This year’s GGS Spring Opera, Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, turned out to be a very contemporary project despite it being a post-WWII opera based on a 2,500 year-old legend. It was a demonstration of the abilities of everyone involved (both students and creative team) to adapt more than once in response to the pandemic, in service of a classical story that still has contemporary resonance.
Due to changing COVID-10 restrictions, this year’s opera – led by Music Director Gordon Gerrard and Dramatic Coach Marilyn Gronsdal – was scaled back from a fully staged production complete with an orchestra to a filmed in-concert performance featuring plexiglass barriers, limited theatrical interaction, and a single collaborative pianist (GGS Vocal Coach Rachael Kerr). Ultimately, the heightened focus on interpreting the work’s tonally complicated score and dense libretto allowed the singers to turn out extraordinary musical performances.
Adrianne Pieczonka, Vocal Chair and Head of the Vocal Department, had this to say about this year’s production - “This has been a long process that has gone through many changes and transmutations, but I’m proud of our creative team, our students, and our conductor. We have worked so tirelessly, and everyone has done such a wonderful job.”
The Rape of Lucretia premieres via livestream on April 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET and will remain available to watch on-demand on The Royal Conservatory website. In the meantime, please enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at the rehearsal and recording process.
