On stage: Cape Town Opera’s La rondine is set in Paris after World I
What: La rondine When: November 16, 18, 20, 2021 Tickets: R350 Bookings: Computicket or Artscape Dial-A-Seat 021 421 7695 Booking link: https://tickets.computicket.com/event/la_rondine/5301948 Director: Christine Crouse Orchestra: Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra -conducted by Marvin Kernelle Set design: Michael Mitchell Costumes: Maritha Visagie and Rabia Davids Lighting design: Faheem Bardien. |
Exciting news is that Cape Town Opera is staging Puccini’s La rondine – three performances only – and with lockdown restrictions on seating- the 170 seats per performance, will go quickly. La rondine (The Swallow) was commissioned in 1913 as a “comic opera”. The story pivots around a courtesan, Magda (the “swallow” of the title), who follows love and ditches her position of stability. This production is set in Paris, after World I and has the brilliant Michael Mitchell on board as set designer and Faheem Bardien as lighting designer. La rondine is part of Cape Town Opera’s Puccini Extravaganza. The other opera is the season is La bohème. Info as supplied by Cape Town Opera:
When Puccini accepted a commission from Vienna’s Carl theater in 1913, he embraced the opportunity to incorporate elements of Viennese operetta into his trademark late-Romantic idiom. The bittersweet plot of La rondine mixes Lehár-style intrigue with the pathos of Verdi’s La traviata; the ‘swallow’ of the title is the courtesan Magda de Civry, who longs to ‘fly south’ to find true love and happiness. “Who cares about wealth, if bliss flourishes in the end?” she sighs. “Oh golden dream, to be able to love like that!”
Cape Town Opera’s production of La rondine is set in Paris following World War I, in an apartment similar to that of American author Gertrude Stein’s, a famous gathering place for the best and brightest artists of the age. This is a proudly in-house Cape Town Opera production, with the lead roles played by members of the Young Artist Programme and the Cape Town Opera Chorus, with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by our very own Marvin Kernelle. Brittany Smith sings the role of Magda alongside guest tenor Lukhanyo Moyake in his debut as Magda’s lover, Ruggero. The production is directed by Christine Crouse, with set design by Michael Mitchell, costumes by Maritha Visagie and Rabia Davids and lighting design by Faheem Bardien.

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❇Sponsored content. Related coverage – Cape Town Opera’s Puccini Extravaganza. https://thecaperobyn.co.za/on-stage-cape-town-operas-production-of-la-boheme-on-in-cape-town-november-2021/