Opera in Park gearing up to be biggest ever

It is going to be bigger than Tina Turner. The BioPaints Opera in the Park looks set to become the biggest event Nelson has ever seen, with 15,000 tickets already handed out.

The demand for the free event is such that organisers have released a further 5000 tickets for collection, which will put the concert to capacity.

The biggest Opera in the Park before that was when Dame Kiri te Kanawa performed in 2008. That event, at Trafalgar Park, attracted about 13,000.

Technical director Antony Hodgson said Saturday's concert would likely end up being the biggest concert Nelson has put on.

"I'm not sure how many people came to Tina Turner when she came here, but I am pretty sure this will beat it."

Mr Hodgson said to keep control of that sort of crowd several things had to be done, including putting up a one-kilometre fence around the area.

"There will always be people who don't come for the concert but come for the crowd, but we are doing our best to make sure that is a minimal problem."

The HYPE-GS street ambassadors will be patrolling the beach to ensure any trouble is quickly sorted out, Mr Hodgson said.

The event will end with a fireworks display that has been choreographed to Bolero, an orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel. Originally composed as a ballet, the piece, which premiered in 1928, is considered Ravel's most famous musical composition.Anthony Lealand, of Firework Professionals Ltd, said having the audience spread over 300 metres introduced some delays in sound of up to one second.

"The choreography style is designed to allow for this, and produces some serendipitous moments unique for people at particular distances."

- © Fairfax NZ News