# Miscellaneous Opera-related Chat



## FragendeFrau

Since I am guilty of getting several threads off-topic, I wonder if the powers that be have ever thought of having an off-topic "discussion area". By that I mean, not about our personal lives, but about opera-related items.

For instance here are a couple of things I'd like to discuss:

Is anyone in the US using Spotify?

The new Fidelio CD is available on Spotify if anyone is interested (although maybe this qualifies as opera news? or streaming, if you have Spotify)

Advice on ordering tickets for the Met (seating etc. too late for me now, but maybe for others)

Do you know any cheap places to stay in NYC (or on the train line in NJ or CT)--this follows of course on the previous question! :lol:

In January our local opera company is doing a Glass opera called Les Enfants Terribles; does anyone know this opera?

Now I'm betting that you have tried this in the past and it didn't work, but I thought I would ask.


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## sospiro

I would find an 'opera miscellaneous' thread useful. Sometimes I want to post/ask something & can't find a suitable thread so don't bother.


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## amfortas

I would support a "miscellaneous" thread as well--though partly as a brainstorming birthplace for new topics that might quickly grow into full-fledged threads of their own.


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## sospiro

Jessica Duchen writes for The Independent and has written a book.

Has anyone read it or the short story which inspired it?












> Her latest and startlingly original book about the healing powers of music revolves around Russian author Ivan Turgenev's short story The Song of Triumphant Love.
> 
> Turgenev fell hopelessly in love with the 19th century opera singer Pauline Viardot who famously quit the stage at an early age because she lost her beautiful singing voice.
> 
> Taking the relationship between Turgenev and Viardot as her central theme, Duchen weaves the strands of their real lives into the fictional but parallel tale of an opera singer facing a career-ending illness....


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## TxllxT

*For Callas devotees*

Last night we watched the first part of the ITV series 'The Secret Mediterranean'. In the first part an extensive look inside the "Christina O", the famous party-ship of Onassis, is being offered. Quite interesting for those who still remember those days of glamour, jetset & Maria Callas of course. But apart from this touristic fun there is an opera choir present on the background to accompany it all. They sing only one letter. "O OOO OOOO O OOO OOOO", lasting about twenty minutes long. Very :lol::lol: indeed! At the end my mouth had got pre-shaped into the form of a certain letter....


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## Krummhorn

FragendeFrau said:


> . . . I wonder if the powers that be have ever thought of having an off-topic "discussion area". By that I mean, not about our personal lives, but about opera-related items.


We have an 'off topic' discussion area already ... the Community Forum.


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## amfortas

Krummhorn said:


> We have an 'off topic' discussion area already ... the Community Forum.


But we were wondering about an off-topic area specifically within the *opera* forum.


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## Nix

If at all possible it would be nice if we could filter what threads come up in our 'what's new.' I'm all for people socializing but it's a little annoying logging into a classical forum and having to sift through a bunch of topics that aren't related to classical music. Just logging in 4 of the first 10 most recent topics don't pertain to classical music.


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## FragendeFrau

The 10 topics I see on logging in just now are:
Sticky: Top 158 recommended Operas
This off-topic discussion
Best line in opera
Great male singers
Great female singers
30-day opera challenge
Tristan, Isolde, and You
Tabloid Titles for Operas
The TC Most recommended Operas positions 101-200
Opera news
****

Which of these does not fall under the description "Forum for discussing operas and operettas, as well as opera singers *and related topics*"?

Even in my request for a 'off-topic' discussion thread I specifically said 'opera-related' items, the idea being that I wouldn't start a thread every time I wanted to ask a question or discuss an opera or CD that I had just heard.


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## Almaviva

amfortas said:


> But we were wondering about an off-topic area specifically within the *opera* forum.


 Off-topic, or opera related?

If it's entirely off-topic, then I'd suggest the Community Forum. It exists already, it's thriving, has a number of interesting threads (although it often deteriorates into shouting matches and threads need to be locked - it is often a headache for us moderators - but I do see its value).

If it's opera-related, then it isn't off-topic, I wonder if we really need to create a thread for that or just start a new thread about whatever we want to discuss that *is* opera-related. All of the OP's suggestions are valid topics for a new thread if she wants to start one.

But I do see some value in having a "Miscellaneous Opera-related Chat" thread, if that's what you guys want. It might keep these miscellaneous topics confined into one long thread without clogging the front page.

It's something to consider.

Interestingly enough, I did start one just like this in the DVD/blu-ray subforum and made it a sticky, but it doesn't thrive. People rarely post on it (I think I'm the one who posts most on it) and sometimes I find it quite unnecessarily and think about un-sticking it. So do we really need one like this in the Opera forum?

What do you all think?


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## amfortas

Almaviva said:


> But I do see some value in having a "Miscellaneous Opera-related Chat" thread, if that's what you guys want. It might keep these miscellaneous topics confined into one long thread without clogging the front page.
> 
> It's something to consider.
> 
> Interestingly enough, I did start one just like this in the DVD/blu-ray subforum and made it a sticky, but it doesn't thrive. People rarely post on it (I think I'm the one who posts most on it) and sometimes I find it quite unnecessarily and think about un-sticking it. So do we really need one like this in the Opera forum?
> 
> What do you all think?


Since a number of people have requested it, why not give it a try? It may turn out to be more successful than its DVD/Blu-ray equivalent. The worst that can happen is that it doesn't thrive and eventually gets consigned to "unstuck" oblivion.


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## Almaviva

FragendeFrau said:


> The 10 topics I see on logging in just now are:
> Sticky: Top 158 recommended Operas
> This off-topic discussion
> Best line in opera
> Great male singers
> Great female singers
> 30-day opera challenge
> Tristan, Isolde, and You
> Tabloid Titles for Operas
> The TC Most recommended Operas positions 101-200
> Opera news
> ****
> 
> Which of these does not fall under the description "Forum for discussing operas and operettas, as well as opera singers *and related topics*"?
> 
> Even in my request for a 'off-topic' discussion thread I specifically said 'opera-related' items, the idea being that I wouldn't start a thread every time I wanted to ask a question or discuss an opera or CD that I had just heard.


I think he's probably talking about the What's New feature that has to do with the entire Talk Classical website, not just the Opera forum.


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## Almaviva

amfortas said:


> Since a number of people have requested it, why not give it a try? It may turn out to be more successful than its DVD/Blu-ray equivalent. The worst that can happen is that it doesn't thrive and eventually gets consigned to "unstuck" oblivion.


OK, then, I'll make of this thread the one, with a changed title, and will stick it, let's see how it goes. If it doesn't get much traffic then I'll un-stick it.

Edit - OK, I did it, but let's keep it opera-related.

If it's entirely off-topic (politics, the economy, etc) then we do have an area for this already, the Community Forum.


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## amfortas

Thanks, Alma.


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## sospiro

Thanks Alma. My post about the book didn't have an obvious 'home' - suppose it could have gone in 'opera news' but it wasn't really 'news'.


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## FragendeFrau

Annie, I've seen that book listed on her website but have no idea about it. The reviews on amazon.co.uk are very positive though, as you probably know. It hasn't been published in the US so no opportunity to get it from the library and see what it's like.


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## FragendeFrau

Regarding "Fidelio" on Spotify, I am listening and Decca has BLOCKED "Gott welch' dunkel hier" and the conclusion of Act 2. Also it sounds a little bit like they have edited out a great deal of dialogue.

Have sent a nastygram to amazon.com about my order, we shall see.

Guess I'll have to just listen to Strauss lieder again...this is truly become one of my all-time favorite CDs.


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## sospiro

FragendeFrau said:


> Annie, I've seen that book listed on her website but have no idea about it. The reviews on amazon.co.uk are very positive though, as you probably know. It hasn't been published in the US so no opportunity to get it from the library and see what it's like.


I think I'll see if my library will get it for me. Thanks FF.


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## sospiro

This is opera-related, sort of.

What on earth has Vivienne Westwood got on _under_ her dress???

http://operachic.typepad.com/opera_chic/2011/08/westwood-does-salzburg.html


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## amfortas

sospiro said:


> This is opera-related, sort of.
> 
> What on earth has Vivienne Westwood got on _under_ her dress???
> 
> http://operachic.typepad.com/opera_chic/2011/08/westwood-does-salzburg.html


Some of the comments suggest that it's a diaper. I'll be more charitable and guess that it's some kind of superhero costume. Always have to be ready to jump into a phone booth, strip out of your street clothes, and go bring criminals to justice.


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## FragendeFrau

Sorry, I truly didn't scan below her head--that scared me enough! You'd think she could have afforded a maid to iron the wrinkles out of that dress--one of her own creations?


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> This is opera-related, sort of.
> 
> What on earth has Vivienne Westwood got on _under_ her dress???
> 
> http://operachic.typepad.com/opera_chic/2011/08/westwood-does-salzburg.html


I looked at it and then tried very hard not to think about it for the rest of the day. And now YOU have reminded me of it. Aaaaargggh.:lol:


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## Almaviva

It's definitely an adult incontinence diaper.


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## FragendeFrau

Maybe she was making a statement about not being able to get to the ladies' room during the intervals?


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## mamascarlatti

*Was Wagner really such a s*#t?*










I've just finished watching this. In this Wagner is portrayed as a man with few redeeming features, a terrible exploiter of all his friends and acquaintances, and rabidly rude to everyone, be they Jewish, French or anybody who basically was not Wagner (apart from all the kowtowing to Ludwig).

I've so far not read a biography of the man, only books about his operas and the Tristan Chord.

Was the guy really that awful?


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## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> I've just finished watching this. In this Wagner is portrayed as a man with few redeeming features, a terrible exploiter of all his friends and acquaintances, and rabidly rude to everyone, be they Jewish, French or anybody who basically was not Wagner (apart from all the kowtowing to Ludwig).
> 
> I've so far not read a biography of the man, only books about his operas and the Tristan Chord.
> 
> Was the guy really that awful?


I've never read a full biography either but as far as I know from several fragments, yes, he was that awful, and worse (there's also his womanizing and the way he used women - if I know you well, you won't like that part).

Still, he's one of the human beings whose art has given me the most pleasure.

So, I'm a sort of uneasy fan, and even guiltily have his picture on my refrigerator door.


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## MAuer

FragendeFrau said:


> Regarding "Fidelio" on Spotify, I am listening and Decca has BLOCKED "Gott welch' dunkel hier" and the conclusion of Act 2. Also it sounds a little bit like they have edited out a great deal of dialogue.
> 
> The entire recording has "a great deal of dialogue" edited out of it. This is thanks to the nitwit stage director at Lucerne, Tatjana Gürbaca, who not only mangled the original dialogue but decided she had to "improve" it by writing some of her own.


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## Aramis

There is this story about some dramatic wedding day in church and down there in main hall all was going frenzy someone loved not the one he should and stuff and it was big mess, very dramatic, yes, but after all they all were blown away by the organist because while they had their love dillemas down there he was improvising in his organ balcony a wedding march and he though DAMN, I'M GOOD and started to play more and more passionately and when he was finally going to end he died from unbearable awe and delight over last chord of his music.


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## amfortas

Almaviva said:


> I've never read a full biography either but as far as I know from several fragments, yes, he was that awful, and worse (there's also his womanizing and the way he used women - if I know you well, you won't like that part).
> 
> Still, he's one of the human beings whose art has given me the most pleasure.
> 
> So, I'm a sort of uneasy fan, and even guiltily have his picture on my refrigerator door.


I have read a couple of biographies, and yes, he was a pretty horrid individual. It all stemmed from an overwhelming egoism--he was the great revolutionary genius who would redeem, not just music, but all of art (and probably humanity as well). From that perspective, he was perfectly entitled to make any use he wanted of other men's talent, money, or wives, all in furtherance of his vital destiny.

Obviously, it's hard to feel any liking for the man. But from our own more distanced perspective, we could say that, in a sense, he was right--the only thing that still matters to us now are the works he produced.

And though we may condemn Wagner for being such a raging egoist, arguably the operas we love couldn't have been created by any other sort of personality. Who else would have been foolhardy enough, not only to attempt the Ring, but to plan and build his own theatre for it? Who else would have made such unprecedented demands on orchestras, singers, and designers? Who else would have produced music and drama so wildly beyond the scope of anything attempted before?

Wagner was egotistical verging on madness. But unlike the overwhelming majority of such cases, he had the talent to back it up.


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## amfortas

Aramis said:


> There is this story about some dramatic wedding day in church and down there in main hall all was going frenzy someone loved not the one he should and stuff and it was big mess, very dramatic, yes, but after all they all were blown away by the organist because while they had their love dillemas down there he was improvising in his organ balcony a wedding march and he though DAMN, I'M GOOD and started to play more and more passionately and when he was finally going to end he died from unbearable awe and delight over last chord of his music.


Please don't let your own music have that effect on *you*, Aramis!


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## mamascarlatti

amfortas said:


> Wagner was egotistical verging on madness. But unlike the overwhelming majority of such cases, he had the talent to back it up.


I think the film conveyed this quite well - that he was in a sense RIGHT about his own talent. I'd still never want to meet him.


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## amfortas

mamascarlatti said:


> I think the film conveyed this quite well - that he was in a sense RIGHT about his own talent. I'd still never want to meet him.


They say he could be very amusing in company--doing tricks, standing on his head.

But then again, it sort of reminds me of the old Nazi's line from _The Producers_: "You know, not many people knew it, but the Führer was a terrific dancer."


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## Almaviva

I often entertain this bit of silly fantasy: I'd get a time machine and would fish out from the past the major opera composers, would yank them out of their lives and bring them to my family room, fire up my home theater, and show to them in 1080p, blu-ray High Def and 7.1 DTS Master sound what's been done of their works.

I'd say to Wagner - "Sir, you're certainly a f......g a...hole, but oh boy, you sure can compose! You are a megalomaniac, you're despicable, you suffer from severe narcissistic personality disorder with antisocial traits, but it turns out that in spite of your overblown high opinion of yourself, well, cough cough, we all do have have a high opinion of your music."

With Rossini I'd open some good wines and serve some good food and we'd laugh a lot and talk about how pleasure is important and how we should relax and enjoy life.

With Mozart and Handel... I don't know, my extreme admiration might stun me so much that I wouldn't be able to say anything. Flies would get into my open mouth.

But I'd really love to chat with Verdi. I feel that with Verdi I'd be able to talk about Italian traditions and civilization, about the way the world has been evolving lately (not good), about more fundamental ideas like the sense of one's life and the role of music in it. I'd have profound respect for Verdi and would address him like I used to address my beloved father (who was also Italian).

Finally, I'd love to bring Berlioz back, and tell him, "Sir, in your lifetime people did not realize your grandeur and your genius, but now in the 21st century, we do. Don't worry about all that backstabbing at Paris Opéra; forget about that guy Meyerbeer. You're the best, sir, and by the way, that _Les Troyens _that you were never able to see fully staged in your lifetime is a major hit now. Well done, sir!"

I'd also like to say to Beethoven: "Sir, relax about _Fidelio_, it is just fine, I'm telling you! Don't worry about redoing it over and over, you sir are amazing, but you gotta have a bit of self-confidence. We do love _Fidelio_ centuries later, and we think all four overtures you've tried could work well, but thank you anyway for giving us some choice. And by the way, no, it wasn't a failure, and you could have perfectly composed other operas after this one, we'd have loved it!"


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## amfortas

Along the same lines . . . I'd say to Alban Berg: "I wish you'd lived long enough to give us a few more."


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## mamascarlatti

amfortas said:


> Along the same lines . . . I'd say to Alban Berg: "I wish you'd lived long enough to give us a few more."


I'd say to Monteverdi: "Look after your manuscripts, man. A place for everything and everything in its place. Preferably somewhere which is going to be inviolate but accessible for the next 400 years."


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## AnaMendoza

I don't speak Italian, so I'd need a very persuasive interpreter, to say to Verdi: "Come on, finish King Lear. Don't be afraid of Lear's madness on the heath--you can write it. Don't worry about what singers are available; there'll be singers who can do it, however you write it.


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## sospiro

Verdi Duecento

It has been reported that the government won't fund any celebrations.


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## Almaviva

sospiro said:


> Verdi Duecento
> 
> It has been reported that the government won't fund any celebrations.


This is a shame. I was planning to attend.
I liked this quote from that page:
"To the world, as to the nation he helped to found, Verdi left an enduring legacy of music, charity, patriotism, honour, grace, and reason. He was and remains a mighty force for continuing good."


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## amfortas

amfortas said:


> On Wagner: It all stemmed from an overwhelming egoism--he was the great revolutionary genius who would redeem, not just music, but all of art (and probably humanity as well). From that perspective, he was perfectly entitled to make any use he wanted of other men's talent, money, or wives, all in furtherance of his vital destiny.





Almaviva said:


> On Verdi: "To the world, as to the nation he helped to found, Verdi left an enduring legacy of music, charity, patriotism, honour, grace, and reason. He was and remains a mighty force for continuing good."


Two of the greatest opera composers; born the same year; polar opposite personalities.

Life's a funny old thing.


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## sospiro

Almaviva said:


> This is a shame. I was planning to attend.


And me but if there's a change of government (this happens in Italy occasionally!!) things might be different.

Seeing a Verdi, any Verdi, at La Scala is on my 'bucket list' & I really wanted to do this in 2013.



Almaviva said:


> I liked this quote from that page:
> "To the world, as to the nation he helped to found, Verdi left an enduring legacy of music, charity, patriotism, honour, grace, and reason. He was and remains a mighty force for continuing good."


+1


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## FragendeFrau

Just to add to my bad day: If you have favorite YouTube videos of your favorite artists...better check to be sure they are still there. Last week they took away my beloved "home video" that someone put up of In Fernem Land from the Lohengrin premiere, and today the 5 segments of Ein Ganz Normaler Held (German TV documentary) are GONE. It's not as if I can BUY it, people! Because I would. *raging fist at unfair universe--or maybe specifically Decca*

I know there are a LOT of opera YouTubes out there and am not sure what causes things to be closed down, but...


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## Almaviva

FragendeFrau said:


> Just to add to my bad day: If you have favorite YouTube videos of your favorite artists...better check to be sure they are still there. Last week they took away my beloved "home video" that someone put up of In Fernem Land from the Lohengrin premiere, and today the 5 segments of Ein Ganz Normaler Held (German TV documentary) are GONE. It's not as if I can BUY it, people! Because I would. *raging fist at unfair universe--or maybe specifically Decca*
> 
> I know there are a LOT of opera YouTubes out there and am not sure what causes things to be closed down, but...


There is software available to download YouTube videos to your own computer for safe-keeping.
They go away either because the person who posted them removes them for whatever reason, or because they get removed by YouTube due to copyright violations.


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## FragendeFrau

Thanks, Alma. I had already downloaded a few things but have not had time to get all my "favorites" to safety. Am working on that right now!


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## ooopera

Speaking about Youtube ...

Did you see this video?  :B Why am I so sexy???






No offence, I absolutely like Roberto. But I discovered this video recently on YT and I think it's really funny.


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## amfortas

"No no, Roberto! Ees too sexy!"

"But I must . . . "


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## Almaviva

ooopera said:


> Speaking about Youtube ...
> 
> Did you see this video?  :B Why am I so sexy???
> 
> No offence, I absolutely like Roberto. But I discovered this video recently on YT and I think it's really funny.


Other than for the fact that I don't find Roberto sexy at all, yes, the video is pretty funny! Unless they are saying it ironically. Do people actually find Roberto Alagna sexy? Ladies, your input is required.


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## FragendeFrau

My input: He does absolutely nothing for me, "sexy-wise". But he may well be one of those people who is so charming in person you can't help but love him.

And how many other singers have come in with a cartwheel, as immortalized in the ROH's cinema trailer?


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## Almaviva

FragendeFrau said:


> My input: He does absolutely nothing for me, "sexy-wise". But he may well be one of those people who is so charming in person you can't help but love him.
> 
> And how many other singers have come in with a cartwheel, as immortalized in the ROH's cinema trailer?


Oh yes, he is lovable/adorable enough, he seems like a cool guy, rather convivial. It's just that he's not sexy like JK or Placido or Simon Keenlyside (or so I'm told, LOL).


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## mamascarlatti

Not sexy, but rather endearing.


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## sospiro

Friendly, endearing and sexy.


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## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> Friendly, endearing and sexy.


Ah, those speedos are working their magic on someone:lol:.


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## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Ah, those speedos are working their magic on someone:lol:.




Maybe ... but I was going on _personal_ experience.


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## amfortas

I didn't get the "sexy" thing--until I pointed out the resemblance to Miami-Vice-era Don Johnson in another thread.


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## FragendeFrau

Interesting that you mention Miami-Vice-era Don Johnson. That show came out when I was working in Munich for the US Military. I saw articles and interviews in US magazines with this new "hot" guy--and found absolutely nothing sexy about him. When I finally got to see Miami Vice (I think we had a 2-year delay on Armed Forces TV) I "saw the light" and agreed he was sexy.

So for this female, it's not just a looks thing--there has to be a charisma as well.


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## amfortas

FragendeFrau said:


> So for this female, it's not just a looks thing--there has to be a charisma as well.


Which is why I pray, every day, and for purely selfish reasons--that there are more women out there just like you!


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## MAuer

Almaviva said:


> Other than for the fact that I don't find Roberto sexy at all, yes, the video is pretty funny! Unless they are saying it ironically. Do people actually find Roberto Alagna sexy? Ladies, your input is required.


I think he's kind of cute. But JK's the one I'd like to see in Speedos!


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## Aramis

Is it natural for opera loves to spend 90% of their lifes discussing who's more cute and sexy? 

Did you ever happen to sit and suddenly stand up with your hands perpared to strangle, thinking NOW IT'S TIME TO MURDER SOMEBODY, then realize that there is nobody around and sit down again, laughing at what you just did? Because that's what normal people do instead of talking about cute singers. 

პუშკინის fished ზღვის სადაც დაკონსერვებული sprats ნავთობის


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## amfortas

Aramis said:


> Is it natural for opera loves to spend 90% of their lifes discussing who's more cute and sexy?
> 
> Did you ever happen to sit and suddenly stand up with your hands perpared to strangle, thinking NOW IT'S TIME TO MURDER SOMEBODY, then realize that there is nobody around and sit down again, laughing at what you just did? Because that's what normal people do instead of talking about cute singers.


For me, the two go hand in hand. I frequently find myself wanting to murder a cute opera singer.

But maybe that's just me.


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## sospiro

Aramis said:


> Is it natural for opera loves to spend 90% of their lifes discussing who's more cute and sexy?


Well I'm an *opera love* and it's actually 96.5% of my life



Aramis said:


> Did you ever happen to sit and suddenly stand up with your hands prepared to strangle, thinking NOW IT'S TIME TO MURDER SOMEBODY, then realize that there is nobody around and sit down again, laughing at what you just did?


No 



Aramis said:


> Because that's what normal people do instead of talking about cute singers.


But we're not normal. Opera is not logical. All Vulcans hate opera.



Aramis said:


> პუშკინის fished ზღვის სადაც დაკონსერვებული sprats ნავთობის


What language & what does this mean?


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## Aramis

> All Vulcans hate opera.


No, if it would be true Etna would erupt and destroy Catania during Bellini's youth so he would never get to write music.



> What language & what does this mean?


It's Georgian and it means something like: PUSHKIN BY THE SEA FROM WHERE MAITENCE SPRATS ARE FISHED.


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## sospiro

Aramis said:


> It's Georgian and it means something like: PUSHKIN BY THE SEA FROM WHERE MAITENCE SPRATS ARE FISHED.












Respect.

Is there no end to your talents?


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## Aramis

sospiro said:


> Respect.
> 
> Is there no end to your talents?


Yes, there is - I lack a talent of conquering maiden's heart.


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## sospiro

Aramis said:


> Yes, there is - I lack a talent of conquering maiden's heart.










Only a matter of time before a beautiful girl walks into your life


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## amfortas

sospiro said:


> Only a matter of time before a beautiful girl walks into your life


Just . . . try not to murder her!


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## Aramis

amfortas said:


> Just . . . try not to murder her!


Will go easy with her, but I'll be glad to shot her fiance in their wedding day, with accompaniament of overture from Bellini's Norma.


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## mamascarlatti

Couple of interesting YouTubes from Lovely Luca, on learning new roles, rehearsing and preparing to perform.


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## FragendeFrau

WildcatPR needs to come up with a different idea of the best place to record an interview--geez!! Just kidding, wonderful interview and so enjoyable! Thanks so much, I would never have known about this.

sorry to be so ignorant, but what role was he rehearsing? Was it at Glyndebourne? I thought it sounded like Russian that he was singing while putting on the tie.


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## mamascarlatti

FragendeFrau said:


> sorry to be so ignorant, but what role was he rehearsing? Was it at Glyndebourne? I thought it sounded like Russian that he was singing while putting on the tie.


Mozart, Le Nozze di Figaro

"Eccomi ai vostri piedi…
Ho pieno il cor di fuoco.
Esaminate il loco…
Pensate al traditor."


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## sospiro

Thank you Nat! :tiphat:

I'm just trying to visualise Luca running around Düsseldorf Opera House in a dress.

(Will watch them all later.)


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## sospiro

Along the lines of our own Things I've learned from opera, ROh have been running an opera rules to live by on Twitter.

I think ours are better  but I like these

While charming, a muff is not an effective cure for TB
Double-check carefully before throwing your enemy's baby onto the fire


----------



## Aramis

I've just found a source of quite rare operas. R-K (almost everything), Smetana (Dalibor), Rachmaninow (Aleko) are at hand. Already stole Berlioz's The Bold et Le Beautiful and Moniuszko's operetta Verbum Nobile. Quite a listening prepare for I must you can trust.

Edit: those fraudulent reptiles cheated on me, the libretto of Berlioz is only in French


----------



## rgz

sospiro said:


> Along the lines of our own Things I've learned from opera, ROh have been running an opera rules to live by on Twitter.
> 
> I think ours are better  but I like these
> 
> While charming, a muff is not an effective cure for TB
> Double-check carefully before throwing your enemy's baby onto the fire


:lol:

I was thinking about a "Signs you've been watching too much opera" thread --

- You start recognizing and coming up with nicknames for Met chorus members ("little guy", "constipation face woman")
- You accuse your dog of being a park-and-barker


----------



## amfortas

rgz said:


> :lol:
> 
> I was thinking about a "Signs you've been watching too much opera" thread --
> 
> - You start recognizing and coming up with nicknames for Met chorus members ("little guy", "constipation face woman")
> - You accuse your dog of being a park-and-barker


You tune out of conversations--waiting for the boring _recitative_ to end.


----------



## FragendeFrau

Thank you! don't know why I couldn't understand that...


----------



## sospiro

Aramis said:


> I've just found a source of quite rare operas. R-K (almost everything), Smetana (Dalibor), Rachmaninov (Aleko) are at hand. Already stole Berlioz's The Bold et Le Beautiful and Moniuszko's operetta Verbum Nobile. Quite a listening prepare for I must you can trust.
> 
> Edit: those fraudulent reptiles cheated on me, the libretto of Berlioz is only in French


Are you going to share this 'source'?


----------



## Aramis

sospiro said:


> Are you going to share this 'source'?


He, you people couldn't use it anyway, I'm afraid.


----------



## sospiro

Some wise words from Susanne Mentzer on life is short, opera is long.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Interesting article, thanks Annie


----------



## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> Interesting article, thanks Annie


Sam Ramey was 47 on the Mefistofele DVD so Lukas is still a baby & has plenty of time to 'get there'.


----------



## amfortas

Aramis said:


> I've just found a source of quite rare operas . . .
> 
> Edit: those fraudulent reptiles cheated on me, the libretto of Berlioz is only in French





sospiro said:


> Are you going to share this 'source'?


I think he has already. It's FraudulentReptiles.com.


----------



## Almaviva

amfortas said:


> I think he has already. It's FraudulentReptiles.com.


 Huh... interesting company you keep, amfortas!


----------



## Aramis

Almaviva said:


> Huh... interesting company you keep, amfortas!


We all shave to deal with fraudulent reptiles.


----------



## ooopera

Did anyone watched Bayreuth Lohengrin today? What do you think about it? I can't understand the rats?! It's that just me?


----------



## Aramis

ooopera said:


> I can't understand the rats?!


I can't understand them too, but I'm not surprised since I never took any lessons of Ratish language. Did you? Did they want something from you or you just heard them talking between themselves?


----------



## ooopera

Haha. Apparently Hans Neuenfels understands them


----------



## amfortas

I just posted about it on the "Streaming" thread--expressing my reluctance to pay the $21. I've been spoiled by the free streams of McVicar's _Meistersinger_, Herheim's _Onegin_, and Bieito's _Fidelio_!


----------



## mamascarlatti

amfortas said:


> I just posted about it on the "Streaming" thread--expressing my reluctance to pay the $21. I've been spoiled by the free streams of McVicar's _Meistersinger_, Herheim's _Onegin_, and Bieito's _Fidelio_!


I also can't work out whether you have to watch it all in one sitting, which is not going to fit in with my lifestyle, or if you can stop or start. So, no, I'm not planning to.


----------



## rgz

Met tickets went on sale today for non-subscribers. Anyone do any shopping? Got my ticket to L'elisir d'Amore for 21 March, really excited to hear Ms. Damrau in person, as she is solely responsible for spurring my interest in opera.


----------



## FragendeFrau

I got tickets for a weekend extravaganza: La Boheme, Rodelinda, and FAUST. My wallet is hurting now, plus I don't have anyplace to stay yet--still working on some friends.

My plan B is to try to find a reasonably priced chain hotel in one of the commuter towns in NJ or CT...

I also bought a ticket for the Jonas Kaufmann recital, which I have NOT received.  I am very worried about this. I called them after I got the opera tickets and was told they "haven't been sent out yet" but that was weeks ago. I may try to phone today--but I doubt I'll be able to get through! *insert worried smilie here*


----------



## rgz

Depending on how "bohemian" you are, you can do couchsurfing ( www.couchsurfing.com ) or a hostel. I've done both and have had nothing but great experiences every time.


----------



## sospiro

Saturday's Guardian has a supplement How To Enjoy Opera.

Sadly, to detriment of my finances, I already know how to do that.


----------



## amfortas

sospiro said:


> Saturday's Guardian has a supplement How To Enjoy Opera.
> 
> Sadly, to detriment of my finances, I already know how to do that.


In that case, you might want to read the article How Not To Enjoy Opera So Damn Much.


----------



## ooopera

Interesting! Which one do you wanna have?

http://blog.roh.org.uk/?p=4659


----------



## FragendeFrau

I would love to just be able to see them and check out the workmanship. Wow. I often wonder if they do a set of costumes for each artist in a role--and how long they hang onto them (I'm thinking in terms of the multi-cast productions). Also wonder if they make them with generous seams for alterations, when a cover has to come in!


----------



## Aksel

ooopera said:


> Interesting! Which one do you wanna have?
> 
> http://blog.roh.org.uk/?p=4659


I want Diana Damrau's Queen of the Night dress from the recent Zauberflöte. Just to behold its fabulousness, really.


----------



## sospiro

When I was in Milan last year I went to an exhibition of La Scala costumes (thanks to mamascarlatti who told me about it beforehand).

You could get right up close, photography was allowed & opera was piped through loudspeakers.

  

I spent ages in there & took loads of photos. This costume below (Ulrica) was one of my favourites. I asked for & was given permission to feel the weight of the necklace - how can they be expected to sing & act wearing such elaborate costumes?


----------



## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> This costume below (Ulrica) was one of my favourites. I asked for & was given permission to feel the weight of the necklace - how can they be expected to sing & act wearing such elaborate costumes?


Necklace shmeclace. Try this for size:


----------



## Almaviva

I got the LA Opera season brochure. Kind of conventional season: Eugene Onegin, Così fan Tutte, Roméo et Juliette, Simon Boccanegra (Annie, it's with Plácido Domingo and Anna María Martinez), Albert Herring, and La Bohème.

The only one that may motivate me to take the long trip to LA (6 hours by plane) is the Roméo et Juliette, because it's got an intriguing cast: Vittorio Grigolo and Nino Machaidze. November 6, 9, 12, 17, 20, and 26. I may consider it.


----------



## sospiro

Almaviva said:


> I got the LA Opera season brochure. Kind of conventional season: Eugene Onegin, Così fan Tutte, Roméo et Juliette, *Simon Boccanegra* (Annie, it's with Plácido Domingo and Anna María Martinez), Albert Herring, and La Bohème.


Interesting but the next time I see it I want the role to be sung by a proper baritone. I heard Dima's interpretation was superb.



Almaviva said:


> The only one that may motivate me to take the long trip to LA (6 hours by plane) is the Roméo et Juliette, because it's got an intriguing cast: Vittorio Grigolo and Nino Machaidze. November 6, 9, 12, 17, 20, and 26. I may consider it.


Nino Machaidze was Adina when I saw L'elisir in Munich & she was brilliant. I still can't decide about Grigolo, but I would imagine they'll make a really believable R et J.


----------



## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> Nino Machaidze was Adina when I saw L'elisir in Munich & she was brilliant. I still can't decide about Grigolo, but I would imagine they'll make a really believable R et J.


I think Grigolo has potential to develop well - at the moment his singing is a bit one dimensional - ardent, ardent or ardent. Sounds good for Romeo then.


----------



## FragendeFrau

*Everyone has to start somewhere...*

NON-German* fans of Jonas Kaufmann will need the brain bleach after this one!










The leisure suit! (hard to believe this is 2001) the belt! the hair! the sunglasses as headband! the lip-synching! the acting/smiling...?!  He goes for the high note at the end, though. Nowadays he doesn't need to prove himself.

Du bist die welt für mich, from a *2001* "Springtime in Vienna" program

Follow the link, click on "Jonas Kaufmann" upper left for a pulldown menu, then click on "Du bist die welt für mich" if you DARE!

*for German/Austrian fans, this is all in a normal day's work. If you've lived in another country, ever notice how there are certain cultural things that just. don't. transfer?


----------



## Almaviva

Let me risk being assaulted by many female TC members, but isn't JK's voice a bit too nasal?


----------



## Aksel

My god, that's fab-u-lous.


----------



## FragendeFrau

> Let me risk being assaulted by many female TC members, but isn't JK's voice a bit too nasal?


Well, I can only say "not to me".

Trying to think of someone (in my limited experience of opera) who DOES sound nasal to me, and off the top of my I head I can't remember, but I do know I've thought that occasionally while watching something. Or maybe I'm just remembering our former priest who had a terrific voice but whenever he chanted would launch into this awful nasality.


----------



## Almaviva

Not to you because he *isn't* nasal, or not to you because, like me with Anna Netrebko, you're ready to forgive him for any possible shortcomings?


----------



## FragendeFrau

He doesn't sound nasal to me, which I guess means I don't think he is nasal. And I have heard people I DO think are nasal.


----------



## mamascarlatti

I don't think he sounds nasal.

The one who DOES sometimes is JDF.


----------



## Almaviva

What's with La Scala stagings that they're often so dark? Can't those folks afford some light bulbs?


----------



## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> What's with La Scala stagings that they're often so dark? Can't those folks afford some light bulbs?


I know - particularly the 80s ones. Makes for gloomy watching.


----------



## sospiro

Verdi's Requiem Prom on TV tonight & will watch & record

Found the comments on here interesting


----------



## Aksel

sospiro said:


> Verdi's Requiem Prom on TV tonight & will watch & record
> 
> Found the comments on here interesting


Aren't you going to watch the live stream of Turn of the Screw from Glyndebourne tonight?


----------



## mamascarlatti

Aksel said:


> Aren't you going to watch the live stream of Turn of the Screw from Glyndebourne tonight?


It's VERDI! And Annie! Whaddaya think?


----------



## Aksel

mamascarlatti said:


> It's VERDI! And Annie! Whaddaya think?


True. Good point.


----------



## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> It's VERDI! And Annie! Whaddaya think?


 I am so predictable...

Anyway my internet speed is very slow & remembering what happened with the Fidelio stream from Munich, I may not be able to enjoy (if that's the right word) Turn of the Screw.


----------



## MAuer

FragendeFrau said:


> NON-German* fans of Jonas Kaufmann will need the brain bleach after this one!
> 
> The leisure suit! (hard to believe this is 2001) the belt! the hair! the sunglasses as headband! the lip-synching! the acting/smiling...?!  He goes for the high note at the end, though. Nowadays he doesn't need to prove himself.
> 
> Du bist die welt für mich, from a *2001* "Springtime in Vienna" program
> 
> Follow the link, click on "Jonas Kaufmann" upper left for a pulldown menu, then click on "Du bist die welt für mich" if you DARE!
> 
> *for German/Austrian fans, this is all in a normal day's work. If you've lived in another country, ever notice how there are certain cultural things that just. don't. transfer?


FF, another gem! Thanks again!

In 2001, I was just in the process of "discovering" JK. He'd received a pretty favorable review from the magazine "_Opernwelt_" for his performance as Paer's Florestano in Winterthur, and the critic's description of his "dunkel leuchtend" lyric tenor made me curious enough to hunt for information on the web. I found an audio recording -- Loewe's _Die Drei Wünsche _-- with him and ordered it; remembered thinking "Wow!" when I first heard his voice. In Fall of 2001, he made his American debut as Cassio with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. I didn't go (and wanted to kick myself afterward), but did hear the radio broadcast; again thought "Wow!" (also thought his voice sounded darker than that of the Otello, Ben Heppner). When he returned to Chicago in March, 2003, to sing Alfredo, I made it to the Windy City that time . . . and I've been hooked ever since.


----------



## amfortas

sospiro said:


> Verdi's Requiem Prom on TV tonight & will watch & record


Strange. Back in my senior year, my high school had a Requiem Prom.

In retrospect, they might have chosen a better theme.


----------



## FragendeFrau

From Intermezzo:

Jonas Kaufmann has revealed exactly why he's withdrawn from the Bologna Opera tour of Japan next month. A letter published on the promoter Fuji's website (and reproduced in full below) reveals he needs an operation to remove a node from his chest.

He hints at the possibility the node may be cancerous. Let's all hope not.

_"Dear Friends,

I regret very much having to tell you that I will unfortunately not be able to sing the performances of Carmen for you next month. I was so looking forward to coming to Japan now and I want to assure everyone that this decision has nothing do with the difficult issues you have had to face in Japan in these last months. The fact is that I need to have an operation to remove a node in my thoracic area. I do not wish anyone to become alarmed reading this, but my physicians have ordered me to have the surgery as soon as possible. This will take place after my appearance in Stockholm on September 2. I am pretty sure that the results of the histological examination will come up "benign" but as I said, this procedure could not be further delayed.

I am extremely sorry I must cancel my trip to Japan and thus disappoint many friends. From my previous appearances in Japan, I have the most lovely memories of the audience there as especially enthusiastic, knowledgeable and kind. I have always regarded the great affection lavished on me there as an exceptional honor. I therefore hope for the understanding of those of you who empathize with my situation, or who may even have been in a similar position themselves, and I hope to come to you as soon as possible in the future.

With warm regards,
Jonas Kaufmann" _

******************


----------



## Aksel

Oh dear. I hope it will be all right.


----------



## amfortas

All the best, Jonas!


----------



## MAuer

This is horrible news. That poor man and his family must be going through hell with worry. I hope the surgery will go well, and he'll make a full, fast recovery.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Oh dear, poor guy. I hope he's OK.


----------



## Almaviva

Oh! Oh! This is not good! Not good at all!
A node in the thoracic area? The surgery needs to be done as soon as possible?
These things are often nasty.
Fingers crossed for JK.


----------



## Aramis

There is quite favourable description of Donizetti's Parisina in Count of Monte Christo. I got it but it doesn't seem to be very popular and easy to get. But the description of the act II duet made me curious to hear this work. Is it really one of Donizetti's best?

Edit: brief listening taking place right now. Ending is typical for him but it's not bad. And this recording (with Caballe) must be from Italian theatre because they give applause before the music actually ends and after final chord shout AAAA OOO BRAVA BRAVA


----------



## MAuer

Almaviva said:


> Oh! Oh! This is not good! Not good at all!
> A node in the thoracic area? The surgery needs to be done as soon as possible?
> These things are often nasty.
> Fingers crossed for JK.


I'm rather surprised that he's going ahead with the concert in Copenhagen instead of having surgery immediately. This is certainly a circumstance under which cancellation is more than justified.


----------



## FragendeFrau

I take that as a positive sign. I hope. 

Word is now that he's canceled the BSO trip to Japan also, not surprising, since I think it followed right on the heels of the other Japan tour. Praying for swift and full recovery that we may be blessed with that amazing voice for many more years. As someone on parterre said, I want to hear him sing the hell out of Andrea Chenier in a couple of years.


----------



## Aramis

Tonation per character - what an idea.

Germans invented leading motives to be associated with characters but noone, until me, was so genius to get the idea of associating each character with key in which this particular character would sing all the time, even in ensamble parts (politonality). 

So you get the duet and melancholic geezer sings in F minor even though he is happy at the moment and then enters a heroic hero of heroic nature and he sings in C minor and so he does all the time even if he's sad he sings sadly but still in heroic key of C minor because his nature is heroic - it's so natural, totally brilliant way to fill the music with meaning, even if I will forget while composing that the hero is heroic there will be my general plan to force me to keep him the way he should be YOU CAN ALREADY SAVE FOR ME SOME LINES IN FORTHCOMING BOOKS ABOUT HISTORY OF OPERA AND MUSIC IN GENERAL HMMM I HOPE NO VICIOUS COMPOSER IS READING THIS THREAD TO STEAL THE IDEA, USE IT BEFORE ME AND TAKE MY PLACE IN THE HISTORY


----------



## amfortas

Aramis said:


> Tonation per character - what an idea.


Brilliant!

Just out of curiosity . . . what key would *you* be written in, Aramis?


----------



## Aramis

amfortas said:


> Brilliant!
> 
> Just out of curiosity . . . what key would *you* be written in, Aramis?


In all, because composer pours part of himself in all characters of his operas and so I would be present in all characters written in all keys.


----------



## amfortas

Aramis said:


> In all, because composer pours part of himself in all characters of his operas and so I would be present in all characters written in all keys.


Omnitonal! Awesome!


----------



## Aramis




----------



## amfortas

Aramis said:


>


I completely agree.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

I like to sing opera but people don't like the way I sing...Is this related? I am a bar-i-un-tuned

Dark LOL

Martin


----------



## sospiro

http://www.voiceteacher.com/

Characteristics of the leggiero tenor

*Analysis of Juan Diego Florez' Vocal Production*: One important young singer today who is quite well known is Juan Diego Florez. My personal evaluation of his singing is that he is a true leggiero tenor who has wisely developed blend of registration. If one carefully studies the sound of his high C, it takes on a 'headier' approach than the standard lyric tenor. This is not something Mr. Florez is creating, but a result of a more perfect breath-balance which results in more registration balance. Also there is an acoustical release in his voice at high A-flat above the staff.

Mr. Florez has been wise enough to develop a lot of head voice connection in the middle and lower registers; a result of holding back the breath pressure with the lower back muscles or the lower lumbars. He never allows himself to over-produce the middle voice, a philosophy that is critically important in the training of any voice.

Agility is based on the thin edge function and Mr. Florez's easy access to this function in his voice is reflective of the fact that he is well trained and an extremely intelligent singer. Many singers in this vocal fach push the top of the voice into a shrill sound. He does not make this mistake because he manages his breath balance so completely well.

It is also extremely important when studying Mr. Florez's singing to pay attention to his middle register. He never employs too much vocal weight or thicker cord mass in the middle register. He allows this sound to ring without trying to force a bigger sound.

This is a truly intelligent singer worthy of careful study and analysis by both teacher and student.


----------



## sospiro

Five tenors nominate their favourites

Nice to see what Joseph says about José


----------



## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> Five tenors nominate their favourites
> 
> Nice to see what Joseph says about José


Great Annie.

The more I listen to José on those early Verdi recordings, the more I admire his voice. He perhaps isn't such a stage animal as Plácidone, but he sounds gorgeous. And Joseph has made very evident strides from his earlier recordings in this wonderful CD.


----------



## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> And Joseph has made very evident strides from his earlier recordings in this wonderful CD.


My sources say that PD gave him some excellent coaching tips during the _Simon Boccanegra_ run last year. And not the only singer to benefit from PD's mentoring skills during that time.

Lukas said he learned so much from him as mentioned briefly in this interview.


----------



## FragendeFrau

I have been rabidly searching the internet this week hoping to hear good news about Jonas Kaufmann's surgery but have seen nothing yet. Then it occurred to me that nobody will want to get the (hopefully good) news out more than Met Opera since they have a house to fill for the recital 10/30 and the following Faust performances.

So I guess I can trust that as soon as the news is available the Met will get it out to the world!


----------



## MAuer

FragendeFrau said:


> I have been rabidly searching the internet this week hoping to hear good news about Jonas Kaufmann's surgery but have seen nothing yet. Then it occurred to me that nobody will want to get the (hopefully good) news out more than Met Opera since they have a house to fill for the recital 10/30 and the following Faust performances.
> 
> So I guess I can trust that as soon as the news is available the Met will get it out to the world!


I've also been searching for news without success. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping we'll hear something positive soon.


----------



## ooopera

Dear Alma, just for you!


----------



## mamascarlatti

MAuer said:


> I've also been searching for news without success. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping we'll hear something positive soon.


Without meaning to scare people too much, I talked to my husband about this - he is a histopathologist i.e. the medical professional who would be looking at the nodes through a microscope to determine what is wrong - and he said that problems with a node in the thoracic area could be caused by cancer in the lymph nodes themselves, cancer that has migrated from another organ (lungs are close) or a disease, the most likely being TB.

I have to keep telling myself that he always says the worst about everything.

Example dialogue, yesterday evening:

Me: It's weird, I've been having a lot of headaches recently..
Him: You'd better go and see the doctor, it could be a brain tumour.


