Thinking of coming to a ‘concert staging’, but want to know more? Here’s our guide to experiencing opera in this dramatically intense way …
What’s on
Why concert stagings?
It all began for a practical reason – when staging particularly large-scale operas, it’s simply not possible to fit the size of orchestra required into most of the orchestra pits where Opera North usually performs. However, we couldn’t let that stop us programming these epic works, so we found a new way to do it in concert halls around the country!
“Opera North has made a grand success of its concert hall productions of some of the biggest beasts in the operatic zoo” — The Sunday Times
What are some recent examples?
Over the last few years: Wagner’s monumental Ring cycle (which is available to stream online) and The Flying Dutchman, Puccini’s Turandot, Strauss’ Salome, Verdi’s Aida, Beethoven’s Fidelio in lockdown and Wagner’s Parsifal.
“Opera North’s ‘concert stagings’ of epic operas have become eagerly awaited annual events” — The Times
Company of Aida, 2019 © Clive Barda
So where is the orchestra?
The orchestra is on stage, fully visible to the audience. To be able to see as well as hear the players in these colossal works – which sometimes have extensive percussion and brass – is a truly thrilling experience! Audiences also tell us that they’re able to hear the orchestra with extra clarity, as the stagings make the most of each concert hall’s incredible acoustics.
“…places the orchestra right at the heart of the drama… pure theatre in its own right” — The Guardian
Are there costumes, props and set pieces?
Yes! Sometimes the singers will be in full costume, and sometimes the designer’s make use of cleverly symbolic elements. Set pieces can be performed in front of, or within, the orchestra – it all depends on the director’s vision. There’s also often imaginative use of video projection and dramatic lighting. Please see the information available for each opera for more details, or call our Box Office on 0113 223 3600 to find out more.
“The orchestra can become anything. In Turandot, we had to build extra staging for the percussion and it became Peking: the walls and the turrets and the prisons” — Annabel Arden, director
Are the singers in character?
Absolutely – the singers will be inhabiting their roles completely and there might be quite physical staging! There’s certainly no less drama than in a fully-staged opera production.
The company of Parsifal, 2022 © Clive Barda
How else is the experience different?
Because there is no proscenium arch or orchestra pit in the way, the audience is much closer to the singers. This means you really get to see the performers’ physicality and the emotions on their faces – another reason why these are such intense dramatic experiences.
Opera narratives can be quite complex, but in this scenario, within such a simple space, we see every move clearly and what characters do and say is somehow amplified, so the story is easy to follow and understand.
“…cuts to the bare bones of the drama… viscerally effective” — The Sunday Times
What’s the difference between a ‘concert staging’ and ‘concert performance’?
Some operas are billed as a ‘concert performance’ rather than ‘concert staging’. This simply means that there may be less in the way of set and costume design and staging, but the singers will of course still be in character when they perform.
The Flying Dutchman, 2015 © Robert Workman
