BREAKING NEWS: Opera & Ballet http://feed.informer.com/digests/LGBZAJQZUY/feeder BREAKING NEWS: Opera & Ballet Respective post owners and feed distributors Tue, 06 May 2014 13:36:52 +0000 Feed Informer http://feed.informer.com/ La bohème https://parterre.com/2023/06/09/la-boheme-22/ parterre box urn:uuid:e38b2658-3fbc-487c-be03-a8f57038e4a2 Fri, 09 Jun 2023 21:28:16 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/09/la-boheme-22/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>The final Free Live Audio Stream of the Met&#8217;s 2022-2023 season.</p> <p><img decoding="async" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-inside-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89832" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-inside-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-inside-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-inside-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Streaming and dicussion <a href="https://www.metopera.org/season/radio/free-live-audio-streams/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">begin a5 6:55 PM</a>.</p> <p><strong>Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera</strong></p> Armadillos https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/09/armadillos/ operaramblings urn:uuid:c81f5510-1496-fd9c-fea2-dafdb4ea4d10 Fri, 09 Jun 2023 18:20:16 +0000 Armadillos by Colleen Wagner opened at Factory Theatre last night.  It&#8217;s really quite complex and I&#8217;m grateful for having had the opportunity to meet with cast and crew to discuss it last week.  It&#8217;s simultaneously a play about two different &#8230; <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/09/armadillos/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a> <p><em>Armadillos</em> by Colleen Wagner opened at Factory Theatre last night.  It&#8217;s really quite complex and I&#8217;m grateful for having had the opportunity to meet with cast and crew to discuss it last week.  It&#8217;s simultaneously a play about two different takes on the myth of Peleus and Thetis and a sort of meta-theatrical questioning of which stories we tell and how they affect us.  In the process it examines ideas about the origins of patriarchy and oonsent/non-consent in sexual relations.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34656" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/09/armadillos/mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg" data-orig-size="580,464" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685737431&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh Photography&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;123&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="Mirabella Sundar Singh &#8211; photo by Jeremy Mimnagh" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34656 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=584" alt="Mirabella Sundar Singh - photo by Jeremy Mimnagh" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p><span id="more-34646"></span>The set up involves a touring company of four actors so we each as both &#8220;themselves&#8221; and a character in the Thetis play.  Zeus, played by Jay, played by Ryan Hollyman, is violently consolidating his power after his victory over the Titans by suppressing or subordinating goddess worship.  Hera, played by Sofia, played by Zorana Sadiq, has reluctantly signed up to the new order.  Zeus is trying to use the young goddess Thetis, played by Karmyne, played by Mirabella Sundar Singh, to trap her non-cooperating grandmother Gaia.  This is complicated by the fact that this older version of Thetis is still worshipped in her own right and isn&#8217;t overly eager to accept a junior role in Zeus&#8217; new pantheon, let alone acquiesce in the personal services role he has in mind for her.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34651" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/09/armadillos/l-r-mirabella-sundar-singh-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-mirabella-sundar-singh-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg" data-orig-size="580,464" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5DS R&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685740187&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh Photograpy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;55&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="(l-r) Mirabella Sundar Singh, Zorana Sadiq &#8211; photo by Jeremy Mimnagh" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-mirabella-sundar-singh-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-mirabella-sundar-singh-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34651 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-mirabella-sundar-singh-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=584" alt="(l-r) Mirabella Sundar Singh, Zorana Sadiq - photo by Jeremy Mimnagh" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-mirabella-sundar-singh-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-mirabella-sundar-singh-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-mirabella-sundar-singh-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Zeus, of course, has the hots for the young and attractive Thetis but Hera is aware that there&#8217;s a prophecy that Thetis&#8217; son will be greater than his father and determines to get rid of Thetis by marrying her off to the human hero Peleus, played by Dyrk, played by Paolo Santalucia.  Thetis realises what&#8217;s going on and buys just enough time to let Zeus have his way with her.  Zeus is portrayed as ruthless, brutal and oversexed and his relationships with the two women definitely flirt graphically with the murky line between consent and coercion.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34652" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/09/armadillos/l-r-ryan-hollyman-mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg" data-orig-size="580,464" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685737303&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh Photography&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;88&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="(l-r) Ryan Hollyman , Mirabella Sundar Singh &#8211; photo by Jeremy Mimnagh" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34652 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=584" alt="(l-r) Ryan Hollyman , Mirabella Sundar Singh - photo by Jeremy Mimnagh" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-mirabella-sundar-singh-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Act 2 opens backstage.  The various characters discuss their relationships and love lives.  Karmyne and Dyrk are both doing drink and drugs pretty heavily and Karmyne appears to arrange a hookup on the Internet pretty much every night.  They end up together for the night.  Meanwhile Jay and Sofia flirt/don&#8217;t flirt around their failed relationships but just when it seems that they too are about to hook up Jay disappears to some other liaison.  All this comes back to haunt the next day&#8217;s performance.  Karmyne and Dyrk haven&#8217;t turned up so Jay and Sofia have to improvise.  We get a pretty straight reprise of the beginning of Act 1 from Jay before Sofia starts to change Hera&#8217;s lines to suggest she isn&#8217;t buying the Zeus as patriarch thing at all.  Dyrk, not in costume and obviously still stoned shows up and stumbles through his part.  There&#8217;s a sense that Order is being replaced by Chaos in this particular cosmogony.  Finally Karmyne appears costumed as Thetis and plays out her older, pre Zeus, myth with Dyrk.  This is the version where Peleus is the suppliant bridegroom of Thetis, rather than the divinely sanctioned rapist of the classic version. She gives him the three sacred snakebites that symbolise the death of ego and the marriage of both human and divine and equal male and female principles.  A different cosmic order than that of Zeus is postulated as a possibility.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34653" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/09/armadillos/l-r-ryan-hollyman-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg" data-orig-size="580,464" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685740838&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh Photography&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;170&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="(l-r) Ryan Hollyman, Paolo Santalucia &#8211; photo by Jeremy Mimnagh" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34653 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=584" alt="(l-r) Ryan Hollyman, Paolo Santalucia - photo by Jeremy Mimnagh" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Making all of this clear dramatically is obviously a considerable challenge and it&#8217;s impressive that it works so well as theatre without seeming preachy or didactic.  It&#8217;s greatly helped by Jani Lauzon&#8217;s deceptively straightforward direction.  Characters come and go with entrances for divine characters highlighted by the lighting plot.  It&#8217;s all quite spare and direct letting the words do their thing.The subtle way in which the final scene transforms from a reprise of the play&#8217;s opening to something quite different is both profound and very funny.  In fact juxtapositions of that sort are key to what works.  One minute we are laughing at the sheer incongruity of a situation, for example Zrus unable to handle a raging erection, and the next we are watching a graphic and disturbing sex scene.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34654" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/09/armadillos/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh-jpeg/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg.jpeg" data-orig-size="580,464" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5DS R&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685742521&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh Photograpy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;57&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="(l-r) Ryan Hollyman, Zorana Sadiq &#8211; photo by Jeremy Mimnagh.jpeg" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg.jpeg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg.jpeg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34654 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg.jpeg?w=584" alt="(l-r) Ryan Hollyman, Zorana Sadiq - photo by Jeremy Mimnagh.jpeg" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg.jpeg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg.jpeg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg.jpeg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Performances are strong too.  Hollyman gives us a gruesomely awful Zeus while, as Jay, he reveals a vulnerability that borders on despair.  Sadiq does something similar but her best bit is the way she seamlessly subverts the Act 1 reprise without appearing to leave character as Hera.  Singh is brave.  It&#8217;s easy to forget how young and inexperienced she is but she manages to transition from playing almost a schoolgirl (albeit a divine one) to coping with some of the most graphic sex I&#8217;ve seen on a Toronto stage.  It&#8217;s impressive.  Santalucia too manages two very different personalities.  There&#8217;s the hero (complete with battle rifle) who quite matter of factly explains why he sometimes tortures people and sometimes just kills them while being utterly subservient to anyone remotely divine.  And he transitions this to the happy go lucky kid (maybe) who enjoys drug fuelled sex with whoever, to the &#8220;out of it&#8221; Peleus who stumbles through the story he doesn&#8217;t know at the end.  It&#8217;s an impressive quartet.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34655" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/09/armadillos/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-mirabella-sundar-singh-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-mirabella-sundar-singh-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg" data-orig-size="580,464" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5DS R&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685743530&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Jeremy Mimnagh Photograpy&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;35&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.003125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="(l-r) Ryan Hollyman, Zorana Sadiq, Mirabella Sundar Singh, Paolo Santalucia &#8211; photo by Jeremy Mimnagh" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-mirabella-sundar-singh-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-mirabella-sundar-singh-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34655 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-mirabella-sundar-singh-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=584" alt="(l-r) Ryan Hollyman, Zorana Sadiq, Mirabella Sundar Singh, Paolo Santalucia - photo by Jeremy Mimnagh" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-mirabella-sundar-singh-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-mirabella-sundar-singh-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/l-r-ryan-hollyman-zorana-sadiq-mirabella-sundar-singh-paolo-santalucia-photo-by-jeremy-mimnagh.jpeg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>This is exciting and disturbing theatre.  It&#8217;s sometimes very funny and sometimes quite shocking.  The story has multiple twists but a solid central core and the execution is excellent.  It&#8217;s the sort of play that would probably benefit from being seen more than once but you certainly should manage at least that!</p> <p><em>Armadillos</em> continues at Factory Theatre until June 24th.</p> <p>Photo credits: Jeremy Mimnagh</p> SF Symphony's Adriana Mater https://operatattler.typepad.com/opera/2023/06/sf-symphony-adriana-mater.html The Opera Tattler urn:uuid:423fdde7-51b6-7097-5661-aefda8557ec8 Fri, 09 Jun 2023 16:09:50 +0000 * Notes * Composer Kaija Saariaho (pictured) died last Friday on June 2, and San Francisco Symphony's presentation of her 2005 opera Adriana Mater last night showed what a profound loss this is. Her music is wholly unique and is... * Notes *Composer Kaija Saariaho (pictured) died last Friday on June 2, and San Francisco Symphony's presentation of her 2005 opera Adriana Mater last night showed what a profound loss this is. Her music is wholly unique and is very much a case for live performance. Saariaho turned Davies Hall into an instrument, her slow moving music has a physicality that is like being surrounded by a monumental sculpture that gradually appears and then dissipates. Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen kept the orchestra very even and consistent.  The piece has a lot of percussion, more than two dozen instruments, which undoubtedly help create the soundscape that feels so solid and palpable. The brass sounded very clear and the strings shimmered. The opera, with libretto in French by Amin Maalouf, is set in present day, in an unnamed country on the precipice of war. Adriana, a young woman, rebuffs the advances of a young ne'er-do-well Tsargo, and is later raped by him at home when her sister Refka is out. She becomes pregnant and keeps the child, a son she names Yonas, but is tormented by fears that he will be like his father. When Yonas discovers his true paternity, he seeks revenge by taking Tsargo's life, but finds he cannot and thus proves to Adriana that he is indeed her son, and her fears were unfounded. Saariaho dedicated this opera to Peter Sellars, who directed the world premiere seventeen years ago at Opéra Bastille in Paris with Salonen conducting. Sellars is halfway through a four opera series at San Francisco Symphony that will continue next year with Arnold Schoenberg’s Erwartung. This new staging for Adriana Mater included four platforms for the four principal vocalists, two downstage, and two upstage. The orchestra is arranged in a diagonal dividing the platforms in half, and the chorus is above but continues the diagonal by being stage right. The lighting switches up from primary colors on different platforms, to fully green or pink depending on the tableau. The singers are all fine actors, I was especially impressed how well mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron (Adriana) was able to hold her body in place for such long periods and how transformed she was from Act I where she is a young adult to Act II when she has a fully grown son. The staging does include four iPads with the music for the singers, and I found this would occasionally take me out of the drama and the music as a singer would turn the page or carry the device to the floor if the choreograph demanded it. The singing was all very beautiful, an interesting contrast to the dark and disturbing content of the opera. Baritone Christopher Purves is terrifying as the violent Tsargo, but his voice does have.a pretty warmth to it. Tenor Nicholas Phan is wrenching as son Yonas, his sweet, bright sound conveys a lot of emotion. Soprano Axelle Fanyo also has a sweet, full tone and gave a focused performance as Adriana's sister Refka. Barron is devastating in the title role, her deeply burnished mezzo embodied the pain of Adriana and her redemption. * Tattling * There was some light talking throughout the performance, which completely didn't make sense to me, as this experience was intense and immersive. A person in Row T Seat 3 of Premier Orchestra kept looking at her phone in the second act. It seemed like almost everyone I knew who loves opera was at this performance. Even soprano Nina Stemme and baritone Johan Reuter, who are both in Die Frau Ohne Schatten over at San Francisco Opera were in attendance. “It was the drag queens who taught me glamour” https://parterre.com/2023/06/09/it-was-the-drag-queens-who-taught-me-glamour/ parterre box urn:uuid:dd121ca4-7262-3b72-520b-91186d822ef6 Fri, 09 Jun 2023 10:00:04 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/09/it-was-the-drag-queens-who-taught-me-glamour/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wigstock-heaer-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wigstock-heaer-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wigstock-heaer-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wigstock-heaer-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wigstock-heaer-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wigstock-heaer.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>On this day in 1995 <em>Wigstock The Movie</em> premiered in the United States.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Kx3Wo4DJc&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Kx3Wo4DJc</a></p> <p>Happy 84th birthday soprano <strong>Ileana Cotrubas</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnQz9pOnU2w&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnQz9pOnU2w</a></p> <p>Born on this day in 1891 composer <strong>Cole Porter</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3b5XRd15KM&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3b5XRd15KM</a></p> <p>Birthday anniversaries of composers <strong>Otto Nicolai</strong> (1810), <strong>Carl Nielsen</strong> (1865) and <strong>Charles Wuorinen</strong> (1938); baritones <strong>Titto Ruffo (</strong>1877) and <strong>Lorenzo Saccomani</strong> (1938); tenor <strong>Nino Piccaluga</strong> (1890) and mezzo-soprano <strong>Jennie Tourel</strong> (1900).</p> <p><iframe style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/18465014/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/4a3b2a/time-start/00:00:00/hide-playlist/yes/download/yes" width="100%" height="192" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> Flagellum dei https://parterre.com/2023/06/08/scourge/ parterre box urn:uuid:9839b122-3939-59d2-c3c2-80863d57c37b Thu, 08 Jun 2023 12:24:29 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/08/scourge/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/attila-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/attila-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/attila-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/attila-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/attila-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/attila-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>On this day in 452 AD, <strong>Attila</strong> the Hun invaded Italy.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k9_gaSfF-U&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k9_gaSfF-U</a></p> <p>Born on this day in 1810 composer <strong>Robert Schumann</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V7O223lDK8&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V7O223lDK8</a></p> <p>Born on this day in 1921 actress and singer <strong>Alexis Smith</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Jj0ZLyHQA&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Jj0ZLyHQA</a></p> Perceptual Archaeology https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/07/perceptual-archaeology/ operaramblings urn:uuid:14dafe7e-9559-4f23-c26c-ae7af9581754 Wed, 07 Jun 2023 14:28:30 +0000 Perceptual Archaeology (or How to Travel Blind), which stars Alex Bulmer assisted by Enzo Massara, is a show about blindness and coping with it.  It opened in the Studio Theatre at Crow&#8217;s last night.  Going to see it involved confronting &#8230; <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/07/perceptual-archaeology/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a> <p><em>Perceptual Archaeology (or How to Travel Blind)</em>, which stars Alex Bulmer assisted by Enzo Massara, is a show about blindness and coping with it.  It opened in the Studio Theatre at Crow&#8217;s last night.  Going to see it involved confronting my worst nightmare and so I sat near the door in case  needed to escape (thanks Crow&#8217;s).  So what&#8217;s it about and how does it work?</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34637" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/07/perceptual-archaeology/1-dancing/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.dancing.jpg" data-orig-size="580,386" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;DAHLIA KATZ&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685586710&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="1.dancing" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.dancing.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.dancing.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34637 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.dancing.jpg?w=584" alt="1.dancing" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.dancing.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.dancing.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.dancing.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p><span id="more-34633"></span>Alex Bulmer, after much poking, prodding drops and bright lights, was diagnosed with a hereditary condition that meant she was likely to go blind &#8220;sometime in the next five to fifty years&#8221;.  Eventually she lost her sight and started to work on ways of coping.  I think one of the things that comes out here is how losing one&#8217;s sight is rather different from being blind from birth.  The strategy, and the substance of the show, was to get a grant to follow in the footsteps of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Holman">James Holman</a>; a former naval officer and, subsequently, blind travel writer.  Now Bulmer didn&#8217;t follow him by climbing Vesuvius or swinging from the rigging of sailing ships but she did follow his itinerary through the Rhineland before deciding that America&#8217;s &#8220;music belt&#8221; worked best for her.  I can&#8217;t imagine what James Holman would have made of Graceland.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34638" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/07/perceptual-archaeology/2-pillow/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.pillow.jpg" data-orig-size="580,387" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;DAHLIA KATZ&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685584558&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;35&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="2.pillow" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.pillow.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.pillow.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34638 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.pillow.jpg?w=584" alt="2.pillow" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.pillow.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.pillow.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.pillow.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>She tells her story with humour and a handful of props and the use of Enzo as a sort of guide, line feeder and, almost, a prop.  We encounter the castles and cathedrals of the Rhineland mostly through touch and sound (smell doesn&#8217;t figure much perhaps surprisingly) and there are some scary incidents involving football fans, the far right and a railway station.  Every time it seems about to get too much she comes up with another good joke.  It&#8217;s clever, balanced and well paced.  But somehow the Rhineland doesn&#8217;t take Alex where she needs to go.  Somehow her resolution comes in a road trip through Georgia and Tennessee in the form of small town radio stations.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34639" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/07/perceptual-archaeology/3-banjo/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.banjo_.jpg" data-orig-size="580,386" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;DAHLIA KATZ&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685585583&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;115&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1600&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="3.banjo" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.banjo_.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.banjo_.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34639 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.banjo_.jpg?w=584" alt="3.banjo" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.banjo_.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.banjo_.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.banjo_.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>The production, which is directed by Leah Cherniak and is a co-pro of Crow&#8217;s and Fire and Rescue Team is designed for sighted and non-sighted audiences and includes a touch tour of the set for those who need/want it.  It&#8217;s intimate and greatly enhanced by the sound design of Deanna H. Choi.  I did find myself listening to parts of the show with my eyes closed though that might just have been bravado on my part.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34640" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/07/perceptual-archaeology/4-stick/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.stick_.jpg" data-orig-size="580,386" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;DAHLIA KATZ&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685582536&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;28&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="4.stick" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.stick_.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.stick_.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34640 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.stick_.jpg?w=584" alt="4.stick" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.stick_.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.stick_.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.stick_.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>In short, not only did I not run screaming from the theatre but  I found the show insightful, touching and very funny.  It&#8217;s certainly a lot more fun than the two hours of poking, prodding, eye drops and bright lights I have scheduled for next week.  Perceptual Archaeology runs at Crow&#8217;s Theatre until June 25th.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34641" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/07/perceptual-archaeology/5-ladder/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.ladder.jpg" data-orig-size="580,386" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;DAHLIA KATZ&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON Z 6_2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685584853&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;52&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="5.ladder" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.ladder.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.ladder.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34641 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.ladder.jpg?w=584" alt="5.ladder" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.ladder.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.ladder.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.ladder.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Photo credits: Dahlia Katz</p> Sweeney, supersized https://parterre.com/2023/06/07/sweeney-supersized/ parterre box urn:uuid:63e12020-6866-bfaf-b809-de9dece6cec9 Wed, 07 Jun 2023 14:18:37 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/07/sweeney-supersized/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-1-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-1-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-1-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-1-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-1-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-1.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>Opera house versions of Sondheim’s <em>Sweeney Todd </em>featuring <strong>Bryn Terfel</strong> / <strong>Judith Christin</strong> and <strong>Thomas Allen </strong>/ <strong>Felicity Palmer</strong>.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89982" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="406" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />News that Broadway’s Tony Awards will head uptown on Sunday to the sumptuous United Palace (a few blocks from where I live) made me remember <strong>Stephen Sondheim</strong>’s swell song mentioning Washington Heights&#8230;</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fvkHB3MA4s&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fvkHB3MA4s</a></p> <p>&#8230;which then prompted Chris’s Cache to dig out two opera-house versions of Sondheim’s <em>Sweeney Todd </em>featuring <strong>Bryn Terfel</strong> / <strong>Judith Christin</strong> and <strong>Thomas Allen </strong>/ <strong>Felicity Palmer</strong>.</p> <p><em>Sweeney </em>is currently on Broadway in a revival nominated for eight Tonys starring <strong>Josh Groban</strong> and <strong>Annaleigh Ashford</strong>. Since tickets to that show at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater are wickedly expensive, I’ve been regularly entering the <a href="https://lottery.broadwaydirect.com/show/sweeney-todd-ny/">Broadway Direct lottery</a> which offers $30 tickets to every performance.</p> <p>Ten days ago, I won (!) which landed me in the front row four feet behind the conductor.</p> <p>I’ve been an Ashford fan, but I really knew nothing about Groban other than his casting caused a big uproar when it was announced last year. It was my fifth live <em>Sweeney </em>and the pair worked together beautifully, and I enjoyed it immensely. I did wonder what all the shrieking Groban fans behind me were making of the bloody romp; it struck me more than ever what a magnificent <em>opera </em>it is. The two productions on today’s Chris’s Cache demonstrate that important opera companies have agreed.</p> <p>A previous <em>Sweeney </em>encounter of mine featuring <strong>Brian Stokes Mitchell</strong> and <strong>Christine Baranski</strong> appeared on a <a href="https://parterre.com/2020/03/19/pie-a-la-mode/">Trove Thursday installment</a> three years ago.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>Sondheim: <em>Sweeney Todd</em></strong></p> <p>Mrs. Lovett: Judith Christin<br /> Johanna: Celena Shafer<br /> Beggar Woman: Sheri Greenawald<br /> Sweeney Todd: Bryn Terfel<br /> Anthony Hope: Nathan Gunn<br /> Tobias Ragg: David Cangelosi<br /> Judge Turpin: Timothy Nolen<br /> Beadle Bamford: Matthew Lord<br /> Pirelli: Bonaventura Bottone<br /> Jonas Fogg: Roger Honeywell</p> <p>Conductor: Paul Gemignani</p> <p>Lyric Opera of Chicago<br /> 27 November 2002<br /> In-house recording</p> <p><iframe style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/27071082/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/4a3b2a/time-start/00:00:00/hide-playlist/yes/download/yes" width="100%" height="192" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><strong>Sondheim: <em>Sweeney Todd</em></strong></p> <p>Mrs. Lovett: Felicity Palmer<br /> Johanna: Rebecca Evans<br /> Beggar Woman: Rosalind Plowright<br /> Sweeney Todd: Thomas Allen<br /> Anthony Hope: William Dazeley<br /> Tobias Ragg: Doug Jones<br /> Judge Turpin: Jonathan Veira<br /> Beadle Bamford: Robert Tear<br /> Pirelli: Bonaventura Bottone<br /> Jonas Fogg: Matthew Rose</p> <p>Conductor: Paul Gemignani</p> <p>Royal Opera House, Covent Garden<br /> 17 December 2003<br /> Broadcast</p> <p><iframe style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/27071163/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/4a3b2a/time-start/00:00:00/hide-playlist/yes/download/yes" width="100%" height="192" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Each <em>Sweeney Todd </em>can be downloaded by clicking on the icon of a cloud with an arrow pointing downward on the audio player above and the resulting mp3 file will appear in your download directory.</p> <hr /> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="0XRhXagWkh"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/30/expected-wagneriennes/">Expected Wagneriennes</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;Expected Wagneriennes&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/05/30/expected-wagneriennes/embed/#?secret=UkUp0QgLqf#?secret=0XRhXagWkh" data-secret="0XRhXagWkh" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="l65pcQ7RwI"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/09/unexpected-wagneriennes/">Unexpected Wagneriennes</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;Unexpected Wagneriennes&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/05/09/unexpected-wagneriennes/embed/#?secret=LevQUD0CDQ#?secret=l65pcQ7RwI" data-secret="l65pcQ7RwI" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="pxaNaqTbsO"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/04/23/mozart-for-another-time/">Mozart for another time</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;Mozart for another time&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/04/23/mozart-for-another-time/embed/#?secret=GIwhEujZl9#?secret=pxaNaqTbsO" data-secret="pxaNaqTbsO" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Sf8aX6g15v"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/04/05/disenchanted/">Some disenchanted evening</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;Some disenchanted evening&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/04/05/disenchanted/embed/#?secret=PWiez10IjI#?secret=Sf8aX6g15v" data-secret="Sf8aX6g15v" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="AWmsbw3PBL"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/03/31/you-must-believe-in-spring/">You must believe in spring</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;You must believe in spring&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/03/31/you-must-believe-in-spring/embed/#?secret=Bhc2PDaBjJ#?secret=AWmsbw3PBL" data-secret="AWmsbw3PBL" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> Listen to the lullaby https://parterre.com/2023/06/07/listen-to-the-lullaby/ parterre box urn:uuid:0358cc74-fb9b-f600-7bf2-59fa048d92bc Wed, 07 Jun 2023 13:29:36 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/07/listen-to-the-lullaby/"><img width="720" height="246" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/42nd-header-720x246.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/42nd-header-720x246.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/42nd-header-300x103.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/42nd-header-768x263.