# Your idea opening night opera for your own opera season



## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

My opening night would be Massenet, Herodiade. I would go all put on a lavish production that would rival something Cecil B DeMille would put on. It would be hard to cast perhaps nowadays because it needs five big voiced star singers. I wish the Herodiade highlights with Crespin and Gorr had been a complete recording rather than highlights.


----------



## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

I'd love a very grand production of La Gioconda. Maybe Latonia Moore in the title role, Jamie Barton as Laura, Jonathan Tetelman as Enzo. I'm not sure about the others.


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

damianjb1 said:


> I'd love a very grand production of La Gioconda. Maybe Latonia Moore in the title role, Jamie Barton as Laura, Jonathan Tetelman as Enzo. I'm not sure about the others.


It was my only opera I ever saw at The Met. It needs a lavish production like they put on. Umana and Borodina were in it. LOVED it.


----------



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I would invite Marina Rebeka for Norma or Anna Bolena.

If it were Norma, I would try Jonas Kaufmann as Pollione, he said he didn't rule out that role. For the next nights, Brandon Jovanovich and Martin Muehle. Or, if I wanted to play it safe, it would be Stefan Pop alternating with Michael Spyres.

Adalgisa would be a soprano. For risk taking, it would be Pretty Yende. She has the idealistic personality of Adalgisa and sang some Adalgisa parts in a recital, but I have no idea how suitable the role is for her. For a safer bet, Amina Edris. From my country, Eva Bodorová.

Oroveso - Peter Mikuláš. I should support the singers of my country.
But Michelle Pertussi could alternate.

As for Anna Bolena, I would import the whole thing from Amsterdam. They changed their habits and made a traditional production this year. And invited Rebeka. I didn't dare to travel there and spend all the money, but I toyed with the idea a little.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Do I have to cast it from today's singers or can I retreat into fantasy?


----------



## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Do I have to cast it from today's singers or can I retreat into fantasy?


At this juncture, fantasy would be lovely. I would have to cast my Herodiade from fantasy these days.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

In that case, I'll open with a sumptuous production of *Les Troyens *directed by Visconti, withs sets by Nicola Benois. Maria Callas and Janet Baker would alternate in the roles of Cassandre and Didon. Georges Thill would sing Enée and Sir Colin Davis would conduct.

Alternately I'd be happy to have opened my season with the Callas/Visconti/Giulini *La Traviata *of 1955, replacing Bastianini with Gobbi as Germont, or the 1955 La Scala *Norma *exactly as it is.


----------



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Francasacchi said:


> At this juncture, fantasy would be lovely. I would have to cast my Herodiade from fantasy these days.


The same teacher, that made me crazy about Bellini will have a lecture series on Massenet next spring. Maybe I will have have my contemporary favorites for the Herodiade and argue with you


----------



## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

My opening night would be more down to earth. It's Don Carlo with Tatiana Serjan or Krassimira Stoyanova as Elisabetta, Ekaterina Semenchuk as Eboli, Vladislav Sulimsky or Alexey Markov as Posa. Who does sing Felipe after Ferruccio Furlanetto stopped? Maybe promising Stanislav Trophimov. Carlo seems to be to dramatic for Pyotr Beczala and Charles Castronovo, but who knows. Of those who is available I'm agree for Francesco Meli or Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov, whom I heard already, or Ivan Gyngazov, who becomes better, more sophisticated this season.
I'm always glad to hear baroque opera. Giulio Cesare in Egitto would be wonderful with Patricia Petibon as Cleopatra, Christoph Dumeaux as Cesare (he usually sings Tolomeo, but why wouldn't he switch), Franco Fagioli would be greeted too, Sara Mingardo as Cornelia, Philipp Jaroussky or Isabel Leonard as Sesto. Or Aciscand Galatea with Julia Lezhneva, Charles Castronovo and, you never know, Ildar Abdrazakov.


----------



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

If I can realise my fantasies, I will commission a new opera. Wojciech Killar, the Polish composer of film music would be entrusted with the task. Unfortunately, he died in 2013.

But I also want a Norma with Joan Sutherland as Adalgisa. Norma could be Maria Callas or Leyla Gencer.


----------



## ALT (Mar 1, 2021)

Francasacchi said:


> My opening night would be Massenet, Herodiade. I would go all put on a lavish production that would rival something Cecil B DeMille would put on. It would be hard to cast perhaps nowadays because it needs five big voiced star singers. I wish the Herodiade highlights with Crespin and Gorr had been a complete recording rather than highlights.


Agree that Hérodiade is a mighty gorgeous work. For general interest, no less than three complete recordings were made in the bad old ’90s.


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Gotterdammerung with Flagstad and Melchior and for sets the Green Ring from Seattle ( gorgeous and traditional with some high tech). I have about 4 vying for runner up including Ponselle/ Callas ( either one) In Norma with Stignani and Corelli probably top of the heap or a Sutherland/ Bjorling Lucia.


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

damianjb1 said:


> I'd love a very grand production of La Gioconda. Maybe Latonia Moore in the title role, Jamie Barton as Laura, Jonathan Tetelman as Enzo. I'm not sure about the others.


