Hey Big Spender

There are some really large-scale operas out there. I mean: Mozartian costumes are one thing, yes - but Bernd Alois Zimmermann's "Die Soldaten" originally called for twelve separate stage venues. Maybe not surprisingly, the Cologne Opera told Zimmermann he would have to do a little revision before the opera could be staged. He did; it's still a huge undertaking. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 Lincoln Center Festival production:



(Did you catch that the instrumentation calls for a 110-piece orchestra? Now you did.)