This week on Rhode Island Public television,
WSBE: (Comcast 294, Cox 808, Full Channel 109,
and Verizon 478)
la fanciulla del west
Great Performances at the Met
|
Saturday, September 14~ 8pm; Sunday, September 15 ~ 3am; Monday, September 16 ~ 12am
la fanciulla del west
A production of Puccini's "La Fanciulla del West," about an Old West saloon owner (Deborah Voigt) in a California gold-rush town who'll stop at nothing to get the man (Marcello Giordani) she wants.
DURATION: 150 MIN.
DETAILS: [CC] [STEREO]
GENRE: PARENTS PICKS
Joyce DiDonato: 'Stop selling opera by dumbing it down'
Ahead of her appearance at the Last Night of the Proms,
Joyce DiDonato talks to Rupert Christiansen about her love of Mozart – and Over
the Rainbow.
 |
| American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato |
By Rupert Christiansen,
Opera
critic7:00AM BST 05 Sep 2013
Meeting Joyce DiDonato in the green room at the Wigmore
Hall, I have to resist an impulse to fall to my knees in reverence. A few days
earlier I had heard her at Covent Garden singing Elena’s rondo "Tanti
Affetti" in Rossini’s La Donna del largo, and I can only say that the
sound she made was so perfectly beautiful – so purely projected, so elegantly
shaped, so intensely felt and delicately coloured – that adjectives such as
angelic and sublime floated to mind.
Fortunately, the delightfully warm and upbeat Miss DiDonato
– born Flaherty (DiDonato is the legacy of a now terminated marriage) in 1969 –
emerges as a straightforward Kansas gal, and I manage to remain respectably
upright in her presence.
But I do find it hard to think of any other female singer of
today so gloriously in her prime, commanding not only a stupendous technique,
exquisite musicality and the ability to light up a stage, but also a rigorously
professional commitment to her status and its responsibilities.
London has been good to her over the years, and she will be
back at Covent Garden next season to sing the title role in Donizetti’s Maria
Stuarda. Meanwhile, there’s some fun stuff to get through – she’s booked to be
this year’s vocal soloist at the Last Night of the Proms.
She’s sung at the Proms before and often catches up with
concerts on her laptop, so she knows roughly what to expect: it’s an extra
thrill for her that this year’s concert will be streamed to the US, so her
extended family in Kansas can get a taste of the party.
Fashion mavens will be tantalised to learn that she
teasingly denies me a sneak preview of the wardrobe she proposes for the
occasion. “Just let me reassure everyone that I shall do my damnedest to uphold
the grand tradition. And that sparkle will feature somewhere.”
Arias by Handel, Rossini and Mozart make up the first half
of her programme, with Over the Rainbow, Danny Boy and You’ll Never Walk Alone
for dessert, before the inevitable Rule, Britannia, into which she may
introduce some spectacular baroque flourishes.
The inclusion of Over the Rainbow was non-negotiable. It’s a
song with a message that she feels encapsulates the way she’s lived her life,
and it was the last thing that her late beloved father ever heard her sing.
"He was a choral director, a Bruckner man, who always hated Judy Garland.
But on his deathbed, he told me that I’d finally made him realise what a
beautiful song it was.”
There’s also going to be a special hug on the night for her
manager, the London-based Simon Goldstone. “He’s the only manager I’ve ever
had, and our relationship goes back 15 years, to a time when I was starting
off. Agents kept turning me down and I was very disheartened. When Simon called
and told me that he thought he could make me a star, I told him he was crazy,
but I went with him anyway – and one of the first things he said was that he
just couldn’t wait to hear me sing at the Last Night of the Proms. So this is
one for you, Simon.”
It may all sound too cute for words, but it isn’t. Along the
way DiDonato has had plenty of struggle and heartbreak, both personal and
professional. “I’ve developed a thick skin,” she says, and behind her bubbling
charm and impressive range of extra-musical enthusiasms (including baking,
wine, photography, yoga and tennis) she is remarkably focused and canny, as
well as being a sterling trouper of the old school.
The conductor Antonio Pappano’s recent attack on flakey
singers could not apply to her: she has only cancelled two performances in her
entire career, “when my father was dying”, and has even struggled through
recitals “relying on a box of Kleenex on the top of the piano”.
