The brevity of the opera is probably a bonus but additionally a limitation. Specifically, the highly effective story of William Nonetheless’s brother sprang and ended too rapidly. I’d have preferred to have gotten to know the characters in all of the tales higher; then the tears that had welled up in my eyes on the finish would have been tears rolling down my cheeks via a lot of the opera.
The travesty of slavery within the U.S. is after all well-known. Sanctuary Highway allowed me to expertise not solely the concern, nervousness, and desperation of the slaves, but additionally the braveness of the women and men forsaking their household and pals, risking their lives to be free, and to expertise the great thing about those that bravely aided and abetted them, whites in addition to individuals of colour. All of this with such lovely music and singing. That is an opera I’d go see once more; I solely want that Sanctuary Highway was a mini-series. Sanctuary Highway is a gem with star high quality. We’d like extra like this one, operas that not solely take us to darkish locations but additionally present us the hope for deliverance from evil.
The Fan Expertise: Performances of Sanctuary Highway have been scheduled for January 26, 28 in Norfolk, February 3, 4 in Fairfax, and February 9, 11 in Richmond. The opera is written and carried out in English with English subtitles on display screen projections. The opera lasted for one hour with out an intermission. The George Mason College Middle for the Performing Arts theater, situated on the GMU campus, is average in dimension, providing seat costs in several ranges – the identical being true for different venues.
Many because of Virginia Opera for offering its viewers with quite a lot of operas from totally different ages, together with trendy operas and for his or her theme of showcasing operas with connections to Virginia. VO’s subsequent manufacturing this season might be Madama Butterfly in Norfolk on March 8, 9, 10 and Fairfax on 16, 17 and Richmond on 22, 24. See this hyperlink for particulars. VO additionally simply introduced their 2024-2025 season which can characteristic the premiere of a brand new opera, Virginia v. Loving, with music composed by none aside from Damien Geter.
I at all times advocate the web displays, given by Joshua Borths, Virginia Opera’s scholar in residence, which originate a couple of month earlier than the performances and stay on-line for viewing. Viewing in actual time makes it attainable to ask questions of Mr. Borths. The web video for Sanctuary Highway, could be accessed at this hyperlink, the place Mr. Borths focuses on the operatic facets of the opera, leaving the related historical past for the pre-opera talks.
For Sanctuary Highway, the pre-opera talks characteristic distinguished consultants in black historical past. The pre-opera discuss in Fairfax was given by Dr. Spencer Crew, presently the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Historical past at George Mason College and Emeritus Director of the Nationwide Museum of African American Historical past and the Nationwide Museum of American Historical past. Dr. Crew gave an attention-grabbing and extremely informative discuss concerning the Underground Railroad.
