# deggial's 2013-14 season



## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Monday evening I went to see Nabucco here in freezing London (seriously, it's April! whatever happened to the weather?!). Now I have mentioned before that I started liking Verdi only about 2 months ago and so far Nabucco is my favourite (unsurprisingly, as one of the most straight-up belcanto operas from the green one). I didn't want to spoil my fun so I didn't read anything about the production before going. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but apparently the production has mixed reviews. True enough, it is as static as they come - minimal acting, lots of singing to the public. But gorgeous singing for my balcony seat money! I also enjoyed the Berlin Holocaust Museum/monolith sets, quite apt to make the link across time and the wire sculptures of Baal and heads (Nabucco & daughters, as I read them). And that's it as far as sets go. Teensy bit more than the Noah's Ark from Verona 

back to singing - I've a fondness for badass, tough-as-nails, tough to sing roles and, good lord, how about that Abigaille? Whew! What a range on all levels and how wonderful to witness live when the singer can pull it off. Monastyrska did a hell of a job :tiphat: yea, she projected, she dominated, in short, she chewed scenery but my favourite part was the way she managed the lyrical bits with that hefty voice (I found her top notes surprisingly pretty). Some control! Nucci also rocked the lyrical side, although I thought he didn't let loose quite as much. But gorgeous voice acting, brought tears to my eyes. Everybody else (including Pizzolato (Fenena), whom I've enjoyed in other belcanto roles) sounded excellent.

in regards to the recent thread about the median age of opera goers, I felt like a teenager  I think I counted about 10-15 people under 50. I'm sure there were more as I wasn't there to count; moreover, this might not be the kind of opera young people would flock to.

my next outing should be Ariadne auf Naxos at Glyndebourne. Hopefully with better weather! there's nothing better than music and picnics


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Congratulations - sounds like you had a blast! I have not yet heard Monastyrska live, but you should get her Macbeth DVD with Keenlyside as the haunted Scot - Lady Macbeth is a hard, hard role and she does it well. She's someone to look forward to, definitely.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

cheers, mate  I did. I'll have to look into Macbeth then!


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

guythegreg said:


> Congratulations - sounds like you had a blast! I have not yet heard Monastyrska live, but you should get her Macbeth DVD with Keenlyside as the haunted Scot - Lady Macbeth is a hard, hard role and she does it well. She's someone to look forward to, definitely.


Speaking as someone who got just *slightly* obsessed with this production of Macbeth, I concur!


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

if it come with all of your rec's...! :tiphat:


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

As you may or may not know, this year's Glyndebourne Festival opened yesterday with a new production of *Ariadne auf Naxos*. Yours truly is happy to report the production worked very well and the ensemble cast sang wonderfully. Now I know opinions are just that and nothing more and I've read that others objected to the updating to the (everybody's favourite ) blitzkrieg era. I myself was a bit apprehensive upon hearing about this updating, but I was won over by the actual performance. You may judge for yourself if you decide to watch the live streaming on June 4 (7pm GMT) on guardian's website.

You may or may not know that the Glyndebourne Festival is actually set on someone's property (the manor is next door to the venue), which matches the libretto and thus tickles my personal sensibility. Plus, it's a beautiful place, colourful tulips, carp (?) and sheep included. A strange thing is there are no rubbish bins on the lawn, although you're encouraged to bring your own picnic and it seemed most everybody obliged. They also left their picnic baskets where they were before gathering inside for the Prologue. Nice touch.

now onto the opera (bear with me if you know the synopsis, I want to remind you just so you see how the production worked with the actual libretto): Ariadne is about this young composer who's got his very first commission to write an opera seria for the evening entertainment of some wealthy fop we never see. Of course he's put into it all the pathos of his youthful idealism: his main character is the perfect woman (and, as such, not a real person, but merely a voice for his immaturity - he's too young to know anything about actual love) who would rather die than betray her love even when her lover abandons her. There is nothing nobler than dying of love, is there? Heh. What he doesn't know is that his opera seria isn't the only entertainment for the evening, just the appetizer followed by a vaudeville act. When he finds out, he is, of course, outraged and goes on and on (truly beautiful writing on Strauss' part, though!) bemoaning the harsh reality of life interfering with "aht", the product of his very soul etc. This is all happening, as per the libretto, in a lounge inside the manor, complete with faux island and palm tree as set design for his opera. Every time the Composer wails, the palm tree falls over.