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> Without meaning to scare people too much, I talked to my husband about this - he is a histopathologist i.e. the medical professional who would be looking at the nodes through a microscope to determine what is wrong - and he said that problems with a node in the thoracic area could be caused by cancer in the lymph nodes themselves, cancer that has migrated from another organ (lungs are close) or a disease, the most likely being TB.
> 
> I have to keep telling myself that he always says the worst about everything.
> 
> Example dialogue, yesterday evening:
> 
> Me: It's weird, I've been having a lot of headaches recently..
> Him: You'd better go and see the doctor, it could be a brain tumour.


TB wouldn't need surgery.
Your husband is right to be pessimistic.
This is bad, trust me. Chances are overwhelming that this is a cancer.


----------



## Almaviva

ooopera said:


> Dear Alma, just for you!


What in the hell was I thinking when I believed that I didn't like this woman???
Nat, you've managed to make of this humble boob lover a fan of Draculette's! Both of them!!


----------



## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> TB wouldn't need surgery.


Do we know if this an exploratory biopsy or surgery?


----------



## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> What in the hell was I thinking when I believed that I didn't like this woman???
> Nat, you've managed to make of this humble boob lover a fan of Draculette's! Both of them!!


Not me again. You must have been bedazzled by cleavage:lol:.


----------



## Almaviva

Oh, sorry Nat, and sorry, ooopera. Usually it's Natalie who posts this kind of thing for me, hehehe. I'll be eternally grateful for a certain picture of Anna's cough cough assets.


----------



## FragendeFrau

mamascarlatti said:


> Do we know if this an exploratory biopsy or surgery?


This is all we know (quote from English page on JK's official website):

"The fact is that I need to have an operation to remove a node in my thoracic area. I do not wish anyone to become alarmed reading this, but my physicians have ordered me to have the surgery done as soon as possible and it will take place after my appearance in Stockholm on September 2."

Neither the German nor the English version of this letter on JK's website contains this sentence that was in the English version on the Japanese website: "I am pretty sure that the results of the histological examination will come up "benign" but as I said, this procedure could not be further delayed."

To me that indicates biopsy, but as a surgeon pointed out on parterre you have the option after getting the histological results immediately (I think they can do that "nowadays") to do any further necessary surgery.

I continue to pray and hope for the best.


----------



## Almaviva

FragendeFrau said:


> This is all we know (quote from English page on JK's official website):
> 
> "The fact is that I need to have an operation to remove a node in my thoracic area. I do not wish anyone to become alarmed reading this, but my physicians have ordered me to have the surgery done as soon as possible and it will take place after my appearance in Stockholm on September 2."
> 
> Neither the German nor the English version of this letter on JK's website contains this sentence that was in the English version on the Japanese website: "I am pretty sure that the results of the histological examination will come up "benign" but as I said, this procedure could not be further delayed."
> 
> To me that indicates biopsy, but as a surgeon pointed out on parterre you have the option after getting the histological results immediately (I think they can do that "nowadays") to do any further necessary surgery.
> 
> I continue to pray and hope for the best.


Yes you can get a reading from a pathologist during the surgery employing some fast techniques (the material is frozen, thin-sliced, and looked at through a microscope) and then if it is malignant you proceed with the full scope of the surgery.


----------



## mamascarlatti

I've just read in Opera magazine that the Britten-Pears Foundation is giviing grants to various organisations to put on productions in 2013, the centenary of Britten's birth, including, and this is what is making my heart soar, to NZ Opera to do Billy Budd. Finally, a local production that is not a bums-on-seats top 20 warhorse! And my favourite Britten opera!


----------



## FragendeFrau

Congratulations, Natalie! That is really wonderful news!


----------



## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> I've just read in Opera magazine that the Britten-Pears Foundation is giviing grants to various organisations to put on productions in 2013, the centenary of Britten's birth, including, and this is what is making my heart soar, to NZ Opera to do Billy Budd. Finally, a local production that is not a bums-on-seats top 20 warhorse! And my favourite Britten opera!


That's brilliant!


----------



## sospiro

Interview with Vittorio Grigolo

This reminded me of an article "So they want opera singers to be ordinary?"

Not me!!

Note: Language in the Grigolo interview may be offensive to some people


----------



## Almaviva

sospiro said:


> Interview with Vittorio Grigolo
> 
> This reminded me of an article "So they want opera singers to be ordinary?"
> 
> Not me!!
> 
> Note: Language in the Grigolo interview may be offensive to some people


What a conceited little fella!


----------



## FragendeFrau

I just wanted to thank you again for suggesting Presto Classical as a source of DVDs and CDs. I ordered the Zurich _Fidelio_ and the CD of _Madama Butterfly_, both of which were unavailable from the usual suspects this side of the pond.

The service was friendly, fast, and both orders were packaged carefully (the CD in a large box with bubble wrap, unlike my last CD order from amazon.com, where the jewel case was damaged due to meager packaging!). They were sent via small packet post, so not too long to get here (about two weeks) and inexpensive shipping costs.

I highly recommend them!

ETA: it's entirely possible that the 10 days/2 weeks delivery time was caused by holdups on the US side. I've gotten airmailed small packets from the UK before, much more quickly. In one case I got a small packet from a friend two days after it was sent!


----------



## Almaviva

About packaging, while I'm happy with MovieMars (one of the major Amazon marketplace vendors) prices, selection, and speed of shipment, they don't use bubble wrap at all and many products I've bought from them had damage to the boxes. I still buy from them because they're often at least 65% of Amazon prices and orders arrive home some five days after they're placed, and I've never had damage to the disc itself. But I guess the price to pay for cheaper items is cheaper packaging.


----------



## MAuer

So far, all of the CDs and DVDs I've ordered from Amazon arrived safely and were securely packaged -- though without bubble wrap. I wonder if the quality of the packaging has something to do with which Amazon shipping facility serves your particular georgraphic area (though you'd think this shouldn't make a difference).


----------



## mamascarlatti

FragendeFrau said:


> ETA: it's entirely possible that the 10 days/2 weeks delivery time was caused by holdups on the US side. I've gotten airmailed small packets from the UK before, much more quickly. In one case I got a small packet from a friend two days after it was sent!


I get my packages from the UK within a week, while anything from the US takes from 2-4 weeks, so I think you could have a point there.


----------



## FragendeFrau

Further to 'miscellaneous opera chat' I remember someone here suggesting which Kaufmann DVDs to buy and which to avoid. Unfortunately I can't find that post!

I have Fidelio, Lohengrin, Tosca, Carmen, and Werther. Although I don't have money for more right at this moment (and I know I should be getting more "standard" performances from our top 100 list, bad FraFra) in what order would YOU complete your "Kaufmann-to-date-on-DVD" collection, knowing you could only afford maybe one per month?


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> I get my packages from the UK within a week, while anything from the US takes from 2-4 weeks, so I think you could have a point there.


That's not it. Apparently the route that packages from the US take to your home inside the NZ territory pass through a bunch of sheep. Our packages get lost because of the damn sheep. There're too many of them. The Brits who have known NZ for longer, know how to avoid the sheep so their packages get to you sooner.


----------



## mamascarlatti

FragendeFrau said:


> Further to 'miscellaneous opera chat' I remember someone here suggesting which Kaufmann DVDs to buy and which to avoid. Unfortunately I can't find that post!
> 
> I have Fidelio, Lohengrin, Tosca, Carmen, and Werther. Although I don't have money for more right at this moment (and I know I should be getting more "standard" performances from our top 100 list, bad FraFra) in what order would YOU complete your "Kaufmann-to-date-on-DVD" collection, knowing you could only afford maybe one per month?


You've got the good ones already. What's left is:

1. La Clemenza di Tito - Jonas not particularly compelling here but it's all pleasant enough and of course it's a good opera seria.










2. Nina o sia la finta pazza - It's Ceci's show really, Jonas very much in supporting mode










3. Fierrabras - seriously weird staging, but quite intriguing.










Don't bother with Tannhäuser as you only catch fleeting glimpses of Jonas, and don't see him at all when he is singing his big aria.


----------



## ooopera

FragendeFrau said:


> Further to 'miscellaneous opera chat' I remember someone here suggesting which Kaufmann DVDs to buy and which to avoid. Unfortunately I can't find that post!
> 
> I have Fidelio, Lohengrin, Tosca, Carmen, and Werther. Although I don't have money for more right at this moment (and I know I should be getting more "standard" performances from our top 100 list, bad FraFra) in what order would YOU complete your "Kaufmann-to-date-on-DVD" collection, knowing you could only afford maybe one per month?


You must see Rosenkavalier (not just because of JK). 









And Alma was impressed by Nina


----------



## mamascarlatti

ooopera said:


> You must see Rosenkavalier (not just because of JK).


Oh that's right, but you can see his very brief appearance on Youtube






EDIT: This has prompted me to have another look at this clip and I must say it looks like a fun production. Love the idea of the tenor and the spaghetti, shades of Pavarotti:lol:.


----------



## ooopera

Scene with spaghetti it's just perfect! You can see JK's explanation of his role here:


----------



## FragendeFrau

Thanks--I have seen the clip on youtube and have that DVD on my amazon wishlist! And I think all of the Fierrabras is also up on youtube--or it was. An interesting production!

Well I shall ponder this until next payday. Thanks everyone for your suggestions!


----------



## mamascarlatti

So Kiri is coming to replenish her coffers with a concert in the Vector Arena. There is so little live opera here in Auckland that one should take every opportunity to go, but on the other hand I'm thinking she is well past her prime, it's such a big venue that the singing will be amplified, and the dread words Rogers and Hammerstein in the flyer lead me to believe that the programme will be light in real opera.

The only thing in the concert's favour is that the lovely Teddy Tahu Rhodes is singing too.

Can anyone think of a good reason why I should hand over loads of dosh to see this?


----------



## sospiro

mamascarlatti said:


> So Kiri is coming to replenish her coffers with a concert in the Vector Arena. There is so little live opera here in Auckland that one should take every opportunity to go, but on the other hand I'm thinking she is well past her prime, it's such a big venue that the singing will be amplified, and the dread words Rogers and Hammerstein in the flyer lead me to believe that the programme will be light in real opera.
> 
> The only thing in the concert's favour is that the lovely Teddy Tahu Rhodes is singing too.
> 
> Can anyone think of *a good reason* why I should hand over loads of dosh to see this?


Teddy Tahu Rhodes? 

Although he might not be wearing this


----------



## FragendeFrau

That is a costume worthy of Parterre! Who is he, and what is he doing in that getup?

(And I meant to say, thanks to ooopera for the clip regarding Rosenkavalier. I have GOT to get my hands on that Magic Flute recording as it's a favorite, and I think I love Diana Damrau after seeing that clip from Rosenkavalier!)


----------



## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> Teddy Tahu Rhodes?
> 
> Although he might not be wearing this


Holy mackerel!!!


----------



## amfortas

sospiro said:


> Teddy Tahu Rhodes?
> 
> Although he might not be wearing this


LOL . . . not bloody likely!

But I'll tell you what, Nat. You buy my plane ticket to join you out in New Zealand, and *I'll* wear that outfit!

What's that you say? What?

I'm sorry, Nat, I can't understand you. You'll have to stop laughing.


----------



## MAuer

mamascarlatti said:


> Oh that's right, but you can see his very brief appearance on Youtube
> 
> EDIT: This has prompted me to have another look at this clip and I must say it looks like a fun production. Love the idea of the tenor and the spaghetti, shades of Pavarotti:lol:.


Nat: I love it!  Thanks for sharing!


----------



## sospiro

Carmen children's chorus, so cute.


----------



## FragendeFrau

Thanks for sharing that!

ETA: Annie, you are such a tease! Who is this Teddy and why was he wearing that costume?


----------



## MAuer

FragendeFrau said:


> Thanks for sharing that!
> 
> ETA: Annie, you are such a tease! Who is this Teddy and why was he wearing that costume?


It's from our 30-day Opera Challenge -- you know, the one about which super hero would make a good subject for an opera. 

Seriously, this looks like some Regisseur's idea of a costume for Don Giovanni . . . maybe our pal Calixto Bieito. :lol:


----------



## sospiro

FragendeFrau said:


> ETA: Annie, you are such a tease! Who is this Teddy and why was he wearing that costume?


I'm referring to Natalie's question here



mamascarlatti said:


> So Kiri is coming to replenish her coffers with a concert in the Vector Arena. There is so little live opera here in Auckland that one should take every opportunity to go, but on the other hand I'm thinking she is well past her prime, it's such a big venue that the singing will be amplified, and the dread words Rogers and Hammerstein in the flyer lead me to believe that the programme will be light in real opera.
> 
> The only thing in the concert's favour is that the lovely Teddy Tahu Rhodes is singing too.
> 
> Can anyone think of *a good reason why I should hand over loads of dosh* to see this?


TTR is featured in Barihunks and as MAuer says it's DG.

Quite spiffing, what?


----------



## FragendeFrau

Thanks! I was trying to figure out whose production but eventually just googled "teddy" and "don giovanni" and found it it's an Australian production. Very interesting! I don't suppose they can get many Don Giovannis who would "fit" into that production!


----------



## FragendeFrau

I hope this is not what Jonas Kaufmann had in mind when he said in a recent interview that he would be interested in singing "schlagers" (hits) from the past... 






Cindy looks like she's been smoking the happy weed, Bert looks like he'd rather be in bed, and the Pekingese looks bored!

On the other hand, if he's talking about operetta, I'd be the first in line to buy that CD!

ETA: we don't have a "love" smilie?


----------



## CountessAdele

FragendeFrau said:


> (and I think I love Diana Damrau after seeing that clip from Rosenkavalier!)


Yes somebody else feels like I do! I was beginning to feel like the only cheerleader for team DD!


----------



## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> TTR is featured in Barihunks and as MAuer says it's DG.
> 
> Quite spiffing, what?


Very spiffing indeed, but those leather knickers look awfully tight and not very practical for the Don's usual purposes.


----------



## CountessAdele

I'm curious, does anyone else look for staging mess ups in a performance? I have this habit now, and can't help it. I wasn't sure if this was worthy of its own thread so I just posted it here. If you do this too I'd love to hear about the ones you've seen and how the actors handled it! 

Examples: I noticed when watching the Met HD footage of Le Comte Ory for the billionth time that Diana accidentally slaps one of the chorus girls when she "faints". Another with Diana was from the Abduction, she was singing and falls (on purpose) and the other actor on stage catches her but instead of catching her by the arm pit area he catches a handful of something else, and... oddly holds on a few seconds too long. 

I've also seen Joyce Didonato drop things, she just picked them up and kept going. In a clip of the Barber, figaro stepped on her dress and she responded very in character by yanking her dress from under him with a fiery look, he also responded in character by quickly bowing as if to appologize. 

I've also seen actors lose bits of their costumes things like hats and cloaks, and more droping things and accidental groping, so costume malfunction, dropping, and groping seem to be the most common. lol

I'm not including injuries in this, just little foul ups that make me giggle. And of course I mean no disrespect to any of actors I mention.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

I spoke to Anna Netrebko the other day and she told me she'd be interested in being a moderator of this group...Would you accept her?










Martin


----------



## amfortas

myaskovsky2002 said:


> I spoke to Anna Netrebko the other day and she told me she'd be interested in being a moderator of this group...Would you accept her?


Anna who???


----------



## Almaviva

myaskovsky2002 said:


> I spoke to Anna Netrebko the other day and she told me she'd be interested in being a moderator of this group...Would you accept her?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Martin


Nah. We already have the two most awesome moderators available in all the Internet. We don't need no Anna Netrebko here.

:devil::lol:


----------



## myaskovsky2002

amfortas said:


> Anna who???


C'mon! ..............................


----------



## mamascarlatti

CountessAdele said:


> I'm curious, does anyone else look for staging mess ups in a performance? I have this habit now, and can't help it. I wasn't sure if this was worthy of its own thread so I just posted it here. If you do this too I'd love to hear about the ones you've seen and how the actors handled it!
> 
> Examples: I noticed when watching the Met HD footage of Le Comte Ory for the billionth time that Diana accidentally slaps one of the chorus girls when she "faints". Another with Diana was from the Abduction, she was singing and falls (on purpose) and the other actor on stage catches her but instead of catching her by the arm pit area he catches a handful of something else, and... oddly holds on a few seconds too long.
> 
> I've also seen Joyce Didonato drop things, she just picked them up and kept going. In a clip of the Barber, figaro stepped on her dress and she responded very in character by yanking her dress from under him with a fiery look, he also responded in character by quickly bowing as if to appologize.
> 
> I've also seen actors lose bits of their costumes things like hats and cloaks, and more droping things and accidental groping, so costume malfunction, dropping, and groping seem to be the most common. lol
> 
> I'm not including injuries in this, just little foul ups that make me giggle. And of course I mean no disrespect to any of actors I mention.


Ha, some funny stories there. I will have to keep my eyes peeled.


----------



## amfortas

Almaviva said:


> Nah. We already have the two most awesome moderators available in all the Internet. We don't need no Anna Netrebko here.
> 
> :devil::lol:


Alma's laughing now. But wait 'til he finds out that myaskovsky wasn't kidding!


----------



## Almaviva

amfortas said:


> Alma's laughing now. But wait 'til he finds out that myaskovsky wasn't kidding!


OK, I talked to Anna about it and you're right, she was indeed trying to become a moderator here. But once she learned who the two Opera Forum moderators are, she humbly realized that she still lacks the experience and skills of such formidable, competent, and masterful moderators like Gaston and Almaviva. Then she asked if I'd allow her to move in with me so that she observes my moderation and learns the trade. After giving it some thought (I didn't want her to think that I am easy) and as she continued to beg and was about to cry, I finally said yes.


----------



## amfortas

Almaviva said:


> OK, I talked to Anna about it and you're right, she was indeed trying to become a moderator here. But once she learned who the two Opera Forum moderators are, she humbly realized that she still lacks the experience and skills of such formidable, competent, and masterful moderators like Gaston and Almaviva. Then she asked if I'd allow her to move in with me so that she observes my moderation and learns the trade. After giving it some thought (I didn't want her to think that I am easy) and as she continued to beg and was about to cry, I finally said yes.


I wish I could find a Happy Little World Of My Own to live in, like Alma has.


----------



## sospiro

amfortas said:


> I wish I could find a Happy Little World Of My Own to live in, like Alma has.


And me

But it wouldn't involve La Bellissima nor Count Almaviva


----------



## rgz

CountessAdele said:


> Yes somebody else feels like I do! I was beginning to feel like the only cheerleader for team DD!


No, I'm a big fan! I can trace my interest in opera directly to her konigin, and am going to see her in l'Elisir at the Met next year!


----------



## rgz

CountessAdele said:


> I'm curious, does anyone else look for staging mess ups in a performance? I have this habit now, and can't help it. I wasn't sure if this was worthy of its own thread so I just posted it here. If you do this too I'd love to hear about the ones you've seen and how the actors handled it!
> 
> Examples: I noticed when watching the Met HD footage of Le Comte Ory for the billionth time that Diana accidentally slaps one of the chorus girls when she "faints". Another with Diana was from the Abduction, she was singing and falls (on purpose) and the other actor on stage catches her but instead of catching her by the arm pit area he catches a handful of something else, and... oddly holds on a few seconds too long.
> 
> I've also seen Joyce Didonato drop things, she just picked them up and kept going. In a clip of the Barber, figaro stepped on her dress and she responded very in character by yanking her dress from under him with a fiery look, he also responded in character by quickly bowing as if to appologize.
> 
> I've also seen actors lose bits of their costumes things like hats and cloaks, and more droping things and accidental groping, so costume malfunction, dropping, and groping seem to be the most common. lol
> 
> I'm not including injuries in this, just little foul ups that make me giggle. And of course I mean no disrespect to any of actors I mention.


Haha, I do this too. In the Met Live in HD / Met Player Dessay Lucia, there are a couple mistakes -- when Enrico throws her ring in A2, she can't find it (as opposed to when I saw it in person and she recovered it right away), and when she's given a shot in the mad scene, the doctor flubs it (again, not an issue in the performance I saw in person).

Possibly relevant: 



Oh how I wish a full clip of that Quando Rapito was on youtube to watch! Pretty amazing to fall like that and not break character or stop singing.


----------



## Almaviva

amfortas said:


> I wish I could find a Happy Little World Of My Own to live in, like Alma has.


 You're TOTALLY wrong about it, Amfortas.
It's NOT a Happy Little World of My Own.
It's a Happy *BIG* World of My Own!!!


----------



## FragendeFrau

Yay!!! Just received email confirmation that my ticket change for Faust at the Met was successful. My friend and I will be sitting in orchestra prime, Row F seats 18 and 20.

It's on the side, but 6 rows from the stage!!!! I am ecstatic! My bank account is dying.


----------



## Almaviva

Good for you, enjoy, and tell us all about it when you come back!
About the bank account, life is short, and good opera is worth the well-spent money.


----------



## sospiro

FragendeFrau said:


> Yay!!! Just received email confirmation that my ticket change for Faust at the Met was successful. My friend and I will be sitting in orchestra prime, Row F seats 18 and 20.
> 
> It's on the side, but 6 rows from the stage!!!! I am ecstatic! My bank account is dying.


Fantastic!!! So happy for you!!


----------



## FragendeFrau

Thanks, everyone. I was surprised that there were many (well, any) seats still available for Faust on Dec 3rd. Maybe that's just how the Met works, and people wait until the last minute.

On the other hand, I was impressed with how few tickets were left for Kaufmann's solo recital in the Met! (still some available, but none in the expensive seats). To think that he has sold so many tickets for just him at the Met! In the US!

(I keep looking because who knows maybe an expensive seat will be freed up in the orchestra--I am in a Parterre Box and not on the front row of it. I have seen this concert offered as part of several tour packages so it may be that closer to the date there will be some availability!! Still parterre box is not bad, right? It was the 'best available' at the time of buying the ticket.)


----------



## MAuer

FragendeFrau said:


> Thanks, everyone. I was surprised that there were many (well, any) seats still available for Faust on Dec 3rd. Maybe that's just how the Met works, and people wait until the last minute.
> 
> On the other hand, I was impressed with how few tickets were left for Kaufmann's solo recital in the Met! (still some available, but none in the expensive seats). To think that he has sold so many tickets for just him at the Met! In the US!
> 
> (I keep looking because who knows maybe an expensive seat will be freed up in the orchestra--I am in a Parterre Box and not on the front row of it. I have seen this concert offered as part of several tour packages so it may be that closer to the date there will be some availability!! Still parterre box is not bad, right? It was the 'best available' at the time of buying the ticket.)


Just take a pair of opera glasses along.  I hope you'll have a fabulous time in NYC!


----------



## CountessAdele

MAuer said:


> Just take a pair of opera glasses along.  I hope you'll have a fabulous time in NYC!


At the risk of sounding ignorant, exactly where does one aquire opera glasses?


----------



## mamascarlatti

I just use compact cheap 8X binoculars like the ones on this site.

They are better than my Thirties opera glasses that I got in a second-hand shop in Bath because they have more powerful magnification.


----------



## FragendeFrau

Thanks, Natalie, that is a wonderful website. I have a pair of backup compact binoculars that I keep in my glove compartment left over from my birding days. They are also handy for college basketball (a Very Big Deal where I live). Of course, they are as old as dirt and over time have been dropped and gotten dusty. I won't need them for Faust (Row F!!!) but may take them in my purse for the other two operas and the recital.


----------



## Almaviva

CountessAdele said:


> At the risk of sounding ignorant, exactly where does one aquire opera glasses?


 You find beautiful ancient-looking ones at the Met Opera Shop. But like Natalie said, these are beautiful and classy but not that good in terms of magnification; modern binoculars often do a better job.

Here's a link to the opera glasses page of the Met Opera Shop (they ship):

http://www.metoperashop.org/custom/...ory_guid=8c705d02-0b7c-49f9-bc73-91a48fbf94e2


----------



## rgz

CountessAdele said:


> At the risk of sounding ignorant, exactly where does one aquire opera glasses?


Amazon, of course  They have quite a wide selection of opera glasses. Of course, there is a tradeoff vs. binoculars -- they generally look nicer / classier than binoculars, but will have a lower magnification and/or smaller field of view due to their compact size.

Like others have said, I take binoculars. There too you have choices to make -- I'd recommend at least 8x and a decent pair -- cheap binocs can have parallax issues that give you a headache. And while higher magnifications might look more appealing, anything over 10 or 12x will be difficult to hold completely steady and you'll want to consider image stabilization binocs, which get really pricey.


----------



## CountessAdele

Wow thanks guys and gals this is perfect! I'll definatly need some for Barber next year, my seats aren't the best, but I still can't wait!


----------



## Aramis

HELLO SPIDERMAN

I know most of you never pay visits composers section of the forum but I suppose some of you would be so kind to check my opera-related stuff that I've just posted out there (variations on theme from Figaro and part of aria of my own) and post some thoughts out there: http://www.talkclassical.com/15139-concert-aria-polonaise-piano.html#post209036


----------



## MAuer

CountessAdele said:


> Wow thanks guys and gals this is perfect! I'll definatly need some for Barber next year, my seats aren't the best, but I still can't wait!


One other consideration for women: make sure that whatever opera glasses/binoculars you plan to make will fit in whatever purse you'll be carrying. This is one of those occasions where I find it preferable to wear a good business suit that allows me to carry a regular-sized handbag rather than one of those tiny little evening bags.


----------



## Mika

Any composers around? http://www.oopperajuhlat.fi/operabyyou/english.iw3


----------



## ooopera

Georg Kreisler: Opernboogie






''Haben sie Opern gern? 
Ich hab Opern schrecklich gern
Aber das ist so a G'schicht
Denn was die manchmal hineinschreiben, die Herrn
Das versteht unsereiner ja nicht
Warum, in der Zauberflöte, liebt Pamina den Tamino? 
Und warum nahm Margarete nicht den Faust einmal ins Kino? 
Warum sperrte Desdemona ihre Tür nicht besser zu? 
Und warum ließ in Verona, Romeo Julia nicht in Ruh'? 
Warum singt die Carmen Lieder für José, den dummen Kerl? 
Und warum bleibt die Aida bis zum End' ein Sklavengirl? 
Ja, noch viele Fragen blieben, antworten hätt' keinen Sinn -
Ich hab eine Oper g'schrieben, da ist alles logisch drin
Würde Sie das interessieren? 
Leihen Sie mir Ihr Gehör! 
Ich werd' Sie nicht irreführen -
Heute abend ist Premier'!

Seht das schöne Opernhaus
Sieht es nicht fantastisch aus? 
Also, gehen wir hinein! 
Ist es nicht wunderbar hier? 
Damen in großer Abendtoilette, Herren im Frack
Hunde werden an der Leine geführt
Der Zuschauerraum ist mit Blumen geschmückt
Werfen wir rasch einen Blick ins Programm, bevor es anfängt! 
Aha, da steht es ja schon: "Große Oper in drei Akten
Der Ritter und die Ritterin haben einen Schwips - oder: Kiss me, Kater" 
Besetzung: 
-Der Ritter Kuno, von seinen Freunden Kunigl genannt - Tenor
-Die Ritterin Kunigunde, von ihren Freundinnen Kuniglgunde genannt - Bass
-Emma, ihre Mutter - Alt
-Ella, ihre Großmutter - sehr alt
-Eberhard, ihr minderwertiger Bruder - Sopran
-Evergreen, das Pferd des Ritters - ein Rappe, (das ist sicherlich eine Sprechrolle)

Da gehen die Lichter aus
Der Dirigent kommt herein
Hebt den Taktstock - Vorhang auf! 
Wir befinden uns in einem düsteren Wald
Nahe der Stadtgrenze von Neu Lenkbach
Der Ritter tritt auf zum Motiv von - Boogie-Woogie''

Also, der Ritter, es ist ganz unerlässlich
Dass er schön und schlank und wunderbar
Aber heute ist er hässlich
Sogar die Perücke verliert schon's Haar
Er war mal Tenor, aber jetzt ist er heiser
Dann die Ritterin, schauen wir der ins Gesicht
Hat sie blaue Augen, einen Rosenmund
Aber jung ist sie nicht
Und ausserdem wiegt sie dreihundert Pfund 
Ihre Stimme war einmal stark, aber jetzt ist sie leiser

Was geschieht jetzt?

Der Ritter trifft die Ritterin unter einer Linde
Da schnitzen sie zusammen ihre Namen in die Rinde
Da kommt der Ritterin Mutter daher, die ist auch in den Ritter verknallt 
Und fragt, wie er sich das vorstellt und wer jetzt die Linde bezahlt
Darauf durchbohrt er sie mit seinem Schwert und macht ihr den Garaus
Und die Ritterin schreit, der Vorhang fällt, und der erste Akt ist aus

Jetzt kommt eine Pause
Manche geh'n nach Hause
Manche trinken Brause
Das ist der Zweck der Pause
Wie schön ist es, eine Wurst zu verzehren 
Und gleichzeitig Opern anzuhören! 
- Was sagen Sie nur zu dem Tenor? 
Der kommt mir wirklich schrecklich vor
- Was reden Sie da? Der ist wunderbar! 
- Aber nicht so gut, wie er einmal war!
- Was halten Sie von seinem hohen C? 
- Das war doch kein C, das war ein B! 
Von Musik versteh' ich jeden Ton
Meine Schwester spielt sehr gut Gramophon!
Da läutet die Glocke, das ist ein Glück! 
Die Pause ist aus, gehen wir zurück! 
Das Publikum wartet
Die Lichter gehen aus 
Der Dirigent kommt herein
Hebt den Taktstock - Vorhang!

Im zweiten Akt, da sitzt der Ritter zu Haus' auf seiner Matratzen
Er hat eine eiserne Rüstung an und möcht sich so gern kratzen
Da singt er eine Arie, und das ist ein Malheur
Er singt „Figaro, Figaro, Figaro...", aber der Figaro ist grad' beim Friseur
Da schreit er wie ein gehetztes Tier, und noch immer ist kein Applaus
Da hängt er sich auf, der Vorhang fällt, und der zweite Akt ist aus

Wieder eine Pause
Manche geh'n nach Hause
Manche trinken Brause
Das ist der Zweck der Pause
Wie schön ist es, in einen Käse zu beißen 
Und gleichzeitig Opern zu verreißen! 
- Der Dirigent ist fürchterlich
So viel Talent, das hab auch ich
- Was reden Sie da? Sie sind nicht gescheit! 
- Wie finden Sie mein neues Kleid? 
- Die Klara hat noch keinen Mann
- Das ist kein Wunder schauen Sie's an! 
- Mir tut ja nur die Mutter leid
- Wie finden Sie mein neues Kleid? 
- Ich halt' die Oper für geschwollen
Wir hätten ins Kino gehen sollen
- Ich mach's mir Butter und Kakao
- Das ist doch gar nicht seine Frau 
- Die Paula wird schon ziemlich breit
- Wie finden Sie mein neues Kleid? 
Da läutet die Glocke, das ist ein Glück! 
Die Pause ist aus, gehen wir zurück! 
Das Publikum wartet
Lichter gehen aus
Dirigent kommt herein 
Hebt den Taktstock, anschnallen! 
Niemand velässt das Lokal! - Vorhang!

Der dritte Akt, der bringt die Spannung auf ein Maximum
Der Ritter hat sich zwar aufgehängt, doch spukt er als Geist herum. 
Die Ritterin, die mag ihn nicht, als Geist oder als Toten
Denn erstens ist er ihr unsympathisch, und zweitens ist Spuken verboten
Da singt sie: „Nur der Schönheit weiht' ich mein Leben..." - und stirbt
Und ihr Bruder singt: „Lache, Bajazzo..." - und stirbt
Der Dirigent singt: „Oh, wie so trügerisch 
Sind Frauenherzen..." - und stirbt

Endlich sind alle tot 
Was niemanden geniert
Das Publikum ist nur halbtot
Also wird etwas applaudiert 
Da plötzlich geht der Vorhang auf
Was hat sich begeben? 
Der Ritter, Ritterin, Mutter, Bruder
Alle sind wieder am Leben!
Das Publikum wird wild und schreit: „Wo ist der Schwan?"
Der Ritter wird melancholisch und heiratet den Sopran
Der Regisseur verbeugt sich tief, der Dirigent noch tiefer
Der Bruder lächelt zu viel und verstaucht sich seinen Kiefer
Die Herren und Damen des Chors, die wälzen sich auf der Erde
Der Rappe stellt sich als Rappin heraus und kriegt drei kleine Pferde 
Ein Zahnarzt springt auf den Trompeter und schaut sich seinen Gaumen an
Der Konzertmeister wird wahnsinnig und zündet seinen Daumen an
Das Publikum stürmt die Bühne und brüllt nach Autogrammen 
Da wird geschrien, gejohlt, getobt, und das ganze Haus bricht zusammen

Na, ist das nicht besser als Liszt und Puccini.
Chopin, Schostakowitsch, Ravel, Paganini
Gounod, Debussy oder Leoncavallo 
Und Smetana, Schubert, Suppé und De Falla
Menotti, Rossini, Rachmaninoff, Händel
Vivaldi und Weber, Scarlatti und Mendelssohn
Gluck, Donizetti, Glinka und Delius
Bruckner, Respighi, Tschaikowsky, Sibelius?
Meine Oper ist besser als deren! 
Meine Oper, die muss sich bewähren 
Denn meine Oper ist feurig und wild
Meine Oper ist die schönste von allen
Meine Oper wird allen gefallen
Denn meine Oper - wird nirgends gespielt

P.S.: I think that this post suits in Youtube thread, but I have forgotten that we have it. sorry


----------



## Almaviva

^Since I (and many others here) don't speak any German, I have no idea what you're talking about.


----------



## ooopera

Almaviva said:


> ^Since I (and many others here) don't speak any German, I have no idea what you're talking about.


Sorry, I quoted the text of the song. I'll try to find an english translation. And I hope that exist because it's really funny.


----------



## FragendeFrau

Very funny!

Alma, he is basically the German Victor Borge/Anna Russell. If that helps. It's a parody of writing an opera.


----------



## Almaviva

FragendeFrau said:


> Very funny!
> 
> Alma, he is basically the German Victor Borge/Anna Russell. If that helps. It's a parody of writing an opera.


Oh wow, I look forward to a translation if you guys can provide one. I like this kind of parody!


----------



## ooopera

OK, here's translation. It's mine and you know how good my english is, so please tolerate it. It's difficult because the song consist of some word jokes (german) but I hope you'll get the impression of the whole thing. 
Please feel free to correct me. 

Do you like operas?
I'm terribly fond of operas
But that is a history.
For what was written long ago 
today we can't understand it
Why, in the Magic Flute, Pamina Tamino loves?
And why Margarete did not take Faust to the movies?
Why Desdemona didn't better locked her door?
And why didn't in Verona, Romeo left Juliet in peace?
Why Carmen sings the songs for Don Jose, the stupid guy?
And why Aida remains a slave girl until the end?
Yes, many questions remained to answer, and the answers would have no sense -
I have writen an opera, where everything is logically
Are you interested?
Lend me your ears!
I'll not deceive you -
Premiere is tonight!

Look at the beautiful Opera House
It is not fantastic?
So, let's go in!
It is not great here?
Ladies in full evening dress, men in tails
Dogs are kept on a leash
The auditorium is decorated with flowers
Let's take a quick glance at the program before it starts!
Aha, here it is already: "Opera in three acts
The Knight and the Dame (it's that right for woman knight???) have a tipsy - or Kiss Me, the cat (Kiss me Kater)"
Cast:
The Knight-Kuno, named by his friend Kunigl - Tenor
The Dame -Kunigunde, named by her friend Kuniglgunde - Bass
Emma, ​​her mother - Alt
-Ella, her grandmother - very old (it's because Alt in german also means old, therefore sehr alt means very old)
-Eberhard, her inferior brother - Soprano
-Evergreen, the knight's horse - a black horse, (this is certainly speaking role)

As the lights go up
The conductor comes in
Raises his baton - Curtain up!
We are in a gloomy forest
Near the city limits of Neu Lenkbach
The knight comes in with the motif of - Boogie-Woogie''

So, the knight, it is very essential
That he's nice and slim and beautiful
But today he is ugly
Even his wig is already lost
He was even tenor, but now he is hoarse
Then the Dame, we look into her face
She has blue eyes, a rosebud mouth
But she is not young
And besides, she weighs three hundred pounds
Her voice was once strong but now it is quieter

What happens now?

The knight takes the Dame under the lime tree (tilia)
And there they carve up their names into the bark
Then comes the Dame's mother - she is also in love with knight
And asks how he imagines that, and who will now pay lime tree
Then he pierced her with his sword and makes her put an end
And the Dame screams, the curtain falls, and is the end of the first act

Now comes a break
Some are leaving
Some are drinking sparkling drinks
That is the purpose of the pause
How beautiful it is to eat a sausage
while listening to opera!
- What do you say about the tenor?
I think he was awfull
- What are you talking about? He is wonderful!
- But not as good as it once was!
- What do you think of his high C?
- That was not a C, it was a B!
I understand every note of music
My sister is playing very well gramophone!
The bell is ringing, it's a fortune!
The break is over, we're going back!
The audience is waiting
The lights go out
The conductor comes in
Raises his baton - curtain!

In the second act, the knight is sitting at home on his mattress
He has a suit of armor and wants to scratch himself so much
As he sings an aria, and that's a mishap
He sings "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Figaro is ...", but Figaro is at the hairdresser
As he screams like a hunted animal, and still is no applause
As he hangs up, the curtain falls, and the second act is Off

Another break
Some are leaving
Some are drinking sparkling drinks
That is the purpose of the pause
How nice it is to bite into a cheese
while listening to the opera!
- The conductor is terrible
So much talent - I have it also
- What are you talking about? You are not clever!
- What do you think about my new dress?
- Klara still has not find a partner (a man)
- It's no wonder, just look at her!
- I am sorry only for the mother
- What do you think about my new dress?
- I can not stand the opera ? ( Ich halt' die Oper für geschwollen)
- We should go to the movies
- I'll make myself butter and cocoa
- It's not his wife
- Paula is pretty wide (fat)
- What do you think about my new dress?
The bell is ringing, it's a fortune!
The break is over, we're going back!
The audience is waiting
The lights go out
The conductor comes in
Raises his baton - curtain!

The third act, which brings the voltage to a maximum
The knight has indeed comite a suicide, but we can see him as a ghost.
The Dame who does not like him neither as a ghost or a dead
Firstly because she dislikes him, and secondly because spitting is prohibited (spitting-Spuken. Also means that he shows himself as a ghost - er spukt)
As she sings: "I devoted my life only to the beauty ..." - and she dies
And her brother sings: "Laugh, Pagliacci ..." - and he dies
The conductor sings: "Oh, how so deceptive
Are women's hearts ... "- and he dies

Finally, all dead
What embarrasses anyone
The audience is only half dead
So something is applauded
Suddenly, the curtain on
What is happening?
The knight, Dame, mother, brother
All are alive again!
The audience goes wild and screams: "Where is the swan?"
The Knight is melancholic and marries the soprano
The director bows low, the conductor still deeper 
The brother smiles too much and sprained his jaw
The lords and ladies of the chorus are rolling on the ground
The black horse turns out to be mare (female horse) and get three little horses
A dentist jump to the trumpeter and looks down at his palate
The concert master is mad and sets fire to his thumb
The crowd stormed the stage and shouting for autographs
There's screaming, yelling, raging, and the whole house collapses

Well, is not that better than Liszt, and Puccini.
Chopin, Shostakovich, Ravel, Paganini
Gounod, Debussy and Leoncavallo
And Smetana, Schubert, Suppe and De Falla
Menotti, Rossini, Rachmaninoff, Handel
Weber and Vivaldi, Scarlatti and Mendelssohn
Gluck, Donizetti, Glinka and Delius
Bruckner, Respighi, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius?
My Opera is better than their.
My Opera, which must prove herself
My opera is fiery and wild
My Opera is the most beautiful of all
Everyone will like my opera
But my opera - is never played


----------



## sospiro

*ooopera*


----------



## FragendeFrau

Well done ooopera! I noticed that this gentleman was listed as one of El Guapo's favorite musicians in a 20 questions interview in Playbill. Didn't know who he was until you enlightened us!


----------



## Almaviva

Spectacular, ooopera, thank you so much! Very funny indeed!


----------



## ooopera

No problem my dear ladies and gentlemen! I'm glad you like it!


----------



## hutchscott

hmm. miscellaneous opera related chat.... Well, I'm trying to return to this opera site after some absence. Maybe this is the year I get serious about viewing the Met Live in HD series. Clearly I am the most novice of all of you. Must play catch up.


----------



## amfortas

hutchscott said:


> hmm. miscellaneous opera related chat.... Well, I'm trying to return to this opera site after some absence. Maybe this is the year I get serious about viewing the Met Live in HD series. Clearly I am the most novice of all of you. Must play catch up.


Since there have been some 40,000 operas written over four hundred years, we're all playing catch up! :lol:

Welcome to the forum!


----------



## sospiro

hutchscott said:


> hmm. miscellaneous opera related chat.... Well, I'm trying to return to this opera site after some absence. Maybe this is the year I get serious about viewing the Met Live in HD series. Clearly I am the most novice of all of you. Must play catch up.


Welcome (back) to the forum hutchscott. 'Novice' is good - we can bend you to our will :devil:


----------



## amfortas

sospiro said:


> Welcome (back) to the forum hutchscott. 'Novice' is good - we can bend you to our will :devil:


Dammit, Annie, you've already bent *me* to your will! Isn't that enough?!


----------



## mamascarlatti

Annie's after world domination.


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## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> Annie's after world domination.


But there's something wrong with this. The subjects are not facing her. I think she'll lose control.


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## sospiro

Almaviva said:


> But there's something wrong with this. The subjects are not facing her. I think she'll lose control.


That's Alma's way, this is mine


----------



## GoneBaroque

amfortas said:


> Since there have been some 40,000 operas written over four hundred years, we're all playing catch up! :lol:


That reminds me of an interview I once saw with Sir Thomas Beecham who was asked "Why are so many of the Operas which have been written so seldom been performed?; Beecham's reply "Because they are NO DAMNED GOOD".


----------



## FragendeFrau

Question about _Tosca_: So I'm listening (again) to the fabulous ROH Tosca, specifically *cough* "Vittoria! Vittoria!" and it occurred to me that the difficulty here (from the perspective of a very, very amateur soprano) is not the Vittoria, because (although I don't have the vocal score) it doesn't seem out of the range of any good tenor (it's not a C or anything..is it an A? maybe even a G?)--seems like it's kind of in any tenor's happy place plus it's loud which always helps...no for me the difficulty is that he then immediately has to drop down lower (into a different register?) to sing quite loudly over the orchestra which has the volume up at that moment, in a tessitura (?--I should have checked opera terms) that doesn't exactly seem to me like a good spot for a loud tenor sound.

Am I right or just imagining things?

(Not to say that El Guapo didn't sound stupendississimo singing it, both parts!)


----------



## ooopera

It's F# and A#.

In case you don't know it, here's the best site for free scores: http://imslp.org/wiki/ 
Petrucci Music Library

And Tosca Act II: http://imslp.info/files/imglnks/usi...401-Puccini_-_Tosca_-_Act_II__full_score_.pdf


----------



## FragendeFrau

Thanks, ooopera!! hmmm so F# to A# not all that big of a leap down, but I don't know where A# is in the comfort zone of tenors...oh well, just something else to think about!


----------



## ooopera

Pavarotti & Nutella


----------



## FragendeFrau

ooopera said:


> Pavarotti & Nutella


I love European ads. Makes me feel like I'm on vacation! Thanks for sharing this.


----------



## Almaviva

ooopera said:


> Pavarotti & Nutella


Very nice, but Pavarotti? I don't think this voice is Pavarotti's, at all.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> Very nice, but Pavarotti? I don't think this voice is Pavarotti's, at all.


Wow I do. In fact I think it is very well suited to this kind of jaunty sunny music.


----------



## Almaviva

Really? Wow. I could swear it wasn't him.


----------



## MAuer

ooopera said:


> Pavarotti & Nutella


So much classier than the garbage that appears on American network TV.


----------



## amfortas

Almaviva said:


> Really? Wow. I could swear it wasn't him.


I gotta' side with Nat on this. It sure sounds like him to me, even if we're not so used to hearing him sing this kind of jaunty little tune.


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## ooopera

Sure it's Pavarotti 
And the song is Buongiorno a te.

http://www.amazon.com/Buongiorno-a-te/dp/B000VGXE24/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317941403&sr=8-1


----------



## MAuer

Hey, Alma, no mistaking this lady on the cover of _Opera Now_'s October issue:










I don't think this issue has reached our side of the Atlantic yet (I subscribe, and haven't received my copy). However, when it does arrive, you should probably be able to find an issue at Barnes and Noble -- most of their branches usually stock it.

I must say that the editors of this publication have remarkably good taste. The cover boy on the August/September issue was Jonas K.


----------



## Almaviva

MAuer said:


> Hey, Alma, no mistaking this lady on the cover of _Opera Now_'s October issue:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't think this issue has reached our side of the Atlantic yet (I subscribe, and haven't received my copy). However, when it does arrive, you should probably be able to find an issue at Barnes and Noble -- most of their branches usually stock it.
> 
> I must say that the editors of this publication have remarkably good taste. The cover boy on the August/September issue was Jonas K.


Nice. I subscribe to Opera News, but not to Opera Now. I'll look for this issue at Barnes & Noble. How much do you pay for your subscription?


----------



## amfortas

Almaviva said:


> Nice. I subscribe to Opera News, but not to Opera Now.


Wait'll you see Anna's cover picture on the latest edition of Opera Whoa!!!


----------



## MAuer

Almaviva said:


> Nice. I subscribe to Opera News, but not to Opera Now. I'll look for this issue at Barnes & Noble. How much do you pay for your subscription?


I just renewed, and the cost was $119. (I could have renewed for $99 if I'd selected the automatic renewal option, but I prefer to retain a little more control over my purchases.) Here is a link to their web site:

http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/magazines/opera_now/


----------



## ooopera

All the Great Operas in 10 Minutes.


