A Midsummer Night's Dream

[deliciousdazmo]

I was one of Oberons fairies in "A Midsummer Night's Dream' at Glyndebourne opera house around '87 and this performances is the only one i can find that captured the magical experience

[spoonterrorist]

i was one of the gopies in the Melbourne performance and it was great. thanks

[Monkeyballmania]

Is the 'How now, spirits?' shown here normally in this opera? I'm about to start performances of this as a fairy at ENO and we don't have that...

[Monkeyballmania]

Peaseblossom's part in this always gets me. I'm in this opera with English National Opera coming up this May and June and this is by FAR my favourite bit.

[Brixart]

Conal Coad won the 2010 Greenroom Award for his interpretation of Bottom/Pyramus in this production.

[classicalgalNYC]

Rachelle has a beautiful voice <3

[dinydee1]

Amazing but i like george balanchine's

[treble32]

What an extraordinary production! Love all aspects, especially Britten's score. Tobias Cole (Oberon) and Rachelle Durkin (Tytania) are wonderfully majestic. Puck is perfect.

[papoocanada]

Britten writes: PUCK ( spoken part (acrobat )) ........at least he doesnt have to struggle with Britten's score. I know of at least one more opera on that Shakespeare work: Le Songe d'Une Nuit d'Été by Ambroise Thomas.

[5nick3r5]

@papoocanada

I wouldn't quite say that Puck doesn't have to struggle with Britten's score - the spoken parts have complex and specific rhythms that must fit the music. Have a look at the score, it isn't easy...

[TangaraStudios]

What did you think of the childrens chorus?

[baydudette]

I saw the production and thought it was wonderful (both the singing and the production itself)

[vocalissimo1]

This is what happens when your national opera company no longer has the voices for credible mainstream repertoire - they end up singing s(peaking? chanting? shouting?) the operatic (and I use that word loosely too!) works of Benjmain Britten.

[paulyb1987]

Just so you know the part of puck, which is who I believe you are referring to with this comment, is actually meant to be 'spoken/chanted/shouted' not sung.

[poopybooyah]

@paulyb1987 was that a part of baz luhrmann's opera for the australian opera in 1993?

[paulyb1987]

@poopybooyah yes it was and this version here is a recreation i only know this cause i was in this production as one of pucks assistants

[bumtrouble]

@vocalissimo1

The role of Puck was composed by Britten to be spoken, not sung.

[Rosalita78]

@vocalissimo1 What are you talking about? If you're talking about Puck, it's written as a spoken role.

[kitkat8871]

@vocalissimo1 Well don't you have egg all over your face now. Puck is a spoken role everywhere in the world, as that's what the score calls for. Next time make sure you know what you're talking about before you shoot off at the mouth.

[vocalissimo1]

@kitkat8871 Sadly, you have the wrong end of the stick, and clearly did not understand the import of my comment. The meaning of my comment is that, because Opera Australia is largely bereft of top-qaulity voices these days, it is particularly convenient for it to do operas in which there are spoken parts. Now, if you had thought about my comment and not jumped the gun, you may have saved yourself from your own encounter with that egg you had been saving for me.

[kitkat8871]

@vocalissimo1 I see. I misunderstood your comment. Now that I understand you, let me tell you how you're still wrong. My knowledge of Opera Australia is limited, but their choice of Midsummer Night's Dream is hardly "convenient". Despite having a speaking part, there are several difficult singing roles. Titania, for example requires a vocal acrobatics as well as solid musicianship, you need a top notch children's chorus, Bottom is a very meaty role, and all the others are no cake walk. So there.

[Brixart]

Brilliant and amazing.

With Conal Coad as Bottom also....