Flashmob: The Opera

[coalescent]

On Wednesday 6th October at 20:34, I was sitting in my car with Tim and Dan. We were trying to get to the cinema to watch Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, but the M4 had ground to a halt. It took us about two hours to travel about five miles.

Meanwhile, at Paddington Station, an opera was being performed.

Flashmob: The Opera was performed and broadcast live--with the BBC Concert Orchestra and everything, though admittedly it went out on BBC3--on and around the main concourse of the station. There are some pictures here, and they just rebroadcast the whole thing on BBC2. The flashmob part was that they announced it on the BBC3 website a few hours ahead of time, and encouraged people to come along and sing in the grand finale. The website describes the plot in this way:

Flashmob - The Opera features well-known music from popular operas including Madam Butterfly, Don Giovanni and La Traviata, set to a new story by Stephen Powell, with new English lyrics by Tony Bicât. The BBC Concert Orchestra is conducted by Robert Ziegler, who also arranged the music.

The opera is a contemporary take on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. An engaged couple, Mike (sung by tenor Nicholas Ransley) and Sally (soprano Rachel Nicholls), come unstuck over Mike's obsession with football. The station forms the backdrop to the action as Sally decides whether or not to run away with a handsome stranger (baritone Rodney Clarke) or stay with Mike. The Angel (David Grant from Fame Academy ) urges Mike to fight for the love of his fiancée

It was great. Utterly barking mad, but great, from the lyrics (probable first recorded use of the words 'plonker' and 'muppet' in opera) to the bizarre football-match-style half-time commentary to the sight of thoroughly bemused bystanders in the background of nearly every frame to the actually surprisingly effective grand finale, in which what looked like several hundred people joined in singing--what else?--'Nessun Dorma'. Somehow, I think it did become more than a gimmick: the 'live broadcast' aspect, with the feeling that the heroine was getting on an actual train that could actually leave seemed to fit well with the high drama that is opera's stock in trade. It certainly gives new meaning to the phrase 'public service broadcasting'.

There might be more in the future; you can sign up for information by emailing flashmob.opera@bbc.co.uk or texting OPERA to 88822. There are also some other reactions here.

Comments

[lyth.livejournal.com]

It was very bizarre. I was a bit put off by the weird singing style at first - obviously it must take years to learn, but it's difficult to understand what they're actually singing, even in English - but it did keep my attention to the end, so I guess I got used to it. And that bloke from Fame Academy is clearly not an opera singer, he shouldn't have been in it. Best bit was when the gay couple propositioned the host, unaware that they were on live TV!

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Best bit was when the gay couple propositioned the host, unaware that they were on live TV!

I cannot believe I missed this! Clearly I chose the wrong moment to go and get a drink.

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

I did watch part of it, and it looked quite interesting. Especially the bemused onlookers.

Unfortunately World's Strongest Man was also on, and great big men carrying extremely heavy objects >> opera.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately World's Strongest Man was also on, and great big men carrying extremely heavy objects >> opera.

... no. :-p

[itchyfidget.livejournal.com]

Dammit, this is another thing on my "Bugger, I meant to watch that" list.

Heh.