The Composer is appalled to meet the vaudevillians, who openly make fun of his and his diva's fastidiousness and self importance and generally act light-hearted, dance moves and all, in great contrast to the diva's remoteness and the Composer's despondency. The plot gets even funnier when a change in the evening programme, in order to accommodate the true highlight of the evening - the fireworks - is announced: to save time, both the opera seria and the vaudeville will be performed at once. For my money, this is one of the most hilariously sly commentaries on the work of art as cultural product - art, highbrow or lowbrow, is slightly below pretty, sparkly lights. It also showcases Strauss' uncanny talent for seamlessly transitioning from emotionally poignant writing to silliness and this bit was, for me, the highlight of the evening, both the Composer and Zerbinetta doing a great job. Their brief moment of true connection came out in a lovely ambiguous and touching way. Everybody is lonely - or marooned -, there are just different ways of coping with it.

The way the production was done, the Composer (who normally storms off at the end of the Prologue, when (in this case) bombs rain on the set, in a clever way which mirrors his emotional turmoil at seeing his opera "defiled" and maybe also as real life fireworks) actually returns during the Opera bit, and at the end, it is suggested that he has learned something valuable from this "first time" rather than that he was shattered by the cruel reality of art meeting everyday life.

For the Opera (second act), the lounge from the manor was set as a hospital, presumably because everybody was affected by the bombing at the end of the Prologue, which I thought worked both at face value and metaphorically, as everybody involved in this impromptu mashup would be thrown off kilter in some way.

Some have apparently objected to Zerbinetta's apparent sexual molestation during her fireworks coloratura, but I didn't see it that way. Obviously her character is centred on seduction and manipulation, which is both her way of coping/interacting/expressing herself as an artist and as a person (which came first would be the question - the dancing master says she always plays herself). What I thought the production was trying to show was that all the men want a piece of her, and she, in turn, wants all of them. She might be the antithesis of Ariadne or just another way of trying to deal with the inner emptiness of being seen as entertainment only.

next up is La donna del lago back in London.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Thanks so much - I just love a good detailed review. How I wish I could have been there! I love an updating that gives you a fresh idea about a production - so many old operas touch on perfectly modern ideas, and I love when a production brings this out. Sounds like this one worked pretty well!


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Lovely review deggial! Must try and catch it when it streams on June 4th.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

glad you enjoyed it  the moment the lights were off and the overture started I felt like everything was right in the world  it was my first time at Glyndebourne and a very special time in itself, seeing as how many legendary productions have been performed here. And you're quite right about many classics touching on timeless ideas - there is a reason Hofmannsthal is my favourite librettist - always clever, layered and funny.

mamascarlatti: thank you  please do, it's worth it.

edit: guardian's Tim Ashley *slams it*, but then I have not seen eye-to-eye with TA in years... I will say, though, that there _were_ a few moments when Claycomb missed it (during the coloratura) but I can't be so nit-picky as to slay her for that.


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## dionisio (Jul 30, 2012)

Some people have all the luck in the world! From where i live, there's no opera season around 

Nevertheless, great reviews!


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

I feel your pain, as I'm from a small town originally and couldn't get out of there fast enough and move to places where things happened culturally. However, I lived in NYC for 9 years and didn't go to the Met or Carnegie Hall once (I didn't care about opera at the time). I get very sad when I think about all the shows I missed... so I'm making up for lost time now.


