Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ Opera Debuts in Montreal, U.S. Premiere Date Announced
An opera based on Pink Floyd's 1979 classic The Wall premiered in Montreal on Saturday, with plans to debut stateside in July 2018 at the Cincinnati Music Hall.
An enthusiastic Roger Waters, the principal composer for most of the original double album, was in attendance as Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera was unveiled by the Opera de Montreal at Place des Arts.
"It had been my experience that experiments in collaboration between the worlds of rock and roll and the worlds of symphonic music were generally disastrous and should be embarked upon with extreme trepidation," Waters told Rolling Stone. "I sat there not expecting to be moved, and I was moved."
Music was provided last weekend by the Orchestre Metropolitain, under the direction of Alain Trudel. Etienne Dupuis took over as lead character Pink, with well-received video sequences by Johnny Ranger.
Unfortunately, reviewer Arthur Kaptainis of the Montreal Gazette indicated that the rock opera needed a little more rock. "You know you are in trouble," he said, "when a flashback of the wartime crooner Vera Lynn singing 'We'll Meet Again' comes across as up-tempo."
Still, Rolling Stone reports that Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera received two standing ovations. Writer Kory Grow notes that, while "the production contains the same songs and running order as the original, the story of The Wall comes into better focus here."
Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera will be performed in the U.S. by the 70-piece Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, along with the returning Dupuis.
Listen to an Excerpt of 'Hey You' from 'Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera'
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