In 1984 Los Angeles hosted the Olympic Arts Festival and helped produce three operas with London’s Royal Opera. In this way, Opera was born out of the Olympics. Being born from the same place, it is only natural that these two have a lot in common. For instance, many famous singers such as Plácido Domingo have sung there. Much like the olympics, both require years and a village of people to produce successfully.
Key Takeaways:
- The 1984 Olympics is not the only time that opera and the Olympics have collided. Throughout the years, many famous opera singers have sung at various summer and winter olympics, including Plácido Domingo.
- In opera, we have four rings instead of five, namely the four operas that make up Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle, the most famous string of operas in history.
- While you might think that opera is just a show, the complexities of staging an opera are – dare we say – somewhat Olympian.
“While you might think that opera is just a show, the complexities of staging an opera are – dare we say – somewhat Olympian. Like the Olympics, planning for an opera (especially for a new production) begins as many as five years in advance.”