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/42nd-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/42nd-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>On this day in 1981 <em>42nd Street</em> won the Tony Awards for &#8220;Best Musical&#8221; and &#8220;Best Choreography.&#8221;</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6JXpr-1iXY&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6JXpr-1iXY</a></p> <p>Happy 60th birthday tenor <strong>Roberto Alagna</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoHUMy3HIiA&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoHUMy3HIiA</a></p> <p>On this day in 1945 Britten&#8217;s<em> Peter Grimes</em> premiered at Sadlers Wells Theatre in London.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuYuGtPK89s&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuYuGtPK89s</a></p> <p>Birthday anniversaries of conductor <strong>George Szell</strong> (1897), soprano<strong> Margaret Ritchie</strong> (1903), tenor <strong>Mario Filippeschi</strong> (1907), conductor, director and teacher <strong>Boris Goldovsky</strong> (1908), soprano <strong>Margherita Carosio, </strong>(1908), set designer <strong>Gunther Schneider-Siemssen</strong> (1926) and tenor <strong>Andrea Velis</strong> (1927).</p> <p>Happy 56th birthday soprano <strong>Patrizia Ciofi</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=T215xfnvAck&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=T215xfnvAck</a></p> Opéra Magazine's 'Pick of the Month' for June 2023 http://npw-opera-concerts.blogspot.com/2023/06/opera-magazines-pick-of-month-for-june.html We left at the interval... urn:uuid:316a48cb-0345-39b4-47db-43ff25176cf0 Wed, 07 Jun 2023 09:27:00 +0000 <p>&nbsp;</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPkWpge4YGEGRs5P0rjMfJhP398eO-XPDKId7JD8Iyj5_3PfGXSbW9wTIKaZQuWzSP5zhAHqcZMl9GIM-xN-sV0lgKInE6tP2bx6JiqnzAWz2KxePQt2j-YfEkX-_TUlD7tpMxyJy66hC6gfYzC3XY5lxQEow2ZTVTiU2dKfEUU1-ax0ujRtENcv4AA/s1498/Screenshot%202023-06-07%20at%2011.19.40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="1498" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPkWpge4YGEGRs5P0rjMfJhP398eO-XPDKId7JD8Iyj5_3PfGXSbW9wTIKaZQuWzSP5zhAHqcZMl9GIM-xN-sV0lgKInE6tP2bx6JiqnzAWz2KxePQt2j-YfEkX-_TUlD7tpMxyJy66hC6gfYzC3XY5lxQEow2ZTVTiU2dKfEUU1-ax0ujRtENcv4AA/w640-h426/Screenshot%202023-06-07%20at%2011.19.40.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Recording of the month (their '<i>coup de coeur'</i>) in the June issue of France's <i>Opéra Magazine</i>, with a 'Diamond' rating (the highest), is Strauss's <i>Capriccio</i> from the Semperoper in Dresden, on the Arthaus Musik label. The production is by Jean-Daniel Herzog, and the cast includes Camilla Nylund, Christoph Pohl, Daniel Behle, Nikolay Borchev, Georg Zeppenfeld, Christa Mayer and Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, all under Thielemann. The reviewer says this is a 'Masterly Capriccio' that shoots straight to the top of the video catalogue, alongside Carsen's 2004 production from the Palais Garnier in Paris.</p><p>At the time of writing this post, the whole opera is available on <i>YouTube</i>:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ep9vuDFDLUY" width="320" youtube-src-id="Ep9vuDFDLUY"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p> Standing in the shadows of love https://parterre.com/2023/06/06/standing-in-the-shadows-of-love/ parterre box urn:uuid:f572fede-a156-442c-913d-99d3f2261955 Tue, 06 Jun 2023 15:44:31 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/06/standing-in-the-shadows-of-love/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p><strong>Richard Strauss</strong>’ monumental (arguably his magnum opus) <em>Die Frau ohne Schatten</em> made a triumphant return to the War Memorial Opera House last Sunday June 4 after 34 years.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89963" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Despite ts significance, the much-maligned work was Strauss’ longest and most complex opera, and the heavily symbolistic libretto and complicated storyline continued to perplex and delight audience in equal measure ever since its premiere in 1919.</p> <p>Strauss and <em>Die Frau</em> librettist poet <strong>Hugo von Hofmannsthal</strong> were undoubtedly the greatest opera collaborations in 20th century German opera world, producing six operas (from 1909 <em>Elektra</em> to 1933 <em>Arabella</em>) that are still widely played in opera houses around the world, particularly the first three (<em>Elektra</em>, <em>Der Rosenkavalier</em>, <em>Ariadne auf Naxos</em>).</p> <p>For <em>Die Frau</em>, von Hofmannsthal envisioned a magic fairy-tale opera adapted freely from <strong>Johann Wolfgang von Goethe</strong>’s <em>Conversations of German Emigrants </em>and modeled after <strong>Mozart</strong>’s <em>Die Zauberflöte</em>. The latter’s influences were evident not only in the roles of the two pairs of lovers, but also in the central theme of love and the “tests” to prove the worthiness of both pairs.</p> <p>It was important to note that although the work on <em>Die Frau</em> began in 1911 (following the success of <em>Der Rosenkavalier</em>’s premiere), the opera wasn’t performed till 1919, after the conclusion of World War I. In a rare display of both mimesis (art imitating life) and anti-mimesis, 1911 also marked the year of the royal wedding of <strong>Emperor Karl</strong> and <strong>Empress Zita</strong> (the last of Habsburg royalty) and they subsequently were banished from Austria in 1919, merely seven months before the premiere of <em>Die Frau</em>.</p> <p>In a way, that event probably served as one of the reasons for the lukewarm reception of the premiere in Vienna, despite the participation of two of the greatest singers of the century, <strong>Maria Jeritza</strong> and <b>Lotte Lehmann,</b> as the Empress and Dyer’s Wife respectively. Nevertheless, the mythical Emperor and Empress of <em>Die Frau</em> lived on, and the opera gained significance over the years, most importantly as one of the features for the reopening of Vienna Opera House in 1955.</p> <p><em>Die Frau ohne Schatten</em> represented an important piece of history for San Francisco Opera, as the American premiere took place at War Memorial Opera House on September 18, 1959, with <strong>Leopold Ludwig</strong> conducting a <strong>Jean-Pierre Ponnelle</strong> production with <strong>Edith Lang</strong>, <strong>Sebastian Feiersinger</strong>, <strong>Mino Yahi</strong>a, <strong>Marianne Schech</strong> and <strong>Irene Dalis</strong> as the Empress, the Emperor, Barak, Dyer’s Wife and the Nurse respectively; that magnitude of an event warranted its place in the current Centennial Season. Since then, the opera was only been presented on War Memorial stage five other times in only three different productions until now.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89964" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>The year following the premiere, Ludwig with Schech and Dalis returned for the first revival of Ponnelle’s staging, this time with the great <strong>Leonie Rysanek</strong> (the first of her three runs as the Empress), <strong>Ticho Parly</strong> and <strong>Paul Schoeffler</strong>. The final revival of Ponnelle’s came 4 years later, when <strong>Ella Lee</strong>, <strong>Richard Martell</strong>, <strong>Eberhard Waechter</strong>, and <strong>Gladys Kuchta</strong> joined Ludwig and Dalis to sing the five main roles.</p> <p>Twelve years later, in 1976 SF audiences saw the arrival of <strong>Karl Böhm</strong>, a close friend of Strauss and <em>Daphne</em>’s dedicatee (the current show perused the cuts made by him and sanctioned by Strauss), to conduct a new production by <strong>Nikolaus Lehnhoff</strong> featuring the cast of Rysanek, <strong>Matti Kastu</strong>, <strong>Walter Berry</strong>, <strong>Ursula Schröder-Feinen</strong> and <strong>Ruth Hesse</strong>.</p> <p>The same production was revived four years later, with <strong>Berislav Klobucar</strong> conducting Rysanek (sharing the role with <strong>Eva Marton</strong> this time) and Hesse, plus <strong>James King</strong>, <strong>Gerd Feldhoff</strong> and <strong>Birgit Nilsson</strong> as Dyer’s Wife. In 1989 War Memorial stage saw <em>Die Frau</em> the last time, with <strong>Christoph von Dohnányi</strong> conducting <strong>Grischa Asagaroff</strong> production with <strong>Mary Jane Johnson</strong>, <strong>William Johns</strong>, <strong>Alfred Muff</strong>, <strong>Gwyneth Jones</strong> and <strong>Anja Silja</strong>.</p> <p>The current performances marked the first time San Francisco Opera presented <strong>David Hockney</strong>’s production; it was a co-production between Los Angeles Opera and Royal Opera House Covent Garden and it had its premiere in London in 1992 (originally directed by <strong>John Cox</strong>), before traveling to Los Angeles and Australia. Longtime SF Opera staff director <strong>Roy Rallo</strong> took the helm at directing the show, while the costumes were designed by <strong>Ian Falconer</strong>, frequent Hockney collaborator who passed away last March and to whose memory the whole production was dedicated.</p> <p>SF Opera press release detailed that “the story follows a fairy-tale Empress who has three days to take the shadow of a mortal woman, and thereby that woman’s ability to have children, in order to prevent a curse from turning her husband, the Emperor, to stone. While the theft of the shadow could avert the threat she faces, the Empress confronts whether her own happiness is possible if it comes at another’s expense.”</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89965" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-2.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-2.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-2-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>One of the most disturbing portions of the opera was the presence of the Chorus of Unborn Children – first introduced towards the end of Act 1 and significantly appeared in the Finale – which proved to be a very controversial subject in the post-Roe world. However, in the program historian <strong>Larry Wolff</strong> (who wrote extensively about the opera in his book <em>The Shadow of the Empress: Fairy-Tale Opera and the End of the Habsburg Monarchy</em>), offered an alternative point of view of the matter, as he said:</p> <blockquote><p>While the word “unborn” was appropriated in the American abortion debate in the late 20th century, it had no such meaning for Strauss and Hofmannsthal in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century. The unborn children represented, in wartime, the unborn generation of the future, what we might call “posterity.” Hofmannsthal imagined the children’s chorus sounding “as if birds were suddenly speaking from the sky,” and Strauss created magical effects with the triangle and celesta. The redemptive magic of the unborn children was intended to heal a world destroyed by war.</p></blockquote> <p>Even further, in his 2019 <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/opinion/opera-frau-ohne-schatten-strauss.html">essay</a> published by <em>The New York Times</em> following the 100 year anniversary of the premiere of the opera, Wolff argued that <em>Die Frau ohne Schatten</em> imagined an enlightened, democratic empire” and that the Empress (the title character of the opera)</p> <blockquote><p>…was an empress for the 20th century, an empress for the age of democracy, descending from her palatial heights to the humblest dwellings of ordinary people and learning what it means to be human, seeking to acquire a shadow as a sign of her own humanity, but ultimately realizing that she would violate the moral code of humanity if she took the shadow of another woman.</p></blockquote> <p>Seen in these larger contextual meanings, <em>Die Frau ohne Schatten</em>’s central message of self-sacrificing love and responsibility towards the present and future of humanity through action came loud and clear and it served as a necessary wake-up call for our world that is seemingly full of greed and hate.</p> <p>The greatest strength of Hockney’s production as realized by Rallo was that it effectively told the complex and highly symbolic story and, by staying true to the “magic fairy-tale” as envisioned by Strauss and Hofmannsthal, it conveyed to the audience its lessons without being preachy. Decidedly whimsical in his approach, Hockney took the fairy-tale aspects seriously and saturated the stage with an explosion of bold and striking colors, emphasizing the other-worldly nature of the story, aided by brilliant lighting designed by <strong>Justin A. Partier</strong>.</p> <p>The efficiency of the staging was particularly staggering, as the set mostly consisted of a single rotating semi-circular piece with one side representing the Emperor’s realm and the other constituting Barak the Dyer’s hut complete with dye pots, coupled with various dropdown props to denote trees and doors, among others. All these resulted in smooth transitions between scenes and nonstop action of the story; the whole set even felt like children’s pop-up story book at times!</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89966" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-3.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-3.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-3-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Hockney, too, emphasized the link to <em>Die Zauberflöte</em> in his production, as the door to Keikobad’s realm and the pyramid in Act 3 could readily be reused for<em> Die Zauberflöte</em>, and, particularly, Falconer’s costume for the The Nurse definitely could easily be Queen of the Night’s! Speaking of the costumes, Falconer mostly assigned specific colors to each character (The Emperor in red, Barak and the Messenger in blue,  the Nurse in black) throughout the opera, with the exception of two characters, The Dyer’s Wife – who traded her turquoise short-and-shirt getup for clown-like yellow and blue stripes for the beginning of Act 2 – and especially, the Empress.</p> <p>It was fascinating to see the color progression of the Empress&#8217;s (from white in the Scene 1 of Act 1, blue for all the scenes in Barak’s hut, maroon for the confrontation with Keikobad, and finally bright red (matching the Emperor) for the finale); it was as if to reflect on the progression of her heart!</p> <p>Ultimately, the opera revolved around choices – particularly the women’s choices – as Dyer’s Wife chose not to sell her shadow at the end of Act 2, and especially, in the Act 3 the Empress’ choice to refuse to take the shadow that marked the turning point of the opera and brought it to its joyful endings.</p> <p>This production managed to bring out that aspect much more clearly than any other productions I had seen in the <a href="https://parterre.com/2019/10/16/storm-of-the-century/">past</a>. It also succeeded in giving clarity to Dyer’s Wife actions as the manifestations of her frustrations of married life.</p> <p>If I might nitpick, my biggest problem with the production came at the very last scene of the opera. In the interview with Hockney printed in the program, he said:</p> <p>Hofmannsthal’s libretto describes a beautiful landscape with a golden river sweeping through it. We realized the Golden River could represent the life force. But the opera doesn’t end there. It ends in the future with the voices of unborn children singing. The river then comes toward the audience to become a tree of life. I think it fits the music very well.</p> <p>The Golden River was all there, but unfortunately, the so-called “tree of life” looked a little bit like “flying sperm” especially when coupled with the children chorus, making it as if Hockney was playing joke on the audience. It was truly an unfortunate moment, as the scenes leading to that moment were perfect and magical! You can decide for your own what you think from the image below.</p> <div id="attachment_89968" style="width: 730px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-89968" decoding="async" class="wp-image-89968 size-full" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/spermtree.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/spermtree.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/spermtree-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/spermtree-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /><p id="caption-attachment-89968" class="wp-caption-text">© David Hockney</p></div> <p>While the production value offered so much more, it was the musical aspect of the opera that lifted up the show into the stratosphere. San Francisco Opera assembled an extraordinary cast to bring the fable into life, led by former SF Opera Music Director <strong>Sir Donald Runnicles</strong>, who conducted <em>Die Frau ohne Schatten</em> for the first time in his career.</p> <p>Swedish soprano <strong>Nina Stemme</strong> made a spellbinding turn as the Dyer’s Wife, in a performance full of power and vigor. Her round soprano voice sounded darker (as evident in <strong>Kurt Weill</strong>’s section of her recital last month, <a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/12/creature-of-the-stage/">reviewed</a> by my colleague <strong>Christian Ocier</strong>) than the last time I heard her essaying the role, giving her portrayal an earthy undertone. Her confrontation with Barak at the end of Act 2 was a stunning tour de force both in her acting and particularly in the way she rode the blazing wall of sound of the orchestra.</p> <p>In contrast, she demonstrated the different facets of her interpretation of the role with heartfelt tenderness and joyful celebration in the two duets with Barak in Act 3, signifying the complete transformation of the character. After that June 4 performance, Stemme was also presented with the San Francisco Opera Medal, as recognition for her works with SF Opera in the last twenty years, starting with Senta in <em>Der Fliegende Holländer</em> in 2004, Brünnhilde in both 2010 and 2011 <em>Ring</em> cycles (all conducted by Runnicles) and the title role of 2017 <em>Turandot</em> (with production by Hockney).</p> <p>A veteran of the role Barak, debuting Danish bass-baritone <strong>Johan Reuter</strong> brought a sense of warmth and nobility into the role, the perfect family man. His scene where he broke his mortar in Act 2 was truly heartbreaking (a perfect example of Rallo’s direction), while he and Stemme exhibited beautiful chemistry in both Act 3 duets.</p> <p>As the title role of the opera (The Empress), <strong>Camilla Nylund</strong> brought an otherworldly quality to her personification of the character. With her silvery bright voice, she navigated the coloratura passages in her opening monologue in Act 1 with ease, and later on traded that with grit and determination for the confrontation with Keikobad in Act 3. Nylund’s performance here opened my eyes of the importance of the role as the central character whose transformation changed the course of the story!</p> <p>Not to be outdone, British tenor <strong>David Butt Philip</strong> imbued the challenging Emperor role with intelligence and sensitivity, his beautiful voice gleamed bright throughout. While he sounded a tad lyrical in the beginning, his monologue in Act 2 proved to be highly nuanced and shapely executed. I couldn’t help but wonder if his costumes (the looped-up skirt, the big hat with feather and the weapons) somehow got in the way of his singing though.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89967" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-4.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-4.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-4-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/frau-4-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Bay Area resident <strong>Linda Watson</strong> completed the principals with her wholesome depiction of the evil Nurse. The metallic tone of her voice infused a sense of danger and menace to her characterization, and it was highly effective. The comprimario roles (there were 20 of them!) were handled handsomely, with some highlights included tenor <strong>Zhengyi Bai</strong> and bass-baritones <strong>Wayne Tigges</strong> and <strong>Philip Skinner</strong> as Barak’s brothers (little trivia: Skinner sang the same role in the last production … 34 years ago!), <strong>Stefan Egerstrom</strong> as the Spirit Messenger and <strong>Mikayla Sager</strong> as the Keeper of the Gates.</p> <p>Runnicles led the SF Opera Orchestra in a reading full of great elan and vigor. With 96 instrumentalists in the pit (the third largest ever, the record was held by 2002 <strong>Olivier Messiaen</strong>’s <em>Saint François d&#8217;Assise</em> with 104 people also conducted by him) Runnicles managed to achieve a great balance between clarity, details, and power.</p> <p>In his hand, Act 2 was specifically absolutely thrilling, a breathless nonstop action with great buildup toward the confrontation of Barak and his wife that almost felt like it would go out of control but miraculously stay on the line. In comparison, there was a bit sense of discontinuity in the final act (probably caused by the cuts employed), but nevertheless his was still a very riveting take on the score.</p> <p>This extraordinary production definitely is a major accomplishment for San Francisco Opera, a perfect crowning glory for the Centennial Season. There are only four more performances left, and you would be wise <em>not</em> to wait for another three decades to experience Strauss’ complex and completely human masterpiece, <em>Die Frau ohne Schatten</em>!</p> <p><strong>Photos: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera</strong></p> Midwest Side Story https://parterre.com/2023/06/06/midwest-side-story-2/ parterre box urn:uuid:a05acba6-29a3-e052-5398-44a7ae670fd8 Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:19:19 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/06/midwest-side-story-2/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>Lyric Opera of Chicago has brought back its wildly successful 2019 production of <em>West Side Story</em>, directed by <strong>Francesca Zambello</strong>.  I thought it was terrific back then and, even with numerous cast changes, it was just as terrific on Sunday afternoon.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89951" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Zambello clearly trusts this material, offering a traditional production that’s brimming with theatrical energy and verve.</p> <p>With glorious music by <strong>Leonard Bernstein</strong>, an excellent book by <strong>Arthur Laurents</strong>, magical choreography and original direction by <strong>Jerome Robbins</strong> and lyrics by the young Stephen Sondheim, <em>West Side Story </em>is a musical and dramatic feast featuring such famous songs as “Maria,” “Tonight,” the delightful “America”, and the plaintive “Somewhere.”</p> <p>The story, based largely on Shakespeare’s <em>Romeo and Juliet</em>, is a clear story of “us vs. them” as the American gang The Jets squares off against the new arrivals from Puerto Rico, The Sharks.  This clash of cultures is finely honed by Zambello, as the gun violence that ends the tragedy is way too familiar to all of us. Zambello keeps the action fast-paced, clear, and vivid.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89952" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="404" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-1-300x168.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>The real stars of this show are the brilliant choreography (Robbins’ choreography is painstakingly and stunningly recreated here by <strong>Joshua Bergasse</strong> and associate choreographer <strong>Kiira Schmidt Carper</strong>) and a cast of remarkable actor/dancers who work with amazing precision, skill, and endurance.  It’s the best theatre dancing I have ever seen.  Many dance moments were met by absolute silence from the slack-jawed audience which then roared with approval at the end of the numbers.</p> <p>Most of the cast changes worked very well, though I have a few caveats.  The Maria of K<strong>anisha Feliciano</strong> was played with genuine youthful innocence and her bell-like soprano fulfilled all the requirements of the role, though her highest notes occasionally turned shrill.</p> <p>Our Tony this time around was <strong>Ryan McCartan</strong>, who possesses a gorgeous, plangent tenor and acts well, but he seems miscast.  His Tony is very light, naïve, and tender; it’s very hard to believe that this is the man who founded the Jets gang and fought numerous rumbles in the past.  He seems more innocent than Maria.  In his scene with Riff (the wonderful actor/dancer <strong>Brett Thiele</strong>), the two seem to come from completely different worlds rather than the best of friends.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89953" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-2.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-2.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wss-2-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p><strong>Amanda Castro</strong> returns as the fiery, youthful Anita in a sparkling performance, singing and dancing wonderfully, especially in “America<strong>.” Brett Thiele</strong>’s Riff and <strong>Yurel Echezarreta</strong> as Bernardo make their gang rivalry especially vivid. <strong>Mark Daniel Aguirre</strong> is a rather colorless Chino.</p> <p>Doc, the drug store owner, is female and well-played by <strong>Genevieve VenJohnson</strong>, though she lacks Doc’s usual authoritative power in the situations involving the gangs.  Well-known Chicago actors <strong>Keith Kupferer</strong> and <strong>John Lister</strong> are Schrank and Krupke, and <strong>Lillian Castillo</strong> is a delight as Glad Hand.</p> <p><strong>Peter J. Davison</strong>’s excellent sets provide mood and location, and work very well with the exception of Maria’s bedroom, high on a platform and feeling too remote for the audience.  Excellent costumes by <strong>Jessica Jahn</strong> and moody lighting by <strong>Mark McCullough</strong> complete the picture.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E77lOS1lsQ&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E77lOS1lsQ</a></p> <p>And what a joy to hear this glorious music played by the robust Lyric Opera Orchestra, led with propulsive energy and nuance by <strong>James Lowe</strong>.  It was an afternoon of sheer musical pleasure.</p> <p>The production runs through June 25 and should be a near-sellout. I urge Chicago audiences to make this a viewing priority.</p> <p><strong>Photos: Todd Rosenberg</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Free bird https://parterre.com/2023/06/06/free-bird/ parterre box urn:uuid:d4a64e34-3a6b-cb04-5b0b-49e3de6260b9 Tue, 06 Jun 2023 12:41:14 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/06/free-bird/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/suthatland-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/suthatland-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/suthatland-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/suthatland-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/suthatland-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/suthatland-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>On this day in 1975 <strong>Joan Sutherland</strong> sang<em> La traviata </em>during the Metropolitan Opera&#8217;s tour in Tokyo.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=224Zm3WRBmA&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=224Zm3WRBmA</a></p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-89944" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-06-at-8.23.13-AM-720x710.png" alt="" width="720" height="710" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-06-at-8.23.13-AM-720x710.png 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-06-at-8.23.13-AM-300x296.png 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-06-at-8.23.13-AM-203x200.png 203w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-06-at-8.23.13-AM-24x24.png 24w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-06-at-8.23.13-AM-48x48.png 48w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-06-at-8.23.13-AM-96x96.png 96w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-06-at-8.23.13-AM.png 748w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Happy 84th birthday tenor<strong> Giacomo Aragall</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7h38y1Kxec&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7h38y1Kxec</a></p> <p>Birthday anniversaries of writer<strong> Thomas Mann</strong> (1875), soprano <strong>Grete Stückgold</strong> (1895), mezzo-soprano/soprano <strong>Gloria Lane</strong> (1925) and conductor <strong>Klaus Tennstedt</strong> (1926).</p> <p>Happy 84th to baritone <strong>Alberto Rinaldi</strong>.</p> <p>Happy 81st birthday countertenor and conductor <strong>Paul Esswood</strong>.</p> Family Issues: Il trovatore at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos https://operatraveller.com/2023/06/06/family-issues-il-trovatore-at-the-teatro-nacional-de-sao-carlos/ operatraveller urn:uuid:53918d79-0165-82cb-9669-ca074cfbd1ed Tue, 06 Jun 2023 11:42:27 +0000 Verdi – Il trovatore Il Conte di Luna – Alessandro LuongoLeonora – Cristiana OliveiraAzucena – Cátia MoresoManrico – Ivan GyngazovFerrando – Dario RussoInes – Joana SearaRuiz – Sérgio MartinsVecchio zingaro – João RosaMesso – João Cipriano Coro do Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa / Antonio Pirolli.Stage director – Stefano Vizioli. Teatro Nacional [&#8230;] <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Verdi – <em>Il trovatore</em></strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Il Conte di Luna – Alessandro Luongo<br>Leonora – Cristiana Oliveira<br>Azucena – Cátia Moreso<br>Manrico – Ivan Gyngazov<br>Ferrando – Dario Russo<br>Ines – Joana Seara<br>Ruiz – Sérgio Martins<br>Vecchio zingaro – João Rosa<br>Messo – João Cipriano</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Coro do Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa / Antonio Pirolli.<br>Stage director </strong><strong>–</strong><strong> Stefano Vizioli.</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Lisbon, Portugal.&nbsp; Monday, June 5th, 2023.</strong></p> <p><em>Il trovatore</em> has quite an illustrious history at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos.&nbsp; It was first performed in the Portuguese capital a year after the work’s premiere in Rome, Italy, and since that time, some of the most illustrious names in opera have performed the work on the stage of this beautiful house: Beniamino Gigli, Régine Crespin, Franco Corelli, Fiorenza Cossotto, Piero Cappuccilli, just to name a few.&nbsp; Stepping into those shoes must have seemed quite daunting for tonight’s cast, made up of both local singers and international guests.&nbsp; The house music director, Antonio Pirolli, was in the pit with the staging, imported from Trieste, confided to Stefano Vizioli.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7069" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg" data-orig-size="2048,1365" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Antonio Pedro Ferreira&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;ANTONIO PEDRO FERREIRA&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7069" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146084_261885059845872_2055124542092878702_n.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira</figcaption></figure> <p>Vizioli’s staging certainly gives something to look at.&nbsp; The costumes, by Alessandro Ciammarughi, are full of long flowing dresses for the ladies and medieval looking garb for the gentlemen.&nbsp; There’s a symmetry to the sets, also by Ciammarughi, that makes for interesting stage pictures.&nbsp; The set is composed mainly of two structures that are set to the sides of the stage for the most part, with stairs for characters to climb, while they are brought together to provide an enclosed space for the prison of the final scene.&nbsp; What this means, however, is that for much of the evening, the singers don’t have much in the way of acoustic support.&nbsp; The effect was heightened because Vizioli puts so much of the action in the middle of the stage, which meant that the impact of the singing wasn’t always optimal – Cristiana Oliveira’s Leonora suffered from this in her opening scene, while the chorus lost impact in the anvil chorus due to being placed so far back, combined with an enthusiastic anvil player at the front side who made an deliciously rowdy noise.&nbsp;</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7063" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg" data-orig-size="2048,1365" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Antonio Pedro Ferreira&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Copyright Antonio P. Ferreira&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7063" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349120538_263328302912388_3115348430016445539_n.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira</figcaption></figure> <p>The personenregie was perfunctory.&nbsp; There was lots of emoting to the front and staring into the middle distance.&nbsp; That said, the stage energy increased exponentially in the initial Leonora, Manrico, Luna trio, with Ivan Gynzagov’s Manrico and Alessandro Luongo’s Luna indulging in some terrifically energetic sword fighting and, with the singers placed stage front, the impact of their singing was heightened – and indeed it raised the spirits tremendously.&nbsp; Vizioli makes considerable use of a corps of dancers to add visual interest, including some sword fighting ladies in the anvil chorus.&nbsp; In the soldiers’ chorus, Vizioli placed the chorus on each side of the stage, while shirtless men waved erect, skywards facing poles at each other.&nbsp; It wasn’t unpleasant to look at, but I can’t say I could understand why it was necessary.&nbsp;</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7070" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg" data-orig-size="2048,1365" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Antonio Pedro Ferreira&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;ANTONIO PEDRO FERREIRA&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7070" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/351146216_1724491661337858_612089894896449914_n.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira</figcaption></figure> <p>Pirolli led a reading that was based on beauty of line and impeccable phrasing.&nbsp; I was, in particular, struck by the discipline of the choral singing, prepared by Giampaolo Vessella.&nbsp; Both the chorus and orchestra reacted as one to Pirolli’s baton, bringing a striking unanimity of approach and attack.&nbsp; I did, however, find Pirolli’s tempi slightly on the slow side.&nbsp; They certainly didn’t drag, but it felt, as in the big Azucena/Manrico duet, that they could have been a notch or two swifter and added further drama into the proceedings.&nbsp; The quality of the orchestral playing was superb, the strings true in tuning and the brass rock solid all night.&nbsp; The choral tenors and basses sang with fantastic lustiness, while the sopranos and mezzos sang with a refreshing beauty of tone and good blend.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7068" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg" data-orig-size="2048,1365" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;ANTONIO PEDRO FERREIRA&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;ANTONIO PEDRO FERREIRA&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7068" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350971651_625005402890047_7860337252745425703_n.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira</figcaption></figure> <p>It sounded to my ears that it took Oliveira’s Leonora a little while to warm up, not helped by placing her so far upstage for her opening scene.&nbsp; The placement of the voice was somewhat recessed and the ‘L’s rather Lusophone.&nbsp; As the evening progressed, Oliveira warmed up nicely and the tone more focused and forward.&nbsp; The voice has a wonderfully plush, fast vibrato that gives the tone a pleasantly velvety edge.&nbsp; She has good agility and made a more than respectable stab at a genuine trill.&nbsp; She capped the ensembles splendidly.&nbsp; Oliveira did attempt to shade her ‘D&#8217;amor sull&#8217;ali rosee’, pulling the tone back in places, but I would have appreciated her taking a few more risks in pulling back at the very top.