#OperaPassion Day 2017

Summary

Eight hours of live streams and special events from across the UK
Highlights include an opera singer breaking a wine glass with her voice, plus a spine-tingling performance from Lesley Garrett
Partners include the Royal Opera House, English National Opera, English Touring Opera, Opera North, Glyndebourne, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera and Northern Ireland Opera
BBC Arts Digital is also working with the V&A, BBC Radio 3, Tomorrow’s World and Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry, supported by the British Council

Live Reporting

Can an opera singer actually shatter a glass?published at 13:33 BST 19 October 2017
Tomorrow's World
Life's big questions answered

We're back with Lindsay Chapman at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry at 1.45pm for our next opera and science experiment.
This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post
Image caption,
Lindsay Chapman at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry
Cracking open the nuts...published at 13:31 BST 19 October 2017
#OperaPassion
Opera North

Find out more, external about all of the operas you've heard in Opera in a Nutshell: the stories, the music, the productions, the trivia...
If you didn't catch the whole performance it will be available to watch on demand very soon.
Opera North's Elin Pritchard is showing off her coloratura...published at 13:22 BST 19 October 2017
#OperaPassion
BBC Radio 3

But what exactly do we mean by "coloratura"?
Here's the answer. In Radio 3's In Tune A-Z of Opera, Sarah Lenton, Marilyn Horne and Danielle de Niese explain,,,
Image caption,
Portraits from the backstage at the Last Night of the Proms 2015.
Who says opera is all about shrill ladies in viking helmets?published at 13:14 BST 19 October 2017
Opera North

Opera North's 'Opera in a Nutshell' embraces the stereotype!
Image caption,
Opera in a Nutshell
How many Nessun Dormas so far today?published at 13:13 BST 19 October 2017

We've counted three...
Opera in a Nutshellpublished at 13:07 BST 19 October 2017
#OperaPassion
Opera North

Live now from Opera North: the performers are John Savournin (Narrator), soprano Elin Pritchard, baritone Milo Harries and Djordje Gajic (Accordion)
Nessun Dorma flashmobpublished at 13:05
Opera North
Opera North

Opera North is always looking at new ways of delighting audiences - like when tenor Rafael Rojas and the ladies of the chorus surprised shoppers in Leeds.
This YouTube post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on YouTube
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.
Skip youtube video
Allow YouTube content?
This article contains content provided by Google YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. YouTube content may contain adverts.
End of youtube video
Opera Northpublished at 12:55
Dock 29, Leeds Dock
Opera North

Opera North is England’s national opera company in the North, founded in 1978 as English National Opera North. It was created with the express intention of bringing the high quality opera to tour the stages of the north of England, and became independent in 1981.
In five minutes soprano Elin Pritchard, baritone Milo Harries, baritone John Savournin and accordionist Djordje Gajic will be taking opera out into the city at Leeds Dock with a live ‘pop-up’ Opera in a Nutshell, external performance.
Image source, Opera North/Tom Arber
Image caption,
Elin Pritchard and Milo Harries at Northern Monk
If you're new to opera it's the perfect way to dip your toe in, with a half-hour half hour crash course in the emotion, power and variety of the art form featuring some of opera's greatest hits.
Image source, Opera North
Image caption,
Festive mood behind the scenes as the team get ready for Opera in a Nutshell
We're live from Glyndebourne!published at 12:32 BST 19 October 2017
To be or not to be
Glyndebourne

Sorry, we're having trouble displaying this content.View original content on Facebook
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Facebook content may contain adverts.
Actor Samuel West, external performs Hamlet's soliloquy as he oscillates between courage and fear. He's played the titular role before with the Royal Shakespeare company for one year and three days, which comes to a staggering 132 performances! He also directed the play at the RSC Fringe but neither prepared him for the thrilling experience of seeing Brett Dean's Hamlet Opera
Quote Message
It completely exploded my idea of the story
Samuel West
Image source, Glyndebourne
Image caption,
David Butt Philip and Jennifer France sing an extract as Hamlet and Ophelia
Quote Message
You never get the line complete as it appears in the play. Brett Dean the composer and the librettist Matthew Jocelyn made the early decision... to not be entirely faithful to the text and to fragment it, and to use parts of it in places you don't expect
David Butt Philip
Want to find out more about Brett Dean's Hamlet Opera? Explore the music, story and characters in Glyndebourne's interactive guide, external.
Which opera do you want to hear tonight?published at 12:30
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3

As part of #OperaPassion day, BBC Radio 3 is offering you, the listeners, the chance to vote for the opera you would most like to hear broadcast this evening. The choices, from recent performances by the Royal Opera are:
Gounod: Faust
Mozart: The Magic Flute
Puccini: Tosca
Wagner: The Flying Dutchman
You can find out how to vote here. Voting remains open until 4pm.
Terms and Conditions
Image caption,
Bryn Terfel as Méphistophélès and Joseph Calleja as Faust © ROH/Bill Cooper
Image source, ROH
Image caption,
Markus Werba as Papageno and Rhian Lois as Papagena © ROH/Mark Douet
Image source, ROH
Image caption,
Angela Gheorghiu as Floria Tosca
Image source, ROH
Image caption,
Adrianne Pieczonka as Senta © ROH/Clive Barda
Glyndebournepublished at 12:28
East Sussex
Glyndebourne

