Transit of Venus has again been chosen for the Opera America showcase of new opera this year in Vancouver. Previously heard in Houston was the end of Act 1, this year the very dramatic end of Act 2 will be performed with members of the Vancouver Opera Ensemble.
The opera focuses on the tragedy of the real events of the life of 18th Century French astronomer Guillaume Le Gentil, who is torn between his profession, his destiny, his true love, and the astronomer’s challenge in his failure to record the passage of Venus across the face of the sun in 1761.
Victor Davies took to the podium on April 28th at University of Toronto to preview parts of his opera Transit of Venus as part of a symposium about Venus crossing the face of the sun on June 5th, 2012. It was a very exciting day in the company of some very eminent astronomers, including keynote speaker Jay M. Pasachoff from the Hopkins Observatory and Williams College in Williamstown Mass.
This was followed by a real live sighting for 7000 people of the transit on June 5th at the U of T Varsity Stadium sponsored by the Dunlap Conservatory and the U of T Astronomy Department and included a very positive response to the 20-minute short video presentation of photos & excerpts from the opera.