&nbsp; Her diction could also benefit from being clearer, partly due to her vocal production not being quite forwardly-placed, and the tone is somewhat narrow.&nbsp; Still, Oliveira is most certainly an interesting singer and is a useful artist in this repertoire.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7067" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg" data-orig-size="2048,1365" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;ANTONIO PEDRO FERREIRA&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;ANTONIO PEDRO FERREIRA&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7067" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350950799_945955053120405_746975448408386544_n.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira</figcaption></figure> <p>This was my first time hearing Gyngazov.&nbsp; The Siberian tenor has a striking instrument, dark in tone with a muscular core.&nbsp; It carries well, with a focused trumpeting edge.&nbsp; His was a virile Manrico that powered on all cylinders.&nbsp; It did mean that when he pulled back on the volume, tuning did sag somewhat.&nbsp; He went for it in ‘di quella pira’, one verse only, giving us both high Cs.&nbsp; I appreciate he wanted to give the audience full value with his closing C, but it did threaten to succumb to gravity.&nbsp; Gyngazov gave us some good, old-fashioned robust singing.&nbsp; It sounded generally healthy, gave us plenty of volume, and in that respect, he also has much to offer in this repertoire.&nbsp;</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7066" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg" data-orig-size="2048,1365" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Antonio Pedro Ferreira&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;ANTONIO PEDRO FERREIRA&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7066" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/350015497_960178638361009_9177576129923762595_n.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira</figcaption></figure> <p>Luongo sang Luna with genuine passion, savouring the text, always using the words to drive the line.&nbsp; The tone does tend to greyness at the very top, but he has an implicit understanding of how this music should go, and he seemed to find the core of the tone in Act 3, where the registers felt even more integrated.&nbsp; He phrased his ‘Il balen del suo sorriso’ with generosity, using Pirolli’s leisurely tempo to spin out seemingly endless phrases on the breath.&nbsp; It was impressive.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349318380_2516085595223131_5356287041431906854_n.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7065" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/349318380_2516085595223131_5356287041431906854_n/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349318380_2516085595223131_5356287041431906854_n.jpg" data-orig-size="2048,1365" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Antonio Pedro Ferreira&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;ANTONIO PEDRO FERREIRA&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="349318380_2516085595223131_5356287041431906854_n" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © António Pedro Ferreira&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349318380_2516085595223131_5356287041431906854_n.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349318380_2516085595223131_5356287041431906854_n.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/349318380_2516085595 Getting to be a habit with me https://parterre.com/2023/06/05/getting-to-be-a-habit-with-me/ parterre box urn:uuid:cb2202ce-d998-4422-1d39-abf7045b9989 Tue, 06 Jun 2023 01:00:12 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/05/getting-to-be-a-habit-with-me/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>Although somewhat flawed, <em>Days of Wine and Roses </em>draws from the same musical language that made <em>Piazza</em> so instantly distinctive, and it features a specificity that I noticed in Adam Guettel&#8217;s earlier breakthrough work, <em>Floyd Collins</em>.</p> <p><strong><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89937" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Cameron Kelsall: </strong>Let me start off with a little personal history, David. I saw <em>The Light in the Piazza </em>for the first time on June 4, 2005. I count that musical, by <strong>Adam Guettel </strong>and <strong>Craig Lucas</strong>, among the monumental theatrical experiences of my life. And by sheer happenstance, you and I ended up seeing their latest collaboration, <em>Days of Wine and Roses</em>, exactly 18 years to the day later. Rather oddly, nothing new from Guettel materialized in the interim, and like many others, I began to wonder if his steady rise to the upper echelon of the American musical theater canon had crested permanently. Was it worth the wait?</p> <p><strong>David Fox</strong>: Like you, Cameron, <em>Light in the Piazza</em> is in my pantheon. So it hurts to say this, but I found <em>Days of Wine and Roses </em>cruelly disappointing. Also frustrating, since it’s so clearly the work of an exceptionally gifted team of collaborators—Guettel and Lucas, of course, but also director <strong>Michael Grief</strong>, and a fine cast led by two of our best singing actors, <strong>Kelli O’Hara </strong>and <strong>Brian d’Arcy James</strong>—in what may well be the finest performances of their careers. I too welcome Guettel’s reemergence, but this deeply serious project ultimately doesn’t deliver. I should say I think we disagree about that, though.</p> <p><strong>CK: </strong>I do disagree. Although somewhat flawed, <em>Days of Wine and Roses </em>draws from the same musical language that made <em>Piazza</em> so instantly distinctive, and it features a specificity that I noticed in Guettel’s earlier breakthrough work, <em>Floyd Collins</em>. In the hands of a fine cast and an intimate, well-paced production for the Atlantic Theatre Company, Guettel delivers a poignant and memorable chamber musical that confirms his status as a big-league composer, however belated. As Norma Desmond might say: It’s not a comeback—it’s a return.</p> <p><strong>DF: </strong>For me, the score is less reminiscent of <em>Piazza</em> or <em>Floyd Collin</em>s than it is of <em>Myths &amp; Hymns</em>, a sprawling and long evolving cycle of songs that I find only intermittently satisfying. More on that later. For me, a different key problem with <em>Days of Wine and Roses </em>derives from the source material itself.</p> <p><strong>CK:</strong> Despite shifting the action from San Francisco to New York, Guettel and Lucas remain largely faithful to their progenitors—a <em>Playhouse 90 </em>teleplay by <strong>JP Miller </strong>that later became a celebrated feature film starring <strong>Jack Lemmon </strong>and <strong>Lee Remick</strong>. Against a repressive 1950s backdrop, Joe Clay and Kirsten Arnesen’s courtship blossoms amid their steadily growing dependency on alcohol. Even after they have a daughter and Joe loses his job, neither seems able to shake the habit. Miller flipped the gender expectations somewhat for the time by having Joe go straight while Kirsten backslides, and the original story ends resolutely on the downbeat: the audience senses that Kirsten will never truly overcome her demons, even as she recognizes them.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89938" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p><strong>DF:</strong> I was only six years old when the movie came out in 1962, but not long after I remember my parents talking about how powerful it was. I can imagine its seismic impact at the time, including what may well have been revelations that challenged general expectations. The couple we see here are young, attractive, poised for a positive future. The grip of drinking feels both inexplicable yet somehow very real. And (spoiler alert) we are challenged also in our casual, sexist expectation that quitting drinking will be harder for the male partner than the female. But frankly, these insights are no longer surprising. Lucas’s book, mostly very faithful to the screenplay but inevitably reduced, loses the cinema verite continuity in favor of a more episodic structure. It puts even more pressure on the actors to show that they are people, not just alcoholics. Fortunately—and this is one area we completely agree about, I think—the central performances here are superb.</p> <p><strong>CK: </strong><em>Days of Wine and Roses </em>reunites Guettel and Lucas with one of their <em>Piazza </em>collaborators, O’Hara. An ingénue then—albeit an interesting and complicated one—she has blossomed into a formidable leading lady, both on Broadway and, as readers of this website will recognize, the opera stage. As both Clara Johnson in <em>Piazza </em>and Kirsten Arnesen in <em>Days of Wine and Roses</em>, O’Hara meticulously chips away at a beautiful surface to reveal pain, longing, and sorrow underneath. Her slow-burning performance teases out the terror of alcohol addiction hiding within the façade of the good-time girl, and she shades her sun-dappled soprano with a dark resonance to communicate her character’s inner turmoil. The viewer feels acutely the pain of her inability—not her unwillingness—to quit drinking. As with her deeply moving performance of Laura Brown in <em>The Hours </em>(seen in Philadelphia and at the Met last year), she presents a golden girl with feet of clay.</p> <p><strong>DF:</strong> Seconded on all counts about O’Hara. She has the astonishing gift of often seeming to be refined and silently composed, while simultaneously finding nuances and layers that feel infinitely complex and even disquieting. This role calls on it perhaps more than any of her others, and her voice has never sounded better than it does here. James is every bit her equal as a singer and actor. The part of Joe Clay isn’t as richly textured as Kirsten, but his work is superb.</p> <p><strong>CK: </strong>The cast also has several strong supporting performances, including <strong>Byron Jennings </strong>as Kirsten’s forbidding father and <strong>David Jennings </strong>as Joe’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. But with the occasional exception of <strong>Ella Dane Morgan </strong>as Kirsten and Joe’s daughter, Lila, the ancillary performers don’t sing. It’s a striking dramaturgical choice, one that further separates Kirsten and Joe from the action around them, plunging them deeper into their own world of addiction. It’s as if they speak a language only they understand, while those around them try (and fail) to get through to them.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89939" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-2.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-2.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wine-2-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p><strong>DF:</strong> That’s an elegant reading of the structure, Cameron, though for me it’s over-generous. The ensemble feels pressed into service largely as functionaries, and then painted in bold and unsubtle strokes. I felt sorry for Morgan, since Lila seems largely to alternate between polarities of tears and sullen anger. I actually winced at one moment, her tearful, tugging question: “Daddy, when is Mommy coming home?” It was a cliche I hoped Craig Lucas would avoid, but didn’t. Sadly, it’s not the only one here. So… shall we talk about the score?</p> <p><strong>CK: </strong>Guettel’s score swells with lush melodies, and his orchestrations make interesting use of instrumental groupings, particularly in the woodwind. Certain numbers fuse jazz and pop sound of the era to unique ends. Scat singing becomes a lingua franca of drunken abandon, but even more interestingly, Kirsten adopts a bebop line in “Underdeath,” a tense song in which she tries to warn her daughter off the path she has chosen for herself. As the action progresses and the main characters chart their courses, the music reflects their paths—hopeful for Joe, increasingly despondent for Kirsten.</p> <p><strong>DF: </strong>Oh, I so wish I felt this way about the show!  For me, the score is the real heartbreaker here. While Guettel’s compositional sophistication is never in doubt, and I hear some intriguing ideas deployed from time to time, the music follows the book’s episodic nature, and rarely feels like more than fragmentary recitative. The lushness you speak of I found only in a ballad for Kirsten that is one of the few fully formed songs, and also functions to give us a touching sense of what’s in her heart. But other musical metaphors make little sense to me: yes, scat evokes the 1950s setting, and it’s a clever way to suggest that Kirsten and Joe have lost verbal clarity… but musically, it requires absolute precision and dexterity: surely the opposite of what drinking brings out. I didn’t find much in Guettel’s lyrics either.</p> <p><strong>CK:</strong> It’s only in the musical’s final ten minutes that it grows treacly for me. Although Guettel and Lucas don’t abandon the source material’s dark conclusion, they tack on an unnecessary redemptive scene that offers a vision of what life for the family might look like if Kirsten dried out. Although it provides another opportunity for O’Hara to show off her limitless vocal capabilities, it blunts the sad heart of the story, and the sad truth of reality: not everyone recovers.</p> <p><strong>DF:</strong> While I agree that sentimentality is largely avoided, for me, this show falls into a different and equally toxic trap: it’s relentlessly earnest and worthy, to the point of feeling penitential. Somewhere near the end, it occurred to me that for all of its blue-chip status, <em>Days of Wine and Roses</em> reminded me of those Jesus musicals you find playing in Branson, Missouri. Frankly, it had the opposite effect on me. I sat there wishing I’d had another margarita at brunch.</p> <p><strong>CK: </strong>Serious question—if you have a cocktail before the show, does that count as audience participation?</p> <p><strong>Photos: Ahron R. Foster</strong></p> SF Opera's Die Frau Ohne Schatten https://operatattler.typepad.com/opera/2023/06/sf-opera-frau-ohne-schatten.html The Opera Tattler urn:uuid:22ff4628-93c5-046d-4921-773db4166409 Mon, 05 Jun 2023 20:37:54 +0000 * Notes * Richard Strauss' Die Frau Ohne Schatten (Act I Scene 2 pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) returned to San Francisco Opera after an absence of 34 years. The vibrant production by artist David Hockney premiered at Covent Garden... * Notes *Richard Strauss' Die Frau Ohne Schatten (Act I Scene 2 pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) returned to San Francisco Opera after an absence of 34 years. The vibrant production by artist David Hockney premiered at Covent Garden way back in 1992, but still has much to recommend it, and the singing and playing were all wonderful. The plot of this opera, as with so many of Strauss' operas, was written by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is basically a fairy tale about a magical empress who has no shadow, meaning she is barren, and she must find a shadow or the emperor will turn to stone. She descends to the human realm with her nurse, and tries to gain a shadow from the wife of Barak the Dyer. There is much talk of the unborn. The empress eventually decides it is wrong to harm Barak, as his wife will unable to have children if she gives up her shadow, and in the end she is granted grace and given a shadow. This folktale is consider to be of Aarne-Thompson type 755, about forgiveness and redemption, and has origins in Scandinavia. Hockney's set is as colorful as the music is, the many scenes are switched up with ease. I really loved how the earthly realm of Barak the Dyer and his wife looked like a rainbow salt mine, even the mortals live in technicolor. The costumes, from Ian Falconer of Olivia fame, looked to be influenced by Rajasthani or Mughal miniature painting. The cast included 25 principals and not only the regular chorus but a children's chorus. Soprano Nina Stemme (pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) sounded as powerful and glittery as ever as Barak's Wife (Die Färberin). It was fun to hear her with soprano Linda Watson (Nurse/Die Amme), since they are both known for performing Brünnhilde. Watson has a more strident tone, but it works for this role, which was written for mezzo-soprano, and the two singers did sound very distinct. The Empress (Die Kaiserin), sung by soprano Camilla Nylund, seemed like a very challenging part, there were dizzying heights that were frankly shrill. But there was no mistaking Nylund for the other two sopranos. Baritone Johan Reuter was a very human Barak, and sang with warmth. Tenor David Butt Philip was certainly more otherworldly as the The Emperor. The orchestra sounded magnificent under Maestro Donald Runnicles, there were so many colors and textures in the music that came out rather beautifully. This is definitely an opera to return to, and I'm very curious to read the score. * Tattling * The people in Box D Seats 7 and 8 arrived slightly late and left a few minutes before the end of the opera. We inconvenienced them by being in their seats at the start, as the person in Seat 4 kept going in and out of the box. The person in Seat 4 also spent a little time texting, but this was relatively brief. The person in Seat 8 smashed her plastic water bottle in order to drink, and this happened 2 or 3 times. She also left the bottle at her seat after leaving the performance. Otherwise it was pretty quiet, most of the people in attendance very much wanted to be there and were listening intently. Il Turco in Pesaro https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/ operaramblings urn:uuid:a0b8b2ea-a820-ad12-4b87-54a23f901c73 Mon, 05 Jun 2023 17:55:36 +0000 Rossini&#8217;s Il Turco in Italia isn&#8217;t performed (or recorded) all that often despite being well constructed and amusing in a thoroughly silly way.  Perhaps it&#8217;s just too difficult/expensive to cast?  It requires a bass or bass-baritone of great flexibility plus &#8230; <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a> <p>Rossini&#8217;s <em>Il Turco in Italia</em> isn&#8217;t performed (or recorded) all that often despite being well constructed and amusing in a thoroughly silly way.  Perhaps it&#8217;s just too difficult/expensive to cast?  It requires a bass or bass-baritone of great flexibility plus a top notch Rossini soprano and two tenors with genuine high notes plus several other soloists.  Who knows?  Anyway it was given at the Rossini Festival at Pesaro in 2016 and recorded for video.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34619" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/1-gypsies/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.gypsies.png" data-orig-size="580,323" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="1.gypsies" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.gypsies.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.gypsies.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34619 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.gypsies.png?w=584" alt="1.gypsies" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.gypsies.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.gypsies.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/1.gypsies.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p><span id="more-34612"></span>The basic plot is meta-theatrical   A poet is looking for a story line for his next play when he comes across a band of gypsies.  One of the gypsies is Zaida who has, in fact, escaped from the harem of the turk Selim after being accused (wrongly) of infidelity.  She&#8217;s now on the run in Naples disguised as a fortune teller with her sidekick Albazar.  Selim shows up in Naples, ostensibly to learn about Italian customs and falls in love with Fiorilla, the flirty wife of Don Geronio, who is having an affair with Narciso.  Fiorilla plans to run off to Turkey with Selim.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34620" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/2-silentfilm/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.silentfilm.png" data-orig-size="580,329" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="2.silentfilm" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.silentfilm.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.silentfilm.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34620 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.silentfilm.png?w=584" alt="2.silentfilm" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.silentfilm.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.silentfilm.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.silentfilm.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>In Act 2 there&#8217;s a masked ball where Narciso, disguised as Selim, hooks up with Fiorilla while Selim partners off with Zaida, who is disguised as Fiorilla.  All of this having been arranged by the intervention of the Poet who wants to keep things dramatic.  Geronio shows up and mayhem ensues as he tries to deal with two wives and two rapacious Turks.  The Poet intervenes to inform him that Fiorilla was having an affair with Narciso and he should send her back to her parents.  This leads to a really good pastiche tragedy scene for Fiorilla in which she bemoans her fate and lost honour.  Selim discovers that his &#8220;Fiorilla&#8221; is actually his lost love Zaida and reclaims her and Don Geronio agrees to take back a suitably penitent Fiorilla.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34621" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/3-selimarrives/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.selimarrives.png" data-orig-size="580,324" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="3.selimarrives" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.selimarrives.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.selimarrives.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34621 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.selimarrives.png?w=584" alt="3.selimarrives" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.selimarrives.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.selimarrives.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/3.selimarrives.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Along the way we get big choruses, flashy coloratura arias for Fiorilla and Selim and some pretty demanding tenoring for Narciso and Albazar.  And, of course, multiple quick fire quartets, quintets and so on; especially the Act 2 number where Geronio is trying find his wife (or wives).  It&#8217;s classic Rossini comedy.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34622" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/4-fiorillaselim/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.fiorillaselim.png" data-orig-size="580,326" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="4.fiorillaselim" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.fiorillaselim.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.fiorillaselim.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34622 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.fiorillaselim.png?w=584" alt="4.fiorillaselim" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.fiorillaselim.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.fiorillaselim.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.fiorillaselim.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Director Davide Livermore ups the meta-theatricality by setting everything on a film set.  This is a bit confusing because when we see film clips the aesthetic is clearly silent film era but the costuming for the main characters recalls Fellini.  As, I suppose, do the &#8220;gypsies&#8221; who, Zaida and Albazar aside, are apparently circus people with clowns, musicians, a strong man, dancing girls etc.  This also evokes Fellini but it might also be a nod to Dario Fo&#8217;s classic Amsterdam <em>Barber of Seville</em>.  To make sure we don&#8217;t forget it&#8217;s a movie set there are cameramen and folks with clapperboards and from time to time the lighting changes so that the scene goes from &#8220;colour&#8221; to &#8220;black and white&#8221;.  It&#8217;s complex but it all works pretty well.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34623" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/5-fiorillageronio/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.fiorillageronio.png" data-orig-size="580,324" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="5.fiorillageronio" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.fiorillageronio.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.fiorillageronio.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34623 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.fiorillageronio.png?w=584" alt="5.fiorillageronio" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.fiorillageronio.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.fiorillageronio.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/5.fiorillageronio.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>It&#8217;s really well sung and acted too.  The star is Olga Peretyatko as Fiorilla.  She&#8217;s got the notes and pinpoint coloratura but, above all, she&#8217;s totally believable as the young wife twisting hapless older hubbie round her finger and she gets the balance just right in the cod tragedy scene.  The Felliniesque costuming is very flattering too and she really looks like she stepped out of <em>La dolce vita.  </em>Erwin Schrott is an excellent foil as Selim.  The voice is sufficiently dark and he too has the necessary agility to manage some awkward runs.  And he too looks the part.  A lot of the comedy comes from the interplay of Nicola Alaimo as Geronio and Pietro Spagnoli as the Poet.  They work really well together.  There&#8217;s some fine Rossini tenoring from Pietro Adaini as Albazar and René Barbera as Narciso.  Cecilia Molinari makes a very effective Zaida (despite the Baba the Turk moustache and beard) with her darkish mezzo contrasting nicely with Peretyako&#8217;s brighter sound.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34624" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/6-ensemble/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/6.ensemble.png" data-orig-size="580,325" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="6.ensemble" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/6.ensemble.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/6.ensemble.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34624 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/6.ensemble.png?w=584" alt="6.ensemble" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/6.ensemble.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/6.ensemble.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/6.ensemble.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>The Coro del Teatro Fortuna M. Agostini throws itself into the silliness with liveliness and skill and the Filarmonica Gioachino Rossini is excellent.  Speranza Scappucci conducts and is willing to take risks with tempi.  It&#8217;s not consistently super fast like her <em>Barber of Seville</em> in Toronto but some ensembles are taken very fast while others get a very deliberate but rhythmically pointed treatment.  Good stuff.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34625" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/7-couples/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/7.couples.png" data-orig-size="580,327" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="7.couples" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/7.couples.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/7.couples.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34625 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/7.couples.png?w=584" alt="7.couples" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/7.couples.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/7.couples.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/7.couples.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Paolo Filippo Berti directs for video.  This is a tough one.  There&#8217;s a lot going on and it&#8217;s often quite dark, especially in Act 2.  The video projections were probably a bigger part of the experience in the theatre than on the recording but I&#8217;m not sure there&#8217;s a whole lot he could have done to reflect that.  As it is it&#8217;s very watchable though definitely the sort of production one wants to see on Blu-ray rather than DVD.  All things considered the picture quality is good and the hi-res stereo and DTS-HD-MA surround tracks are excellent.  The booklet has a full track listing, an essay and a synopsis.  Subtitle options are Italian, German, English, French, Korean and Japanese.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34626" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/8-tragedy/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/8.tragedy.png" data-orig-size="580,323" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="8.tragedy" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/8.tragedy.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/8.tragedy.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34626 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/8.tragedy.png?w=584" alt="8.tragedy" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/8.tragedy.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/8.tragedy.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/8.tragedy.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>There aren&#8217;t many video recordings of this work and the obvious competition; Bartoli in Zurich, isn&#8217;t currently available.  I think most people would be very happy with this one.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34627" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/05/il-turco-in-pesaro/9-finale-3/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/9.finale.png" data-orig-size="580,328" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="9.finale" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/9.finale.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/9.finale.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34627 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/9.finale.png?w=584" alt="9.finale" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/9.finale.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/9.finale.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/9.finale.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Catalogue number: C Major Blu-ray &#8211; 762604</p> Domestic Excitement: Il turco in Italia at the Teatro Real https://operatraveller.com/2023/06/05/domestic-excitement-il-turco-in-italia-at-the-teatro-real/ operatraveller urn:uuid:ae011607-94f4-c30a-5f66-b5de25979704 Mon, 05 Jun 2023 16:01:30 +0000 Rossini – Il turco in Italia Selim – Alex Esposito&#160;&#160;&#160;Donna Fiorilla – Lisette OropesaDon Geronio – Misha Kiria&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Don Narciso – Edgardo Rocha&#160;&#160;&#160;Prosdocimo – Florian SempeyZaida – Paola Gardina&#160;&#160;&#160;Albazar – Pablo García-López Coro Titular del Teatro Real, Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real / Giacomo Sagripanti.Stage directors – Laurent Pelly. Teatro Real, Madrid, Spain.&#160; Sunday, June 4th, [&#8230;] <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Rossini – <em>Il turco in Italia</em></strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Selim – Alex Esposito&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>Donna Fiorilla – Lisette Oropesa<br>Don Geronio – Misha Kiria&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>Don Narciso – Edgardo Rocha&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>Prosdocimo – Florian Sempey<br>Zaida – Paola Gardina&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>Albazar – Pablo García-López</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Coro Titular del Teatro Real, Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real / Giacomo Sagripanti.<br></strong><strong>Stage directors – Laurent Pelly.</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Teatro Real, Madrid, Spain.&nbsp; Sunday, June 4th, 2023.</strong></p> <p>Today’s performance of <em>Il turco in Italia</em> was the fifth performance of this run of Laurent Pelly’s new staging, a co-production with Lyon and Tokyo.&nbsp; As is usually the case with the Teatro Real, the run was cast in multiple formations.&nbsp; Toda’s Fiorilla, Lisette Oropesa, was due to sing in the premiere last week, but withdrew due to an influenza.&nbsp; She was back today, and also felt up to meeting her public with a signing session after the show.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png"><img data-attachment-id="7058" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/turcoitalia-0803-2/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png" data-orig-size="1200,750" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="TurcoItalia 0803" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Javier del Real / Teatro Real&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7058" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png?w=1024 1024w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Javier del Real / Teatro Real</figcaption></figure> <p>Pelly’s staging gives us a piece of uplifting, Sunday afternoon escapism.&nbsp; He takes as his influence the <em>fotoromanzi</em> that were an omnipresent feature in Italian society following World War Two.&nbsp; The costumes, also by Pelly, are redolent of the 1950s, with Alex Esposito’s Selim showing up, open-shirted, dressed entirely in white.&nbsp; Pelly sets his staging both in a quotidian suburbia, uplifted by the arrival of both Selim and the gypsies, while also showing Selim as arriving on a ship made up from the cover of a <em>fotoromanzo</em> called <em>Non posso amarti</em>.&nbsp; As the evening progresses, images and captions from the <em>fotoromanzi</em> reflect events in the staging, whether in a stage covered in these images as a background, a frame falling from the flies within which a character sings, or with characters stepping in and out from within the images and captions.&nbsp;</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7057" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/turcoitalia-0803/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg" data-orig-size="1200,750" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="TurcoItalia 0803" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Javier del Real / Teatro Real&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7057" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/turcoitalia-0803.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Javier del Real / Teatro Real</figcaption></figure> <p>The staging had clearly been fluently rehearsed – it all flowed nicely with undeniable physical energy.&nbsp; I initially found the direction of the chorus to be a bit perfunctory.&nbsp; At first, they were simply marched on, sang, and were then marched off again.&nbsp; In Act 2, however, this changed, thanks to a masked ball scene in which they dispatched the intricate choreography with aplomb.&nbsp; The staging was certainly attractive to look at and gave us clearly delineated characters, who genuinely related to each other.&nbsp; As a framework for the action, it was engaging and effective.&nbsp;</p> <p>Giacomo Sagripanti led a spirited reading from the pit.&nbsp; The playing of the house orchestra was sensational.&nbsp; Strings coped extremely well with the rapid, intricate writing.&nbsp; The clarinets were deliciously piquant and the horns nicely raspy.&nbsp; Attack was sharp and crisp throughout.&nbsp; Sagripanti’s tempi were sensible and generally swift, but I did feel a sag in tension in the Act 1 finale.&nbsp; The recitatives were well paced and crackled with life.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png"><img data-attachment-id="7056" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/ilturco6/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png" data-orig-size="1200,750" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="ilturco6" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Javier del Real / Teatro Real&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7056" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png?w=1024 1024w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco6.