Verdi’s Il Trovatore (The Troubadour) is an opera with everything: magic spells, bloody fratricide, burning gypsies, “The Anvil Chorus,” and — of course — secret rock-and-roll parties featuring idiosyncratic Memphis bands like the politically conscious Snowglobe and the whimsically inclined Two Way Radio (pictured). Okay, so maybe Verdi died before the Bluff City’s indie-rock scene came into its own, but Opera Memphis has taken the master composer’s oversight into consideration. Hoping to attract twentysomethings, Opera Memphis has joined with the folks from Makeshift Records and planned a clandestine party after the performance of Il Trovatore on January 27th. We’d love to tell you where the party’s being held, but that information is being kept secret until the night of the big event. We can say that the party is a free bonus for opera attendees who buy special bargain-priced tickets, which can be exchanged for a quartet of drink coupons.
Two Way Radio, a band known for lush, orchestral pop compositions, has promised to serve up an original song that picks up where Il Trovatore ends. That should be particularly interesting since Verdi’s early masterpiece closes with a tragic, cackling descent into wickedness, madness, and terror.
For tickets and additional information on “Makeshift Goes to the Opera,” call 921-3090.
