Thursday, November 04, 2010

Miners’ story is the stuff of opera


In today's Financial Times letters to the editor, Mr Tom Brown of Norddeutsche Landesbank makes an impassioned & forcefully expressed case for an opera version of the Chilean miners story, which he sees as evoking Billy Budd, Das Rheingold, La Fanciulla del West, Aida, The House of the Dead, Dr Atomic & Fidelio. Mr Brown ends with this plea:
Mr Adams, Sir Harrison Birtwhistle, Mr Albarn – sharpen your pencils and get composing now: a world premiere with the Simon Bolivar Orchestra under Gustavo Dudamel would be a fitting acknowledgment that a new Latin America has arrived. Do I hear an offer from Banco Santander to sponsor it?
Those with access to FT online can find the letter here.

2 comments:

David Lasson said...

Well, if Banco Santander won't sponsor the opera, perhaps Schramm, Inc., will: that's the company that made the drill that freed the miners. Imagine the branding possibilities: "If a Schramm drill can rescue Chilean miners, imagine how it could help you put up that tacky shelf in your rumpus room." The opera could even be called "¡Drill, Amigos!" There could even be a cross-promotion with the ADA. And to make the sponsorship opportunity even more attractive, a miners opera could certainly get by with a reduced lighting budget, anyway.

Axel Feldheim said...

Ooh, I like the idea of having much of the opera take place in darkness. & yes, that would be such a good cost savings. if you can't see anything anyway, why even bother with a set?

It does seem that operatic sponsorship via product placement has not been thoroughly exploited. How about a cigar manufacturer sponsoring Carmen, London Fog underwriting Colline's overcoat, or Tiffany's furnishing The Ring?