What an unexpected and powerful experience this was! I didn't know quite what to expect in an opera that was written as a Catholic funeral mass. In addition to amazing singing, the costuming was attention-grabbing and the staging was intriguing. The stage was built high, with the chorus on the lower part of the stage, not visible during the performance because of a black screen, somewhat like what used to be stretched on the front of speakers. The singers and pantomimes moved steadily from left to right in slow but rhythmic pacing. The video link below will give a better sense of what I am trying to explain, but because you can't photograph except at the very end, what you see here is the conductor and the performers before a very enthusiastically applauding audience. (Note: I was very happy that the entire audience let the last note linger, fade, and silence take over before starting their applause.)
I didn't straighten the photo because you would lose most of the choir . . . I really have to learn to hold my camera straighter! (I was sitting in a side seat, nearly hanging over the stage, as you can tell.) I used my 50mm 1.4 lens for much better quality than previous attempts at photographing the stage, and sacrificing being able to capture more staging and the entire cast was worth the improvement in photographic clarity. (The cast that was cut off would probably disagree.) Enlarged, you will see how clear the faces are compared to previous attempts. I wonder if the bright white stage helped with light?