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Javier del Real / Teatro Real</figcaption></figure> <p>In the title role, Esposito brought his characteristic stage energy and verbal acuity to his music.&nbsp; It did sound that he needed a little while to warm up – the tone was initially grainy and vibrations generous.&nbsp; As we got through the evening, the tone became more focused and he gave us a sensational duet with Misha Kiria’s Geronio, both feeding rapid fire patter off each other, the text so clear.&nbsp; Esposito’s Selim was utterly magnetic in stage presence, yet also not afraid to make fun of himself with tireless physicality.&nbsp; Kiria’s Geronio was superb.&nbsp; His was a big, domineering stage presence, with terrific comic timing.&nbsp; He sang his music in a warm, ample bass.&nbsp; Kiria not only understands implicitly how this music should go, but his deep musicality and textual awareness allows him to communicate it fully too.&nbsp; There was a genuine joy in his interactions with Esposito’s Selim, despite the rivalry of their characters, that felt life-enhancing.&nbsp; In his big Act 2 aria, Kira pretty much stopped the show, dishing out the rapid-fire patter with accuracy and using it to create genuine comic effect.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png"><img data-attachment-id="7054" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/ilturco3/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png" data-orig-size="1200,750" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="ILTURCO3" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Javier del Real / Teatro Real&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7054" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png?w=1024 1024w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco3.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Javier del Real / Teatro Real</figcaption></figure> <p>It was clear that Oropesa was not completely recovered from her illness.&nbsp; The voice had trouble at the very top, the <em>sopracuti</em> were very dry, lacking in spin, and the long, high sustained phrases up there did show signs of succumbing to gravity.&nbsp; Oropesa is a superb technician and knows her limits, and would have thought carefully about whether it was right to go on today.&nbsp; But it was clear that she was not at her best.&nbsp; That said, her coloratura was immaculate and the genuine trill was present.&nbsp; Her intonation was woozy, perhaps as a result of the indisposition, frequently sharp, occasionally flat.&nbsp; As I often find with her, I lacked a sense of being able to penetrate the text, to bring out meaning and make it more than impeccably dispatched dots on a page.&nbsp; The audience gave Oropesa a very warm and generous ovation, clearly grateful that she had given fully of herself for us today, despite not being on top form.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png"><img data-attachment-id="7055" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/ilturco5/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png" data-orig-size="1200,750" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="ILTURCO5" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Javier del Real / Teatro Real&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7055" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png?w=1024 1024w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/ilturco5.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Javier del Real / Teatro Real</figcaption></figure> <p>Edgardo Rocha sang Narciso in a focused tenor with an impeccable legato and clarity of text.&nbsp; His Act 2 aria demonstrated his ability to turn the corners and he crossed the registers with ease.&nbsp; Florian Sempey was a virile and textually-aware Prosdocimo.&nbsp; His singing once again displayed his excellent command of the style and his vocalism was very generous throughout.&nbsp; Perhaps, he could have exploited a wider range of dynamics, but the firmness of tone was gratifying.&nbsp; Paola Gardina was a lively presence as Zaida.&nbsp; Her mezzo also has good agility, but tends to sit around the note rather than directly on it.&nbsp; Her diction was a pleasure to hear.&nbsp; Pablo García-López made much of little as Albazar.&nbsp; An energetic stage presence, he sang his music in a light, easily-produced tenor.&nbsp; The chorus, prepared by Andrés Máspero, was enthusiastic.&nbsp; The sopranos and mezzos were a bit shallow in tone, while the tenors and basses made a big, lusty sound.</p> <p>This was a lively afternoon in the theatre, one that offered an enjoyable burst of Sunday afternoon escapism on an early summer’s day in the capital of the Spanish state.&nbsp; Pelly’s staging was engaging and offered an effective framework for the action, one that had clearly been thought through and had been fluently rehearsed.&nbsp; &nbsp;It was sung at a very high level, acted with genuine glee, and conducted with spirit.&nbsp; The audience responded with rousing enthusiasm at the close.</p> <p></p> L’amor della diva! https://parterre.com/2023/06/05/lamor-della-diva/ parterre box urn:uuid:eb85f599-419f-44a3-f006-f8ff88518246 Mon, 05 Jun 2023 12:00:55 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/05/lamor-della-diva/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bumry-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bumry-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bumry-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bumry-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bumry-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bumry-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>On this day in 1971 <strong>Grace Bumbry</strong> made her role debut as Tosca as part of the Metropolitan Opera Summer Festival.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=gadgVcAZjQw&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=gadgVcAZjQw</a></p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-89927 size-large" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-7.50.36-AM-720x499.png" alt="" width="720" height="499" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-7.50.36-AM-720x499.png 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-7.50.36-AM-300x208.png 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-7.50.36-AM-768x532.png 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-7.50.36-AM-210x146.png 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-05-at-7.50.36-AM.png 788w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Happy 58th birthday soprano <strong>Sandrine Piau</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-aY5kpaIas&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-aY5kpaIas</a></p> <p>Birthday anniversaries of composer <strong>Ralph Benatzky</strong> (1884) and poet and composer <strong>Federico García Lorca</strong> (1898).</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGMVSKmUAGE&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGMVSKmUAGE</a></p> SF Opera's Madama Butterfly https://operatattler.typepad.com/opera/2023/06/sf-opera-madama-butterfly.html The Opera Tattler urn:uuid:0d2da7e9-55d7-c77b-aad5-d875a3fadc1c Sun, 04 Jun 2023 19:20:15 +0000 * Notes * San Francisco Opera resumed its 100th season with a new production of Madama Butterfly (Act I pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) directed by Amon Miyamoto and featuring a solid cast. The stars of the show for last... * Notes *San Francisco Opera resumed its 100th season with a new production of Madama Butterfly (Act I pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) directed by Amon Miyamoto and featuring a solid cast. The stars of the show for last night's prima were, however, San Francisco Opera's Music Director Eun Sun Kim and the orchestra. In this production, we beginning in silence with a scene of the elderly Pinkerton in his sick bed. He hands off a letter to his son Trouble and the words bring us back some thirty years to tell us the story of Pinkerton and Cio-Cio-San. I appreciated the reframing of this problematic opera to be through the eyes of mixed race son, I am also a multiethnic Asian American with mixed race children. But the constant presence of actor John Charles Quimpo as the adult Trouble is very distressing and distracting, his movements were erratic and made me deeply uncomfortable. Perhaps if he had been a more ghostly observer, it would have worked better, but obviously this was a directorial choice. The spartan set used judicious projections, the exploding flowers in Act II that were projected in the background were appealing. The costumes from Kenzō Takada are elegant. The cast is strong. The chorus was lovely, as were all the supporting singers. It was nice to see that all the principal Japanese characters are Asian or Asian American and that Chiharu Shibata, who has been in so many San Francisco Opera productions, was the shadow dancer here. Baritone Lucas Meachem is a perfect Sharpless, the warmth of his voice is sympathetic and kindly. I did like how he was directed to be more forceful than many others in this role, he throws a chair in frustration when Cio-Cio-San refuses to understand her situation in Act II. Likewise, mezzo-soprano Hyona Kim, is well-suited vocally and dramatically for Suzuki. Her voice is big and rich. Tenor Michael Fabiano (pictured in Act I with Karah Son) embodied Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton, his bright, bold voice seems made for this music. He sounded equally great in the Act I aria "Dovunque al mondo" and the Act III aria "Addio, fiorito asil" and never overpowered in the many fine duets of the opera. Soprano Karah Son (Cio-Cio-San) has a very interesting voice, she has a steel-tinged vibrato with an otherworldliness in her high notes, and her low notes seem deeply anchored. She's very dramatic and moving. The orchestra sounds splendid under Maestra Kim, the sweep of the music has a distinct clarity and beauty. The brass did particularly well, as did the woodwinds, strings, and harp. * Tattling * Latecomers were shuffled into the back of the balcony and not allowed to sit, even though there were plenty of seats in the back rows of the house. I spent a lot of my time in Act I with my eyes closed trying to stay focused on the music, and I was mostly successful, even though I seemed to be surrounded by families with children or adoloscents. There were some cellphone rings heard during quiet moments and at least two of dropped bottles, as one can bring drinks into the house, apparently. Before Act III, I was told I could not take a picture of the stage while the curtain was down and there was the message "Please remain at your seats for this brief pause" by one of the ushers who also asked me where my seat was as I stood by myself in balcony standing room. Soon after this I was asked by another patron if I was the one who read the score of operas in the past in standing room, and it reminded me that I should probably attend another performance in this run of Butterfly and do that again. Opera Atelier 2023/24 https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/04/opera-atelier-2023-24/ operaramblings urn:uuid:8d9e4e7a-77f9-9465-188c-a38a187b0874 Sun, 04 Jun 2023 12:54:48 +0000 Opera Atelier have announced a two show Toronto season for 2023/24.  The fall show is Gluck&#8217;s Orphée et Eurydice which will play at the Elgin Theatre from October 26th to November 1st.  This is the 1774 version with Orphée sung &#8230; <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/04/opera-atelier-2023-24/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a> <p>Opera Atelier have announced a two show Toronto season for 2023/24.  The fall show is Gluck&#8217;s <em>Orphée et Eurydice</em> which will play at the Elgin Theatre from October 26th to November 1st.  This is the 1774 version with Orphée sung by an haut-contre.  Colin Ainsworth should be just about ideal.  He&#8217;s partnered by Mireille Asselin, also pretty much ideal as Eurydice.  Anna Julia David sings Amour.  The orchestra is Tafelmusik and the chorus will consist of Tafelmusik Chamber Choir and the Nathaniel Dett Chorale.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34606" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/04/opera-atelier-2023-24/4-tenor-colin-ainsworth-as-orpheus-and-artists-of-atelier-ballet-in-the-elysian-fields-in-glucks-orpheus-and-eurydice-photo-by-bruce-zinger/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.-tenor-colin-ainsworth-as-orpheus-and-artists-of-atelier-ballet-in-the-elysian-fields-in-glucks-orpheus-and-eurydice.-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg" data-orig-size="580,378" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;\u00a9 Bruce Zinger&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1177619665&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;\u00a9 Bruce Zinger&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="4. Tenor Colin Ainsworth as Orpheus and Artists of Atelier Ballet in the Elysian Fields in Gluck&#8217;s Orpheus and Eurydice. Photo by Bruce Zinger." data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.-tenor-colin-ainsworth-as-orpheus-and-artists-of-atelier-ballet-in-the-elysian-fields-in-glucks-orpheus-and-eurydice.-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.-tenor-colin-ainsworth-as-orpheus-and-artists-of-atelier-ballet-in-the-elysian-fields-in-glucks-orpheus-and-eurydice.-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34606 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.-tenor-colin-ainsworth-as-orpheus-and-artists-of-atelier-ballet-in-the-elysian-fields-in-glucks-orpheus-and-eurydice.-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg?w=584" alt="4. Tenor Colin Ainsworth as Orpheus and Artists of Atelier Ballet in the Elysian Fields in Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice. Photo by Bruce Zinger." srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.-tenor-colin-ainsworth-as-orpheus-and-artists-of-atelier-ballet-in-the-elysian-fields-in-glucks-orpheus-and-eurydice.-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.-tenor-colin-ainsworth-as-orpheus-and-artists-of-atelier-ballet-in-the-elysian-fields-in-glucks-orpheus-and-eurydice.-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/4.-tenor-colin-ainsworth-as-orpheus-and-artists-of-atelier-ballet-in-the-elysian-fields-in-glucks-orpheus-and-eurydice.-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p><span id="more-34601"></span>The second show is a reprise of 2022&#8217;s pastiche All is Love with music by, among others, Purcell, Handel, Lully and Hahn, all on the theme of Love, who will ne personified by dancer Eric da Siklva.  Singers featured are Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, Colin Ainsworth, Jesse Blumberg, Anna-Julia David, Meghan Lindsay, Danielle MacMillan, Cynthia Akemi-Smithers, and Douglas Williams.  David Fallis conducts with the same orchestra and chorus.  This one plays at Koerner Hall on April  11th to 14th 2024.  Subscriptions are now on sale at <a href="http://OperaAtelier.com/Subscribe"><span style="font-size: revert;font-style: inherit">OperaAtelier.com/Subscribe</span></a></p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34608" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/04/opera-atelier-2023-24/2-soprano-meghan-lindsay-and-soprano-cynthia-akemi-smithers-in-purcells-two-daughters-of-this-aged-stream-photo-by-bruce-zinger/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.-soprano-meghan-lindsay-and-soprano-cynthia-akemi-smithers-in-purcells-22two-daughters-of-this-aged-stream.22-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg" data-orig-size="580,387" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;BRUCE ZINGER&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1645234408&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;COPYRIGHT IMAGE&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="2. Soprano Meghan Lindsay and soprano Cynthia Akemi-Smithers in Purcell&#8217;s Two Daughters of this Aged Stream. Photo by Bruce Zinger." data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.-soprano-meghan-lindsay-and-soprano-cynthia-akemi-smithers-in-purcells-22two-daughters-of-this-aged-stream.22-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.-soprano-meghan-lindsay-and-soprano-cynthia-akemi-smithers-in-purcells-22two-daughters-of-this-aged-stream.22-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34608 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.-soprano-meghan-lindsay-and-soprano-cynthia-akemi-smithers-in-purcells-22two-daughters-of-this-aged-stream.22-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg?w=584" alt="2. Soprano Meghan Lindsay and soprano Cynthia Akemi-Smithers in Purcell's Two Daughters of this Aged Stream. Photo by Bruce Zinger." srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.-soprano-meghan-lindsay-and-soprano-cynthia-akemi-smithers-in-purcells-22two-daughters-of-this-aged-stream.22-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.-soprano-meghan-lindsay-and-soprano-cynthia-akemi-smithers-in-purcells-22two-daughters-of-this-aged-stream.22-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/2.-soprano-meghan-lindsay-and-soprano-cynthia-akemi-smithers-in-purcells-22two-daughters-of-this-aged-stream.22-photo-by-bruce-zinger.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Photo credits: Bruce Zinger</p> Should you decide to accept it https://parterre.com/2023/06/04/should-you-decide-to-accept-it/ parterre box urn:uuid:3fed236d-81b2-729b-8c76-1e324d7d80f5 Sun, 04 Jun 2023 12:09:03 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/04/should-you-decide-to-accept-it/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bain-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bain-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bain-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bain-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bain-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/bain-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>On this day in 1967<strong> Barbara Bain</strong> won the Emmy Award for &#8220;Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series&#8221; for <em>Mission: Impossible</em>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwpXUn2dF5c&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwpXUn2dF5c</a></p> <p>Happy 57th birthday mezzo-soprano <strong>Cecilia Bartoli.</strong></p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O9OfxS0r08&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O9OfxS0r08</a></p> <p>Born on this day in 1917 baritone <strong>Robert Merrill</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgeJetz_rt8&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgeJetz_rt8</a></p> <p>Born on this day in 1920 mezzo-soprano <strong>Fedora Barbieri</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfuu_BF1HU&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfuu_BF1HU</a></p> Local Flavour: Le nozze di Figaro at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen https://operatraveller.com/2023/06/04/local-flavour-le-nozze-di-figaro-at-opera-ballet-vlaanderen/ operatraveller urn:uuid:766b4987-6b02-9790-ebd9-f6041ee21112 Sun, 04 Jun 2023 10:14:28 +0000 Mozart – Le nozze di Figaro. Il Conte – Kartal KaragedikLa Contessa – Lenneke RuitenFigaro – Božidar SmiljanićSusanna – Maeve HöglundCherubino – Anna PennisiMarcellina – Eva Van der Gucht / Reisha AdamsDon Basilio – Daniel ArnaldosDon Curzio – Daniel ArnaldosBartolo – Stefaan Degand / Hsieh Yu-HsiangAntonio – Stefaan Degand / Hsieh Yu-HsiangBarbarina – Elisa Soster [&#8230;] <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Mozart – <em>Le nozze di Figaro.</em></strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Il Conte – Kartal Karagedik</strong><br><strong>La Contessa – Lenneke Ruiten</strong><br><strong>Figaro – Božidar Smiljanić<br>Susanna – Maeve Höglund<br>Cherubino – Anna Pennisi<br>Marcellina – Eva Van der Gucht / Reisha Adams<br>Don Basilio – Daniel Arnaldos<br>Don Curzio – Daniel Arnaldos<br>Bartolo – Stefaan Degand / Hsieh Yu-Hsiang<br>Antonio – Stefaan Degand / Hsieh Yu-Hsiang<br>Barbarina – Elisa Soster</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Koor Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen / Marie Jacquot.<br></strong><strong>Stage director – Tom Goosens.</strong></p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Ghent, Flanders, Belgium.&nbsp; </strong><strong>Saturday, June 3rd, 2023.</strong></p> <p>How universal is a work of art and how much should a production team adapt it to local tastes?&nbsp; A quick glance at operabase shows that there are productions of <em>Le nozze di Figaro</em> taking place in theatres from Bogotá to Heraklion, from Victoria, BC to Muscat, in addition to this new one for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen.&nbsp; Indeed, I saw a fabulous one in Bologna only two weeks ago.&nbsp; <em>Figaro</em> is a work that makes one laugh, it induces nostalgia, takes one to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.&nbsp; Above all, it distils what it means to be human into three hours of music: that innate desire to simply be happy.&nbsp; If there were only one opera in the world, I would want it to be this one.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7048" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg" data-orig-size="1740,1218" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="a5c5p000000LAc1AAG_1740x1218" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Annemie Augustijns&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7048" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac1aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Annemie Augustijns</figcaption></figure> <p>With this new staging, the house has confided the work to the young Flemish stage director, Tom Goosens, here making his main stage debut.&nbsp; Goosens has already directed the Da Ponte trilogy as spoken plays, so he’s certainly familiar with the content.&nbsp; He takes considerable liberties with the text – cutting recitatives, interrupting musical numbers precipitately, or indeed cutting some out completely – we lose the initial Susanna/Marcellina duet, for instance.&nbsp; Furthermore, he casts Bartolo/Antonio and Marcellina with actors, who intone their lines in the Netherlandic tongue, while Stefaan Degand makes a creditable stab at singing some of the music in Dutch.&nbsp; Degand is one of the leading Flemish actors and his presence on the stage will have been of great delight to the local audience.&nbsp; In turn, Goosens gets two chorus members, soprano Reisha Adams and bass Hsieh Yu-Hsiang, to sing the relevant parts in the ensembles.&nbsp; Both Degand and Eva Van der Gucht’s Marcellina are nothing if not game, and they went for it wholeheartedly.&nbsp; Goosens also makes reference to changes in performance practice, by translating the scene where Figaro and Marcellina discover their familial ties into German, along with heavy string accompaniment for the recitatives, and crediting the rewriting to Mahler in the surtitles.&nbsp; The sets are bits of furniture, used imaginatively, whether a door, a mattress or some drapes, the cast lifting and manoeuvring these around the set.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7047" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg" data-orig-size="1740,1218" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="a5c5p000000LAc0AAG_1740x1218" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Annemie Augustijns&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7047" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000lac0aag_1740x1218.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Annemie Augustijns</figcaption></figure> <p>At its best, Goosens’ staging is zany and original.&nbsp; It has clearly been comprehensively rehearsed – the cast were all in the right place at the right time, despite the complexities of the physical action, and were clearly at one with Goosens’ vision.&nbsp; Yet, to my North American sensibility and despite my decent command of Dutch, the humour felt rather alien.&nbsp; Cherubino being loaded into a cannon and apparently launched into the air at the end of ‘Non più andrai’ sent the audience into fits of giggles.&nbsp; Moreover, the constant action, with something else on stage permanently going on, felt that Goosens never really took us deep into the nostalgia and longing that are as much part of this work as the comedy.&nbsp; I found there were two reasons for this.&nbsp; One is that not all the principals were able to exploit meaning in the text fully; the other is that the personenregie often consisted of characters gesticulating to the front, while action took place around them.&nbsp; Consequently, it felt that Goosens’ staging remained very much on the surface.&nbsp; The one moment where I did feel we got a sense of those deeper feelings, was in a spoken soliloquy by Van der Gucht’s Marcellina, where she reflected on selling her body for money.&nbsp; Still, the audience seemed to love what they saw.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7045" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/a5c5p000000labxaag_original/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1333" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;annemie augustijns&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R6m2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Le nozze di Figaro&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685298800&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Annemie Augustijns\rRaas van Gaverestraat 45\r9000 Gent\rBelgium\r+32(0)495825717&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;10000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;8854&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="a5c5p000000LAbxAAG_original" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Annemie Augustijns&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7045" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labxaag_original.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Annemie Augustijns</figcaption></figure> <p>Musically, there was a lot that was enjoyable, starting with Marie Jacquot’s conducting.&nbsp; It was ideally swift, pulsating along and driving us through the evening with considerable momentum.&nbsp; It was, in part, let down with the pacing of the recitatives that were both a bit ponderous and held up by the stage action.&nbsp; From my seat at the rear of the Parkett, the winds sounded a bit recessed, but I very much appreciated Jacquot’s encouraging the strings to play with minimal vibrato, even if there were a few very fleeting passages of sour string intonation as a result.&nbsp; The recitatives were accompanied by Dieter Van Handenhoven on the fortepiano, who also added some charming embellishments to the arias.&nbsp; The horns were deliciously raspy and Jan Schweiger’s chorus was on lusty form, executing the complex choreography with aplomb.&nbsp; Due to the minimal set, there wasn’t much acoustic support for the singers and there were a few spots on the stage from where some of the voices were less than audible.&nbsp;</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7041" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/a5c5p000000labtaag_original/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1333" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;13&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;annemie augustijns&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R6m2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Le nozze di Figaro&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685195265&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Annemie Augustijns\rRaas van Gaverestraat 45\r9000 Gent\rBelgium\r+32(0)495825717\rannemie.augustijns@telenet.be\rwww.annemieaugustijn&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;102&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;10000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;7917&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="a5c5p000000LAbtAAG_original" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Annemie Augustijns&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7041" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labtaag_original.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Annemie Augustijns</figcaption></figure> <p>Božidar Smiljanić was an energetic presence in the title role.&nbsp; His robust bass-baritone is nicely even throughout the range and he added some delectable embellishments to the line in his numbers that gave us singing genuine originality.&nbsp; Maeve Höglund sang Susanna in an attractive, claret-toned soprano, that has a tendency to sit under the note.&nbsp; Her Italian is slightly Anglophone in nature and I found that she didn’t quite dig deep into the text to pull out meaning – that line in her opening recitative ‘Perch&#8217;io son la Susanna, e tu sei pazzo’ seemed to go for nothing.&nbsp; Höglund did find a pleasant beauty of line in her ‘deh vieni’, however.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7042" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/a5c5p000000labuaag_original/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1333" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;annemie augustijns&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R6m2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685201694&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;70&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;10000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="a5c5p000000LAbuAAG_original" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Annemie Augustijns&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7042" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labuaag_original.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Annemie Augustijns</figcaption></figure> <p>Lenneke Ruiten sang the Contessa in a narrow, pearly soprano.&nbsp; She phrased her ‘porgi amor’ lovingly, floating it on an easy thread of tone.&nbsp; Her ‘dove sono’ was impressive, Ruiten embellishing the line with beauty, pulling out meaning in ‘per me tutto si cangiò’, desperately trying to understand where things went wrong.&nbsp; Kartal Karagedik sang the Conte in an extremely handsome baritone.&nbsp; His Italian is impeccable and the voice is so firm and masculine throughout.&nbsp; I did wish that he had taken more risks with the line in his big Act 3 aria, ornamenting it to make it truly his own, but Karagedik does understand the emotional impact of an appoggiatura.&nbsp; His Conte was a very impressive piece of singing.&nbsp;</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7043" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/a5c5p000000labvaag_original/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1333" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;annemie augustijns&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R6m2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Le nozze di Figaro&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685203606&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Annemie Augustijns\rRaas van Gaverestraat 45\r9000 Gent\rBelgium\rannemie.augustijns@telenet.be\r+32(0)495825717&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;110&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;51200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.02&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;8546&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="a5c5p000000LAbvAAG_original" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Annemie Augustijns&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7043" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg?w=723 723w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg?w=1446 1446w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg?w=768 768w, https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labvaag_original.jpg?w=1024 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: © Annemie Augustijns</figcaption></figure> <p>Anna Pennisi sang both of Cherubino’s arias prettily, with ‘voi che sapete’ demonstrating some impressive breath control.&nbsp; Here also, I wish that she’d taken more risks with the line, making it truly her own, but the evenness of line and elegant legato gave pleasure.&nbsp; Elisa Soster sang Barbarina in a fuller, more generously vibrating soprano than we often hear in the role.&nbsp; Her verbal acuity made me wish to hear her Susanna.&nbsp; Daniel Arnaldos was his usual reliable self in his music, his youthful tenor in excellent shape and the words nicely forward.&nbsp; Adams and Hsieh were positive presences in the ensembles.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labwaag_original.jpg"><img data-attachment-id="7044" data-permalink="https://operatraveller.com/a5c5p000000labwaag_original/" data-orig-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labwaag_original.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,1333" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;annemie augustijns&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS R6m2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Le nozze di Figaro&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685205027&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Annemie Augustijns\rRaas van Gaverestraat 45\r9000 Gent\rBelgium\r+32(0)495825717&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;41&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;8716&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="a5c5p000000LAbwAAG_original" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="&lt;p&gt;Photo: © Annemie Augustijns&lt;/p&gt; " data-medium-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labwaag_original.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labwaag_original.jpg?w=723" src="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labwaag_original.jpg?w=723" alt="" class="wp-image-7044" srcset="https://operatraveller.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/a5c5p000000labwaag_original.jpg?w=723 723w, https: The Magic Flute in HD – 2023 https://medicine-opera.com/2023/06/the-magic-flute-in-hd-2023/ Neil Kurtzman urn:uuid:1905f7fc-4664-b265-1c29-13315f689a96 Sat, 03 Jun 2023 23:58:39 +0000 Mozart&#8217;s enduringly popular musical comedy was televised this afternoon in its latest Met incarnation directed by Simon McBurney. The bright comedy is swathed in darkness (lighting not tone) in his staging which employs more theatrical gimmicks than found in the trunks of 10 touring magicians. The orchestral pit is raised almost to stage level. A... <p>Mozart&#8217;s enduringly popular musical comedy was televised this afternoon in its latest Met incarnation directed by Simon McBurney. The bright comedy is swathed in darkness (lighting not tone) in his staging which employs more theatrical gimmicks than found in the trunks of 10 touring magicians. The orchestral pit is raised almost to stage level. A Foley Artist provides sound effects in plain view to the audience&#8217;s right. A Visual Artist (audience left) sketches on a blackboard projected to a large screen. A raked platform is raised and lowered without much underlying reason. Most of the players are in modern costumes except for three soldiers who look like the wandered in from Genghis Kahn&#8217;s army. Sarastro starts Act 2 with a handheld microphone. Papageno&#8217;s costume was doused with bird poop. He wandered into the second row when he wasn&#8217;t schlepping a metal ladder over his shoulder. Tamino arrived in a blue track suit that was immediately removed by the three ladies leaving him in his skivvies for much of the first act. The Met&#8217;s first flute player was enlisted to the cast as was its glockenspiel player. The tricks were all clever but added nothing tangible to the performance of Mozart&#8217;s fairy tale. The company would have done better to stick with Julie Taymor&#8217;s previous production. More light and less kitsch.</p> <p>The singing with two exceptions was up to the Met&#8217;s high standards. One was below and the other above. Lawrence Brownlee has a voice well suited for Mozart&#8217;s tenors. His singing was consistently on point and apposite to the music. He seems to have added a considerable package of avoirdupois since I last saw him &#8211; the occupational hazard of a tenor. Erin Morely was vocally secure and emotionally affecting as Pamina &#8211; a very fine performance. </p> <p>The Danish bass Stephen Milling did not have the orotund sound needed for Sarastro. His low notes were barely audible and unsupported. While he looked the part, he didn&#8217;t sound it.