I like it but I'll trade you my Sondra for your Latonia.


----------



## ewilkros (8 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> ... including Ponselle/ Callas ( either one) In Norma...


Why not both, swapping off Adalgisa on alternate nights?


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

ewilkros said:


> Why not both, swapping off Adalgisa on alternate nights?


Well that WOULD be optimal, but I can't imagine either diva taking on a secondary role LOL


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Well that WOULD be optimal, but I can't imagine either diva taking on a secondary role LOL


It doesn't work anyway because this is an Opening Night Extravaganza ONLY!


----------



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Well that WOULD be optimal, but I can't imagine either diva taking on a secondary role LOL


I have read somewhere, Callas was ready to do it, taking turns with Tebaldi. (Norma vs Adalgisa). At least she said so, when journalists asked her about that. But Tebaldi was not interested, it was not her repertoire and neither part would be to her advantage.

I want Joan Sutherland as Adalgisa. She would sound youthful, innocent, larky. In the duets, there would be no doubt who is Norma and who is Adalgisa, in spite of both being sopranos. I said I want Callas or Gencer as Norma, but Ponselle will do as well .


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> I have read somewhere, Callas was ready to do it, taking turns with Tebaldi. (Norma vs Adalgisa). At least she said so, when journalists asked her about that. But Tebaldi was not interested, it was not her repertoire and neither part would be to her advantage.
> 
> I want Joan Sutherland as Adalgisa. She would sound youthful, innocent, larky. In the duets, there would be no doubt who is Norma and who is Adalgisa, in spite of both being sopranos. I said I want Callas or Gencer as Norma, but Ponselle will do as well .


May I come? It would work when Sutherland was young and she had that bright very youthful sound. It would be epic especially if we could pair her with a still fat Callas.


----------



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Tsaraslondon said:


> 1955 La Scala *Norma *exactly as it is.


Any tweaks ? 

How about letting Callas sing "Bello a me ritorna" twice as it should be, with added ornaments in the second round, so that she can show off a little more ? 

I would also lower the volume or switch off Mario del Monaco in the last seconds of the opera, as I wrote before.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> Any tweaks ?
> 
> How about letting Callas sing "Bello a me ritorna" twice as it should be, with added ornaments in the second round, so that she can show off a little more ?
> 
> I would also lower the volume or switch off Mario del Monaco in the last seconds of the opera, as I wrote before.


I might replace Del Monaco with Corelli, but sometimes messing with the distribution can upset the apple cart. It's such a great performance (the best performance of *Norma *I've ever heard) that I'd probably just leave it aloone.


----------



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Seattleoperafan said:


> It would work when Sutherland was young and she had that bright very youthful sound.


To me she sounded youthful, innocent and larky even in her Maria Stuarda with Pavarotti. I don't know the year, but it must have been quite late in her career.

Edit: Or did this dabbing fool me ? She fit nicely together with the Slovak actress Magda Vášáryová
✂ Joan Sutherland's voice and the looks of Magda Vášáryová


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

BBSVK said:


> To me she sounded youthful, innocent and larky even in her Maria Stuarda with Pavarotti. I don't know the year, but it must have been quite late in her career.
> 
> Edit: Or did this dabbing fool me ? She fit nicely together with the Slovak actress Magda Vášáryová
> ✂ Joan Sutherland's voice and the looks of Magda Vášáryová


 I LOVE her in the live productions of Maria Stuarda on Youtube but not so much on the studio recording. Her high notes at around 60 were mind boggling!!!!!!!!!


----------



## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Tsaraslondon said:


> can I retreat into fantasy?


Is this fantasy or reality?-


----------



## Dogville (Dec 28, 2021)

I often think about how Callas should have sung Semiramide after her performances of Armida in 1952, with an in-prime Stignani as Arsace. So I guess that would be my ideal opening night.


----------



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Dogville said:


> I often think about how Callas should have sung Semiramide after her performances of Armida in 1952, with an in-prime Stignani as Arsace. So I guess that would be my ideal opening night.


Now I want to change mine. Can I have her still fat with optimal voice? If only she had taken the Eb like Sutherland when she recorded Bel Raggio.


----------



## damianjb1 (Jan 1, 2016)

nina foresti said:


> I like it but I'll trade you my Sondra for your Latonia.


Fair point. Sondra would probably be more exciting but I'd love to hear Latonia sing the closing scene of Act 1.


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I agree with Tsarras about the 1955 Scala Norma season opener. This would be my choice for a performance that actually happened.

If I resort to fantasy then I will go with Trovatore with Corelli, Simionato, Callas, Panerai and Rossi-Lemeni conducted by Serafin (or Gavazzeni) and directed by Visconti.

N.


----------



## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> ...
> But I also want a Norma with Joan Sutherland as Adalgisa. Norma could be Maria Callas or Leyla Gencer.


Based on the contest by @Seattleoperafan , where Stracciari sings Nabucco, I have made a decission to hire him as Pollione. It is a barritenor role anyway. If he doesn't want to sing the high notes, he may cut them. People will come anyway.


----------

