Over train's rumble, an opera
Pavarotti and New York鈥檚 Penn Station don鈥檛 share much, but Yuval Sharon and The Industry are bridging the gap in Los Angeles. Imagine a tenor aria soaring above the screech of the 10:30 a.m. train or chiseled dancers dashing by commuters, and you have some idea of 鈥淚nvisible Cities,鈥� the opera company鈥檚 second production.
Performed in historical Union Station without a traditional stage, 鈥淚nvisible Cities鈥� allows people to engage with the performers as they wander around, all while hearing the orchestra and singers via wireless headphones. For about 70 minutes, the action emerges around the station, with singers and dancers gradually revealing themselves to the audience, who may either stay in place and let the opera flow around them or follow performers from room to room.
The four-week run (recently extended by popular demand) of Christopher Cerrone鈥檚 鈥淚nvisible Cities,鈥� based on Italo Calvino鈥檚 novel of the same name, is a collaboration between The Industry, the German audio company Sennheiser, the L.A. Dance Project (with choreography by Benjamin Millepied), and, of course, the people of Los Angeles, willingly and otherwise.
鈥淭he opera [functions] as an invisible layer of everyday life, and every audience member will have a different, radically subjective experience of the opera,鈥� says Mr. Sharon, director of 鈥淚nvisible Cities鈥� and artistic director of The Industry. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an ideal way to bring Calvino鈥檚 masterpiece to life and to hear Chris鈥檚 quiet, haunting original score 鈥� all while celebrating a landmark of L.A.鈥檚 architecture.鈥�
Instead of expensive, elaborate sets and costumes, the level of subtlety and tailoring to a unique environment enhanced by technology may be just what opera needs to thrive in the 21st century. A sobering sign of the times: The New York City Opera, which strove to make opera accessible, filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors in October after a 70-year run.
鈥淚nvisible Cities鈥� is not 鈥渆xperimental鈥� in the fashion of Philip Glass鈥檚 minimalist abstract opera 鈥淓instein on the Beach,鈥� which recently finished a run a few blocks from Union Station at Los Angeles Opera. Instead, 鈥淚nvisible Cities鈥� embraces the grand tradition 鈥� the music may be sparse and quiet, but invites active listening and participation. The drama is subdued, but sensational and nuanced, and certainly immediately accessible if not utterly visceral.
This isn鈥檛 the first time Los Angeles audience members have mingled with opera performers in an unconventional setting. The Industry鈥檚 inaugural production, 鈥淐rescent City,鈥� took place in a warehouse. This past spring, the company introduced six scenes from up-and-coming composers in another Los Angeles landmark, the Hammer Museum.
