The Royal Opera House has jumped on the bandwagon with free outdoor screenings of operas and ballets. Doesn't that sound all sophisticated and wonderful? Oh yes I should mention that these screenings are sponsored by BP. The poster that makes it look like it's advertising a happy hardcore festival due to the nauseating green and yellow of the brand's colours.
Otherwise you should definitely go.
In London the screens will be placed in Trafalgar Square and Canary Wharf. These are two of the strangest places to make people sit for a few hours. But, I suppose sitting in Trafalgar Square with the National Gallery behind you, Nelson looking down on you and with those big Lions that tourists are always determined to climb on, well it might be nice. Canary Wharf has no soul so don't bother trying to see culture there.
There are also screens to be placed OUTSIDE LONDON. Crazy I know but apparently there is a world outside the M25. There is a long list on the website so I won't bore you with all the cities, but as well as the expected Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Cardiff there are a few unexpected choices such as Coventry, Bradford and Dover. Random yes, but hey everyone deserves to see some professional tight wearers at least once in their life.
I am a little miffed because La Boheme was screened last Thursday and I managed to miss it. I wanted to see that one. Humph.
Next Wednesday 30 May at 7.30pm there will be a showing of Falstaff, an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. And yes I knew all of that just off the top of my head and was in no way copied from Wikipedia. If you have never seen opera before or know very little about it this could be the perfect opportunity to try out the form. It will be a far cheaper and more relaxed way of experiencing it and if you are bored to tears, or your bum hurts (you have to sit on the floor), then you can just leave.
The other screening, Metamorphosis: Titian 2012 Monday 16 July, 2012 at 7.30pm, is a specially comissioned ballet piece as part of the London 2012 stuff. The choreographers have been commisioned to respond to the Titian works that are now on display in London. The paintings all depict scenes from the Roman Poet Ovid's poem, Metamorphoses. So the title does make sense. Everyone likes pictures so here the Titian paintings Diana and Actaeon, The Death of Actaeon and Diana and Callisto, respectively-
So go and experience some high culture near you and if not then, in London at least, you can climb on a Lion plinth and pretend you're in Narnia.
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