2011-04-02

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2011-04-02 02:05 am
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Opera! In! Spaaaaaaace!

Tonight I went to see a new opera that I really enjoyed.

I'm a little biased, because most of the cast and chorus were people I know. Also, I only got a couple hours' sleep last night, so my judgement may be a tad hazy. But Piccard In Space, by Will Gregory of Goldfrapp fame, made me exceedingly happy, and I'm very, very glad I heard it. Here's their publicity spiel:

Will Gregory’s debut opera is a classic adventure about the brilliant physicist, Auguste Piccard. On a mission to prove Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, he takes to the skies with his assistant in an airtight capsule. Travelling to a record-breaking 51,000 feet, they survive being roasted by the sun, toxic balls of mercury and crashing into the Alps. Clearly not a blackboard and chalk type of scientist, Piccard became world front-page news in 1931 and the inspiration for Hergé's cartoon character Professor Calculus in the Adventures of Tintin series.

Review below )
Piccard in Space will be broadcast on Radio 3 on Wednesday 13 April at 7pm. If you listen, I'd be intrigued to know what you thought of it.