English Touring Opera bring a double dose of opera classics to Eastbourne
Spokeswoman Bronte Skey said: “Puccini’s La Bohème is probably one of the most popular operas ever composed, and for very good reason: it’s a classic tale of young love, friendship and mortality told with some of the most moving and memorable music.
“Four struggling artists – a poet, a painter, a musician and a philosopher – are living together in Paris, when one freezing Christmas Eve a girl named Mimì knocks on their door looking for a match for her candle, and she and poet Rodolfo fall in love. However, despite the passion of their existence the Bohemians are soon sharply awoken to the harsh realities of life in a classic tale of romance, friendship and mortality that captures the poetry and poverty of 19th-century Paris.
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Hide Ad“Like the opera itself, the production is set in 19th-century Paris and has a classic look to it – think period dramas or Moulin Rouge.
Bronte added: “Half surreal fairytale, half political satire, The Golden Cockerel is a masterful combination of fantasy, mischief and musical delight, full of explosive and lush music from Rimsky-Korsakov, one of Russia’s most exciting composers and the man responsible for Scheherazade and The Flight of the Bumblebee. The Golden Cockerel is a satire of imperial decline and paranoi. A foolish and lazy king is terrified of being attacked by his neighbours, who resent his past wars. His paranoia leads him to accept the help of his mysterious astrologer, with disastrous consequences. He loses his sons to war, his heart to a mysterious queen, his life to a magic rooster and his kingdom to his people.”
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