Houston grand opera don carlos11/8/2022 ![]() ![]() Meanwhile, two rich, self-centered noblemen of this kingdom, Mirza Sajjad Ali and Mir Roshan Ali, are obsessed with the game of shatranj (chess). ![]() Here, Wajid Ali Shah, the nawab (royal leader) of the regal state of Awadh (whose capital is Lucknow) is dethroned by the British. Charulata, indulging her artistic inner self through Amal’s coaching, admits her feelings for him in a short story, setting the drama in motion.Īfter Charulata comes Shatranj Ke Khilari ( The Chess Players), starring Sanjeev Kumar in a cast that includes Sir Richard Attenborough. ![]() When Bhupati’s brother, Amal, comes for a visit, Charulata is taken by him. Ray’s 1964 black-and-white film follows the wealthy Bhupati, who neglects his wife Charulata to pursue politics in 19th-century India. #Houston grand opera don carlos full#Tickets start at $20 a full screening package including the opening reception and music performance is $50 - find both online.Īside from guest speakers, attendees can expect tasty bites from noted Indian restaurant Verandah.Īfter a 4 pm opening reception, the festival kicks off with Charulata ( The Lonely Wife), starring acclaimed actors Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhavi Mukherjee. The 14th annual Indian Film Festival of Houston returns Saturday, October 15 at Asia Society of Texas (1370 Southmore Blvd.), spotlighting some Ray favorites. Now, an annual film festival showcases Ray and some of his greatest works. Long before the Bollywood phenomenon, Satyajit Ray crafted a host of films, so many that he was eventually named one of cinema’s greatest and most influential directors of all time. Of course these current incidents harken back to the self-immolation of Quang Duc. Some sources note at least 34 self-immolations from 2010-2012. The increase in immolations seems to be largely a result of protests of China’s rule over Tibet. The boom in self -immolations in the last few years is just staggering. It’s less the age of people being burned in the name of religion than it is people setting themselves ablaze to punctuate a political cause. And perhaps we can then settle in for a long few hours to enjoy the erotic frustrations of Don Carlos and his beloved and, well, mother-in-law, Elisabeth de Valois.īut the prospect of political immolations is, alas, not very far from us at all. Do we assume that this is simply a form of barbarism typical of the brutal Spanish Inquisition? If so, opera transports us safely back to a time not our own where the political and historical happenings needn't touch us. Let's return to the auto-da-fé, for instance. Look how sweetly the commoners sing as they wait for the burning in this Ópera de Colombia production from 2011: In this case, however, the Spanish Inquisition wields the torches and the public watches. If you're wondering what an auto-da-fé is, start by remembering Frankenstein with all the villagers bearing lighted torches. If you're the protagonist Don Carlos, that means all of Europe teeters on the brink of war, your father marries the woman you love, the Spanish Inquisition is watching everyone, and you spend your time trying not to be executed by your father while attending a ballet and an auto-da-fé. Imagine it's a day like any other day in the world of Verdi. But the inquisition lends not humor but terror to Verdi's Don Carlos, which seems to blend almost-absurd intensities of violence with a typically frustrated love plot. I’d guess it's true: Nobody ever expects the Spanish Inquisition, not even in an opera. How much violence are you willing to take with your beauty? Don Carlos magnifies a particular set of dilemmas for opera-goers. ![]()
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