Walt Disney Opera By Philip Glass Now Streaming

THE PERFECT AMERICAN, a two-act opera with prologue by renowned opera, film and experimental composer Philip Glass is now available to view in full as presented by medici.tv.

View the opera here (free registration required).

Theatro Real in Madrid, Spain held the world premiere of THE PERFECT AMERICAN on January 22. The opera will be presented again, this time by the English National Opera, beginning on June 1, 2013. No further productions have been scheduled.

THE PERFECT AMERICAN is based on the book by Peter Stephan Jungk, a fictionalized account of the final days of Disney founder Walt Disney's life as he approached death and muses on his life and achievements. The premiere production and the upcoming ENO production feature direction by Phelim McDermott.

Background information, from the ENO's website:

"Based on Peter Stephan Jungk's novel and written by Philip Glass, one of the world's most important composers, The Perfect American imagines the final years of Walt Disney's life, including mythical imaginings of Abraham Lincoln and Andy Warhol. This latest opera from Glass, his 24th, was commissioned by ENO and Teatro Real Madrid to mark his 75th birthday.

British theatre director Phelim McDermott returns following his spectacular production of Satyagraha for ENO and the Metropolitan Opera, New York, described as 'transfixing musically and visually' (The Guardian). The design is by leading international designer Dan Potra, whose work on the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games ceremony was widely acclaimed.

Fresh from his exceptional performance as Mephistopheles in Terry Gilliam's 2011 Damnation of Faust, acclaimed British baritone Christopher Purves is Walt Disney, while soprano Janis Kelly creates the role of Disney's studio nurse and confidante."

Even more information about the 9-performance ENO run beginning June 1 is available here.