THIS WEEK AT, SUNDAY, APRIL 14,
at noon at the CABLE CAR CINEMA,
at 11:00am at the JANE PICKENS THEATER,
click on link for map to theater
EUGENE ONEGIN
Performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
An excerpt of Tatiana's love letter to Onegin:
That rarely, even once a week,
I'd see you in our country house,
To hear your voice, to hear you speak,
To say a few words, and then, and then
To think, and think, and think again
All day, all night, until the next meeting.
http://www.emergingpictures.com/titles/eugene-onegin-royal-opera-house/
Conducted by Robin Ticciati
Directed by Kasper Holten
Starring: Simon Keenlyside, Krassimira Stoyanova, Elena
Maximova, and Pavol Breslik
Sung in Russian
3 hrs 21 mins including one intermission
Synopsis: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?customid=69
For the real opera nerds, language coaching for Eugene Onegin - Royal Opera LIVE
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
This week on Rhode Island Public television,
WSBE: (Comcast 294, Cox 808, Full Channel 109, and Verizon 478)
*All links below are live
Don Pascuale
Great Performances at the Met
|
Saturday, April 13 -- 8:00pm; Sunday, April 14 -- 3:00am; April 15 -- 12:00am
Don Pascuale
The Season 5 premiere features Donizetti's comic "Don Pasquale," starring soprano Anna Netrebko as a penniless young woman who tricks the wealthy Don (John Del Carlo) into thinking he's married her.
DURATION: 150 MIN
DETAILS: [CC] [STEREO]
GENRE: PARENTS PICKS
Synopsis: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?customid=121
Synopsis: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?customid=121
Interview with Diana Damrau
http://opera.broadwayworld.com/article/BWW-Interviews-Soprano-Diana-Damrau-Finds-Verdis-Lost-One-20130329
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Misconduct at the Opera House
Saturday, March 30, 2013 - 11:00 AM
Recently I had an experience that I wish I could get
out of my head, but I cannot. One of my favorite operas was playing at the Met
and I attended three performances. The cast was great and the conductor highly
esteemed, someone I have enjoyed on other occasions. While not necessarily my
favorite, I have heard him lead excellent performances of Mozart, Verdi,
Wagner, Strauss and Puccini works. A couple of these are among my most
treasured memories from my thousands of nights at the opera.
Why go to the same opera three times over 19 days?
With masterpieces, one wants to immerse and listen each time as if it were the
first time. You always discover something new in works of genius. I know every
note of this opera, can recite long passages of its libretto, and think about
it even when it is not in the repertory. It’s that good. And yet, this time,
the performances were excruciating. Why was that? The production was familiar
to me, so I did not have to adjust to a new version of the work. The cast was
very strong overall, including singers who are among my favorites. The Met
orchestra and chorus are top-flight and perform this opera with aplomb.
The problem was the maestro, who seemed to have no
feeling for this opera. I have decided not to name the conductor in question
simply because this article is about a phenomenon to draw lessons from and not
a review.
This performance was numbingly slow, lasting twenty to
twenty-five minutes longer than scheduled. The conducting had no pacing to
speak of, no structure or architecture to the rendering of the score. Moreover,
the maestro seemed to have no idea how to accompany the singers. Love duets
dragged so much that the singers ran out of breath. Solos moved at a glacial
pace. The narrative the orchestra provided (as led by the conductor) was
non-existent.
Many people asked me why the singers did not sound
nearly as good as one would expect. Sometimes a singer has a cold or a bad
night. But, in this case, most of the cast struggled mightily at all three
performances I heard. Singers are used to working with conductors with whom
there is a give-and-take, so that both the orchestra and soloists sound their
best. This exchange is developed in the rehearsal process and then a conductor
is supposed to be alive to changes during performances. If a singer is short of
breath or has made a vocal entrance slightly late, a good conductor compensates
for it.
To understand how this process works at its best, I
direct you to any video of a performance conducted by James Levine. Even when
the cast was sub-standard, Levine shaped what the audience heard so that the
pace and volume of the orchestra was expressive but also supported the singer.
It is not uncommon to hear singers say that there is no better conductor to
work with than Levine. You will be able to experience this when he returns to
the podium next season for Così fan tutte, Falstaff and Wozzeck.
A famous example of Levine’s responsiveness came three
decades ago during a live transmission ofTannhäuser, starring Richard Cassilly.
This excellent tenor had been giving thrilling performances of the fiendishly
hard title role, pouring endless heart, soul and artistry into every moment. On
the day of the television transmission, the performance began wonderfully, with
Cassilly, Eva Marton, Tatiana Troyanos and Bernd Weikl in sensational form.
Then, during the long “Rome Narrative” in the third act, Cassilly lost his
voice. A combination of his professionalism and Levine’s flawless support got
him through so that most of those watching were riveted and did not realize
that Cassilly was in vocal crisis. Watch part of that performance. The video is
blurry but the sound is faithful.
Finally, a lesson that is both obvious but merits
stating: Creative chemistry is not a given. Even the best opera companies can
field singers and a conductor who, in other circumstances, are at the top of
their game but simply do not jell when put in a particular production. This is
not unique to opera, but can be found in the casts of films, plays, ballets or
television programs. The same applies to co-anchors of news programs (Harry
Reasoner/Barbara Walters; Matt Lauer/Ann Curry) and in many human
relationships, professional and personal.
