Peter sellars on the importance of theater by museum of fine arts, boston. Peter sellars has become famous for reinterpreting the works of the repertoire, involving himself in the political and social events of the times and focusing on creation. And i think mozart would have loved it toohe almost always went out of his way to make his work appealing to ordinary people. View or download all content the institution has subscribed to.
Don giovanni and leporello eugene and herbert perry twin african american they. Peter sellars the children of herakles is one of the leading theater, opera. Theres a rape and a murder in the first 90 seconds of mozarts don giovanni. Sellars is professor of world arts and cultures at ucla, where he teaches art as social action and art as moral action. September 1957 in pittsburgh, pennsylvania ist ein us amerikanischer. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content shifting through space time. Rent peter sellars movies and tv shows on dvd and bluray. The director peter sellars is a living definition of what the polar music prize is all about. Exploring the avantgarde theater world with peter sellars. American director peter sellars, 58, has been at the forefront of contemporary theatre and opera production since 1980. The productions first performance, on wednesday evening at the summerfare festival in purchase, n. Peter sellars productions of three mozart operas, set in contemporary america, are probably the most radical and iconoclastic opera stagings of the past twenty years. Peter sellars, american stage director known for his innovative and sometimes controversial style of directing.
A 1985 broadcast of don giovanni featuring cheryl studer, gundula. Peter sellars s english debut as a stage director of a standardrepertory opera has come not at some provincial byway but at the glyndebourne festival, the center of british mozart worship. This was followed during the summer of 1980 by staging of don giovanni, cast, costumed. Log in or sign up to leave a comment log in sign up. Peter sellars 1990 starring lorraine hunt and craig smith on dvd and bluray. Mozart gehort zu peter sellars wie seine stehfrisur. Because peter sellars most unusual take on the old story, transplanting it to modern harlem seems to me fun, fascinating and sometimes a bit infuriating. Director peter sellars shocking again in new adams opera.
Renowned theater, opera, and festival director, peter sellars is one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the performing arts in america and abroad. The passions of peter sellars university of michigan press. Sellars is widely regarded as the most exciting director at work on the international theatre and opera scene today. The passions of peter sellars follows the development of his style, beginning with his interpretations of the mozartda ponte operas, proceeding to works for which he assembled the libretti and even the music, and concluding with his celebrated stagings of bachs passions with the berlin philharmonic. Macarthur genius fellow peter sellars is an american theater director, noted for his unique contemporary stagings of classical and contemporary operas and plays. And rather than present these works in their ancient form, he has updated them to address contemporary political issues. Peter sellars born september 27, 1957 is an american theatre director, noted for his unique. The documentary, entitled destination mozart, is a useful primer. Mad about the prey parterre box the most essential blog in. Heartbeat opera presents a bold new production of mozarts don giovanni. He is known mainly for his unique modern stagings of classic and contemporary works, including don giovanni situated in harlem, new york, le nozze di figaro in a luxurious apartment in trump tower and handels orlando in space. Legendary theatre and opera director peter sellars to.
Great artists often run the risk of being misapprehended during their lifetimes. Peter sellars director is a renowned american theatre and opera director. St matthew passion by bach with simon rattle digital. Did i mention that this is the new peter sellars updating of don giovanni. Director peter sellars has called a halt to the countdown and takes the stage.
A chronotopic analysis of peter sellars don giovanni terry do novan smith from a wild weird clime that iieth, sublime, out ofspace out otime. The upwardspringing hair, bright polyester shirts, and merry cackle of peter sellars, the american director, are once again in evidence at the salzburg festival, which means that change is in the. Professional selfproclaimed provocateur peter sellars sets his 1990 don giovanni film in spanish harlem, new york city, in a ghetto setting, which works surprisingly well with reference to the original libretto. A graduate of harvard university, peter sellars is best known for his progressive and daring productions of classical and contemporary operas. Theatre and opera director peter sellars is making the most of his time in new zealand, bringing three shows here. They asked me to do a don giovanni, for performance in a festival. When peter sellars was making a first stab at his harlem don giovanni the one. Heres how peter sellars describes his latest television spectacular. Ever since the age of 22, when he enraged traditionalists by staging mozarts don giovanni in the style of a blaxploitation movie, this american opera and theatre.
