'The Wall' opera premieres in city of its conception

"The Wall," the pioneering rock opera, has been turned into a grand opera in the city where it was first conceived by Roger Waters some 40 years ago.

The Pink Floyd bassist was completing a massive global tour in 1977 when he became enraged at boisterous fans at a concert at the Montreal Olympic Stadium, leading him to spit on them.

His emotional state -- hailed on stage but aloof -- led Waters to write "The Wall" which became the top-selling double-album in history.

Waters returned to the Canadian city on Saturday night as "The Wall" -- this time a more traditional opera -- debuted at the Opera de Montreal.

This time there was no spitting, with Waters taking in several minutes of applause at the curtain call for the production -- entitled "Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera" in reference to the album's most identifiable song.

In the opera, the drab metaphorical wall took center-stage but the audience is quickly transported to current events through video effects.

The projections show how walls are erected around the world, including those that aim to keep out migrants fleeing for safety.

The opera builds off original words and music by Waters with a score by Julien Bilodeau, a composer barely as old as the original double-album.

Bilodeau's music will be more familiar to grand opera audiences, even if it keeps the rock spirit, and is set to a stage design by Dominic Champagne in which some 60 singers are crammed together in a representation of confinement.

"The Wall" double-album, which was almost entirely written by Waters even if its popularity owes much to David Gilmour's guitar, revolves around the character Pink  -- played in the opera by baritone Etienne Depuis -- who is overprotected by his mother after his father dies in war.

Pink goes on to a failed marriage, a rock career and a dabbling in totalitarianism as he becomes consumed with guilt.

Waters -- whose 2010-13 world tour for "The Wall" was one of the most lucrative in music history -- has frequently brought a political dimension to his concerts.

He has voiced hope of performing "The Wall" on the border between the United States and Mexico to protest US President Donald Trump's plans for an imposing barrier.

The Cincinnati Opera recently announced the US premiere of "Another Brick in the Wall: The Opera" in July 2018.

The opera will inaugurate the Music Hall in the Midwestern city after a $135 million restoration. 

souce: AFP