# Les Troyens on Saturday last (1/5)



## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

The odd thing was, I listened to the whole thing at the Performing Arts Library a few weeks ago, and wasn't really looking forward to the performance that much. I'm not really a Berlioz fan, or never have been before. In the recording, Vickers did not add to his wonderful reputation with me, although Verrett and Ludwig were pretty thrilling. But as soon as the music began in the theater, with some action behind it, it was as though someone flipped a switch in my head, and I sat there thinking: this music is gorgeous. I was really stunned.

And you can say this for Dead in HD performances - thank you Natalie - for that one performance, everyone does their very best. Bryan Hymel sang like a star, I thought. Deborah Voigt a bit lacking in strength, but in tune and with power when she needed it. Susan Graham sang well. Everybody did, I thought.

The ballet was awesome. This production is charged through and through with dance, and it was really moving. lol so to speak. I was a bit indignant that the choreographer wasn't even mentioned in the program. Dance was such a big part of it and contributed so much to the overall result. Especially the Laocoon dance, that was just top notch, I thought. Wow. Inspired choreography.

And the central love scene, that starts as a quartet (I think), then becomes a septet, then a duet - wow. Everyone sang so well TOGETHER. That's so hard, when you're on stage and there are seventeen different things going on and you can hardly see the conductor. I like to say, rocket science is easy; comedy is easy; opera is hard. But it was great. Gosh it was amazing.

So the verdict is in. I mean, this happens all the time, at the Met. True opera fans: sell the kids, dump the husband, move to New York. You'll never regret it.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> The odd thing was, I listened to the whole thing at the Performing Arts Library a few weeks ago, and wasn't really looking forward to the performance that much. I'm not really a Berlioz fan, or never have been before. In the recording, Vickers did not add to his wonderful reputation with me, although Verrett and Ludwig were pretty thrilling. But as soon as the music began in the theater, with some action behind it, it was as though someone flipped a switch in my head, and I sat there thinking: this music is gorgeous. I was really stunned.
> 
> And you can say this for Dead in HD performances - thank you Natalie - for that one performance, everyone does their very best. Bryan Hymel sang like a star, I thought. Deborah Voigt a bit lacking in strength, but in tune and with power when she needed it. Susan Graham sang well. Everybody did, I thought.
> 
> ...


What a wonderful WONDERFUL review!!! Welcome to the ranks of _Les Troyens_ obsessives.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

What a treat to see a live production!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:trp: :clap:​
I attended AMC Hoffman Theater in Alexandria, VA. If was packed. There were only a few empty seats in the front row.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

I had the same experience as you - before going to see it live I listened about four or five times and was not that enthralled. But I was entranced during the whole live production and would cheerfully have sat through it again straight away.


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

Was it really 5 hours long? That's how long the live broadcast block was on my radio station.
I did not listen to the whole thing, but I knew it was on.
Our orchestra performed _Royal Hunt and Storm_ this past fall, and I loved it.


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## Novelette (Dec 12, 2012)

I'm jealous that you saw it. I was contemplating flying up to NYC just to see that performance. I want, once in my life, to see a live staging of Les Troyens!

I've been known to make large trips just to see a performance of something. Hopefully it will be performed again later this year.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Novelette said:


> I'm jealous that you saw it. I was contemplating flying up to NYC just to see that performance. I want, once in my life, to see a live staging of Les Troyens!
> 
> I've been known to make large trips just to see a performance of something. Hopefully it will be performed again later this year.


I travelled 18,000kms to see it in London.:lol: But that was a one-off.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

By the way encore rebroadcast for _Les Troyens _is:

US encore: Wednesady, January 23rd 6:30pm local time.
Canada encore: Saturday, March 9 12:00pm local time


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> I travelled 18,000kms to see it in London. :lol: But that was a one-off.


Wonderful memories to treasure. One day maybe there'll be another opera somewhere in the world to justify such a trip (or a lottery win!)


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

sospiro said:


> Wonderful memories to treasure. One day maybe there'll be another opera somewhere in the world to justify such a trip (or a lottery win!)


The lottery win would be more likely if I ever bought a ticket. But with those odds I'd be just as well off burning the money.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Lunasong said:


> Was it really 5 hours long? That's how long the live broadcast block was on my radio station.
> I did not listen to the whole thing, but I knew it was on.
> Our orchestra performed _Royal Hunt and Storm_ this past fall, and I loved it.


