The incredible adventure of putting together an opera
The Liceu opera house and the Raval neighbourhood live back-to-back but never speak to one another. Now they'll have to work together to organize an opera.
This is the challenge the Liceu has taken on as a way of celebrating its 175th anniversary.
Òpera Prima is a documentary on the process of creating and producing an opera: the dramaturgy, the music, the chorus, the scenography... all with the participation of the old Raval neighbourhood and its inhabitants.
TV3 took this opportunity to create a documentary series on how the opera was put together and, above all, how it changes the lives of the neighbours who take part.
This series follows different Raval inhabitants who are involved in the project: members of amateur choruses, music students, carpenters, seamstresses and hairdressers. It shows the audience how the opera La gata perduda (The Lost Cat) changes their lives from day to day until it debuts on October 5th, 2022.
Òpera Prima is a series on a collective challenge: a neighbourhood that has always felt neglected by the Liceu now has a chance to show what it can do and take its rightful place in the opera house.
Once the ball gets rolling, it's not clear if things will come out all right. This is part of what draws the audience in: they'll have to watch to the end to find out if a year's worth of hard work was worth it. The protagonists go through different phases: the uncertainty of the first few weeks, the insecurity, the nerves as opening day draws nearer, the tension when it seems like things aren't ready, the intense rehearsals...
The goal is for the viewer to feel like they're part of the project, too.
An entertaining, intense, edge-of-your-seat documentary.