I suspect that the conductor in question will not
return to the Met. He will continue to work elsewhere as long as he wants to.
He has done good work for this company, in opera houses in Europe, and with
several symphony orchestras. My only wish is that audiences and decision-makers
at the Met do not fault the excellent singers who were in the cast and think
that, because the performances of this great opera were profoundly
disappointing, the singers are to blame. We need every good singer we can get.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
OPERA ON THE INTERNET
WITH
DAVE D' AGUANNO
Wagner's "Die Walkure" is the opera that is scheduled to be broadcast LIVE from the Met this coming Saturday (April 14). Heading the cast as Brunnhilde is soprano Deborah Voigt who also appeared in the HD-transmission of this opera the season before last. Stephanie Blythe (as Fricka) is actually the only other singer who appeared in that earlier broadcast, since the other major roles this Saturday will be sung by different singers, notably Mark Delavan as Wotan. Delavan, as many of you may know, was seen recently in the Met's HD-transmission of Zandonai's "Francesca da Rimini" in which he portrayed Francesca's husband Gianciotto.
Another noteworthy broadcast coming up this weekend would be Dvorak's "Armida" (superficially resembling Rossini's opera of the same name). This particular work was written shortly after his far more popular "Rusalka" and ended up being the last opera that this Czech composer lived long enough to complete. The performance on hand for us comes via the Belgian station Klara in a performance that took place earlier this year in Ostrava.
German Radio, on the other hand, has Donizetti's "La Favorite" scheduled for this Saturday. Featuring mezzo-soprano Alice Coote in the role of Leonor, the opera was recently performed in Paris (2/7/13).
Well, that takes care of Wagner, Dvorak, & Donizetti -- So, how about some Verdi? Next Tuesday evening (April 16) at 7:55, you get another chance to hear his ever-popular "Rigoletto" in a LIVE broadcast from the Met, this time featuring an altogether different line-up of operatic stars in the leading roles, as opposed to the singers who were featured in the HD-transmission from earlier this season.
Enjoy!
DAVE
**********************************************
Scenes from the final dress rehearsal of
GIULIO CESARE
Preview
starring Natalie Dessay and David Daniels
“Se pietà di me non senti” (Natalie Dessay)
“Non disperar” (Natalie Dessay)
“Al lampo dell'armi” (David Daniels)
coming to a theater near you in HD
Saturday, April 27 at noon
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
2013-14 Live in HD
Season Preview
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
The Met radio broadcast,
April 13, 2013 @ 11:00pm
Richard Wagner's
DIE WALKÜRE
Listen to the Met Opera Saturday afternoon
broadcasts on Harvard Radio, 95.3 in the Boston area or live-streaming online at http://www.whrb.org
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
KILL THE WABBIT!
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Some interesting articles
WONDERFUL NEWS: Rolando Villazon's debut novel
'Malabares' has been published by Espasa in Spain. Dubbed "The fascinating
first novel of a great artist" by fellow Mexican author Jorge Volpi, the
story tells the tale of Balancín and Macolieta, living in parallel worlds
through the pages of a diary that chronicles their sufferings and hopes.
Details: http://bit.ly/Malabares
Classical New England is proudly participating
in Public Radio Music Month this April!
Classical New England's Fraser Performance
Studio isn't just a place of beautiful sounds. It's also a beautiful space. Now
you can hear and see music performed in the Fraser Studio.
Who knew there was a connection between 'O Mio
Babbino Caro' and Dante's Inferno? A look at Opera San Jose's Puccini
double-header...
Met Opera 'Ring' Cycle: Stage Problems
Interrupt Performance Of Robert Lepage's 'Das Rheingold'
Review: Met's Giulio Cesare Laces Politics
with Bollywood Dance
Daniels, Dessay head cast as Met Opera unveils
Bollywood version of Handel's `Giulio Cesare'
Giulio Cesare opening at the Met
Review: The Met goes for baroque with Handel’s
‘Giulio Cesare,’ kung-fu fighting and more
PM hails Calleja as 'symbol of national unity'
Dallas Opera_Overtures: Notes on the classical
scene
Operavore: James Morris's Wagnerian Voyage
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Up and coming stars….
Violinist Xiang Yu
Tom Ashcroft, the host of NPR's On Point, spent a thrilling hour interviewing this young man . To hear the interview and to hear him perform, click on
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/04/09/violinist-xiang-yu
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
From the San Francisco Opera (SFOpera. com)
SUN HA YOON
Pianist and vocal coach
Pianist and vocal coach SUN HA YOON is a first-year
Adler Fellow who, in the summer of 2012, was participant in the Merola Opera
Program. Prior to that, she was a vocal piano fellow at the Music Academy of
the West, where she coached Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Don Giovanni. In
January of 2012, she collaborated with soprano Megan Hart in a duo recital at
Carnegie Hall as part of the Marilyn Horne’s “The Song Continues…” series. Sun
Ha recently graduated with a doctorate in collaborative piano performance from
the University of Maryland and worked as a coach for the Maryland Opera Studio
in two world premiere performances: Later the Same Evening by John Musto and
Shadowboxer by Frank Proto.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
NO OPERA ON WGBH TV
THIS WEEK!
No comments:
Post a Comment