Opera Reviews and Streaming

Well, the reviews came in, not so good.
The New York Times didn't like the music, but seems to have liked Daniel Okulitch, the bass-baritone who plays Ennis, and describes the final "Jack, I swear" aria as an extended passage of disarming lyrical elegance.
Interestingly, the review quotes Annie Proulx taking a swipe at the addition of the character Cassie, who appears in the movie version but is only hinted at in the short story, describing her as Ennis's "trial girlfriend."  
The Guardian gives the opera three stars (out of five) and says Okulitch and Tom Randle "do manage to create real characters," but "the relationship between them is never quite as movingly believable as it ought to be." I will reserve judgment because clips like this one and this one seem to show a nice chemistry.
Spanish newspaper El Pais gives the opera a more positive review and refers to "stellar performances" by Okulitch and soprano Heather Buck, who plays his wife Alma in a role far expanded from the short story or the movie.
Modern opera is nothing like Carmen or Cosi Fan Tutti. As some reviewers point out, you won't walk out of the theater humming a tune. I've seen very little modern opera live -- Moby Dick and parts of Dead Man Walking -- and I've watched parts of The Fly on YouTube. I enjoy the voices, the acting and the spectacle even if I don't buy the CD or hum the unhummable tunes. 

Save the Date: On Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time medici.tv will live stream the night's performance. I can't wait. I so want to love it.

"Brokeback Mountain" - The Opera

"Brokeback Mountain" the opera is opening tomorrow at Teatro Real in Madrid, and I wish I could be there. I love this story*, have loved it for over 10 years. AND I'm a fan of opera.

So I spent the weekend transcribing the libretto (see sidebar).

The best glimpses of the opera were posted today on YouTube by Teatro Real. The photos at Zimio are just amazing. Bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch looks to be a perfect Ennis. Tom Randle, a tenor, plays Jack, and I hope he's a bit cheerier than he seems in most of the photos. They're both older than Heath Ledger (Ennis) and Jake Gyllenhaal (Jack) were in the 2005 movie, but so what; the roles require the characters to age from 19 to 39. The stills seem to indicate a nice chemistry.

The libretto, by Annie Proulx, author of the original short story, sheds new light on the story. She adds depth to the Alma character, makes it clear that Ennis and Jack did not kiss face-to-face on the mountain that first summer, and makes it clearer, to me, at least, that they loved each other. Ennis becomes more sympathetic than he was in the movie. Ennis's final aria (old fashioned term for an operatic monologue) is heartbreakingly beautiful.

The New York Times ran a preview in its New York edition Sunday, which sheds a light on the more technical operatic details.

Here's an informative video with a few clips from the opera from Agence France Presse.

Teatro Real is supposed to be making a DVD and I've also read that there will be live streaming of the Feb. 7 performance. I'll post details if I can get them.

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* Of course I read the story, saw the movie at least 20 times and bought the soundtrack. I've also read thousands of pages of commentary and fan fiction.