Ayrton Senna: The Opera ?
Quite frankly I'm not sure what to make of this. When I first heard about this production it was being called a "musical" the thought of which horrified me. However as it's going to be an opera after all, and with both the ENO and The Metropolitan Opera commissioning it, I am somewhat more confident of the outcome (which I presume has been sanctioned by the Ayrton Senna Institute). This is going to be something to keep an eye out for, even if the logistics of an opera based on F1 seem mind-boggeling . Due for 2012 apparently. Found on BBC Formula One website
Amendment after thinking some more about this:
The concept of an opera about Formula One seems quite strange, as stated below, the two do not usually mix. So I began thinking about why the ENO and the Metropolitan Opera would even commission such an opera. One possibility, and one more likely to be sanctioned by the Ayrton Senna Institute is for the opera to be more about the man, Ayrton Senna as apposed to his life as a racing driver. Yes Senna was three times F1 World Champion, yes he died in a race accident which shocked the world, but now his life has more meaning to many people than just these racing facts.
Charismatic, determined to win, supremely talented behind the wheel, with an aggressive streak. His death lead to certain facts of his life being made public for the first time such as the large charitable donations he made (kept secret so as not to attract publicity). The Cartoon Seninhna in Brazil, about a boy racing driver styled on Senna, organised by Senna (all proceeds going to charity) just before he died is still very popular for children who never saw him race. Shortly after his death, his family decided to set up the Ayrton Senna Institute, to help poor children in Brazil aim for a better life, through funded projects involving Sport, Health and Education. Today the ASI has helped millions of children in Brazil and this has become Ayrton Senna's legacy.
"Wealthy men can't live in an island that is encircled by poverty. We all breathe the same air. We must give a chance to everyone, at least a basic chance." Ayrton Senna.
There is more to Senna than just racing, and what there is more of, I personally think will be focused on in the production of an opera.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 3:54 PM
Des-Watch: McAnuff working on Formula 1 opera, Dr Zhivago musical
J. Kelly Nestruck
Des McAnuff, artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, spends a lot more time working on freelance gigs outside of Stratford, Ontario, than his predecessors.
Here at Nestruck on Theatre, we are extremely in favour of McAnuff's jet-setting lifestyle, but mainly because we get to pitch work trips to Australia to review musicals based on Dr. Zhivago. (No go on Zhivago, alas.)
Yes, that's one of the projects on McAnuff's plate for 2011 according to a recent interview with Grey Gardens songwriter Michael Korie.
What else is coming up on McAnuff's plate, which perhaps is more of a giant serving bowl? Well, we now know the title and subject matter the new opera he's shepherding to stage for the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera. Senna, as it is called, will have music by post-minimalist composer Michael Torke and libretto by Korie; the opera concerns the Brazilian Formula 1 world champion Ayrton Senna da Silva, who was killed in a crash during the 1994 Grand Prix.
Says Korie to Playbill: "I was so intrigued by the whole idea of opera and speed. They're not things that you usually associate together."
Surely a contender for understatement of the year.