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## Blue (May 20, 2013)

Thanks for the review, deggial! A very insightful analysis of Ariadne auf Naxos. I'm hoping I can find a way to watch in my country!


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

the guardian live stream should work, unless it's a terrible time of the day for you. I watched a couple of live streams on a totally beat up computer last year and somehow I made it through


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

If I recall rightly they usually have it available for a week or so after the live stream (otherwise I won't be catching it, pretty much everything is a terrible time of the day for me.)


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

they do, yes, for a few days at least.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Last night I went to see the star-studded *La donna del lago*, with Rossinians Joyce DiDonato (Elena, the lady of the lake), Juan Diego Florez (the enlightened tyrant, a bit of a left-over from opera seria, and also smitten with Elena within 2 minutes of their meeting) and Daniela Barcellona (Malcom, the young knight Elena loves).

the story is simple: rebels oppose absolutist king, king falls in love with the daughter of one of his ex-advisers now siding with the rebels, the woman is engaged to the chief of the rebels but of course loves a third. After fierce fighting and soul-searching love and honour prevail over base intentions in grand old skool stylee. Although this is not the usual tongue-in-cheek Rossini fare, there are a few unintentionally funny moments. The above-mentioned 2min tops falling in love, Malcom's taking a moment during a crucial battle to sing of his love for Elena, after which the battle is promptly lost (the crowd nonetheless cheered) and Elena's being surprisingly thick about the identity of the king _whilst he's wearing full regalia at his own court_.

right off the bat I will say that none of the stars disappointed, all in excellent voice. Moreover, the entire cast sung outstandingly. _La donna_ is a more sensitive than usual Rossini piece which in his time (1819) kicked off the Walter Scott craze in opera (the most famous exponent of which is, of course, _Lucia di Lammermoor_, followed by _I Puritani_, both from 1835). It was beautifully conducted and played. The crowd was absolutely ga-ga for the stars, with raving applause even after those individual long, elaborate cabalette. I had the slight badluck to sit in front of the biggest Florez fan _ever_, who hooted and bravo-ed given the slightest occasion (and you know there were plenty). I'm actually not a very big Florez fan, _Le Comte Ory_ notwithstanding. I find that he sounds the same every time (and considering Rossini is one of my very faves, I've heard him many times), not adding a lot of individual vocal characterization. However, I couldn't fault him for the sounds he produced. I was too far up to see their facial expressions, but the acting was fine from what I could gather. They've been doing this opera for a few years now, so it was no surprise they felt comfy with each other.

unfortunately, I had a very stressful week with little sleep. I reached ROH within minutes of the start of the show and the show itself was the first time all day when I could kick back and relax a bit. The result was I could barely focus/keep my eyes open. Don't ask me what the production was all about... It was rather pretty (loch, big revolving staircase standing in for the rustic manor and a number of boxes, for the main characters and objects of interest - I guess the production was meant to simulate bringing history to life?) but beyond that I'm not sure, even though I did watch the presentation of the production on ROH open day back in January. Rodrigo (Elena's rejected fiance and chief of the Highland rebels - good ol' Rossini, his heroines always have 2-3 men in their tow) was made to be a big hammy villain, with his people roughing up a bunch of damsels to a jaunty tune and he himself skipping about, ready to pounce on Elena. After much "affano", all ends well with a marriage and the king's conquering his coarse horniness (haha), crowned off by Elena's big rondo, _Tanti affetti_, vintage Rossini.

all in all, a lovely evening, would have been a great night had I been more with it.


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Ah, too bad you couldn't focus. I've had opera evenings when I was just too sniffly or too tired to pay attention, too. What hurts is how much you look forward to it and then ... nada.

