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New Wave Opera

Well, purists are likely to faint straight away into the silver punchbowl, but Opera Nova is determined, in their words, to "drag opera kicking and screaming into the 21st century. And how are they going to accomplish this? By updating Bellini's I Puritani (and subtitling it "The Puritans Go Shopping") with a new American English libretto and dialogue. They add and delete characters, abridge performances, and retranscribe the music for a small number of instruments and synthesizers. This group--working out of New York--is either the future of opera or the sign of impending apocalyse, depending on your outlook. Worth a look.

Tue, 07 Mar 2000 05:30:45 -0800