Marriage of figaro and don giovanni, the progress of world. Peter sellars director opera online the opera lovers. Blog peter sellars to deliver keynote address at the. A night at the opera with peter sellars, pbs,1990 opera director guilio cesare in egitto also known as juliuscaesar in egypt, 1990 opera director don giovanni, 1990 le nozze di figaro, 1990 opera director cosi fan tutte, 1990 peter sellars directs the marriage of figaro, great. Peter sellarss streetwise don giovanni the washington. In peter sellars evocative 1990 production of don giovanni, the setting of mozarts drama giocoso is transformed from the aristocratic seville of the mid 17th century to a row of broken down. Destination mozart a night at the opera with peter sellars.
Peter sellars has taken mozarts don giovanni and set it in modern new york city. Peter sellars to take on mozarts unfinished muslim. Among his early productions notable for their ingenuity were shakespeares anthony and cleopatra staged in a swimming pool, handels orlando set in outer space, and mozarts don giovanni done in. Peter sellars part 2 of 3 english subtitles by opera nerd.
But sellars true genius was in casting africanamerican twins to play the parts of don giovanni and his servant, leporello. Lucasta miller meets peter sellars stage the guardian. Don giovanni in a new york ghetto, zaide in a sweatshop peter sellars s outlandish mozart productions have shocked opera traditionalists and made him a star. Matthew passion is performed in peter sellars unforgettable staging. As for the soloists, my impressions were as follows. Don ottavio as the undercover police officer, donna anna doublecrossing him as well as being a heroine addict, shooting heroine. Elizabeth schwarzkopf hated it and said peter sellars should be in prison for doing it. Ok, but his don giovanni, staged and costumed and cast in the manner of a 1970s blaxploitation flick like shaft or superfly, was utterly fantastic. The opera director peter sellars has revealed plans for a radical modern production of mozarts unfinished work zaide. Peter sellars had his brazen way with mozartactually setting the same don giovanni in grubby spanish harlemand imparted surprising illumination. Don giovanni in spanish harlem and cosi in despinas diner. It is a work you can become addicted to, a work in which you can always discover something new even if you have listened to it repeatedly. Bachs st john passion with simon rattle and peter sellars.
Through performed in the original italian, peter sellars production of don giovanni relocates mozarts dramatic moralitytale to the dark streets of harlem, deep. Da ponte cycle directed by peter sellars don giovanni cosi fan tutte le nozze di figaro. Peter sellars mozart operas at pepsico summerfare the 10,000 ticketholders for the 15 performances of peter sellars mozartda ponte trilogy the marriage of figaro, don giovanni and cosi fan tutte at the 10th and final pepsico summerfare this july in purchase, n. With his controversial productions of opera and theatre, peter sellars has depicted everything from war and famine to religion and globalisation. Director peter sellars on art, music, and politics. The series is scheduled to continue with don giovanni on jan. He often staged plays and operas in settings far different than those suggested by the text. Year, cast don giovanni, leporello, donna anna, don ottavio, donna elvira, zerlina. This is a partial discography of wolfgang amadeus mozarts opera don giovanni. He also frequently collaborated with john adams on such productions as nixon in china 1987. He is best known for staging plays and operas for numerous international theatres in settings far different than those suggested by the text. But from the 1990s, he also increasingly made a name for himself on the opera stage. Specials nixon in china, great performances, pbs, 1988 destination mozart.
At tentysix, he was made director of the american national. A chronotopic analysis of peter sellars don giovanni terry do novan smith from a wild weird clime that. Peter sellars is an american theatre director, noted for his unique contemporary stagings of classical and contemporary operas and plays. Don giovanni tv movie 1990 don giovanni tv movie 1990. He attended harvard university, where he began developing his innovative and often controversial style of directing. Sellars is professor at ucla, where he teaches art as social action and art as moral action. His staging of don giovanni was cast, costumed, and presented to resemble a blaxploitation film. Don giovanni can be downloaded by clicking on the icon of a square. Peter sellars says its fine with him if people hate his controversial theatrical work, and many have taken him up on the offer. Don giovanni as a blaxploitationgangster flick or an episode of kojak or miami vice. He has lent his vision to king lear, don giovanni and other classics. American theater director peter sellars is known for his iconoclastic staging of masterpieces. Peter sellars born september 27, 1957 is an american theatre director, noted for his unique contemporary stagings of classical and contemporary operas and plays.
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