Week of December 2-9, 2010

OPERA ON THE INTERNET WITH DAVE D'AGUANNO

If OBSCURE OPERAS are your cup of tea, you'll probably go ecstatic over this coming Saturday's internet radio lineup:

At 1 p.m., German radio is bringing us the November 28, 2010 performance of Reznicek's "Benzin" as performed in Chemnitz. Those of us "of a certain age" would actually be familiar with the music of Reznicek, as music from another one of his operas ("Donna Diana") was once used as part of the theme song of "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon." (!!!)

(www.dradio.de/dkultur/)

If a totally unfamiliar opera like "Benzin" doesn't interest you, you might try listening to the recent performance in Rome of Luigi Cherubini's 1791 opera "Lodoiska" starring Nathalie Manfrino, a.k.a. Roberto Alagna's sister-in-law.

(www.radio4.nl/)

In a similar vein, Meyerbeer's "Emma di Resburgo" comes to us via ORF at 1:30 in a concert performance from Vienna.

(http://oe1.orf.at/)

One might think one is on more familiar territory with French Radio's broadcast of "Otello" (also at 1:30) -- but this is NOT the popular Verdi opera, but the earlier one by Rossini, in a performance from Lyons (11/11/10).

(http://sites.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/accueil/)

Perhaps of more interest to most opera fans: the BBC is broadcasting Cilea's "Adriana Lecouvreur" (from London's Royal Opera House), featuring the interesting pairing of Angela Gheorghiu (Alagna's ex-wife) & tenor Jonas Kaufmann.

(www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/)

Of primarily ARCHIVAL interest:

Verdi's "Il Trovatore" on Swedish Radio (at 2 o'clock) in a New York Metropolitan Opera broadcast of February 27, 1960, starring Carlo Bergonzi, Antonietta Stella, Giulietta Simionato, & Ettore Bastianini. (Wow!)

(http://sverigesradio.se/p2/)

Then on Monday, December 6, a PREVIEW of what the upcoming HD-transmission of Puccini's "Fanciulla del West" might sound like, as the Met gives us a free LIVE audio stream of that opera, with Deborah Voigt as Minnie.

(www.metopera.org)

Happy Listening!

DAVE

The San Francisco Opera on KDFC KDFC is the radio home of the San Francisco Opera, with a full-length production, recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House, on the first Sunday of every month at 8pm. Dianne Nicolini hosts.  http://www.kdfc.com/The-San-Francisco-Opera-on-KDFC/5805657 Patricia Racette as Marguerite in Gounod's Faust Read an interview with Racette about her role in Faust. http://www.musicalcriticism.com/interviews/racette-0610.shtml John Relyea, here shown as  Mephistopheles in Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust, plays  Mephistopheles in Gounod's Faust... he'd better be careful, he's going to get typecast! Sunday, December 05, 2010 at 8:00 PM on KDFC Faust by Charles Gounod Patricia Racette, Daniela Mack, Catherine Cook, Stefano Secco, Brian Mulligan, Austin Kness and John Relyea. Directed by Jose Maria Condemi. Conducted by Maurizio Benini. Recorded Summer 2010, War Memorial Opera House. To listen:  1) Go to http://www.kdfc.com/The-San-Francisco-Opera-on-KDFC/5805657 2) Look in the column on the right: Click on       Listen Live      Sounds of the Season (Do not go to the next link which directs you to KDFC HD2 Classical--it's nice but will not have the opera..) My home town

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OH NO! NO OPERA ON 

TELEVISION THIS WEEK!!