Since 2009, Palace Opera & Ballet has proudly given Australian arts-lovers exclusive access to what's on stage at Europe’s finest opera houses.
Our new season of 11 new performances is no exception. Filmed live from multiple vantage points and presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital sound, each presentation includes the full on-stage spectacle plus features and interviews with the key creatives behind the productions.
Catching a show at La Scala and the Paris Opera is a must when you're next in Europe, but in the meantime, there's no need to miss out on these big budget productions, coming soon to your local cinema.
"If, like me, you simply cannot get enough opera, the advent of high definition screenings has been a dream come true. Palace Opera & Ballet continues to lead the field in Australia with this year’s crop courtesy of Opéra National de Paris, Milan’s iconic La Scala and the outdoor Arena di Verona.
The season opens with Riccardo Chailly’s latest Puccini revisit and the composer’s first thoughts on Manon Lescaut – a version that includes much that was cut before its 1894 La Scala premiere. Also at La Scala, Chailly’s baton should allow Anna Netrebko’s Tosca to take full dramatic flight (the Russian diva also appears in Zeffirelli’s Arena di Verona Trovatore).
Two showings of special interest down under will be Simon Stone’s provocative new La Traviata for Opéra de Paris with Pretty Yende in the title role and Barrie Kosky’s daring take on Borodin’s Prince Igor. Magnetic Russian baritone Evgeny Nikitin is the eponymous Russian hero with the stunning Anita Rachvelishvili as the Khan’s lovesick daughter.
A pair of rarities are also must-sees. Verdi’s I Masnadieri is a neglected early gem based (like Don Carlos and Luisa Miller) on Schiller. Sir David McVicar brings his customary thoughtfulness to a production that features rising star Lisette Oropesa. Equally off the beaten track is Opéra de Paris’ staging of Rameau’s fizzing Les Indes Galantes starring another young talent in soprano Sabine Devieilhe”
Balletomanes should enjoy the return to Milan of the classic Nureyev Sleeping Beauty and the equally classic Paris Giselle, but for the more adventurous, Angelin Preljocaj’s Enlightenment-inspired Le Parc, set to the music of Mozart, is the one to watch."
Clive Paget
Editor-at-Large, Limelight Magazine (Sep 2019)
Click below for information on each opera house partner:
