Opera based on Pink Floyd’s The Wall set for US premiere

The opera based on Pink Floyd’s classic 1979 album The Wall is to premiere in the US next year.

Another Brick In The Wall: L’Opera is currently running in Montreal at the Place Des Arts to mark the city’s 375th anniversary. It made its world premiere on Saturday and will run until March 24 – but will head Stateside in July 2018 when it arrives at the Cincinnati Music Hall.

Retitled Another Brick In The Wall: The Opera, it will appear in the US city to celebrate the venue’s 98th year and will be the first production there since its $135 million restoration.

The opera was composed by Julien Bilodeau and will be directed by Dominic Champagne. It will feature the 70-piece Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, 48 chorus members and eight soloists.

Cincinnati Opera’s artistic director Evans Mirageas tells the New York Times: “There is no question about the melodies. The discovery is how those melodies have been transformed into genuine ‘opera speak.’”

Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters was recruited as the Montreal show’s librettist.

He said last year: “I think my reply was somewhat dismissive. It had been my experience that experiments in collaboration between the worlds of rock and roll and the worlds of symphonic music were generally disastrous and should be embarked upon with extreme trepidation. But they were extremely persuasive.

“They played me some midi of what they had been working on and I confess, I sat there not expecting to be moved, and I was moved. So I approach this project with great enthusiasm.”

The Pink Floyd Lyrics Quiz: can you match the line to the song?

The story behind Pink Floyd’s The Wall album cover

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