Well, with a couple of half hour intermissions, I think it was - couldn't really say, though, as I was kind of in a daze when I left and didn't notice the time for quite some time.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Novelette said:


> I'm jealous that you saw it. I was contemplating flying up to NYC just to see that performance. I want, once in my life, to see a live staging of Les Troyens!
> 
> I've been known to make large trips just to see a performance of something. Hopefully it will be performed again later this year.


Oh I know what you mean. I travelled across the country to see Norma live at the Baltimore Opera's last production. Absolutely worth it.


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## obwan (Oct 24, 2011)

I have never been really all that familiar with Berlioz's works, but symphonie fantastique has got to be along with beethoven's 5th as my 2 favorite symphonies. I had high expectations going in, and I was not dissapointed. I wouldn't call it my favorite opera, but there were scenes that were absolutely brilliant, and I walked out with a new desire to read the illiead and odyssy which i've never had had any reason to want to read before. I was also a bit puzzled by the commentators praise of the chorus without even a mention of the ballett. Susan Graham mentioned something about Gluck inspiring Berlioz's music, both in the interview saturday and 1 year and a half ago when she performed iphegenie en tauride. To be honest I don't see all that much similarity. Does anyone else?


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

The Odyssey is wonderful, a rip-roaring tale, but Les Troyens is directly based on Virgil's Aenead if you want to read the source material.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

obwan said:


> .Susan Graham mentioned something about Gluck inspiring Berlioz's music, both in the interview saturday and 1 year and a half ago when she performed iphegenie en tauride. To be honest I don't see all that much similarity. Does anyone else?


I didn't hear the quote, but I wouldn't look for similarity in the music but in the intention of the composer. My impression is that Gluck was all about re-engaging with the audience, he felt opera had kind of lost its way, and when an opera grabs you with its first notes you can probably assume it was the composer's intention to do so. As this one did me. And so that's where I would see the result of Gluck's inspiring Berlioz.


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## Hesoos (Jun 9, 2012)

I'd too like to see it in live

Similarities with Gluck (I think): The slow action, the mythology's interest, the slow growing of volume in the orchestra with "minimalist" mesmerazing effects in the background of the orchestra. The recitals are similar. The arias are light (generally)
Anyway... Gluck, Berlioz, Gounod or Saint Saens all sound somehow similar. Gluck's influence in French opera is strong. The influence of Gluck in Mozart and Italy is in the dramatic action, but in France is more the music style.
These arias are similar in style:


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## Hesoos (Jun 9, 2012)

But the "mesmerazing effect" I think is one of the best influences (this effect is utilized for linking arias, recitals and choruses, that remember me of Glass) :


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## Hesoos (Jun 9, 2012)

In my last video from the beginning of La damnation de Faust by Berlioz, from the minute 3.50 the melody that links the aria with the chorus is progressive and mesmerizing, in the minute 6.00 is total hypnotic (a little like Philip Glass). In my opinion, that effect remembers me a lot of Gluck. The first video from Iphigenie en Tauride, minute 1.20 Orestes is falling sleep (just before the furies attacks him)at the same time that he sings, that scene is mesmerizing too. In the second video, Orfeo placates the ghosts and furies, and his lyre (or harp, I don't know) makes the same effect. In Les troyens, the tempest orchestral scene is hypnotic too. So is the chorus of troyens who thanks the gods for the victory in the first act of Les troyens, and the music before the appearance of the Hector's ghost. This (for me) hypnotic effect is full of description details and helps to concentrate in the action.
Here the tempest from act IV, fantastic!






Here Pappano explains the style of Les troyens and Berlioz. I don't think that is so original, all that reminds me of Gluck's style.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Wow - thank you Hesoos! Very interesting.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

guythegreg said:


> So the verdict is in. I mean, this happens all the time, at the Met. True opera fans: sell the kids, dump the husband, move to New York. You'll never regret it.


Great post! We were actually in New York last week, the SO had a few auditions. Our flight landed at 11AM on Saturday and I toyed with the idea of getting some family circle seats to catch at least the last few acts of _Les Troyens_, but FC and balcony were sold out. We did stop by the box office Saturday afternoon to get seats for Monday's Turandot and caught some of Act IV on the video monitor in the gift shop. It did look and sound mesmerizing. We'll catch the cinema re-broadcast, hopefully not kicking ourselves too hard for just missing the live experience, but it was going to be an opera-intensive week anyway.

