Opera season kicks off with 'Eugene Onegin'
<p>Catch the Metropolitan Opera's performance of "Eugene Onegin" at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center and Stadium 14 in Kalispell. The opera will be screened at 10:55 a.m. Oct. 5 at both locations, and again at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9.</p>
Good news, opera lovers: Now you no longer have to drive to a major city to enjoy powerful voices and dazzling productions.
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2013-14 season will be broadcast in high definition in Kalispell and Whitefish. The season opens Saturday with “Eugene Onegin.”
The opera will be screened at 10:55 a.m. at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center and at Stadium 14 in Kalispell. The Kalispell theater will show “Eugene Onegin” again at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Anna Netrebko and Mariusz Kwiecien star as the lovestruck Tatiana and imperious Onegin in Tchaikovsky’s fateful romance. Piotr Beczala is Lenski, Onegin’s friend turned rival.
Deborah Warner’s new production, directed by Fiona Shaw, is set in the late 19th century and moves episodically from farmhouse to ballroom, with a powerful snowstorm providing the dramatic setting for the finale.
The high-definition broadcast offers viewers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the Met that live opera goers won’t experience, said Carol Atkinson, head of the Whitefish Arts Council, which is responsible for bringing the production to Whitefish. During intermission, the broadcast will go backstage for interviews with cast members and insights into the choreography, design, conducting and other components that go into creating the shows.
For tickets and additional information about the Whitefish show, call Atkinson at 862-7591. The performing arts center will be open one hour before performances, and tickets are available with cash or check at the door.
For tickets to the Kalispell screenings, visit www.cinemark.com or call Stadium 14 at 752-7804.