Perhaps the most impressive instance of her show-must-go-on
attitude was the now legendary occasion at Covent Garden in 2009, when she
slipped on stage and broke her fibula during the first act of Il barbiere di
Siviglia but chose to finish the show on crutches, with absolutely no loss of
verve or style.
Yet she doesn’t pass snap judgment on people who are less
spunky than she is. “The pressures are intense, and it’s not surprising that
some singers get a bit flighty. To them I would say: don’t forget that you have
a job to do, and learn how to say no when you map out your advance schedule.
But managements are often at fault, too. They continue to hire people who are
unreliable, and that makes them feel that bad behaviour is permissible.”
DiDonato tries to find time to mentor young singers and
inculcate them with good habits. “I don’t do formal teaching, but I like to
pass on whatever experience I have – I think it’s important for students to
have contact with people who are in the thick of it, not just those who have
retired.”
What does she tell them? “It’s difficult. I’m painfully aware
that even in the most prestigious conservatories like Juilliard only 10, 15 per
cent of students will go on to make a career in opera, but they’re all looking
at me and thinking – up there is someone living my dream.”
“So I tell them that it’s not about us, the singers, it’s
about the music. We’re just the messengers, the vessels, and the freer we can
be from our own egos the more of Mozart or Handel than can come through.”
“I advise them not to attempt to turn the sound they make
into something it isn’t – don’t try to be Bartoli or Pavarotti. I did that when
I was 25 and it got me into trouble. Have the confidence to be yourself and
shed the pretence: that’s something I feel I’ve only learnt recently myself.”
She has trenchant things to say to the people who run the
business too, and has a blast at certain operatic marketing campaigns that she
believes are misleading and unhelpful. “Stop apologising, stop trying to sell
our music by dumbing it down. Sell opera on the basis that it is like nothing
else on the planet, not on the basis that it’s superficially cool and hip –
that is so phoney.”
“Recently I performed at the Grammy awards. I felt like a
fish out of water surrounded by all these rock and jazz musicians in a huge
conference hall environment. But I sang the second half of Cenerentola’s rondo,
and it seemed to go down very well.”
“What really moved me was an African-American girl who might
have been 15. She came running up to find me afterwards and said ‘I don’t know
what you call that sort of singing, but it was the most wonderful thing I have
ever heard. Where can I find more of it?’ If we do our job properly, people
will listen and get it. You see, great music just works.”
The Last Night of the Proms, Royal Albert Hall, SW7 (0845
401 5040), September 7. It will be broadcast live on BBC One and Two and Radio
3
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/10245140/Joyce-DiDonato-Stop-selling-opera-by-dumbing-it-down.html
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OPERA ON THE INTERNET
WITH
DAVE D' AGUANNO
With
the upcoming 2013-2014 Met season looming before us, there are still some very
worthwhile operatic offerings to be heard on internet radio this coming Saturday
(September 14), one of which is Jake Heggie's "Moby Dick" which seems
to be making the rounds of quite a few different major opera houses these days.
Written in a fairly accessible style, this opera (obviously based on Melville's
novel) was performed in San Francisco last October, a performance of which can
be heard on NPR on Saturday.
(www.wrti.org/)
The Austrian radio network (ORF) has one of Verdi's lesser-known operas on tap for us, this one being "I Masnadieri." If you can get past a couple of jolly men's choruses extolling the joys of robbing unsuspecting and innocent victims, you'll find lots to enjoy in this abundantly melodic score. The performance being broadcast on ORF comes to us from Venice (1/18/13).
(http://oe1.orf.at/)
One of Mozart's major works which was seen last season at the Met ("La Clemenza di Tito") can be heard on Swedish radio, as it was performed last month in Drottningholm.
(http://sverigesradio.se/p2/)
And, in case you missed it earlier this summer, the Salzburg Festival performance of Wagner's "Die Meistersinger" (which received rave reviews from "people in-the-know") can be heard once again, this time courtesy of BBC Radio 3.
(www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/)
Enjoy!
