Lisner Auditorum - Washington Concert Opera on stage

A concert performance or concert version is a performance of a musical theater or

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

in concert form, without

set design Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trai ...

or costumes, and mostly without theatrical interaction between singers. Concert performances are commonly presented in concert halls without a theater stage, but occasionally also in

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

s when a scenic production is deemed too difficult or expensive. During a concert performance in an opera house, the orchestra does not play in the orchestra pit. Frequently, they play on the stage, with the choir (chorus) behind them and the soloists standing in front of them. Concert performances, which cost less to produce and require less rehearsal, have been produced since some of the earliest operas of the 17th century; this mode has become increasingly popular in the 21st century. Since 1960, concert performances have been a part of the annual

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Ama ...

alongside scenic productions. In Theater an der Wien, concert performances have been presented regularly since 2006, particularly of baroque operas with elaborate set designs.

Opera performances

Some companies such as

Washington Concert Opera Washington Concert Opera is a professional opera company located in Washington, D.C. in the United States which presents operas in a concert format with full orchestra and chorus. WCO's distinctive repertoire consists of operas which either have ...

, the

American Opera Society The American Opera Society (AOS) was a New York City-based musical organization that presented concert and semi-staged performances of operas between 1951 and 1970. The company was highly influential in sparking and perpetuating the post World War I ...

, Eve Queler's Opera Orchestra of New York and the Baltimore Concert Opera have specialized in performing operas in concert version. Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, led by James Levine, performed a concert version of '' Elektra'' in 2006. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed semi-staged concerts of ''Elektra'', led by Seiji Ozawa, in 1987 and 1988.

Musical theatre performances

Ongoing musical theatre concert series are given in some cities, such as the '' Encores!'' and ''Musicals Tonight!'' concert series in New York City and the Lost Musicals series in London. York Theatre Company in New York City presents staged concerts in its "Musicals in Mufti" concert series, which "has uncovered a number of needlessly forgotten gems ... presenting more titles than any other theatrical concert series in the world." 42nd Street Moon in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, California, presents staged concerts of musicals to highlight "early and lesser-known works". The Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois also presents staged musical theatre concerts. For example, the festival presented a concert version of '' Gypsy'' starring

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of F ...

in 2006. Symphony orchestras also present concert versions of musical theatre, such as the New York Philharmonic concert series in New York. San Francisco Symphony presented a concert version of '' West Side Story'' in 2013, and a semi-staged production of '' On the Town'' in 2016. Philadelphia Orchestra presented a staged concert version of the musical '' A Little Night Music'' in 2001. The English National Opera (ENO) presented a semi-staged concert of '' Sunset Boulevard'' in 2016. In 2015 the ENO gave a concert production of '' Sweeney Todd''.

Benefits

Concert versions of operas and musicals are also presented as benefits. For example,

Actors Fund of America The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports performers and behind-the-scenes workers in performing arts and entertainment, helping more than 17,000 people directly each year. S ...

has presented concerts of musicals such as '' On the Twentieth Century'', '' Dreamgirls'', '' Funny Girl'', ''

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'' and '' Hair''. A concert version of ''

Anyone Can Whistle ''Anyone Can Whistle'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Described as "a satire on conformity and the insanity of the so-called sane," the show tells a story of an economically depressed town w ...

'' was presented as a benefit for

Gay Men's Health Crisis The GMHC (formerly Gay Men's Health Crisis) is a New York City–based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization whose mission statement is to "end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected." His ...

at Carnegie Hall in 1995. The 10th Anniversary reunion of ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'' was presented as a concert in 1997, to benefit Friends In Deed and God's Love We Deliver. James Lapine noted that this concert was "a bit more informal" than the concert reunion of ''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande J ...

'', which was given in formal dress. Some companies produce staged concerts to benefit the company. For example, Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City has presented such concerts, including ''

Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviid ...

'' (2012) and ''

She Loves Me ''She Loves Me'' is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. The musical is the third adaptation of the 1937 play '' Parfumerie'' by Hungarian playwright Miklós László, following the 1940 ...

'' (2011)."''She Loves Me'' Reading"
roundabouttheatre.org, accessed February 18, 2016

Opera performances

Musical theatre performances

Benefits

References

Further reading