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Take Me to the Opera

Factual: Life Stories

Music: Classical: Opera

Zeinab Badawi meets the stars of the world of opera.

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Take Me to the Opera: Series 1: Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha and Benjamin Bernheim

Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha and Benjamin Bernheim

Series 1

BBC News Channel - Take Me to the Opera, Series 1, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha and Benjamin Bernheim

Zeinab meets two sublime young opera stars grappling with a new world of opera.

Zeinab meets two sublime young opera stars grappling with a new world of opera – South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha and French tenor Benjamin Bernheim.

Opera lover Zeinab Badawi meet stars from the opera world who are seeking to make the art form fit for the 21st century. In this second episode, Zeinab meets two sublime young opera stars who are grappling with a new world of opera.

South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha believes black performers are more accepted in opera today than in previous decades, but she says that more still needs to be done. And Zeinab hears from French tenor Benjamin Bernheim who is worried about the impact of social media on young singers and fears streaming could devalue opera in 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?

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Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha and Benjamin Bernheim

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