs of gloves which reach above the elbow. It is also a fertile ground for the creativity of high fashion designers. Many of them created costumes for prestigious houses.

Christian Lacroix has created costumes for operas and ballets since the mid- 1980s, for example: La Gaieté Parisienne , ballet for Mikhail Baryshnikov at the Metropolitan Opera in New York (1988) Carmen at the Nîmes arenas (1989) Les Joyaux , ballet by Balanchine at the Opéra Garnier (2000) Sheherazade , ballet by Blanca Li at the Paris Opera (2001) Così fan tutte and Il Re Pastore at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels (2006) Don Giovanni at the Innsbruck Festival (2006)

Karl Lagerfeld worked with la Scala in Milan, the Florence Opera and the Monte Carlo Ballets. He is also a great lover of opera. Les Troyens by Berlioz, at la Scala in Milan (1982) La Rondine by Puccini, at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo (2003)

In 1996, Vivienne Westwood signed the costumes of Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera , performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna, and of Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet .

Gianni Versace worked on several Maurice Béjart's ballets, as well as on operas in the 1980s: Don Pasquale (Teatro alla Scala, 1983), Salome (Teatro alla Scala, 1987), Capriccio (Royal Opera House, 1991).

Giorgio Armani designed the costumes of Elektra (la Scala, 1994) and Così fan tutte (Royal Opera House and Rome Opera, 1995).

Some designers go the other way round and switch from opera to fashion. For instance, Marie-Blanche de Polignac, the daughter of the founder of the label Lanvin , was a gifted opera singer before she took over her mother's firm. And Thierry Mugler was a dancer at the Strasbourg Opera before he started a successful career in the fashion industry.

20. Famous people & opera

Before she decided to study drama and became a well-known actress, Meryl Streep planned to make a career at the opera. She studied lyric singing in New York with Estelle Liebling.

'The universal magic of music is your best friend' Baz Luhrmann , director of Romeo + Juliette (1997) and Moulin Rouge (2001), began his eclectic career at the opera. He directed the opera Lake Lost and adapted La Bohème for the Australian Opera, two productions praised and rewarded by the critics.

When she was 16, Agatha Christie left England to study the piano and singing in Paris. She hoped to become a professional opera singer, but as she was too shy on stage and her voice not strong enough, she gave up the idea of a musical career. Although there are few references to music in her novels, her two characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are opera lovers.

Blanca Li , Spanish dancer, choreographer and film-maker directed several operas, whether they be baroque (Rameau's Les Indes galantes ) or Grand Opera works (Rossini's Guillaume Tell ).

The French pop singer Florent Pagny studied classical singing. For three years, he trained his baritone-tenor voice on great opera tunes at the Conservatory of Levallois.

Nolwenn Leroy (winner of the French Fame Academy in 2002) was also trained as a lyric singer at the Conservatories of Vichy then Clermont-Ferrand. She was much praised for her interpretation of Carmen in the TV broadcast 'Symphonic Show' in June 2005 on France 2.

Julie Depardieu (daughter of) is a great opera fan, and she took to it in the most unexpected way: she passed a mail order for underwear and received a CD as a free gift, 'The Treasures of Opera'. 'I put the CD on. A shock and an aesthetic revolution! From one day to the next I no longer listened to anything else', she says.

Claude Nougaro was the son of an opera singer and was cradled to the sound of Rossini and Bizet's airs.

John Turturro played an opera singer in The Man Who Cried (Sally Potter, 2001), with Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Cate Blanchett. 'I had to learn all the arias, but in lower keys. I made it through most of them, but I almost died in Tosca . I couldn't master certain lines. I like opera.'

21. Opera quotes

‘An exotic and irrational entertainment’ Dr Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary definition

‘The audience is never wrong’ Giuseppe Verdi

‘There are certain fixed laws in the theatre; to interest, to surprise, to stir, or move to laughter’ Giacomo Puccini

‘Music demands from a listener some preparation, some effort, a journey to a special place, saving up for a ticket. It demands as much effort on the listener’s part as the other two corners of the triangle; this holy trinity of composer, performer and listener’ Benjamin Britten

‘Until the 19 th century, the composer was the servant of society…Now the artist is the glorified mouthpiece of God…I believe in the reverse of that. I believe in the artist serving society’ Benjamin Britten

‘If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it…’ William Shakespeare

‘Opera is when a guy gets stabbed and instead of bleeding, he sings.’ Ed Gardner

‘Opera is music drama.’ Richard Wagner

‘The first characteristic of Rossini's music is speed -- a speed which removes from the soul all the sombre emotions that are so powerfully evoked within us by the slow strains in Mozart. I find also in Rossini a cool freshness, which, measure by measure, makes us smile with delight.’ Stendahl, Life of Rossini (1824)

‘Whatever my passions demand of me, I become for the time being -- musician, poet, director, author, lecturer or anything else.’ Wagner, letter to Liszt