----------



## sospiro

If Carmen & her friends were on facebook

Some of my favourites

Can you believe my dumb soldier? He actually fell for her "We'll drink manzanilla and dance the seguidilla" bit

Carmen is in a relationship with Don José and it's complicated

_Carmen_ - whatever, he doesn't scare me


----------



## Aksel

sospiro said:


> If Carmen & her friends were on facebook
> 
> Some of my favourites
> 
> Can you believe my dumb soldier? He actually fell for her "We'll drink manzanilla and dance the seguidilla" bit
> 
> Carmen is in a relationship with Don José and it's complicated
> 
> _Carmen_ - whatever, he doesn't scare me


Genius. I especially liked the last one.


----------



## FragendeFrau

Love it! Very, very clever marketing. I hope it works for them!


----------



## hutchscott

*"The Newest Audience"*

There is a charming article in the August 2011 edition of "Opera News". Entitled "The Newest Audience" by Michael Slade. Discussing "nature vs. nuture" when it comes to loving opera. The young man in question is two year old Henry. Neither of his parents really listen to opera. Henry came to opera via Elmo on Sesame Street. He quickly abandoned Elmo for the real thing. Youtube performances of Pavarotti singing "La donna e mobile" turned into Henry, in rapt attention, sitting through the entire Rigoletto. He is able to recognize Placido Domingo by sight and sound. Temper tantrums are quited by opera on the radio.

I consider myself a product of "nature". I didn't start with opera that young, but I remember as a 5 year old loving classical music when my parents never listened to it.


----------



## Almaviva

Rather intense operatic/classical music weekend coming up.

Tomorrow at 10 AM I'll be attending the screening by my local opera group of the 1951 film of _The Tales of Hoffman_ with Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann and Leonide Massine and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham. Then we'll have a luncheon, and in early afternoon 15 student singers from the local university/music school will sing a program of Offenbach's arias. I have a reservation for dinner at a French restaurant at 5:45 PM, and at 8 PM I'll be attending a concert at the local symphonic orchestra hall, featuring Enrique Soro's Danza Fantástica, Sibelius' violin concerto, and Tchaikovsky's 5th. On Sunday, after a nice late breakfast and the morning paper, a lecture at 2 PM with the conductor of the local opera company, followed at 3 by a live presentation of _Carmen _at our main local opera house.

This all, following a week that started last Monday with _Anna Bolena_ at the Met, plus a personal encounter with Anna Netrebko, and meals at the Grand Tier restaurant at the Met on Monday with my best friends, and the Michelin-starred The Modern restaurant at the MOMA on Tuesday with my wife. Three days of hard work in between (Wed-Thu-Fri, gotta make the money to pay for all this!), and then tonight's excellent cheese and bread and wine (a 95-pointer) at home, while I wait for the upcoming two days of fun performances and meals. I can't think of a better Monday through Sunday 7-day period in my recent life, and I'm not even on vacation!

Life is good!


----------



## mamascarlatti

I took my 9-year-old to her first live opera experience today, a matinee of Rossini's La Cambiale di Matrimonio at the local opera studio, the Opera Factory. It was sung in English, so very accessible, and was just the right length to sustain her interest. They were following it up with Donizetti's Rita, but I decided not to push it and to leave while she was still enjoying the experience (She was the youngest there by about 40 years, a bit sad really, but good to see all those young people singing on stage).

I'm trying to build her up to sitting through the Bartered Bride, which is NZ Opera's offering for next year (along with Rigoletto).


----------



## ooopera

Almaviva said:


> Life is good!


MET live in HD today!!!


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> I took my 9-year-old to her first live opera experience today, a matinee of Rossini's La Cambiale di Matrimonio at the local opera studio, the Opera Factory. It was sung in English, so very accessible, and was just the right length to sustain her interest. They were following it up with Donizetti's Rita, but I decided not to push it and to leave while she was still enjoying the experience (She was the youngest there by about 40 years, a bit sad really, but good to see all those young people singing on stage).
> 
> I'm trying to build her up to sitting through the Bartered Bride, which is NZ Opera's offering for next year (along with Rigoletto).


I'm so proud of you that you're able to get your kid interested in opera! No such luck here.


----------



## amfortas

Thinking I may do my laundry this weekend.


----------



## sospiro

amfortas said:


> Thinking I may do my laundry this weekend.


I can sympathise.

My moment of excitement came yesterday when I got home from work & discovered the Neighbourhood Association skip _had only just arrived_ & was virtually empty. Bliss.

But not quite in the same league as Alma's plans.


----------



## Almaviva

Back from the first part of my plans. I'll review the Hoffmann movie in the appropriate thread.

I'd just like to add a comment about the student singers - 15 of them, most nice but nothing extraordinary as expected - they are all undergrads, ages 18 to 21. Regardless, it was nice to see them rehearsing, tuning up the voices, and then singing the same arias we had just seen in the movie. For the most part they were good actors too.

However, two of them had spectacular performances, really surprising! I went to talk to them after the end, and wrote down their full names, because I won't be surprised if they make it into the professional opera singing world, and one day we see their names performing at least in regional opera companies:

Noelle Harb, soprano, and Ryan Griffin, tenor. Both in my opinion have what it takes to become professional opera singers.


----------



## MAuer

The November issue of "_Opera News_" just arrived, with a certain fabulous Bavarian tenor (who will be singing the title role in the Met's mew production of _Faust_) on the cover, and a very nice feature story on him inside.


----------



## FragendeFrau

Oooh. Something to look forward to when I get home, after a cranky day at work (getting a cold and not happy about it!--It better be GONE in two weeks!)

ETA: of course, mine hasn't arrived yet. Typical for today! ah well, better day tomorrow I hope!


----------



## Aksel

Don't really know where to put this (I distinctly remember there being a bargain thread, but ah), but I figured I had to tell you (Alma, do feel free to move this post to where you see fit).

British Amazon are selling the Furtwängler Ring to an astonishing £15.99. The only other recording I've been able to find of it has had a price tag 10 times bigger.

Clicky


----------



## ooopera

You can read online version of Opera Now August/September (Jonas Kaufmann) or October/November (Anna Netrebko) by going to http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/ondigital/ and registering with the code AFS11

Enjoy!


----------



## mamascarlatti

ooopera said:


> You can read online version of Opera Now August/September (Jonas Kaufmann) or October/November (Anna Netrebko) by going to http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/ondigital/ and registering with the code AFS11
> 
> Enjoy!


You star, you!


----------



## Almaviva

ooopera said:


> You can read online version of Opera Now August/September (Jonas Kaufmann) or October/November (Anna Netrebko) by going to http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/ondigital/ and registering with the code AFS11
> 
> Enjoy!


Fabulous! Thank you so much. I read it practically cover-to-cover. Does this mean I can continue to read this magazine online for subsequent issues, or is this just a one-time thing?


----------



## ooopera

Almaviva said:


> Fabulous! Thank you so much. I read it practically cover-to-cover. Does this mean I can continue to read this magazine online for subsequent issues, or is this just a one-time thing?


I don't have a clue. We'll see next month!


----------



## sospiro

ooopera said:


> You can read online version of Opera Now August/September (Jonas Kaufmann) or October/November (Anna Netrebko) by going to http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/ondigital/ and registering with the code AFS11
> 
> Enjoy!


Thank you so much!!!


----------



## FragendeFrau

Is it miscellaneous opera related "chat" if I mention I have listened to a recording of that BBC radio 3 broadcast of this summer's Tosca with Gheorghiu, Kaufmann, and Terfel about a thousand times during my commute to work, and I think it's just the most amazing thing ever! Still not tired of it. Currently my favorite not-_Walküre_ opera (although _La Traviata_ is right up there).

I can't help it, I just love the emotional, theatrical Verdi/Puccini stuff. The master manipulators!


----------



## Aramis

s
O CRAP, WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO STOP ASSOCIATE FLOREZ WITH ORLANDO BLOOM IN PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN AFTER WATCHING THIS VIDEO?


----------



## amfortas

Aramis said:


> O CRAP, WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO STOP ASSOCIATE FLOREZ WITH ORLANDO BLOOM IN PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN AFTER WATCHING THIS VIDEO?


Argh!!!!!!


----------



## Aramis

amfortas said:


> Argh!!!!!!


 s
AGOAHATA LEYTS WIMSTO E SOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## mamascarlatti

Aramis said:


> O CRAP, WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO STOP ASSOCIATE FLOREZ WITH ORLANDO BLOOM IN PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN AFTER WATCHING THIS VIDEO?


Could've been worse. Could have been Jack Sparrow.


----------



## amfortas

Aramis said:


> s
> AGOAHATA LEYTS WIMSTO E SOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I'm afraid to ask.


----------



## Aramis

amfortas said:


> I'm afraid to ask.


You don't have to, dear. I accept your ring, your hand and I'm looking forward for our future together.



> Could've been worse. Could have been Jack Sparrow.


*CAPTAIN* Jack Sparrow


----------



## FragendeFrau

My _Opera_ _News_ arrived today!

Cover story on Jonas Kaufmann here. (at least it should be)

Some interesting comments about the Walküre production and about his obvious absence (until recently) from his hometown Bavarian State Opera. I guess he has reached a point where he can speak a little more freely about such things..?


----------



## Aramis

http://www.rathergood.com/elephants - it's always good to see that famous people like Pavarotti have heart for animals!


----------



## sospiro

The very first line "Opera tells us about what it is to be human" got my attention.

Something completely magical


----------



## MAuer

FragendeFrau said:


> My _Opera_ _News_ arrived today!
> 
> Cover story on Jonas Kaufmann here. (at least it should be)
> 
> Some interesting comments about the Walküre production and about his obvious absence (until recently) from his hometown Bavarian State Opera. I guess he has reached a point where he can speak a little more freely about such things..?


He's never been particularly shy about expressing his opinion, from what I've read. I remember his comments about the previous Intendant at the Wiener Staatsoper in an interview he gave several years ago, and it was clear that there was no love lost between him and Ioan Holander.


----------



## Almaviva

sospiro said:


> The very first line "Opera tells us about what it is to be human" got my attention.
> 
> Something completely magical


Opera houses are so beautiful!!! I love them all!!! They are the cathedrals where we worship our gods... Verdi... Mozart... Wagner... Handel... Berlioz... oh, and Anna Netrebko!


----------



## sospiro

Almaviva said:


> Opera houses are so beautiful!!! I love them all!!!
> They are the cathedrals where we worship our gods... Verdi... Mozart... Wagner... Handel... Berlioz... oh, and Anna Netrebko!


Those views from the Stage are terrifying. I can't imagine the courage it must take just to step on to it, never mind sing. I think it was Domingo who called it 'taming the beast' the beast being the stage. La Fenice is amazing.


----------



## FragendeFrau

Looks like it's time for my favorite picture again. This is backstage at Zürich Opera. I love the amazing contrast between all the modern backstage stuff and the traditional audience area. Annie, I adore the view from the stage out, even though it might petrify me! But if I were doing something I love and knew I was good at--it would be TERRIFIC!!


----------



## sospiro

FragendeFrau said:


> Looks like it's time for my favorite picture again. This is backstage at Zürich Opera. I love the amazing contrast between all the modern backstage stuff and the traditional audience area. Annie, I adore the view from the stage out, even though it might petrify me! But if I were doing something I love and knew I was good at--it would be TERRIFIC!!


Yes I love that photo & for the same reasons. Just got to go there one day.


----------



## amfortas

Almaviva said:


> Opera houses are so beautiful!!! I love them all!!! They are the cathedrals where we worship our gods... Verdi... Mozart... Wagner... Handel... Berlioz... oh, and Anna Netrebko!


Not necessarily in that order, eh Alma?


----------



## Almaviva

amfortas said:


> Not necessarily in that order, eh Alma?


 Well... Even Almaviva can recognize that Mozart's importance to classical music is a tiny bit greater than Anna Netrebko's. I mean, by a hair. By the way, I like her hair better than I like his.


----------



## amfortas

Almaviva said:


> Well... Even Almaviva can recognize that Mozart's importance to classical music is a tiny bit greater than Anna Netrebko's. I mean, by a hair. By the way, I like her hair more than I like his.


Yes, it's just about the hair.


----------



## Aramis

I can't stop laughing at new concert-announcing poster I just saw. A big muzzle of singer who's performing the recital and brazen inscriptions: "long awaited artistic event!", "world-famous singer!", "outstanding solist of world's greatest opera stages!". Surely they had to write that she's world-famous singer, it's not something that people know when singer really is world-famous, not at all.


----------



## amfortas

Aramis said:


> I can't stop laughing at new concert-announcing poster I just saw. A big muzzle of singer who's performing the recital and brazen inscriptions: "long awaited artistic event!", "world-famous singer!", "outstanding solist of world's greatest opera stages!". Surely they had to write that she's world-famous singer, it's not something that people know when singer really is world-famous, not at all.


Yep. They might as well say, "You've heard of her! No really, you have!"


----------



## Aramis

It is amazing how a little detail can make a interpretation great:






2:52-2:54

No, seriously, I'm amazed by two seconds of interpretation. Is it healthy? I can't even specify what's so great about it, I mean: I know it but can't put it in concrete words. Phrasing? Diction? Of course I love the whole thing but this is so special. Did he really feel it so perfectly or is it by accident, perhaps is spontaneous, I don't know but these are two seconds which make one of greatest examples of what does it mean to interpret vocal music and how by doing so little you can enhance the music far over what's written.

Now count the words in this posts and think that they all have been written about two seconds of music.


----------



## Almaviva

^I don't get it.


----------



## Aramis

Almaviva said:


> ^I don't get it.


It may be because... Gabriele Viviani... doesn't have... breast.


----------



## sospiro

Re the Bolshoi re-opening Gala, which you can see here. Domingo didn't turn up & Gheorghui sort of didn't either.

Opera Cake

_Angie literally appeared with the score between her hands that she was looking at every 5 seconds_


----------



## Almaviva

I have completed the printing of all the mail exchanged with Anna Netrebko's agents about the idea of nicknaming her La Bellissima, and the articles in the mainstream press that call her like this. This, together with her autograph, my pics with her, and pics of the Anna Bolena trip, will be framed into a poster collage (plus a large printing of the best one of these photos in a separate frame) and will be decorating my Opera Man-cave (where I already have another poster collage of the Metropolitan Opera and its artists, and some opera paraphernalia like souvenirs bought at the Met Opera Shop, a poster of Salome, and of course a large screen TV with a sound system and a blu-ray player for opera screenings).

Does anybody else have an Opera Man-cave or Opera Woman-cave or an Opera Shrine at home?


----------



## Aramis

No, but if considering autographs, my whole room is so full of autographs by greatest opera composer of our times (including his musical manuscripts).


----------



## Almaviva

Aramis said:


> No, but if considering autographs, my whole room is so full of autographs by greatest opera composer of our times (including his musical manuscripts).


You mean, that great opera composer who calls himself Aramis in a well known opera forum, right?


----------



## Aramis

Almaviva said:


> You mean, that great opera composer who calls himself Aramis in a well known opera forum, right?


Yes, so what, you think it's easy to get one from him? Jealous


----------



## mamascarlatti

Almaviva said:


> Does anybody else have an Opera Man-cave or Opera Woman-cave or an Opera Shrine at home?


This makes me feel a bit sad. My husband hates opera so much that I keep it all as discreet as I can - the other day he blew his top because I was playing a DVD through little speakers, very low (I usually listen wih headphones) so my daughter could watch too. He apologised later, but the upshot is that there is no and will never be a Nat Opera-cave.


----------



## Almaviva

mamascarlatti said:


> This makes me feel a bit sad. My husband hates opera so much that I keep it all as discreet as I can - the other day he blew his top because I was playing a DVD through little speakers, very low (I usually listen wih headphones) so my daughter could watch too. He apologised later, but the upshot is that there is no and will never be a Nat Opera-cave.


Yes, it is sad.
Here at home I have a bunch of stuff all over the place. I have posters of Carmen, La Bohème, La Traviata, Salome, and Orfeo et Eurydice, various souvenirs and opera coffee-books, various opera-related objects, collages, etc.
The good thing is that my wife also likes opera although she is not crazy about it like most of us here. But she doesn't mind the paraphernalia (they actually look good and double as decoration).


----------



## MAuer

Almaviva said:


> Does anybody else have an Opera Man-cave or Opera Woman-cave or an Opera Shrine at home?


Not quite a shrine, but I have programs from all of Siegfried Jerusalem's and Jonas Kaufmann's performances that I've attended . . . the ticket stub from the New Orleans Opera's 1981 _Fidelio_ . . . the pen with which Jerusalem signed my program from said _Fidelio_ . . . ticket stub from the Chicago Lyric Opera's 2003 _La Traviata_, tucked inside the program signed by Kaufmann . . . dozens of folders with clippings about my favorite singers which I've collected over the past 30+ years . . . programs from all of the seasons of the Cincinnati Opera to which I subscribed . . . framed photos of the two tenors . . .

Heck, maybe I _do_ have a shrine!


----------



## Aramis

I'm quite disturbed by the close-up at 2:56-3:04 - was Almaviva behind that camera?


----------



## Almaviva

Aramis said:


> I'm quite disturbed by the close-up at 2:56-3:04 - was Almaviva behind that camera?


Hehehe, lovely!


----------



## MAuer

Speaking of Anna (La Bellissima and Boleyn), I received notice today from Amazon that the DVD of the Wiener Staatsoper's production of _Anna Bolena _ I pre-ordered has been shipped. I'll probably receive it this coming Saturday. I'm assuming that Alma's pre-ordered video is also on its way. Wonder if he'll stand guard by the mail box.


----------



## Almaviva

MAuer said:


> Speaking of Anna (La Bellissima and Boleyn), I received notice today from Amazon that the DVD of the Wiener Staatsoper's production of _Anna Bolena _ I pre-ordered has been shipped. I'll probably receive it this coming Saturday. I'm assuming that Alma's pre-ordered video is also on its way. Wonder if he'll stand guard by the mail box.


I cancelled my pre-order once I learned that there will be a blu-ray release later on.


----------



## sospiro

Seattle Opera Young Artist David Krohn's Italian adventure.

Makes me want to go back soon.

_" ... It was a world of opera. Everyone who heard that I was an opera singer insisted that I sing for them, something I normally resist doing, but Italy put up a much stronger fight than I could resist. No matter what I decided to sing for the locals, they insisted on joining in, always knowing the words perfectly, proving that the music was in their blood..."_


----------



## Aramis

Yes, that's how I imagine Italy - all around you see Toscanini-like looking geezers with moustaches and wearing hats and they all hum opera tunes, accompanied by furious ladies on the balconies shouting something with words reaching speed of light to their husbands who just got out to the street after fiery argument.


----------



## Aramis

So I saw this awesome vidyo:






And so I got this:










and it's not that awesome there :wave: :wave: :wave:

HMMMMMMMMMMMM

Hello. I have potential. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## sospiro

Aramis said:


> and it's not that awesome there :wave: :wave: :wave:
> 
> HMMMMMMMMMMMM
> 
> Hello. I have potential. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




I'm sad that you didn't like it. Maybe put it back on the shelf & listen to it again in a couple of months.


----------



## Aramis

I didn't listen to the whole thing yet because the aria I dig from Carreras' Japan concert doesn't sound as good on this recording - I will surely listen to entire CD and perhaps then it will make me change my mind.


----------



## MAuer

The _Anna Bolena _DVD arrived a day earlier than expected, and I promptly watched it. Meanwhile, according to the latest issue of the German magazine "_Das Opernglas_," La Bellissima will be adding another historic queen to her roster of roles next spring. The 2012 Salzburg Pentacost Festival has "Cleopatra" as its theme, and among scheduled productions will be a new opera by Rodion Shchedrin with AB singing the Queen of the Nile.


----------



## Festat

Aramis said:


> I'm quite disturbed by the close-up at 2:56-3:04 - was Almaviva behind that camera?


This is all wrong. Everything is so terribly lit.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Festat said:


> This is all wrong. Everything is so terribly lit.


Yes I must admit that the lighting, or rather lack of it, was reminiscent of the crepuscular excesses of the Scala in the 80s. If you are going to dress your cast in gorgeous rich black Tudor costumes, let everyone see them already!


----------



## Aksel

MAuer said:


> The _Anna Bolena _DVD arrived a day earlier than expected, and I promptly watched it. Meanwhile, according to the latest issue of the German magazine "_Das Opernglas_," La Bellissima will be adding another historic queen to her roster of roles next spring. The 2012 Salzburg Pentacost Festival has "Cleopatra" as its theme, and among scheduled productions will be a new opera by Rodion Shchedrin with AB singing the Queen of the Nile.


Interesting. First the Giulio Cesare with Scholl, Bartoli and company, and now this? The 2012 Salzburger Pfingstfestspiele look more and more promising. Can't wait.


----------



## sospiro

I follow this opera blogger

What does this image relate to? I haven't a clue, but it's intriguing.


----------



## MAnna

MAuer said:


> The _Anna Bolena _DVD arrived a day earlier than expected, and I promptly watched it. Meanwhile, according to the latest issue of the German magazine "_Das Opernglas_," La Bellissima will be adding another historic queen to her roster of roles next spring. The 2012 Salzburg Pentacost Festival has "Cleopatra" as its theme, and among scheduled productions will be a new opera by Rodion Shchedrin with AB singing the Queen of the Nile.


Snooping around the Web it appears that this work is a dramatic scene "Cleopatra and the Snake" for symphony orchestra and soprano; it forms part of an evening of "Cleopatra Orientale" at the Salzburg festival.


----------



## sospiro

Heehee cat fight


----------



## MAuer

sospiro said:


> Heehee cat fight


I like Ms. Curtis' taste in singers (the curly-haired Bavarian one in particular).


----------



## Aramis

Dicky Jones


----------



## sospiro

Aramis said:


> Dicky Jones




As in _Richard Jones_ of Random Opera?


----------



## Almaviva

sospiro said:


> Heehee cat fight


Ms. Jenkins has great assets. They just aren't the operatic kind.


----------



## FragendeFrau

MAuer said:


> I like Ms. Curtis' taste in singers (the curly-haired Bavarian one in particular).


Unfortunately I fear that people like her make it so that people like me never get a chance for a pic or a few words :-(


----------



## mamascarlatti

FragendeFrau said:


> Unfortunately I fear that people like her make it so that people like me never get a chance for a pic or a few words :-(


Yes she is pretty scary isn't she!


----------



## FragendeFrau

On the other hand, it is the Daily Fail. Perhaps should wait and see if this is all as "reported". I will say there was a rather scary but very attractive young woman outside the stage door after the JK recital. Once JK managed to escape, she started declaiming in a loud voice, "Let's follow him and see where they go for dinner! We could go to the restaurant!" One of the two young men with her actually said, "Isn't that a little stalkerish?" to which she said, "No it's not. We just need to get a taxi and follow them."

At that point I left!


----------



## mamascarlatti

It's scary people like that who make me reluctant to even go outside the stage door. It's like they've lost all sense of the artists being human beings.


----------



## gpolyz

mamascarlatti said:


> Yes I must admit that the lighting, or rather lack of it, was reminiscent of the crepuscular excesses of the Scala in the 80s. If you are going to dress your cast in gorgeous rich black Tudor costumes, let everyone see them already!


Sorry my ...friends,
We talk about opera as though it is a visual event. I saw the performance in a movie theater. The singing was plain mediocre. Who cares about the costumes! I want good singers !!!


----------



## amfortas

gpolyz said:


> Sorry my ...friends,
> We talk about opera as though it is a visual event. I saw the performance in a movie theater. The singing was plain mediocre. Who cares about the costumes! I want good singers !!!


Good singers are crucial, but if you're watching an opera live--or perhaps even more so, in a movie theater--it's definitely a visual event as well. Why refrain from discussing any aspect of a production? It's all fair game.

Of course, opera is such a complex, hybrid art form, it's perfectly understandable that different people focus on different elements. That's why it's fun to come here and encounter a variety of perspectives.


----------



## sospiro

On his facebook Joseph Calleja has invited friends/fans to ask him questions & mine was "How do you keep your voice and yourself healthy with all the travelling that you do?"

He has started answering the questions with a video blog. Obviously I wasn't the only one to ask him this question.  BTW That's his daughter Clara in the background.


----------



## sospiro

Erwin Schrott explains why he and Anna have cancelled their appearance at Dresden Concert.



> *...due to both very serious family issues *and subsequent reshuffling of all my work engagements' schedule, there's now really no time left to properly rehearse and prepare for the Silvesterkonzert...




Hope all is well in the Schrott household.


----------



## MAuer

sospiro said:


> Erwin Schrott explains why he and Anna have cancelled their appearance at Dresden Concert.
> 
> 
> 
> Hope all is well in the Schrott household.


Doesn't sound good, does it? I hope their little boy isn't seriously ill.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

What do you all think of "Bliss" by Brett Dean?


----------



## ooopera

Vocalist of the Year 2012


----------



## MAuer

I just discovered that the wonderful soprano Sena Jurinac passed away 24 November at the age of 90.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obi...es/music-obituaries/8914012/Sena-Jurinac.html

Her warm spinto soprano enabled her to sing a wide range of roles, from many of Mozart's heroines to Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Verdi's "_Forza_" Leonora and Elisabetta, Octavian in _Der Rosenkavalier_, and Tatiana in _Eugene Onegin_. She originally sang the role of Marzelline in _Fidelio_, but later "graduated" to the title character. IMO, she is one of the best Leonores of all time.






Fortunately, she has left an extensive recorded legacy.


----------



## wijnands

I just got my grubby hands on Parzifal for the first time, the one by Herbert von Karajan. Wauw! Also makes a nice change to hear an opera where I can actually understand most of the text (I don't speak Italian but I can manage German)


----------



## FranzKroger

Oh Parzifal is an really demanding opera, I personally know singers, that were not delighted, to sing in it 
But to be honest, I saw it few times and I always enjoyed it.


----------



## Operadowney

ooopera said:


> Vocalist of the Year 2012


Amen, brother. This is my exact philosophy!


----------



## Sophie

I've just recently gotten into opera (due to a Music Appreciation class I'm taking). Does anybody feel like there's a distinct difference between Classical Opera and Baroque Opera? I'm rather clueless.


----------



## sospiro

Sophie said:


> I've just recently gotten into opera (due to a Music Appreciation class I'm taking). Does anybody feel like there's a distinct difference between Classical Opera and Baroque Opera? I'm rather clueless.


Hello Sophie & welcome to the forum.

I'm not sure how to answer your question so I'll leave it for one of the more knowledgeable members but if you have a browse through some of our threads in the opera section you might find some interesting information.

Don't worry about feeling 'clueless' - everybody on here was clueless at one stage  I've learned a lot since I've been a member on here & I'm sure you will too.


----------



## mamascarlatti

HI Sophie.

If you look at a typical Baroque opera seria, say by Handel, it will often by a series of da capo arias (A section, B section, repeat A section with plenty of embellishment) separated by recitative. The arias are spread among the characters so that everyone gets a turn according to their importance in the opera (or to the opera company that was presenting it, all those divas and divos fighting it out to show off their virtuosity). The plot is usually based on mythology or ancient history, moves with the recit, and the arias are there explicitly to illustrate an emotion or state of mind that is affecting the character in that situation. 

That's probably what gives you a feeling of difference from, say, a later Mozart opera with its much more fluid structure, accompanied recitative, interaction between characters, frequent duets, trios, etc, changes of pace, and more contemporary plots.


----------



## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk

hi sophie,

every opera not by Wagner is less good than an opera by Wagner.


----------



## mamascarlatti

AmericanGesamtkunstwerk said:


> hi sophie,
> 
> every opera not by Wagner is less good than an opera by Wagner.


Not that AGKW is obsessed or anything:lol:.


----------



## mitchflorida

This is the one everyone is talking about. Please listen to it and tell me your opinion. This is the highlights version.


----------



## sospiro

mitchflorida said:


> This is the one everyone is talking about. Please listen to it and tell me your opinion. This is the highlights version.
> 
> View attachment 4885


I've got that one & I love it but then I love Faust anyway


----------



## mitchflorida

I don't generally like opera, but somehow this recording is enjoyable to listen to. The recording quality has much to do with it. The singers predominate, instead of the orchestra.


----------



## sospiro

mitchflorida said:


> I don't generally like opera, but somehow this recording is enjoyable to listen to. The recording quality has much to do with it. The singers predominate, instead of the orchestra.


The chorus is fabulous as well.


----------



## mamascarlatti

mitchflorida said:


> This is the one everyone is talking about. Please listen to it and tell me your opinion. This is the highlights version.
> 
> View attachment 4885


Yes I like this version too very much, although I'm not all that wild about Faust.


----------



## Sieglinde

Thing that just hit me: in the '88 ENO production of Billy Budd, it's more or less traditional (well, the costumes are inaccurate as hell but meant to be period), but then Vere in the Prologue/Epilogue wears a somewhat old-fashioned, but certainly 20th century outfit. Did they take the "centuries ago" seriously, is he 200+ year old there... (in which case he's looking well for his age) or is he a Time Lord? 
Now thinking about all the possible Time Lords in opera.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Sieglinde said:


> Thing that just hit me: in the '88 ENO production of Billy Budd, it's more or less traditional (well, the costumes are inaccurate as hell but meant to be period), but then Vere in the Prologue/Epilogue wears a somewhat old-fashioned, but certainly 20th century outfit. Did they take the "centuries ago" seriously, is he 200+ year old there... (in which case he's looking well for his age) or is he a Time Lord?
> Now thinking about all the possible Time Lords in opera.


Yes, I found that quite puzzling too. The Time Lord explanation did not occur to me.....


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

mamascarlatti said:


> Yes, I found that quite puzzling too. The Time Lord explanation did not occur to me.....


*La Bohème* act II










_"Aranci, datteri! caldi i marroni!
Ninnoli, croci. Torroni!
Panna montata!
Caramelle!
La crostata!
Fringuelli, Passeri!
Fiori alle belle!"_

(Note the Time Lord on the far right and his TARDIS in the background)


----------



## Sieglinde

It is known! 

Now I kinda want the Grand Inquisitor come in and be all: INFERIOR-BEING-NOT-WORTHY-OF-YOUR-TRUST-SIRE! FREEDOM-FIGHTING-ACTIVITIES-SPOTTED! EEEEEX-TERMINATE! EEEX-TERMINATE!


----------



## Moira

I have a set of CDs that I like to take in my car. Basically, if someone breaks into the car and steals them, I will be annoyed but not heart broken. 

Essential Opera, a Sony bargain bin effort is one of them. The featured orchestra for the entire disc is Raanana Symphonette Orchestra. It is such a pathetic effort that they don't even say who the singers are. 

It has 13 tracks - 

1. Overture - Carmen (Bizet)
2. La Donna Mobile - Rigoletto (Verdi)
3. Figaro's Aria - Non Piu Andrai - Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
4. Brindisi Libbiamo, Ne'Lieti - La Traviata (Verdi)
5. O Mio Babbino Caro - Gianni Schicchi (Puccini)
6. Overture - Le Nozze Di Figaro (Mozart)
7. Torna A Sorriento - Neopolitan Song 
8. Cavatina Figaro - Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
9. La Ci Darem La Mano - Don Giovanni (Mozart)
10. Oh, Sole Mio - Neopolitan Song
11. Caro Nome - Rigoletto (Verdi)
12. Una Furtiva Lagrima - L'Elisir D'Amore (Donizetti)
13. Luce Di Quest Anima - Linda (Donizetti)

They are sung sufficiently well not to irritate me.


----------



## myaskovsky2002

I have just bought Final Alice. Quite interesting American opera.










Awesome!

Martin


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Moira said:


> I have a set of CDs that I like to take in my car. Basically, if someone breaks into the car and steals them, I will be annoyed but not heart broken.
> 
> Essential Opera, a Sony bargain bin effort is one of them. The featured orchestra for the entire disc is Raanana Symphonette Orchestra. It is such a pathetic effort that they don't even say who the singers are.
> 
> It has 13 tracks -
> 
> 1. Overture - Carmen (Bizet)
> 2. La Donna Mobile - Rigoletto (Verdi)
> 3. Figaro's Aria - Non Piu Andrai - Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
> 4. Brindisi Libbiamo, Ne'Lieti - La Traviata (Verdi)
> 5. O Mio Babbino Caro - Gianni Schicchi (Puccini)
> 6. Overture - Le Nozze Di Figaro (Mozart)
> 7. Torna A Sorriento - Neopolitan Song
> 8. Cavatina Figaro - Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
> 9. La Ci Darem La Mano - Don Giovanni (Mozart)
> 10. Oh, Sole Mio - Neopolitan Song
> 11. Caro Nome - Rigoletto (Verdi)
> 12. Una Furtiva Lagrima - L'Elisir D'Amore (Donizetti)
> 13. Luce Di Quest Anima - Linda (Donizetti)
> 
> They are sung sufficiently well not to irritate me.


Ugh! I hate having some excerpts. I have many mp3 CDs in my car with 18 to 24 complete operas... One with all Wagner operas, one with 24 European operas sung in Russian, another one with Der Ring in Buenos Aires (1962), Birgit Nilshon)...etc. I can also make my own selection and have it in my car. Never excerpts. I can't imagine a play (an opera is a play in music) miserably cut into pieces. A question of perspective.

Martin

I hate O sole mio, I also hate una furtiva lagrima... I hate so many things...

Martin


----------



## guythegreg

error error error


----------



## myaskovsky2002

Less known opera ... because it was never completed?






Martin


----------



## myaskovsky2002

guythegreg said:


> error error error


What are you talking about?

Martin


----------



## guythegreg

sorry - all part of the comedy - I'm used to bulletin boards where you can reply to individual posts, thought that's what I was doing, hit save and IT WASN'T ... AHAHAHAHAAGGHHGHH but I'm all better now thanks for asking


----------



## sospiro

guythegreg said:


> sorry - all part of the comedy - I'm used to bulletin boards where you can reply to individual posts, thought that's what I was doing, hit save and IT WASN'T ... AHAHAHAHAAGGHHGHH but I'm all better now thanks for asking


:lol:

You'll get used to Martin ....... eventually


----------



## myaskovsky2002

sospiro said:


> :lol:
> 
> You'll get used to Martin ....... eventually


Probably, I will. Personally I prefer quotes... They express clearly the reference... But we are not all the same (i would love to have many Martins around there...LOL).

Martin** 2


----------



## myaskovsky2002

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Probably, I will. Personally I prefer quotes... They express clearly the reference... But we are not all the same (i would love to have many Martins around there...LOL).
> 
> Martin** 2


Dear Martin, I understand you. I would love to have many Nikolai Myaskovskys here and there...

Nikolai Myaskovsky, your best friend.


----------



## Des

I am not a great fan of opera, but two of my top ten fvourite pieces of music are Parsifal by Wagner and Akhnaten by Glass.
Des


----------



## mamascarlatti

Fantastic DVD sale (up to 80% off) at Presto Classical in the UK. Postage (to NZ anyway) is extremely reasonable and there are some great bargains. I've already mortgaged the house.

Clicky


----------



## Aksel

mamascarlatti said:


> Fantastic DVD sale (up to 80% off) at Presto Classical in the UK. *Postage (to NZ anyway) is extremely reasonable* and there are some great bargains. I've already mortgaged the house.
> 
> Clicky


Norway as well. As for me, I've already sold my first-born.


----------



## Lunasong




----------



## guythegreg

Lunasong said:


>


yeah, but people actually ENJOY Lord of the Rings ...


----------



## mamascarlatti

guythegreg said:


> yeah, but people actually ENJOY Lord of the Rings ...


Tsk tsk


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just gonna say, I'm off to watch a historically informed performance of Mozart's _Le Nozze di Figaro_ on Sunday.


----------



## guythegreg

let us know how it went.


----------



## mitchflorida

This is a great CD from start to finish. I am someone who doesn't usually like opera, but this one is impressive.


----------



## sospiro

American tenor Michael Fabiano is one of Opera News' opera's next wave.

I just love this.



> "It's my responsibility to touch at least one person's life in public when I'm singing," says Fabiano. "That's my duty. I reject the notion that all I'm doing is serving a muse. That's not fair. These individuals come to cry with us, to laugh with us, to be part of an emotional experience that we have the ability through the grace of God to give them onstage. I love that obligation."


----------



## sospiro

Interesting interview with exciting young Russian bass Grigory Soloviov


----------



## mitchflorida

It would be nice to know which version of Fidelio you are talking about. There are only about 30 different versions out there.


----------



## MAuer

mitchflorida said:


> It would be nice to know which version of Fidelio you are talking about. There are only about 30 different versions out there.


We haven't been talking about _Fidelio _for quite a while. Without seeing the quote that prompted your question, it's hard to answer.


----------



## mitchflorida

MAuer said:


> We haven't been talking about _Fidelio _for quite a while. Without seeing the quote that prompted your question, it's hard to answer.


Sorry, I was talking about the very first post in this thread. That was about a year ago. . .

She may have meant Claudio Abbado's version. Which is the preferred version?


----------



## MAuer

mitchflorida said:


> Sorry, I was talking about the very first post in this thread. That was about a year ago. . .
> 
> She may have meant Claudio Abbado's version. Which is the preferred version?


Yes, her reference was to Abbado's, with Stemme and Kaufmann. For preferred versions, you may want to check our own Talk Classical listing of recommended CDs for the "top 100" operas (as identified by TC members):
http://www.talkclassical.com/15315-talk-classical-most-recommended.html


----------



## belfastboy

Afternoon music choice!


----------



## sospiro

belfastboy said:


> Afternoon music choice!


:tiphat: Wow! That's amazing!


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Thought I'd mention that I saw the Australian premières of de Falla's _Master Peter's Puppet Show_ and Carter's _What Next?_ last week.


----------



## Sieglinde

I realized something about Mephisto in Faust.

How I normally feel: _Oh, what a beautiful voice, nice music and that kind of stuff._
How I feel when Samuel Ramey sings him: _Jesus *Beep* Christ grab the salt and holy water goddammit Dean where did you put the Colt WE ARE DOOMED_


----------



## sospiro

I really wish I lived in Washington.

An night out at the Russian Embassy, listening to arias from Russian operas, pre-concert cocktails & hors d'oeuvres and post-concert buffet dinner. And all for $150.

Concert details


----------



## sospiro

Some tweeting opera singers to follow.

I would add Christopher Maltman to this list. (@chrismaltman). I love his banter with Erwin Schrott.


----------



## tyroneslothrop

sospiro said:


> I really wish I lived in Washington.
> 
> An night out at the Russian Embassy, listening to arias from Russian operas, pre-concert cocktails & hors d'oeuvres and post-concert buffet dinner. And all for $150.
> 
> Concert details


Thanks sospiro for the pointer! I just picked up some tickets. If anyone else is going, let me know. Perhaps we can meet up there.


----------



## sospiro

*Interview with Thomas Adès*

Is anyone here going to see _The Tempest_ at the Met? You might find this interesting - Interview with Thomas Adès. With the sub-heading _Wagner is a fungus_, the comments are predictably for or against Wagner.

I'm more interested in whether or not the Met has any vacancies for body-painters.


----------



## MAuer

Didn't Richard Strauss call tenors a "disease?" I can just imagine contacting my doctor's office and telling the nurse on duty that I think I've come down with Tenor Disease and a touch of Wagner Fungus.


----------



## Aksel

MAuer said:


> Didn't Richard Strauss call tenors a "disease?" I can just imagine contacting my doctor's office and telling the nurse on duty that I think I've come down with Tenor Disease and a touch of Wagner Fungus.


Well, he certainly didn't care much for them. Just look at Bacchus!

And those are some most excellent diagnoses, I must say.


----------



## tyroneslothrop

sospiro said:


> Is anyone here going to see _The Tempest_ at the Met? You might find this interesting - Interview with Thomas Adès. With the sub-heading _Wagner is a fungus_, the comments are predictably for or against Wagner.
> 
> I'm more interested in whether or not the Met has any vacancies for body-painters.


Yes, I've got tickets for the November 10th performance.

Unfortunately, having read the interview (thank you Sospiro! ) I'm going to enjoy the performance a lot less now, since I loath Ades almost as much as he loathes Wagner--but it's actually transitive, in a sense, I loath Ades *because* he loathes Wagner!


----------



## sospiro

tyroneslothrop said:


> Yes, I've got tickets for the November 10th performance.
> 
> Unfortunately, having read the interview (thank you Sospiro! ) I'm going to enjoy the performance a lot less now, since I loath Ades almost as much as he loathes Wagner--but it's actually transitive, in a sense, I loath Ades *because* he loathes Wagner!


I hope I haven't spoiled it for you


----------



## tyroneslothrop

tyroneslothrop said:


> Thanks sospiro for the pointer! I just picked up some tickets. If anyone else is going, let me know. Perhaps we can meet up there.


Just wanted to say that this was a wonderful performance with some really wonderful singers.  The Russian embassy served a really nice dinner afterwards too!


----------



## sospiro

tyroneslothrop said:


> Just wanted to say that this was a wonderful performance with some really wonderful singers.  The Russian embassy served a really nice dinner afterwards too!


I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. Wish I could have been there.


----------



## tyroneslothrop

There is a free lecture on Thursday, November 15, 2012 at 7:30 PM
George Washington University Funger Hall
2201 G Street NW, Washington DC
http://www.wagner-dc.org/


----------



## Sieglinde

Something I always wanted to say to tenors...

"Dude... you know when a creepy bass or bass-baritone comes up to you and offers to grant all your wishes? RUN. Just run."


----------



## sospiro

Sieglinde said:


> Something I always wanted to say to tenors...
> 
> "Dude... you know when a creepy bass or bass-baritone comes up to you and offers to grant all your wishes? RUN. Just run."


Or as Eric Halfvarson would say, "Be careful if there's a hungry looking bass standing behind you with a sharp object in his hands...!"


----------



## brianwalker

*Note to people* who mainly/only browse/post in the opera subforum. I have a poll on Verdi in the General Discussion subforum and would love if you guys would participate!

http://www.talkclassical.com/22062-liszt-versus-verdi.html


----------



## Ravndal

On new years eve I'm going to see "Die Fledermaus" - Strauss. I'm not very fond of opera... But i do love the overture. Anyone seen it? Is it good?


----------



## tyroneslothrop

Ravndal said:


> On new years eve I'm going to see "Die Fledermaus" - Strauss. I'm not very fond of opera... But i do love the overture. Anyone seen it? Is it good?


Die Fledermaus is not bad to start with! It is an operetta, which is a lighter form of opera--more like a musical. Personally, I find it delightful and afterwards, it makes me feel good.


----------



## Aksel

Ravndal said:


> On new years eve I'm going to see "Die Fledermaus" - Strauss. I'm not very fond of opera... But i do love the overture. Anyone seen it? Is it good?


I've seen it. It's... definitely a mixed bag. Not as good as it could have been. (I am talking here of the production. The operetta itself is wonderful).


----------



## tyroneslothrop

Aksel said:


> I've seen it. It's... definitely a mixed bag. Not as good as it could have been. (I am talking here of the production. The operetta itself is wonderful).


One of our local regional (not big city) opera houses is also putting on a holiday performance of _Die Fledermaus_. It might even be already past. But opera fan that I am, I decided to skip it because I just know they will make a mess of it. This was not an easy decision to take since as an opera fan, I feel it is incumbent on the few fans around to keep this art out of museums, but I just couldn't bring myself to go given what a muddle they made of _Les pêcheurs de perles_ and how mad I was afterwards because of it.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Die Fledermaus is obviously the seasonal favourite - I am going next week to a performance put on by our local young artists' nursery, the Opera Factory. I'm not expecting much, but gotta show willing, and my daughter is stage-managing.


----------



## Ravndal

Aksel said:


> I've seen it. It's... definitely a mixed bag. Not as good as it could have been. (I am talking here of the production. The operetta itself is wonderful).


Thx. Problem with acting/singing or just the overall production?


----------



## tyroneslothrop

For those who missed February's _Ernani_ with Hvorostovsky on Met Live in HD, this particular performance has just been released on Met _Opera on Demand_! It was excellent and worth a viewing--I'm going to catch it myself again!


----------



## Aksel

Ravndal said:


> Thx. Problem with acting/singing or just the overall production?


ALL the things! It was a mess in general. But hopefully they'll have sorted a few kinks out from last Sunday, when I saw it. I'm seeing it again when I return to Oslo after Christmas break, but my hopes aren't very high.


----------



## tyroneslothrop

Aksel said:


> ALL the things! It was a mess in general. But hopefully they'll have sorted a few kinks out from last Sunday, when I saw it. I'm seeing it again when I return to Oslo after Christmas break, but my hopes aren't very high.


A glutton for punishment? It was so bad that you need to see it again to confirm how awful it was?


----------



## mamascarlatti

tyroneslothrop said:


> For those who missed February's _Ernani_ with Hvorostovsky on Met Live in HD, this particular performance has just been released on Met _Opera on Demand_! It was excellent and worth a viewing--I'm going to catch it myself again!


Also on Youtube - here


----------



## Aksel

tyroneslothrop said:


> A glutton for punishment? It was so bad that you need to see it again to confirm how awful it was?


Ha! Yes.

The cast when I'm seeing it again is far better. At least in my head. And when I went on Sunday, it was just because I wanted to. The one after Christmas has been planned in advance.


----------



## sospiro

Aksel said:


> Ha! Yes.
> 
> The cast when I'm seeing it again is far better. At least in my head. *And when I went on Sunday, it was just because I wanted to. The one after Christmas has been planned in advance*.


I like your logic


----------



## tyroneslothrop

The ROH's production of _Le Nozze di Figaro_ is playing via Emerging Pictures' Opera in Cinema today.


----------



## tyroneslothrop

tyroneslothrop said:


> The ROH's production of _Le Nozze di Figaro_ is playing via Emerging Pictures' Opera in Cinema today.


And it was brilliant. Erwin Schrott sang the title role opposite Miah Persson with Antonio Pappano conducting. By this time, those gentle readers out there who know _Le Nozze di Figaro_ must be experiencing some _déjà vu_. This sounds strangely familiar you might say. YES! I was *SHOCKED* to discover that this is the 2006 ROH production which is out on Blu-ray, before Mr. Schrott became Mr. Netrebko!!!!  

So it was a beautiful production. That said, about 30 seconds in I was confused at why ROH would use the same set as for the 2006 production for a new performance, and 90 seconds in, I realized it was *THE VERY SAME PERFORMANCE*, and not only the same production!

