Original version

Started as BBC News 24 in 29/11/1997 and then became the BBC News Channel on 21/04/2008

BBC News Channel

Take Me to the Opera

Factual: Life Stories

Music: Classical: Opera

Zeinab Badawi meets the stars of the world of opera.

BBC Parliament

BBC News Channel HD

Take Me to the Opera: Series 1: Cecilia Bartoli and Juan Diego Florez

Cecilia Bartoli and Juan Diego Florez

Series 1

BBC News Channel - Take Me to the Opera, Series 1, Cecilia Bartoli and Juan Diego Florez

Zeinab Badawi talks to Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and tenor Juan Diego Florez.

Zeinab Badawi talks to two of the biggest names in opera today: Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and tenor Juan Diego Florez.

Opera lover Zeinab Badawi meet stars from the world of opera who are seeking to make the genre fit for the 21st century. In this first episode, Zeinab talks to two of the biggest names in opera today: Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli and tenor Juan Diego Florez. 

Zeinab hears how Cecilia Bartoli is pushing the boundaries in a traditional man's world with a string of opera firsts to her name. And she talks to Peruvian-born tenor Juan Diego Florez about how he uses his Latin American flair and showmanship to attract new audiences and to re-imagine opera for the future.

Take Me to the Opera: Series 1

An impartial and independent news service offering breaking news, analysis and insight.

A 24-hour impartial and independent news service offering breaking news, analysis and insight. It provides fast and comprehensive coverage of local, UK and international events.

Opera lover Zeinab Badawi profiles four operatic stars in the summer of 2021.

Zeinab Badawi profiles four operatic stars in 2021: leading lights of the opera world Cecilia Bartoli and Juan Diego Florez and two names for the future, Benjamin Bernheim and Cecilia Rangwanasha.

Opera lover Zeinab Badawi profiles four operatic stars in the summer of 2021. Two are leading lights of the opera world, Cecilia Bartoli and Juan Diego Florez, and two are establishing their careers as household names of the future, Benjamin Bernheim and Cecilia Rangwanasha. 

All four artists bring their unique stories and perspectives and serve as bold examples of how they survived and even thrived on the challenges thrown up by the pandemic. Their stories are set against a background of how the world of opera is building a new future. As theatres went dark, new imaginative ways were found for creating and experiencing opera performances, including live streams. Now as live opera returns to the stage, could these digital initiatives remain: opening up the world of opera to new streaming audiences online?

Zeinab Badawi visits the Royal Opera House in London and looks at what is in store for opera as it moves forward from the pandemic, and asks if the genre is on the brink of enjoying a revival as a popular art form?

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Take Me to the Opera

Series 1

Cecilia Bartoli and Juan Diego Florez

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC News Channel

About BBC News Channel