</p> <p>American coloratura soprano Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the night was largely confined to a wheelchair or used a cane while dressed as an old hag. More of McBurney&#8217;s theatrical camouflage. Vocally, she was sensational. This was the 50th time she has performed this role at the Met which was several times to be declared as a new record for the part. It&#8217;s also the only role she has sung with the company. Why this outstanding artist has not been given other parts is another New York puzzle. Her reading of the famous second act aria was revelatory. She gave the staccato notes known to just about everyone a dramatic impact that I&#8217;ve never heard before, even from the greatest sopranos who have sung the piece. It was not a great display piece, but rather an emotional outburst from a mother who wants recompense for her stolen child. She received a prolonged ovation after the aria and during her curtain call. A bravura performance.</p> <p>Baritone Thomas Oliemans was fine as the ladder toting bird besmirched Papageno. His light voice fit the part well. His can&#8217;t fail duet with Papageno didn&#8217;t fail. The rest of the cast was up to their roles&#8217; requirements. A special note about the problematic part of Monostatos. The libretto describes him as a Moor. He has traditionally been played as a black man. As he&#8217;s a very unpleasant fellow this depiction will no longer suffice. He was played by the very white Brenton Ryan. This may be the only part in opera that a black man will not be allowed to play.</p> <p>Conductor Nathalie Stutzmann has been on a Mozart Marathon for the past four weeks. During that period she has conducted 12 performances of <em>Don Giovanni</em> and<em> The Magic Flute</em>. The last show of the former the evening preceding the <em>Flute</em> telecast. She got a taut performance from the Met&#8217;s orchestra that was largely overpowered by the directorial hijinks.</p> <p>In summary, a vocally very good rendition of the popular piece that could have greatly benefited from less machinery and more wattage. You&#8217;re on your own vis-à-vi a recommendation to attend the replay if you missed the live performance,</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>Metropolitan Opera House<br>June 3, 2023</p> <p><strong>THE MAGIC FLUTE (DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE)</strong><br>Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart-Emanuel Schikaneder</p> <p>Pamina&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Erin Morley<br>Tamino&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Lawrence Brownlee<br>Queen of the Night&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Kathryn Lewek<br>Sarastro&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.Stephen Milling<br>Papageno&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.Thomas Oliemans<br>Papagena&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.Ashley Emerson<br>Monostatos&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..Brenton Ryan<br>Speaker&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..Harold Wilson<br>First Lady&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..Alexandria Shiner<br>Second Lady&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.Olivia Vote<br>Third Lady&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..Tamara Mumford<br>Genie&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.Deven Agge<br>Genie&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.Julian Knopf<br>Genie&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.Luka Zylik<br>Priest&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Richard Bernstein<br>Priest&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Errin Duane Brooks<br>Armed Men&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Errin Duane Brooks<br>Armed Men&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Richard Bernstein</p> <p>Foley Artist&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Ruth Sullivan<br>Visual Artist&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..Blake Habermann</p> <p>Flute Solo&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..Seth Morris<br>Glockenspiel Solo&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.Bryan Wagorn</p> <p>Conductor&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Nathalie Stutzmann</p> <p>Production and Choreography&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Simon McBurney<br>Set Designer&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Michael Levine<br>Costume Designer&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..Nicky Gillibrand<br>Lighting Designer&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.Jean Kalman<br>Projection Designer&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..Finn Ross<br>Sound Designer&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.Gareth Fry<br>Associate Director&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;Rachael Hewer<br>Video Director&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..Gary Halvorson</p> Opera Parallèle's The Shining https://operatattler.typepad.com/opera/2023/06/opera-parallele-shining.html The Opera Tattler urn:uuid:796c24d5-5a22-9bf4-50d0-b0e79ab8f4c3 Sat, 03 Jun 2023 20:20:09 +0000 * Notes * Opera Parallèle made a triumphant return to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater with a chamber version of Paul Moravec's 2016 opera The Shining (beginning of Act I pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) last night... <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><strong><br /><a class="asset-img-link" href="https://operatattler.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834b4c13053ef02b751a6c382200c-popup" onclick="window.open( this.href, '_blank', 'width=640,height=480,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0' ); return false" style="float: left;"><img alt="OP-The-Shining-02" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d834b4c13053ef02b751a6c382200c img-responsive" src="https://operatattler.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834b4c13053ef02b751a6c382200c-500wi" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" title="OP-The-Shining-02" /></a>* Notes *</strong><br /><a href="https://operaparallele.org/">Opera Parallèle</a> made a triumphant return to the <a href="https://ybca.org/venues/blue-shield-theater/">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater</a> with a chamber version of&nbsp; <a href="https://www.paulmoravec.com/">Paul Moravec</a>'s 2016 opera <a href="https://www.paulmoravec.com/compositions/the-shining"><em>The Shining</em></a> (beginning of Act I pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) last night in San Francisco. The piece is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King and features a lushly creepy score.</p> <p>Maestra Nicole Paiement conducted with nuance and precision, the tiny chamber orchestra sounded absolutely full and robust. The music references Berlioz and Wagner, and made me curious to hear Paiement conduct a <em>Ring</em> cycle. The pacing of Act I seemed somewhat slow, there was a lot of plot to get through, but Act II was completely engaging. Director Brian Staufenbiel put together a visually rich production, the set moved smoothly, the scenes switching easily with artful use of video projections and set pieces pushed about by ensemble members.</p> <p>There were about as many singers in the cast as musicians in the pit, it was a bit dizzying. Girl sopranos Perri So and Kiyomi Treanor were particularly chilling as the Grady Girls, their grotesquely large baby bonnets in lurid pink only heightened the scariness. Tenor <a href="https://www.ngranner.com/">Nathan Granner</a> sounded great as Bill Watson, Lloyd the Bartender, and part of the vocal ensemble, his diction is always perfectly intelligible and he has a charismatic stage presence even in these supporting parts. Tenor <a href="https://www.davidwaltontenor.com/">David Walton</a> was also a delight to hear, his bright voice cut through the orchestration and he was able to be distinct in his roles as Stuart Ullman, the general manager of the Overlook Hotel and the ghost of Delbert Grady, &nbsp;the previous caretaker of the Overlook who murdered his family.</p> <p><a class="asset-img-link" href="https://operatattler.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834b4c13053ef02b685394e52200d-popup" onclick="window.open( this.href, '_blank', 'width=640,height=480,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0' ); return false" style="float: left;"><img alt="OP-The-Shining-19" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d834b4c13053ef02b685394e52200d img-responsive" src="https://operatattler.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834b4c13053ef02b685394e52200d-500wi" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" title="OP-The-Shining-19" /></a>My favorite singer in this was bass-baritone <a href="https://www.dispeker.com/kevin-deas">Kevin Deas</a> as cook Dick Halloran (pictured with Michael Thompson in Act I, photograph by Cory Weaver). It's a sympathetic character, to be sure, and Deas brought a warm richness to the role, his rapport with Tenzin Forde as Danny Torrance (who shares the role with Thompson) was clear. Forder does not sing but is very convincing, it is interesting that this child with special powers is the only one who does not have a singing part.</p> <p>Soprano <a href="https://www.kearstinpiperbrown.com/">Kearstin Piper Brown</a> (Wendy Torrance) has an icy, flexible voice. She has an effortlessness that never comes off as harsh. Her early seventies outfits were a lot of fun and she rocked bellbottoms and platform shoes with a disarming ease. Baritone <a href="http://www.robertwesleymason.com/">Robert Wesley Mason</a> as Jack Torrance has a powerful sound, though not terribly varied. He did unraveled rather dramatically and had impressive stamina for this marathon of a role, he was onstage for nearly all of the opera.</p> <p><strong>* Tattling *</strong> <br />There was quite a lot of talking at the beginning of Act I, but eventually everyone quieted down as they were drawn into the narrative and stagecraft. Electronic noise was not noted, though a few people did briefly have their mobile phones out and illuminated.</p> <p>It was nice to see dozens of people I know at this performance, as I hadn't been to this venue since 2017 for Opera Parallèle's <a href="https://operatattler.typepad.com/opera/2017/02/opera-parallele-flight.html"><em>Flight</em></a>.</p></div> Tiberghien - Sweelinck, Bach, Benjamin, Beethoven, and Mozart, 1 June 2023 https://boulezian.blogspot.com/2023/06/tiberghien-sweelinck-bach-benjamin.html Boulezian urn:uuid:9e12e33f-e691-bdc2-f7d1-d59eca8853a4 Sat, 03 Jun 2023 18:29:54 +0000 <br />Wigmore Hall<br /><br /><b> Sweelinck: </b>Six Variations on ‘Mein junges Leben hat ein End’ <br /><b>Bach-Brahms:</b> Partita no.2 in D minor for solo violin, BWV 1004: Chaconne <br /><b>Benjamin:</b> <i>Shadowlines: Six Canonic Preludes for Piano </i><br /><b>Beethoven:</b> Thirty-two Variations on an Original Theme in C minor, WoO 80 <br /><b>Beethoven:</b> Twenty-four Variations on Righini’s arietta, ‘Venni amore’, in D major, WoO 65 <br /><b>Mozart:</b> Piano Sonata in A major, KV 331/300i <br /><b>Beethoven:</b> Six Variations on an Original Theme in D major, op.76 <br /><br />Cédric Tiberghien (piano)<div><br /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">What variation there can be in variation, especially in the hands of do discerning a pianist and musician as Cédric Tiberghien. From Sweelinck to Benjamin, every performance a jewel, this was a recital as enjoyable as it was ingenious and instructive.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck’s Variations on ‘Mein junges Leben hat ein End’ were imbued with an air of melancholy such as is perhaps more likely on the piano than the harpsichord, the gap between our age and Sweelinck’s paradoxically both more and less pronounced. More important, though, were clarity of line and beauty of touch. Ornamentation told, without distracting. The art of variation had been properly announced, Tiberghien’s second variation boasting pinpoint accuracy and rhetorical flair, his third marrying surface nonchalance with deep harmonic understanding. The fifth emerged as if carved from Carrara marble. All the while, harmony and counterpoint wove their magic.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">Little less than a month earlier, I had heard <a href="https://boulezian.blogspot.com/2023/05/grosvenor-bach-schumann-ravel-and.html">Benjamin Grosvenor in this same hall</a> play Busoni’s transcription of the<i> </i>Bach Chaconne. Now it was Brahms’s turn; and, Busoni devotee though I may be, I must acknowledge Brahms’s as the finer work. I knew, but even had I not, I am sure I would have heard before seeing that this was left-hand only. Brahms’s stroke of genius in confining his transcription to the piano’s left hand liberates the pianist both to sound more like the violin and, in another paradox, also more like itself; or so it sounded here. Tiberghien’s phrasing and touch were both entirely pianistic – what an array of colours! – and yet entirely communicative of Bach’s own conception. The performance could melt in well-nigh Schumannesque fashion too, again without ever veering away from Bach. The advent of D major proved deeply moving, even stirring, which may or may not be quite the same thing; it built wondrously thereafter too. Ultimately, again, harmony ruled. And the return to the minor offered a tragic acceptance that was equally Bach’s and Brahms’s, the final statement of the theme possessed of a nobility that brooked no response.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">George Benjamin’s <i>Shadowlines</i>, written in 2001, is as its subtitle states, a set of six canonic piano preludes. Tiberghien offered finely etched performances, as if presenting a series of musical paintings coming vividly to life before our ears. (‘As if’ may be superfluous.) Process as well as rhetoric, counterpoint as well as harmony, and so much more helped reveal a deeply Romantic imagination at work. Ghosts from the past – Debussy, Messiaen, Boulez, Webern, Stravinsky – could be heard, yet there was never any doubting the individuality of the principal voice.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">Beethoven’s C minor Variations, WoO 80, rounded off the first half. This may or may not be ‘minor’ Beethoven, but who cares? In a performance that took in a host of experience from the balletic to the visionary, revealing at time surprising affinities with Bach’s Chaconne, a new, little suspected world from this pianist-composer opened up before us. Beethoven sang, scowled, and above all developed in variation. As earlier, Tiberghien’s virtuosity was worn lightly and above all musically, just as in the <i>very</i> little-heard early Righini Variations, WoO 65, probably from 1790, published the following year. Here Tiberghien was at his most charming. He drew attention to individual characteristics and possibilities of different variations – leaning into phrases beautifully in the first, the second proving splendidly eccentric – without trying to make them into something they could not be. Many of the anticipated devices of Classical variation technique were there; they never seemed, though, to be mere devices, and even on occasion offered striking anticipations of the future. Syncopations, particular spacing of chords, the structural importance (and orchestral resonances) of certain intervals, and delicious moments of whimsy: all these and more one could enjoy, just so long as one listened. So too were surprises it was difficult not to think of as Beethovenian.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">Mozart’s A major Sonata, KV 331/300<i>i</i>, opens with a celebrated theme and variations, here given with winning flow and lilt, and for the most part a fine cantabile, save when lyricism gave way to something more percussive. The journey as a whole ‘flowed like oil’, to borrow from Mozart’s own recommendation for musical performance, whilst retaining capacity for incident. The turn to the minor offered pathos without exaggeration, duly dignified, whilst the <i>Adagio</i> sounded intriguingly modernistic in its proliferation: Mozart via Boulez, it seemed. A graceful minuet proved similarly full of character and incident, as did its trio: related, yet quite different, almost a variation in itself. One might say much the same of the <i>Rondo alla Turca</i>, here given with deadpan humour and equally well-timed command of agogic accents. Cannily following with Beethoven’s op.76 Variations, whose theme would later be used for the ‘Turkish March’ for the <i>Ruins of Athens</i> incidental music, Tiberghien gave the work as if it were a programmed encore. Its striking concision, redolent of the <i>Bagatelles </i>and some of the sonatas, revealed similarly good humour.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">For an actual encore, we were treated to a transcription – Egon Petri’s, I <i>think</i> – of Bach’s ‘Sheep May Safely Graze’ (for which, exceptionally, we surely all use the English form). As Tiberghien remarked in his introduction, transcription is another form of variation. What we heard was as delectable, as poised, and as exquisitely voiced as anything in a programme replete with such delights.</span></p></div> Pomegranate at the COC https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/03/pomegranate-at-the-coc/ operaramblings urn:uuid:92fd2334-122d-284e-d9db-97bc9dc97713 Sat, 03 Jun 2023 15:25:50 +0000 Almost exactly four years after Kye Marshall and Amanda Hale&#8217;s Pomegranate played at Buddies in Bad Times in a production by Michael Mori it reappeared at the COC in expanded form in a production by Jennifer Tarver.  The basic plot &#8230; <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/03/pomegranate-at-the-coc/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a> <p>Almost exactly four years after Kye Marshall and Amanda Hale&#8217;s <em>Pomegranate</em> played at Buddies in Bad Times in a production by Michael Mori it reappeared at the COC in expanded form in a production by Jennifer Tarver.  The basic plot hasn&#8217;t changed much so I&#8217;m not going to repeat <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2019/06/07/pomegranate-premiere/">what I wrote about that</a> in 2019.  The other changes are, though, quite extensive and I&#8217;m not convinced they are improvements.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34591" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/03/pomegranate-at-the-coc/22-23-07-mc-d-676-677/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-0676-677.jpg" data-orig-size="580,387" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;0676 \u2013 Danielle Buonaiuto as Cass (walking in the centre) in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s world premiere production of Pomegranate, 2023. Composer Kye Marshall, librettist Amanda Hale, conductor Rosemary Thomson, director Jennifer Tarver, set designer Lorenzo Savoini, costume designer Andjelija Djuric, lighting designer Kimberly Purtell, and fight director Matt Richardson. Photo: Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1682388050&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;@ Michael Cooper 2023\rNo preproduction without permission&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;22-23-07-MC-D-676-677&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;43.651047222222&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;-79.364552777778&quot;}" data-image-title="22-23-07-MC-D-676-677" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-0676-677.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-0676-677.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34591 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-0676-677.jpg?w=584" alt="22-23-07-MC-D-676-677" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-0676-677.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-0676-677.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-0676-677.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /><span id="more-34586"></span></p> <p>It&#8217;s quite a bit longer, there&#8217;s now a six person female chorus and the instrumental ensemble is much bigger.  The projections that added so much to the earlier version have disappeared.  It&#8217;s also playing in the much bigger and acoustically challenging Canadian Opera Company Theatre.  I arrived early because it was &#8220;general seating&#8221; and I know just how awful sitting up the back is in this space but even with a third row seat most of the sung text was unintelligible.  It just disappears into the cavernous roof space.  The absence of surtitles was surely a mistake.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34592" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/03/pomegranate-at-the-coc/22-23-07-mc-d-1181/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1181.jpg" data-orig-size="580,387" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;1181 \u2013 A scene from the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s world premiere production of Pomegranate, 2023. Composer Kye Marshall, librettist Amanda Hale, conductor Rosemary Thomson, director Jennifer Tarver, set designer Lorenzo Savoini, costume designer Andjelija Djuric, lighting designer Kimberly Purtell, and fight director Matt Richardson. Photo: Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1682388050&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;@ Michael Cooper 2023\rNo preproduction without permission&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;22-23-07-MC-D-1181&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;43.650911111111&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;-79.364105555556&quot;}" data-image-title="22-23-07-MC-D-1181" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1181.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1181.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34592 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1181.jpg?w=584" alt="22-23-07-MC-D-1181" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1181.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1181.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1181.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>The production, strictly confined to the stage, was less inventive and daring than earlier and rather static, especially in the first act.  Having a chorus allowed for more bodies in scenes that needed them but didn&#8217;t add a whole lot dramatically.  I don&#8217;t think the music was helped by the expanded ensemble.  Marshall&#8217;s forte, based on what little I&#8217;ve heard, is small ensemble jazz.  The extra instruments rather dampened the occasional move away from strict tonality and diluted the modal element in the first act and the second act, instead of sounding a bit edgy  now sounded more like a Gershwin pastiche.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34593" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/03/pomegranate-at-the-coc/22-23-07-mc-d-1438/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1438.jpg" data-orig-size="580,386" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;1438\u2013 (l-r) Teiya Kasahara \u7b20\u539f\u8c9e\u91ce as The Priestess and Catherine Daniel as Livia in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s world premiere production of Pomegranate, 2023. Composer Kye Marshall, librettist Amanda Hale, conductor Rosemary Thomson, director Jennifer Tarver, set designer Lorenzo Savoini, costume designer Andjelija Djuric, lighting designer Kimberly Purtell, and fight director Matt Richardson. Photo: Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1682388050&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;@ Michael Cooper 2023\rNo preproduction without permission&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;22-23-07-MC-D-1438&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;43.650936111111&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;-79.364144444444&quot;}" data-image-title="22-23-07-MC-D-1438" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1438.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1438.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34593 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1438.jpg?w=584" alt="22-23-07-MC-D-1438" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1438.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1438.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1438.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>The performances though were pretty good.  Teiya Kasahara was, again, the priestess and the bar owner and was the clear vocal standout; singing powerfully in both classical and jazz idiom.  The young lovers this time were Danielle Buonaiuto as Cassia/Cass and Adanya Dunn as Suli/Suzie.  Both sang and acted well with the latter injecting some much needed energy into the rather static first act.  Catherine Daniel was touching as the runaway slave and sang resonantly in her less attractive second act persona.  Peter Barrett plays the patriarchy archetype in both acts.  It&#8217;s not a sympathetic role but he handled it well.  The chorus and the band. split either side of the stage, were fine and Rosemary Thompson conducted efficiently in less than ideal circumstances.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34594" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/03/pomegranate-at-the-coc/22-23-07-mc-d-1755/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1755.jpg" data-orig-size="580,387" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;1755 \u2013 Adanya Dunn as Suzie (centre) in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s world premiere production of Pomegranate, 2023. Composer Kye Marshall, librettist Amanda Hale, conductor Rosemary Thomson, director Jennifer Tarver, set designer Lorenzo Savoini, costume designer Andjelija Djuric, lighting designer Kimberly Purtell, and fight director Matt Richardson. Photo: Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1682388050&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;@ Michael Cooper 2023\rNo preproduction without permission&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;22-23-07-MC-D-1755&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;43.651191666667&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;-79.364177777778&quot;}" data-image-title="22-23-07-MC-D-1755" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1755.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1755.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34594 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1755.jpg?w=584" alt="22-23-07-MC-D-1755" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1755.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1755.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1755.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Overall, it felt like someone at the COC had asked for a fairly tight, compact show to be turned into &#8220;grand opera&#8221; which was a big ask for a creative team with limited opera experience.  The experience certainly wasn&#8217;t enhanced by the decision to forego surtitles in a problematic acoustic.  The result was patchy and, for me, not as satisfying as the earlier version.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34595" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/03/pomegranate-at-the-coc/22-23-07-mc-d-1791/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1791.jpg" data-orig-size="580,396" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;1791 \u2013 (l-r) Teiya Kasahara \u7b20\u539f\u8c9e\u91ce (far-left) as Jules, Adanya Dunn as Suzie, and Danielle Buonaiuto as Cass (front) in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s world premiere production of Pomegranate, 2023. Composer Kye Marshall, librettist Amanda Hale, conductor Rosemary Thomson, director Jennifer Tarver, set designer Lorenzo Savoini, costume designer Andjelija Djuric, lighting designer Kimberly Purtell, and fight director Matt Richardson. Photo: Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1682388050&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;@ Michael Cooper 2023\rNo preproduction without permission&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;22-23-07-MC-D-1791&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;43.651286111111&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;-79.364097222222&quot;}" data-image-title="22-23-07-MC-D-1791" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1791.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1791.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34595 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1791.jpg?w=584" alt="22-23-07-MC-D-1791" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1791.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1791.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-1791.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>There are two more performances tonight and Sunday.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34596" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/03/pomegranate-at-the-coc/22-23-07-mc-d-2029/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-2029.jpg" data-orig-size="580,387" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;2029 \u2013 A scene from the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s world premiere production of Pomegranate, 2023. Composer Kye Marshall, librettist Amanda Hale, conductor Rosemary Thomson, director Jennifer Tarver, set designer Lorenzo Savoini, costume designer Andjelija Djuric, lighting designer Kimberly Purtell, and fight director Matt Richardson. Photo: Michael Cooper&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1682388050&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;@ Michael Cooper 2023\rNo preproduction without permission&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;22-23-07-MC-D-2029&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;43.651080555556&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;-79.364225&quot;}" data-image-title="22-23-07-MC-D-2029" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-2029.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-2029.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34596 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-2029.jpg?w=584" alt="22-23-07-MC-D-2029" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-2029.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-2029.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/22-23-07-mc-d-2029.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Photo credits: Michael Cooper</p> Die Zauberflöte https://parterre.com/2023/06/03/die-zauberflote-4/ parterre box urn:uuid:1b1340c6-4e23-39a4-0059-36d49554811f Sat, 03 Jun 2023 15:00:05 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/03/die-zauberflote-4/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/flute-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/flute-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/flute-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/flute-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/flute-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/flute-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>&#8220;I’ve never laughed so much nor been so moved by a <I>Zauberflöte</i> until <B>Simon McBurney</b>’s where even its Busby Berkeley-flavored finale brought tears to my eyes.&#8221;</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89755" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/flute-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/flute-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/flute-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/flute-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Streaming and discussion <a href="https://www.metopera.org/season/radio/saturday-matinee-broadcasts/station-finder/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">begin at 1:00 PM</a>.</p> <p>Pullquote: <a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/24/crazy-extremes/">Christopher Corwin</a></p> <p><strong>Photo: Karen Almond / Met Opera</strong></p> Seems an awful waste https://parterre.com/2023/06/03/seems-an-awful-waste/ parterre box urn:uuid:986d1b96-9c68-da21-cfbd-6b4864f5fe7f Sat, 03 Jun 2023 09:25:01 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/03/seems-an-awful-waste/"><img width="720" height="246" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-720x246.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-720x246.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-300x103.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-768x263.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/sweeney-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>On this day in 1979 <em>Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street</em> won the Tony Award for &#8220;Best Musical.&#8221;</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Ug27c3NH4&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2Ug27c3NH4</a></p> <p>Happy 58th birthday baritone<strong> Peter Mattei</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFOHfKIow8I&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFOHfKIow8I</a></p> <p>Birthday anniversaries of composer <strong>Charles Lecocq</strong> (1832); tenors<strong> Jan Peerce</strong> (1904) and <strong>Alessandro Ziliani</strong> (1906); soprano<strong> Ina Souez</strong> (1908) and bass-baritone<strong> Alois Pernerstorfer</strong> (1912).</p> <p>Happy 86th birthday soprano <strong>Valerie Masterson</strong>. Happy 67th birthday soprano <strong>Lynne Dawson</strong>.</p> Possible Ill Effects of Repeated mRNA Vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 Infection https://medicine-opera.com/2023/06/possible-ill-effects-of-repeated-mrna-vaccine-for-sars-cov-2-infection/ Neil Kurtzman urn:uuid:03648ebf-349a-9c28-9385-8b5dd8f7617d Fri, 02 Jun 2023 21:22:13 +0000 A paper in Vaccines: IgG4 Antibodies Induced by Repeated Vaccination May Generate Immune Tolerance to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein examines the possibility that repeated doses of the mRNA vaccine administered to prevent COVID 19 infection may cause autoimmune disease in susceptible patients. The abstract is below. I have underlined a key part of it. Less... <p>A paper in <em>Vaccines</em>: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/5/991" target="_blank">IgG4 Antibodies Induced by Repeated Vaccination May Generate Immune Tolerance to the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein</a> examines the possibility that repeated doses of the mRNA vaccine administered to prevent COVID 19 infection may cause autoimmune disease in susceptible patients. The abstract is below. I have underlined a key part of it.</p> <p><em>Less than a year after the global emergence of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, a novel vaccine platform based on mRNA technology was introduced to the market. Globally, around 13.38 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses of diverse platforms have been administered. To date, 72.3% of the total population has been injected at least once with a COVID-19 vaccine. As the immunity provided by these vaccines rapidly wanes, their ability to prevent hospitalization and severe disease in individuals with comorbidities has recently been questioned, and increasing evidence has shown that, as with many other vaccines, they do not produce sterilizing immunity, allowing people to suffer frequent re-infections. Additionally, recent investigations have found abnormally high levels of IgG4 in people who were administered two or more injections of the mRNA vaccines. HIV, Malaria, and Pertussis vaccines have also been reported to induce higher-than-normal IgG4 synthesis. Overall, there are three critical factors determining the class switch to IgG4 antibodies: excessive antigen concentration, repeated vaccination, and the type of vaccine used. It has been suggested that an increase in IgG4 levels could have a protecting role by preventing immune over-activation, similar to that occurring during successful allergen-specific immunotherapy by inhibiting IgE-induced effects. However, emerging evidence suggests that the reported </em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>increase in IgG4 levels detected after repeated vaccination with the mRNA vaccines may not be a protective mechanism; rather, it constitutes an immune tolerance mechanism to the spike protein that could promote unopposed SARS-CoV2 infection and replication by suppressing natural antiviral responses. Increased IgG4 synthesis due to repeated mRNA vaccination with high antigen concentrations may also cause autoimmune diseases, and promote cancer growth and autoimmune myocarditis in susceptible individuals</em>.