So friends, any thoughts about making people pay $24/ticket to watch a Blu-ray disc that some of us have seen at least 3-4 times play on the big screen six years after it was originally recorded? :scold:


----------



## mamascarlatti

tyroneslothrop said:


> And it was brilliant. Erwin Schrott sang the title role opposite Miah Persson with Antonio Pappano conducting. By this time, those gentle readers out there who know _Le Nozze di Figaro_ must be experiencing some _déjà vu_. This sounds strangely familiar you might say. YES! I was *SHOCKED* to discover that this is the 2006 ROH production which is out on Blu-ray, before Mr. Schrott became Mr. Netrebko!!!!
> 
> So it was a beautiful production. That said, about 30 seconds in I was confused at why ROH would use the same set as for the 2006 production for a new performance, and 90 seconds in, I realized it was *THE VERY SAME PERFORMANCE*, and not only the same production!
> 
> So friends, any thoughts about making people pay $24/ticket to watch a Blu-ray disc that some of us have seen at least 3-4 times play on the big screen six years after it was originally recorded? :scold:


Yes that is a shocker. I DID realise it was the same one (from the publicity photos) and i wondered how many takers they would have.

One, obviously, but never again maybe:devil:?


----------



## Ravndal

Aksel said:


> I've seen it. It's... definitely a mixed bag. Not as good as it could have been. (I am talking here of the production. The operetta itself is wonderful).


I saw it on new years eve, and i loved it. Best i have ever seen. I don't really like Opera, but this was wonderful. I think its because it was a lot of dialogues, and not only singing - which can become a bit heavy.

Also, it was pretty funny. And i loved that it was a modern twist, and translated to Norwegian


----------



## Aksel

Ravndal said:


> I saw it on new years eve, and i loved it. Best i have ever seen. I don't really like Opera, but this was wonderful. I think its because it was a lot of dialogues, and not only singing - which can become a bit heavy.
> 
> Also, it was pretty funny. And i loved that it was a modern twist, and translated to Norwegian


I'm glad you liked it! I'm going to see it when I get back home to Oslo, and I hope it has improved since I saw it the first time.


----------



## Ravndal

Can anyone recommend a good version of pelleas et melisande by Debussy? Currently listening to a version by Karajan


----------



## Vaneyes

Michael Haneke at OC...

http://operachic.typepad.com/opera_chic/2013/02/hanekes-full-of-win.html


----------



## moody

Ravndal said:


> Can anyone recommend a good version of pelleas et melisande by Debussy? Currently listening to a version by Karajan


Ernest Ansermet and the Suisse Romande Orch. (1952 rec.). Suzanne Danco. Pierre Mollet.Heinz Rehfuss. Australian Eloquence. (2 CD's) £10.75.

Royal Phil. Glyndebourne Chorus. cond. Vittorio Gui. Michael Roux,Denise Duval,Anna Reynolds. Glyndebourne Label x3 CD's £25.00

French National Radio Orch.cond. Andre Cluytens. Victoria de los Angeles. Gerard Souzay.Jacques Jansen. Testament 3 CD's.
Special Price at moment though Presto classical £28.40.


----------



## Ravndal

Grazie! I got some work to do.


----------



## Vaneyes

Met lowers ticket prices.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/a...to-reduce-ticket-prices-next-season.html?_r=0


----------



## Vaneyes

Ravndal said:


> Can anyone recommend a good version of pelleas et melisande by Debussy? Currently listening to a version by Karajan


Abbado ('91), Dutoit.


----------



## Sieglinde

Listening to a brilliant Turandot (Nilsson, Corelli, Moffo) and again I realized just how much I hate Ping, Pang and Pong. Their trio at the beginning of Act II bores me to death and it just goes on and on and on. Why did Puccini have to give such a long filler scene to three comic reliefs, two of which are annoying buffo tenors?


----------



## mamascarlatti

Sieglinde said:


> Listening to a brilliant Turandot (Nilsson, Corelli, Moffo) and again I realized just how much I hate Ping, Pang and Pong. Their trio at the beginning of Act II bores me to death and it just goes on and on and on. Why did Puccini have to give such a long filler scene to three comic reliefs, two of which are annoying buffo tenors?


They are the voice of reason, countering all the "falling in love with unsuitable ice-princesses at risk of life and limb". I quite like them.


----------



## Aksel

Sieglinde said:


> Listening to a brilliant Turandot (Nilsson, Corelli, Moffo) and again I realized just how much I hate Ping, Pang and Pong. Their trio at the beginning of Act II bores me to death and it just goes on and on and on. Why did Puccini have to give such a long filler scene to three comic reliefs, two of which are annoying buffo tenors?


Actually, the beginning of Act II is my favourite part of Turandot. At least one of my favourite parts.


----------



## Cavaradossi

Sieglinde said:


> Listening to a brilliant Turandot (Nilsson, Corelli, Moffo) and again I realized just how much I hate Ping, Pang and Pong. Their trio at the beginning of Act II bores me to death and it just goes on and on and on. Why did Puccini have to give such a long filler scene to three comic reliefs, two of which are annoying buffo tenors?


I agree the scene feels a little long, maybe because all _three_ have to give their life stories. But more than comic relief, they flesh out the effect of the ice princess's murderous love life on themselves, the court, and the people of China. You need an intimate scene like this between the majestic ones, but unlike say, Aida, I think its right that there is no "behind the scenes" look at Turandot herself - keeps her aloof and mysterious.


----------



## Zabirilog

Turandot is a great opera with absolutely fantastic music, but it has some nearly crazy parts (like the pingpangpong scene). And the idea of a Chinese princess who wants to kill everyone who love her, is quite absurd. And Nessun Dorma is really the best thing of the whole opera.

I just realized how much I love Die Entführung. Nearly as much as Der Ring. I hope my favourite production (what ended last Saturday) has been recorded... And that it will be played also maybe next year... Let's just see.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Zabirilog said:


> I just realized how much I love Die Entführung. .


I like Entführung too. I'm a sucker for "Turkish music" and Enlightenment principles.



> I hope my favourite production (what ended last Saturday) has been recorded... And that it will be played also maybe next year... Let's just see


Why did you like it so much? And where was it?


----------



## Zabirilog

mamascarlatti said:


> Why did you like it so much? And where was it?


It was in Seinäjoki, small town in western Finland. They had made it as an extremely funny version, where the Europeans were muslims and Selim and Osmin were from Seinäjoki, and it also happened there, and in our time. The names were too changed:
Konstanze=Jasmine
Belmonte=Ibrahim
Blonde=Blondi
Pedrillo=Hassan
Selim=Renko
Osmin=Anttoo

The roles were played with good Finnish singers, and my favourites were Hassan & Blondi. They're just so much interesting couple than Ibrahim and Jasmine. And I got the signatures of Anttoo and Hassan to the libretto! 

Here's the trailer:


----------



## Itullian

Zabirilog said:


> Turandot is a great opera with absolutely fantastic music, but it has some nearly crazy parts (like the pingpangpong scene). And the idea of a Chinese princess who wants to kill everyone who love her, is quite absurd. And Nessun Dorma is really the best thing of the whole opera.
> 
> I just realized how much I love Die Entführung. Nearly as much as Der Ring. I hope my favourite production (what ended last Saturday) has been recorded... And that it will be played also maybe next year... Let's just see.


i love Entfuhrung as well.


----------



## Seattleoperafan

I LOVED the last Turandot Seattle Opera did. It is an opera that is highly dependent on really superior singers and a dynamic production. Ping Pang Pong scene can be boring but the staging and acting really brought it alive. In Seattle there was never a static moment on stage, always someone moving to keep the opera visually exciting as well as vocally. Nilson and Corelli in Turandot would be my number one choice of a past opera performance to see.


----------



## HumphreyAppleby

I have to agree with those who say that Ping, Pan, and Pong's scene is one of the best parts of the opera. It's so morbidly humorous, and the music is melodic but very odd and dissonant in part. 

The story isn't really that crazy. There are countless examples of stories and fairy tales like this, from the Brother's Grimm to classical literature. The Turandot story originally comes from 1001 Arabian Nights. I have a feeling that if Puccini had lived to complete the opera, all of the talk that we hear about how problematic the plot is wouldn't exist.


----------



## Aksel

HumphreyAppleby said:


> The story isn't really that crazy. There are countless examples of stories and fairy tales like this, from the Brother's Grimm to classical literature. The Turandot story originally comes from 1001 Arabian Nights. *I have a feeling that if Puccini had lived to complete the opera, all of the talk that we hear about how problematic the plot is wouldn't exist.*


Really? Puccini wrote all of the problematic parts. At least quite a lot of them.


----------



## Sonata

HumphreyAppleby said:


> I have to agree with those who say that Ping, Pan, and Pong's scene is one of the best parts of the opera. It's so morbidly humorous, and the music is melodic but very odd and dissonant in part.


I enjoy that part too. It's weird but in a fun way.

I am currently on my first listen to Mozart's *Il Re Pastore*. Where has THIS gem been hiding? I don't know the plot, and don't care either (sorry purists!) This is a gorgeous piece of music!!! Even the recitatives are very lyrical so far and not drawn out. I'm only on the aria "Aer Tranquilo", track 6 of 27, and it's already been worth every penny. Even if it goes downhill from here, I've already obtained more lovely Mozart vocal music.


----------



## Air

Has anyone heard Janowski's Ring? I'm facing a very difficult decision right now: to buy a cheaper Ring that is still very good or wait until I can finally afford Solti's Ring. If Janowski's Ring is good enough, I might bite. The only other rendition I have is Barenboim's Ring on DVD, which is pretty magnificent.


----------



## Zabirilog

I haven't heard Janowski, but the cast seems good. Especially Walküre - Jerusalem and Norman! Wow! And Salminen's Hagen is of course a very evil bass.


----------



## sospiro

Rupert Christiansen reviews the UK opera festivals for this summer.

Considering I don't live far from Buxton, I'm ashamed to say I've never seen an opera there but this year I'm going to the Festival and seeing these:

Talk by Roger Parker
La finta giardiniera [Mozart]
Ottone in villa [Vivaldi]
La Princesse Jaune [Saint-Saëns]
La Colombe [Gounod]
Literary Britten
The Church Parables [Britten]

and going to Iford to see Acis & Galatea. Iford venue (below) is tiny but looks interesting & hope it doesn't rain.


----------



## Yardrax

Saw a broadcast version of La Donna Del Lago from the ROH last night. Great stuff. JDF and DiDonato were on their usual forms. The other tenor in the production, Colin Lee, was also excellent (I think I might have preferred his timbre to Florez...). Lots of people seemed confused at the production but I thought it was a clever twist that added some moments of humour and didn't interfere intrusively on the story itself. Really enjoyed the experience overall.


----------



## tyroneslothrop

*Anna Netrebko and Dmitri Hvorostovsky - Red Square Concert
19 June 2013*

Part I:





Part II:





_(Before an audience of 7,500. Tickets were 2,000 USD each.)_

Location: Red Square, Moscow, Russia
Date: June 19, 2013
Time: 19:00 BST/20:30 CET*

Cast
Anna Netrebko soprano
Dmitri Hvorostovsky baritone
Constantine Orbelian conductor
with
State Academic Symphony Orchestra "Evgeny Svetlanov"
and
Grand Choir "Masters of Choral Singing" of the Russian State Musical TV and Radio Centre OR Choir of the Academy of Choral Art

Program:
1. Giuseppe Verdi - La forza del destino
Overture (Orchestra) 
2. Giuseppe Verdi - I vespri siciliani
Merce, dilette amiche (Anna Netrebko)
3. Giuseppe Verdi - Don Carlo
Io morró, ma lieto in core (Dmitri Hvorostovsky)
4. Giuseppe Verdi - Il trovatore
Vedi! Le fosche notturne spoglie (Anvil Chorus) (Chorus)
5. Giuseppe Verdi - Don Carlo
Tu che la vanitá (Anna Netrebko)
6. Giuseppe Verdi - Il trovatore
Il balen del suo sorriso (Dmitri Hvorostovsky) 
Udiste? Come albeggi... Mira, d'acerbe lagrime (Anna Netrebko/Dmitri Hvorostovsky) 
7. Giacomo Puccini - Tosca
Va, Tosca (Te Deum) (Dmitri Hvorostovsky/Chorus)
8. Umberto Giordano - Andrea Chenier
La mamma morta (Anna Netrebko)
9. Giuseppe Verdi - Nabucco
Va, pensiero (Chorus)
10. Giuseppe Verdi - Rigoletto
Cortigiani, vil razza dannata (Dmitri Hvorostovsky)
11. Francesco Cilea - Adriana Lecouvreur
Io son l'umile ancella (Anna Netrebko)
12. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin
Bolyat moyi skori nozhenki so pokhodushki...Uzh kak po mostu, mostochku (Peasants' Chorus and Dance) (Chorus) 
Polonaise (Act III, No. 19) 
Final scene (Anna Netrebko/Dmitri Hvorostovsky)


----------



## tyroneslothrop

Oh cr*p, we've been found out as pretending to like opera and Wagner!


----------



## tyroneslothrop

Shocking and sad off-stage melodrama


----------



## Ebab

We had the chance to hear Diana Damrau, Joseph Calleja and Ludovic Tézier in a concert performance of "Lucia di Lammermoor". Mr Calleja had to drop out for his finale due to what was announced as an "allergic reaction" (they did not say to whom), but anything after Damrau's madness aria would have been anti-climactic. She was _sensational_, mastered the bravura but avoided no risks, absolutely modelled the character and lived out the drama with her vocal choices ("acting with the voice" is so much different to "acting plus singing").

I've heard Mr Calleja for the first time; I liked his voice best, which is strong and wonderfully manly but not "stern". Great diction; I could understand every word. His characterization was not quite up to that level. Mr Tézier gave a wonderfully round performance that satisfied throughout.

I'm tempted to hear this again on the 10th (we have a friend in the chorus who kindly supplies us with tickets!).


----------



## DonnaMysteriosa

Thanks for putting that note, very interesting to follow


----------



## DonnaMysteriosa

Lucky you to have somebody to supply you with tickets x


----------



## Bix

mamascarlatti said:


> I like Entführung too.






 she is just so good!

.....and this 



 Different opera of course


----------



## Ebab

DonnaMysteriosa said:


> Lucky you to have somebody to supply you with tickets x


Yes, we really need to think of something nice for him. He also supplies us with the gossip.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Bix said:


> she is just so good!


I love it how she actually looks at Selim when she's singing rather than at the audience. And I like my Entführung with a bit of Stockholm Syndrome - adds some Unresolved Sexual Tension.



> .....and this
> 
> 
> 
> Different opera of course


I want this on DVD. Looks like a very imaginative production which really embraces the absurdities of this opera. Meanwhile I see you can see the rest of it too on this channel.


----------



## Ebab

Ebab said:


> I'm tempted to hear this again on the 10th.


I did, and again enjoyed it very much (it was their third performance now). The energy level, of all performers and from Act I on, was palpably higher. Mr. Calleja was definitely in better form and gave a full vocal performance, also opened up more for the part. He and Diana Damrau had also developed better chemistry together. The madness aria though, didn't quite get under my skin as the first time; I found Damrau sang impressively, but her characterization was different and more showy, and the authenticity of the character suffered. Maybe it was because they recorded the performance for Internet video stream; as mentioned in another thread, it'll be up for two weeks.


----------



## aszkid

I finally got to listen Der Ring des Nibelungen! I'm watching the recording conducted by Boulez, from 1980, with english subtitles, and so far i have watched Das Rheingold and Die Walküre (by the way, it's my first opera).

Wow! Just, wow! It's quite different from what i'm used to listen, but those have been great hours of music and voice! I told myself i didn't like vocal works, but definitely, Wagner has made me regret that. Lovely, great moments of passion and power.

Siegfried and Götterdämmerung are yet to be watched 

By the way, i enjoy the lack of coloraturas, that i guess they are not usual in the romantic period.


----------



## Hoffmann

_Das Rheingold _and _Die Walküre_ are your first operas? I'm impressed! The Ring is 17 hours of jawdropping wonder. Please be sure to report back on what you think about _Siegfried_ and _Götterdämmerung_.


----------



## aszkid

From Das Rheingold, when Alberich curses the ring:
* - Meinem Fluch fliehest du nicht!*

and from Die Walküre, when Sieglinde wakes up around the Valkyries (and the later supplications and 'reveals' by Brunhilde):
* - Soll um die Flucht
dir, Maid, ich nicht fluchen,
so erhöre heilig mein Flehen:
stosse dein Schwert mir ins Herz!
*

Two of my favourite moments, so far! 

Also, when Brunhilde is speaking with Wotan, at the end of Die Walkure:
*
- Auf dein Gebot
entbrenne ein Feuer;
den Felsen umglühe
lodernde Glut;
es leck' ihre Zung',
es fresse ihr Zahn
den Zagen, der frech sich wagte,
dem freislichen Felsen zu nahn!
*

So beautiful and powerful!

I'm loving all the characters right there, Wotan's paper by Donald McIntyre, i just find it superb.

Damn, i'm starting to get this little dwarf inside... "learn german! learn german you b*stard!".


----------



## schigolch

The American mezzo Regina Resnik died today, at 90 years old:


----------



## Itullian

schigolch said:


> The American mezzo Regina Resnik died today, at 90 years old:


excellent singer, R I P ..............


----------



## operashoppejim

There are many opera=related topics that it is hard to fit in any specific category, for example, singer superstitions, funny moments that weren't supposed to be funny, etc, most embarrassing moments for a singer and such. it would be nice to have a 'catch-all' place for all of these topics.


----------



## mamascarlatti

operashoppejim said:


> There are many opera=related topics that it is hard to fit in any specific category, for example, singer superstitions, funny moments that weren't supposed to be funny, etc, most embarrassing moments for a singer and such. it would be nice to have a 'catch-all' place for all of these topics.


Please, feel free to start any thread you want. :tiphat:


----------



## Amagliani

*Don Giovanni:*








*Le nozze di Figaro:*


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Recently discovered Jonas Kaufmann (yes it took me a while, I'm not THAT big into opera and I don't know many opera singers) and I've been fangirling for hours, much to the confusion of my friends. :lol:


----------



## Pantheon

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Recently discovered Jonas Kaufmann (yes it took me a while, I'm not THAT big into opera and I don't know many opera singers) and I've been fangirling for hours, much to the confusion of my friends. :lol:


You and I seem to be linked by lots of coincidences, CoAG. I went to the library to look for some Thomas Tallis and I found on the main shelf a front page article about Jonas Kaufmann, labelled the "Prince of tenors". I paused and hesitated to photocopy the article 

Otherwise one of my latest operatic discoveries was the beautiful Maria Stader. I cannot stop listening to her. I am slowly moving towards her interpretation of Mozart's Mass in C minor.


----------



## Vesteralen

Don't know what to say about the music, but I'm pretty sure no cast ever had more fun...


----------



## Posie

Pantheon said:


> You and I seem to be linked by lots of coincidences, CoAG. I went to the library to look for some Thomas Tallis and I found on the main shelf a front page article about Jonas Kaufmann, labelled the "Prince of tenors". I paused and hesitated to photocopy the article
> 
> Otherwise one of my latest operatic discoveries was the beautiful Maria Stader. I cannot stop listening to her. I am slowly moving towards her interpretation of Mozart's Mass in C minor.


If Jonas Kaufmann is the prince of tenors, then who is the king? Did the article get to decide that?


----------



## Zabirilog

Pavarotti or Domingo I guess


----------



## Amagliani

One of the greatest operas ever written and
the most charming Don Giovanni

First Act:





Second Act:


----------



## schigolch

Patrice Chérau has died, at 68 years old:

http://www.liberation.fr/culture/20..._937719?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter


----------



## Sieglinde

:'(

I need to rewatch his Ring, I really liked it. It was the first time I realized how human and vulnerable these gods and heroes are.


Also kind of realized that I vespri siciliani basically ends like a certain GoT episode.


----------



## sospiro

Interview with soprano Heidi Melton.

I love this

"... It is about voices and bodies being able to communicate with the audience. Trust me, I have seen and heard plenty of horrible skinny opera singers. I've also seen a lot of fantastic ones. All humans are capable of portraying, expressing and communicating. There is the argument that we have to modernize and make opera more believable and relatable and appealing to the masses. First of all, I wasn't aware that only thin people fall in love or have interesting stories to tell. This is news to me. As a woman who is not categorized by the rest of society as "thin," I can tell you that men have fallen in love with me, and that I have fallen in love with men. The fact that I have some wobbly bits hasn't made that experience less real or less important to me or to them. In addition, *I think talent is HOT. Really hot*. Sexy comes in all sorts of different packages and what is sexy to me, may not be sexy to you and that's the way it should be. That makes things interesting and dynamic and HUMAN. I think our boundaries need to be expanded. I don't think we need to conform to what we are supposed to think sexy is or isn't. Can't we come to those decisions on our own? Opera needs to showcase talent. If it comes in a thin package, fine. If it comes with wobbly bits included, also fine. Just sing the crap out of it...."

Oh definitely!!


----------



## Aramis

If you ever come across symphony in C minor by Paul Wranitzky, make sure you recall this post and before listening prepare for this symphony's three opening notes. Otherwise you may experience Wagnerian freak out with sudden flash of ambiguous sensation that you have been taken by surprise by giants who came to tear your fellow goddess from you:






It happened to me today.


----------



## mamascarlatti

NZ Opera report card:

A+ for extremely cute front page (scroll down for extra cuteness)

C- for yawn-enducing season. Needs to employ imagination and inventiveness in planning of future seasons. Could do much better.


----------



## DavidA

sospiro said:


> Interview with soprano Heidi Melton.
> 
> I love this
> 
> "... It is about voices and bodies being able to communicate with the audience. Trust me, I have seen and heard plenty of horrible skinny opera singers. I've also seen a lot of fantastic ones. All humans are capable of portraying, expressing and communicating. There is the argument that we have to modernize and make opera more believable and relatable and appealing to the masses. First of all, I wasn't aware that only thin people fall in love or have interesting stories to tell. This is news to me. As a woman who is not categorized by the rest of society as "thin," I can tell you that men have fallen in love with me, and that I have fallen in love with men. The fact that I have some wobbly bits hasn't made that experience less real or less important to me or to them. In addition, *I think talent is HOT. Really hot*. Sexy comes in all sorts of different packages and what is sexy to me, may not be sexy to you and that's the way it should be. That makes things interesting and dynamic and HUMAN. I think our boundaries need to be expanded. I don't think we need to conform to what we are supposed to think sexy is or isn't. Can't we come to those decisions on our own? Opera needs to showcase talent. If it comes in a thin package, fine. If it comes with wobbly bits included, also fine. Just sing the crap out of it...."
> 
> Oh definitely!!


Just a couple of points on this:

I have never seen PLENTY of skinny opera singers. Opera singers don't tend to look like Kate Moss

One has also to remember this is a show for the public. I have no doubt that people well endowed with flesh on their bodies are just as affectionate, sexy, hot, etc as those not inclined to corpulence. Whether the public prefers to see them in these roles is another matter.


----------



## Jobis

sospiro said:


> Interview with soprano Heidi Melton.
> 
> I love this
> 
> "... It is about voices and bodies being able to communicate with the audience. Trust me, I have seen and heard plenty of horrible skinny opera singers. I've also seen a lot of fantastic ones. All humans are capable of portraying, expressing and communicating. There is the argument that we have to modernize and make opera more believable and relatable and appealing to the masses. First of all, I wasn't aware that only thin people fall in love or have interesting stories to tell. This is news to me. As a woman who is not categorized by the rest of society as "thin," I can tell you that men have fallen in love with me, and that I have fallen in love with men. The fact that I have some wobbly bits hasn't made that experience less real or less important to me or to them. In addition, *I think talent is HOT. Really hot*. Sexy comes in all sorts of different packages and what is sexy to me, may not be sexy to you and that's the way it should be. That makes things interesting and dynamic and HUMAN. I think our boundaries need to be expanded. I don't think we need to conform to what we are supposed to think sexy is or isn't. Can't we come to those decisions on our own? Opera needs to showcase talent. If it comes in a thin package, fine. If it comes with wobbly bits included, also fine. Just sing the crap out of it...."
> 
> Oh definitely!!


I found that article possibly one of the dullest things I've read. So much for an article about being an opera singer, more like heidi trying to prove to the world that she's a normal fun-loving girl... yawn


----------



## Aramis

So when countertenor goes to record one-composer recital CD, who can he pick up? Vivaldi, Haendel?

This is pretty awkward but I just found out thet certain countertenor decided to record Bellini CD:

http://www.amazon.com/Bellini-Arias-Marco-Lazzara/dp/B002SIH02I

Just listen to the samples.


----------



## ericdxx

so Rienzi is supposed to be one of Wagner's "simple" / "italian style influenced" operas but isn't the orchestration and the development of the leitmotifs/themes on a level above any italian opera composer?

If there is italian operas like that I would love to hear them!?


----------



## Aramis

> so Rienzi is supposed to be one of Wagner's "simple" / "italian style influenced" operas but isn't the orchestration and the development of the leitmotifs/themes on a level above any italian opera composer?
> 
> If there is italian operas like that I would love to hear them!?


Rienzi isn't Wagner's most Italian opera in style, it was most likely more influenced by Grand Opera and Meyerbeer.

Another thing is that no, it doesn't surpass "any Italian opera composer" in orchestration and that it can't have "level of development of the leitmotifs" above "any Italian opera composer" because leitmotif is something that Italian composers didn't use at all of used in considerably diffrent way. And this kind of thing isn't exactly something that can be compared in quality anyway.


----------



## ericdxx

Aramis said:


> Rienzi isn't Wagner's most Italian opera in style, it was most likely more influenced by Grand Opera and Meyerbeer.
> 
> Another thing is that no, it doesn't surpass "any Italian opera composer" in orchestration and that it can't have "level of development of the leitmotifs" above "any Italian opera composer" because leitmotif is something that Italian composers didn't use at all of used in considerably diffrent way. And this kind of thing isn't exactly something that can be compared in quality anyway.


that's fair but surely you should be able to compare orchestrations.............no?

So anyway, if I want to listen to a predecessor to Reinzi, what opera should I listen to?


----------



## Aramis

ericdxx said:


> that's fair but surely you should be able to compare orchestrations.............no?


Yes. What I said in last sentence obviously applies to the development of leitmotifs.



> So anyway, if I want to listen to a predecessor to Reinzi, what opera should I listen to?


Les Huguenots, Robert le Diable...


----------



## Revenant

Moombah said:


> I'm sorry to do this to you all, But I have to make it to ten posts so that I can delete this account! I apologise!!


Understood. You have eleven atm. Feel free to depart unhindered.


----------



## schigolch

After more than 60 years, next December, 7th, "La Traviata" will open the season at Teatro alla Scala. The cast: Damrau, Beczala and Lucic. Not very italianate, we will see the reaction of the audience.

Not even Maria Callas opened a season singing Violetta, though she indeed sang several times the night of Sant'Ambrogio:

Dec. 51: as Elena, I VESPRI SICILIANI, (A. Votto)


Dec 52 : as Lady Macbeth, MACBETH, (V. De Sabata)


Dec 54 : as Giulia, LA VESTALE, (A. Votto)


Dec. 55 : as Norma, NORMA, (A. Votto)


Dec. 57 : as Amelia, BALLO IN MASCHERA , (G. A. Gavazzeni)


Dec. 60 : as Paolina, POLIUTO, (A. Votto)


----------



## Aramis

schigolch said:


> we will see the reaction of the audience.


Will we? Is there a broadcast/recording planned?


----------



## schigolch

I thought it would be broadcasted... Maybe I'm wrong, I haven't checked.


----------



## rgz

Hey guys, what is Optimus Prime's favorite opera?











Car-men


----------



## Operafocus

Listening to Mario Lanza singing Improviso from Andrea Chenier, in a home rehearsal, when he was just 31. Apparently he had a contract to do Chenier at La Scala the year after he died - in other words, when he was 39. I've wondered for years what would have become of him if he hadn't died that young. Someone sounding like this at 31, what would he have sounded like at - say - 51?


----------



## Aramis

I don't wonder how he would sound later in life at all because I'm too busy wondering what would it be like to hear him on real opera recording instead of musical bits from those painfully schematic and simply mediocre movies.


----------



## Operafocus

Hah. Well, there is The Great Caruso that's only got proper arias in it


----------



## sospiro

Happy Birthday Vincenzo Bellini!!


----------



## Celloman

I finished listening to _Die Meistersinger_ yesterday, and was delighted when Wagner used the "Tristan" chord as Hans Sachs makes a reference to the legend of Tristan and Isolde. Has anyone else noticed this? I thought it was very clever, and it made me laugh. I knew that the last opera Wagner wrote before _Die Meistersinger_ was T & I, and it occurred to me that Wagner was perhaps making a contrast between the relationship of Tristan and Isolde and that of Walther and Eva.

What do you think?


----------



## Aramis

> I thought it was very clever, and it made me laugh.


Oh, so after all there is somebody on this world who laughter at Die Meistersinger. Very well, Wagner is happy.


----------



## Operafocus

La mamma morta - as used in Philadelphia Story


----------



## Aramis

Wikipedia never ceases to amaze me as source of operatic knowledge. Just look what magnificent description of the plot from Donizetti's _Fausta_ they have there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fausta_(opera)#Synopsis

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT...


----------



## rgz

Aramis said:


> Wikipedia never ceases to amaze me as source of operatic knowledge. Just look what magnificent description of the plot from Donizetti's _Fausta_ they have there:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fausta_(opera)#Synopsis
> 
> WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT...


Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Stop slacking and get on it, Aramis!


----------



## mamascarlatti

rgz said:


> Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Stop slacking and get on it, Aramis!


It is priceless actually. Insert any name and you have half all the operas written:

xxxxx is in love with yyyyyyy and finally both die because of it.:lol:


----------



## rgz

Or, to paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, "A tenor and soprano want to make love, but are prevented from doing so by a baritone."


----------



## Couac Addict

Aramis said:


> Wikipedia never ceases to amaze me as source of operatic knowledge. Just look what magnificent description of the plot from Donizetti's _Fausta_ they have there:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fausta_(opera)#Synopsis
> 
> WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT...


I suspect that Wikipedia's deficiencies is a homage to Gilardoni, who died before completing the libretto.


----------



## rgz

Scientists attempt to create the most annoying song ever
http://www.wired.com/listening_post/2008/04/a-scientific-at/
Relevant because there is some opera rap and opera country music in there (though her voice isn't very good imo)

e: The harp / opera portion at around 11:00 actually isn't bad, wouldn't sound out of place in a Britten opera


----------



## Couac Addict

rgz said:


> Scientists attempt to create the most annoying song ever
> http://www.wired.com/listening_post/2008/04/a-scientific-at/
> Relevant because there is some opera rap and opera country music in there (though her voice isn't very good imo)
> 
> e: The harp / opera portion at around 11:00 actually isn't bad, wouldn't sound out of place in a Britten opera


Aaron Copland meets the Penguin Cafe Orchestra


----------



## schigolch

John Tavener dies, at 69 years old:


----------



## Aramis

So have you heard G. di Stefano singing Mozart:


----------



## Posie

rgz said:


> Scientists attempt to create the most annoying song ever
> http://www.wired.com/listening_post/2008/04/a-scientific-at/
> Relevant because there is some opera rap and opera country music in there (though her voice isn't very good imo)
> 
> e: The harp / opera portion at around 11:00 actually isn't bad, wouldn't sound out of place in a Britten opera


Mickey Mouse rapping now? Disney, you have gone too far! That page is saved in my favorites. :devil:


----------



## Aramis

There is one particular photo I really miss here.


----------



## schigolch

Oralia Domínguez, dead at 88:


----------



## sospiro

Can someone who cannot sing (her own admission) learn how to carry a note? Read about her journey.


----------



## schigolch

Why there's nothing wrong with being bored by opera:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/dec/01/nothing-wrong-bored-by-opera


----------



## schigolch

Tom Krause dies at 79.


----------



## rgz

Live stream of Traviata w/ Damrau and Beczala
http://liveweb.arte.tv/de/video/La_Traviata_in_der_Mailander_Scala/

Video quality is pretty mediocre, even with the HD stream, and there are occasional digital artifacts in the audio. That said, Ms. Damrau sounds amazing, as good as I've ever heard from her.


----------



## Seattleoperafan

At Christmas I love Joan Sutherland's Joy to the World CD. Of particular note is O Holy Nigh, which is sung a la In Questa Reggia complete with a glorious high Db at the end. My other favorite is Schubert's Ave Maria, which I played 8 times in a row yesterday. It is done a la Casta Diva and she triumphs over the orchestra and chorus in true dramatic soprano fashion.


----------



## schigolch

Live stream today of Dialogues des Carmélites:

http://liveweb.arte.tv/fr/video/Dialogues_des_Carmelites_mis_en_scene_par_Olivier_Py/

Sophie Koch, Mère Marie de l'Incarnation 
Patricia Petibon, Blanche de La Force 
Véronique Gens, Madame Lidoine 
Sandrine Piau, Soeur Constance de Saint Denis 
Rosalind Plowright, Madame de Croissy 
Topi Lehtipuu, le Chevalier de La Force 
Philippe Rouillon, le Marquis de La Force 
Annie Vavrille, Mère Jeanne de l'Enfant Jésus 
Sophie Pondjiclis, Soeur Mathilde 
François Piolino, le Père confesseur du couvent 
Jérémy Duffau, le premier commissaire 
Yuri Kissin, le second commissaire, un officier 
Matthieu Lécroart, le geôlier

Philharmonia Orchestra Chœur du Théâtre des Champs-Elysées 
Jérémie Rhorer, direction 
Olivier Py, mise en scène 
Pierre-André Weitz, décors et costumes 
Bertrand Killy, lumières


----------



## Aramis

Hear how the applause starts not right after Corelli finishes singing but after the baritone does his part and, according to the libretto, hits Corelli. Then the music stops. This is the moment when the applause bursts out. It makes me imagine that audience hated Corelli's performance of the aria and when baritone struck him down, they were like WHAT A PUNCH, BRAVO RANCE, WE HAD ENOUGH OF HIM ALREADY and the first row and conductor draw out the rating plates and eachs says "10" for the knockout and the baritone tears his shirt and displays his muscles in the spotlight as Corelli lies unconsious and the audience goes mad from awe

I think that's how it really was, but the story was erased by Met propaganda departament


----------



## schigolch

Marta Eggerth dies at 101;


----------



## Aramis

If you find Hvorostovky's Verdi awkward, try this:






... for double effect.


----------



## sospiro

Operafocus interviewed Polish bass Lukas Jakobski in between performances of Prokofiev's _The Gambler_ in Amsterdam.


----------



## sospiro

Tenor Christopher Gillett talks about singing for his supper

Who wants to be a millionaire?


----------



## rgz

Drawing a blank here: What's the term for a singer who sings mostly / primarily at one house, better than a chorister but not leading role material, often sings character roles.

edit: Thought of it, comprimario


----------



## Sonata

Just found out from my doctor that the local theater airs The Met live recordings, I'm looking forward to checking them out!


----------



## sospiro

Aren't we lucky! 

London Opera Calendar


----------



## Aramis

sospiro said:


> Aren't we lucky!
> 
> London Opera Calendar


Absolutely. I'm so jelaous about _How the Whale Became_.


----------



## sospiro

Aramis said:


> Absolutely. I'm so jelaous about _How the Whale Became_.


I'll get you a ticket, shall I? :devil:


----------



## schigolch

Claudio Abbado, dead at 81.


----------



## Itullian

schigolch said:


> Claudio Abbado, dead at 81.


Wow, quite a shock.


----------



## MAuer

Very sad news, indeed.


----------



## sospiro

Blog post by mezzo Jennifer Rivera on five things you need to know about opera singers.


----------



## Itullian

sospiro said:


> Blog post by mezzo Jennifer Rivera on five things you need to know about opera singers.


Great article Annie. Thank you.


----------



## DavidA

sospiro said:


> Blog post by mezzo Jennifer Rivera on five things you need to know about opera singers.


A feisty lady giving the uninitiated the works!


----------



## mountmccabe

sospiro said:


> Blog post by mezzo Jennifer Rivera on five things you need to know about opera singers.


This is mostly good but 4 is problematic.

For one, it isn't true. There is certainly far more than "the blink of an eye" complaining about skin tone, culture or nationality of singers, though this is not always the subject of published reviews (which is a good thing). Though if we get beyond that hyperbole, sure, operatic casting is more color-blind than Hollywood (and similar).

But even to the extent that it is true color-blind casting ignores privilege; how most operas roles have been written and traditionally been produced, not to mention the education and training systems an aspiring opera singer must navigate. So while films are less color-blind in their casting a wider variety of stories are told.

Color-blind casting (alongside unthinking traditionalism) also means we get things like current productions of Otello, etc. using blackface.


----------



## sospiro

I can't find the streaming thread so I'm putting this on here.

_*Jenůfa*_ live stream from La Monnaie De Munt on Medici TV. 18:30 GMT.

[clicky]


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Annie, thanks for the Jenůfa live stream from La Monnaie De Munt on Medici TV. . . starting me me in six minutes. . . I'm at work though. . . DAMN!!! I want to see the whole thing!


----------



## sospiro

Marschallin Blair said:


> Annie, thanks for the Jenůfa live stream from La Monnaie De Munt on Medici TV. . . starting me me in six minutes. . . I'm at work though. . . DAMN!!! I want to see the whole thing!


I think you can watch again for a limited time. Not sure I like the production but it _is_ La Monnaie. :lol:


----------



## mamascarlatti

sospiro said:


> I think you can watch again for a limited time. Not sure I like the production but it _is_ La Monnaie. :lol:


Yes, Medici usually make it available for a few weeks after the live stream.


----------



## Sonata

Just purchased a ticket to Met Live in HD! April 26th, Cosi Fan Tutte. A top 5 opera for me. I haven't gotten into opera videos at home too much because I simply don't watch movies at home much at all, but this will be a little different. Still haven't made it to a live opera yet, but this should be good


----------



## sospiro

Kasper Holten's new _Don Giovanni_ which opened at Royal Opera House in London last night is dividing opinion. This is his second production since he took over as Director of Opera, the first being _Eugene Onegin_ which similarly got mixed reviews.

I didn't see it and have no plans to go. Interesting review by operatraveller.


----------



## mountmccabe

La Monnaie has most of its staged productions available for streaming for about three weeks not long after the live run has ended.

This schedule says the the streaming period of their _Hamlet_ just ended but the ad on their main site says it is up through February 5 (and checking I was able to start it); this Jenůfa will be available starting February 13.


----------



## schigolch

Nicolae Herlea, dead at 86:


----------



## Vaneyes

No news from Opera Chic since February 16, and its pages are not loading well.


----------



## sospiro

Trebs cancels & my email from Kasper Holten below. Me and the friends I'm going with are having a bit of a discussion on who should sing Marguerite. Several names have been mentioned _Ange_ being one, but the current money is Mad Joan (The Cat Lady) who is free in April.



> Dear Mrs ******
> 
> I am writing to you because I wanted you to hear directly from me that Anna Netrebko has regretfully withdrawn from the role of Marguerite in Faust with The Royal Opera in April 2014. This was to have been her debut in the role.
> 
> Anna Netrebko has asked us to forward the following: 'I am so sorry to have to withdraw from the role of Marguerite in Faust. After much consideration and intensive preparation, I have come to the conclusion that the role is not right for me. I had been very much looking forward to making my debut in this role at the Royal Opera House and following it with further performances in Vienna and Baden-Baden. Unfortunately, I must now withdraw from all these productions. I am very sad to be disappointing my fans in London, Vienna and Baden-Baden and hope they will understand the difficult decision that I have had to make. However, I am very much looking forward to returning to The Royal Opera to perform with the Company again in 2015.'
> 
> We are working very hard to secure a good replacement for Anna Netrebko in this important part, and as soon as we know who will be replacing her, we will of course be back in touch.
> 
> In the meantime, I am still extremely excited about the rest of the cast for these performances of David McVicar's spectacular production: Joseph Calleja sings the title role, with Bryn Terfel as Méphistophélès, while Simon Keenlyside is Valentin. The wonderful Italian conductor Maurizio Benini returns to the Royal Opera and conducts all performances.
> 
> Yours sincerely,
> 
> Kasper Holten
> Director of Opera


----------



## sospiro

Sonya Yoncheva is favourite to replace Trebs in London [clicky]


----------



## mamascarlatti

I think she is pretty cool. l loved her in L'Incoronazione di Poppea with Max Emanuel Cencic.


----------



## Revenant

mamascarlatti said:


> I think she is pretty cool. l loved her in L'Incoronazione di Poppea with Max Emanuel Cencic.


I don't have that one Natalie. Is that the version conducted by Christie? Do you recommend it as a whole?


----------



## mamascarlatti

Revenant said:


> I don't have that one Natalie. Is that the version conducted by Christie? Do you recommend it as a whole?


It's this one. I think it is excellent - with the caveat that Cencic as Nerone goes for character-appropriate spoilt-boy psychotic lunacy rather than beauty of tone. But Yoncheva IS Poppea for me now. You also get Ann Hallenberg and Tim Mead in the supporting cast. Staging is very straightforward.


----------



## Revenant

mamascarlatti said:


> It's this one. I think it is excellent - with the caveat that Cencic as Nerone goes for character-appropriate spoilt-boy psychotic lunacy rather than beauty of tone. But Yoncheva IS Poppea for me now. You also get Ann Hallenberg and Tim Mead in the supporting cast. Staging is very straightforward.


Thank you Natalie. This is very good news, as I'm disappointed in all the dvd versions of LIdP that I've gotten thus far, including Haim's previous outing at the helm, despite Connolly and de Niese.


----------



## schigolch

Robert Ashley, dead at 83:


----------



## sospiro

Interesting news from the Met (if it's true)

" ... the Met will be dark for some or all of 2014-2015 season ... "

" ... we think it would be prudent for our principal singer members who have future contracts at the Met, and their agents, to likewise explore other sources of 2014-2015 employment ... "


----------



## Itullian

sospiro said:


> interesting news from the met (if it's true)
> 
> " ... The met will be dark for some or all of 2014-2015 season ... "
> 
> " ... We think it would be prudent for our principal singer members who have future contracts at the met, and their agents, to likewise explore other sources of 2014-2015 employment ... "


wow....................


----------



## sospiro

Operafocus talked to Quinn Kelsey, Iain Paterson and Stuart Skelton. Three wonderful singers give an insight into what it's like to be a professional opera singer today.

[clicky]


----------



## Revenant

sospiro said:


> Interesting news from the Met (if it's true)
> 
> " ... the Met will be dark for some or all of 2014-2015 season ... "
> 
> " ... we think it would be prudent for our principal singer members who have future contracts at the Met, and their agents, to likewise explore other sources of 2014-2015 employment ... "


If true, it would seem that the fate that overtook the other NY opera company not too long ago might be now threatening even the Met. Let us hope that is not the case.


----------



## schigolch

The opera administrator Gerard Mortier, dead at 70.


----------



## Dongiovanni

sospiro said:


> Operafocus talked to Quinn Kelsey, Iain Paterson and Stuart Skelton. Three wonderful singers give an insight into what it's like to be a professional opera singer today.
> 
> [clicky]


Very interesting, thanks for sharing !


----------



## bettej

I live in Arizona and yes, I use Spotify. I have probably 20 "play lists" of everything from ABBA to Elvis to Beethoven to many opera selections. I do not subscribe to eliminate the advertising....I can put up with an interruption every so often rather than pay $20/mo. I wasn't aware of the new Fidelio being available. Although I like it, I'm really a lover of the music of Verdi and the "bel canto 3." My favorite music is opera, then classical, then country western, and the ABBA works. Not fond of jazz or blue grass and I can't stand rap. As for "pop" music...there are some current artists I like such as Pink, Fun, Katy Perry, Adele, etc. I sort of like Taylor Swift but am more impressed with her for her $100,000 donation to the Nashville (or was it Memphis) Symphony Orchestra to help with their financial difficulties.


----------



## perempe

is there a (met) telecast vs. live performance topic? i'm interested in opinions of people who can compare MET broadcasts to live performances of smaller opera houses they attend. which do they prefer?


----------



## sospiro

perempe said:


> is there a (met) telecast vs. live performance topic? i'm interested in opinions of people who can compare MET broadcasts to live performances of smaller opera houses they attend. which do they prefer?


Don't think so but no reason why we can't have one. I'll start one.


----------



## schigolch

Ottavio Garaventa dead at 80:


----------



## sospiro

A new exclusive interview with the legendary English bass Sir John Tomlinson


----------



## schigolch

La Scala's new boss takes aim at 'crazy' catcalling of the loggionisti opera fans:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/20/la-scala-opera-fans-boss-catcalling-loggionisti


----------



## sospiro

Interview with Welsh baritone Paul Carey Jones.


----------



## rgz

You can listen to a Natalie Dessay recital here.

She sounds pretty good though I'm not a huge fan of art song in general. Duparc and Debussy in particular I've always regarded as all fluff no substance but maybe that's just me.


----------



## sospiro

rgz said:


> You can listen to a Natalie Dessay recital here.
> 
> She sounds pretty good though I'm not a huge fan of art song in general. Duparc and Debussy in particular I've always regarded as all fluff no substance but maybe that's just me.


Thanks Ian. I'll have a listen tonight.


----------



## schigolch

Nicola Ghiuselev dead at 77:


----------



## Vaneyes

Could *The Met* go **** up?

Peter Gelb arias...

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27738482

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jun/06/new-york-met-opera-house-edge-precipice


----------



## perempe

is there a topic for favourite local singers?


----------



## schigolch

Carlo Bergonzi dead at 90:

http://www.gazzettadiparma.it/news/spettacoli/204838/E--morto-il-tenore-Carlo.html


----------



## schigolch

Criistina Deutekom dead at 82:


----------



## Cassiopeia

Does anyone know whether the song they're performing at 26:00 (



) is from an opera, and if yes, which one?

