Week of November 18 - November 25, 2011

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THE MET-HD SIMULCAST

at a theater near you.

Saturday, November 19, 2011, 12:55pm

Ellie Dehn as Mrs. Naidoo, Richard Croft as Gandhi, and Alfred Walker as Parsi Rustomji.

SATYAGRAHA

The form of nonviolent resistance initiated in India by Mahatma Gandhi in order to oppose British rule and to hasten political reforms.

LIBRETTO: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metupload/Satyagraha_libretto.pdf

Satyagraha (English pronunciation: /sʌtˈjɑːɡrəhə/, Sanskrit satyāgraha "insistence on truth") is a 1979 opera in three acts for orchestra, chorus and soloists, composed by Philip Glass, with a libretto by Glass and Constance de Jong.

Loosely based on the life of Mohandas K. Gandhi, it forms the second part of Glass's "Portrait Trilogy" of operas about men who changed the world, which also includes Einstein on the Beach and Akhnaten.

The title refers to Gandhi's concept of non-violent resistance to injustice, Satyagraha, and the text, from the Bhagavad Gita, is sung in the original Sanskrit. In performance, translation is usually provided in supertitles. (Wikipedia)

SYNOPSIS: 

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=217

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This week on WSBE, Rhode Island Public Television:

WSBE Learn 36.2= (RI Cox Cable 808) 

(RI Verizon Fios 478)

ORFEO  ET  EURIDICE

Great Performances at the Met  Danielle de Niese as Euridice and Stephanie Blythe as Orfeo

Saturday, November 19 -- 8:00pm; Sunday, November 20 -- 3am; Monday, November 21 -- 12am

Orfeo et Euridice

A production of Christoph Willibald Gluck's "Orfeo et Euridice," in which the grieving Orfeo (Stephanie Blythe) braves the underworld to retrieve his beloved wife (Danielle de Niese).

DURATION: 120 MIN

SYNOPSIS: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=173

To hear an excerpt, click on "Week of..." above.

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OPERA ON THE INTERNET 

WITH  

DAVE D'AGUANNO

Not going to see the Philip Glass opera ("Satyagraha") at the movie theatres this coming Saturday? Then, you might want to listen in to some of the offerings on hand on internet radio, such as:  a LIVE performance of Verdi's "Oberto" (his first opera) performed in Paris and being aired on French Radio. Maria Guleghina (who sang Turandot in the Met's HD-transmission a couple of seasons back) sings the leading soprano role in that performance.

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

On BBC Radio 3, there's a recent performance from London's Royal Opera House of Bellini's "La Sonnambula" with a (mostly) young cast of singers.

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

More Italian opera comes to us -- from Goteborg, Sweden! -- as Swedish Radio brings us a recent performance of Puccini's "Tosca" -- again, with mostly a young cast of singers (mostly Swedish, as well).

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

Those of you who, earlier this year, enjoyed Susan Graham in Gluck's "Iphigenia in Tauris" (HD-transmission from the Met) might want to hear her in the same role, which she performed just last month in Toronto (the Canadian Opera Company).

(www.cbc.ca/radio2/)

Then, on ORF, there's the World Premiere of "Gogol" -- a new opera by Siberian-born composer Lera Auerbach (she also happens to be an excellent pianist).

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

And -- even if none of the above is of any interest to you -- you can always wait till next Tuesday evening (Nov. 22) at 7:30 p.m. when the Met offers another free LIVE audio-stream of one of their performances. This time it's Puccini's "La Boheme" --

(www.metopera.org)

Enjoy!

DAVE

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NO OPERA ON WGBH TV THIS WEEK!

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