DAVE
The Austrian radio network (ORF) has one of Verdi's lesser-known operas on tap for us, this one being "I Masnadieri." If you can get past a couple of jolly men's choruses extolling the joys of robbing unsuspecting and innocent victims, you'll find lots to enjoy in this abundantly melodic score. The performance being broadcast on ORF comes to us from Venice (1/18/13).
(http://oe1.orf.at/)
One of Mozart's major works which was seen last season at the Met ("La Clemenza di Tito") can be heard on Swedish radio, as it was performed last month in Drottningholm.
(http://sverigesradio.se/p2/)
And, in case you missed it earlier this summer, the Salzburg Festival performance of Wagner's "Die Meistersinger" (which received rave reviews from "people in-the-know") can be heard once again, this time courtesy of BBC Radio 3.
(www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/)
Enjoy!
DAVE
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COMING TO:
Sunday, September 22, 2013
11:00 AM
Carmen
(Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour)
Performed on Sydney Harbour, Australia
Details
Conducted by Brian Castles-Onion
Directed by Gale Edwards
Choreographed by Kelley Abbey
Starring Rinat Shaham, Dmytro Popov, and Andrew Jones
Sung in French
2 hrs 40 mins including one intermission
OVERVIEW
Carmen
Georges Bizet | Opera in Four Acts Sung in
French | Estimated running time 160 minutes including one intermission
from Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, Sydney,
Australia
Sydney Harbour is ablaze with a new kind of
spectacle featuring one of the most popular operas of all time, Carmen. This
glittering new production brings all the drama and passion of Bizet’s opera to
a magical stage under the stars, with the Sydney skyline as its backdrop.
Carmen tells the story of the naive soldier
Don Josè who falls under the spell of Carmen, an alluring gypsy. Bizet's
rousing overture, soaringarias and heart-stirring choruses conjure a world of
desire, defiance and, ultimately, doom. Sydney
Morning Herald raves: Dmytro Popov is a
“superb” Don José and the “scintillating” Rinat Shaham stars as the glamorous
gypsy (The Australian).
Captured as Performed live April 2, 2013
COMING TO:
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS—BOSTON LYRIC OPERA SIGNATURE
SERIES
The Magic Flute
Mozart’s The Magic Flute has been popular since its raucous premier in 1791, inspiring numerous plays, novels, poems, films, and parodies over the years. The popular tale has been set in Alaska, outer space, and the trenches of World War I. Sample excerpts from the original opera and its variations, and renew your pleasure in Mozart’s most truly magical work. Featuring performances by Jennifer Ellis, Patrick Shea, and BLO artists.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Remis Auditorium, 161
ADMISSION
$18
MFA members, seniors, and students
$22
Nonmembers
Ticket Purchase Required
To order tickets by phone, call 1-800-440-6975; to order in person, visit any MFA ticket desk.
Ticket policies
Ticket policies
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BLO's 2013/2014 Season opens on October 4
Single tickets are now on sale for Boston Lyric Opera's 2013/2014 Season of all-new productions, including the season opening world premiere new English adaptation of Mozart's The Magic Flute. This season BLO welcomes an international lineup featuring Sarah Coburn, John Tessier, Emily Hindrichs, Morris Robinson, Caroline Worra, Nadine Sierra, and Music Director David Angus.
Join us for a thrilling season by securing your seats today! Tickets may be purchased online at www.citicenter.org, by phone at 1-866-348-9738, or by visiting the Citi Center box office at the Wang Theatre located at 265 Tremont Street.
Interested in seeing more than one opera this season?
subscribe today and receive the best seats at the best prices!
To become a subscriber please call BLO Audience Services at 617-542-6772.
Boston Lyric Opera
11 Avenue de Lafayette
Boston, MA 02111
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Some interesting articles
Zosha
di Castri - Working with MTT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiA1XM0dR30&feature=em-uploademail
Prom 72: OS di Milano Giuseppe Verdi/Zhang – review
Royal Albert Hall, London
Well-performed operatic chunks couldn't make up for the lack of Verdi in this year's Proms – but the Tchaikovsky was electric
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/06/os-milano-giuseppe-verdi-zhang-review
Last Night Of The Proms!
http://www.wgbh.org/articles/Last-Night-Of-The-Proms-8473
Proms 2013: Joseph Calleja and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, review
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/proms/10292332/Proms-2013-Joseph-Calleja-and-the-Orchestra-Sinfonica-di-Milano-review.html
Joseph Calleja: "An operatic voice is not boring!"