P. S. It's from a local TV show, and sounds very familiar. Of course, it's been adapted for the show.


----------



## sospiro

Cassiopeia said:


> Does anyone know whether the song they're performing at 26:00 (
> 
> 
> 
> ) is from an opera, and if yes, which one?
> 
> P. S. It's from a local TV show, and sounds very familiar. Of course, it's been adapted for the show.


It's 'Habanera' from Bizet's Carmen.


----------



## Cassiopeia

sospiro said:


> It's 'Habanera' from Bizet's Carmen.


Finally! Thank you very, very much!


----------



## sospiro

Cassiopeia said:


> Finally! Thank you very, very much!


:tiphat:

You're welcome! .............................


----------



## Ivansen

I'm taking a bunch of co-workers to see Don Giovanni, and I want to make the experience as good as possible for them. I have to decide which seats to buy, but I'm struggling between being close enough to appreciate the acting, and far enough away to get a good overview of the stage and a balanced musical impression. If you were me, would you seat people at row 7 or 15? It's quite a large hall and stage. I would personally much rather sit at 15, but I don't know what most people would prefer.


----------



## MAuer

It depends on your co-workers. Do any of them have visual limitations? If so, then seats closer to the stage would be better. And row 7 doesn't seem so close to the orchestra pit that the balance between the singers and the orchestra would be affected (says she who sits in row 2 at the local opera company's performances  ). Do you want to surprise your co-workers with the tickets, or could you ask them what their preferences would be?


----------



## Ivansen

MAuer said:


> It depends on your co-workers. Do any of them have visual limitations? If so, then seats closer to the stage would be better. And row 7 doesn't seem so close to the orchestra pit that the balance between the singers and the orchestra would be affected (says she who sits in row 2 at the local opera company's performances  ). Do you want to surprise your co-workers with the tickets, or could you ask them what their preferences would be?


I don't think any of them will have any issues with sight. They are too many to ask, really, otherwise that would be a good idea. I think maybe you are right in that row 7 shouldn't be too close.


----------



## Pugg

I do hope this is the right place to ask : can anyone tell me why the Thais with Moffo an Carreras is never transferd to CD?
I did wrote to RCA once but never received a answer.


----------



## Pip

Pugg said:


> I do hope this is the right place to ask : can anyone tell me why the Thais with Moffo an Carreras is never transferd to CD?
> I did wrote to RCA once but never received a answer.


Hardly surprising. The recording was absolutely hammered by the critics at the time, Ms Moffo was very poor, and should have taken the advice not to make it. 
I loved her voice before she lost it but the Thais was too late for her.


----------



## jdcbr

Just got this today- heard "Rheingold" so far. Greer Grimsley and Stephanie Blythe the equal or better than any of their recorded competition (though Ludwig is the ultimate Fricka). Also, very natural sound-orchestral/ vocal balance is Bayreauthish, even.


----------



## schigolch

Anita Cerquetti passed away yesterday, at 83 years old.

Sit tibi terra levis.


----------



## DarkAngel

schigolch said:


> *Anita Cerquetti passed away yesterday*, at 83 years old.
> Sit tibi terra levis.


A great singer who has far too few recordings for us to treasure, there were so many great singers during her time she can be mistakenly overlooked but if alive today with such a magnificent powerful voice she would amaze everyone

I especially like her Ernani because of this excellent live CD performance, an essential document


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Pugg said:


> I do hope this is the right place to ask : can anyone tell me why the Thais with Moffo an Carreras is never transferd to CD?
> I did wrote to RCA once but never received a answer.


Because it is famously one of the worst recordings ever made. Moffo was practically voiceless and the sessions should never really have been allowed to go ahead.

Believe me the Fleming recording knocks it out of the water.


----------



## Sieglinde

I just realized that Peter Grimes's final scene is a nice paralel to that shocking boat scene in the Book 1 finale of Korra. In both cases people just forget about them pretty quickly but the feels. The feels.


----------



## Leonardo

Hello everyone, I am relatively new to the world of opera and classical music. I have a basic question that I believe is suited to this thread.

When an opera is created, is the libretto written first and then given to the composer to read and create music for, or is the music composed first and then given to the librettist to write a story to? Does the librettist hire/pay the composer? Does the composer hire/pay the librettist?


----------



## Itullian

Leonardo said:


> Hello everyone, I am relatively new to the world of opera and classical music. I have a basic question that I believe is suited to this thread.
> 
> When an opera is created, is the libretto written first and then given to the composer to read and create music for, or is the music composed first and then given to the librettist to write a story to? Does the librettist hire/pay the composer? Does the composer hire/pay the librettist?


The libretto is written first, with the composers conception considered.


----------



## Leonardo

Thanks for the reply. 
It sounds like they ultimately work together to get to the final result.

I recently watched the 1984 film Amadeus, where Mozart is commissioned an opera and there is discussion as to whether it should be made in Italian or German, and Mozart pleads for German and says he's already found the most wonderful libretto. I guess in that particular situation, the libretto was already written, found and chosen by the composer.


----------



## scratchgolf

This was NOT supposed to happen. I've never spent time in this thread. I hated opera. I own the Complete Wagner/Bayreuth - Bohm but have only listened passively. Yesterday I watched Tosca on youtube after all the Callas talk. Then I purchased it and listened again. This morning I listened again. I'm currently browsing Amazon for a large or complete Puccini set. I have it narrowed down to 2, and might just buy both 














The fact is, I just can't stop listening to this music. If I was in trouble before with the amount of music I listened to and purchased, now I'm totally screwed. I was casually looking for an entry point to Opera and I've found it.


----------



## Itullian

scratchgolf said:


> This was NOT supposed to happen. I've never spent time in this thread. I hated opera. I own the Complete Wagner/Bayreuth - Bohm but have only listened passively. Yesterday I watched Tosca on youtube after all the Callas talk. Then I purchased it and listened again. This morning I listened again. I'm currently browsing Amazon for a large or complete Puccini set. I have it narrowed down to 2, and might just buy both
> View attachment 57671
> View attachment 57672
> 
> 
> The fact is, I just can't stop listening to this music. If I was in trouble before with the amount of music I listened to and purchased, now I'm totally screwed. I was casually looking for an entry point to Opera and I've found it.


Either set is fine. Both are excellent.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

scratchgolf said:


> This was NOT supposed to happen. I've never spent time in this thread. I hated opera. I own the Complete Wagner/Bayreuth - Bohm but have only listened passively. Yesterday I watched Tosca on youtube after all the Callas talk. Then I purchased it and listened again. This morning I listened again. I'm currently browsing Amazon for a large or complete Puccini set. I have it narrowed down to 2, and might just buy both
> View attachment 57671
> View attachment 57672
> 
> 
> The fact is, I just can't stop listening to this music. If I was in trouble before with the amount of music I listened to and purchased, now I'm totally screwed. I was casually looking for an entry point to Opera and I've found it.


You really_ must _try this on for size:










Exotic, gorgeous, and absolutely_ FIERCE_. _;D_


----------



## scratchgolf

Marschallin Blair said:


> You really_ must _try this on for size:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Exotic, gorgeous, and absolutely_ FIERCE_. _;D_


I'm a huge Donald Sutherland fan. How can you go wrong with Donnie and Pavarotti, side by side?

ps. Stop making me spend money! Ok. Just this once.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

scratchgolf said:


> I'm a huge Donald Sutherland fan. How can you go wrong with Donnie and Pavarotti, side by side?
> 
> ps. Stop making me spend money! Ok. Just this once.


'Donnie,' who?

Oh yes, _Donald_ Sutherland: the planetary dictator in _Hunger Games _that_ Principessa _Sutherland had beheaded on whim.

Diva's are flexible like that, even if their suitors' neckline's aren't.


----------



## scratchgolf

I just purchased both above sets and your recommendation. This may be the tip of a VERY expensive iceberg. There's just something about the Italian voice that works for me.


----------



## Itullian

scratchgolf said:


> I'm a huge Donald Sutherland fan. How can you go wrong with Donnie and Pavarotti, side by side?
> 
> ps. Stop making me spend money! Ok. Just this once.


Odd Ball, Kelly's Heroes, awesome.  gimme some positive waves Moriarity.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

scratchgolf said:


> I just purchased both above sets and your recommendation. This may be the tip of a VERY expensive iceberg. There's just something about the Italian voice that works for me.


The _cast_, the _performance_, the _recording quality_-- this _Turandot_ just_ incinerates_.

The opening choral numbers blow vintage Metallica right off the stage.


----------



## scratchgolf

I had a tune in my head and had no idea where I'd heard it. I knew it was from an opera and used in a film before. Thanks to SoundHound I was able to (poorly) hum it and come up with "O mil babbino caro" from Puccini's _Gianni Schicchi_. Needless to say, I was pleased to see it included in the set I just purchased.


----------



## Itullian

I believe that Mehta Turandot is included in the Pavarotti set you bought.
So unless u want the libretto ...................


----------



## scratchgolf

Itullian said:


> I believe that Mehta Turandot is included in the Pavarotti set you bought.
> So unless u want the libretto ...................


Damn it! It is indeed. You owe me $18.99 MB. I'll put it on your tab.


----------



## Marschallin Blair

scratchgolf said:


> Damn it! It is indeed. You owe me $18.99 MB. I'll put it on your tab.


You wouldn't be the first. Meet me at the _Four Seasons_, we'll square our account. _;D_


----------



## scratchgolf

$18.99 at the Four Seasons will buy me an ice cube.


----------



## sospiro

scratchgolf said:


> ... If I was in trouble before with the amount of music I listened to and purchased, now I'm totally screwed. I was casually looking for an entry point to Opera and I've found it.


Oh I know how you feel. Welcome to poverty, starvation, homelessness ... all because of opera CDs/DVDs. Not to mention opera trips to see LIVE opera!! Mwahahahahaha!

:devil:


----------



## MAuer

A belated Happy Birthday to the great baritone Sherrill Milnes, who celebrated his 80th yesterday.


----------



## schigolch

Elena Obraztsova, dead at 75:


----------



## Admiral

MAuer said:


> A belated Happy Birthday to the great baritone Sherrill Milnes, who celebrated his 80th yesterday.


Me: 'oh voice teacher, what's a "Verdi baritone'"?

Voice teacher: 'this, lad, is a Verdi baritone'


----------



## Woodduck

Admiral said:


> Me: 'oh voice teacher, what's a "Verdi baritone'"?
> 
> Voice teacher: 'this, lad, is a Verdi baritone'


Voice teacher: "Oh maestro, what's a 'Verdi baritone'?"

Giuseppe Verdi: "_This_, voice teacher, is a Verdi baritone!"


----------



## Figleaf

Woodduck said:


> Voice teacher: "Oh maestro, what's a 'Verdi baritone'?"
> 
> Giuseppe Verdi: "_This_, voice teacher, is a Verdi baritone!"


I keep reading that Verdi disliked Battistini as a singer, though I don't know where the evidence is for that claim: somewhere in the composer's voluminous correspondence no doubt. Perhaps this just reflects Verdi's tendency to emphasise the negative where singers were concerned. At any rate it was his (Verdi's) loss!

My favourite 'O dei verd' anni miei' would be Giuseppe Kaschmann's- he has so much more grandeur- but Battistini will do very nicely!


----------



## Woodduck

Figleaf said:


> I keep reading that Verdi disliked Battistini as a singer, though I don't know where the evidence is for that claim: somewhere in the composer's voluminous correspondence no doubt. Perhaps this just reflects Verdi's tendency to emphasise the negative where singers were concerned. At any rate it was his (Verdi's) loss!
> 
> My favourite 'O dei verd' anni miei' would be Giuseppe Kaschmann's- he has so much more grandeur- but Battistini will do very nicely!


Hard to imagine the reason for Verdi's dislike. You have to wonder if it was personal.

Love the Kaschmann. Personally I'll trade that extra bit of stentorian force for Battistini's extra bit of legato and style, but who in our lifetimes has touched either of them?


----------



## Figleaf

Woodduck said:


> Hard to imagine the reason for Verdi's dislike. You have to wonder if it was personal.
> 
> Love the Kaschmann. Personally I'll trade that extra bit of stentorian force for Battistini's extra bit of legato and style, but who in our lifetimes has touched either of them?


I need to get to the bottom of what Verdi allegedly disliked about Battistini- it could be that he was too much of a singer, not enough of an actor- or like you say, perhaps it was personal.

There has been nobody since to rival the baritones of that generation. Thank God for Battistini's considerable recorded legacy, and may Marston hurry up with the remastered complete recordings!


----------



## Figleaf

Karen Henson's long-awaited book 'Opera Acts: Singers and Performance in the Late Nineteenth Century' is out now- I'm holding my copy in my hands. It is rather a slim volume for the £60 Amazon now wants for it (I ordered it in September for about £52) and instead of focusing on four singers as advertised, the number of singers covered has multiplied considerably, to the detriment of any in depth study. I don't think the book needs its two-page summaries of the careers of such well known figures as JB Faure and Edouard de Reszke: isn't that what Wikipedia is for? Having skimmed the chapters on Maurel and Capoul, I don't immediately notice anything new, which is disappointing given the stupendous quality of her previous articles on those two glamorous Frenchmen, articles which the new book seems to be largely a rehash of. I will read it properly later and let you all know if I think it's worth investing in- I'm sure you can hardly wait!


----------



## Woodduck

Figleaf said:


> Karen Henson's long-awaited book 'Opera Acts: Singers and Performance in the Late Nineteenth Century' is out now- I'm holding my copy in my hands. It is rather a slim volume for the £60 Amazon now wants for it (I ordered it in September for about £52) and instead of focusing on four singers as advertised, the number of singers covered has multiplied considerably, to the detriment of any in depth study. I don't think the book needs its two-page summaries of the careers of such well known figures as JB Faure and Edouard de Reszke: isn't that what Wikipedia is for? Having skimmed the chapters on Maurel and Capoul, I don't immediately notice anything new, which is disappointing given the stupendous quality of her previous articles on those two glamorous Frenchmen, articles which the new book seems to be largely a rehash of. I will read it properly later and let you all know if I think it's worth investing in- I'm sure you can hardly wait!


Take your time, Figleaf. You'll find me on page 175 of the 4'33" thread, defining music for the twenty-ninth time.


----------



## schigolch

An interesting document, showing Stéphane Lissner, the former general manager at La Scala, and now at l'Opéra de Paris, unable to recognize the more popular fragments from "La Wally", "La forza del destino", "Tosca" and "Madama Butterfly". He was able to idenfity "Carmen", at least.

http://video.corriere.it/figuraccia...e-cinque/9529a4c4-b67c-11e4-a17f-176fb2d476c2


----------



## Azol

Mirella Freni, Happy birthday!!!


----------



## Albert7

There are no contemporary opera productions for the next season at the Met. Painful.


----------



## Figleaf

French language podcast about 'les urnes de l'Opéra', more about history/ technology than music, but they play a few of the records. I wish the French would speak a bit more slowly for the benefit of those of us across the channel though!
http://www.rts.ch/espace-2/programm...6583092-musique-en-memoire-du-16-03-2015.html


----------



## Guest

Figleaf said:


> I wish the French would speak a bit more slowly for the benefit of those of us across the channel though!


...or be so gaudy! :devil:


----------



## Figleaf

dogen said:


> ...or be so gaudy! :devil:


...just download the podcast* and listen to the 'Ah, leve-toi soleil' that begins at 43.40.

The French _rule!_

* I promise it has nothing whatsoever to do with John McCormack.


----------



## sospiro

10 best classical singers

Discuss










.... or maybe not


----------



## Tsaraslondon

sospiro said:


> 10 best classical singers
> 
> Discuss
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .... or maybe not


Erm!! At a loss for words really!


----------



## Woodduck

GregMitchell said:


> Erm!! At a loss for words really!


I had a few extra words lying about this morning and thought to offer them to you, but I took a look there and have realized that no words will do.


----------



## graziesignore

I was able to scrape up one word: "Urk."


----------



## MAuer

sospiro said:


> 10 best classical singers
> 
> Discuss
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .... or maybe not


 Evidently ignorance is bliss . . .


----------



## Celloman

Josh Groban is #2...


----------



## Marschallin Blair

Celloman said:


> Josh Groban is #2...
> View attachment 67155


Half of the population by definition has an IQ under 100.

Sobering thoughts for the unimpeachable "wisdom" of demo-schlerosis.


----------



## Sieglinde

Okay, I just realized...

Claggart from Billy Budd is pretty much a gay version of Claude Frollo. "Oh ****, I have desires. Must exterminate." *plays with scarf suggestively* *epic villain song* 

I need an analysis comparing these two. The opera/cartoon versions are closer but the book versions definitely have their parallels too.


----------



## Belowpar

Sadly Andrew Porter has died. Much more than just a Critic and used his position at the New Yorker to move Opera back to the centre of the cannon.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11518009/Andrew-Porter-music-critic-obituary.html


----------



## TxllxT

*The 'Tannhäuser'Mess*

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/kremlin-reliance-on-the-russian-orthodox-church-may-backfire-analysts-say/518787.html

The 'Tannhäuser' Mess
The recent Kaliningrad incident has drawn numerous comparisons to the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater's recent scandal-mired production of Richard Wagner's "Tannhäuser."

After Novosibirsk's Church elder Metropolitan Tikhon blasted the production - which featured a racy speculation on Jesus Christ's life between the ages of 12 and 30 - as sacrilegious, chaos ensued.

Prosecutors filed administrative charges against the theater's director, Boris Mezdrich, and opera director Timofei Kulyabin. The charges were tossed out by a court on March 10.

Then in late March, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky fired Mezdrich. Reporting on the incident, news agency TASS attributed the firing to his refusal to follow instructions, citing the Culture Ministry's press service.

The scandal incited outrage among members of the cultural elite both in Novosibirsk - where activists turned out en masse on Sunday to demand Medinsky's resignation - and across the country where directors of Russia's leading theaters wrote letters in support of Kulyabin's rendition of the opera, and denounced conservative censorship.

One analyst told The Moscow Times his theory that the Kubana drama was inspired by "Tannhäuser" fallout. "The Kaliningrad issue is a reaction to 'Tannhäuser.' Local government officials do not want the Church to issue orders," Alexei Makarkin, deputy president of Moscow-based think tank the Center for Political Technologies, told The Moscow Times in a phone interview.

"The fact that a local Church official has quickly denied any involvement means that they understand that there is opposition from the government," he said.


----------



## MAuer

I ended up checking the Novosibirsk Opera's web site after reading about the charges against Mezdrich and Kulyabin in the April issue of _Opernwelt_, and found -- prominently displayed -- a story that Mezdrich had been selected Person of the Year for 2014 by the leading Russian "trade" publication _Music Review_ . . . for this production of _Tannhäuser_! There is no mention at all that he'd been removed from his position with the house.


----------



## Don Fatale

BBC4 TV fulfills its brief to show some culture tonight: Placido Domingo's Covent Garden gala concert (2012). Julia Novikova was the undoubted highlight, singing from Sonnambula and Rigoletto.u


----------



## MAuer

Noted tenor Siegfried Jerusalem celebrates his 75th birthday today. Here he is early in his career singing Siegmund's "_Winterstürme_" in a concert performance.


----------



## Guest

Quick question:

Edit: Wikipedia does wonders.


----------



## Don Fatale

Just a quick link to an article in the Telegraph. Not worth further comment, but something to read.

My first night at the opera aged 36 and a half

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...st-night-at-the-opera-aged-36-and-a-half.html


----------



## sospiro

Alexander said:


> Just a quick link to an article in the Telegraph. Not worth further comment, but something to read.
> 
> My first night at the opera aged 36 and a half
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...st-night-at-the-opera-aged-36-and-a-half.html


Thanks for the link. I found this refreshingly honest and hope she does go again.


----------



## sospiro

Interesting insight into Szymanowski's _Król Roger_

The full performance of Król Roger can be viewed from Saturday 16 May 2015 on the ROH website, on YouTube and on the Opera Europa Digital Platform, a new website to be launched early May that will showcase live streams and a range of behind-the-scenes footage from 15 opera houses across Europe.


----------



## jdsmith

I'm not sure if this is a good place to post this or not, but since it is a miscellaneous thread I'll give it a shot. My 15 year old daughter sings opera and operatic songs so I figured this might be a good place to share. So is this an acceptable place to post a couple of links to YouTube videos? She's been taking voice lessons for the past year and I personally think she's pretty talented although I could be biased. At the most recent talent show she sang The Last Rose of Summer and last year (before voice lessons) she did O Mio Babbino Caro, so if anyone is interested in new talent I was going to post the links.


----------



## Don Fatale

Hi jdsmith, generally if you join a forum simply to promote something then you may find yourself criticised for it. It has to be said, fans of operatic voices can be pretty brutal critics. What about you? Are you interested in opera?


----------



## jdsmith

Alexander said:


> Hi jdsmith, generally if you join a forum simply to promote something then you may find yourself criticised for it. It has to be said, fans of operatic voices can be pretty brutal critics. What about you? Are you interested in opera?


I personally do not listen to opera unless my daughter is singing it or it is a song she's going to sing and she shows me a video, which is why I thought that maybe people who actually do listen to opera might be interested. I didn't want to simply post the links specifically because I didn't want to come on and spam the board with something nobody is interested in.

As for criticism, that's fine. I'd be thrilled to hear what actual opera fans think of her, good or bad. I know that her voice coach wants to steer her more towards Broadway, as he's indicated that she's better at that right now - but she really likes to sing operatic. Every time she chooses a song it's operatic.

If you want I'll send a link directly to you, if you feel that it's not something people here would be interested in I'll just forget it. I think she sounds fantastic when she's singing something operatic, but I have a completely unrefined ear and it's possible that I might be biased. Any educated feedback would be awesome, even if it's to tell me not to bother sharing it with the board.


----------



## graziesignore

Is there a recommended way to search for old threads? I find the search function on talkclassical.com really hard to use, and I wonder if I am just not using it right.


----------



## sospiro

graziesignore said:


> Is there a recommended way to search for old threads? I find the search function on talkclassical.com really hard to use, and I wonder if I am just not using it right.


I've struggled with it in the past and now I just google 'talk classical + the thread/post' and that often works.


----------



## graziesignore

Thanks. I try to look for older threads before I start new ones, but I guess there's no easy way to do that.


----------



## Diminuendo

graziesignore said:


> Thanks. I try to look for older threads before I start new ones, but I guess there's no easy way to do that.


Don't worry too much. I for one can write on certain subjects till there are nothing left of my fingers. And I'm sure there are others like me. So it doesn't matter that much if there is all ready a thread on the subject. Especially if it's a really old thread, which people might have forgotten all ready or never members might not have read. Practice makes perfect


----------



## Belowpar

A new book on Opera Houses is coming.

Opera Porn? I could just have easily titled this Another book on...

However there's lovely photo's in this review of the book

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/11636244/What-the-prima-donna-saw.html


----------



## Belowpar

graziesignore said:


> Is there a recommended way to search for old threads? I find the search function on talkclassical.com really hard to use, and I wonder if I am just not using it right.


I share your suspicion of the search facility. I started a thread on Opera Books just after signing on here and the "similar Threads" box at the bottom of the page, suggested two or three excellent examples of what I couldn't find.


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> A new book on Opera Houses is coming.
> 
> Opera Porn? I could just have easily titled this Another book on...
> 
> However there's lovely photo's in this review of the book
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/11636244/What-the-prima-donna-saw.html


Fantastic photos, thank you!


----------



## Don Fatale

Opera porn indeed. It's not just the buildings it's the whole cultural aspect of exploring different cities. Our work is nowhere near done... although I've managed two more opera houses in the last two days. More of which another thread.

I've seen pics of this original Bayreuth opera house before. Certainly looks interesting.


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> A new book on Opera Houses is coming.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/11636244/What-the-prima-donna-saw.html


Great to see that the fabulous Ateneul Român is included even though (apparently - see comments) it's not strictly speaking an opera house.

I keep looking at pictures and can't wait to see it for myself in September.


----------



## mountmccabe

Not sure where to put it so to the miscellaneous thread! Amazon has recently added quite a few operas for streaming via Medici TV. They are almost all free for those with Amazon Prime. They seem to be relatively recent productions already available on DVD, Medici, and other outlets (I know I could stream many of these via my local public library) but I have found many I have not seen (or not seen in a while). Examples:

Strauss - Salome, Jordan, ROH, McVicar
Tchaikovsky - Eugene Onegin - Vedernikov, Bolshoi (in Paris), Tcherniakov
Wagner - Lohengrin - Nagano, DSO-Berlin (Baden Baden), Lenhoff
Puccini - Madama Butterfly - de Waart, DNO, Wilson

There are also new ballets and orchestra concerts as well.


----------



## jdsmith

sospiro said:


> I've struggled with it in the past and now I just google 'talk classical + the thread/post' and that often works.


You can use the site function on google to search only a specific website or domain. Put in site:talkclassical.com and the search words and google will only search this site. Then you can sort by date or relevance and choose a specific time frame for results under the 'search tools' button.


----------



## Belowpar

The BBC is responding to my criticism of them on here! At last some power!

Each morning (show starts at 6.30 am) Kiri Te Kanawa will profile 20 great singers and this coming Saturday there's an hour on La Traviata on BBC2. There are 3 weeks of special programes so check the listings. Enjoy.

First Day was La Stupenda and the piece went out at 3.35. They will be available as Podcasts.

Can't say it was revelatory... Joan started all that Bel Canto...it's easy, you just learn to sing it slow. I tell all my students to cook a big pot of soup and practice while doing it. Keep practicing slowly and one day you'll get faster.


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> The BBC is responding to my criticism of them on here! At last some power!
> 
> Each morning (show starts at 6.30 am) Kiri Te Kanawa will profile 20 great singers and this coming Saturday there's an hour on La Traviata on BBC2. There are 3 weeks of special programes so check the listings. Enjoy.
> 
> First Day was La Stupenda and the piece went out at 3.35. They will be available as Podcasts.
> 
> Can't say it was revelatory... Joan started all that Bel Canto...it's easy, you just learn to sing it slow. I tell all my students to cook a big pot of soup and practice while doing it. Keep practicing slowly and one day you'll get faster.


What channel was Kiri on? Radio Three? Could you put a link - thanks.


----------



## Belowpar

Apologies R3 breakfast show. This is part of a wider program of events.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02str2y

Today Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Kiri loves her beautiful voice but feels she could have been 'freer' with her interpretations, but that was how it was done then.

This series is very much from Kiri's perspective and it will be interesting to see if she chose's anyone she hasn't met.


----------



## The Conte

Belowpar said:


> Apologies R3 breakfast show. This is part of a wider program of events.
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02str2y
> 
> Today Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Kiri loves her beautiful voice but feels she could have been 'freer' with her interpretations, but that was how it was done then.
> 
> This series is very much from Kiri's perspective *and it will be interesting to see if she chose's anyone she hasn't met.*


Or been compared unflatteringly to? Wasn't Kiri criticised for singing Capriccio with no idea of what the text meant? Whereas Elizabeth...

One of the key aspects of Schwarzkopf's art were her unique interpretations!

I have a feeling this series will tell us more about Kiri, than about her 'favourite' voices.

N.


----------



## Belowpar

Belowpar said:


> The BBC is responding to my criticism of them on here! At last some power!
> 
> Each morning (show starts at 6.30 am) Kiri Te Kanawa will profile 20 great singers and this coming Saturday there's an hour on La Traviata on BBC2. There are 3 weeks of special programes so check the listings. Enjoy.
> 
> First Day was La Stupenda and the piece went out at 3.35. They will be available as Podcasts.
> 
> Can't say it was revelatory... Joan started all that Bel Canto...it's easy, you just learn to sing it slow. I tell all my students to cook a big pot of soup and practice while doing it. Keep practicing slowly and one day you'll get faster.


Just seen the error. They are being broadcast around 8.35 am.

Today Carreras...a very special person with a voice to match.


----------



## Sonata

I'm in the process of editing/organizing my iTunes library on my computer and on my iPods. My new system will place all of my opera on my iPod Touch 64 gb, my remainder of other classical and non-classical music will go on my iPod Classic 128 gb. So once organized I will have a dedicated OperaPod


----------



## Belowpar

This reminds me I started to write up a very special experience I had last month and life has once again side-lined my good intentions. However after our first visit I've just received the following email. It’s one of things that doesn't cost a lot but helps personalise the experience, presumably with the intention of getting us back as paying customers. Honestly they needn't have bothered about that, but it’s a nice touch. 



We want to know what makes Glyndebourne unique.
Dear Mr Muldoon
This summer we are coming together with Beemee, a research agency, to better understand what makes Glyndebourne a unique experience. As a valued member of our audience, we want to know what makes Glyndebourne special to you. 
We invite you to join us on the afternoon of Tuesday July 7th for a half-day day event where you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside us, helping shape the future of Glyndebourne. 
What to expect on the day
You will have the chance to tell us what makes Glyndebourne special to you, to wander the grounds and relive your memories and share them with other audience members. We will provide complimentary refreshments for you to enjoy.
How to register
To register your interest, please respond to this email and additional details will follow. 
Please let us know if you are interested in participating by Friday 3rd July. You do not need to reply if you are unable to attend.
We hope to see you in July but if not, we thank you for your continued support.
Simon Hardinge Tapp
Communications Team


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> This reminds me I started to write up a very special experience I had last month and life has once again side-lined my good intentions. However after our first visit I've just received the following email. It's one of things that doesn't cost a lot but helps personalise the experience, presumably with the intention of getting us back as paying customers. Honestly they needn't have bothered about that, but it's a nice touch.
> 
> We want to know what makes Glyndebourne unique.
> Dear Mr Muldoon
> This summer we are coming together with Beemee, a research agency, to better understand what makes Glyndebourne a unique experience. As a valued member of our audience, we want to know what makes Glyndebourne special to you.
> We invite you to join us on the afternoon of Tuesday July 7th for a half-day day event where you'll have the opportunity to work alongside us, helping shape the future of Glyndebourne.
> What to expect on the day
> You will have the chance to tell us what makes Glyndebourne special to you, to wander the grounds and relive your memories and share them with other audience members. We will provide complimentary refreshments for you to enjoy.
> How to register
> To register your interest, please respond to this email and additional details will follow.
> Please let us know if you are interested in participating by Friday 3rd July. You do not need to reply if you are unable to attend.
> We hope to see you in July but if not, we thank you for your continued support.
> Simon Hardinge Tapp
> Communications Team


What a great experience that would be! Are you going?


----------



## TxllxT

I just read about Dmitri Hvorostovsky, that he has a tumor in the head/ brains. Everything scheduled for 2015 has been cancelled.


----------



## sospiro

For UK residents only.

Starting 21:00 tonight (Sunday 28 June) on BBC4, there's a series of programmes on classical voices by Antonio Pappano.


----------



## Belowpar

sospiro said:


> For UK residents only.
> 
> Starting 21:00 tonight (Sunday 28 June) on BBC4, there's a series of programmes on classical voices by Antonio Pappano.


Thanks Annie. I saw the La Traviata programe but was not impressed. Gushing presenters who had little of interest to say.

Pappano is pretty good on TV, I've kept his guide to the Ring. Fingers crossed.

July the 7th is sadly not possible but a return to Glyndebourne for a performance is a cert. Should be on everyone's bucket list.


----------



## Diminuendo

I noticed that in the program on tenors there is no mention of Pippo. If he is not at least mentioned in the program, I will be very angry


----------



## DLOWE

Hello,

I wonder if anyone is familiar with the Festival Della Valle D'Itria? I'm going for the first time in August to see Mayr's "Medea in Corinto", but I cannot find any information on customs, dress (black tie?) etc. Any thoughts from members here would be most gratefully received.


----------



## Don Fatale

Boos at Covent Garden performance of William Tell. (Gang rape scene)

Daily Telegraph Review

or more at my favourite site (apart from TC)
Slipped Disc comments


----------



## The Conte

Don Fatale said:


> Boos at Covent Garden performance of William Tell. (Gang rape scene)
> 
> Daily Telegraph Review
> 
> or more at my favourite site (apart from TC)
> Slipped Disc comments


The "Tell gang rape scandal" is complete and utter nonsense. I saw the production (and the so called offending scene) this evening and the production does not include a rape scene. In my opinion, the media influenced by a group of opera critics who have decided that they don't like Kasper Holten have exaggerated the detail of the scene for their own sensationalist ends. Rape by definition has to include penetration and no penetration was simulated, suggested or implied in Michieletto's production of the opera.

However, the scene is distressing as it shows a woman being humiliated, stripped and then the Austrian officers thump their fists on the table in time with the music (presumably they want her to dance for them as Gessler has told the Swiss people that they will dance to celebrate the Austrian national day). At this point Tell stops them tormenting her and she exits traumatised. Whilst uncomfortable to watch, it was distinctly different to the reports in the newspapers describing the scene. Why was there no booing during Les Vepres Sicilienne which included a simulated rape on a ballerina?

That slipped disc article is so full of errors I don't have time to list them here. Surely the true outrage is that so called responsible news outlets could give a four and a half hour musical nirvana a one star review due to a four/five minute scene where the libretto calls for a scene depicting the humiliation of a group of women, but the director choose to have one victim instead of a group.

N.


----------



## Belowpar

The Conte said:


> That slipped disc article is so full of errors I don't have time to list them here.
> 
> N.


My favourite bit of the slipped disc review

"The booing started and went on through most of the act and at the end. Dozens of people then got up and walked out. "

deserves the Headline

Late News: Dozens of people walk out at the end of the Opera. Not many dead.

I've given up trying to debate this one. Why do people refuse to consider each production on its own?
I haven't seen this production, so I can't possibly comment intelligently on it.


----------



## mountmccabe

I am currently drinking my tea and watching _Don Giovanni_ from ROH via YouTube. I am quite happy it is streaming through the Roku even though it is live.






Tonight I am going to the baseball stadium (SF Giants) to see the simulcast of _Le Nozze di Fiagro_ from SFO.

I was a little hesitant about going since this clearly won't be an ideal way to watch opera... but neither is the middle of the day while the cat is trying to lay on my chest. And my wife and several friends were interested so I'm in!


----------



## sospiro

Off to see final dress rehearsal of Falstaff today. This will be the sixth time I've seen this production and I know it's going to be fun.

No grunge, no machine guns and no rape; just some good old-fashioned lechery.


----------



## Dongiovanni

A very nice read from an actress who's been part of the ROH Boheme since the very start, 41 years go.


----------



## schigolch

http://www.operaworld.es/en/top-5-most-accessible-operas-for-a-beginner/

Magic Flute, Barber, Traviata, Carmen, Bohème


----------



## Belowpar

Ronal Wilford Obituary

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11790858/Ronald-Wilford-talent-manager-obituary.html

A power behind the throne whose commercial nose helped shape the modern commercial world of Classical Music and Opera.

Was known for poaching 'talent' from others. His third wife had previously been married to one of his clients.


----------



## DavidA

Posted this elsewhere but this is the right place I think.
Just read that Karl Bohm found the covered orchestra pit at Bayreuth so hot that he conducted with his feet in two bowls of cold water!


----------



## DavidA

mountmccabe said:


> I am currently drinking my tea and watching _Don Giovanni_ from ROH via YouTube. I am quite happy it is streaming through the Roku even though it is live.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tonight I am going to the baseball stadium (SF Giants) to see the simulcast of _Le Nozze di Fiagro_ from SFO.
> 
> I was a little hesitant about going since this clearly won't be an ideal way to watch opera... but neither is the middle of the day while the cat is trying to lay on my chest. And my wife and several friends were interested so I'm in!


If it's the recent Giovanni from the ROH then your tea will taste better than the dreadful production!


----------



## sospiro

Grange Park Opera is staging _Oliver_ next year. I've never been to a musical staged as an opera before. Will the singers be amplified?


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## Belowpar

They did Fiddler on the Roof this year with Bryn Terfel.

Much as I love both Musicals, that's what they remain.


----------



## Don Fatale

Belowpar, am I right to notice a trend that opera companies are increasingly including musicals in their repertoire? For example, the Opera North season opens with Kiss Me Kate. Plus there's Sweeny Todd done by ENO and WNO. On the continent it seems pretty common for opera companies to do these classic musicals. Should we be embracing this trend? I'm reluctant.


----------



## The Conte

Don Fatale said:


> Belowpar, am I right to notice a trend that opera companies are increasingly including musicals in their repertoire? For example, the Opera North season opens with Kiss Me Kate. Plus there's Sweeny Todd done by ENO and WNO. On the continent it seems pretty common for opera companies to do these classic musicals. Should we be embracing this trend? I'm reluctant.


There was a time when there was a distinction between opera and operetta, (although many singers sang in both or went from one to the other). Now that most people alive can't remember a time without microphones, the distinction between opera, operetta and the early musicals written before microphones became the norm on stage is becoming blurred. I think 100 years from now opera, operetta and musicals written before c.1970 will all be sung by the same singers, musicals written between c.1970 and 2070 will be sung by miked specialists and musicals (or whatever the future holds for sung drama) written between 2070 and 2115 will be sung by the 'pop' stars of that future period. We don't blink twice at opera houses putting on Singspiel, opera comique or Ballad Opera now, so I think this is just a continuing trend. There will come a time when musicals are deemed old fashioned and 'niche' or 'specialist'.

N.


----------



## Woodduck

The Conte said:


> There was a time when there was a distinction between opera and operetta, (although many singers sang in both or went from one to the other). Now that most people alive can't remember a time without microphones, the distinction between opera, operetta and the early musicals written before microphones became the norm on stage is becoming blurred. I think 100 years from now opera, operetta and musicals written before c.1970 will all be sung by the same singers, musicals written between c.1970 and 2070 will be sung by miked specialists and musicals (or whatever the future holds for sung drama) written between 2070 and 2115 will be sung by the 'pop' stars of that future period. We don't blink twice at opera houses putting on Singspiel, opera comique or Ballad Opera now, so I think this is just a continuing trend. There will come a time when musicals are deemed old fashioned and 'niche' or 'specialist'.
> 
> N.


Many of the opera greats of the interwar period and some time thereafter were as noted for operetta as for opera. The vocal technique needed was no different for Lehar or Kalman than for Humperdinck or Korngold. Operettas, from Suppe, Strauss and Offenbach on down, sound terrific with great singers, and so do many musicals - _Show Boat_, _South Pacific_, _Oklahoma, Camelot,_ et al. - even though not every opera singer will have the right sense of style. Really, as you point out, the classic American musical is just a modern singspiel or opera comique. Even a lot of popular song before WW II can be done idiomatically by operatically trained voices.


----------



## Figleaf

DavidA said:


> I thought it was a interesting. Point. Just how big was Callas' voice? I never heard her live of course. I know she sang Wagner in her youth* but did the voice get smaller with age rather than larger?*
> As to critics I thought Farr's point was worth raising as he has produced some good work on Verdi and his times. We know of course that critics are to be taken with a pinch!


I wanted to reply to this question (albeit not with a definitive answer!) on a thread such as this one, where the emotional temperature is relatively low, and where everybody has a more or less uncontested right to participate without automatically being accused of trolling...

I have heard it said of other singers that their voices, powerful in their prime, became smaller with age, while other listeners deny that this phenomenon is even a possibility. Surely common sense suggests that vocal deterioration could affect the size of a voice as well as its flexibility and purity? When it comes to particular singers, those of us who were born too late or who don't listen to live opera much must defer to the opinions of those who did hear the singer in question in the theatre, preferably a number of times over a period of years. The problem comes when those experienced listeners appear to disagree- possibly due to the factionalism common among keen admirers of particular singers on one hand, and other, equally keen admirers of those singers' rivals on the other hand. Even with experience presumably reported in good faith, one has to make the usual allowances for subjectivity. Any thoughts? Has anyone here heard a singer with an ample voice, then listened to the same singer on a later occasion and found the voice much smaller? Or have you listened live to a singer whose voice had sounded huge on records, but you found them disappointingly small voiced in the theatre?


----------



## Woodduck

^^^ Good question. I can't speak from personal experience of hearing singers live, but it is generally conceded that in the case of Callas the voice, _as she employed it,_ lost a certain amount of power subsequent to her drastic weight loss during the early 1950s. This is pretty easy to verify by listening to recordings. I say "as she employed it" because I'm not sure that there was a change in the vocal chords or resonating chambers, at least not right away. Rather, I suspect that the change in her bodily sensations as a result of losing so much body mass induced subtle alterations in coordination.

I'm not at all sure, though, that weight loss was the only factor causing a diminution of power. The very young and ambitious Callas sang some of the most physically and dramatically demanding roles in opera, and did so with a ferocity and abandon which are spine-tingling to hear but which should certainly have raised some red flags in the minds of her hearers. I don't know of any great singer who asked so much of her voice, and even before losing weight it could get her into trouble at the top of her range, with high notes exciting but showing a distinct slowing of the vibrato hinting at the trouble to come. My feeling is that her voice became smaller basically because it could no longer be controlled under the uninhibited pressure and manipulations of timbre she formerly applied to it so freely in pursuit of dramatic effect, and that those demands on it were themselves a significant part of the cause.

I would venture to say that voices do not normally shrink in volume during a singer's prime years, but in fact often do the opposite. Kirsten Flagstad claimed that her voice grew significantly into her thirties; and she put off until then singing the heavy roles for which she became famous, and advised young singers to do likewise. Her voice remained powerful into her sixties, and under normal circumstances I don't think well-used voices should actually shrink until an age when everything else shrinks as well!

(I should add that there are some who say that Callas had specific health problems which may have affected her vocal chords. If that's true it may be yet another piece of the puzzle. The debate will no doubt continue.)

I'd like to hear what others think about this.


----------



## DavidA

Woodduck said:


> ^^^ Good question. I can't speak from personal experience of hearing singers live, but it is generally conceded that in the case of Callas the voice, _as she employed it,_ lost a certain amount of power subsequent to her drastic weight loss during the early 1950s. This is pretty easy to verify by listening to recordings. I say "as she employed it" because I'm not sure that there was a change in the vocal chords or resonating chambers, at least not right away. Rather, I suspect that the change in her bodily sensations as a result of losing so much body mass induced subtle alterations in coordination.
> 
> I'm not at all sure, though, that weight loss was the only factor causing a diminution of power. The very young and ambitious Callas sang some of the most physically and dramatically demanding roles in opera, and did so with a ferocity and abandon which are spine-tingling to hear but which should certainly have raised some red flags in the minds of her hearers. I don't know of any great singer who asked so much of her voice, and even before losing weight it could get her into trouble at the top of her range, with high notes exciting but showing a distinct slowing of the vibrato hinting at the trouble to come. My feeling is that her voice became smaller basically because it could no longer be controlled under the uninhibited pressure and manipulations of timbre she formerly applied to it so freely in pursuit of dramatic effect, and that those demands on it were themselves a significant part of the cause.
> 
> I would venture to say that voices do not normally shrink in volume during a singer's prime years, but in fact often do the opposite. Kirsten Flagstad claimed that her voice grew significantly into her thirties; and she put off until then singing the heavy roles for which she became famous, and advised young singers to do likewise. Her voice remained powerful into her sixties, and under normal circumstances I don't think well-used voices should actually shrink until an age when everything else shrinks as well!
> 
> I'd like to hear what others think about this.


thanks Woodduck. That is informative. As I have said I was intrigued by the question of the size of Callas' voice that was raised by Farr. Do you think Callas suffered to a less a degree the same problems that afflicted Elena Suliotis who was once touted as a successor to Callas? i.e. attempting too much too early?


----------



## Viardots

DavidA said:


> thanks Woodduck. That is informative. As I have said I was intrigued by the question of the size of Callas' voice that was raised by Farr. Do you think Callas suffered to a less a degree the same problems that afflicted Elena Suliotis who was once touted as a successor to Callas? i.e. attempting too much too early?


Hi David, I am not an expert on music and voice, so I simply cannot express opinions as eloquently as PB, GM and Woodduck have done over the question on the reduction of amplitude of Callas' voice in the 1950s. I think this is a very interesting and intriguing question. I do recall a time when I posted on the "New Callas Box" thread a theory offered by Renee Fleming in explaining Callas' vocal decline after her weight loss and later on RES gave a response to that posting. As you know, the "New Callas Box" thread has become quite a veritable monster, making it quite tedious for anyone to search for what had been discussed through the hundreds of pages. Anyway I have managed to find the original postings and am reposting them here. Maybe they won't answer everything, yet I hope they could at least provide you with some food for thought. :tiphat:



anniefischerfan said:


> In the October 2005 issue of _*Opera News*_ (the fourth annual Diva issue, featuring La Divina on the cover), there are some pretty interesting quotations from Renée Fleming regarding her view of Callas.
> 
> On Callas in La Traviata:
> 
> "I love her 1955 La Scala _Traviata_ with Giulini. That recording kind of has it all, for me, and I think my favourite moment in the role comes from her recording of 'Dite alla giovine.' There is something intrinsic in her sound that is sad. She is the epitome of a chiaroscuro voice - the light and the darkness, but more darkness. Her studio recording of _Traviata_ just pales in comparison."
> 
> Coming to the question Callas' vocal decline beginning in the mid-late 1950s, Fleming offered her observation and interpretation:
> 
> "I have a theory about what caused her vocal decline, but it's more from watching her sing than from listening. I really think it was her weight loss that was so dramatic and so quick. It's not the weight loss per se - you know, Deborah Voigt has lost a lot of weight and still sounds glorious. But if one uses the weight for support, and then it's suddenly gone and one doesn't develop another musculature for support, it can be very hard on the voice. And you can't estimate the toll that emotional turmoil will take as well. I was told, by somebody who knew her well, that the way Callas held her arms to her solar plexus [allowed her] to push and create some kind of support. If she were a _soubrette_, it would never have been an issue. But she was singing the most difficult repertoire, the stuff that requires the most stamina, the most strength."
> 
> What do you all think?





