Opera on TV Season, BFI Southbank

Fans of historic opera performance will relish the BFI’s forthcoming Broadcasting the Arts: Opera on TV season, celebrating the iconic, epochal performances of star singers like Maria Callas and Dame Janet Baker, distinguished directors such as Peter Brook and Luchino Visconti, and the designs of, among others, David Hockney. Some of these were recorded during existing production runs; some adapted a current performance for the TV studio; and a few created a show specifically for TV. 

Beginning in 1960, the series includes maestro Franco Zefirelli’s Royal Opera House production of Tosca, starring Maria Callas; Peter Brook’s exquisite, minimalist version of Carmen, for which the opera was was reworked for just four singers, two actors and a 15-piece orchestra; the David Hockney-designed Magic Flute, set in ancient Egypt; and Jonathan Miller’s extraordinary black and white version of The Mikado, featuring Eric Idle as Ko-Ko. But every one of these gives a fascinating account of how two great art forms, one perhaps the most elitist, the other the most popular, came to work with one another. 

Now that live-streaming of performances is becoming standard, performances recorded specifically for television are dying out. This season captures a disappearing art, offering a unique retrospective that will be of compelling interest to both opera lovers and fans of television history.   

Our friends at the BFI are offering Culture Whisper members  a special discount on all events and screenings in the season. To enjoy this £1.50 discount simply quoteCULTURE when booking on line, in person or over the phone (020 7928 3232).