Met To Do Messiaen's Only Opera in 2017 !

[Superhorn]

   Fantastic news ! The Met has just announced that it will do a production of Olivier Messiaen's only opera St. Francois D'Assise in 2017 , with the outstanding African-Americna bass Eric Owen in the title role as Saint Francis of Assisi .
    This is  a massive, drammatically static and extremely diificult wokr to perform, requiring a huge orchestra and chorus .  The opera has had relatively few stagings since its premiere at the Paris opera in 1983 under Seiji Ozawa
because of its impraactical demands . 
   I don't know if the superb DG recording with Nagano conducting and Jose Van Dam is still available, but it's definitely worth looking for, and I believe there's a DVD of another prpoduction available .
   However, I wonder how the more conservative members of the Met's audience will take to it .  Selling tickets may be difficult, but if  the Met does a good job with publicity, this might help .







                                                                                                                    

[Guido]

Unfortunately the director is slated to be the same one as for the recent appalling Ring cycle (Robert Lepage) so expect absolutely no spiritual or even intellectual involvement.

[Superhorn]

    Let's not dimiss a production by Robert Lepage years before it comes to fruition . It could be a terrific realization
of Messiaen's magnum opus.  I haven't seen his Ring yet, so I'll have to withhold judgement on it.
But from what I have seen of the sets and heard about the production, it dsoesn't seem anywhere near as perverse and ridiculous as most
Eurotrash Rings .

[Guido]

It could be. But watch his Ring cycle and then try feeling optimistic.

[(poco) Sforzando]

    Let's not dimiss a production by Robert Lepage years before it comes to fruition .

Agreed. Wait until 2016.