do you think it is important that opera is taken out of its kind of european niche? i think it is important that opera becomes something that appeals to everyone because it does have a reputation of being quite elitist and aloof but when it is done well it can be the most exciting of art forms when you have the combination of singers, orchestral musicians, chorus, stage technicians, all of these highly trained artists, musicians, practitioners it deserves to be enjoyed by absolutely everyone. bothjuan diego florez and cecilia bartoli are superstars who are pioneers helping to shape the future of opera. next time we see how a younger generation of singers are responding to greater technology and diversity in the heart of opera.
the popular peruvian born tenorjuan diego florez. during lockdown he had to adapt to new ways of singing opera in empty theatre halls, in concerts streamed and broadcast. like this one of faust by gounod. could streaming become a permanent way of bringing opera to wider audiences?
now on bbc news, zeinab badawi talks to two of the biggest names in opera today. i ve been an opera fan for decades and i want to share my passion with you so i m on a mission to tell you about some of the names in opera who are making it fit for the future. superstar cecilia bartoli is the italian mezzo soprano who originally wanted to be a flamenco dancer. and peruvian born tenor juan diego florez is an icon but he wanted to become a pop star. big names today but are they prepared for the opera world of tomorrow? we had to start more with using technology and using streaming, for instance. it s a beautiful art and if more and more young people come to the theatre and enjoy that, it s a magical world.
she is really, really pushing the boundaries of what we think of as opera and she has done that single handedly and made it really entertaining. cecilia bartoli looks at a score and she thinks, this is amazing music, and then she performs it, and often it is very florid, incredibly technically demanding, and half the time it has not been sung because it isjust too difficult to sing. she can do it. applause. most notably in her pioneering ways, cecilia has popularised the music of the famous 18th century italian castrato farinelli, like this piece by riccardo broschi.
we had to start more with using technology and using streaming, for instance, which in one way was good during the pandemic time, but i think the magic of a live performance, being in the audience, sharing this with other people, it is impossible to transmit this in streaming. i still believe in the live performance, this energy, you have this ping pong between you and the audience, this is something magic. 0pera fans agree that nothing can replace the exhilaration of the live performance, and outdoor venues such as italy s arena in verona, are becoming more popular and widespread as a result of lockdowns. i think it s going to be a completely new thing for opera to be performed half indoors, half outdoors. a lot of venues are adapting and changing so there are outdoor venues where you sit in a huge arena, but there are lots of venues