The Zeffirelli Turandot certainly made up for missing Troyens. The cast, except for Ramey, were all new names to me and all solid and strong: 

Conductor: Dan Ettinger 
Turandot: Iréne Theorin 
Liù: Hibla Gerzmava 
Calàf: Walter Fraccaro 
Timur: Samuel Ramey 
Hibla Gerzmava's Liu was perhaps a slight standout among an all-around excellent cast.

We also got rush tickets for Maria Stuarda on Tues. Some terrific vocal performances to be sure but...well... I just don't think the massive hall of the Met is the best venue for certain intimate, vocal-centric baroque and bel canto works. And don't get me wrong, it's generally a dramatically strong (if woefully historically inaccurate) work, but the final scene does drag a bit. One finds oneself rooting for the executioner to get on with it at some point.

The good news is audition 1 was a success and the SO was offered a part in a local production of Gianni Schicchi and audition 2 this morning was very promising. So the author's admonition to move to New York may indeed come to pass.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Cavaradossi said:


> Great post! We were actually in New York last week, the SO had a few auditions. Our flight landed at 11AM on Saturday and I toyed with the idea of getting some family circle seats to catch at least the last few acts of _Les Troyens_, but FC and balcony were sold out. We did stop by the box office Saturday afternoon to get seats for Monday's Turandot and caught some of Act IV on the video monitor in the gift shop. It did look and sound mesmerizing. We'll catch the cinema re-broadcast, hopefully not kicking ourselves too hard for just missing the live experience, but it was going to be an opera-intensive week anyway.
> 
> The Zeffirelli Turandot certainly made up for missing Troyens. The cast, except for Ramey, were all new names to me and all solid and strong:
> 
> ...


:lol:

I thought Sam Ramey had retired his voice. What was he like?

I saw Dan Ettinger conduct Rigoletto at ROH & thought he was fab. He was lovely with the fans at the Stage Door & drew a smiley face on my programme. The ability to draw smiley faces doesn't necessarily mean you're an ace conductor but it does earn you brownie points amongst the fans.



Cavaradossi said:


> The good news is audition 1 was a success and the SO was offered a part in a local production of Gianni Schicchi and audition 2 this morning was very promising. So the author's admonition to move to New York may indeed come to pass.


Congratulations & well done!!! Exciting times ahead for you.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

sospiro said:


> I thought Sam Ramey had retired his voice. What was he like?
> 
> I saw Dan Ettinger conduct Rigoletto at ROH & thought he was fab. He was lovely with the fans at the Stage Door & drew a smiley face on my programme. The ability to draw smiley faces doesn't necessarily mean you're an ace conductor but it does earn you brownie points amongst the fans.


Ramey was adequate, if not outstanding. Timur is probably still a good role for him - and I'm not really a Ramey fan to begin with. The Met sure seems to like him though. Inexplicably, he turned up as Leporello (!!??!!) in a Don Giovanni I saw there in the late 2000's.

Funny, we took an alternate exit and encountered Maestro Ettinger posing for photos with fans at the stage door after the Turandot!


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Wow, sounds like you had an amazing week too! Congratulations on the SO's good fortune. I was very impressed with Gerzmava in the one performance of Tales of Hoffmann i saw her in, she was Antonia. My feeling is that Sam Ramey is in kind of a decline. As Basilio a few years ago (Barber, not Nozze) he was strong and effective; as Basilio more recently, somewhat lacking. Well, it's a challenging role.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Saw the encore broadcast the other night. I have to agree with gtg's assessment. A magnificent and complelling production. Bryan Hymel was a revelation. To be honest, I can't imagine enjoying the show nearly as much as I did had Giordano done the the role.

I will confess that the Wed evening schedule was a bit of a challenge and the flowing love music of Act IV lulled me into nap mode for a bit. But I was wide awake for Hymel's jarring Act V aria.


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## tyroneslothrop (Sep 5, 2012)

The Met's Les Troyens will be broadcast on PBS today at 1:30 PM in just over an hour from now (at least for US East Coast PBS stations)._ (I'm sure it will eventually appear on the Roku's PBS channel under "Great Performances" eventually.)_ If you haven't seen this yet, it is not to be missed and will be perfect for those who are not _Les Troyens_ obsessive (yet)!


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