RES said:


> She's somewhat right but that's not the whole story. For one thing, the weight-loss was *not* fast; that's one of those myths about Callas. She took about a year, and was cautious about the right diet and building muscle mass through exercise. Fleming is also not correct that Callas held her arms in a manner to support her diaphragm. Look at the films: she's not doing that. Only in the TROVATORE aria during the 1958 Paris Gala does it appear that she's doing it, but there, she's really cradling herself with her arms and rocking as part of the very effective characterization. With Callas,* I have felt that she never gave herself time to learn how to sing in such a different body; she just jumped ahead, using the physical positions that she had learned and were natural to her as a heavy person. When these didn't work, she forced and perhaps damaged vocal muscles by misusing them. *The mid 1954 thin EMI recordings like NORMA and FORZA demonstrate this and we hear the real, unsupported wobble for the first time. By the end of the year, she seems to have had it better under control, as the two recital discs show, but she never quite figured out how to use her new body. And *of course, she was the personification of stress, so that must have been a key factor*, as Fleming rightly states. *Premature menopause in 1957 explains the really rapid decline after that; but it's not surprising in light of the fact that she also reached puberty no later than age 12 and most likely earlier (if she really was 'Nina Foresti'/'Anita Duval', she had already matured by eleven). Everything happened early with her. It's just a shame that no one knew her singing well enough for us to have recordings from the 1940-48 period.*


----------



## Woodduck

DavidA said:


> thanks Woodduck. That is informative. As I have said I was intrigued by the question of the size of Callas' voice that was raised by Farr. Do you think Callas suffered to a less a degree the same problems that afflicted Elena Suliotis who was once touted as a successor to Callas? i.e. attempting too much too early?


Hmmmm... That's hard to say. Every singer is physically and mentally different. Callas's voice was extremely well trained; what she could do with it remained impressive even in her declining years. I don't know whether Suliotis ever had such a thorough schooling. But the subtleties of mind/body coordination are elusive. It's safe to say that Suliotis was doing something wrong technically, that she was forcing herself to do something that she was not properly coordinating physically. I can't guess at her particular problems, as I've heard very little of her work.

A singer has to be conscious of what's going on in her body and whether what she's doing feels right and results in a free, unforced production of sound. If she senses that it doesn't, she needs to find a way to adjust her vocal production to correct the difficulty, and she shouldn't go on trying to force things to happen that don't want to happen.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.


----------



## DavidA

On the subject of Callas, Speight Jenkins has said:

"Another problem with correctness is who it excludes. My firm belief is that two of the greatest artists of the past century, Maria Callas and Leonie Rysanek, would find it hard today to find a job. Why? Both of them, because they were so emotionally involved in what they were singing and acting, were extraordinarily variable. Both could on some nights hit every note, and on others give downright painful performances."

Any thoughts?

For the complete article:

http://www.artsjournal.com/operasleuth/2015/08/what-makes-a-great-opera-singer.html


----------



## The Conte

DavidA said:


> thanks Woodduck. That is informative. *As I have said I was intrigued by the question of the size of Callas' voice that was raised by Farr.* Do you think Callas suffered to a less a degree the same problems that afflicted Elena Suliotis who was once touted as a successor to Callas? i.e. attempting too much too early?


Farr's comment relates to Callas' studio recording of 'Un ballo in maschera' from 1956. Making judgements about the size of a person's voice from a studio recording is dangerous folly. I have heard the recording many times and like many on TC I don't have a clue what Farr's comment really means.

Getting that out of the way and looking at the question, it's an interesting and complex topic. You definitely can't tell the size of a singers voice from a recording, you can only tell in live performance. I have a feeling that it depends on each individual singer and the command and understanding they have of technique.

N.


----------



## Figleaf

DavidA said:


> On the subject of Callas, Speight Jenkins has said:
> 
> "Another problem with correctness is who it excludes. My firm belief is that two of the greatest artists of the past century, Maria Callas and Leonie Rysanek, would find it hard today to find a job. Why? Both of them, because they were so emotionally involved in what they were singing and acting, were extraordinarily variable. Both could on some nights hit every note, and on others give downright painful performances."
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
> For the complete article:
> 
> http://www.artsjournal.com/operasleuth/2015/08/what-makes-a-great-opera-singer.html


Thanks for that link. It's a slightly strange article- how is Aida not theatrical? Does Jenkins really mean to imply that American singers today have better technique than the singers of Verdi's day? And surely everybody knows that millenials don't watch TV- that's for babies and old people! I don't mind critics taking a controversial position- it makes life more interesting- but they need to explain what they mean, then argue for it. I don't know enough about Callas or Rysanek (not sure I've ever knowingly listened to Rysanek) to know whether he has a point or not. It is interesting to ponder whether the great singers of the past would be hired if they reappeared now, or whether they would even become opera singers in the first place. Great voices must still exist in their natural state, but something's happening to keep individual-sounding singers from developing, or from getting cast... I don't see how technique can possibly be the enemy of expression, as the article seems to say. There's no expression without it, surely?


----------



## DavidA

Figleaf said:


> Thanks for that link. It's a slightly strange article- how is Aida not theatrical? Does Jenkins really mean to imply that American singers today have better technique than the singers of Verdi's day? And surely everybody knows that millenials don't watch TV- that's for babies and old people! I don't mind critics taking a controversial position- it makes life more interesting- but they need to explain what they mean, then argue for it. I don't know enough about Callas or Rysanek (not sure I've ever knowingly listened to Rysanek) to know whether he has a point or not. It is interesting to ponder whether the great singers of the past would be hired if they reappeared now, or whether they would even become opera singers in the first place. Great voices must still exist in their natural state, but something's happening to keep individual-sounding singers from developing, or from getting cast... *I don't see how technique can possibly be the enemy of expression,* as the article seems to say. There's no expression without it, surely?


maybe he means the quest for perfection of technique above expression, as so often found in the world of 'perfect' but bland instrumentalists today.


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## Viardots

DavidA said:


> On the subject of Callas, Speight Jenkins has said:
> 
> "Another problem with correctness is who it excludes. My firm belief is that two of the greatest artists of the past century, Maria Callas and Leonie Rysanek, would find it hard today to find a job. Why? Both of them, because they were so emotionally involved in what they were singing and acting, were extraordinarily variable. Both could on some nights hit every note, and on others give downright painful performances."
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
> For the complete article:
> 
> http://www.artsjournal.com/operasleuth/2015/08/what-makes-a-great-opera-singer.html


Again, an earlier posting from RES in the "New Callas Box" thread offers some really interesting, intriguing, even shocking viewpoints (that could elicit a lot of debates, but why not?). Perhaps these points may not be able to address the issue at hand here in a direct fashion, but at least they indicate that Callas is an extremely complex case.

Note: The original discussions started with the question of why there were so many fall-outs with opera houses management and "scandals" in 1957 - 59.....



RES said:


> ......all the posts in this forum for the last few days don't really take into account some basic facts, probably because everyone loves Callas' art and wants to give her the benefit of the doubt.* It seems to me that, in essence, Callas was very deceptive. I believe that when she knew her voice was failing--in 1957 when she is documented to have undergone premature menopause, she and her husband engineered everything to conceal the truth from the public--and even from him. *The first tip-off is the broadcast Met LUCIA in late 1956 and the disastrous high D that she missed; I don't think we can underestimate the effect it had on Callas' psychological state. People who had heard her in Chicago that year were already commenting about how much her voice had shrunk since her debut there in 1954. *A very paranoid person already, she felt impossibly exposed.*
> 
> If an unscheduled SONNAMBULA had been added to a run earlier in her career when she was confident vocally, even without her consent, she would simply have sung it and been delighted to demand a much higher fee. In Edinburgh, the problem with her refusal to sing a fifth, unscheduled, performance and subsequent departure was that neither La Scala nor she gave the press any information, leaving a void that was filled with gossip and nonsense; even in interviews that year (Rodrini and Ross, both September 1957), she skirts the issue when asked a direct question. But I believe her departure and allowing it to be the subject of conjecture were deliberate: *better to be thought "capricious" (one of her favorite words) than to add a performance where her vocal shortcomings might be revealed; none of the Edinburgh SONNAMBULAs were especially secure vocally anyway.* Even in Cologne the month before, the lesser-known of the two SONNAMBULA performances shows some very uncharacteristic problems with pitch, rhythm, and breath control. She knew it was falling apart and began easing herself out of opera.
> 
> *The Rome incident still polarizes people: an ill Callas vs. a capricious one.* Callas herself always maintained--protesting perhaps too much--that she could not continue. We hear that she is not in especially good form during the first act (by her standards) but no worse than things had already become. But colleague Corelli stated years later that she was perfectly capable of continuing until she yelled herself hoarse backstage after the first act. She gambled: perhaps people would think she was ill rather than vocally compromised. But she miscalculated and never imagined the mess that followed. Everything after Rome was fallout, but, I think, privately something of a relief to her. Everything allowed her to continue the deception about her vocal state. Ghiringhelli's nastiness simply made her look like a martyr.
> 
> As was stated, *she and Meneghini engineered her "firing" by Bing. *In his autobiography, the ever-faithful Meneghini says that she could earn more money for less work less by doing solo recitals instead. In that loving way he never lost, he was in denial about her real motive: concealing her vocal decline at all costs. *Bing still thought of Callas as the miracle worker whose greatest selling point, aside from her incomparable art, was her flexibility: after all, in the past, TRAVIATA one night and MACBETH a few days later wouldn't have made her think twice. The Callas legend was formed in 1949--Brunnhilde/Elvira, and she wanted to keep that reputation alive long after it was accurate; in the 9/57 Rodrini interview, she is adamant that "a singer must be able to sing everything"--which she had done, but of course, could no longer do. Bing still believed in her legendary flexibility and she didn't want to shatter that belief nor her now-inaccurate reputation. She did give Bing hints during their negotiations, interestingly: "My voice is not an elevator"--though it was precisely that ability that led to her fame beginning in 1949, and upon which Bing was depending. Moreover, legally, if she had backed out of a signed contract, she could have been sued, so Meneghini got Bing to release her on his own, out of frustration, without any potential financial penalty: better a sensational "Bing Fires Callas" scandal than a revelation of the truth.*
> 
> *Even the Onassis affair, I believe, began as part of her directing attention away from her vocal woes. *By mid 1959, truly uncomfortable things were beginning even in recital: in Hamburg, she misses a high C in the MACBETH aria from which she had altogether deleted the now-too-exposed cabaletta, visibly stepping out of character for an instant--something as foreign to her as possible, and for which she berated a colleague in the CG MEDEA the following month. In the same Hamburg recital, leaves out the written C at the end of the PIRATA finale, the edition already mutilated for her, omitting four others in the score. *A dalliance with Onassis and the shallow jet set was the perfect subterfuge: it said "I'm too good to deal with the real world of music" rather than the true "I am vocally unable to remain in the world of music." Meneghini represented a life and career she could no longer continue, so she apparently felt that she had to leave both; the poor man never understood that it had as much to do with her vocal crisis as anything.* Like Rome, that backfired as well when she developed real feelings for the gangster Onassis.


P.S. The above quote from RES actually deals with a different question, so the points raised may appear not directly relevant to the issues discussed in Jenkin's article. Yet there could still be at least some food for thought regarding what opera houses management in the past (say 50-60 years) look for when hiring leading singers and how leading singers managed their relationship with opera houses management and their careers as a whole within the private context of their self-awareness/consciousness of how far they could achieve the vocal and artistic excellence they strife for.


----------



## Figleaf

DavidA said:


> maybe he means the quest for perfection of technique above expression, as so often found in the world of 'perfect' but bland instrumentalists today.


He does seem to mean that, but he needs to express himself more clearly.  Also, technique versus expression is a false dichotomy. It is of course possible for a singer to have a great technique yet not be very expressive, and the reverse is certainly possible if a singer falls short of the virtuosity expected for a particular role, yet still moves the audience- but technique facilitates expression by letting the singer bend the voice to her will. I'm not sure why Mr Jenkins thinks otherwise, and until he explains himself more clearly, we're unlikely to know!

I think instrumentalists have moved in the opposite direction from singers over the last hundred years, as far as technique is concerned- from what little I know, instrumentalists have better technique than their early recorded predecessors, and if today's instrumentalists are less expressive it's not because their excellent technique is somehow hampering them, but because the freedom to express themselves (e.g. rubato, ornamentation) is frowned upon. (I'm on shaky ground here because I don't know anything about instrumental music.) Singers are in the same boat, or an even worse one, as far as expressiveness is concerned, unable to interpret the music actively as opposed to doing the bidding of a conductor or director, but they differ from instrumentalists in that their technique is generally held to be inferior to that of singers a century ago, a factor which would limit their ability to sing expressively even if they had permission to do so. More seriously, the tradition of singer as active interpreter has died out, and the feeling for musical style that comes from being part of the same living tradition that produced the music of Verdi, has gone. I don't know what can be done, but I don't think too much focus on technique has been the problem.


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## Woodduck

Figleaf said:


> Thanks for that link. It's a slightly strange article- how is Aida not theatrical? Does Jenkins really mean to imply that American singers today have better technique than the singers of Verdi's day? And surely everybody knows that millenials don't watch TV- that's for babies and old people! I don't mind critics taking a controversial position- it makes life more interesting- but they need to explain what they mean, then argue for it. I don't know enough about Callas or Rysanek (not sure I've ever knowingly listened to Rysanek) to know whether he has a point or not. It is interesting to ponder whether the great singers of the past would be hired if they reappeared now, or whether they would even become opera singers in the first place. Great voices must still exist in their natural state, but something's happening to keep individual-sounding singers from developing, or from getting cast... I don't see how technique can possibly be the enemy of expression, as the article seems to say. There's no expression without it, surely?


As I read him, Jenkins, contemplating the declining sale of tickets to the opera, seems to be looking at changes in the art of operatic singing as the cause, specifically at the fact that opera singers seem to have less expressiveness, individuality and personality than formerly. That this is indeed the case is a common enough observation, and I agree with it. But I don't think he gets at the ultimate causes of the phenomenon. He may be right that expressiveness is not encouraged in the training or coaching of singers today, but this would seem to contradict his assertion that what people want from opera is more theatrical vividness. Are the people coaching singers somehow divorced from the realities of opera as theatrical art? That is certainly not true at the Met.

In any case, I think Jenkins goes overboard in thinking that Callas or Rysanek wouldn't get hired now because they were vocally "variable." I haven't followed Rysanek's work closely and won't comment on it, but I can say with assurance that if a singer with the musicality, technical accomplishment, and dramatic power of Callas - or, to mention two other highly individual sopranos whose work I do know, Muzio or Olivero - were to appear, she would be turning down offers of employment from the major opera houses within a week. We are hard up for artists of such expressive depth and charisma, and it seems highly unlikely that the reason we aren't hearing them is that they are out there but not getting hired because they are too emotionally expressive to be technically reliable! I must say that I've heard more than enough singing by our opera "stars" which is neither technically nor artistically extraordinary. Who are these technical wizards who are crowding out the great artists, and who are the great artists who are not being hired?

I can believe that there's a tendency now to "play it safe" with singers who can consistently meet some "acceptable" standard of technical proficiency. But I'm inclined to think that there is simply little alternative, because our culture - and the art of singing which this fearsomely difficult and extravagantly expressive sort of music requires and supports - has lost its vital connection with traditions out of which our central operatic repertoire arose. Jenkins suggests that singers are no longer "trained" to be expressive. But I would suggest to him that great artists, of any time or place, are not expressive because they are taught to be, but because their particular language of expression has been learned through living in a culture that values and cultivates it.

Opera and operatic singing are no longer a manifestation of our cultural sensibilities, and the eras for which this art form can speak as a vital cultural force are largely past. Callas herself, half a century ago, was conscious of this, and spoke of the challenge and responsibility of the performing artist to make the old works she sang meaningful for modern audiences. I believe this will remain true despite the fact that operas continue to be written, and that a few - but I suspect very few - of them will retain some interest for audiences of the future. Musical theater, as a basic concept, is probably immortal; but whatever it will be that may still be called opera in a hundred years - or even today - may not call for the kind of singing we've come to know and love.


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## Admiral

Woodduck said:


> Many of the opera greats of the interwar period and some time thereafter were as noted for operetta as for opera. The vocal technique needed was no different for Lehar or Kalman than for Humperdinck or Korngold. Operettas, from Suppe, Strauss and Offenbach on down, sound terrific with great singers, and so do many musicals - _Show Boat_, _South Pacific_, _Oklahoma, Camelot,_ et al. - even though not every opera singer will have the right sense of style. Really, as you point out, the classic American musical is just a modern singspiel or opera comique. Even a lot of popular song before WW II can be done idiomatically by operatically trained voices.


Perhaps the finest musical I've ever heard was Houston Grand Opera doing Show Boat - mostly opera singers but with the one and only Donald O'Connor as Capt Andy


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## Admiral

Woodduck said:


> ^^^ Good question. I can't speak from personal experience of hearing singers live, but it is generally conceded that in the case of Callas the voice, _as she employed it,_ lost a certain amount of power subsequent to her drastic weight loss during the early 1950s. This is pretty easy to verify by listening to recordings. I say "as she employed it" because I'm not sure that there was a change in the vocal chords or resonating chambers, at least not right away. Rather, I suspect that the change in her bodily sensations as a result of losing so much body mass induced subtle alterations in coordination.
> 
> I'm not at all sure, though, that weight loss was the only factor causing a diminution of power. The very young and ambitious Callas sang some of the most physically and dramatically demanding roles in opera, and did so with a ferocity and abandon which are spine-tingling to hear but which should certainly have raised some red flags in the minds of her hearers. I don't know of any great singer who asked so much of her voice, and even before losing weight it could get her into trouble at the top of her range, with high notes exciting but showing a distinct slowing of the vibrato hinting at the trouble to come. My feeling is that her voice became smaller basically because it could no longer be controlled under the uninhibited pressure and manipulations of timbre she formerly applied to it so freely in pursuit of dramatic effect, and that those demands on it were themselves a significant part of the cause.
> 
> I would venture to say that voices do not normally shrink in volume during a singer's prime years, but in fact often do the opposite. Kirsten Flagstad claimed that her voice grew significantly into her thirties; and she put off until then singing the heavy roles for which she became famous, and advised young singers to do likewise. Her voice remained powerful into her sixties, and under normal circumstances I don't think well-used voices should actually shrink until an age when everything else shrinks as well!
> 
> (I should add that there are some who say that Callas had specific health problems which may have affected her vocal chords. If that's true it may be yet another piece of the puzzle. The debate will no doubt continue.)
> 
> I'd like to hear what others think about this.


One of my favorites was Sherrill Milnes. He is a good example of a voice shrinking with age. When I heard his Boccanegra with the Met tour the word that came to kind was "thin" - it was hard to hear him stab at a mere F when he had such a glorious Verdian top in his prime, to A and beyond. One might blame support but he was obviously well-trained.

I would have expected a darkening (such as my own voice is doing at 50) but it was just reedy and thin. This was around 1987 if I recall correctly


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## Woodduck

Admiral said:


> One of my favorites was Sherrill Milnes. He is a good example of a voice shrinking with age. When I heard his Boccanegra with the Met tour the word that came to kind was "thin" - it was hard to hear him stab at a mere F when he had such a glorious Verdian top in his prime, to A and beyond. One might blame support but he was obviously well-trained.
> 
> I would have expected a darkening (such as my own voice is doing at 50) but it was just reedy and thin. This was around 1987 if I recall correctly


Milnes did run into difficulties, I'm not sure at what age. The first time I heard him (on a recording) must have been quite early, and the voice was splendidly free and brilliant all the way up into tenor range. At some point there developed a constriction above the staff, with a peculiar, forced, "yawning" sound invading the tone. He acknowledged the problem, but of course the voice remained a handsome one and he had a fine career. His upper range never did recover the openness and freedom it had at the start, though, and perhaps there was, as you say, a general loss of power late in his career, maybe as a result of his effort not to put too much pressure on his voice. Who can explain it, really?


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## Admiral

Domingo and Milnes in their prime - real fire in Otello


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## Belowpar

There are vacancies in the management of various "English" Opera Companies.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/operas-major-current-crisis/

Can I put you down for a reference?


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## The Conte

Fantasy dinner party. Eva Tanguay, Rupert Christiansen and a boxing ring!

N.


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## Queen of the Nerds

Help me... I'm obsessed with the Mad Scene from _Lucia di Lammermoor_ and the Bolero from_I Vespri Silciani_.


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## Queen of the Nerds

Help me... I am obsessed with the Mad Scene from _Lucia di Lammermoor_ and the Bolero from _I Vespri Silciani_.  
PS My autocorrect is awesome... It filled in the titles of both of the operas above.


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## Queen of the Nerds

Oops... Posted the same thing twice. My bad!


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## DavidA

The music for the wedding march from Lohengrin is for sale at $3.6 million. Offers?

http://slippedisc.com/2015/09/wagners-wedding-march-for-sale/


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## Pugg

Queen of the Nerds said:


> Help me... I am obsessed with the Mad Scene from _Lucia di Lammermoor_ and the Bolero from _I Vespri Silciani_.
> PS My autocorrect is awesome... It filled in the titles of both of the operas above.


Do you need medication?


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## Marschallin Blair

Queen of the Nerds said:


> Help me... I'm obsessed with the Mad Scene from _Lucia di Lammermoor_ and the Bolero from_I Vespri Silciani_.





















Go 'Callas' on these and your obsession (small 'o') will automatically upgrade to:

*' ' ' OBSESSION' ' '*

(all caps and in boldface).


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## Marschallin Blair

Pugg said:


> Do you need medication?


Only if she listened to boring singers.


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## Belowpar

Walked around Covent Garden yesterday and was saddened to learn the Opera House Shop will close "in about a month".

Currently 25% off stock but there maybe more to come. Was tempted by a DVD of The Mikado starring Groucho Marx.






Glad I saved the money, and presumably that is why it's going.

About 35 years ago they advertised the position of Manager in the Guardian, when it still in Floral St - prior to the refurbisment. I was interviewed but with no retail expereince I'm not sure how I made it that far.


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## DavidA

Mikado cancelled due to Asian protest

http://slippedisc.com/2015/09/troubling-pressures-in-new-yorks-mikado-cancellation/


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## ma7730

DavidA said:


> Mikado cancelled due to Asian protest
> 
> http://slippedisc.com/2015/09/troubling-pressures-in-new-yorks-mikado-cancellation/


I feel like that's kind of silly. I mean, I don't mind Yonghoon Lee pretending to be white as Don Carlo (I mention him in particular because I saw him recently as that character, and I thought he did a very good job). Whoever is best fitted to the role vocally and acting-wise deserves it.


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## The Conte

ma7730 said:


> I feel like that's kind of silly. I mean, I don't mind Yonghoon Lee pretending to be white as Don Carlo (I mention him in particular because I saw him recently as that character, and I thought he did a very good job). Whoever is best fitted to the role vocally and acting-wise deserves it.


If we can only have a black (or Arabic?) Otello and an oriental Mikado (or Butterfly), then it follows on logically from that argument that we must choose white singers for Violetta, Cavaradossi and Parsifal. Whereas I see no reason to limit non white singers in that way.

As I don't know the background to the Slipped Disc article I can't comment specifically on it, but the above is my thought on this general topic.

N.


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## ma7730

The Conte said:


> If we can only have a black (or Arabic?) Otello and an oriental Mikado (or Butterfly), then it follows on logically from that argument that we must choose white singers for Violetta, Cavaradossi and Parsifal. Whereas I see no reason to limit non white singers in that way.
> 
> As I don't know the background to the Slipped Disc article I can't comment specifically on it, but the above is my thought on this general topic.
> 
> N.


I would tend to agree with you. Talent and work trumps anything else.


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## Fat Bob

DavidA said:


> Mikado cancelled due to Asian protest
> 
> http://slippedisc.com/2015/09/troubling-pressures-in-new-yorks-mikado-cancellation/


I think the reason for the protest was the intention was to perform in "yellowface" makeup. Since "The Mikado" is clearly a satire on specifically English issues that suggests the producers didn't really understand what they were doing.


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## Woodduck

DavidA said:


> Mikado cancelled due to Asian protest
> 
> http://slippedisc.com/2015/09/troubling-pressures-in-new-yorks-mikado-cancellation/


_Mikado_ is a satire on Victorian English society in pseudo-Japanese costume. It is no more intended to represent Japan than _Turandot_ is intended to represent China - less so, in fact - and isn't intended to mock or insult the Japanese or their culture. The worst possible solution to a nonexistent problem would be to cast actual Japanese actors in it. That would be a statement that the operetta really is about the Japanese and would make it racist in fact. Apparently this is too subtle for some people to grasp.


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## The Conte

Woodduck said:


> _Mikado_ is a satire on Victorian English society in pseudo-Japanese costume. It is no more intended to represent Japan than _Turandot_ is intended to represent China - less so, in fact - and isn't intended to mock or insult the Japanese or their culture. The worst possible solution to a nonexistent problem would be to cast actual Japanese actors in it. That would be a statement that the operetta really is about the Japanese and would make it racist in fact. Apparently this is too subtle for some people to grasp.


It must be very subtle, the Japan Society of the UK didn't even grasp it:

http://www.japansociety.org.uk/2217/the-chichibu-mikado/

N.


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## Woodduck

Fascinating. America has become so PC, it's refreshing to hear that some Japanese elsewhere can distinguish G&S's parody of England from a parody of themselves. Apparently New York finds that difficult.


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## The Conte

There are fine lines when it comes to this topic. I think it depends on the context and approach of each individual production.

N.


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## Badinerie

From the point of view of the people who are subject to the text, its sometimes difficult to tell the difference from the rain that makes the garden grow and the rain that washes it away,so to speak.


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## Sloe

The Conte said:


> If we can only have a black (or Arabic?) Otello and an oriental Mikado (or Butterfly), then it follows on logically from that argument that we must choose white singers for Violetta, Cavaradossi and Parsifal. Whereas I see no reason to limit non white singers in that way.
> 
> .


I agree but I think it is a bit sad that there are more Asian Santuzzas and Turiddos than Asian Irises and Osakas European ones also.


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## Belowpar

For those capable of receiving BBC 4, they are repeating Papano’s recent series on voices starting this Friday. It contains much excellent material and received generally favorable comments on here. Somehow I missed the Tenor program last time round.

The only critical note I have is that I was absolutely fascinated by his discussion with a Soprano about the right and wrong use of Vibrato. It seemed to me to stop just when it was getting really interesting? Otherwise strongly recommended.


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## Sloe

Belowpar said:


> The only critical note I have is that I was absolutely fascinated by his discussion with a Soprano about the right and wrong use of Vibrato. It seemed to me to stop just when it was getting really interesting? Otherwise strongly recommended.


Everytime I hear about vibrato I take too much notice on certain sopranos vibratos and my enjoyment get partially lessened.


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## DavidA

Hmmmm I thought the assassin was in a bad mood!

http://slippedisc.com/2015/11/exclusive-soprano-is-stabbed-at-the-met/


----------



## The Conte

I've just discovered the 'ignore' function. Oh what joy, what bliss!

That sorts that little problem out!

N.


----------



## Belowpar

You tease!

We'll never know if he meant me.


----------



## mountmccabe

San Francisco Opera has shared information on the Wilsey Center for Opera, next to the War Memorial Opera House.

"The Wilsey Center will house a shared community performance and rehearsal space, as well as an education studio. It will also include our public opera archives, galleries, administrative offices and costume shop."

They have also announced much of the programming of SF Opera Labs first season, in the new Taube Atrium Theater, a 299-seat space.

It includes William Kentridge's staging of Schubert's Winterreise with Matthias Goerne in March, and Ana Sokolović's _Svadba-Wedding_, an opera for six female voices and minimal accompaniment in April.

They are also screening _Les Triplettes de Belleville_ with a live score conducted by Benoît Charest, the composer. May brings _Voigt Lessons_, a one-woman show with Deborah Voigt, developed with Terrence McNally. There is also going to be some chamber performances, but there program are not yet listed.

The Schubert and the Sokolović are quite exciting and certainly pieces that would never go on stage at War Memorial.


----------



## Dawood

Belowpar said:


> Walked around Covent Garden yesterday and was saddened to learn the Opera House Shop will close "in about a month".
> 
> Currently 25% off stock but there maybe more to come. Was tempted by a DVD of The Mikado starring Groucho Marx.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Glad I saved the money, and presumably that is why it's going.
> 
> About 35 years ago they advertised the position of Manager in the Guardian, when it still in Floral St - prior to the refurbisment. I was interviewed but with no retail expereince I'm not sure how I made it that far.


Transferable skills, my friend. Transferable skills 

I once went for a job at the Classical CD shop that was just outside Charing Cross. Can't remember what it was called but there was few of them dotted about London. Had tons of retail experience (unfortunately) but didn't get an interview. I gave in my CV and the chap behind the counter asked me something about what number symphony Dvorak's New World Symphony was - just as a way to establish if I actually knew anything - or something.

Anyway, I'm planning a trip to London this weekend and actually checked to see if that shop was still there. Ha. Of course it's not, Dawood. That was almost twenty years ago... It's all gift shops and clothes shops and cafes - as predicted by my batty old boss when I worked in Covent Garden.


----------



## Belowpar

Dawood said:


> I once went for a job at the Classical CD shop that was just outside Charing Cross. Can't remember what it was called but there was few of them dotted about London.


MDC = Music Discount Centre? After the large one next to Coutts shut they took over the Colosseum shop. All long gone but I have fond memories.

Will be 'in town' this weekend. Force of Destiny, Friday and Gypsy, Saturday. IM me if you are nearby and would like a swift refresher.


----------



## DavidA

Scotto: "I slapped Di Stefano"

http://slippedisc.com/2015/11/renata-scotto-i-slapped-a-tenor/


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> Scotto: "I slapped Di Stefano"
> 
> http://slippedisc.com/2015/11/renata-scotto-i-slapped-a-tenor/


I am sure there two sides to each story


----------



## Belowpar

ENO safe until 2018. My tier at The Force of Destiny was half empty. Sad.
Much as I love everyting about the theatre, the compmany, the nights I've enjoyed there; from the outside it seems unlikely this ship can continue as present, long term. It wil be interesting to see what the new team (with a financial backgournd ) come up with for it's future.
I will not be going to Sunset Boulevard next year.

https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/201...onfirms-it-will-fund-eno-until-at-least-2018/


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> ENO safe until 2018. My tier at The Force of Destiny was half empty. Sad.
> Much as I love everything about the theatre, the company, the nights I've enjoyed there; from the outside it seems unlikely this ship can continue as present, long term. It will be interesting to see what the new team (with a financial background ) come up with for it's future.
> I will not be going to Sunset Boulevard next year.
> 
> https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/201...onfirms-it-will-fund-eno-until-at-least-2018/


That's sad but I do think opera in translation has had its day. With so much information available on line - synopses, libretti etc and of course surtitles, there's no longer a good enough argument for translation.

ENO could feature modern and English language productions and up-and-coming English singers.


----------



## Sloe

sospiro said:


> That's sad but I do think opera in translation has had its day. With so much information available on line - synopses, libretti etc and of course surtitles, there's no longer a good enough argument for translation.
> 
> ENO could feature modern and English language productions and up-and-coming English singers.


I disagree.
It is not that comfortable having to read a libretto while listening to a recording of an opera to read surtitles in a live performance can be uncomfortable too. I always appreciate when I hear translated opera.


----------



## Belowpar

Sloe said:


> I disagree.
> It is not that comfortable having to read a libretto while listening to a recording of an opera to read surtitles in a live performance can be uncomfortable too. I always appreciate when I hear translated opera.


I do agree, it's so much more dramatic when you can hear the words. Last week at The Force of Destiny the cast were superb and the surtitles from my seat in the grand tier, were just a constant distraction. The sound isn't always that good at the top of the house, so surtitles are here to stay.


----------



## sospiro

Sloe said:


> I disagree.
> It is not that comfortable having to read a libretto while listening to a recording of an opera to read surtitles in a live performance can be uncomfortable too. I always appreciate when I hear translated opera.


Must be just me then.

I saw _Rigoletto_ at ENO and when the music started for "La donna è mobile" and then the tenor sang something else entirely, I was ... . I know most of the words in _Rigoletto_ and I hated this.


----------



## Sloe

sospiro said:


> Must be just me then.
> 
> I saw _Rigoletto_ at ENO and when the music started for "La donna è mobile" and then the tenor sang something else entirely, I was ... . I know most of the words in _Rigoletto_ and I hated this.


I heard a translated version of Rigoletto recently and I loved it.


----------



## Don Fatale

Belowpar said:


> ENO safe until 2018. My tier at The Force of Destiny was half empty. Sad.
> Much as I love everything about the theatre, the company, the nights I've enjoyed there; from the outside it seems unlikely this ship can continue as present, long term. It wil be interesting to see what the new team (with a financial backgournd ) come up with for it's future.
> I will not be going to Sunset Boulevard next year.
> 
> https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/201...onfirms-it-will-fund-eno-until-at-least-2018/


Quite simply, this is 'death by dogma'. They have a belief that singing in English is their raison d'etre (oops, sorry I mean 'reason to be') and refuse to accept that this is the very reason for their decline. A large percentage of London's (and the world's) opera fans, simply will not go there.

I agree with sospiro about putting on more operas written in English, in fact it should be known the world's foremost theatre for things like Peter Grimes, The Rakes Progress, G&S, Handel's English operas, and countless others too. So what if it they then stage an occasional (money-spinning) La Boheme in Italian, their remit is surely met.

I generally don't mind opera in translation (and certainly when not Italian or French), but this should be an artistic decision taken for each opera, not a political one. In the words spoken in one of their best productions, I fear they 'will not be missed' if they persist along this path.


----------



## sospiro

Sloe said:


> I heard a translated version of Rigoletto recently and I loved it.


:tiphat:

We will agree to differ then. To me, changing the words which were written by the composer's librettist is as bad as changing the score.


----------



## Belowpar

sospiro said:


> Must be just me then.
> 
> I saw _Rigoletto_ at ENO and when the music started for "La donna è mobile" and then the tenor sang something else entirely, I was ... . I know most of the words in _Rigoletto_ and I hated this.


Just goes to show. This is one of the reasons why I'm here today.

Ah but then you women are so....fickle!


----------



## Woodduck

sospiro said:


> I saw _Rigoletto_ at ENO and when the music started for "La donna è mobile" and then the tenor sang something else entirely, I was ... . I know most of the words in _Rigoletto_ and I hated this.


Let's see... How can we make "La donna e mobile" palatable in English words that fit the music?

"Women are changeable"? No... "Females are fickle things"? Uh uh... "Gals can't make up their minds"? Ugh... "You just can't trust the b***h?" Eeek.

OK, I give up. Anybody want to take a crack at "Caro nome"?


----------



## Don Fatale

Woodduck said:


> Let's see... How can we make "La donna e mobile" palatable in English that will fit the music?
> 
> "Women are changeable"? No... "Females are fickle things"? Uh uh... "Gals can't make up their minds"? Ugh... "You just can't trust the b***h?" Eeek.
> 
> OK, I give up. Anybody want to take a crack at "Caro nome"?


Seeing as you asked, I'm pretty sure it's this...
_Dearest name of my first love_


----------



## The Conte

sospiro said:


> Must be just me then.
> 
> I saw _Rigoletto_ at ENO and when the music started for "La donna è mobile" and then the tenor sang something else entirely, I was ... . I know most of the words in _Rigoletto_ and I hated this.


I'm with you on this one.

Whilst some operas work better in translation than others and even though not everybody knows Rigoletto as well as we do :tiphat: surtitles trump opera in the vernacular. Especially since so few singers today have the diction necessary to make opera in the local language work.

N.


----------



## Woodduck

The Conte said:


> I'm with you on this one.
> 
> Whilst some operas work better in translation than others and even though not everybody knows Rigoletto as well as we do :tiphat: surtitles trump opera in the vernacular. Especially since so few singers today have the diction necessary to make opera in the local language work.
> 
> N.


Good point. What good is having it in English if you can't catch half the words anyway? Singers need to listen to John McCormack and discover that diction happens independent of tone production, not in conflict with it.


----------



## sospiro

Latest health update on English baritone Simon Keenlyside.

As a huge fan I would love to see him back on the opera and concert stage but the most important thing is his health. Get well soon Simon.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

sospiro said:


> :tiphat:
> 
> We will agree to differ then. To me, changing the words which were written by the composer's librettist is as bad as changing the score.


I am in two minds about this. On one hand, opera certainly sounds better in the original language, as language itself becomes part of the music. On the other hand, my favorite opera composer who was also his own librettist and who certainly paid great attention to the language of his operas, did not mind them being performed in translation. What's good enough for him is good enough for me.


----------



## Woodduck

^^^ Did he really not mind, or did he just accept it as the inevitable price of having his works performed abroad?


----------



## Belowpar

Woodduck said:


> ^^^ Did he really not mind, or did he just accept it as the inevitable price of having his works performed abroad?


Does anyone have any Quotes on this? Seems to me he's not the kind of character who would compromise.


----------



## Woodduck

Belowpar said:


> Does anyone have any Quotes on this? Seems to me he's not the kind of character who would compromise.


The nearest I can come to a quote is his inquiring, on being told that someone wanted to perform _Tristan_ in Italy, about who would do the translation. Obviously he took it for granted that the opera would be performed in Italian, but what his private thoughts were I haven't a clue.

I suspect _Tristan _would be easier to Italianize than the _Ring_, with its rugged _stabreim_ alliteration. In Italy Wagner was always performed in Italian right up to the 1950s, as it was by Maria Callas, who said in an interview that Wagner was still considered rather heavy and difficult by Italian audiences, at least outside the major opera houses. Callas also said that she very much enjoyed singing the Wagner heroines, and remarked later in life that Isolde still interested her (but by then it was too late for her, vocally).


----------



## starthrower

Is the Opera Lively forum officially defunct? They didn't renew their domain registration.
http://operalively.com/?nr=0


----------



## Belowpar

Rodney Milnes the ex editor of Opera has passed away.

I used to be a subscriber back then and always enjoyed him on the Radio. Many years ago I dragged my wife and Parents down to a village hall somewhere in deepest Surrey where an amateur company were putting on the rarity, Die drei Pintos. I recognised the distinctive Chap with his 'shabby chic' suit and old raincoat walking up from the train station. I checked, he didn't review the performance (he was being kind) in either the Times or Opera and I concluded he was there out of curiosity and real love of the form. I haven't heard or read him for some years, but I'll miss him. And judging by this Obit, he must have been good company.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/12037641/Rodney-Milnes-opera-critic-obituary


----------



## mountmccabe

On opera performed (only) in English, I'd like to call attention to Bronx Opera in New York. They have presented 98 productions of 54 operas since 1967. Their productions are not at the level of ENO, but they are a professional company.

All productions are sung in English. Each season tends to include one well-known opera and one that is more of a rarity. The two for 2016 are Marc Blitzstein's _Regina_ (January) and Gioachino Rossini's _La cenerentola_ (April/May).

A higher than normal percentage of the operas were written in English. Recent English-language operas include _Albert Herring_, _The Rivals_, _The Poisoned Kiss_, _The Tender Land_, _Dido and Aeneas_.

I only saw one of their productions, _The Poisoned Kiss_. I did not really like it, but I suspect that was Ralph Vaughan Williams' fault.


----------



## mountmccabe

I've only seen one production at the ENO, _The Gospel According to the Other Mary_ by John Adams. I was absolutely thrilled that the Spanish and Latin portions of the text were performed in those languages.

I really wish I was going to be in London in March to see their production of _Akhanaten_, sung in the original Egyptian, Hebrew, and Akkadian (without surtitles, even!)


----------



## Pugg

starthrower said:


> Is the Opera Lively forum officially defunct? They didn't renew their domain registration.
> http://operalively.com/?nr=0


Would not surprised me, three people or four people active according to a reliable source .


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> Rodney Milnes the ex editor of Opera has passed away.
> 
> I used to be a subscriber back then and always enjoyed him on the Radio. Many years ago I dragged my wife and Parents down to a village hall somewhere in deepest Surrey where an amateur company were putting on the rarity, Die drei Pintos. I recognised the distinctive Chap with his 'shabby chic' suit and old raincoat walking up from the train station. I checked, he didn't review the performance (he was being kind) in either the Times or Opera and I concluded he was there out of curiosity and real love of the form. I haven't heard or read him for some years, but I'll miss him. And judging by this Obit, he must have been good company.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/12037641/Rodney-Milnes-opera-critic-obituary


What a lovely story. I think that some critics don't even like opera; it's just a job to them.


----------



## Itullian

starthrower said:


> Is the Opera Lively forum officially defunct? They didn't renew their domain registration.
> http://operalively.com/?nr=0


Looks ok to me.


----------



## Belowpar

sospiro said:


> What a lovely story. I think that some critics don't even like opera; it's just a job to them.


Thank you. Found it, February 1998, explains me recalling the coat! He stood in line and paid for a cup of tea from an urn at the back of the hall and made polite chit chat with two women who seemed concerned he was there on his own. Sadly I lacked the courage to say Hello.

http://www.operasouth.co.uk/pastshows/199802/index.html


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> Thank you. Found it, February 1998, explains me recalling the coat! He stood in line and paid for a cup of tea from an urn at the back of the hall and made polite chit chat with two women who seemed concerned he was there on his own. Sadly I lacked the courage to say Hello.
> 
> http://www.operasouth.co.uk/pastshows/199802/index.html


If only they'd known they were in the presence of an expert!

I wonder if amateur companies would have the courage to stage such a rarity today.


----------



## sospiro

Did he jump or was he pushed? Kasper Holten, director of opera at Royal Opera House is leaving and the conspiracy theorists are having a field day.

I'm taking his statement at face value, the UK education system is dreadful.


----------



## DavidA

sospiro said:


> Did he jump or was he pushed? Kasper Holten, director of opera at Royal Opera House is leaving and the conspiracy theorists are having a field day.
> 
> I'm taking his statement at face value, the UK education system is dreadful.


The only ROH production I've seen from Holten was Don Giovanni which was a totally misguided attempt to reinterpret Mozart. I hope the next guy does something revolutionary - let's us see the operas as the composer intended not in some daft rewrite!


----------



## The Conte

sospiro said:


> Did he jump or was he pushed? Kasper Holten, director of opera at Royal Opera House is leaving *and the conspiracy theorists are having a field day.*
> I'm taking his statement at face value, the UK education system is dreadful.


Do you feel like sharing the conspiracy theories? I imagine the "what the composer would have wanted" booing claque might think they have scored a triumph and directly caused his leaving in some way, but are there other theories?

N.


----------



## sospiro

The Conte said:


> Do you feel like sharing the *conspiracy theories*? I imagine the "what the composer would have wanted" booing claque might think they have scored a triumph and directly caused his leaving in some way, but are there other theories?
> 
> N.


These are from my Twitter timeline and I'll need to trawl through it.

There are several interesting reports including this one and this one.


----------



## The Conte

sospiro said:


> These are from my Twitter timeline and I'll need to trawl through it.
> 
> There are several interesting reports including this one and this one.


I'm with you, I'll take Kasper at his word. The arts media and opera critics aren't doing the art form any favours by perpetuating the 'you have to be old and monied to enjoy opera' myth. Some of the ROH audience do donate a lot of money and there were a couple of flops last season. But 60% of the Guillaume Tell audience enjoyed the production. Articles in the media which portray part of the ROH audience as being typical of the audience overall are stopping a lot of people who might enjoy the art form from discovering opera.

N.


----------



## Belowpar

If he was pushed I'd expect Pappano to walk, and he wouldn't want for offers.


----------



## DavidA

Jennfer Lamore on her career, Callas and candy stores

http://slippedisc.com/2015/12/jennifer-larmore-i-was-waitressing-i-worked-at-a-candy-shop/


----------



## DavidA

G&S sale

http://www.theguardian.com/music/20...hase-gilbert-and-sullivan-archive-doyly-carte


----------



## Guest

Some Callas stuff on tonight's Antiques Roadshow (BBC1).

(On iPlayer for 29 days)


----------



## sospiro

Andrea Chénier on BBC4 tonight at 19:30 18 December 2015.

UK only.


----------



## Becca

For all you Pelleas-ophiles

The Berlin Philharmonic / Digital Concert Hall is streaming a live semi-staged performance of Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande conductedd by Simon Rattle this Sunday Dec 20th at 8pm Berlin, 7pm London, 2pm New York, 11am Los Angeles.

Magdalena Kožená Mezzo-Soprano (Mélisande), Christian Gerhaher Baritone (Pelléas), Bernarda Fink Contralto (Geneviève), Franz-Josef Selig Bass Baritone (Arkel), Gerald Finley Bass Baritone (Golaud), Jörg Schneider Bass (Doctor), Sascha Glintenkamp Bass-Baritone (Shepherd), Rundfunkchor Berlin, Nicolas Fink Chorus Master, Soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor Boy Soprano (Yniold), Peter Sellars Staging

Click for trailer


----------



## Woodduck

Becca said:


> For all you Pelleas-ophiles
> 
> The Berlin Philharmonic / Digital Concert Hall is streaming a live semi-staged performance of Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande conductedd by Simon Rattle this Sunday Dec 20th at 8pm Berlin, 7pm London, 2pm New York, 11am Los Angeles.
> 
> Magdalena Kožená Mezzo-Soprano (Mélisande), Christian Gerhaher Baritone (Pelléas), Bernarda Fink Contralto (Geneviève), Franz-Josef Selig Bass Baritone (Arkel), Gerald Finley Bass Baritone (Golaud), Jörg Schneider Bass (Doctor), Sascha Glintenkamp Bass-Baritone (Shepherd), Rundfunkchor Berlin, Nicolas Fink Chorus Master, Soloist of the Tölzer Knabenchor Boy Soprano (Yniold), Peter Sellars Staging
> 
> Click for trailer


Fine singers there!

Question: Why is something that _precedes_ a performance or a film called a trailer? Doesn't "trailing" mean "following"?


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Andrea Chénier on BBC4 tonight at 19:30 18 December 2015.
> 
> UK only.


We ( the Netherlands have also BBC four )

Last night BBC four transmitted a stunning performance from* Andrea Chenier.*
*Jonas Kaufmann* and E*va Maria Westbroek* (I am so proud if that woman)
Antonio Pappano conducted :tiphat:

​
Absolutely Fabulous.