I'm not a big Florez fan either, actually. If you could have heard his Fille du Regiment, and then heard Lawrence Brownlee doing the same role - Brownlee is a craftsman. Florez, I kind of think of as a trained acrobat. (Well, I'm not that flattering privately, but god forbid the guy himself should read this, right? There's a limit beyond which criticism should not go.) I mean, Florez has the power on top, which Brownlee doesn't. But there's so much more to it than power.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

guythegreg said:


> Ah, too bad you couldn't focus. I've had opera evenings when I was just too sniffly or too tired to pay attention, too. What hurts is how much you look forward to it and then ... nada.
> 
> I'm not a big Florez fan either, actually. If you could have heard his Fille du Regiment, and then heard Lawrence Brownlee doing the same role - Brownlee is a craftsman. Florez, I kind of think of as a trained acrobat. (Well, I'm not that flattering privately, but god forbid the guy himself should read this, right? There's a limit beyond which criticism should not go.) I mean, Florez has the power on top, which Brownlee doesn't. But there's so much more to it than power.


hehe... I think we think similarly about JDF. However, his voice in itself is rather amazing. His _Fille_ is coming here next season and I'm planning on seeing it (for Ewa Podles and Dame Kiri, actually). As for the limits of criticism, I try to stir away from comments/threads about singers I don't rate highly. Taste is too subjective and bitchiness has a tendency of getting out of hand... I would hope the singers themselves don't read these forums or, worse even, youtube comments.

I also agree there is a lot more to singing than power. In fact, I don't much care about power. It's good if it's there, but I'd rather have a lovely tone, sensitive characterisation and agility. Brownlee is a singer I will make sure to catch when he comes around. I've seen _Armida_ on TV with him and Fleming and he was excellent.

let's hope I'm doing much better on my next outing, which is Britten's Gloriana.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

ppst, guys, over here: La Donna del Lago complete on Vimeo. deggial, you can catch up on anything you snoozed through!

BTW I have a girl crush on Daniella Barcelona in sideburns and a kilt.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

_this thread has been MIA in recent months due to health (I missed Gloriana for that reason) and sheer laziness..._

this week's *Nozze* at ROH -

Dongiovanni has already reviewed this year's revival of the *2006 production*, but here are my thoughts as well. As you may know, this production is extremely detailed and requires a lot of acting even by today's standards. Let it be said that the interactions were as smooth as anything. Obviously well rehearsed.

first off, as with a humongous war horse as Nozze, the hall was full from top to bottom. I nicked a seat in the Stall Circle left which gave me an excellent view of the orchestra and a dead angle for the extreme left of the stage, plus muffled sound. The good part was being so close to the action (the singers were within sight 90% of the time) and being able to hear the pinanissimos. No objections on the conducting and the orchestra; some nice touches here and there but for the life of me I can't remember where beside the "knowing" horns in Figaro's aria from Act IV.

stand-outs:

Figaro: Pisaroni makes a youthful, playful Figaro, both in voice and acting. He was hilarious and his interaction with Susanna and everybody else outstanding. You can tell he's been singing Figaro for a while. He hasn't got a lot of volume to his voice but he had a pleasant, smooth sound through the night.

Contessa: Bengtsson's voice is truly beautiful and well suited for the Countess - secure, warm and round and plaintive with excellent technique. Acting wise, I'd have liked a better timing for comedy and a bit more guts in her interaction with the Count. She played it all a bit too dignified for a character who was Rosina of Il Barbiere just a few years ago.

Cherubino: oh, dear! Pokupic makes one of the cutest, funniest Cherubinos I've seen. Spot on and excellent voice. Had the crowd in stitches, especially in the garden scene in Act IV, when trying to put the moves on "Susanna".

Don Basilio: JP Fouchecourt came as a replacement but he blows the 2006 DVD Don Basilio out of the water! he camped it up just right and delivered a hysterical performance of the meddling music teacher. I've known him from Baroque recordings but never realised he was this funny. Possibly the best ever in this role.

next up in yesterday's *L'Orfeo* (Monteverdi).


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## guythegreg (Jun 15, 2012)

Good one! This is the kind of review I like...


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