Regieoper to be the most radically shocking to date. The inspiration for Mozart's opera was the overwhelming fascination of Europeans by all things Turkish. Orientalist elements abound in this story of a hero trying to rescue two girls from the clutches of an evil Pasha who has installed them in his harem, Seraglio. Instead of a genteel harem, Bieto has set this Abduction in a modern, garish bordello where men and women engage in extreme acts of sex and brutality. The sets consist mainly of whorehouse accoutrements, the lighting is colored and garish, and the costumes for the most part are
Michael Langdon to his teacher's amazement. He excelled at the less academic school he attended. He disliked school and was pleased to leave. He sang in "The Midsummer Marriage", "Gloriana", "The Olympians", "Billy Budd", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Don Carlos", "Arabella", "Der Rosenkavalier", "Don Pasquale" and "The Abduction from the Seraglio", among others. He was principal bass at the Royal Opera House from 1951 and sang in most of the great opera houses of the world, most often in the role of Baron Ochs in "Der Rosenkavalier" during the 1960s and 1970s. His voice has been described as 'basso profundo'. He could