​


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> We (the Netherlands have also BBC four)


I know you (Netherlands) used to but wasn't sure if you still did. Belgium also used to be able to get BBC 1,2,3 and 4.



Pugg said:


> Last night BBC four transmitted a stunning performance from* Andrea Chenier.*
> *Jonas Kaufmann* and *Eva Maria Westbroek* (I am so proud if that woman)
> Antonio Pappano conducted :tiphat:
> 
> ​
> Absolutely Fabulous.
> 
> ​


Pleased you enjoyed it. I shall watch it when I get home.


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> We ( the Netherlands have also BBC four )
> 
> Last night BBC four transmitted a stunning performance from* Andrea Chenier.*
> *Jonas Kaufmann* and E*va Maria Westbroek* (I am so proud if that woman)
> Antonio Pappano conducted :tiphat:
> 
> ​
> Absolutely Fabulous.
> 
> ​


I heard that production on radio last summer.
Very good.
I had not been able to appreciate or seeing or listen to Andrea Chenier completely until then so it was good to get to learn to appreciate and enjoy that opera.


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> We ( the Netherlands have also BBC four )
> 
> Last night BBC four transmitted a stunning performance from* Andrea Chenier.*
> *Jonas Kaufmann* and E*va Maria Westbroek* (I am so proud if that woman)
> Antonio Pappano conducted :tiphat:
> 
> ​
> Absolutely Fabulous.
> 
> ​


Grrr! Set my player to record it as we were away and it hasn't!


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> Grrr! Set my player to record it as we were away and it hasn't!


You are missing out, BIG time


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> You are missing out, BIG time


It's on line so I'll see it on i player.


----------



## Pugg

*For those who can receive the Mezzo Channel:*

*La Damnation de Faust by Berlioz on Thursday, December 24th at 8.30pm* Europe time 
*Sophie Koch* (Marguerite), *Jonas Kaufmann* (Faust), *Bryn Terfe*l (Méphistophélès),
Edwin Crossley-Mercer (Brander), Sophie Claisse (Voix céleste)
Orchestre et Chœur de l'Opéra National de Paris, Philippe Jordan
Alvis Hermanis (stage direction)
_Recorded on December 17th, 2015 at the Opéra-Bastille, Paris - Duration: 2h30_


----------



## Belowpar

Just wanted to share. The Royal Opera website say there are still tickets for Eugene Onegin this Thursday. 
Select "Best Available" and this is the message you get.


"There was a problem with your request •We could not find 1 tickets together. Try requesting fewer tickets, or select a different area."


Latest News. 
Further reading reveals that if I re sign up to be a Friend I can get 10% discount in the shop. If only they read my posts on this thread, they'd know the shop was closed last autumn.

Happy New Year


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> Just wanted to share. The Royal Opera website say there are still tickets for Eugene Onegin this Thursday.
> Select "Best Available" and this is the message you get.
> 
> "There was a problem with your request •We could not find 1 tickets together. Try requesting fewer tickets, or select a different area."


I am not at all surprised. There have been problems with the new website from Day One.



Belowpar said:


> Latest News.
> Further reading reveals that if I re sign up to be a Friend I can get 10% discount in the shop. If only they read my posts on this thread, they'd know the shop was closed last autumn.
> 
> Happy New Year


It's time they joined the forum!


----------



## Pugg

*For those who can receive the Mezzo channel*

Again for those who can receive the Mezzo channel

*Norma by Vicenzo Bellini at the Gran Teatre del Liceu
*:tiphat:

Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Renato Palumbo (Conductor)

Kevin Newbury (Stage Director)
David Korins (Sets), Jessica Jahn (Costumes), D. M. Wood (Lighting)

Gregory Kunde (Pollione)
Raymond Aceto (Oroveso)
*Sondra Radvanovsky* (Norma)
Ekaterina Gubanova (Adalgisa)
Ana Puche (Clotilde)
Francisco Vas (Flavio)

Recorded on Fevruary 14 & 17, 2015 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
Directed by Jean-Pierre Loisil

Saturday
9 January at 20:30
on mezzo live hd
Genre : Concert
Length : 02:55:54
Director : Loisil Jean-Pierre
Next broadcasts

18/01 - 12h45 on mezzo

26/01 - 16h30 on mezzo


----------



## The Conte

Belowpar said:


> Just wanted to share. The Royal Opera website say there are still tickets for Eugene Onegin this Thursday.
> Select "Best Available" and this is the message you get.
> 
> "There was a problem with your request •We could not find 1 tickets together. Try requesting fewer tickets, or select a different area."
> 
> Latest News.
> Further reading reveals that if I re sign up to be a Friend I can get 10% discount in the shop. If only they read my posts on this thread, they'd know the shop was closed last autumn.
> 
> Happy New Year


There is a new shop that has opened on Bow Street (but it is smaller than the old shop and is more geared up for items for tourists. It is possible to buy online though. Perhaps you can get the 10% discount if you are a friend and work online.

N.


----------



## Belowpar

The Conte said:


> There is a new shop that has opened on Bow Street (but it is smaller than the old shop and is more geared up for items for tourists. It is possible to buy online though. Perhaps you can get the 10% discount if you are a friend and work online.
> 
> N.


Facts! You are going to hold me to facts? 

Amazing that I didn't see anything about this at the old site, either just before and after it closed. Is this where it was prior to the refurbishment?


----------



## sospiro

The Conte said:


> There is a new shop that has opened on Bow Street (but it is smaller than the old shop and is more geared up for items for tourists. It is possible to buy online though. Perhaps you can get the 10% discount if you are a friend and work online.
> 
> N.


I'm there on Saturday so I'll have a look. Going slightly off topic, if anyone is in Paris do visit the shop at Palais Garnier even if you're not seeing an opera. Similarly the shop at La Scala.


----------



## Pugg

Wrong thread, sorry


----------



## The Conte

sospiro said:


> I'm there on Saturday so I'll have a look. Going slightly off topic, if anyone is in Paris do visit the shop at Palais Garnier even if you're not seeing an opera. Similarly the shop at La Scala.


I concur. Also the Met has a good shop and Vienna too if it has changed since I was there in the nineties.

N.


----------



## sospiro

The Conte said:


> I concur. Also the Met has a good shop and Vienna too if it has changed since I was there in the nineties.
> 
> N.


Not been to the Met but was in the shop in Vienna last month and it had lots of tempting goodies on sale.


----------



## The Conte

sospiro said:


> Not been to the Met but was in the shop in Vienna last month and it had lots of tempting goodies on sale.


I've just noticed I meant to type "if it hasn't changed since I was there". I'm glad to hear it's still good.

N.


----------



## Pugg

The Wiener Staatsoper are going to stream new performances , see their website .
Wagner and Beethoven :tiphat:


----------



## Belowpar

Two Opears on BBC R3 this week! Tannhauser from the Met sat evening and a recording of Giovanni D'Arco from La Scala Thursday PM.


----------



## Don Fatale

Twittering just now. Almost instant reply from Calleja.


----------



## sospiro

Don Fatale said:


> Twittering just now. Almost instant reply from Calleja.
> 
> View attachment 80410


Brilliant! Joseph's great and loves interacting with his fans.


----------



## Don Fatale

Paul Potts, the "opera star" will actually sing in an opera this summer, in Hungary. The Stearsman in The Flying Dutchman.

http://www.szegediszabadteri.hu/en/item/794-the-programme-for-the-2016-szeged-open-air-festival-is-set

What next? Katherine Jenkins & Russell Watson in Carmen, in Armenia?


----------



## sospiro

Don Fatale said:


> Paul Potts, the "opera star" will actually sing in an opera this summer, in Hungary. The Stearsman in The Flying Dutchman.
> 
> http://www.szegediszabadteri.hu/en/item/794-the-programme-for-the-2016-szeged-open-air-festival-is-set









Don Fatale said:


> What next? Katherine Jenkins & Russell Watson in Carmen, in *Armenia*?


Nearer home .......


----------



## sospiro

The Montserrat Caballé Singing Competition suspended indefinitely by Zaragoza City Council.

Link


----------



## scratchgolf

Here's a few random thoughts and observations after completing my first Ring Cycle (Boulez/Byrth 1980)

-I'm now familiar with, comfortable with, or have watched attentively the following operas.
-Mozart's big 4(5) counting _Abduction_
-Puccini's big 4
-_Tristan_,_Dutchman_, and _Meistersinger_
-Numerous Beethoven, Schubert, Handel, Verdi, etc....

-As stated, _Figaro_ was the first opera I fell in love with. And while I find it to be a work of extreme craft and beauty, I must disagree with Brahms that EVERY number is a miracle. See below.

-The recicitivos in Mozart and most Italian opera drive me crazy. Then again, 1 year ago, all opera and the "operatic voice" drove me crazy. Subject to change but current decision is to skip most talking parts and most singing recicitivos. Since these don't exist in Wagner's Ring, I've drawn the following Newb conclusion. Every opera I've heard/seen aside from Wagner's are littered with beautiful arias and poignant moments. Also moments of true beauty which move me deeply or impress the hell out of me. But to date, only the Wagner operas I require absolute attention and, when given such, an entire world opens up to me that I have never experienced with any other composer or work. I consider the libretto, a translation, and advanced knowledge of general plot a must for Wagner alone. I'll once again point to my inexperience but I think this information is valuable in a timeline sort of fashion. I'm am beginning to see why people can be so passionate about Wagner. While he's not my favorite composer, or currently near the top, he's gaining ground rapidly. I'll just say he's "different" than any composer I've ever heard and that's a compliment of the highest order.

-For the record, Wagner's statements, writings, views, and overall persona have or will have ZERO affect on my listening.

-A friend of mine and I discussed the difference between "Opera Fans" and "Opera Guy". It was in fun but I currently consider myself a rapidly climbing "Opera Enthusiast" and that's pretty good for me. Also subject to change.

-I'm not sure if Puccini has a Big 4 but I said it anyway, just to look smart if he does. Even if it's debatable.

-There's a few people on this site that don't like me, and I don't like them right back. That book is closed and confrontation will never be something I engage in again. I've also made some great friends, to include some really cool new people. I have no interest in impressing anyone or pretending to like/get/understand/ or basically listen to things i don't enjoy. I've done a few years of exploring now, and been very liberal in my exposure. I feel the cement drying slowly around my musical tastes. Therefore, I'll participate where I'm comfortable and interested, and will avoid and ignore people and topics that don't interest me or where I'll add nothing positive to the conversation.

-So far everyone in the opera thread has ranged from friendly to wonderful and that's why I've selected to post this monster here. It's been very welcoming and I look forward to new friends and new music.


----------



## scratchgolf

One more quick thing about Wagner. Although his operas are littered with beautiful moments, to me they must be taken in the context of the entire work to truly be beautiful. This is the phenomenon I alluded to. Even a famous movie excerpt like from _Apocalypse Now_ has a completely different feel when watched and understood in the context of the opera. I've never been able to properly separate myself from overly famous works or excerpts, such as Beethoven 5 or 9, or famous parts of _Messiah_ or _Nutcracker_, or other very famous works. Even famous tunes from Mozart operas feel like "Here comes that famous part again." With Wagner, the transition was seamless and never did I miss a beat. THAT'S impressive to me.


----------



## Woodduck

scratchgolf said:


> One more quick thing about Wagner. Although his operas are littered with beautiful moments, to me they must be taken in the context of the entire work to truly be beautiful. This is the phenomenon I alluded to. Even a famous movie excerpt like from _Apocalypse Now_ has a completely different feel when watched and understood in the context of the opera. I've never been able to properly separate myself from overly famous works or excerpts, such as Beethoven 5 or 9, or famous parts of _Messiah_ or _Nutcracker_, or other very famous works. Even famous tunes from Mozart operas feel like "Here comes that famous part again." With Wagner, the transition was seamless and never did I miss a beat. THAT'S impressive to me.


Ah, scratchgolf! You bring a knowing smile to an old Wagnerian's face. Beware! The Wizard of Bayreuth opens wondrous paths to those who'll walk down them. Maybe we'll meet at a crossroads somewhere. Bon voyage!


----------



## schigolch

Winners of the 2016 Viñas Awards:

http://www.liceubarcelona.cat/fileadmin/PDF_s/Concurs_Vinas/53_edicio/Fallo_del_Jurado_53.pdf

http://www.ccma.cat/catradio/alacar...rnacional-del-cant-tenor-vinas/audio/907970/#


----------



## sospiro

The Barbican's 2016/2017 season.

Kaufmann will be 'In Residence' during February 2017. I don't suppose the Barbican will have any problems selling tickets for these!


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> The Barbican's 2016/2017 season.
> 
> Kaufmann will be 'In Residence' during February 2017. I don't suppose the Barbican will have any problems selling tickets for these!


Are tickets easily to get hold off / buy?


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> Are tickets easily to get hold off / buy?


I have never tried to get a ticket for a very popular event or for a 'hot' singer so I don't know if it will be difficult. I have not had a problem getting a ticket for events I have been to. I suspect the very enthusiastic fans may invest in a year's membership to increase their chances of getting a ticket (membership gives you priority booking).


----------



## schigolch

Denise Duval has passed away, at 94 years old. Sit tibi terra levis:


----------



## Belowpar

schigolch said:


> Denise Duval has passed away, at 94 years old. Sit tibi terra levis:


Interesting lady.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/12125413/Denise-Duval-soprano-obituary.html


----------



## Belowpar

Glyndebourne's La Cenerentola streamed for free

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/watch-glyndebournes-la-cenerentola-for-free/


----------



## DavidA

Belowpar said:


> Glyndebourne's La Cenerentola streamed for free
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/watch-glyndebournes-la-cenerentola-for-free/


Thanks for posting this! It's fantastic! :tiphat:


----------



## DavidA

Belowpar said:


> Glyndebourne's La Cenerentola streamed for free
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/watch-glyndebournes-la-cenerentola-for-free/


Just finished this. Really enjoyed it. Rossini fans make sure you watch it by Friday!


----------



## Pugg

*Denise Duval 1921-2016*



> Obituary - Denise Duval 1921 - 2016
> 
> by Katherine Cooper. 27th January 2016
> 
> Denise Duval, the elegant French soprano who inspired some of Francis Poulenc's finest writing for the female voice (including the shattering monodrama La voix humaine, of which she gave the first performances) has died aged 94.
> 
> Born in Paris on 23rd October 1921, Duval spent much of her childhood in the Far East and began her career in France in her early twenties, making her debut in Bordeaux as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana and subsequently establishing herself on the Paris opera scene, where her early roles included Santuzza and Butterfly. Poulenc first encountered her singing Butterfly's great aria in a revue at the Folies-Bergère, as he was casting around for a soprano to play the polymorphous title-role in his recently-completed opera bouffe Les mamelles de Tirésias; though the work was poorly received at its premiere, it sparked a life-long friendship and artistic partnership between Duval and the composer, who found inspiration in her compelling stage-presence, gamine beauty, and clean, slightly astringent soprano voice as well as a sensitivity to language that would prove absolutely crucial in text-driven works like La voix humaine and Dialogues des Carmelites.
> 
> Blanche de la Force in the latter work is perhaps the operatic role with which Duval is most closely associated; though the work was originally given in Italian at La Scala (Poulenc intended the work to be sung in the mother-tongue of audiences and singers where possible), with Virginia Zeani as Blanche, Duval sang in the French premiere in June 1957 and recorded the role for EMI the following year (Gramophone would describe her as 'part of the long line of clear-voiced, incisive sopranos in the Heldy mould. She catches here all the conflicting facets of Blanche's personality, girlish, wilful, frightened, elated as the role requires').
> 
> Later that year Poulenc and Duval would collaborate on the great one-woman opera La voix humaine, which sets a text by Jean Cocteau and depicts a woman's final telephone conversation with a departing lover; Duval sang in the premiere performance at Paris's Opéra Comique and recorded the work soon after for EMI (under Georges Prêtre). She subsequently introduced it to UK and US audiences, and filmed it for television (directed by Dominique Delouche) in 1970, five years after her effective retirement from the operatic stage.
> 
> Though primarily associated with Poulenc, Duval also excelled in other French repertoire (her roles included Salomé in Massenet's Hérodiade, Marguerite in Gounod's Faust, Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen, the title-role in Thaïs, Debussy's Mélisande, and Concepción in Ravel's L'heure espagnole) and was also a renowned interpreter of other contemporary composers including Germaine Tailleferre, Arthur Honegger and Florent Schmitt, many of whom she and Poulenc championed in their frequent recitals together.
> 
> Duval was profoundly affected by the death of Poulenc in 1963, and withdrew from the stage not long afterwards, though she continued to teach and give masterclasses well into her seventies. She died in Switzerland on 25th January.


From the Presto newsletter


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> From the Presto newsletter


Very nice, thank you.


----------



## sospiro

L'Opéra de Paris 2016/2017 season.

The good people of Bachtrack have published it in an easy-to-read format.


----------



## Pugg

*Holland Festival .*

This is a link for the Opera lovers

http://www.hollandfestival.nl/nl/pr...8soCFe4y0wod1HgO6A#f=qbSGoue4AHxJgIgmP0nQAg==


----------



## Belowpar

Has anyone been to Saltzburg?

http://travelshop.telegraph.co.uk/c...dium=online-editorial &utm_campaign=salzburg


----------



## Pugg

*Happy Birthday Renée Fleming*








:tiphat::cheers::kiss:


----------



## Pugg

*D.N.O The Netherlands Opera -2016-2017*

For the travellers or Amsterdam fans :tiphat:

http://www.operaballet.nl/nl/programma/opera?filter=179


----------



## Don Fatale

Pugg, I think you should have the honour of initiating the Opera in Amsterdam thread.


----------



## Pugg

Don Fatale said:


> Pugg, I think you should have the honour of initiating the Opera in Amsterdam thread.


Very kind words, alas I don't attend that many opera's in Amsterdam.
I am not a big fan of the "modern" styling by the D.N.O


----------



## Belowpar

Pugg said:


> Very kind words, alas I don't attend that many opera's in Amsterdam.
> I am not a big fan of the "modern" styling by the D.N.O


That's fine you have made your position clear on DNO, but is that all there is?

I might be back 17th of May and could stay on if there is some Opera near Amsterdam? I'm not adverse to smaller venue's and would be keen to hear all about the possibilites.


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> That's fine you have made your position clear on DNO, but is that all there is?
> 
> I might be back 17th of May and could stay on if there is some Opera near Amsterdam? I'm not adverse to smaller venue's and would be keen to hear all about the possibilities.


Do you mean performances or places to stay?


----------



## Belowpar

Pugg said:


> Do you mean performances or places to stay?


Performances and places and things to visit. I've been many times but never with a focus on the music of the City.
(Makes me sound very dodgy!)

I'm happy with a flat bed and a warm shower. 
On our first visit to Venice we couldn't afford either, and I was still happy. I once organised our Company Christmas Party in Amsterdam, stayed in a Hostel with 6 to a room!


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> Performances and places and things to visit. I've been many times but never with a focus on the music of the City.
> *(Makes me sound very dodgy!)*
> 
> I'm happy with a flat bed and a warm shower.
> On our first visit to Venice we couldn't afford either, and I was still happy. I once organised our Company Christmas Party in Amsterdam, stayed in a Hostel with 6 to a room!


:lol:

There's something for everybody in Amsterdam and it's one of my favourite cities but I'll leave it to one of our Dutch friends to start a proper 'Opera in Amsterdam' thread. Or maybe an 'Opera in the Netherlands' thread?

Anyway if/when you go to Amsterdam, there's the Concertgebouw and the Muziekgebouw as well as the opera.


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> Performances and places and things to visit. I've been many times but never with a focus on the music of the City.
> (Makes me sound very dodgy!)
> 
> I'm happy with a flat bed and a warm shower.
> On our first visit to Venice we couldn't afford either, and I was still happy. I once organised our Company Christmas Party in Amsterdam, stayed in a Hostel with 6 to a room!





sospiro said:


> :lol:
> 
> There's something for everybody in Amsterdam and it's one of my favourite cities but I'll leave it to one of our Dutch friends to start a proper 'Opera in Amsterdam' thread. Or maybe an 'Opera in the Netherlands' thread?
> 
> Anyway if/when you go to Amsterdam, there's the Concertgebouw and the Muziekgebouw as well as the opera.


As Sospiro says, something for everyone.
I am going to dig in for you about those "to rent apartments 
Not at this moment but I made a note of if and I promise you I will be back :tiphat:


----------



## ldiat

*top 10*

"Mojo" from youtube has these top 10~ about many things. found this...check it out 13 mins long.


----------



## Sloe

ldiat said:


> "Mojo" from youtube has these top 10~ about many things. found this...check it out 13 mins long.


What are o fortuna and music of the night doing there when they are from a cantata and a musical?


----------



## ma7730

Sloe said:


> What are o fortuna and music of the night doing there when they are from a cantata and a musical?


Just the presence of Andrea Bocelli...


----------



## ma7730

Sloe said:


> What are o fortuna and music of the night doing there when they are from a cantata and a musical?


Also, the guy's pronunciation...
Der Holle Rache, pronounced "Dir Whole Rack"...


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> What are o fortuna and music of the night doing there when they are from a cantata and a musical?


Can I have a bucket please, I have to vomit


----------



## ldiat

just thought i would post it...hey they have the top ten best classical music. want me to post that also????


----------



## Sloe

ma7730 said:


> Just the presence of Andrea Bocelli...


They could have chosen another singer but he sings opera arias and is a well known name.
I had once forgot the name of Antonio Smareglia and searched "blind Italian composer" the result was Andrea Bocelli. I think that is worse. Have Andrea Bocelli ever sung something by Antonio Smareglia?


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> They could have chosen another singer but he sings opera arias and is a well known name.
> I had once forgot the name of Antonio Smareglia and searched "blind Italian composer" the result was Andrea Bocelli. I think that is worse. Have Andrea Bocelli ever sung something by Antonio Smareglia?


I guess this is serious?
So the Presto site says no.:tiphat:


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> I guess this is serious?
> So the Presto site says no.:tiphat:


Yes it is serious.
The first result that comes up when I search blind italian composer is Andrea Bocelli.
Andrea Bocelli sings excerpts from Italian operas. Antonio Smareglia composed Italian operas so why should Bocelli not have sung something from a Smareglia opera.


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> Yes it is serious.
> The first result that comes up when I search blind italian composer is Andrea Bocelli.
> Andrea Bocelli sings excerpts from Italian operas. Antonio Smareglia composed Italian operas so why should Bocelli not have sung something from a Smareglia opera.


I was very serious as _I take you serious_.
I use the presto sit for all those question so that's why my answer.
However if you really want to know, do try his website or the Universal website.:tiphat:


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> I was very serious as _I take you serious_.
> I use the presto sit for all those question so that's why my answer.
> However if you really want to know, do try his website or the Universal website.:tiphat:


It is not that important but it would be fun if he had.


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> It is not that important but it would be fun if he had.


I did the ground work, so have a go 

http://www.andreabocelli.com/album-discography/


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> I did the ground work, so have a go
> 
> http://www.andreabocelli.com/album-discography/


Nothing there.
Of course not a big surprise. Andrea Bocelli is more of a popular tunes singer than an opera singer.


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot has a sale on Renata Scotto = 60% off


----------



## Pugg

*Verdi on Decca / re-release CD*

Re-release by Decca








http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4789574


----------



## Pugg

*On The Mezzo Channel*

Wednesday
2 March at 20:30
on mezzo
Genre : Concert
_Length : 02:16:09
Director : Stéphane Verite
Next broadcasts
08/03 - 08h29 on mezzo
17/03 - 12h30 on mezzo
20/03 - 16h30 on mezzo
_

*I Capuleti e I Montecchi by Bellini at La Fenice*

Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro La Fenice, Omer Meir Wellber (Conductor)

Claudio Marino Moretti (Chorus Master)

Arnaud Bernard (Stage Direction)

Alessandro Camera (Sets), Fabio Barettin (Lighting), Maria Carla Ricotti (Costumes)

Jessica Pratt (Giulietta)Sonia Ganassi (Romeo)Rubén Amoretti (Capellio)Shalva Mukeria (Tebaldo)
Luca Dall'Amico (Lorenzo)

Recorded January 18th, 2015 at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice
Directed by Stéphane Vérité

Did someone see this one?


----------



## Pugg

*Five new projects from Opera Rara*

From the Presto site:



> by Katherine Cooper. 23rd February 2016
> 
> Opera Rara unveiled their plans for the next couple of years on Friday, at a lovely lunchtime launch at The Coliseum. Perhaps the biggest news of the day was, on the face of it, rather more mainstream than many of their undertakings: the prospect of a new Semiramide, due to be recorded in August with a concert-performance to follow at the Royal Albert Hall on 4th September...
> 
> Rossini's final Italian opera may make relatively regular appearances in the opera-house, but it's had comparatively few outings on record: it's now fifty years since Richard Bonynge's legendary recording with Joan Sutherland in the title-role and Marilyn Horne as her beloved/son Arsace on Decca. Elder believes that there is 'something to be said that has not been said before', and is preparing a new, uncut account of the score on period instruments (the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, no less) that will foreground 'the Classical style that the piece deserves'. His cast will include the Russian dramatic coloratura soprano Albina Shagimuratova (an internationally-acclaimed Queen of the Night) in the title-role, Daniela Barcellona as Arsace, Ildebrando D'Arcangelo as Assur, and Javier Camarena as Idreno.
> 
> But before Semiramide comes the first-ever studio recording of Bellini's first opera, Adelson e Salvini, which will be recorded in May with Lawrence Brownlee as Salvini, Simone Alberghini as Lord Adelson, Daniella Barcellona as Nelly, with Daniele Rustioni conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Written in 1825 as the composer's graduation-piece for the Naples Conservatory and extremely popular with his peers (though not performed professionally until the 1980s), the two-act 'opera semi-seria' owes much to the influence of Paisiello and Cimarosa as well as providing tantalising glimpses of Bellini's distinctive emerging voice. The recording will use the original version of Bellini's score in a new critical edition by Ricordi, with appendices also recorded, and a concert performance in London scheduled for 11th May.
> 
> Further down the line, February 2017 will see a recording of Gounod's 1858 opéra comique Le Médecin Malgré Lui, with the Hallé and rising young conductor Nicholas Collon (perhaps most familiar for his work with his own Aurora Orchestra, including a stunning off-copy Beethoven Pastoral at least year's Proms). Championed by Berlioz (who described it as 'Gounod at his best'), and based on a play by Molière, the work tells the story of a boorish woodcutter duped into acting as a physician for a young noblewoman who is feigning illness to delay marriage to an undesirable suitor - eventually to everyone's mutual advantage.
> 
> Elder and the OAE return in December 2017 to continue in the French vein with Offenbach's three-act opéra-bouffe La Princesse de Trébizonde (the only studio-recording of which is from 1956, in Russian!). Premiered in Baden-Baden in 1869 and later reworked for Paris audiences, the tale of a circus-performer's daughter who turns herself into a wax figure was initially very well received and much revived internationally during the 1870s, but has since fallen into obscurity. Donizetti's L'ange de Nisida (which Donizetti never saw performed due to the bankruptcy of the commissioning theatre company, but eventually reworked as La Favorite) will follow in July 2018, with Elder once again at the helm. Casting for these last three projects is still TBC - more details when we receive them!


----------



## sospiro

ENO chorus vote for strike action.

Very sad.


----------



## Sloe

ldiat said:


> just thought i would post it...hey they have the top ten best classical music. want me to post that also????


You mean this video were they say ride of the valkyries is the prelude to Die Walküre when it is the prelude to the third act.


----------



## Pugg

*Opera Paris 2016-2017 season*

https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/season-16-17/opera


----------



## Pugg

*On ten MEZZO Channel*

For those who can receive this channel, tune in, worth a watch :tiphat:
08/03 - 08h29 on mezzo
17/03 - 12h30 on mezzo
20/03 - 16h30 on mezzo
Central European time :tiphat:

*I Capuleti e i Montecchi, by Vincenzo Bellini*

Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro La Fenice, Omer Meir Wellber (Conductor)

Claudio Marino Moretti (Chorus Master)

Arnaud Bernard (Stage Direction)

Alessandro Camera (Sets), Fabio Barettin (Lighting), Maria Carla Ricotti (Costumes)

Jessica Pratt (Giulietta)

Sonia Ganassi (Romeo)

Rubén Amoretti (Capellio)

Shalva Mukeria (Tebaldo)

Luca Dall'Amico (Lorenzo)

Recorded January 18th, 2015 at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice

Directed by Stéphane Vérité


----------



## Pugg

Pugg said:


> For those who can receive this channel, tune in, worth a watch :tiphat:
> 08/03 - 08h29 on mezzo
> 17/03 - 12h30 on mezzo
> 20/03 - 16h30 on mezzo
> Central European time :tiphat:
> 
> *I Capuleti e i Montecchi, by Vincenzo Bellini*
> 
> Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro La Fenice, Omer Meir Wellber (Conductor)
> 
> Claudio Marino Moretti (Chorus Master)
> 
> Arnaud Bernard (Stage Direction)
> 
> Alessandro Camera (Sets), Fabio Barettin (Lighting), Maria Carla Ricotti (Costumes)
> 
> Jessica Pratt (Giulietta)
> 
> Sonia Ganassi (Romeo)
> 
> Rubén Amoretti (Capellio)
> 
> Shalva Mukeria (Tebaldo)
> 
> Luca Dall'Amico (Lorenzo)
> 
> Recorded January 18th, 2015 at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice
> 
> Directed by Stéphane Vérité


Link to some pic's

https://www.google.nl/search?q=I+Ca...KEwivuNWx0LDLAhVIuhoKHTCsCYcQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=_
Recording it now 
Not sure of the whole is on You tube but parts are :tiphat:


----------



## Pugg

> Link to some pic's
> 
> https://www.google.nl/search?q=I+Cap...UIBygC#imgrc=_
> Recording it now
> Not sure of the whole is on You tube but parts are


Did you find it on You tube Sospiro?


----------



## Pugg

*I have tickets for June 01.*

http://www.operaballet.nl/nl/opera/2015-2016/voorstelling/jubileumconcert:tiphat:


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> Did you find it on You tube Sospiro?




No I couldn't find it


----------



## Diminuendo

I found an old review of my B&W speakers from 1985. It says in the review that "John Bowers` design philosophy, and B&W`s hallmark, is the accurate reproduction of the male tenor voice.". No wonder tenors sounded so good


----------



## The Conte

Diminuendo said:


> I found an old review of my B&W speakers from 1985. It says in the review that "John Bowers` design philosophy, and B&W`s hallmark, is the accurate reproduction of the male tenor voice.". No wonder tenors sounded so good


Darn I got the wrong speakers!

Who does the best ones for Sopranos?

N.


----------



## Pugg

The Conte said:


> Darn I got the wrong speakers!
> 
> Who does the best ones for Sopranos?
> 
> N.


Perhaps this will help Conte 

http://www.talkclassical.com/hi-fi/


----------



## Belowpar

Sadly Peter Moores has died. I knew a lot about him but didn't realise he went all the way back to helping Joan Sutherland and Colin Davis get started.

His passion and vision touched all of us here.

Thank you Peter . RIP

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/12203676/Sir-Peter-Moores-obituary.html


----------



## Pugg

For U.K viewers and others who can receive BBC Four: Sunday night http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0760gxs
The passion, not with "pop" music but opera parts.:tiphat:

Extra info added : performers are homeless people


----------



## sospiro

This report seems to suggest Kaufmann has lung cancer.

http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1883426-el-gran-tenor-jonas-kaufmann-tiene-un-serio-problema-de-salud

Update of sorts. A link to the same news report.

http://parterre.com/2016/03/27/kaufmann-out-through-2017/


----------



## Nevilevelis

sospiro said:


> This report seems to suggest Kaufmann has lung cancer.
> 
> http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1883426-el-gran-tenor-jonas-kaufmann-tiene-un-serio-problema-de-salud
> 
> Update of sorts. A link to the same news report.
> 
> http://parterre.com/2016/03/27/kaufmann-out-through-2017/


According to his official website this is completely untrue. http://www.jonaskaufmann.com/en/

I suppose we should wait to see what Norman Lebrecht says (NOT! ), but for now, I'm content to believe Jonas's website.


----------



## Pugg

Nevilevelis said:


> According to his official website this is completely untrue. http://www.jonaskaufmann.com/en/
> 
> I suppose we should wait to see what Norman Lebrecht says (NOT! ), but for now, I'm content to believe Jonas's website.


Me too, the man stands hands down on top at the moment :tiphat:


----------



## Pugg

*Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Kaufmann und Bryn Terfel in "Tosca"
*

The April series of Tosca is expected by the audience eagerly with Angela Gheorghiu in the title role and Jonas Kaufmann as Cavaradossi and Bryn Terfel as Scarpia. It conducts: Mikko Franck.

Giacomo Puccini
Tosca
9., 16. April 2016

*Since both show are sold out already for a long time, you have the opportunity to see Tosca live at home: the performance on April 16 will be transmitted on staatsoperlive.com.
*


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> *Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Kaufmann und Bryn Terfel in "Tosca"
> *
> 
> The April series of Tosca is expected by the audience eagerly with Angela Gheorghiu in the title role and Jonas Kaufmann as Cavaradossi and Bryn Terfel as Scarpia. It conducts: Mikko Franck.
> 
> Giacomo Puccini
> Tosca
> 9., 16. April 2016
> 
> *Since both show are sold out already for a long time, you have the opportunity to see Tosca live at home: the performance on April 16 will be transmitted on staatsoperlive.com.
> *


Is this from Vienna?


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Is this from Vienna?


Yes dear Sospiro :tiphat:


----------



## Belowpar

Hard to believe this issue isn't fully assessed by todays orchestra's?

Whatever the cause he is now in a miserable position.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35938704


----------



## Pugg

*From La Scala Newsletter*

*April brings the debuts of new productions at La Scala.*

From 3 April to 7 May the theatre will be staging *La cena delle beffe*, the opera by Umberto Giordano based on the successful play by Sem Benelli. The show returns to La Scala more than 90 years after its first performance and it marks an important step in both the sphere of rediscovering the verismo repertoire and in the process - which began with Giovanna d'Arco conducted by Chailly - aimed at bringing back to the stage operas whose first performances were in this very Theatre. A cycle of screenings, encounters and in-depth analyses will be held during the period of the performances. The new production will feature Carlo Rizzi on the podium, it will be directed by Mario Martone with sets by Margherita Palli, and it is guaranteed to transport the public to a thrilling Little Italy of the 1920s.


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> Hard to believe this issue isn't fully assessed by todays orchestra's?
> 
> Whatever the cause he is now in a miserable position.
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35938704


I saw that and thought the same. Poor guy and it doesn't look like he'll get any compensation.

It says in the ROH magazine, on the seating plan and prices page:



> It has become necessary to take off sale both sides of the Stalls Circle closest to the stage to protect the wellbeing of members of the Orchestra. Occasionally, some of these seats may become available for sale at a later stage once rehearsals have started, which will allow us to assess the noise levels.


I wonder if this case caused them to do this.


----------



## Pugg

*Source Royal Opera House*

*The Importance of Being Earnest*

Free live stream on Saturday 2 April at 7.25pm (BST)

If you couldn't get tickets or want to see it again - the chance is here as we bring you The Importance of Being Earnest live and for free on the Royal Opera House YouTube Channel.

After a sell-out run at the Linbury Studio Theatre in 2013, The Royal Opera has taken Ramin Gray's production of The Importance of Being Earnest to the Barbican and now online.

Oscar Wilde's great comedy is refashioned in a suitably bold and bonkers way by Gerald Barry in this acclaimed operatic version. The plot alone is packed with comic potential. Jack and his friend Algernon are in a pickle: they love Gwendolen and Cecily, but there is confusion over who is called Earnest - a name of which both girls are very fond. The comedy unfurls through a wonderfully idiosyncratic score of virtuoso orchestral colour, giddy with cucumber sandwiches, smashed plates and megaphones.

Gray's production is surprising and inventive as it delights in the opera's kaleidoscope of music and manners. For the anarchic-at-heart, this is definitely a must-see.

So join us online on Saturday 2 April at 7.25pm (BST).

The live stream of The Importance of Being Earnest is delivered in association with BBC Arts. The performance will be available to watch shortly after the live stream on the BBC Arts online page and the ROH website for 30 days.


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> *The Importance of Being Earnest*
> 
> Free live stream on Saturday 2 April at 7.25pm (BST)
> 
> If you couldn't get tickets or want to see it again - the chance is here as we bring you The Importance of Being Earnest live and for free on the Royal Opera House YouTube Channel.
> 
> After a sell-out run at the Linbury Studio Theatre in 2013, The Royal Opera has taken Ramin Gray's production of The Importance of Being Earnest to the Barbican and now online.
> 
> Oscar Wilde's great comedy is refashioned in a suitably bold and bonkers way by Gerald Barry in this acclaimed operatic version. The plot alone is packed with comic potential. Jack and his friend Algernon are in a pickle: they love Gwendolen and Cecily, but there is confusion over who is called Earnest - a name of which both girls are very fond. The comedy unfurls through a wonderfully idiosyncratic score of virtuoso orchestral colour, giddy with cucumber sandwiches, smashed plates and megaphones.
> 
> Gray's production is surprising and inventive as it delights in the opera's kaleidoscope of music and manners. For the anarchic-at-heart, this is definitely a must-see.
> 
> So join us online on Saturday 2 April at 7.25pm (BST).
> 
> The live stream of The Importance of Being Earnest is delivered in association with BBC Arts. The performance will be available to watch shortly after the live stream on the BBC Arts online page and the ROH website for 30 days.




http://www.talkclassical.com/12314-streaming-media-19.html#post1045601


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> http://www.talkclassical.com/12314-streaming-media-19.html#post1045601


This is my punishment


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> This is my punishment


:kiss:

You are forgiven!!


----------



## Belowpar

The Olivier Awards are the Premier London Theatre annual gongs! 

Presented last night there were two Opera awards.




Best New Opera Production

Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci at Royal Opera House - WINNER

Morgan Und Abend at Royal Opera House

The Force of Destiny at London Coliseum



Outstanding Achievement in Opera

English National Opera chorus and orchestra for The Force of Destiny, Lady Macbeth of Mtensk and The Queen of Spades at London Coliseum - WINNER

Felicity Palmer for The Queen of Spades at London Coliseum

Antonio Pappano for his conducting of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Guillaume Tell and Krol Roger at Royal Opera House

Tamara Wilson for The Force of Destiny at London Coliseum


----------



## sospiro

Think you can do better than Kasper Holten?

Apply here


----------



## Belowpar

sospiro said:


> Think you can do better than Kasper Holten?
> 
> Apply here


Sorry but how can one exist in London on such a starting salary?:devil:

"the amount paid to the Music Director Sir Antonio Pappano and the Director of Opera Kasper Holten, as revealed in the annual report for 2013-14: Pappano earned £104,000 as Music Director, and £435,000 for conducting some twenty-six performances in the 2013-14 season: a total of £539,000. Holten earned £228,000 as Director of Opera, and £58,000 for directing two productions for the Royal Opera: a total of £287,000. Both men also work extensively elsewhere, thanks to contracts which allow them considerable leaves of absence." Source Daily Telegraph

Still at least you get free tickets to Opening night.


----------



## Don Fatale

Belowpar said:


> The Olivier Awards are the Premier London Theatre annual gongs!
> Presented last night there were two Opera awards.
> Best New Opera Production
> Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci at Royal Opera House - WINNER
> Morgan Und Abend at Royal Opera House
> The Force of Destiny at London Coliseum
> Outstanding Achievement in Opera
> English National Opera chorus and orchestra for The Force of Destiny, Lady Macbeth of Mtensk and The Queen of Spades at London Coliseum - WINNER
> Felicity Palmer for The Queen of Spades at London Coliseum
> Antonio Pappano for his conducting of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Guillaume Tell and Krol Roger at Royal Opera House
> Tamara Wilson for The Force of Destiny at London Coliseum


This one is like the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Hard to get excited about.


----------



## Don Fatale

Belowpar said:


> Sorry but how can one exist in London on such a starting salary?:devil:
> 
> "the amount paid to the Music Director Sir Antonio Pappano and the Director of Opera Kasper Holten, as revealed in the annual report for 2013-14: Pappano earned £104,000 as Music Director, and £435,000 for conducting some twenty-six performances in the 2013-14 season: a total of £539,000. Holten earned £228,000 as Director of Opera, and £58,000 for directing two productions for the Royal Opera: a total of £287,000. Both men also work extensively elsewhere, thanks to contracts which allow them considerable leaves of absence." Source Daily Telegraph
> 
> Still at least you get free tickets to Opening night.


Yes, you devil you! A meagre salary indeed. But at least they get free opera tickets, and for their friends too, no doubt!

I don't wish anyone to live in penury, but to make a good living in the world of the (heavily subsided) arts is a privilege compared to other occupations.

For Monty Python fans (new and old)


----------



## Don Fatale

Pappano earned £104,000 as Music Director, and £435,000 for conducting some twenty-six performances in the 2013-14 season: 

Don't get me wrong. He's a good conductor, but I see and hear many over the course of a year.

£16731 per performance! In my world, this is insane. I know everyone here is now going to say he can earn much more elsewhere.


----------



## Becca

Don Fatale said:


> Pappano earned £104,000 as Music Director, and £435,000 for conducting some twenty-six performances in the 2013-14 season:
> 
> Don't get me wrong. He's a good conductor, but I see and hear many over the course of a year.
> 
> £16731 per performance! In my world, this is insane. I know everyone here is now going to say he can earn much more elsewhere.


That is per performance. If you figure it out in terms of per hour when you factor in all the unpaid rehearsal time, it then seems more reasonable.


----------



## sospiro

Some interesting comments by Bachtrack on Directors of Opera and what their remit should be.

https://bachtrack.com/opinion-millepied-paris-holten-london-artistic-directors


----------



## Pugg

*VIenna State Oprea 16-17*

Vienna State Opera 2016-2017

http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node/home/aktuelles/neuigkeiten/Spielplan_16-17.de.php


----------



## DavidA

Don Fatale said:


> Pappano earned £104,000 as Music Director, and £435,000 for conducting some twenty-six performances in the 2013-14 season:
> 
> Don't get me wrong. He's a good conductor, but I see and hear many over the course of a year.
> 
> £16731 per performance! In my world, this is insane. I know everyone here is now going to say he can earn much more elsewhere.


Then they appeal for funds for sponsoring opera!


----------



## Don Fatale

Here's a little Wagner quiz I came across today.


----------



## Woodduck

Don Fatale said:


> Here's a little Wagner quiz I came across today.
> 
> View attachment 83465


This is going to be tough. 

OK, here goes:

1. Walkure (Brunnhilde)
2. Hollander (the sailors)
3. Tristan (the sailors)
4. Hollander (Senta's ballad)
5. Hollander (?)
6. Hollander (the Dutchman's crew)
7.-9. Rheingold (Rhinemaidens)
10. Rheingold (Donner)


----------



## mountmccabe

I saw this a couple weeks ago and ended up making a Spotify playlist of my answers. I got the same ones:

1. Brünnhilde in act 2, scene 1.
2. Norwegian sailors, act 1, scene 1
3. Crew of Tristan's ship, act 1, scene 5.
4. Senta, act 2, scene 1
5. Norwegian sailors, act 3, scene 1
6. Dutchman sailors, act 3, scene 1
7. Woglinde, scene 1
8. The three Rheinmaidens, scene 1
9. The three Rheinmaidens, scene 1
10. Donner, scene 4

Part of me was disappointed that there weren't parts from other operas but I also couldn't think of anything that would fit. And, as it was, I had thought #3 was also from Dutchman until someone brought up Tristan.


----------



## Don Fatale

Ah! But who is the guy in the picture?


----------



## SixFootScowl

Don Fatale said:


> Ah! But who is the guy in the picture?


The Hollander perhaps?


----------



## Pugg

*Tomorrow night: Live From the Metropolitan Opera in HD; Roberto Devereux!
*

Don't miss the Live in HD performance of Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, the Met's acclaimed new production starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Elīna Garanča, Matthew Polenzani, and Mariusz Kwiecien, this Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 12:55pm ET at your local cinema.

"Electrifying… opera audiences crave glamour, and director David McVicar doesn't stint." - New York Magazine

"An ideal cast… a triumph for Sondra Radvanovsky… Matthew Polenzani excels in the title role… Mariusz Kwiecien [sings] with soaring lyricism… it is true luxury casting to have the great Elīna Garanča." - The New York Times

Radvanovsky gives "a bravura performance… she should not be missed."
- Huffington Post


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> *Tomorrow night: Live From the Metropolitan Opera in HD; Roberto Devereux!
> *
> 
> Don't miss the Live in HD performance of Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, the Met's acclaimed new production starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Elīna Garanča, Matthew Polenzani, and Mariusz Kwiecien, this Saturday, April 16, 2016 at 12:55pm ET at your local cinema.
> 
> "Electrifying… opera audiences crave glamour, and director David McVicar doesn't stint." - New York Magazine
> 
> "An ideal cast… a triumph for Sondra Radvanovsky… Matthew Polenzani excels in the title role… Mariusz Kwiecien [sings] with soaring lyricism… it is true luxury casting to have the great Elīna Garanča." - The New York Times
> 
> Radvanovsky gives "a bravura performance… she should not be missed."
> - Huffington Post


Hope to be there. Well, at the broadcast!


----------



## Pugg

I just received a e-mail from my cinema, prices go up €10.00 each performance.
That is ridiculous


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> I just received a e-mail from my cinema, prices go up €10.00 each performance.
> That is ridiculous


Should put people off going.


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> Should put people off going.


Indeed, seeing the program contains 5 repeats


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> Indeed, seeing the program contains 5 repeats


Our cinema hasn't put the price up.


----------



## Pugg

*New York City Opera* has returned! On January 20th, just eight days after the conclusion of a two-year bankruptcy process, the lights went up at Jazz at Lincoln Center on a new, City Opera production of Tosca. This historic performance was a triumph; the palpable energy and rousing ovations confirmed that City Opera still holds an essential place in New York's cultural scene. Our new venue, the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center, welcomed our patrons to a grand yet intimate setting with ideal acoustics, comfortable seats, and easy access to Time Warner Center's many amenities.

