Opéra de Montréal just announced their new season, which will included David T. Little and Royce Vavrek's JFK, which premiered last Spring at the Fort Worth Opera. Much of the cast will remain the same, with barihunks Matthew Worth and Daniel Okulitch reprising their roles as JFK and LBJ. Worth shares both
the good looks and New England charm of our 35th President, while
Okulitch matches the Vice President's 6' 4" frame. Daniela Mack will return as Jacqueline Kennedy and John Mac Master will take on the role of Nikita Khruschev.
The opera delves into the final hours that President John F. Kennedy spent in Fort Worth, Texas immediately before his assassination in Dallas. The piece explores the inner life of the President and Mrs. Kennedy during their final moments together. The opera uses dreams to create an imaginary time and space, allowing the couple to revisit those who helped to shape their personal and political lives. Jack travels to the moon with his sister Rosemary, where he spars with political rivals, and relives his courtship of the demure Jacqueline. Jackie sings a duet with her future self, Jacqueline Onassis, who dresses her in her iconic pink Chanel suit, assuring her that she has a part to play in the day’s proceedings.
Performance will run from January 27-February 2, 2018. Other operas for their new season includ Puccini's Tosca, Gounod's Romeo & Juliette, Rossini's La Cenerentola and Sokolovic's Svadba.
Founding Pink Floyd singer/bassist Roger Waters revisited the band's classic 1979 concept album The Wall for a massive world tour that ran from 2010 to 2013, and he's now working on another project based on the record. It's scheduled to premiere in Montreal next March to mark the Canadian city's 375th anniversary, running from March 11-24.
The project brings together Québecois barihunk, Étienne Dupuis, who will play Pink, the fallen rock star; and three exceptional artists: Julien Bilodeau, composer of the new opera vision of the work; Dominic Champagne, director of this monumental 80s music endeavour; and Alain Trudel, conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain. Waters will serve as librettist for the production. The work is written for 10 soloists, 48 singers and 70 musicians.
The story is about the Pink's alienation and isolation in addition to the difficulties facing his entire generation regarding disillusionment. Following the death of Pink's father during World War II, and continuous abuse from his mother and teachers, Pink isolates himself from the rest of the world. The disintegration of his marriage represents the last brick in the metaphorical wall he has been building for himself. If his survival depends on it, will Pink be capable of demolishing his inner wall?
According to Rolling Stone magazine, "The story behind The Wall was partly borne out of an incident that occurred in Montreal's Olympic Stadium in 1977, when a Pink Floyd concert ended with Waters spitting in the face of a fan who attempted to storm the stage. When asked whether The Wall's opera being staged in Montreal brings the album full circle, Waters said, "The Wall is about the journey from the enmity of spitting in someone's face to the position where love becomes more important than that enmity."
Étienne Dupuis talks about his upcoming opera Les Feluettes:
Dupuis is next scheduled to sing Claudio in Berlioz's Beatrice & Bénédict at La Monnaie Bruxelles, which runs from March 24-April 6. He then heads home to perform Jeune Simon in the premiere of Kevin March's Les Feluettes (Lilies) at Opéra de Montréal from May 21-28.
