'The Shining' Adaptation Delivers Spine-Chilling Horror on the Opera Stage >>
Mark Campbell's staging of 'The Shining' opened last week at Minnesota Opera. Based on Stephen King's horror novel turned silver-screen-psychological-nightmare by director Stanley Kubrick, the production features music from composer Paul Moravec.
EXCLUSIVE: Minnesota Opera Previews Campbell and Moravec's 'The Shining' >>
This year, the Minnesota Opera will define what it means to adapt a novel to stage. Stephen King's best-selling text, The Shining (and let's be clear we're not talking about Kubrick), is a risky endeavor, one in dealing with enough psychologically-based thematic concepts that it could have driven librettist Mark Campbell insane just to write.
Michael Christie to Lead 'The Manchurian Candidate' >>
Minnesota Opera music director Michael Christie will lead the world premiere performances of "The Manchurian Candidate" from March 7 to 15 in the Music Theatre at Ordway. The new opera by Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell is based on the novel by Richard Condon. "The Manchurian Candidate," a Minnesota Opera New Works Initiative Production, traces the suspenseful story of an American soldier decorated during the Korean War who is brainwashed into becoming an unwitting assassin in a conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government. The performances of "The Manchurian Candidate" are part of the Rock the Ordway series. These 22 days of opening nights will be marking the grand opening of the new, state-of-the-art concert hall at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Minnesota. The celebration kicks off Feb. 28 with a gala evening featuring The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra led by Christie in collaborative performances with the Minnesota Opera Chorus, pianist Jeremy Denk, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and more.
Minnesota Opera's 'Silent Night,' About World War I Christmas Eve Truce, Broadcasting Nationwide on PBS >>
The Minnesota Opera's performance of 'Silent Night,' the true story of a miraculous moment of peace during one of the bloodiest wars in history, will be broadcast on PBS stations nationwide starting on December 13.
Opera Composers Look to Best-Selling Books, Popular Movies for Inspiration >>
A list of opera premières scheduled over the next few years reads like a list of best-selling books or popular movies: 'Brokeback Mountain,' 'Dolores Claiborne,' 'Cold Mountain,' 'The Shining,' 'The Manchurian Candidate.'
Good or Bad: Minnesota Opera Announces Paul Moravec, Mark Campbell Opera Based on ‘The Shining’ >>
The Minnesota Opera recently announced that it has commissioned an opera based on Stephen King's 'The Shining.' Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec will work with librettist Mark Campbell to adapt King's 1977 horror classic. The opera will receive its world première in 2016.
