REASON TO SING
Calgary Opera’s new season
If the Flower Duet makes you want to board a British Airways flight to somewhere exotic, don’t worry, you haven’t left your ear buds in.
That duet, in addition to being used on a popular British Airways commercial, is one of the signature moments of Lakme, French composer Leo Delibes’ 19th century opera, which tells the ( presumably doomed) story of the love affair between a Hindu priestess and a handsome British officer.
Lakme is also the first production of Calgary Opera’s 2015- 16 season, opera chairman Robert McPhee announced Tuesday.
McPhee doesn’t mind if you think of Lakme as the British Airways opera, either.
“People know it for that,” he says, “but the music from it is quite glorious.”
Glorious music promises to play a major role during the opera’s entire 2015- 16 season, which in addition to Lakme ( Nov. 21, 25 and 27), also features the Canadian premiere of Die Tote Stadt — The Dead City ( Jan. 30, Feb. 3 and 5), and the return of Mozart’s The Magic Flute ( April 16, 20 and 22).
Die Tote Stadt composer Eric Wolfgang Korngold may not be as well known as some, but back in the early 20th century, following his emigration to the U. S., he won several Academy Awards in the early days of Oscar, McPhee says.
“But he was steeped in classical composer traditions in Germany,” he says. “He’s also written symphonies, ( and) violin concertos.”
“When it ( Die Tote Stadt) came out, it was enormously successful and was done throughout Europe,” McPhee says.
“It fell out of fashion, as some things do but, in recent times, has come back to be quite popular, especially in Europe.”
Speaking of popular, Opera in the Village, the East Village- based summer opera festival, will be back for a third time in August, featuring — among many events and activities — Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado. It’s no coincidence, either. “We had huge requests for more Gilbert and Sullivan after the first year,” McPhee says. “( At future summer festivals), I will be doing more Gilbert and Sullivan — not every year, there will be a mixed type repertoire — but The Mikado is one of the three most popular Gilbert and Sullivan ( operas).”
Christmas at the Opera, which debuted during the 2014 holidays, returns in December to the Arrata Opera Centre, where the company’s emerging artists program will present Ravel’s one act opera, The Enchanted Child, along with a selection of holiday tunes.
McPhee says the 2015- 16 season follows the opera’s tried- and- true formula, introducing Calgarians to some lesser- known operas while also bringing back the very bestloved productions in the canon.
“The opening one ( Lakme) is a traditional work that is less known,” says McPhee. “Then we move into the Canadian premiere of our new work ( Die Tote Stadt), and follow it up with a classic Top 10 opera with Magic Flute.
“We’ve got a great season for you.”