‘His is the art of translating, by subtle gradations, all that is excessive, immense, ambitious in spiritual and natural mankind. On listening to this ardent and despotic music one feels at times as though one discovered again, painted in the depths of a gathering darkness torn asunder by dreams, the dizzy imaginations induced by opium.’ Charles Baudelaire, Richard Wagner et Tannhäuser à Paris (1861)

‘No good opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.’ W. H. Auden

‘An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I've left the opera house.’ Maria Callas

‘Music conveys moods and images. Even in opera, where plots deal with the structure of destiny, it's music, not words, that provides power.’ Marcel Marceau

‘Any subject is good for opera if the composer feels it so intently he must sing it out.’ Gian Carlo Menotti

‘Opera is more like melodrama. And the good thing about opera is that if you can accept that people sing instead of talk, then you don't have to go in and out of it. And that means you can have your emotions with you.’ Lars von Trier

‘Tenors are noble, pure and heroic and get the soprano, if she has not tragically expired before the final curtain. But baritones are born villains in opera. Always the heavy and never the hero - that's me.’ Leonard Warren

‘But to me the actual sound of the words is all important; I feel always that the words complete the music and must never be swallowed up in it.’ Lotte Lehmann

‘I have always believed that opera is a planet where the muses work together, join hands and celebrate all the arts.’ Franco Zeffirelli

‘Whenever I go to an opera, I leave my sense and reason at the door with my half guinea, and deliver myself up to my eyes and my ears.‘ Lord Chesterfield

‘Engrave in your head in copper letters: an opera must move to tears, cause horror and bring death through singing.’ Vincenzo Bellini to his librettist, 1834

“Music begins there where the power of words ceases.” Richard Wagner

22. Fun facts about opera

Opera records

After a performance of Otello at the Vienna Staatsoper in 1991, Placido Domingo was cheered for 1 hour and 20 minutes and through 101 curtain calls. The record number of curtain calls is held by Luciano Pavarotti, applauded through 165 calls (1 hour and 7 minutes) for his interpretation of Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1988.

The longest opera regularly performed is Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg : the uncut version lasts more than 5 hours. The record belongs however to The Life and Times of Joseph Stalin by Robert Wilson. Its performance in 1973 at the New York Brooklyn Academy of Music lasted more than 13 hours!

The shortest opera is The Sands of Time , composed by Simon Rees and Peter Reynolds: in 1993, a London performance lasted 3 minutes and 34 seconds.

The lowest note of the classical repertoire is reached by Osmin in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail : it is a low D. The highest note is sung in another Mozart’s piece: it is a G6, in the concert aria Popoli di Tessaglia .

The largest opera house in the world is the New York Metropolitan Opera House, which can welcome 4,065 spectators at a time. In Europe, the Opéra Bastille has more than 2,700 seats. The brand new Palau de les Arts in Valencia has a total capacity of 4,000 seats in its four different rooms.

The oldest opera house is the Teatro San Carlo of Naples, commissioned in 1737 by King Charles VI, and re-built after a fire in 1816.

Opera & Comics - Mercy, my jewels!

'Ah my beauty past compare, these jewels bright I wear!..' This air continuously repeated by Bianca Castafiore, to Captain Haddock's great displeasure, is in fact the Jewel Song sung by Marguerite in Charles Gounod's Faust . Admittedly, Hergé did not like opera very much. However, he was friends with singer Edgar P. Jacobs, who worked in his team in the 1940s. A sense of humour can do no harm…

Opera on your plate

Almost from the beginning, opera has inspired the most varied culinary creations. For instance, the 'Spaghetti alla Norma', a traditional Sicilian dish of pasta with aubergine, was named as a tribute to composer Bellini. Word has it that spectators at a Norma performance, enchanted by the beauty of the opera, invented a new phrase to qualify something as excellent: 'una vera Norma'. And the name remained for this exquisite regional dish…

The great gastronome Gioacchino Rossini is arguably the composer most associated with the culinary arts. The Italian artist gives his name to several fine and delightful dishes: did you know the Rossini tournedos, and the Rossini sauce, made of foie gras and truffles, and used with chicken, fillet of sole or cannelloni?

For dessert, try the ‘Opera cake’ made of Gioconda biscuit, chocolate ganache, coffee buttercream and chocolate glazing. It was created in the 1960s by the French pastry chef Gaston Lenôtre.

You may prefer a Peach Melba, a great classic which bears the name of the Australian singer Nellie Melba, star of London's Covent Garden at the turn of the 20 th century.

And lighten up your evenings with the Opera cocktail (gin, strawberry syrup and liquor, peach cream and pineapple juice) – to drink in moderation, of course.

23. Contact details

European Opera Days press office Victor&Julius [email protected]

Tous à l'opéra! press office Opus 64 [email protected]

Bernard Foccroulle La Monnaie press office - Claire Jésuran [email protected]

Gerard Mortier Opéra national de Paris press office - Jorg Quatran [email protected]

Federico Mayor Zaragoza Fedora - Sophie De Saedeleer [email protected]

Opera XXI Teatro Real - Esther Valls [email protected]

Opera Europa Nicholas Payne [email protected] Or Audrey Jungers [email protected]