We leave the bustling streets of London and head out to a country manor in the heart of the Sussex countryside where John Christie and and his opera singer wife, Audrey Mildmay founded the Glyndebourne Festival in 1934.
Image source, Glyndebourne/Sam Stephenson
Image caption,
Opening in 1994, this was first purpose-built opera house constructed in the UK since John Christie's original opera house at Glyndebourne. The wind turbine behind it was installed in 2012, making Glyndebourne the first UK arts organisation to generate its own power.
Before building a theatre with auditorium and orchestra pit, John Christie renovated Glyndebourne Manor by adding an impressive organ room in 1920. On its first testing the organ’s vibrations brought down a large piece of plaster from the ceiling! He met his wife Audrey at one of the amateur opera productions he regularly held here. Today only the shell remains.
Image source, Glyndebourne/Sam Stephenson
Join us live at 12:30 directly from the marvellous Organ Room and discover how opera and acting convey emotion differently.
Image source, Glyndebourne/Andrew Batty
Image caption,
Samuel West, Jennifer France, David Butt Philip, Tim Anderson and Alexandra Coghlan
Read more about the early years, external and secrets of Glydebourne, external.
Come inside the Royal Opera Housepublished at 11:34 BST 19 October 2017
#OperaPassion
Royal Opera House

Over at the Royal Opera House, external, DJ Nihal hosted a live video from rehearsals...
Sorry, we're having trouble displaying this content.View original content on Facebook
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Facebook content may contain adverts.
Nihal's visit to the Royal Opera House opens a window on rehearsals for Lucia di Lammermoor.
There's a sword fighting class with Erwin Schrott (don't try this at home and the blood's not real...).
We visit the armoury and see how stage weapons are made to look realistic. Then it's meet the 'Fachers'- finding out how every person's voice falls into a distinct category, or 'Fach'.
On to mission control - the stage managers' 'prompt corner' where the performances are controlled.
Ever wondered why babies have the perfect operatic technique for attracting attention? The ROH's vocal consultant explains the difference between 'squealo' and 'squillo'...
We find out what life is like for performers, and the sheer emotional punch they can deliver for audiences, whether experienced opera-goers or newbies like George the Poet...
This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post
This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2
Allow X content?
This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2
La donna e mobile from Rigoletto by Verdipublished at 11:33 BST 19 October 2017

Sung by Iain Henderson, postgraduate student at the Royal Northern College of Music, brilliantly demonstrating the power of his voice in the crucial 3000 Hertz region.
(accompanied on the piano by Tim Kennedy)
Image caption,
Iain Henderson
Do opera singers have more muscles?published at 11:30 BST 19 October 2017
#OperaPassion

No, the ones we all have - including the diaphragm - are more highly developed to support the voice ...
Sword-fighting? Vocal acrobatics?published at 11:27 BST 19 October 2017
#OperaPassion
Royal Opera House

When it comes to capturing human emotion, there's nothing quite like opera.
You can go live to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, external at 11.30am for sword-fighting, vocal acrobatics, and a glimpse into rehearsals.
Puccini powerpublished at 11:27 BST 19 October 2017
Tomorrow's World
Life's big questions answered

Tu che di gel sei cinta from Turandot by Puccini sung by Monica Bell, who is a student at Royal Northern College of Music.
The power of her voice is demonstrated by the sound wave pattern.
(the piano accompanist is Tim Kennedy)
Your body is your instrumentpublished at 11:25 BST 19 October 2017
Tomorrow's World
Life's big questions answered

The students explain that opera makes use of your whole body. Monica's singing demonstrates both the pitch and the timbre of the voice in the sound wave and the level of decibels.
Image caption,
Monica Bell demonstrating the power of her voice
Why does opera sound so different from today's pop songs?published at 11:21 BST 19 October 2017
Tomorrow's World
Life's big questions answered

Trevor Cox is Professor of Acoustic Engineering at the University of Salford.
He explains why opera is acoustically so different from pop because it relies on just the natural power of the voice, rather than the use of amplification.
Opera singers are masters of creating a loud enough sound (around 3000 hertz) for the human ear to respond to.
Image caption,
Professor Cox with post-graduate students Monica Bell and Iain Henderson
Live from Italypublished at 11:19 BST 19 October 2017

Over in Milan, rehearsals are underway in Teatro alla Scala. Watch a live-stream of Nabucco's rehearsals conducted by Nello Santi with an interview with director Daniele Abbado.
Watch live, external
So how loud is an opera singer?published at 11:15 BST 19 October 2017
Tomorrow's World
Life's big questions answered

From Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry, the BBC Tomorrow’s World team perform a live experiment to find out just how loud an opera singer can sing.