PREP FOR NZO FIGARO
Lansdown Narropera Season, April 2020
In July 2020, New Zealand Opera will present Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro in Christchurch. Three months earlier, The Narropera Trio will present its version of the same opera in four performances, in The Golden Room of Lansdown House, on the Old Tai Tapu Road. These Lansdown narropera performances are the perfect 'prep' for in-depth enjoyment of a staged performance of the opera.
Floriane Peycelon (violin); Haydn Rawstron (piano and narrator) and Dorothee Jansen (soprano)
One unquestionable advantage of narropera is that it makes clear an opera's complex story, and there are few more complex operatic stories than that of The Marriage of Figaro. Narropera, here, is in its element.
Into the carefully narrated story, at appropriate moments, are placed 12 pieces of music from the opera, arranged for chamber music trio of soprano, violin and piano, and done in such a way as to continue the story telling, in music. Another advantage of the narropera format is its length, 75-85 minutes depending on the opera, and without interval.
The Lansdown Narropera April season will also present a single performance of Carl Maria von Weber's wonderful opera, Der Freischütz (The Devil's Marksman). Der Freischütz was once very popular in New Zealand (1874 - 1924). Sadly, the opera is now known in New Zealand only to aficionados. Yet, to such opera fans, Der Freischütz is very often their favourite opera. Why?
Der Freischütz, first performed in 1821, contains some of the most beautiful and immediately enjoyable music ever written for an opera, inspired by a totally absorbing story. It stormed the opera houses of Europe, being performed in nine different languages in as many years. Before 1850, it had been produced as far afield as Sydney, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro. By 1874 it reached Wellington, in English-language performances, and remained popular here, for 50 years. It is one of the three most-performed German operas, ever.
Anti-German sentiment curtailed Der Freischütz's popularity last century. Today, the modern trend of performing opera in original language mitigates against Der Freischütz. Like Mozart's Magic Flute, Der Freischütz has spoken dialogues in German and operas in English translations are simply no longer popular. The very nature of narropera easily gets around the language problem and enables narropera to re-introduce Weber's masterpiece to New Zealand audiences.
At historic Lansdown, weather permitting, patrons are welcome to bring a picnic to enjoy before the performance, on expansive river-bounded lawns, set within perhaps the oldest private plantation of exotic trees in Canterbury. The weekend afternoon performances are scheduled so as to enable 'le pique-nique', in theory!
The performances themselves are always indoors, in The Golden Room, a very large Georgian-style room with 4-metre high, coved ceiling, a pair of spectacular Czech crystal chandeliers, flying cornice, full dado in rimu and doors in mahogany. Such an environment is particularly well suited to performance of operas written in the elegant Georgian and Regency periods. The performing artists come from Germany, France and New Zealand and have performed as a trio, since 2016. By the time the 2020 Lansdown season is complete, narropera performances will number 100+.
Landown Narropera Season 2020
The Golden Room in Lansdown House,
132 Old Tai Tapu Road, Christchurch 8025
April 3rd (6pm); 5th 4pm); 18th (4pm); 24th (6pm) 2020 - Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro
April 11th (4pm) 2020 - Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz (The Devil's Marksman)