</span></p> <p>The authors of the paper offer an interesting and important hypothesis, but it is still uncertain. The mRNA vaccine given to billions of people were done so after a very short time following their development and administered under emergency authorization. This period was so brief that long-term or even intermediate adverse events would not have been observed. Not only was the test period limited, but the mRNA technique is also relatively new. Thus, it would not be surprising if unwanted side effects occurred after widespread use. </p> <p>Disease protection from these vaccines is limited and repeated doses have been given. Initially, deaths from COVIf were higher in the unvaccinated than in the vaccinated. Subsequently, however, the situation reversed. Deaths were higher in the vaccinated who received a third dose than in the unvaccinated. The authors of the study suggest that overproduction of IgG, secondary to repeated vaccine administration, may cause harm by inducing a variety of harmful antibody mediated diseases. They further propose that repeated injections of the vaccine may actually weaken the protective effects of the vaccine.</p> <p>They also suggest that the six unwanted effects below may be caused, at least in part, by repeated doses of the vaccine. This is just one report, but the later discovery of important adverse effects of many treatments initially thought safe and/or effective is a common event. Clinicians need to be vigilant and report all possible adverse effects following vaccination. Such vigilance is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the therapeutic pool we dove into without knowing the depth of the water. The reluctance of the both the government and the medical profession to allow free discussion of the therapeutic profile of these vaccines is a stain on both.</p> <p>(1) By ignoring the spike protein synthesized as a consequence of vaccination, the host immune system may become vulnerable to re-infection with the new Omicron subvariants, allowing for free replication of the virus once a re-infection takes place. In this situation, we suggest that even these less pathogenic Omicron subvariants could cause significant harm and even death in individuals with comorbidities and immuno-compromised conditions.</p> <p>(2) mRNA and inactivated vaccines temporally impair interferon signaling possibly causing immune suppression and leaving the individual in a vulnerable situation against any other pathogen. In addition, this immune suppression could allow the re-activation of latent viral, bacterial, or fungal infections and might also allow the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells.</p> <p>3) A tolerant immune system might allow SARS-CoV-2 persistence in the host and promote the establishment of a chronic infection, similar to that generated by the hepatitis B virus, the human immune deficiency virus, and the hepatitis C virus.</p> <p>(4)&nbsp;The combined immune suppression (produced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and further enhanced by vaccination) could explain a plethora of autoimmune conditions, such as cancers, re-infections, and deaths temporally associated with both. It is conceivable that the excess deaths reported in several highly COVID-19-vaccinated countries may be explained, in part, by this combined immunosuppressive effect.</p> <p>(5) Repeated vaccination could also lead to autoimmunity.</p> <p>(6) Increased IgG4 levels induced by repeated vaccination could lead to autoimmune myocarditis.</p> 3D Turandot https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/02/3d-turandot/ operaramblings urn:uuid:eed4d9c6-284d-7762-cd03-bfb1d3d55d2d Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:42:10 +0000 I&#8217;ve been following developments in use of technology in the theatre for a few years now and, to be honest, I&#8217;ve seen lots of theory and not a lot of practice though Tapestry&#8217;s RUR: A Torrent of Light did use &#8230; <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/02/3d-turandot/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a> <p>I&#8217;ve been following developments in use of technology in the theatre for a few years now and, to be honest, I&#8217;ve seen lots of theory and not a lot of practice though Tapestry&#8217;s <a href="https://operacanada.ca/tapestry-operas-r-u-r-a-torrent-of-light-is-musically-brilliant/"><em>RUR: A Torrent of Light</em></a> did use motion capture.  The <em>Turandot</em> recorded at the Liceu in Barcelona in 2019 takes it to a whole new level though.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34551" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/02/3d-turandot/1-liutimurcalaf/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/1.liutimurcalaf.png" data-orig-size="580,324" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="1.liutimurcalaf" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/1.liutimurcalaf.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/1.liutimurcalaf.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34551 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/1.liutimurcalaf.png?w=584" alt="1.liutimurcalaf" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/1.liutimurcalaf.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/1.liutimurcalaf.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/1.liutimurcalaf.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p><span id="more-34546"></span>The production is by Franc Aleu of the collective La Fura dels Baus.  It&#8217;s the first time I&#8217;ve seen 3D projections and motion capture fully integrated into a stage performance.  It must have cost a fortune!  The concept is a future setting, presumably still China, with every sci-fi cliché imaginable. giant sized diaphanous projections of characters, light sabres, VR headsets and an overall aesthetic redolent of a technicolor <em>Metropolis</em>.  It&#8217;s actually quite stunning to look at.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34552" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/02/3d-turandot/2-10000years/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/2.10000years.png" data-orig-size="580,324" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="2.10000years" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/2.10000years.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/2.10000years.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34552 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/2.10000years.png?w=584" alt="2.10000years" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/2.10000years.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/2.10000years.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/2.10000years.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Dramatically, in contrast, it&#8217;s pretty straightforward.  The plot plays out in absolutely classic fashion with no unexpected twists.  So, much depends n the performances and they are good.  The clear standout is Ermonela Jaho as Liù.  She sings absolutely gorgeously and fully encapsulates the character.  &#8220;Tu che di gel sei cinta&#8221; is very moving.  There&#8217;s a  very good Calaf in Jorge de Leon.  He&#8217;s a proper tenor with all the high notes.  Iréne Theorin is a thoroughly archetypal Turandot.  There&#8217;s nothing very human about her acting or even perhaps her singing which is accurate and powerful but not engaging.  It&#8217;s not supposed to be I suppose. Alexander Vinogradov as Timur and Chris Merritt as the Emperor are distinctly better than OK.  The Liceu orchestra and chorus are excellent and conductor Josep Pons goes for a full blooded and highly dramatic sound to good effect.  For the record, it&#8217;s the Alfano completion.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34553" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/02/3d-turandot/3-turandot-3/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/3.turandot.png" data-orig-size="580,324" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="3.turandot" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/3.turandot.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/3.turandot.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34553 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/3.turandot.png?w=584" alt="3.turandot" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/3.turandot.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/3.turandot.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/3.turandot.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Benoît Toulemonde directs the film.  He does a very good job of capturing the complexity and spectacle.  This definitely needs Blu-ray (it&#8217;s one where 4K UHD would be justified).  On Blu-ray the picture is excellent with a good sense of the effects and excellent sound in both stereo (48kHz 24 bit) and surround (DTS-HD-MA).  The only extras on the disk are trailer but the booklet has a handy essay and a full track listing.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34554" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/02/3d-turandot/4-deathofliu/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/4.deathofliu.png" data-orig-size="580,328" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="4.deathofliu" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/4.deathofliu.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/4.deathofliu.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34554 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/4.deathofliu.png?w=584" alt="4.deathofliu" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/4.deathofliu.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/4.deathofliu.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/4.deathofliu.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>There are plenty of recordings of <em>Turandot</em> with interesting visuals and good singing out there and this one joins them.  The extra interest here is the use of emerging technologies.  I&#8217;m sure we are going to see more of them in the future.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34555" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/02/3d-turandot/5-end-16/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/5.end_.png" data-orig-size="580,325" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="5.end" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/5.end_.png?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/5.end_.png?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34555 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/5.end_.png?w=584" alt="5.end" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/5.end_.png 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/5.end_.png?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/5.end_.png?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Catalogue number: C Major Blu-ray 763604</p> Let’s get serious https://parterre.com/2023/06/02/lets-get-serious/ parterre box urn:uuid:f160e4a1-b690-a828-f59a-f7d3620f062c Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:01:00 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/02/lets-get-serious/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p><strong>Renée Fleming </strong>arrived at Carnegie Hall on May 31 with something to prove. </p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89903" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />In recent years, the 64-year-old soprano has drifted away from the core classical music repertoire, while also remaining cagey on the subject of retirement. She’s starred on Broadway, recorded the music of <strong>Björk </strong>and <strong>Death Cab for Cutie</strong>, and recently ventured back to the Met for the world premiere of <em>The Hours </em>by <strong>Kevin Puts</strong>.</p> <p>When I last heard Fleming in recital, at Philadelphia’s Verizon Hall in 2017, the program toggled between opera arias, pop songs, and standards. Between numbers, she chatted with the audience, often reaching for a microphone secreted inside the belly of the piano. To call it a concert would probably be more accurate and appropriate.</p> <p>By contrast, her evening in the Stern Auditorium featured the kind of set list you compile when you want to remind your audience that you’re a serious artist. Although Fleming exudes an effortlessly warm personality, and her adoring audience feels a natural connection going both ways, she kept direct engagement to an absolute minimum. Aside from announcing her encore—Schubert’s <em>Ave Maria</em>, rendered with touching simplicity—the only time she spoke was to apologize for entering the stage too early, accidentally robbing her accompanist, <strong>Evgeny Kissin</strong>, of a solo moment at the piano.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89904" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>The printed program included more selections by Schubert, alongside Rachmaninov, Liszt and Duparc. Kissin, luxuriously cast as the second fiddle, was given his own musical interludes at the keyboard. The evening confirmed the remarkable preservation of Fleming’s voice and often played to her interpretive strengths, though without entirely banishing all of her self-indulgent characteristics.</p> <p>Fleming relished the deeply romantic moods of Schubert’s <em>Suleika I </em>and <em>Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt</em>, the fourth <em>Lied der Mignon</em>. I worried that amplitude might be a problem in the opening phrases of the former song, but Fleming quickly turned up the volume without pushing too hard, and she remained perfectly audible for the rest of the evening. But the playful staccato rhythm of <em>Die Vögel </em>and the galloping melody of <em>Rastlose Liebe </em>tested her dexterity, and her attempts to be funny sometimes came across as twee.</p> <p>Liszt’s <em>Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh’ </em>was performed with a contemplative stillness, and in <em>Im Rhein, in schönen Strome</em>, both Fleming and Kissin mirrored the sound of a babbling brook with their instruments. Although Fleming did not luxuriate in pianissimo high notes as she once might have, she showed no trouble floating them, and an unfamiliar listening could easily assume that her voice belongs to a woman fifteen years younger.</p> <p>Two later Liszt selections, <em>S’il est un charmant gazon </em>and <em>Oh ! </em><em>Quand je dors</em>, sounded curiously bland. They were paired with Duparc’s <em>Extase</em>, in which Fleming demonstrated the pleasant warmth of her middle voice, and <em>Le manoir de Rosemonde</em>, which was infused with genuine tension.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89905" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-2.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-2.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/fleming-2-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Kissin and Fleming each offered their own interpretation of Rachmaninov’s <em>Lilacs</em>—his a richly colored solo piano transcription, hers a beautiful but somewhat blank rendition of the original song. She seemed more comfortable with the feel-good energy of <em>A Dream</em>, which found her hazily leaning against the lip of the piano as the song reached its climax, almost like a jazz singer in a smoky nightclub.</p> <p>When Kissin took center stage alone, you realized just how much value he contributed to the evening’s musical virtues. His unflaggingly beautiful tone, free employment of rubato, and peerless sense of line seem to come from another age. Liszt’s <em>Sposalizio </em>built in tension from a tender opening trill that resembled church bells to the passionate release of the finale. Spritely charm characterized the same composer’s <em>Valse oubliée. </em>He brought an improvisatory feeling to the Mélodie and Sérénade from Rachmaninov’s <em>Morceaux de fantasie</em>.</p> <p>The next steps of Fleming’s career remain somewhat unclear. She canceled an opportunity to revisit one of her signature roles, Verdi’s Desdemona, with the Metropolitan Orchestra later this month, though she’ll return to the Met proper next spring in a revival of <em>The Hours</em>. She recently debuted Pat Nixon in Paris to strong reviews. No doubt she will continue to dip her toes into the waters of classical crossover. But the Carnegie recital confirmed that whatever path she takes, she still has more to give her clearly adoring public.</p> <p><strong>Photos: ©2023 Chris Lee</strong></p> Getting better and better https://parterre.com/2023/06/02/getting-better-and-better/ parterre box urn:uuid:e6135fed-a764-171d-6d00-4139f204a2ad Fri, 02 Jun 2023 12:07:05 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/02/getting-better-and-better/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/get-well-header-1-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/get-well-header-1-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/get-well-header-1-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/get-well-header-1-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/get-well-header-1-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/get-well-header-1.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>Once again, La Cieca thanks you for your concern and patience during May 2023.</p> <p><img decoding="async" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/getwell-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89681" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/getwell-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/getwell-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/getwell-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />The top ten most read posts of the month:</p> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="ibR2LBRVmv"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/17/first-thoughts/">First thoughts</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;First thoughts&#8221; 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&#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/05/24/crazy-extremes/embed/#?secret=bKS7l5666b#?secret=s4zAaPVPYq" data-secret="s4zAaPVPYq" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="NM7VpKK9PA"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/12/creature-of-the-stage/">Creature of the stage</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;Creature of the stage&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/05/12/creature-of-the-stage/embed/#?secret=wCmTJld7Nt#?secret=NM7VpKK9PA" data-secret="NM7VpKK9PA" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> Tour de force https://parterre.com/2023/06/02/tour-de-force-5/ parterre box urn:uuid:5892b0ac-0dd9-cfb5-61e2-3d228f454c55 Fri, 02 Jun 2023 10:35:45 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/02/tour-de-force-5/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/kirsten-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/kirsten-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/kirsten-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/kirsten-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/kirsten-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/kirsten.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>On this day in 1975 the Metropolitan Opera performed <em>La bohème</em> on tour in Tokyo.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=owO--4glx-A&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=owO&#8211;4glx-A</a></p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89892" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-6.32.09-AM.png" alt="" width="718" height="618" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-6.32.09-AM.png 718w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-6.32.09-AM-300x258.png 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Screen-Shot-2023-06-02-at-6.32.09-AM-210x181.png 210w" sizes="(max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px" /></p> <p>Happy 74th birthday tenor <strong>Neil Shicoff</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrr0WJnL-GQ&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrr0WJnL-GQ</a></p> <p>Birthday anniversaries of composers<strong> Edward Elgar</strong> (1857) and <strong>Marvin Hamlisch</strong> (1944); conductor <strong>Felix Weingartner</strong> (1863); baritone <strong>Josef Metternich</strong> (1915) and soprano <strong>Inga Nielsen</strong> (1946).</p> Debauchery at the Dakota https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/01/debauchery-at-the-dakota/ operaramblings urn:uuid:6e876b0b-17c1-3927-fff1-7e9d5e088c20 Thu, 01 Jun 2023 20:12:55 +0000 So on a grungy corner of Dundas and Ossington lies a grungy cellar dive; the Dakota Tavern.  It&#8217;s not an obvious place to do opera though a mash up of opera and burlesque is more plausible.  And so that&#8217;s what &#8230; <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/01/debauchery-at-the-dakota/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a> <p><img data-attachment-id="34577" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/01/debauchery-at-the-dakota/collar/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/collar.jpg" data-orig-size="290,448" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 6s&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685561829&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.066666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;43.649719444444&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;-79.420777777778&quot;}" data-image-title="collar" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/collar.jpg?w=194" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/collar.jpg?w=290" class="size-full wp-image-34577 alignleft" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/collar.jpg?w=584" alt="collar" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/collar.jpg 290w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/collar.jpg?w=97 97w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px" />So on a grungy corner of Dundas and Ossington lies a grungy cellar dive; the Dakota Tavern.  It&#8217;s not an obvious place to do opera though a mash up of opera and burlesque is more plausible.  And so that&#8217;s what we got from the Opera Revue crew (Alexander Hajek, Danie Friesen and Claire Harris) and four burlesque dancers.</p> <p>The music was appropriately chosen; some <em>Phantom</em>, <em>Don Giovanni</em>, <em>Carmen</em>, some Weill plus show tunes.  Basically mine the repertory for stuff that is a bit edgy and plays with ideas of sexual consent or lack of it.  Ironically the goody bag that was raffled off at the interval include, apparently, an Armadildo.  I say ironically because I had spent my lunchtime with the cast and crew of Colleen Wagner&#8217;s new play <em>Armadillos</em> which is also (at least in part) about sexual consent or lack of it.<span id="more-34571"></span></p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34578" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/01/debauchery-at-the-dakota/phantom/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/phantom.jpg" data-orig-size="290,498" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 6s&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685560420&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.066666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;43.649727777778&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;-79.4208&quot;}" data-image-title="phantom" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/phantom.jpg?w=175" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/phantom.jpg?w=290" class="size-full wp-image-34578 alignright" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/phantom.jpg?w=584" alt="phantom" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/phantom.jpg 290w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/phantom.jpg?w=87 87w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px" />The singing was excellent.  The &#8220;dancing&#8221; was very well done too.  I especially like the opening number from <em>Phantom</em> where the dude in the mask and Christine were down to their underwear by the end.  Come to think of it though most of the numbers ended that way.  A &#8220;La ci darem la mano&#8221; where Zerlina ends up with Don Giovanni on a collar and lead was fun too.</p> <p>And it was loud, raucously loud.  I understand that&#8217;s part of the burlesque scene but it&#8217;s not much to my taste.  I quite like tits and bums (though they lost their novelty value long ago) but I don&#8217;t like a racket!  I think I prefer the Opera Revue crew in more civilized and better lit circumstances but that probably makes me an old fuddy duddy.  Their next gig is at Reid&#8217;s Distillery on Sunday night with guest Catherine Carew who. will probably keep her clothes on.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34580" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/06/01/debauchery-at-the-dakota/dancers-5/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/dancers.jpg" data-orig-size="680,467" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 6s&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685564374&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.066666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;43.649708333333&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;-79.420730555556&quot;}" data-image-title="dancers" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/dancers.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/dancers.jpg?w=584" class="size-full wp-image-34580 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/dancers.jpg?w=584" alt="dancers" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/dancers.jpg?w=584 584w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/dancers.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/dancers.jpg?w=300 300w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/dancers.jpg 680w" sizes="(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px" /></p> <p>Apologies for the dreadful quality of the photos but they are the best my pone can manage in a dimly lit bar and in a curious way seem to encapsulate the aesthetic.</p> Variations on salon themes https://parterre.com/2023/06/01/variations-on-salon-themes/ parterre box urn:uuid:04381fc9-a56b-336b-2c3d-4bd9fb3caef8 Thu, 01 Jun 2023 16:44:09 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/01/variations-on-salon-themes/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>In French opera—until <em>Pelleas et Mélisande </em>anyway—there is always a great deal of dance; often, dance rather than song is the main event.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89883" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />The legend that Leander swam the Hellespont each night to meet his lover, Hero, in her tower on the opposite shore, has never given me pause. What raises my eyebrow is the sequel—that, after a night of bliss, the boy was able to swim <em>back.</em> Until, of course, the night he didn’t make it and was dashed to bits upon the rocks, whereupon, in grief, the lady hurled herself from her tower.</p> <p>This tragic conclusion did not meet with favor in the salon of the music-loving Marquise de Pompadour and her boyfriend, Louis XV. Accordingly, <em>Léandre et Héro</em>, the divertissement that <strong>Pierre de la Garde</strong> concocted for them, supplies a genuine god from the machine, Neptune, who transforms the expiring lovers into mer-courtiers of his submersible realm. Everybody dance!</p> <p>In French opera—until <em>Pelleas et Mélisande </em>anyway—there is always a great deal of dance; often, dance rather than song is the main event. <strong>Ryan Brown</strong>’s Opera Lafayette—based in D.C. but regularly bringing its shows to New York—is a stylish opera company of a prevailingly French orientation, so it could hardly produce its offerings with the proper panache if it did not partner with a dance company or two.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89884" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Last month, in a brilliant evening in the fairy tale-encrusted theater of New York’s Museo del Barrio, there were, besides singers and the Opera Lafayette Orchestra, two dance companies: the New York Baroque Dance Company, whose denizens portrayed the usual overdressed nymphs and shepherds, and the Seán Curran Company, who, in skintight teal, frolicked about the stage impersonating waves and billows, hoisting and propelling the flailing Léandre of <strong>Maxime Melnick</strong>, while, from the shore, <strong>Emmanuelle de Negri</strong> sang Héro with silvery, bell-like tones, and <strong>Douglas Williams</strong> intervened as a dignified, fathoms-deep Neptune.</p> <p>The presentation had the charm of brevity, but it was only half the program. There was more substantial fare to come, the American premiere (or second performance, after the prima in D.C. last week) of <strong>Jean-Philippe Rameau</strong>’s <em>Io. </em>This opera, like many of Rameau’s scores, has not survived intact and may never have been completed, but a team of musicologists and musicians have pieced it together, borrowed arias and an overture from other works, composed some recitativo accompagnato themselves—and they served up a scenic <em>opéra-comique</em>.</p> <p>This Opera Lafayette has seen fit to stage—enhanced by the Curran dancers and the spectacular costumes of an artist called <strong>Machine Dazzle</strong>. On his web site, Dazzle describes himself as “a radical queer emotionally driven, instinct-based concept artist and thinker,” and strange to say, that’s just how I was going to describe his costumes though I’d never heard of him.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89885" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-2.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-2.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-2-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>There is color, there is flesh, there are odd textures and fabrics and curious appendages, and you find yourself looking at them, and looking again, because you still aren’t sure what they are intended to be. Species and gender are the least of it. Colorful and fascinating. That is what they are intended to be. (To be fair, the audience in the sold-out house last Tuesday was very nearly as gaudily turned out.)</p> <p>You, of course, remember the story of <em>Io,</em> the Argive princess beloved by Jupiter. To save her from the jealousy of Juno, he transformed her into a cow, whereupon Juno sent a gnat that pursued Io to Egypt, where she became the goddess Isis. Well, Rameau threw all that out. No cows here and, happily, no gnats. I was expecting a cow.</p> <p>Instead, we had a rivalry in love: Jupiter (Mr. Williams again, bare-chested this time) and Apollon (Mr. Melnik, in effulgent gold sun-streamers) were both pursuing Io (Ms. de Negri once more); she goes for Jupe but is understandably wary of his wife. He is happy to divide the world between heavenly and earthly realms with a bride in each—sort of a<em> Captain’s Paradise</em>, with superpowers. Apollon consoled himself with plump and furry Mercure (<strong>Patrick Kilbride</strong>). Everybody dance!</p> <p>The dances displayed the Graces (three, in diaphanous gauze), the Pleasures (two, in next to nothing) and Games (just one, in preposterous referee black and white, with huge ball appendages in unexpected places), and they were highly athletic (<strong>Seán Curran</strong>’s company again), but then Folly showed up to sing her great aria from Rameau’s <em>Platée </em>in several voices and styles at once, including superdiva. She was played by <strong>Gwendoline Blondeel</strong>. While all the singers were of high quality, Blondeel was the <em>pièce de résistance,</em> not that she resisted much.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89886" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-3.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-3.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-3-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>This led to a happy ending except for a choreographic storm, whirling and twirling spangly winds before a choral conclusion. Theatrical substance? Well, the storm blew it all away. I’d love to know what the chic Pompadour would have made of these variations on her salon themes! Though I was just as happy she—and her hair—weren’t sitting in front of me.</p> <p>On Thursday, I returned to the Museo for works of <strong>Giovanni Battista Pergolesi</strong>. This composer died of tuberculosis at the age of 26; he is the shortest-lived composer generally acknowledged as being among the immortals for a melodic gift impressive even in the era of Handel, Caldara and Vivaldi. Most of his output were <em>opere serie </em>of the kind forgotten for nearly three hundred years after its heyday.</p> <p>Today, however, such works, by a dozen of his peers, are favorites for revival—Opera Lafayette has given us works of Handel, Lully and Sacchini. But the program last Thursday focused on two of Pergolesi’s most familiar surviving pieces—familiar yet infrequently performed and, with such forces, highly welcome.</p> <p>The first half of the program was the intermezzo <em>La Serva Padrona,</em> performed in <strong>Nick Olcott</strong>’s French translation (<em>La servante maîtresse</em>), semi-staged, as was appropriate. Intermezzi were comic skits performed by “character” singers during scene changes of baroque grand operas. The vocal demands are not grand, the plots are basic, spoof and character are key.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89887" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-4.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-4.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-4-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lafayette-4-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Eventually the comic spoofs extended to become full-length comic operas, and eventually (think <em>Figaro</em> and <em>Cenerentola</em>) such comedies supplanted the stale old grand operas as the reigning entertainment. Musical comedy has a similar genealogy.</p> <p><strong>Jonathan Woody</strong>, whose voice has respectable depths for the self-important Pandolfe, seemed a bit dry until he warmed to his task—the enviable one of scolding his maid, Zerbine, until she tricks him into a proposal. <strong>Hannah De Priest </strong>sang Zerbine with a most winning clarity of phrase, her comedy tinged with hints of sentiment. Their buffo goings-on (sung in French, spoken in English, in proper couplets in either case) were enhanced by the wordless fulminations of <strong>Patrick Kilbride</strong> as the servant Scapin.</p> <p>A slightly more serious note—but so melodious, so swift-moving and so brief, that one hardly noticed the theological torment of the text (a criticism first made in 1774, Wikipedia informs me)—was struck by Pergolesi’s setting of the <em>Stabat Mater.</em> The evening’s conductor being stricken with Covid (yes, it’s still around, folks!), the Opera Lafayette Orchestra were obliged to perform without one (just as Pergolesi’s orchestra did), the concertmaster doing brave duty.</p> <p>The soprano soloist was <strong>Gwendoline Blondeel</strong> again, and it was a delight to re-encounter her golden, clarion sound in the serious text of Pergolesi after the virtuoso hilarity of her Rameau. The mezzo was <strong>Sarah Mesko</strong>, whose darker, earthier notes were suitable to the texts of mourning, weeping, identifying with the grieving Mother. The two voices were so different in quality, it was intriguing to hear them blend and alternate in duet, Mesko surrounding Blondeel’s trumpet, Blondeel shining in the glow of Mesko’s oboe-like sonorities.</p> <p><strong>Photos: Jennifer Packard</strong></p> June is busting out all over https://parterre.com/2023/06/01/june-is-busting-out-all-over/ parterre box urn:uuid:725e125f-fbe2-6676-ff9c-94d117012c66 Thu, 01 Jun 2023 14:28:06 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/06/01/june-is-busting-out-all-over/"><img width="720" height="255" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/june-busting-720x255.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/june-busting-720x255.