The Boston Lyric Opera 2009/2010 Season Preview

For the 2009/2010 season the  Boston Lyric Opera will thrill audiences with four full productions-  presenting both  beloved and classic operas, while managing to update the art form by showcasing emerging talent and  new productions of contemporary  works.

The BLO opens with Georges Bizet’s  crowd-pleasing Carmen(November 6-November 17), the story about the doomed love between a Gypsy girl and a soldier. It’s a wonderfully scandalous opera and  the music, especially The Toreador Song and the Habanera are likely familiar to you.  The BLO has even  sub-titled this production,  “Carmen,Too Hot To Live ” . Opera does make for a great date night !

Other season highlights ? The Turn of the Screw will be performed  February 3,5, and 6  at the Boston Park Plaza Castle and Towers as part of  the BLO’s first “Opera Annex”, a fully staged opera production that is performed  outside  the traditional theater setting. The Turn of the Screw was written and is  performed in English -and is always a favorite for American opera-goers.

In March, Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos will be performed , followed by the season finale, Mozart’s Indomeneo, re di Creta in April. All three main-stage shows are performed at the Shubert Theater (265 Tremont St., Boston, 617-482-93930 (Map) and English sur-titles are projected  on screens to the side of the stage. If you are new to opera, you may want to “pre-game”  your evening  . The BLO offers a 30 minute concert talk before each performance that covers the opera’s plot and main characters- perfect for the beginning opera fan.

Image credit: John Bellemer , Don Jose in Carmen; The Boston Lyric Opera