http://www.classicfm.com/artists/joseph-calleja/news/joseph-calleja-amore/
Joyce DiDonato's blog: On Arts Education
http://www.joycedidonato.com/2013/09/05/5820/
Coen Brothers next film might just be about an opera singer
http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/coen-brothers-are-next-writing-new-film-focusing-on-an-opera-singer/?sf16882868=1
Loving Son Dedicates Emotional Opera Performance to Single Mother
http://www.godvine.com/Loving-Son-Dedicates-Emotional-Opera-Performance-to-Single-Mother-fb-b-gvx-3708.html
Joseph Calleja sings 'O Inferno' from Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OecemWTHI3I&feature=youtu.be
More success for Rolando Villazon, who sang a “powerfully radiant” Lucio Silla last week at Musikfest Bremen.
http://rolandovillazon.com/news#nid8027
Expect thunderous applause for Joseph Calleja at the BBC Proms
http://metro.co.uk/2013/09/05/expect-thunderous-applause-for-joseph-calleja-at-the-bbc-proms-3950637/
Enter The Hampsong Foundation
http://hampsongfoundation.org/
Welcome to The Hampsong Foundation's first bi-monthly newsletter!
http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=45f1f7fb93eeeb6f5aae87b8b&id=271ba05c89&e=
10 Easy Ways To Optimize Your Music Practice
http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2013/09/03/216906386/10-easy-ways-to-optimize-your-music-practice?utm_content=bufferf7561&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Buffer
Carmen (Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour)
http://www.emergingpictures.com/titles/carmen-opera-on-sydney-harbour/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiA1XM0dR30&feature=em-uploademail
Prom 72: OS di Milano Giuseppe Verdi/Zhang – review
Royal Albert Hall, London
Well-performed operatic chunks couldn't make up for the lack of Verdi in this year's Proms – but the Tchaikovsky was electric
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/06/os-milano-giuseppe-verdi-zhang-review
Last Night Of The Proms!
http://www.wgbh.org/articles/Last-Night-Of-The-Proms-8473
Proms 2013: Joseph Calleja and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, review
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/proms/10292332/Proms-2013-Joseph-Calleja-and-the-Orchestra-Sinfonica-di-Milano-review.html
Joseph Calleja: "An operatic voice is not boring!"
http://www.classicfm.com/artists/joseph-calleja/news/joseph-calleja-amore/
Joyce DiDonato's blog: On Arts Education
http://www.joycedidonato.com/2013/09/05/5820/
Coen Brothers next film might just be about an opera singer
http://www.firstshowing.net/2013/coen-brothers-are-next-writing-new-film-focusing-on-an-opera-singer/?sf16882868=1
Loving Son Dedicates Emotional Opera Performance to Single Mother
http://www.godvine.com/Loving-Son-Dedicates-Emotional-Opera-Performance-to-Single-Mother-fb-b-gvx-3708.html
Joseph Calleja sings 'O Inferno' from Verdi's Simon Boccanegra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OecemWTHI3I&feature=youtu.be
More success for Rolando Villazon, who sang a “powerfully radiant” Lucio Silla last week at Musikfest Bremen.
http://rolandovillazon.com/news#nid8027
Expect thunderous applause for Joseph Calleja at the BBC Proms
http://metro.co.uk/2013/09/05/expect-thunderous-applause-for-joseph-calleja-at-the-bbc-proms-3950637/
Enter The Hampsong Foundation
http://hampsongfoundation.org/
Welcome to The Hampsong Foundation's first bi-monthly newsletter!
http://us7.campaign-archive2.com/?u=45f1f7fb93eeeb6f5aae87b8b&id=271ba05c89&e=
10 Easy Ways To Optimize Your Music Practice
http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2013/09/03/216906386/10-easy-ways-to-optimize-your-music-practice?utm_content=bufferf7561&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Buffer
Carmen (Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour)
http://www.emergingpictures.com/titles/carmen-opera-on-sydney-harbour/
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*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
The Met radio broadcast season is
over for now...
check this space the first week
of December.
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NO OPERA ON WGBH TV
THIS WEEK!
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