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/june-busting-300x106.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/june-busting-768x272.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/june-busting-210x74.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/june-busting.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>All the rams that chase the ewe sheep are determined there&#8217;ll be new sheep and the ewe-sheep aren&#8217;t even keeping score.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAk28Z4qIKc&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAk28Z4qIKc</a></p> <p>Happy 78th birthday mezzo-soprano <strong>Frederica von Stade</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dPmWfAhuPg&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dPmWfAhuPg</a></p> <p>Birthday anniversaries of composers <strong>Ferdinando Paer</strong> (1771) and <strong>Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka</strong> (1804); soprano <strong>Valeriya Vladimirovna Barsova</strong> (1892) and administrator and record producer <strong>Walter Legge</strong> (1906).</p> Spungin and Soloviev https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/31/spungin-and-soloviev/ operaramblings urn:uuid:36e01b4a-b32f-752b-7e57-f8f5715815a7 Wed, 31 May 2023 18:10:32 +0000 It was the &#8220;farewell to the Ensemble Studio&#8221; show for Vlad Soloviev and Jonah Spungin yesterday and they put on a great show enhanced by an informal, witty approach.  Jonah&#8217;s singing was excellent.  I especially liked his take on Wolf&#8217;s &#8230; <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/31/spungin-and-soloviev/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a> <p>It was the &#8220;farewell to the Ensemble Studio&#8221; show for Vlad Soloviev and Jonah Spungin yesterday and they put on a great show enhanced by an informal, witty approach.  Jonah&#8217;s singing was excellent.  I especially liked his take on Wolf&#8217;s &#8220;Der Feuerreiter&#8221; and a set of Swedish songs by Wilhelm Peterson-Berger.  He clearly has power to spare and can be subtle too.  Nice going.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34566" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/31/spungin-and-soloviev/di-07179/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07179.jpg" data-orig-size="580,385" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7RM3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685468665&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;70&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="DI-07179" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07179.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07179.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34566 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07179.jpg?w=584" alt="DI-07179" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07179.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07179.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07179.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p><span id="more-34560"></span>Vlad accompanied beautifully and proved that &#8220;he can still play the piano&#8221; with the second of Liszt&#8217;s pieces on the legend of St. Francis (of Paola not Assissi).  It&#8217;s true, he can.  He also made one of the great sad/funny song introductions for Svidirov&#8217;s <em>Petersburg</em> songs.  TL;DR It sucks to be Russian.  These were beautifully sung and played.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34567" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/31/spungin-and-soloviev/di-07210/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07210.jpg" data-orig-size="580,387" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7RM3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685451302&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;180&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="DI-07210" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07210.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07210.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34567 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07210.jpg?w=584" alt="DI-07210" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07210.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07210.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07210.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>And who knew Jonah Spungin was a folkie with top guitar skills?  He produced a really idiomatic version of &#8220;The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald&#8221;.  And, inevitably, to cap things off we got the &#8220;Largo al factotum&#8221; as an encore.  All in all, nicely done and lots of fun.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34568" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/31/spungin-and-soloviev/di-07242/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07242.jpg" data-orig-size="580,384" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7RM3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685451712&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;60&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.01&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="DI-07242" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07242.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07242.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34568 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07242.jpg?w=584" alt="DI-07242" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07242.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07242.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/di-07242.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /></p> <p>Photo credit: Karen E. Reeves</p> Jerusalem Quartet - Mozart, Prokofiev, and Brahms - 30 May 2023 https://boulezian.blogspot.com/2023/05/jerusalem-quartet-mozart-prokofiev-and.html Boulezian urn:uuid:bc07d927-f33a-9ff8-dbe9-b4e4071fb1de Wed, 31 May 2023 15:29:34 +0000 <br />Wigmore Hall <br /><br /><b>Mozart:</b> String Quartet no.21 in D major, KV 575 <br /><b>Prokofiev: </b>String Quartet no.2 in F major, Op.92 <br /><b>Brahms:</b> String Quartet no.1 in C minor, op.51 no.1 <br /><br />Alexander Pavolvsky, Sergei Bressler (violins)<div>Ori Kam (viola)</div><div>Kyril Zlotnikov (cello)</div><div><br />&nbsp; <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">A wonderful concert from beginning to end. The Jerusalem Quartet treated Mozart as he should be treated: the players’ tone rich and cultivated. Opening tone would not have been taken for the Amadeus Quartet, yet would surely have been recognised by them. Fineness of tone was certainly no end in itself, though; it enlivened and enabled Mozart’s structures from the first movement onward in coming to life as form. There was rhetoric, where required, but this again was properly integrated, not as far too often a substitute for formal communication. For above all, every phrase was imbued with a sense of life and was formally directed. The cliché of the Classical string quartet as conversation may be too worn by now, but it seemed born anew, rejuvenated by a true sense of the operatic solo, duet, trio, and of course quartet. The <i>Andante</i> breathed the evening air of Mozart’s Salzburg serenades, albeit refracted through a late(r) combination of the vital and the reflective: <i>Così</i>-like, one might say. Kyril Zlotnikov eagerly rose to the regal challenge of Frederick William II’s part: first among equals; or, as his uncle might have had it, first servant of the ensemble. That was all the more so in a stylish minuet, propelled both harmonically and rhythmically, both of the eighteenth century and peering beyond it. Brief withdrawal of vibrato in the finale, for expressive rather than dogmatic reasons, made its point in an account as full of life as I have ever heard. Intimations of Beethoven were clear, emerging from score and performance in the most natural, effortless way imaginable.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">The first movement of Prokofiev’s Second Quartet sounded strikingly folk-influenced, which was not to say folklike (an important distinction, I think, both in work and performance). Origins, putative or imaginary, were relished and yet transformed into something new. Prokofiev trademarks were all there: melodic profusion, side-slipping, even the occasional grotesquerie of old, in a performance that evidently relished the composer, his language, and his individual approach to this hallowed genre. A rapt, even visionary opening to the central <i>Adagio</i> emerged from the intensity of the players’ encounter with the score. The second section’s oddball humour came as release, final darkness offering similarly consequent contrast. The finale likewise emerged out of, yet also in, its predecessor’s shadows, in almost operatic fashion, perhaps filmic too. One could almost see the scenes, of whatever kind, the music might have portrayed—not unlike, say, Stravinsky’s <i>Symphony in Three Movements</i>. Superficial similarities with Bartók served mostly – rightly, in my view – to underline how different his music is. Zlotnikov’s extraordinary cadenza incited a truly impassioned climax from all, before the composer led them on a quite different path – how typical of him – to conclusion.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">Taut urgency, not least in more lyrical passages, was apparent from the outset of Brahms’s First Quartet. One felt his struggle in the first movement and beyond, not least his struggle with Beethoven, motivic and otherwise. This is C minor, after all. The intensity of its close was as if I had never heard it before, prior to subsiding to the uneasiest of peace. There was more rapt, if far from untroubled, lyricism to be heard in Brahms’s second movement. Arguably more idiomatic than Prokofiev’s, it is certainly more typical, if such writing can ever truly be considered ‘typical’. Haunted by a host of German Romantic ghosts, musical and perhaps extramusical, it now placed Schubert first among equals. If that were decidedly ambiguous consolation, the post-Schumann darkness of the scherzo led in the opposite direction, to a chiaroscuro the more wondrous the closer one listened. Its trio offered relief of sorts, yet such relief was immediately complicated, not least metrically, presenting Haydn as an ‘as if…’. Further turns of the screw in the finale ushered in a torrential and ultimately tragic outpouring of absolute finality.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">As an encore, the <i>Adagio</i> from Haydn’s String Quartet in F minor, op.20 no.5, provided sunny contrast, albeit a ray of winter sunshine on the cusp of spring. Poise proved the key, rather than a contrast, to its expressive riches.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;"> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p></div> Die Frist ist Glum https://parterre.com/2023/05/31/die-frist-ist-glum/ parterre box urn:uuid:fac59173-655b-603d-87a0-390eac00b553 Wed, 31 May 2023 14:00:39 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/31/die-frist-ist-glum/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-review-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-review-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-review-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-review-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-review-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-review-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>This <em>Holländer</em> offers neither a clear narrative vision for the work nor a sense of turbocharged drama; it simply sits on the Met’s cavernous stage as a dull gray mass.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89861" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-review-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-review-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-review-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-review-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />In Wagner’s <em>Der Fliegende Holländer </em>(The Flying Dutchman), a lovesick young woman sacrifices herself to redeem the troubled soul of the title character, a tortured man cursed to wander the seas until judgment day. In some ways, the Metropolitan Opera’s revival of <strong>François Girard</strong>’s 2020 production represents a similar second chance.</p> <p>Girard’s staging opened to tepid reviews on March 2 of that year, just a week before the Met (and virtually every other cultural institution in the world) shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. As such, this season’s premiere felt almost like an alternate prima, with a strong international cast assembled, a buzzy young conductor in the pit, and the director on hand to shepherd the work back onstage. The end result, however, often felt as hopeless as the Dutchman’s early quest for salvation.</p> <p>After Girard’s visually arresting and dramaturgically potent <em>Parsifal </em>in 2013, he seemed poised to become the Met’s new Wagner whisperer. Earlier this year, he debuted a new staging of <em>Lohengrin</em>, which came across as campy and fun, even as it punted some of the opera’s more serious themes. This <em>Holländer</em>, however, offers neither a clear narrative vision for the work nor a sense of turbocharged drama; it simply sits on the Met’s cavernous stage as a dull gray mass.</p> <p>The sets by <strong>John Macfarlane </strong>call to mind neither a mythical Norway or a purgatorial liminal space – at their most pictorial in Act 1, Daland’s forced perspective ship could be an abandoned set piece from <em>Pirates of the Caribbean</em>. Wearing <strong>Moritz Junge</strong>’s severe sack-like costumes in Act 2, the women of the village resemble extras from <em>The Handmaid’s Tale</em>. The final act takes place in a boundless void, with the singers spaced around the stage, their engagement so limited it might as well be a concert performance.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89862" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>The sole striking visual occurred during the second act “Spinning Chorus,” when a host of braided ropes dropped from the ceiling, which the female choristers vibrated as they sang rather than weaving at looms. But in my section of the orchestra, the slightly masturbatory image elicited its fair share of church laughter, and even though it made for a memorable stage picture, it left me wondering whether the director had put any thought into what the audience should take away from this opera.</p> <p>A production of <em>Der Fliegende Holländer </em>can go in many directions: hyper-romantic, religious allegory, totalitarian parable, psychological drama. The Met’s previous production, pressed into intermittent service for 30 years, took the latter approach. But instead, Girard offers no coherent concept, or even a sense of basic understanding for the work. Die Frist ist simply glum.</p> <p>The musical performance suffered from a similar lack of personality and drive. Much has been made in the press of <strong>Thomas Guggeis</strong>, who makes his North American debut with these performances (and will lead the same opera in Santa Fe this summer). The musical cognoscenti remain attached to the conductor-as-wunderkind mythos, and Guggeis fits the bill on several fronts: At 29, he’s risen quickly through the ranks of the German opera world, and he counts <strong>Daniel Barenboim</strong> and <strong>Christian Thielemann </strong>among his mentors. He assumes the music directorship of Oper Frankfurt this fall.</p> <p>Throughout the evening, Guggeis delivered a competent but uninspired reading of the score. The orchestra played correctly, aside from occasional tuning issues in the brass, but with little sense of passion or dramatic tension. Dynamic variations seemed random. The majestic overture sounded like a frogmarch, with scant sense of the leading into the scary supernatural business to come, and often Guggeis seemed to rush his forces as a way of creating momentum to match the action onstage.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2Ernn93_WA&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2Ernn93_WA</a></p> <p>Lost in this choice, though, were the intriguing and singular details of the score, like the soon-to-vanish influence of Italian bel canto on young Wagner’s compositional still. There was no lightness or lift–only thunder.</p> <p>Vocally, the evening belonged to <strong>Eric Cutler</strong>, returning to the Met after a ten-year absence, during which the American tenor has retooled as a heldentenor. Cutler retains the flexibility and legato that served him well for years as a bel canto specialist, and his voice has gained in volume and dark coloring. He brought these qualities to the role of Erik, who finds himself abandoned by his betrothed Senta in her quest to save the Dutchman’s soul. A committed actor, he communicated an aching tenderness in his last-act aria imploring Senta to resume their relationship.</p> <p>In Europe, Culter sings roles like Bacchus, Siegmund and the Emperor in <em>Die Frau ohne Schatten</em>, parts that have been hard to satisfyingly cast at the Met in recent years. He should be invited stateside to explore the German repertoire more often.</p> <p><strong>Eve Gigliotti </strong>brought a stern countenance and a vibrant, fruity mezzo to the thankless role of Mary, and <strong>Dmitry Belosselskiy </strong>was as tender as Daland as he was terrifying as the Commendatore in <em>Don Giovanni</em>. The male and female choristers sounded somewhat faded under <strong>Donald Palumbo</strong>’s preparation, although they came alive finally in the double chorus that opens Act 3.</p> <p><strong>Tomasz Konieczny </strong>made a splash several seasons ago as Alberich, a performance that allegedly prompted <strong>Peter Gelb</strong> to offer him the lead in this revival on the spot. Sometimes the second impression is more important than the first, and while Konieczny can be praised for flawless delivery of text, his first local Dutchman was not a musical triumph.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKvJZ49AcB8&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKvJZ49AcB8</a></p> <p>The “Bayreuth Bark” has become a cliché when describing male Wagner singers, but it suits Konieczny’s choppy, legato-free style here, as well as the parched, leathery tone of his voice. Sure, the Dutchman hasn’t seen dry land in seven years, but I don’t think he should sound like he has a throat full of rainwater.</p> <p>Girard’s direction does the singers no favors in terms of acting, but even within the limited range allowed by the production, Konieczny’s choices were largely restricted to raising his arms or turning his back dramatically to the audience. His Dutchman was a cipher, neither hopeful nor lost, and the opera’s final tableau failed to move me for the first time ever.</p> <p>As Senta, <strong>Elza van den Heever </strong>began the second-act ballad with squally high notes and approximate pitch, though she ultimately settled into a credible, if somewhat small-scale, interpretation of the role. She lacked chemistry with Cutler and Konieczny and seemed unmoored by a deeply unflattering blond wig, which she tossed around like a Valley Girl most of the night.</p> <p>Her vocal glory lies in the highest register, growing hollow as it moves into the middle and lower passages, a problem in a score that requires a certain amount of warmth at the lower end. Still, she is a committed performer, and with a better director, it’s conceivable that she could have found her way into the character more thoroughly.</p> <p>After three more performances this season, the Dutchman returns to the high seas, and this production returns to storage. How long it will remain there has yet to be determined, but unlike a human soul, some things can’t be saved.</p> <p><strong>Photos: Ken Howard / Met Opera</strong></p> Candid theatricality https://parterre.com/2023/05/31/candid-theatricality/ parterre box urn:uuid:c210080e-92f3-4731-ae65-211f023de5b2 Wed, 31 May 2023 13:00:25 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/31/candid-theatricality/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>Out of sheer morbid curiosity last evening I pulled up the &#8220;orders&#8221; page of my Amazon account and searched <em>Otello</em> to discover that over the past 11 years. I’ve ordered 15 items with that title (one as recently as last night!)</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89853" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />I joke on these pages of my near fanatical devotion to opera and my status as a collector (compulsive hoarder) of opera recordings. I discovered Giuseppe Verdi’s <em>Otello</em> very early in my journey from the classic RCA recording with Domingo, Scotto, and Milnes under Levine and was hooked. I don’t think I saw a video performance until Covent Garden released their 1992 telecast with Domingo &amp; Te Kanawa under Solti.</p> <p>Meanwhile I occupied myself by listening to every recording I could lay hands on, as well as books like <em>Opera on Record</em> edited by <strong>Alan Blyth</strong> and the collected works of New Yorker music critic <strong>Andrew Porter</strong> steered me through the rocky shoals of what to like and why and helped me define my own critical thinking.</p> <p>In spite of the fact that Verdi’s <em>Otello</em> was literally the rock that LA Opera built its house on, due to timing and lack of wherewithal, I didn’t actually see a live performance, in the flesh,  until Saturday May 13 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion when they revived their 2008 production.</p> <p>Music Director <strong>James Conlon</strong> made his way briskly into the pit after the lights dimmed, very briefly acknowledged the tumultuous applause, turned, and suddenly there was cannon-fire. His grasp of the score&#8217;s harmonies and architecture was total and I listened as if with new ears all evening long. The playing of the LA Opera Orchestra reached a level of passion and ferocity that surprised even myself. There were times when the orchestra got so hot I was afraid that the singers wouldn’t be heard.</p> <p>Yet Maestro Conlon kept his players on a very short leash and no one was ever overwhelmed. Still it was the clear delineation of the parts and the transparency of the playing, to say nothing of the constant adjustments to dynamics and balance, that continued to astonish all evening. I’m also happy to report that the horns were on their best behavior (and Verdi gives them ferocious work here).</p> <p>As to the staging and design things were a little less stellar. <strong>John Cox</strong> directed this production when it was new and here those duties were handed over to <strong>Joel Ivany</strong>. He inherited production and costume designs by the late <strong>Johan Engels</strong>, shared with Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Teatro Regio di Parma, that are challenging. Mr. Engels sets the entire story on a curved surface that rises at over a 20 degree angle stage right and slightly less on the left bookended by two square tunnels and two large whitewashed walls representing a deconstructed Cyprus.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89854" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-2.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-2.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-2-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Mr. Engels had a long and illustrious career and designed a number of very high profile productions including <strong>Mieczslaw Weinberg</strong>’s <em>The Passenger </em>which traveled the world, the monumental Salzburg Festival <em>Turandot </em>from 2002, and the last (truncated) <em>Ring</em> Cycle at Chicago Lyric. Here his work seems more art installation than anything else and you felt bad for the singers having to navigate the treacherous incline. Some managed better than others but none of them looked remotely comfortable.</p> <p>Still Mr. Ivany’s blocking was clear and he worked well in the confines of what he’d been given. Furniture rests askew at most points and there’s no bed for Act IV (!?!)  Mr. Engels&#8217; costumes came from no particular period with the Cypriote in vaguely Middle-Eastern robes, Otello’s soldiers in 20th century uniforms, the Venetian Ambassadors in Renaissance regalia and our lady Desdemona modeling the latest fashions from Paris.</p> <p>Still the play’s the thing and Mr. Ivany was gifted an astonishingly talented cast that brought full musical and dramatic justice to this great work. A more than capable <strong>Anthony Ciaramitaro</strong> as Cassio and <strong>Anthony Leon</strong> as Rodrigo brough youth and strong support in these small but pivotal parts</p> <p>The Rolls Royce casting of <strong>Morris Robinson</strong> as Lodovico, the Ambassador from Venice, afforded us all the opportunity to enjoy his plush sound and theatrical gravitas. His costume seemed cumbersome due to the weight of its fabric and its cut which was unfortunate as the robes of his fellow council members flowed far freer.</p> <p>I’m happy to note that our Emilia, <strong>Sarah Saturnino</strong>, joined the young artists program here last year and she made an enormous impression as a fierce and tender maid to Desdemona. Her stature in the role grew through each successive act and her denouncement of her husband and subsequent devastation at the events of the finale were deeply moving. Her voice is pungent and it’s probably no mistake that I never realized how much Emilia really anchors the great concertato in Act 3 until hearing it live. Her bio proves her to be an extremely accomplished young woman and she is an artist to watch. I hope we hear more from her.</p> <p>I had the inklings that something wonderful was about to happen when I could actually hear our Jago clearly ringing out over the storm and chorus of the first scene. <strong>Igor Golovatenko</strong> made a formidable villain and he possesses a sharp, clear, baritone with no discernible register breaks and a nifty trill. One of those magic voices that’s easily audible throughout its entire range.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89855" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>He debuted at the Metropolitan Opera alongside <strong>Lise Davidsen</strong> in <em>The Queen of Spades</em> and was asked back to partner <strong>Ailyn Perez</strong> in <em>Eugene Onegin.</em> He was chilling in the famous &#8220;Credo&#8221; and never overdid his wickedness. He was also especially adept in the scene with Cassio making certain Otello saw the handkerchief in question. A performance full of vocal assurance and subtle inflections.</p> <p>But I must confess a lot of my excitement was based on hearing <strong>Rachel Willis-Sørensen </strong>live as I had enjoyed her recent Sony recital disc and reviewed it on these pages. She was touching in the love duet and did some beautiful and generous phrasing (that was evenly matched, and then some, by her partner Russell Thomas) but I couldn’t help feeling a tad bewildered at my impression of her voice in the theatre.</p> <p>Then when she made her entrance in Act 3 with &#8220;Dio ti giocondi, o sposo” I realized she’d finally gotten her voice lined up and blooming across its entire range. I suddenly thought, “Ah, there she is!” and from that moment forward what had been good was gala. It’s a gorgeous instrument and so full and refulgent on top and her control with the pianissimos in the final scene were magical.</p> <p>You’d have to do some sort of mathematical equation to figure out what the tessitura for Verdi’s Desdemona is because in spite of the fact it’s written for lyric soprano the role sits uncommonly low, almost in mezzo territory. Apparently Verdi was looking for a rich sound. Ms. Willis-Sørensen gave us her best and dramatically she was touching in her constant confusion over the behavior of her husband. She also did some nifty dominating of the ensemble in Act 3 which is a skill every Verdi soprano should have in her arsenal.</p> <p>I’ve enjoyed <strong>Russell Thomas</strong> in all of his roles here at LA Opera. When he debuted his first Otello under Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl in 2018 I must have been out of town. He’s a veteran of a number of productions now and it shows. I remember thinking when I heard him as Mozart’s Tito that he sounded like an Otello and he’d already had one under his belt at that point. He made his first entrance with full vocal assurance and marched to the front of the stage in complete command and delivered a stentorian “Esultate!”</p> <p>There’s nothing easier than singing a strong mezzo-forte all evening long without nuance or attention to detail.  Simply singing the role is hard enough as it is, let alone slapping a little butter on it. Thomas gave an elegant performance all evening long including some astonishing piano phrases in the Act One duet that took me completely by surprise. So beautiful in fact that there was spontaneous applause immediately at its conclusion for he and Willis-Sørensen.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89858" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-3.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-3.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/otello-3-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>His voice doesn’t ring at the top in a conventional way but every new Otello gets blamed in one way or another for not being the equal of their most recent predecessor in the role. Mr. Thomas’ portrayal needs no such apologies. He was alert to the drama and kept the audience aware of his thought process.</p> <p>The staging had him flat on his back for “Dio, mi potevi” and his scrupulous musicianship allowed him to pass the famous &#8220;A-flat&#8221; test without tearing a passion to tatters as it were and overloading Verdi’s simple musical line. He had a candid theatricality that was never embarrassing and he let out with two harrowing death cries during “Niun mi tema”.</p> <p>The LA Opera Chorus did splendid work under its new Director <strong>Jeremy Frank</strong>, exciting in the opening storm and towering in the Act 3 concertato. Attention to detail was evident especially when Maestro Conlon took a tiny ritard in the opening at, “Tu, che reggi gli astri e il Fato!”  which was just magical.</p> <p>Lighting by <strong>Jason Hand</strong> was especially potent in the opening as well with an enormous spherical fire pit swinging in the wind over the chorus. There was much laying on of lightning and thunder effects which I frankly find distracting on recordings but was so well executed it was sensational in the theater. I wish that something could be done about the entrance of the chorus and dignitaries in Act 3 because it’s almost anticlimactic the way it’s lit and staged.</p> <p>I have to take a moment to speak on the supertitles used. They diminished the text of the opera to such an extent that it caused unintended mirth from the audience in the worst places. The translation of Desdemona’s  “a terra, si…” was particularly inane. I’m quibbling because this is a phenomenal cast and musical team and who knows if we’ll ever see their equal again.</p> <p>As has been the custom with special performances, LA Opera livestreamed this <em>Otello</em> to giant screens on the Santa Monica Pier and Cal State University, Dominguez Hills. I hope they’ll be a commercial release because I may need a new fix by then.</p> <p><strong>Photos: Cory Weaver / LA Opera</strong></p> Someone has wounded you https://parterre.com/2023/05/31/someone-has-wounded-you/ parterre box urn:uuid:1c7d34bf-126c-a976-15cb-35bca6fce1bb Wed, 31 May 2023 10:22:19 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/31/someone-has-wounded-you/"><img width="720" height="246" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/dear-world-header-720x246.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/dear-world-header-720x246.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/dear-world-header-300x103.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/dear-world-header-768x263.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/dear-world-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/dear-world-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>On this day in 1969 the musical <I>Dear World</i> closed at the Mark Hellinger Theater after an extremely disappointing run of only 132 performances.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_inzotiwPPE&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_inzotiwPPE</a></p> <p>(Even that insane series of modulations can&#8217;t save this number.)</p> <p>Happy 83rd birthday soprano <strong>Olivia Stapp</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT1Xhxo0pFk&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT1Xhxo0pFk</a></p> <p>Born on this day in 1931 mezzo-soprano/soprano <strong>Shirley Verrett</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsvqSDg4als&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsvqSDg4als</a></p> <p>On this day in 1817 Rossini&#8217;s<em> La gazza ladra</em> premiered in Milan.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX1coI_QW4I&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX1coI_QW4I</a></p> <p>Birthday anniversaries of composer <strong>Marin Marais</strong> (1656), conductor<strong> Louis Fourestier</strong> (1892), mezzo-soprano <strong>Edith Coates</strong> (1908), countertenor <strong>Alfred Deller</strong> (1912) and soprano<strong> Florence Quartararo</strong> (1922).</p> <p>Happy birthday to longtime parterrian <strong>Jon Taylor</strong>!</p> Der Fliegende Holländer https://parterre.com/2023/05/30/der-fliegende-hollander-7/ parterre box urn:uuid:29e2c558-673a-0215-9b88-b6ccd4038bb1 Tue, 30 May 2023 22:00:33 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/30/der-fliegende-hollander-7/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p><strong>Tomasz Konieczny</strong> stars as the accursed Dutchman in Wagner’s haunting ghost story.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89842" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hollander-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Streaming and discussion <a href="https://www.metopera.org/season/radio/free-live-audio-streams/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">begin at 8:00 PM</a>.</p> <p><strong>Photo: Ken Howard / Met Opera</strong></p> Distinctly human https://parterre.com/2023/05/30/distinctly-human/ parterre box urn:uuid:a1472f2d-eca6-2076-cb35-f50929de9861 Tue, 30 May 2023 15:45:39 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/30/distinctly-human/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-header-1.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>In the five short years that I’ve been in New York, I have seen that crusty old <strong>Franco Zeffirelli</strong> production of <em>La bohème</em> more times than I can count on one hand. And there are certainly times when that peeling <em>mise-en-scène</em> really shows its age.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89832" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-inside-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-inside-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-inside-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-inside-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />Swallowed up in the brown morass of Zeffirelli’s monumental sets, the revolving cast of operatic superstars who have inhabited this ageing production often seem more gauche than Rive-Gauche. I always have the acute sense that the Met views its singers as the most replaceable parts of their <em>Bohème</em>—always playing second fiddle to a repertory production that’s too big to fail.</p> <p>But the Met’s latest cast of “Bohemians” (who took to the stage on Friday night) were like a breath of fresh air, gently wafting the settling dust off this operatic relic. I don’t really expect to be surprised by a performance of <em>La bohème </em>at the Met. Yet, this cast found untapped potential in Zeffirelli’s ultra-conservative scenic vision, finding the distinctly human story in amongst all the bloated spectacle.</p> <p>Indeed, this revival was bursting with fleeting, seemingly spontaneous dramatic garnishes—thoughtful subtleties that lifted the energy (and magnified the emotional impact) of this production.</p> <p>This renewed expressivity resulted, in part, from the committed individual performances of this latest cast—which featured successful role debuts for <strong>Susanna Phillips</strong> and <strong>Latonia Moore</strong>.