Opera Revived in Orlando

The Orlando Philharmonic in collaboration with Mad Cow Theatre is re-launching live opera in the form of concert opera—performance opera but without the elaborate sets. In concert opera, the costumed singers act their roles and interact with each other in front of the orchestra and chorus, also on stage.

The 2010 Concert Opera Season features Carmen and Porgy & Bess. Carmen will be performed on Friday, February 26th, at 8:00pm, and on Sunday, February 28th at 2:00pm. Porgy & Bess will be performed on Friday, April 9th, at 8:00pm, and on Sunday, April 11th, at 2:00pm. Both operas will be presented at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre.

Carmen features Kirstin Chavez as Carmen and Richard Troxell as Don José. Porgy & Bess features Marquita Lister as Bess and Alvy Powell as Porgy. Christopher Wilkins of the Philharmonic conducts, and Mad Cow’s Alan Bruun is artistic director.

“The overwhelming impact of grand opera comes from its passion,” says Wilkins, the Phil’s music director. “There’s a reason so many people cry in the opera house. Opera is designed to expose the fragility of the human heart, the pain of separation, the desire for what is unattainable. Both Carmen and Porgy & Bess are heart-rending portraits of real people living in extreme circumstances,” he says. “Bizet and Gershwin were masterful at handling the two elements that have characterized great drama ever since the ancient Greeks: music and tragedy.”

Because the music is so intense and so specific in describing character, relationships, and settings, says Wilkins, Carmen and Porgy & Bess are both ideal for con­cert stagings. “The music alone perfectly describes every movement and material feature, propelling us through the action and capturing even the atmosphere of those two unique cities, Seville and Charleston. Nothing is lost or missing—it’s all there in the music.” As for the acting, he invokes what Maria Callas once said: “When one wants to find a gesture, when you want to find how to act on stage, all you have to do is listen to the music. The composer has already seen to that.”
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For tickets or information: 407.770.0071 or OrlandoPhil.org.