Originally scheduled for mid-September, the presentation of the Nice Côte d’Azur Opera season was finally held at the student center last Thursday. An unusual venue that clearly indicates a marked intention to appeal to a more diverse audience.
“Is opera, when you are young, for us or only for the old?” asked the new director, Bertrand Rossi, not without a hint of humor. No, opera is of course open to everyone! With this original presentation, the aim was to introduce this art form, both visual and musical, to an inexperienced age group. About fifty students were present to attend this presentation of the 2020-2021 program of the Nice Côte d’Azur Opera.
A season marked by a large number of new productions. “I have reached out to directors who were not necessarily already familiar with the Nice opera. Some come from the world of theater, cinema, and various backgrounds to try to bring their vision to an art that often is considered a pastime from the past,” explains Bertrand Rossi. Thus, there is a desire to inject new life with more modern stagings suitable for a more varied audience.
Among the innovations to make opera accessible to the general public, several events will take place throughout the year:
- Opera Beach will offer evenings on the beach in the summer during the opera house’s closed period.
- Le Véglione is an old Niçoise tradition that took place during the carnival. It is a masked ball that will start during the day with a young audience and conclude with an electro night on stage.
- The After Work events will take place from 7 to 8 pm with opera artists venturing off the beaten track to offer other music styles in unusual city locations such as the terrace of the Aston Hotel.
- Dinner on stage will be accompanied by a show for businesses and individuals, hosted by opera artists.
- Face to Face, where directors, singers, etc., will explain their vision of their productions.
- Café Jazz. This meeting will be held in the opera foyer on certain weekdays.
- Come with your cuddly toy, will allow children to spend an hour with the opera artists.
- Come with your smartphone, is aimed at older attendees based on the same principle of exchange with opera actors.
Revamp of the Program
Revisited classics, operas updated for today’s tastes, new pieces specially created in Nice… the lineup is intended to be rich and varied. “Akhnaten” is a perfect example of this. Created by the American composer Philip Glass, the opera is based on repetitive music. To be ready in time for the first performance scheduled for November 1st, most of the staging work (by Lucinda Childs) has been carried out through videoconferencing. A world first!
Among the season’s highlights, you will find “La Dame Blanche”, “Macbeth”, “La Bohème”, “The Rhinegold”, “Circo”, and “Werther”.
The full program details are available here: opera_nice_saison_2020-2021.pdf
Suffice it to say that this year there will be something for every taste and every budget!
