Opera Club
the clubs within our club
Opera Club
Organizing the Opera Club has been anything but easy in these uncertain days since the beginning of the pandemic . How many people can meet ? Do we have enough space ? Can we ventilate properly ? And if we do manage to complete an opera project , will there be any performances for us to attend ?
In the autumn of 2020 , we did manage to meet twice preshutdown to discuss Verdi ’ s Aida in the spacious and beautiful downtown apartment of one of our members . It was a real joy to meet , talk , and appreciate this glorious music during those months of “ live ” cultural deprivation .
During the full lockdown in early 2021 , we enjoyed two Zoom events at which we critiqued operas that each of us had watched at home on our own devices . These two productions , namely Staatsoper Hamburg ’ s Manon by Jules Massenet , followed by Opernhaus Zürich ’ s most curious staging of Gluck ’ s
Orphée et Eurydice were certainly controversial and made for lively online discussions .
What does the future hold ? While much is unpredictable in the months to come , one thing remains very certain in the opera world : the magnificent , diverse , and unforgettable operas of Giuseppe Verdi will always be performed on a regular basis . Indeed , the Staatsoper Hamburg is planning to perform six different operas by the great composer during its upcoming 2021 / 22 season . The Opera Club intends to meet monthly during the fall to round out our Aida project and then to move on to other Verdi highlights in turn . Our extended Verdi focus will culminate in visits to performances of Rigoletto in early 2022 , both on the local stage as well as in the cinema “ live from the Met .” Our meetings are held monthly on Friday mornings in Hamburg-Poppenbüttel . For more information , please contact Elizabeth R . at opera @ awchamburg . org .
Elizabeth R . .
Photo of Rigoletto , source : Wikipedia
Photo of Verdi , source : Wikipedia
www . awchamburg . org 27