</p> <p>But it was also the product of a palpable theatrical chemistry that ran throughout the ensemble. I felt a real emotional connection between singers, a powerful sense that these were actual people speaking to each other, rather than performers hamming it to their audience.</p> <p>Friday’s cast brought Puccini’s characters to us as fully fleshed-out human beings, with complex personalities rooted in the nuances of the opera’s libretto.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89833" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-1-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-1-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-1-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-1-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Schaunard, Colline, and Marcello—who so often appear as interchangeable <em>zanni</em>—found distinct identities in the hands of <strong>Iurii Samoilov</strong>, <strong>Krysztof B</strong><strong>?</strong><strong>czyk</strong>, and <strong>Quinn Kelsey</strong> respectively. The rambunctious shenanigans between these starving artists did not feel like so much comic relief, emerging, instead, as a moving testament to the endurance of the human spirit in the face of adversity.</p> <p>Likewise, Phillips and <strong>Charles Castronovo</strong> brought interesting personality tics to their interpretations of Mimì and Rodolpho. By focusing on the individuality of their respective characters, they demonstrated what an odd couple these lovers are—that their relationship flourishes in spite of (and not because of) the differences between them.</p> <p>Phillips and Castronovo did not romanticize the love between the two protagonists. They didn’t shy away from their characters’ flaws, and, indeed, relished in the toxic magnetism at the heart of their on-again-off-again affair.</p> <p>That there was clear tension between Castronovo’s roguish, freewheeling Rodolfo and Phillips’s painfully earnest Mimì did not diminish the raw passion of their relationship. Nor did it dampen the emotional impact of the opera’s tragic end. If anything, this warts-and-all portrayal of their relationship felt their story seem all the more real, all the more close-to-home.</p> <p>Musically, the performance was far from perfect: there were aspects of this interpretation that just didn’t cohere, only held together by the strength of the dramatic reading.</p> <p>Leading the orchestra, <strong>James Gaffigan</strong> brought out bold contrasts in Puccini’s score. Musical events often seemed to erupt from nowhere, punctuating the onstage action with sudden bursts of sonic energy.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89834" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-2-1.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-2-1.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-2-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-2-1-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Gaffigan relished in the modernity of Puccini’s score, balancing surging post-Wagnerian tension with a welcome sense of spontaneity. Under his baton, parts of the opera almost sounded jazzy: the chromatic woodwind arabesques which Puccini often deploys as countermelodies emerged from the orchestra as sultry riffs—aching, quasi-improvisatory gestures responding to the vicissitudes of the drama.</p> <p>However, the orchestra often sounded out of step with the singers. I didn’t get the sense that there was a unified approach to the pace of Puccini’s score between the singers and the orchestra: points of cadential arrival often felt a little uncoordinated, fermatas seemed tentative or rushed, and there seemed to be a little disagreement over the timing of rubato.</p> <p>Similarly, there many moments where a delicate vocal pianissimo was met with a vigorous swell from the orchestra, totally overpowering the singers. There were times when I felt like the singers were merely a backdrop—a gentle accompaniment—to the orchestral texture.</p> <p>While this was not always a bad thing (I gained a new appreciation for Puccini’s orchestrations), it often meant that little vocal nuances (portamenti, messa di voce) were swallowed up by the instruments. Neither Phillips nor Castronovo has a particularly large voice, and I would’ve appreciated a musical interpretation that was better tailored to the voices of the singers and their particular vocal stylings.</p> <p>Phillips—once a mainstay Musetta in this production—made a particularly elegant debut in the role of Mimì. Hers was a slow-burning interpretation. Her aria and duets in the first act sounded almost guarded, as if she were deliberately holding back.</p> <p>By the third act, however, it became clear exactly <em>what</em> she was holding back: a raw, unbridled vocal performance that perfectly captured the anguish and desperation of the dying Mimì. I was holding back tears at the moment when her Mimì emerged from the shadows to confront the jealous Rodolpho: in the ensuing duet, Phillips found warmth and elegance in Mimì’s torrid, agonized outpourings.</p> <p>This is not to say that Phillips’s performance was overblown. Indeed, the soprano was at her best when she explored different shades of piano within the melodic line. If her high notes could be a little colorless in the louder moments, the even lyricism of her middle register never failed to draw me in.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89835" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-3.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-3.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/boheme-3-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></p> <p>Castronovo’s Rodolpho, too, initially felt a tad withheld. The tenor played down Puccini’s grand, soaring melodic apexes, prioritizing, instead, the smoothness of the musical line and an even, finessed vocal production.</p> <p>This restraint paid dividends in those moments when his Rodolfo did “let it rip”: in moments of dramatic intensity, Castronovo’s sweet-voiced bel canto opened into a lustrous, full-throated roar, bringing new energy to the character.</p> <p>If anything, Castronovo’s Rodolfo was a little <em>too</em> lyrical. I wish that his early scenes with Marcello, Colline, and Schaunard had been more sharply articulated: often, his outwardly mellifluous vocality was altogether too smooth for the quick-fire parlando of the comic action.</p> <p>Latonia Moore proved a natural Musetta: campy, but not overblown; flirtatious, but never shallow; warmhearted, but with a playful edge.</p> <p>She made much of her grand entrance in the second act, toying with the extremes of Musetta’s vocal line: the laughs and shrieks which pepper her music in this act never compromised the richness of her sound, nor did they detract from the musicality of her interpretation.</p> <p>That being said, I felt that her “Quando m’en vo” was a little too blustery, lacking the kind of ironic restraint that often makes this moment so magical. In fact, my favorite part of her performance was Musetta’s prayer in the final act (a deeply underrated musico-dramatic conceit on Puccini’s part) which laid bare the sumptuous soft edges of her voice.</p> <p>Kelsey’s Marcello was a particular highlight for me: he played the struggling artist as a gruff curmudgeon, endlessly frustrated by his artistic and romantic failings.</p> <p>He took a firm, forthright approach to Marcello’s music; however, this robust, no-nonsense singing did not make his character any less nuanced or interesting. If anything, it created a nice contrast to the hearty, boisterous performances of Samoilov and B?czyk</p> <p><strong>Alexandra Wilson</strong>, in her book-length study of Puccini’s opera, aptly notes that the endless revivals of Zeffirelli’s production have gained a “ritualistic quality”—more a product of tradition than artistic necessity. But I’m beginning to think that, as long as we have intelligent, passionate artists willing to pump new life into this nostalgia piece, there will always be something new to discover in the Met’s <em>La bohème</em>.</p> <p><strong>Photos: Ken Howard / Met Opera</strong></p> Così fan tutte, Norwegian National Opera, 25 May 2023 https://boulezian.blogspot.com/2023/05/cosi-fan-tutte-norwegian-national-opera.html Boulezian urn:uuid:1106b8df-5d83-a49c-ed4b-598019d1cc32 Tue, 30 May 2023 14:33:03 +0000 <br />Oslo Opera House <br /><br />Fiordligi – Frøy Hovland Holtbakk <br />Dorabella – Kari Dahl Nielsen <br />Guglielmo – Magnus Ingemund Kjelstad <br />Ferrando – Eirik Grøtvedt <br />Despina – Eldrid Gorset <br />Don Alfonso – Audun Iversen<div><br /></div>Katrine Wiedemann (director)<br />Maja Ravn (designs)<br />Åsa Frankenberg (lighting)<br /><div><br /> Norwegian National Opera Chorus</div><div>Norwegian National Opera Orchestra</div><div>Tobias Ringborg (conductor)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRxauNOyPosX7Yxejweuet9QVhYIDr3D_PKe2T0tU5nEVJFPeEnqmTnxm2jRara3lqs_3hHxcuFmaJ0vAoLPTCjnVFvWkuAKocTL795q2e8AIqlM6O8gLZp6tDwpn3plcgP19A2KM4p3cBTKTiTXMMSGKda_5_t1-eR3NqOavLZnYBYHEk3T4Zh0Elg/s600/cosi-fan-tutte-2023-foto-erik-berg-0784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="600" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlRxauNOyPosX7Yxejweuet9QVhYIDr3D_PKe2T0tU5nEVJFPeEnqmTnxm2jRara3lqs_3hHxcuFmaJ0vAoLPTCjnVFvWkuAKocTL795q2e8AIqlM6O8gLZp6tDwpn3plcgP19A2KM4p3cBTKTiTXMMSGKda_5_t1-eR3NqOavLZnYBYHEk3T4Zh0Elg/w640-h472/cosi-fan-tutte-2023-foto-erik-berg-0784.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Erik Berg</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">Visiting Oslo for a conference, I was eager to go to the opera if possible, which meant the second night of Katrine Wiedemann’s new production of <i>Cosi fan tutte</i>. Oslo Opera House is just as spectacular a building, setting included, as the pictures would have it. It is beautiful inside too, Norwegian oak trees put to good (I hope sustainable) use in the auditorium, its acoustic as warm as it is clear.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">What, then, of the production and performances? Wiedemann’s central idea seems to me a reasonable one, nothing especially out of the ordinary in terms of an essentially contemporary context, but is ultimately let down by certain details that detract and distract. The central concept is of two young couples starting their lives together, visiting an IKEA store to begin to furnish their new homes (which may be next door to one another, or perhaps that is simply a way of showing them both onstage at the same time). Don Alfonso, the older, wiser employee has seen it all before and decides to put them to a test—just as one would expect. As the drama progresses through the day Guglielmo and Ferrando are bound to follow his directions, we see various urban landscapes—including, puzzlingly, a backdrop that looks far more like a London than an Oslo street—broadly to accompany the time of day: so a trip to a supermarket (or, oddly, a research library), to a night club, and so on. Neither of the oddities mentioned so far especially matters, but they seem typical of a concept that has not really been through, or at least comes across as not having been so.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">The biggest problem, however, lies in the male lovers’ disguise. I initially thought I must be misunderstanding, so unlikely was it that a director would choose to portray then as homeless people. Perhaps this was a local ‘look’ that I was not aware of, or something. But no, disguised in ‘unwashed’ state, they meet Fiordiligi and Dorabella at a metro station, and matters proceed from there. There is no discernible social or political comment here, but various sets of possible implications, none of which it is possible to spin in a non-offensive way. This, I am afraid, needs rethinking, for the fundamental idea of an assembly-kit life, thrown by Don Alfonso’s intervention, has merit to it and surely deserves a better chance, even if the designs are themselves a bit too ‘flat-pack’ for comfort.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">The performances, too, deserve better. A young cast, bar Audun Iversen’s welcome voice of experience as Don Alfonso, threw itself into the intrigue with laudable commitment and considerable results. Frøy Hovland Holtbakk as Fiordiligi and Kari Dahl Nielsen as Dorabella both had the coloratura and knew what to do with it, as well as the ability to spin a fine Mozart line. Loss of one of his arias notwithstanding – this <i>Così </i>was cut to a considerable, even surprising extent – Eirik Grøtvedt tired a little in the second act, but otherwise offered a nicely sung Ferrando. Magnus Ingemund Kjelstad’s Guglielmo was for me the pick of the bunch, his Guglielmo as beautifully sung as it was an animating stage presence. Eldrid Gorset’s Despina was also excellent, without any of the irritations that can sometimes, sadly, accompany performances of the role.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Georgia&quot;,serif;">Tobias Ringborg led the house orchestra in a sensitive, stylish performance—at least beyond an Overture that was both pulled around and hard-driven (all too common in current ‘period’-style Mozart). That the score was thoroughly in Ringborg’s head could be heard as well as seen; whether I agreed with every tempo decision or not, there was always evidence of consideration. It was a pity we did not hear more of the work, but I doubt that was his decision. Quite why, though, the chorus was relegated to tape I do not know: another strange choice on the director’s part, I presume. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;</span></span></p></div> Expected Wagneriennes https://parterre.com/2023/05/30/expected-wagneriennes/ parterre box urn:uuid:dcbef1e1-0775-3f80-d7d0-cd0ecd78611a Tue, 30 May 2023 14:00:42 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/30/expected-wagneriennes/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/isolde-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/isolde-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/isolde-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/isolde-header-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/isolde-header-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/isolde-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p><strong>Christa Ludwig</strong> sings Kundry in <em>Parsifal </em>with <strong>Helge Brilioth, Thomas Stewart </strong>and <strong>Cesare Siepi</strong> conducted by <strong>Leopold Ludwig</strong>, followed by a legendary <strong>Birgit Nilsson</strong>&#8211;<strong>Jon Vickers</strong> <em>Tristan und Isolde </em>led by <strong>Erich Leinsdorf</strong>.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-89822" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ludwig-inside.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ludwig-inside.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ludwig-inside-300x169.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ludwig-inside-210x118.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" />In advance of tonight&#8217;s premiere of the Met’s <em>Der Fliegende Holländer </em>revival<em>, </em>Chris’s Cache follows up its <a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/09/unexpected-wagneriennes/">previous installment</a> “Unexpected Wagneriennes” with in-house recordings of notable local live performances featuring two famous divas in familiar roles.<strong>Christa Ludwig</strong> sings Kundry in <em>Parsifal </em>with <strong>Helge Brilioth, Thomas Stewart </strong>and <strong>Cesare Siepi</strong> conducted by <strong>Leopold Ludwig</strong>, followed by a legendary <strong>Birgit Nilsson</strong>&#8211;<strong>Jon Vickers</strong> <em>Tristan und Isolde </em>led by <strong>Erich Leinsdorf</strong>.</p> <p>Ludwig sang just three Kundrys when the 1971 new production premiered; she’d return to the role at the Met only in 1979 after a five-year absence. Brilioth and conductor Ludwig’s debuts came just a week earlier as did Siepi’s first local Gurnemanz and only German role there.</p> <p>In another season plagued by <em>Tristan </em>changes, Vickers would only sing his role twice—this is the second and the only one with Nilsson. She’d perform her role three times more that season opposite Jess Thomas and then never again in the US. This performance marked <strong>Paul Plishka</strong>’s first Marke, a role he came back to 25 years later for a single performance in 1999.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>Wagner: <em>Parsifal</em></strong></p> <p>Kundry: Christa Ludwig<br /> Flower Maidens: Gail Robinson, Frederica von Stade, Jacqueline Pierce, Joy Clements, Nedda Casei, Shirley Love<br /> Voice: Batyah Godfrey Ben-David<br /> First Esquire: Loretta Di Franco<br /> Second Esquire: Ivanka Myhal<br /> Parsifal: Helge Brilioth<br /> Amfortas: Thomas Stewart<br /> Gurnemanz: Cesare Siepi<br /> Klingsor: Ezio Flagello<br /> Titurel: John Macurdy<br /> Third Esquire: Leo Goeke<br /> Fourth Esquire: Robert Schmorr<br /> First Knight: Rod MacWherter<br /> Second Knight: Rober Goodloe</p> <p>Conductor: Leopold Ludwig</p> <p>Metropolitan Opera House<br /> 21 November 1970<br /> In-house recording</p> <p><iframe style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/26986854/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/4a3b2a/time-start/00:00:00/hide-playlist/yes/download/yes" width="100%" height="192" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><strong>Wagner: <em>Tristan und Isolde</em></strong></p> <p>Isolde: Birgit Nilsson<br /> Brangäne: Michèle Vilma<br /> Tristan: Jon Vickers<br /> Kurwenal: William Dooley<br /> King Marke: Paul Plishka<br /> Melot: William Lewis<br /> Sailor&#8217;s Voice: Raymond Gibbs<br /> Shepherd: Nico Castel<br /> Steersman: Louis Sgarro</p> <p>Conductor: Erich Leinsdorf</p> <p>Metropolitan Opera<br /> 30 January 1974<br /> In-house recording</p> <p><iframe style="border: none;" title="Embed Player" src="https://play.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/26986875/height/192/theme/modern/size/large/thumbnail/yes/custom-color/4a3b2a/time-start/00:00:00/hide-playlist/yes/download/yes" width="100%" height="192" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Each Wagner opera can be downloaded by clicking on the icon of a cloud with an arrow pointing downward on the audio player above and the resulting mp3 file will appear in your download directory.</p> <hr /> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="QbMrKeqGdN"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/09/unexpected-wagneriennes/">Unexpected Wagneriennes</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;Unexpected Wagneriennes&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/05/09/unexpected-wagneriennes/embed/#?secret=BQRTH0SXpZ#?secret=QbMrKeqGdN" data-secret="QbMrKeqGdN" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Rqn0EkaK9C"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/04/ill-remember-april/">I&#8217;ll remember April</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;I&#8217;ll remember April&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/05/04/ill-remember-april/embed/#?secret=jUlNU2F3h9#?secret=Rqn0EkaK9C" data-secret="Rqn0EkaK9C" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Utdi9F3Mw9"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/04/23/mozart-for-another-time/">Mozart for another time</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;Mozart for another time&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/04/23/mozart-for-another-time/embed/#?secret=JPTUfUvPCc#?secret=Utdi9F3Mw9" data-secret="Utdi9F3Mw9" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="YRePxAB9Q1"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/04/05/disenchanted/">Some disenchanted evening</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;Some disenchanted evening&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/04/05/disenchanted/embed/#?secret=ugOyGFjvcr#?secret=YRePxAB9Q1" data-secret="YRePxAB9Q1" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> <div class="iframe-container"> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="Yki2Da90ho"><p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/03/31/you-must-believe-in-spring/">You must believe in spring</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="&#8220;You must believe in spring&#8221; &#8212; parterre box" src="https://parterre.com/2023/03/31/you-must-believe-in-spring/embed/#?secret=hHaR9XfytM#?secret=Yki2Da90ho" data-secret="Yki2Da90ho" width="600" height="338" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> A Left Coast https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/30/a-left-coast/ operaramblings urn:uuid:18039d39-4abc-3b15-f015-30e569fcb979 Tue, 30 May 2023 13:49:28 +0000 A Left Coast is baritone Tyler Duncan and pianist Erika Switzer&#8217;s tribute to British Columbia and its music.  Seven composers with birthdates ranging from 1908 to 1985 are featured on the disk.  BC is a young country as far as &#8230; <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/30/a-left-coast/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a> <p><em><img data-attachment-id="34528" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/30/a-left-coast/a-left-coast-cover/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/a-left-coast-cover.jpg" data-orig-size="290,289" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1417517999&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}" data-image-title="A Left Coast cover" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/a-left-coast-cover.jpg?w=290" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/a-left-coast-cover.jpg?w=290" class="size-full wp-image-34528 alignleft" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/a-left-coast-cover.jpg?w=584" alt="A Left Coast cover" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/a-left-coast-cover.jpg 290w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/a-left-coast-cover.jpg?w=150 150w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px" />A Left Coast</em> is baritone Tyler Duncan and pianist Erika Switzer&#8217;s tribute to British Columbia and its music.  Seven composers with birthdates ranging from 1908 to 1985 are featured on the disk.  BC is a young country as far as western classical music is concerned though, of course, it has rich artistic traditions stretching far back into the mists of the north west.</p> <p>It&#8217;s quite varied and, inevitably, I like some sets more than others.  My top pick is Leslie Uyeda&#8217;s <em>Plato&#8217;s Angel</em> songs which set poems by Lorna Crozier.  There&#8217;s a deep melancholy in the text that&#8217;s reflected in a dark, somewhat atonal musical idiom.  I also really liked Jeffrey Ryan&#8217;s <em>Everything Already Lost</em>; the longest set on the record, setting quite sonically/musically evocative texts by Jan Zwicky with quite varied sonorities mixing elements of minimalism and onomatopoeia, especially in the piano part.</p> <p><span id="more-34524"></span>Third pick would be the late Jocelyn Morlock&#8217;s <em>Involuntary Love Songs</em> setting texts by Alan Ashton.  These are quite challenging texts about love with really dense piano parts and are very effective.  But having picked three faves I have to say all the music on the record is excellent and it&#8217;s worth the time to acquaint oneself with it.  Canadian art song is such a rich vein from sea to shining sea!</p> <p>The performances are excellent.  Switzer is a fine musician and interpreter and Duncan&#8217;s lyric baritone is lovely to listen too.  Excellent diction makes the supplied texts entirely superfluous even if the odd &#8220;t&#8221; o &#8220;d&#8221; shift does slightly bother my Anglo-Torontonian sensibility!</p> <p>The recording too is first rate.  It was made in hi-res in June 2022 in the Roy Barnett Recital Hall at UBC.  It&#8217;s due for release on June 23rd as a physical CD and in various digital formats (MP3, CD quality FLAC and 96kHz/24 bit FLAC).  My review copy was hi-res digital.  The booklet (English only) has composer&#8217;s notes, full texts and bios.</p> <p>Catalogue number: Bridge Records 9574</p> “The boy is a genius” https://parterre.com/2023/05/30/the-boy-is-a-genius/ parterre box urn:uuid:1db4e80d-30a5-843a-3f7f-e344a4b6268d Tue, 30 May 2023 10:55:33 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/30/the-boy-is-a-genius/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/thalberg-header-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/thalberg-header-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/thalberg-header-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/thalberg-header-768x261.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/thalberg-header-210x71.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/thalberg-header.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>Born on this day in 1899 film producer <strong>Irving Thalberg</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2drhlF5Nnhs&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2drhlF5Nnhs</a></p> <p>Born on this day in 1920 bass-baritone <strong>George London</strong>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ojhx-cFsJw&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ojhx-cFsJw</a></p> <p>On this day in 1866 <strong>Bedrich Smetana</strong>&#8216;s <em>Prodaná nevesta</em> premiered in Prague</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aP6Omy1kcA&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aP6Omy1kcA</a></p> <p>Birthday anniversaries of librettist <strong>Edouard Blau</strong> (1836) and conducto<strong>r Gustav Leonhardt</strong> (1928).</p> Leipzig cantatas https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/29/leipzig-cantatas/ operaramblings urn:uuid:3cd4a5ee-f1ab-cdc3-7e81-6fa3dddd74f1 Mon, 29 May 2023 16:42:20 +0000 The final concert of this year&#8217;s Toronto Bach Festival took place at Eastminster United Church yesterday afternoon.  It offered two of the cantatas Bach wrote in Leipzig in 1723; Die Elenden sollen essen and Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes  &#8230; <a href="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/29/leipzig-cantatas/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a> <p>The final concert of this year&#8217;s Toronto Bach Festival took place at Eastminster United Church yesterday afternoon.  It offered two of the cantatas Bach wrote in Leipzig in 1723; <em>Die Elenden sollen esse</em>n and <em>Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes</em>  Each is written in two parts which, originally would have bookended a sermon (mercifully absent yesterday).  Each begins with a choral setting of a biblical verse and proceeds via recits on arias on related texts.  The second half of each starts with a Sinfonia and finishes with a chorale based on a Lutheran hymn.</p> <p><img data-attachment-id="34543" data-permalink="https://operaramblings.blog/2023/05/29/leipzig-cantatas/lepzigcantatas/" data-orig-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/lepzigcantatas.jpg" data-orig-size="580,346" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 6s&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1685295838&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.033333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;latitude&quot;:&quot;43.677461111111&quot;,&quot;longitude&quot;:&quot;-79.353713888889&quot;}" data-image-title="lepzigcantatas" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/lepzigcantatas.jpg?w=300" data-large-file="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/lepzigcantatas.jpg?w=580" class="size-full wp-image-34543 aligncenter" src="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/lepzigcantatas.jpg?w=584" alt="lepzigcantatas" srcset="https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/lepzigcantatas.jpg 580w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/lepzigcantatas.jpg?w=150 150w, https://operaramblings.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/lepzigcantatas.jpg?w=300 300w" sizes="(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px" /><span id="more-34537"></span></p> <p>Eight singers were used; two to a part, with female sopranos and male altos.  The recits and arias are solos with all eight singers involved in the choruses and chorales.  There was a small but mighty period instrument band with the excellent Julia Wegman as Konzertmeister.  John Abberger conducted and played oboe.</p> <p>In total there were 28 musical numbers and it was all really good so I think I&#8217;ll just mention a few highlights.  In the first piece I particularly enjoyed Sinéad White&#8217;s &#8220;Ich nehme mein Leben mit Freuden auf mich&#8221;.  There was some lovely, precise coloratura and a really interesting oboe obbligato.  Also Jonathon Adams in &#8220;Mein Herze glaubt und liebt&#8221;.  His rather lovely, very agile baritone got a fabulous trumpet accompaniment from Kathryn Aducci.</p> <p>In the second piece Ellen McAteer sang a really nice &#8220;Hört, ihr Volker, Gottes Stimme&#8221; with beautiful tone accompanied by some excellent violin playing from Julia Wegman.  James Gilchrist showed great agility and style in &#8220;Hasse nur, hasse mich recht&#8221; and Daniel Taylor sang a meltingly beautiful &#8220;Liebt, ihr Christen, in der Tat!&#8221;, again with excellent oboe accompaniment.</p> <p>Just because Adam Kulack, Cory Knight and Nicholas Burns didn&#8217;t make the highlights reel does mean they weren&#8217;t excellent.  They were.  Also a shout out to Christopher Bagan on keyboards.</p> <p>It was the only concert of the festival I could fit into a crazy weekend but I&#8217;m most glad I went.</p> Teen angel https://parterre.com/2023/05/29/teen-angel/ parterre box urn:uuid:8e9ffc5d-3c0e-2c5d-12cc-3a32f1cda146 Mon, 29 May 2023 12:36:49 +0000 <p><a href="https://parterre.com/2023/05/29/teen-angel/"><img width="720" height="245" src="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/barbra-teen-720x245.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/barbra-teen-720x245.jpg 720w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/barbra-teen-300x102.jpg 300w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/barbra-teen-768x262.jpg 768w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/barbra-teen-210x72.jpg 210w, https://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/barbra-teen.jpg 1100w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></a></p><p>On this day in 1962 <strong>Barbra Streisand</strong> appeared on <em>The Garry Moore Show</em>.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q87WlUf5AoQ&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q87WlUf5AoQ</a></p> <p>On this day in 1913 <strong>Igor Stravinsky</strong>&#8216;s<em> Le Sacre du Printemps</em> premiered in Paris; a riot ensued.</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF1OQkHybEQ&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF1OQkHybEQ</a></p> <p>Birthday anniversaries of composers <strong>Isaac Albéniz</strong> (1860) and <strong>Erich Wolfgang Korngold</strong> (1897);<br /> tenor <strong>Mario Chamlee</strong> (1892) and bass<strong> Karl Ridderbusch</strong> (1932).</p> <p>Happy Memorial Day USA Parterrians!</p> <p><a href="//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUK8fHFuLOg&#038;fmt=18">//www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUK8fHFuLOg</a></p> Missy Mazzoli - Breaking the Waves http://npw-opera-concerts.blogspot.com/2023/05/missy-mazzoli-breaking-waves.html We left at the interval... urn:uuid:7441a017-2380-78ed-af8a-c5c03ac308db Mon, 29 May 2023 08:06:00 +0000 <p><span style="font-family: arial;">Opéra Comique, Paris, Sunday May 28 2023</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Conductor: Mathieu Romano. Production: Tom Morris. Sets and Costumes: Soutra Gilmour. Lighting: Richard Howell. Video: Will Duke. Bess McNeill: Sydney Mancasola. Jan Nyman: Jarrett Ott. Dodo McNeill: Wallis Giunta. Mother: Susan Bullock. Dr Richardson: Elgan Llŷr Thomas. Terry: Mathieu Dubroca. Councilman: Andrew Nolen. Sadistic Sailor: Pascal Gourgand. Young Sailor: Fabrice Foison. Ensemble Aedes. Orchestre de Chambre de Paris.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hwQkbc57pQ9LxTj35Et719K-KLB9Wn_FPXqqo7A8N4I9vqwchvaeFgePV9w_CrY970H66hq-7isj24PE86cBxyRbd-bDvhXzC2v8DWgBBvx_i1bETaCFMTfXY7orA27bJ2kNUvOHdGSN2horo8VwTPcl9tyQmGR7ypuFMEFf82_5mzy-Lddy7uzIbQ/s631/Capture%20d%E2%80%99e%CC%81cran%202023-05-29%20a%CC%80%2010.00.59.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="631" height="430" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hwQkbc57pQ9LxTj35Et719K-KLB9Wn_FPXqqo7A8N4I9vqwchvaeFgePV9w_CrY970H66hq-7isj24PE86cBxyRbd-bDvhXzC2v8DWgBBvx_i1bETaCFMTfXY7orA27bJ2kNUvOHdGSN2horo8VwTPcl9tyQmGR7ypuFMEFf82_5mzy-Lddy7uzIbQ/w640-h430/Capture%20d%E2%80%99e%CC%81cran%202023-05-29%20a%CC%80%2010.00.59.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo: James Glossop</i></span></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;<p></p><p>The first post on this blog is about a performance of <i><a href="http://npw-opera-concerts.blogspot.com/2007/01/janacek-jenufa.html" target="_blank">Jenufa in Braunschweig's production</a></i>, with Karita Mattila, at the Châtelet on May 24 2003, so in a way <i>We left at the interval</i> is celebrating its 20th anniversary (the article dates back 20 years, but the blog itself only dates from 2007). I'm now about to mark the occasion with a lame story...</p><p>At the last minute, urged by a virtuoso friend intimately involved in contemporary music, I bought some cheap tickets to attend the opening Sunday matinée of Missy Mazzoli's <i>Breaking the Waves</i> at the Opéra Comique. It's always interesting to see a new opera and I'm glad I did. I haven't seen Lars von Trier's film myself, but many people will already be familiar with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_the_Waves" target="_blank"><i>the grim story</i></a>. Tom Morris and Soutra Gilmour create a dark, cramped, oppressive space around a revolving, granitic core that, with the help of lighting effects and projections, forms a church, a living, room, the rig, and so one. The atmosphere is ominous and gloomy from the outset,and the costumes, many of them black, contribute to the darkness, drabness and sense of doom.</p><p>Missy Mazzoli's score is anything but challenging, which may help explain its relatively wide acceptance. It has obvious echoes, from the very opening bars, of Britten - <i>Grimes</i> of course, and his chamber operas, <i>Screw</i> in particular. 'A kind of feminist <i>Peter Grimes</i>,' joked the virtuoso friend, with distinct hints of Adams and Glass, but of course also its own contemporary personality, albeit perhaps not very marked. It's been hailed, at any rate, as (further) proof that opera isn't yet dead, though I saw one blunt, grumpy reply from someone who admitted they hadn't stayed to the end, to the effect that it could have been composed eighty years ago. It's true that when you hear contemporary works of this kind, you might wonder whether Boulez and IRCAM ever really happened. Whatever: to me it seemed a viable, if by no means cheerful, addition to the repertoire.</p><p>Sydney Mancasola must by now have the leading role in her veins, and Jarrett Ott was particularly commanding as Jan, but perhaps because this opening was a matinee peformance on a warm day, the acting seemed to me, all round, to lack just a notch of dramatic urgency, and the orchestral playing didn't quite sound pin sharp.</p><p>The problem - here comes the really lame part of the story - was that, after a poor, grey, chilly spring, this Sunday was the first truly glorious, warm, sunny day we've had in Paris this year. The cheap seats I'd bought were in a side box with only a 'letterbox' view of the action, impeded vertically by a pillar. So, whatever the undeniable merits of the opera, which I'd gladly return to one winter evening, no problem, we couldn't face any more of the story's stifling gloom, viewed obscurely from our stuffy <i>baignoire</i>, and caved in to the call of the sun outside. Sneaking past the composer herself - chatting with her librettist and&nbsp; glittering, on the little square in front of the house, in a magnificent, mutli-hued sequinned bolero - I'm ashamed to say, we left at the interval.</p><p>This trailer is from the Scottish Opera, in the same production, also with Sydney Mansacola, but not Jarrett Ott:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O7g-gbyBmgI" width="320" youtube-src-id="O7g-gbyBmgI"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>