By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Beginning November 20th and continuing through November 29th, the Ópera na Tela (Opera on Screen) festival will present thirteen outdoor screenings of opera performances in the Escola de Artes Visuais (EVA) do Parque Lage, located in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Jardim Botânico.
Featuring well-known operas including “Carmen”, “Tosca”, “Don Giovanni”, “The Barber of Seville”, “Aida”, “Norma”, “The Magic Flute” and “Rigoletto”, the performances to be screened as part of the festival were originally filmed live in famed opera houses including the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan; the Paris Opera in France; the Berlin State Opera in Germany; Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) in Madrid, Spain; the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Italy; Opéra Nouvel, in Lyon France; and in festivals in Salzburg, Aix en Provence and Baden-Baden.
Sponsored by the city of Rio de Janeiro, the Secretary of Municipal Culture and Sofitel, part of the AccorHotels luxury hotel network, the Ópera na Tela festival will also feature cultural events and educational activities including a masterclass with vocal trainer Raphaël Sikorski.
Additionally the recordings will be shown in Rio de Janeiro theaters through June 2016, in order to make the works and festival accessible to a larger audience.
“It’s part of the DNA of the Sofitel brand, the passion for art and to support a great project like Ópera na Tela, which promotes cultural exchange and knowledge,” said Patrick Mendes, CEO of Accor South America in a prepared statement.
Organizers state that the screening area in Parque Lage can accommodate approximately four hundred people and will feature a giant, high quality screen, quality sound and comfortable seating. For more information about the festival and the complete programming schedule, see the official Ópera na Tela website.
What: Ópera na Tela
When: November 20th – 29th
Where: R. Jardim Botânico, 414 – Jardim Botânico
Entrance: R$20 per screening