Watch In the Penal Colony on-demand
Available indefinitely at Philip Glass’ Days and Nights Festival
OP’s In the Penal Colony is in New York Times 10 Classical concerts to stream in April
“This 2018 production by Opera Parallèle [ . . . ] has turned me around on the work.“ – Seth Coulter Walls
NY Times – March 25, 2021
In the past, I’ve found the recording of this Philip Glass “pocket opera,” adapted from Kafka’s short story, to be a bit of a slog. But a staging can make all the difference, particularly when dealing (as here) with a talky libretto. This 2018 production by Opera Parallèle — presented as part of this year’s digital edition of Glass’ Days and Nights Festival — has turned me around on the work. Thanks to a strong pair of lead performances and a simple yet effective black-box set, Kafka’s bureaucratized dystopia shines through with a fresh lacquer of bleak humor. SETH COLTER WALLS
In the past, I’ve found the recording of this Philip Glass “pocket opera,” adapted from Kafka’s short story, to be a bit of a slog. But a staging can make all the difference, particularly when dealing (as here) with a talky libretto. This 2018 production by Opera Parallèle — presented as part of this year’s digital edition of Glass’ Days and Nights Festival — has turned me around on the work. Thanks to a strong pair of lead performances and a simple yet effective black-box set, Kafka’s bureaucratized dystopia shines through with a fresh lacquer of bleak humor. SETH COLTER WALLS
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Opera Parallèle presents Everest – a Graphic Novel Opera
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Highlights from Past Productions