Thanks to multi-million-dollar gifts from our new Board and generous bequests from the estates of Pierre DeMenasce and others, City Opera is once again on solid financial ground and returns to its founding mission of producing innovative and theatrically compelling opera, nurturing the work of promising American artists, and building new audiences through affordable tickets and outreach programs. Upcoming seasons feature groundbreaking premieres, and also showcase the extraordinary range of opera's history, from cutting-edge, intimate chamber works to grand productions of familiar classics. As the People's Opera, we are committed to engaging all New Yorkers through performances at the Rose Theater, in the parks, and at unexpected venues around the City.

Soon we will unveil new membership and patron programs offering advanced ticketing, access to the best seats in the house, invitations to special events, and passes to select rehearsals, auditions, and backstage happenings. These benefits are designed to thank you for playing a starring role in helping City Opera thrive. 
Our diverse, six-production 2016-2017 season will be announced soon. We hope to see you at our upcoming performances this spring, and at many more in the years to come!


----------



## DavidA

Death of soprano Elsie Morison.

http://slippedisc.com/2016/04/maestros-soprano-wife-has-died/


----------



## sospiro

Live video of last night's Tosca from Vienna Staatsoper was streamed (subscription) but the audio was also streamed on various sites.

After "E lucevan le stelle" the applause lasted for about five minutes and then Kaufmann sang an encore. Then they lost the soprano! Kaufmann is heard to say "Non abbiamo il soprano" Laughter follows. Don't know why she missed her cue and I'm trying to find more information.

There's an audio stream here.

Tosca - Angela Gheorghiu
Cavaradossi - Jonas Kaufmann
Scarpia - Bryn Terfel
Conductor - Jesús López Cobos


----------



## Sloe

sospiro said:


> Live video of last night's Tosca from Vienna Staatsoper was streamed (subscription) but the audio was also streamed on various sites.
> 
> After "E lucevan le stelle" the applause lasted for about five minutes and then Kaufmann sang an encore. Then they lost the soprano! Kaufmann is heard to say "Non abbiamo il soprano" Laughter follows. Don't know why she missed her cue and I'm trying to find more information.
> 
> There's an audio stream here.
> 
> Tosca - Angela Gheorghiu
> Cavaradossi - Jonas Kaufmann
> Scarpia - Bryn Terfel
> Conductor - Jesús López Cobos


I am listening to it now it was on radio yesterday but I was away seeing opera in real life then.


----------



## sospiro

A question for members in The Netherlands. Have you been to a performance by Nederlandse Reisopera? Are they a good company?

I saw this about _Der Kaiser von Atlantis_ which is an opera I've never heard of and I'm fascinated.


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> A question for members in The Netherlands. Have you been to a performance by Nederlandse Reisopera? Are they a good company?
> 
> I saw this about _Der Kaiser von Atlantis_ which is an opera I've never heard of and I'm fascinated.


I never see a performance live, however they have a kind of relationship with: BravaNL.
That's a Dutch classical ( semi commercial) broadcaster. I did record a few but as yo know by now, I am a traditionalist.
Never saved one, sorry. All performances are set in modern staging, but if you like that, worth you while.
Good voices.
I will look out if this is production is also broadcast


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> I never see a performance live, however they have a kind of relationship with: BravaNL.
> That's a Dutch classical ( semi commercial) broadcaster. I did record a few but as yo know by now, I am a traditionalist.
> Never saved one, sorry. All performances are set in modern staging, but if you like that, worth you while.
> Good voices.
> I will look out if this is production is also broadcast


Thank you!

I have been looking at other productions by Nederlandse Reisopera and there is a _Don Giovanni_ conducted by Julia Jones. I saw a performance of _Die Zauberflöte_ at ROH conducted by Ms. Jones and I thought she was excellent.


----------



## Pugg

*Opera Rara new recordings*

Don't know if anyone post this already....

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/inthestudio/1465/Five-new-projects-from-Opera-Rara


----------



## Don Fatale

The _Dubai Opera_ opens in September with Barber of Seville and (in a nod to Dubai's history) The Pearl Fishers.

https://dubaiopera.etixdubai.com/default.aspx

Seems like a multi-purpose concert hall which will occasionally feature a touring opera company. This time it's Trieste's.

Perhaps I now have a reason to visit Dubai, but will wait to see if it can combine with Muscat in Oman, where the opera house and city is apparently much more tasteful.


----------



## sospiro

Q. When is a counter tenor not a counter tenor?
A. When he's a mezzo-soprano.

Proof (Iestyn Davies)


----------



## Pugg

I just got a e-mail from Pathé , the cinema we are going.
They are so shrewd, for the first time we can get a subscription, buy 10 pay 9.
So I suppose they had more complaints about the price increase.


----------



## Pugg

Our national Opera is voted best Opera in the world .

http://www.operaballet.nl/nl/opera/opera?gclid=CPO5lMjp3cwCFcFAGwodq7wKcQ

I suspect that in the land of the blind , one eye reigns


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> Our national Opera is voted best Opera in the world .
> 
> http://www.operaballet.nl/nl/opera/opera?gclid=CPO5lMjp3cwCFcFAGwodq7wKcQ
> 
> I suspect that in the land of the blind , one eye reigns


Why do you say that?


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Why do you say that?


You know my opinion on the " régie theatre " by now I suppose


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> You know my opinion on the " régie theatre " by now I suppose


Ah yes I see what you mean, but not all the productions are 'regie'.

Of the ones I've seen, this was brilliant










and so was _The Gambler_ but I was disappointed with _Macbeth_.


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Ah yes I see what you mean, but not all the productions are 'regie'.
> 
> Of the ones I've seen, this was brilliant
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and so was _The Gambler_ but I was disappointed with _Macbeth_.


The statement made by Pierre Audi made my skin crawl, he praised_ the dare to invent _(as if they had another choice.)
When he got the post he made it quiet sure that there was no place place for "stars" any more.
I get it, that he want to do something different but, he made everything about his own taste, that's what bothers me .


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> The statement made by Pierre Audi made my skin crawl, he praised_ the dare to invent _(as if they had another choice.)
> When he got the post he made it quiet sure that there was no place place for "stars" any more.
> I get it, that he want to do something different but, he made everything about his own taste, that's what bothers me.




Oh dear. I didn't know.

Update: From Twitter

"This award empowers us to lead by example and inspires us to keep creating challenging work that proves that opera matters!" - Pierre Audi


----------



## Samuel Kristopher

Hey guys, I just managed to get a whole bunch of Mussorgsky's Operas off a friend who didn't give me any definite time limit to return them. I'm excited because I haven't really listened to this composer before but I know how important he is to Russian music. 

Any tips on what to start with and how I should prepare myself before sitting down to watch (beside the obvious having a libretto on hand). I understand Boris Godunov is his most well-known - should I start with that?


----------



## SixFootScowl

Samuel Kristopher said:


> Hey guys, I just managed to get a whole bunch of Mussorgsky's Operas off a friend who didn't give me any definite time limit to return them. I'm excited because I haven't really listened to this composer before but I know how important he is to Russian music.
> 
> Any tips on what to start with and how I should prepare myself before sitting down to watch (beside the obvious having a libretto on hand). I understand Boris Godunov is his most well-known - should I start with that?


I would recommend reading a synopsis, which may be included with the DVD or can be pulled up from Wikipedia or other sites. Then simply watch the opera with the English subtitles turned on. Reading the whole libretto ahead of watching the opera is beneficial though time consuming. Many librettos are available free online.

Can't tell you what Opera to start with as I only have ever seen Boris of Mussorgsky's operas, but I suppose Boris is as good a starting point as any.


----------



## Samuel Kristopher

Thanks, I'll do that


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


> I would recommend reading a synopsis, which may be included with the DVD or can be pulled up from Wikipedia or other sites. Then simply watch the opera with the English subtitles turned on. Reading the whole libretto ahead of watching the opera is beneficial though time consuming. Many librettos are available free online.
> 
> Can't tell you what Opera to start with as I only have ever seen Boris of Mussorgsky's operas, but I suppose Boris is as good a starting point as any.


Florestan mate you becoming expert :tiphat:


----------



## Pugg

what the f#ck, double post sorry


----------



## Belowpar

London has a new Opera. I enjoyed Jerry Springer the Opera but not sure I'll be watching this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/sex-workers-opera-is-set-to-take-london-by-storm/


----------



## sospiro

New broom at Glyndebourne ...


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> New broom at Glyndebourne ...
> 
> View attachment 84727


Sounds ominous


----------



## The Conte

Belowpar said:


> London has a new Opera. I enjoyed Jerry Springer the Opera but not sure I'll be watching this.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/sex-workers-opera-is-set-to-take-london-by-storm/


Why not? No genuinely, why not? Don't like the idea of different musical genres in one piece, think it glamorises the sex industry or you don't like social theatre? Or something else?

N.


----------



## Pugg

Sospiro, check this out : male singer from my country 

http://www.thomasoliemans.info/


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> Sospiro, check this out : male singer from my country
> 
> http://www.thomasoliemans.info/


Oooh, nice. Always interested in baritones, thank you!

My evening sorted.


----------



## Belowpar

The Conte said:


> Why not? No genuinely, why not? Don't like the idea of different musical genres in one piece, think it glamorises the sex industry or you don't like social theatre? Or something else?
> 
> N.


HI N.

Itsa fari Question.

As far as I'm concerned no subject is off limits but I think you hit the right spot with the comment about different muscial styles. If I want competant composing I feel I'm much less likely to hear it where there is a complete mish mash of styles. And I am profoundly out of stepstep with modern styles. Since the mid 70's the values that have been upper most in popular music are the least interesting to me. e.g. the prevalence of the Rhythm track e.g. Hip hop.

To each his own. If its well reviewed, a la "Springer", I might reconsider.


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Oooh, nice. Always interested in baritones, thank you!
> 
> My evening sorted.


I saw him doing Mahler on Brava.TV and it was stunning, glad you like it :tiphat:


----------



## sospiro

This week, Glyndebourne's new Director, Sebastian Schwarz, is blogging for the Financial Times.

Day 1


----------



## Belowpar

There's no getting away from it, Opera has always had this kind of thing going on.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/...ds-the-stars-at-opening-of-la-traviata---the/


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> There's no getting away from it, Opera has always had this kind of thing going on.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/...ds-the-stars-at-opening-of-la-traviata---the/


It's great that people like this are going to see opera. The more publicity the better.


----------



## Pugg

For U.S.A Renée Fleming fans....

See* Renée sing live on PBS, this Sunday *

In observance of Memorial Day, Renée Fleming joins the Beach Boys, Trace Adkins, American Idol winner Trent Harmon, and other stars to honor our fallen heroes in The National Memorial Day Concert, telecast from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

Renée will sing with the National Symphony Orchestra and singers of the combined U.S. military choruses, including the U.S. Army Chorus, U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters, U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants, and the Soldiers Chorus. Sunday, 8:00 pm/7:00 central on PBS. Check local listings.


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot has a 50 % sale on Memorial day weekend .


----------



## Pugg

Remembering Elena Souliotis birthday today May 27th 1943.


----------



## TxllxT

Yesterday St Petersburg celebrated its city anniversary with Netrebko singing to a packed Palace square: So many people! Netrebko wore a plasticky dress that reminded me of our dustbin...


----------



## sospiro

TxllxT said:


> Yesterday St Petersburg celebrated its city anniversary with Netrebko singing to a packed Palace square: So many people! Netrebko wore a plasticky dress that reminded me of our dustbin...


:lol:

Netrebko has a 'distinctive' style. (Is this it? With Mr Trebs?)






Definitely 'distinctive'


----------



## sospiro

Trebs new CD (when she and Pappano were still speaking) 










Available in UK from 02 September 2016


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Trebs new CD (when she and Pappano were still speaking)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Available in UK from 02 September 2016


What's that cover all about ?


----------



## DavidA

sospiro said:


> Trebs new CD (when she and Pappano were still speaking)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Available in UK from 02 September 2016


Verismo in an outfit like that?


----------



## Pugg

Special for the Amsterdam Opera lovers:

*On Monday, June 6, from 12:00 hours the start of ticket sales for Le nozze di Figaro, Manon Lescaut and Jephtha. Cards can be ordered at the counter, online or by phone (020 625 5455).*


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> Special for the Amsterdam Opera lovers:
> 
> *On Monday, June 6, from 12:00 hours the start of ticket sales for Le nozze di Figaro, Manon Lescaut and Jephtha. Cards can be ordered at the counter, online or by phone (020 625 5455).*












Yay!!

I shall be ready with my finger poised on the 'buy ticket' button!!


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Yay!!
> 
> I shall be ready with my finger poised on the 'buy ticket' button!!


Remember the time difference Sospiro, I forgot to change that


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> Remember the time difference Sospiro, I forgot to change that


Yep! 11.00 UK time.


----------



## sospiro

In case you haven't guessed, I got the tickets I wanted for Manon Lescaut!


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> In case you haven't guessed, I got the tickets I wanted for Manon Lescaut!


I actually watch the clock at 12.00 and my thoughts : someone is on speed dial


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> I actually watch the clock at 12.00 and my thoughts : someone is on speed dial


Excellent booking system at DNO. It's never let me down yet.


----------



## Pugg

Phyllis Curtin died.

Phyllis Curtin (December 3, 1921 - June 4, 2016[1]) was an American classical soprano who had an active career in operas and concerts from the early 1950s through the 1980s. She was known for her creation of new roles such as the title role in the Carlisle Floyd opera Susannah, Catherine Earnshaw in Floyd's Wuthering Heights, and in other works by this composer.[2] She was a dedicated song recitalist and retired from singing in 1984. She was named Boston University's Dean Emerita, College of Fine Arts in 1991.


----------



## Pugg

*Happy Birthday Leontyne Price*










*Happy Birthday Leontyne Price*
89 Today :tiphat:


----------



## Pugg

*Mail from R.O.H*

Get ready for some incredible opera in the shape of Nabucco with Plácido Domingo in the title role on Thursday 9 June from 7pm, with the curtain up at 7.30pm.

The best bit is we are bringing it directly to you - as we will be streaming the entire performance live on the Royal Opera House YouTube channel. And to make this even more special - the performance will also be available free of charge for a 30-day catch-up.

Nabucco

The Royal Opera | Guiseppe Verdi

With pre-performance screening from 7pm

A tyrannical king goes mad after declaring that he is a god, while an enslaved people long for freedom and their homeland, and a vengeful princess stages a coup. Verdi's biblical epic contains one of his biggest hits - the moving 'Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves' - among many other treats. Join us as Plácido Domingo takes the title role in The Royal Opera's powerful production of Verdi's epic early opera Nabucco. Make sure you check the BP Big Screen pages of our website for surprise extras closer to the screening.

Find a screening near you

FREENABUCCO for Nabucco

Thursday 9 June at 7.30pm


----------



## Barbebleu

Pugg said:


> Phyllis Curtin died.
> 
> Phyllis Curtin (December 3, 1921 - June 4, 2016[1]) was an American classical soprano who had an active career in operas and concerts from the early 1950s through the 1980s. She was known for her creation of new roles such as the title role in the Carlisle Floyd opera Susannah, Catherine Earnshaw in Floyd's Wuthering Heights, and in other works by this composer.[2] She was a dedicated song recitalist and retired from singing in 1984. She was named Boston University's Dean Emerita, College of Fine Arts in 1991.


Free Phyllis Curtin download on operadepot.


----------



## Pugg

schigolch attended us to a Spanish magazine in a other topic.
Look at this pic from "stars"from the past"


----------



## Belowpar

Just seen in todays TV listing

Tonight BBC 4 7pm Cav and Pag recorded at ROH.

For some reason they are listing it as Papano's Italian Double Bill C&P. 

(The things you have to do to keep some people happy. )


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> Just seen in todays TV listing
> 
> Tonight BBC 4 7pm Cav and Pag recorded at ROH.
> 
> For some reason they are listing it as Papano's Italian Double Bill C&P.
> 
> (The things you have to do to keep some people happy. )


I always forget to check that channel


----------



## Belowpar

Not sure which parts of the world it can be accessed from but its availlable to watch again for next 29 days.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...bill-at-the-royal-opera-house?suggid=b07g8nrm


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> Not sure which parts of the world it can be accessed from but its availlable to watch again for next 29 days.
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...bill-at-the-royal-opera-house?suggid=b07g8nrm


Thank you Belowpar, alas not working on this site of the pond.


----------



## DavidA

A tribute to the late Alberto Remedios

http://seenandheard-international.com/2016/06/r-i-p-in-memoriam-alberto-remedios-cbe-1935-2016/


----------



## Pugg

For those who can receive the Mezzo channel: Monday June 20 ( and more repeats to come)

*La Traviata by Verdi in Fontainebleau

La Traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi*

Music Booking Orchestra, Benjamin Pionnier (Conductor)

Opéra en Plein Air Chorus

Arielle Dombasle (Stage Direction)

Vincent Darré (Sets and costumes), Vincent Mongourdin (Lighting), Rémy Yadan (Choreography)

Sébastien Peyrucq, Diane Regneault (Danceurs)

Ecole de danse AID

Gabrielle Philiponet (Violetta)

Samy Camps (Alfredo)

Paolo Ruggiero (Germont)

Carlos Natale (Gastone)

Marie Kalinine (Flora)

Anna Destraël (Annina)

Yuri Kissin (Le Baron Douphol)

Benjamin Mayenobe (Marquis d'Obigny / Docteur Grenvil)

Recorded on September 19 2015 at the Château de Fontainebleau

Directed by Franck Chaudemanche

_Anyone info about it?_


----------



## BaritoneAssoluto

Anyone know where I could a vocal score of Bellini's I Puritani? I want to start looking at the bass and baritone roles. Riccardo is prime Baritone repertory but Giorgio looks amazing as well.


----------



## mountmccabe

BaritoneAssoluto said:


> Anyone know where I could a vocal score of Bellini's I Puritani? I want to start looking at the bass and baritone roles. Riccardo is prime Baritone repertory but Giorgio looks amazing as well.


IMSLP has a couple different editions of piano/vocal score.


----------



## Pugg

*Wednesday June 29 2016*

*Soprano 
Eva-Maria Westbroek*
Dirigent 
Marc Albrecht
Mise-en-espace 
Pierre Audi
Decor en kostuums 
Christof Hetzer
Licht 
Bernd Purkrabek
Video 
FettFilm (Momme Hinrichs and Torge Møller)
Broadcast later on Natioal Television
Orkest ; Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest

Richard Wagner  
Ouverture Rienzi
Hector Berlioz 
Scène van Didon uit Les Troyens
"Va, ma soeur… Dieux immortels!... Je vais mourir…. Adieu, fière cite"

interval :

Richard Strauss 
Tanz der sieben Schleier
Salomes Schlussgesang


----------



## Pugg

I've got a e-mail from the Cinema, they do 4 reprises 
Tosca/ La Boheme / L'Elisir d'Amore and Cosi fan tute.
Monday night €17.50 .

I hear you think....the problem? 
Well ,last year we could see the same on a Sunday morning for € 12,50


----------



## jackhelbig

*New Translation of The Merry Widow*

My partner, Gregg Opelka, and I did our own translation of The Merry Widow a couple years ago. It has had a number of well received productions. I just completed putting it online in a website. I would relish any comments or suggestions.

http://www.newtranslationmerrywidow.com/


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> *La Traviata by Verdi in Fontainebleau
> 
> [/I]*


*

I think they should have staged Don Carlos instead.*


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> I think they should have staged Don Carlos instead.


That's a good suggestion, alas it was Traviata. 
Fun watching, if not, you missed nothing much.


----------



## Belowpar

Available until the 28th. Enjoy

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/wh...ra-rossini-the-barber-of-seville-live-stream/


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> Available until the 28th. Enjoy
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/wh...ra-rossini-the-barber-of-seville-live-stream/


Oooh thanks BP. I thought it was only streamed for one night.


----------



## Barbebleu

DavidA said:


> A tribute to the late Alberto Remedios
> 
> http://seenandheard-international.com/2016/06/r-i-p-in-memoriam-alberto-remedios-cbe-1935-2016/


Thanks for that DavidA. Two very nice tributes. A few weeks ago I finished listening to Meistersinger with Alberto Remedios as probably the most beautifully sung Walther I have heard in many a long time. It may well have been in English but who cares when the voice is as good as this.


----------



## Pugg

For those who collect Pearl records ;

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/promotion/pearl?k=8&w=Opera


----------



## Pugg

Remembering Anna Moffo birthday June 27-1937


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> Remembering Anna Moffo birthday June 27-1937


She was fabulous in her zenith. Pity she was worked so hard and ultimately destroyed her voice. Have her Gilda (under Solti) and Nannetta (under Karajan) and the Susanna (under Giulini). Wonderfully pure voice.


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> She was fabulous in her zenith. Pity she was worked so hard and ultimately destroyed her voice. Have her Gilda (under Solti) and Nannetta (under Karajan) and the Susanna (under Giulini). Wonderfully pure voice.


The Lucia and Traviata films are a joy to watch also. 
( Despite the bad sound recording)


----------



## Barbebleu

Next week BBC radio are broadcasting on Radio 3 all of Opera North's Ring Cycle starting with Rheingold on Tuesday(5th), Walkure on Wednesday(6th), Siegfried on Friday(8th) and concluding with Gotterdammerung on Sunday(10th).


----------



## sospiro

Trouble at t'mill aka Bayreuth. Andris Nelsons quits Bayreuth Festival.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/arts/music/andris-nelsons-parsifal-bayreuth-festival.html


----------



## DavidA

When I read reviews like this I can see why people stay away from modern productions of opera

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/02/a...=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article


----------



## JosefinaHW

sospiro said:


> Trouble at t'mill aka Bayreuth. Andris Nelsons quits Bayreuth Festival.
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/01/arts/music/andris-nelsons-parsifal-bayreuth-festival.html


Does anyone know if Andris Nelsons quit because he is ill or exhausted. I know the article doesn't hint at that but I just wanted to make sure.


----------



## sospiro

JosefinaHW said:


> Does anyone know if Andris Nelsons quit because he is ill or exhausted. I know the article doesn't hint at that but I just wanted to make sure.


There's more information here

http://slippedisc.com/2016/06/conductor-comes-last-at-bayreuth/

and here

http://slippedisc.com/2016/06/its-official-andrs-nelsons-quits-bayreuth/


----------



## JosefinaHW

sospiro said:


> There's more information here
> 
> http://slippedisc.com/2016/06/conductor-comes-last-at-bayreuth/
> 
> and here
> 
> http://slippedisc.com/2016/06/its-official-andrs-nelsons-quits-bayreuth/


I am very relieved. Thank you very much, Sospiro!


----------



## sospiro

Trebs cancels again

http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwope...ounces-Cast-Update-for-MANON-LESCAUT-20160701

Added comment from Norman Lebrecht

http://slippedisc.com/2016/07/anna-netrebko-has-peter-gelb-where-she-wants-him/


----------



## DavidA

As part of intensified security for this year’s Parsifal, the festival has banned seat cushions and handbags from the Festspielhaus. It is also asking patrons to arrived at east 45 minutes early for security checks.
Not only does the audience have to put up with the daft Eurotrash productions, they now come out with sore rears.


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> As part of intensified security for this year's Parsifal, the festival has banned seat cushions and handbags from the Festspielhaus. It is also asking patrons to arrived at east 45 minutes early for security checks.
> Not only does the audience have to put up with the daft Eurotrash productions, they now come out with sore rears.


Oh my goodness, I should be so lucky.


----------



## sospiro

Scandals in Bayreuth

In the paragraph about Jonathan Meese it says: " ... Saying that he would seek to raise the funds himself, Meese claimed aesthetic differences with the festival instead - in terms that cannot be quoted here."

I wonder what the _*terms which cannot be quoted here*_ were and why they couldn't be quoted? Offensive language maybe?


[with thanks to JF for link]


----------



## Belowpar

Sadly I doubt I'll have the time because I'd love to see this. Free stream for a week from tomorrow.

Glyndebourne production of Meistersingers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/wh...istersinger-von-nrnberg-on-the-telegraph-web/


----------



## DavidA

Belowpar said:


> Sadly I doubt I'll have the time because I'd love to see this. Free stream for a week from tomorrow.
> 
> Glyndebourne production of Meistersingers.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/wh...istersinger-von-nrnberg-on-the-telegraph-web/


Many thanks for the tip off. I was hoping to see it at the cinema broadcast but that's looks unlikely at the moment. But this will do nicely


----------



## mountmccabe

I had been interested, but it's not a new recording from the 2016 festival conducted by Michael Güttler with Amanda Majeski as Eva, and Michael Schade as Walther von Stolzing. It is what was recorded in 2011 (and released on DVD) conducted by Vladimir Jurowski with Anna Gabler and Marco Jentzsch.

I would have been interested in the former, but the latter I can watch any time.


----------



## Pugg

mountmccabe said:


> I had been interested, but it's not a new recording from the 2016 festival conducted by Michael Güttler with Amanda Majeski as Eva, and Michael Schade as Walther von Stolzing. It is what was recorded in 2011 (and released on DVD) conducted by Vladimir Jurowski with Anna Gabler and Marco Jentzsch.
> 
> I would have been interested in the former, but the latter I can watch any time.


Who know what might happens.


----------



## sospiro

I've just had my ROH magazine with the prices for the operas and ballets on in the winter season.

Most expensive is _Der Rozenkavalier_ with Renée Fleming as Marschallin.

Top price is £270.


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> I've just had my ROH magazine with the prices for the operas and ballets on in the winter season.
> 
> Most expensive is _Der Rozenkavalier_ with Renée Fleming as Marschallin.
> 
> Top price is £270.


Top quality mean top prices .


----------



## Belowpar

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/07/17/maralin-niska-sensational-opera-singer--obituary/

Maralin Niska has died.


----------



## Woodduck

Belowpar said:


> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/07/17/maralin-niska-sensational-opera-singer--obituary/
> 
> Maralin Niska has died.


Niska was Cassandra in the Boston Opera's production of _Les Troyens_ in the '70s. I was in the chorus, but I don't remember a thing about her.


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/07/17/maralin-niska-sensational-opera-singer--obituary/
> 
> Maralin Niska has died.


At a tender age of 89, bless her.


----------



## Bryn Dizzy

Planning my finances for the forthcoming ROH season: Definitely going to Cosi fan tutti, Anastasia, The Nose, and Der Rosenkavalier, and possibly Norma. And after Christmas it could get even more expensive.......
Thank heavens for cinema screenings! After Die Meistersinger from Glyndebourne last week, I'm a convert!


----------



## Pugg

Bryn Dizzy said:


> Planning my finances for the forthcoming ROH season: Definitely going to Cosi fan tutti, Anastasia, The Nose, and Der Rosenkavalier, and possibly Norma. And after Christmas it could get even more expensive.......
> Thank heavens for cinema screenings! After Die Meistersinger from Glyndebourne last week, I'm a convert!


My motto also, less travelling and less expensive.


----------



## Ginger

Pugg said:


> My motto also, less travelling and less expensive.


My motto as well! Also more comfortable. And you can decide spontaneously to see it or not


----------



## Bryn Dizzy

Ginger said:


> My motto as well! Also more comfortable. And you can decide spontaneously to see it or not


That's true, but there's nothing quite like being there.....


----------



## Ginger

No of course not.  Ideal case for me is watching it in the cinema or online at first and then having a gallery ticket where acoustics are best in my opinion.


----------



## Bryn Dizzy

Ginger said:


> No of course not.  Ideal case for me is watching it in the cinema or online at first and then having a gallery ticket where acoustics are best in my opinion.


Exactly what I did with Lucia di Lammermoor and Werther this last season


----------



## sospiro

Bryn Dizzy said:


> Planning my finances for the forthcoming ROH season: Definitely going to Cosi fan tutti, Anastasia, The Nose, and Der Rosenkavalier, and possibly Norma. And after Christmas it could get even more expensive.......
> Thank heavens for cinema screenings! After Die Meistersinger from Glyndebourne last week, I'm a convert!





Pugg said:


> My motto also, less travelling and less expensive.


Yes .... but it's not the same when you're not in spitting distance!


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Yes .... but it's not the same when you're not in spitting distance!


My wallet / credit card screams : thank goodness .


----------



## BaritoneAssoluto

I need some news on Fleming. Is she singing in any classical music-related stuff lately? All the videos I've seen of her on youtube in this year alone has been her during interviews.


----------



## Pugg

BaritoneAssoluto said:


> I need some news on Fleming. Is she singing in any classical music-related stuff lately? All the videos I've seen of her on youtube in this year alone has been her during interviews.


She was in Amsterdam earlier this year, and if you follow the news....she's doing it a bit slow.
R.O.H ; Dec: Der Rozenkavalier with Renée Fleming as Marschallin. 
Next season, Metropolitan Opera : Der Rozenkavalier with Renée Fleming as Marschallin.
Last performance on opera stage.


----------



## Pugg

It's summer, that means : discount at Presto !!

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/promotion/operasale


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot has a sale on Giuseppe Di Stefano, 65% discount .


----------



## sospiro

A unique account of a night at the opera which turned into a night of tragedy.

Terror in Munich.


----------



## sospiro

Ref the review above, has anyone been to a performance where the ending of an opera was changed because of events happening in real life?

I know programmes on the telly are often pulled or delayed because of what has occurred in the real world.


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Ref the review above, has anyone been to a performance where the ending of an opera was changed because of events happening in real life?
> 
> I know programmes on the telly are often pulled or delayed because of what has occurred in the real world.


Only once, during a life transition from the Met, ( I believe 2011 ) false fire alarm .


----------



## mountmccabe

sospiro said:


> A unique account of a night at the opera which turned into a night of tragedy.
> 
> Terror in Munich.


That was quite something to read. Mark Berry is one of my favorite music writers.


----------



## Belowpar

sospiro said:


> Ref the review above, has anyone been to a performance where the ending of an opera was changed because of events happening in real life?
> 
> I know programmes on the telly are often pulled or delayed because of what has occurred in the real world.


20+ years ago at the ENO watching Don Carlos, the familiar figure in Evening Dress appeared in front of the curtain before the last act began. The orchestra fell silent and we were asked to quickly evacuate the theater.

It was the height of the IRA's campaign and a threat had been issued. We were offered tickets to another night in the run but none were suitable.

Does it end well?:lol:


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> 20+ years ago at the ENO watching Don Carlos, the familiar figure in Evening Dress appeared in front of the curtain before the last act began. The orchestra fell silent and we were asked to quickly evacuate the theater.
> 
> It was the height of the IRA's campaign and a threat had been issued. We were offered tickets to another night in the run but none were suitable.
> 
> Does it end well?:lol:


 Blimey! I lived through all that and I almost became desensitised.


----------



## Ginger

sospiro said:


> A unique account of a night at the opera which turned into a night of tragedy.
> 
> Terror in Munich.


A friend of mine was there as well and the writer is right: they weren't allowed to leave the theatre for over an hour.


----------



## sospiro

Yusif Eyvazov (Mr Netrebko) twitter feed. One of the best tenors in the world? You've got to be kidding.


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Yusif Eyvazov (Mr Netrebko) twitter feed. One of the best tenors in the world? You've got to be kidding.
> 
> View attachment 86883


My teeth are hurting due to the violins . :lol:


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> My teeth are hurting due to the violins . :lol:


:lol:

My teeth are hurting due to Mrs Eyvazov's simpering.


----------



## sospiro

Amazing outfits. D & G apparently.


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Amazing outfits. D & G apparently.
> 
> View attachment 86894


Having money is not necessary buying one good taste .


----------



## DavidA

This Cosi is booked for Edinburgh Festival. Glad I won't be going to see the Eurotrash

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/02/a...-provence-festival-chrisophe-honore.html?_r=1

http://slippedisc.com/2016/07/cold-...issues-sexviolence-warning-on-cosi-fan-tutte/


----------



## Don Fatale

DavidA said:


> This Cosi is booked for Edinburgh Festival. Glad I won't be going to see the Eurotrash
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/02/a...-provence-festival-chrisophe-honore.html?_r=1
> 
> http://slippedisc.com/2016/07/cold-...issues-sexviolence-warning-on-cosi-fan-tutte/


A few weeks ago I got to the online choosing seat stage, but something didn't feel right, so I decided to check the production review. I'm sure I'll enjoy Mahler's 10th that evening instead. Anyway, I'm looking forward to ROH's Cosi later this year.


----------



## Scopitone

When I was a kid in the late 80's and early 90's, my best friend's mom was a big listener of Sopranos. She used to play CDs by Te Kanawa, Bartoli, etc - singing along with them while she cooked. We always laughed about it. 

If she could see me now, listening to opera and solo releases by sopranos. :lol:


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> When I was a kid in the late 80's and early 90's, my best friend's mom was a big listener of Sopranos. She used to play CDs by Te Kanawa, Bartoli, etc - singing along with them while she cooked. We always laughed about it.
> 
> If she could see me now, listening to opera and solo releases by sopranos. :lol:


When I was a kid, the same time as you , my mother sung, she still doing till this day in a local choir also .


----------



## Scopitone

Pugg said:


> When I was a kid, the same time as you , my mother sung, she still doing till this day in a local choir also .


Not mine! It was all country and arena rock in our house.


----------



## Scopitone

Comment One: I like Villazón, but he does look like a Muppet, with that Hobbit hair and unreal eyebrows. 

Comment Two: Watching La Boheme right after watching Rent is like reading EMMA after watching Clueless.

Comment Three: Anna Netrebko sure is purty. I think I saw her sing Manon in Los Angeles sometime between 2006-08. That was the only opera I went to see when I lived there at that time. I was literally in the last row against the back wall in the highest balcony. So it's not as if I *saw* her.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> Not mine! It was all country and arena rock in our house.


Sometimes my dad played a record of Dusty Springfiled, his secret crush and we tease him still , little did he know that time she was gay.



> Comment One: I like Villazón, but he does look like a Muppet, with that Hobbit hair and unreal eyebrows.
> 
> Comment Two: Watching La Boheme right after watching Rent is like reading EMMA after watching Clueless.
> 
> Comment Three: Anna Netrebko sure is purty. I think I saw her sing Manon in Los Angeles sometime between 2006-08. That was the only opera I went to see when I lived there at that time. I was literally in the last row against the back wall in the highest balcony. So it's not as if I *saw* her.


He sill looks like a muppet, his voice was fresh though.
Which Boheme do you mean?
As I said before, she not my type of voice , leaves me completely could, I do have that sometimes .


----------



## Scopitone

After La Traviata finished on YouTube, it gave me the Netrebko-Villazon movie version of La Boheme. 

Five min in, I got in the mood to watch Rent. Fortunately it's on Netflix. Now that it's finished, I turned the La Boheme movie back on. I'm half watching it and half surfing TC on phone.


----------



## Scopitone

Sacrifichiam la sedia!


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> Sacrifichiam la sedia!


I am afraid I lost you here .


----------



## Scopitone

Pugg said:


> I am afraid I lost you here .


La Boheme - "Sacrifice the chair!"


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> La Boheme - "Sacrifice the chair!"


I had the I Capuleti e i Montecchi on my radar........ problem solved .


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot :

*50% Off Everything!*

We are briefly offering our entire collection of nearly 1500 titles at 50% off!


----------



## Scopitone

Met audiences applaud after every number? Broadway audiences don't even do that, IIRC.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> Met audiences applaud after every number? Broadway audiences don't even do that, IIRC.


Not every number, only the very familiar ones.


----------



## Scopitone

I signed up yesterday for the trial of MetonDemand. This afternoon, I'm watching La Cenerentola.

In just her opening scene, Elina Garanca is high level of adorable. We're talking Melissa Benoist levels here.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> I signed up yesterday for the trial of MetonDemand. This afternoon, I'm watching La Cenerentola.
> 
> In just her opening scene, Elina Garanca is high level of adorable. We're talking Melissa Benoist levels here.


Garanca cruch?:angel:


----------



## Scopitone

Pugg said:


> Garanca cruch?:angel:


Of all these pretty sopranos we've been discussing, I think she's the one I am crushing on the most right now. She was an absolute delight in _La Cenerentola_ (and I laughed every time she towered over her prince charming). And I have seen clips of her _Carmen_, so I know she can do "wicked sexy", too - and not just "adorable".

I'll be sure to watch _Carmen _this week, and anything else she's in - in case I don't keep the service after the free trial. (I am still deciding)


----------



## Scopitone

The Opera Depot Flash Sale is on through Tuesday. 

I don't have a lot of extra cash right now, but I am thinking of picking up a couple of 1950s Strauss recordings from Lisa della Casa (Schwartzkopff is on one of them, too). At $6.43 each for mp3s, it's tough to beat.


----------



## Scopitone

Opera 101 said:


> At the premiere (of Turandot), following the death of Liù, Toscanini stopped the performance, turned to the audience, and said, "Here the Maestro laid down his pen."


Neat anecdote from the history of opera chapter of Opera 101.


----------



## Becca

Toscanini's comment was somewhat misleading, more accurately that was the last fully composed part. Puccini did leave behind 36 pages of sketches for most of the remainder of the opera, some of it in short score with vocal lines, some including notes about orchestration. It was these notes which were used by Alfano and, more recently Berio, in completing the opera.


----------



## Scopitone

The author was clear on all of those facts, as well as that the subsequent performances used the "finished" score. I thought it was a cool tribute to Puccini - a kind of moment of silence. 

I don't know if the crowd would have been angry at missing the rest of the story.


----------



## Pugg

For those who can receive the Mezzo Channel .
I caught a small piece from the last act and it looks very promising .


La Wally, by Alfredo Catalani

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Evelino Pidò (Conductor)
Chœur du Grand Théâtre de Genève

Cesare Lievi (Stage Director)
Ezio Toffolutti (Sets and Costumes)
Gigi Saccomandi (Lighting)

Ainhoa Arteta (Wally)
Bálint Szabó (Strommiger)
Yonghoon Lee (Giuseppe Hagenbach)
Ivanna Lesyk-Sadivska (Walter)
Ahlima Mhamdi (Afra)

Recorded on June 18th and 20th, 2014 at the Grand-Théâtre, Geneva
Directed by Denis Caïozzi

* Next broadcasts
10/08 - 20h30 on mezzo
16/08 - 08h30 on mezzo
25/08 - 12h30 on mezzo
30/08 - 16h30 on mezzo*


----------



## Scopitone

I am embarrassed to say this, but maybe someone will learn from my error. 

My whole life I have been pronouncing Bayreuth as "Bay rooth". It wasn't until I watched that Stephen Fry special about Wagner and heard him say the city over and over that I learned the right way to pronounce it.


----------



## Scopitone

Here's a random question: I'm watching Der Rosenkavalier on Met streaming. What's the deal with pants roles, anyway? 

For older operas, I could see them going to old castrato parts. But surely that's not an issue with Strauss. And who did I Capulleti? Puccini? Again, castrato not an issue.

So why?


----------



## Pugg

*Der Rosenkavalier
Opera van Richard Strauss*

The opera has four main characters: the aristocratic Marschallin, *her very young lover Count Octavia*n Rofrano, her coarse cousin Baron Ochs and Ochs' prospective fiancée Sophie von Faninal, daughter of a rich bourgeois. At the Marschallin's suggestion Ochs gets Octavian to act as his Rosenkavalier and present the ceremonial silver rose to Sophie. But when Octavian meets Sophie they fall in love at first sight. By a comic intrigue they get rid of Ochs with the help of the Marschallin, who then yields Octavian to the younger woman.[6] Although a comic opera, Der Rosenkavalier also operates at a deeper level. Conscious of the difference in age between herself and Octavian, the Marschallin muses in bittersweet fashion over the passing of time, growing old and men's inconstancy.

There are many recordings of the opera and it is regularly performed.


----------



## Scopitone

So is that your way of suggesting that the pants roles are to represent young men, not grown enough to be proper manly tenor voices?


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> So is that your way of suggesting that the pants roles are to represent young men, not grown enough to be proper manly tenor voices?


Yes they do, young tenors didn't do it fore Strauss, hence the one (tenor)aria is always sung by bigger man.


----------



## Woodduck

Scopitone said:


> I am embarrassed to say this, but maybe someone will learn from my error.
> 
> My whole life I have been pronouncing Bayreuth as "Bay rooth". It wasn't until I watched that Stephen Fry special about Wagner and heard him say the city over and over that I learned the right way to pronounce it.


Don't feel bad. We've all been through it. But now that you've repented of your error, make sure you put the accent on the first syllable; for some reason, we English speakers like to accent the second. We also tend to do it with Wagnerian names like Sieglinde, Brunnhilde and Gutrune.


----------



## DavidA

Scopitone said:


> I am embarrassed to say this, but maybe someone will learn from my error.
> 
> My whole life I have been pronouncing Bayreuth as "Bay rooth". It wasn't until I watched that Stephen Fry special about Wagner and heard him say the city over and over that I learned the right way to pronounce it.


I do n't think the mispronunciation of the name a minor town in Germany should be held against you!


----------



## Scopitone

You guys are too kind! :tiphat:


----------



## mountmccabe

Scopitone said:


> Here's a random question: I'm watching Der Rosenkavalier on Met streaming. What's the deal with pants roles, anyway?
> 
> For older operas, I could see them going to old castrato parts. But surely that's not an issue with Strauss. And who did I Capulleti? Puccini? Again, castrato not an issue.
> 
> So why?


For _Der Rosenkavalier_ this had a lot to do with Strauss's love of writing for female voices, and it makes the trio in the final act that much more distinctive in the repertoire.

Octavian is also young and immature; Strauss wanted to write the part for a mature singer, but did not want the character on stage to look like an adult male. A common approach is to write the role for a woman as some women can be more easily made to look like a young man.

Strauss's next opera, _Ariadne auf Naxos_ also had a pants role, the Composer. And in this case it had a lot to do with balancing; the other off-stage/staff roles are two tenors, two baritones, and a bass. It's easier to fit vocal lines for a soprano in with those parts, and to create contrast vocal colorization.

_I Capuleti e i Montecchi_ was by Bellini and premiered in 1830. And yes, again, post-castrati. But, again, of the five characters, only one is a woman, Giulietta. So Romeo is a mezzo-soprano, to sing with two basses, a tenor, and a soprano.

A very recent example, Jake Heggie's _Moby-Dick_ premiered in 2010. There are no female characters in the opera, so by writing Pip for coloratura soprano they are able to expand the vocal range and color of the writing. They even include a mad scene for the character.


----------



## Scopitone

mountmccabe said:


> For _Der Rosenkavalier_ this had a lot to do with Strauss's love of writing for female voices, and it makes the trio in the final act that much more distinctive in the repertoire.
> 
> Octavian is also young and immature; Strauss wanted to write the part for a mature singer, but did not want the character on stage to look like an adult male. A common approach is to write the role for a woman as some women can be more easily made to look like a young man.
> 
> Strauss's next opera, _Ariadne auf Naxos_ also had a pants role, the Composer. And in this case it had a lot to do with balancing; the other off-stage/staff roles are two tenors, two baritones, and a bass. It's easier to fit vocal lines for a soprano in with those parts, and to create contrast vocal colorization.
> 
> _I Capuleti e i Montecchi_ was by Bellini and premiered in 1830. And yes, again, post-castrati. But, again, of the five characters, only one is a woman, Giulietta. So Romeo is a mezzo-soprano, to sing with two basses, a tenor, and a soprano.
> 
> A very recent example, Jake Heggie's _Moby-Dick_ premiered in 2010. There are no female characters in the opera, so by writing Pip for coloratura soprano they are able to expand the vocal range and color of the writing. They even include a mad scene for the character.


Fantastic information, thanks!


----------



## Scopitone

Playing The Marschallin has to be a mixed blessing. It's a fantastic part with some killer numbers (and a wardrobe to die for). 

But just like the character, the actress herself must be forced to face the fact that when you are old enough to sing this role, you are getting "old". There's not much left after this -- at least not in the beautiful girl area. That's gotta be tough to swallow. 


I just watched Dame Kiri's 1982 Trio and act one solo, as well as the Schwartzkopf movie Trio. Te Kawana's sadness reached through the screen and grabbed my heart.


----------



## Sloe

Scopitone said:


> Playing The Marschallin has to be a mixed blessing. It's a fantastic part with some killer numbers (and a wardrobe to die for).
> 
> But just like the character, the actress herself must be forced to face the fact that when you are old enough to sing this role, you are getting "old". There's not much left after this -- at least not in the beautiful girl area. That's gotta be tough to swallow.
> 
> I just watched Dame Kiri's 1982 Trio and act one solo, as well as the Schwartzkopf movie Trio. Te Kawana's sadness reached through the screen and grabbed my heart.


It is opera were old women play young girls and young girls play old women.
If the Marschallin is old I am old.
Kiri Te Kanawa was by the way 38 in 1982 the same age as many of the most youthful sopranos are in.


----------



## Scopitone

Sloe said:


> It is opera were old women play young girls and young girls play old women.
> If the Marschallin is old I am old.
> Kiri Te Kanawa was by the way 38 in 1982 the same age as many of the most youthful sopranos are in.


Ah, then I have it wrong. LOL I guess I was thinking of Renee playing the part as her last stage role and then projecting onto other divas. Glad to be mistaken.


----------



## Scopitone

PS - _Are _you old?

:devil:


----------



## Sloe

Scopitone said:


> PS - _Are _you old?
> 
> :devil:


I am about the same age as the Marschallin.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> Ah, then I have it wrong. LOL I guess I was thinking of Renee playing the part as her last stage role and then projecting onto other divas. Glad to be mistaken.


Renée Fleming is now 57,she looks half here:angel: age .


----------



## Scopitone

1993? I am thinking cette jeune-fille has a future on the stage. She sings right purty.


----------



## Scopitone

I need to start an opera streaming before it gets too late, and I am tired. 

But I keep getting distracted by Elina Garanca clips on youtube. That voice, that face. . .#LeSigh


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> I need to start an opera streaming before it gets too late, and I am tired.
> 
> But I keep getting distracted by Elina Garanca clips on youtube. That voice, that face. . .#LeSigh


Sweet dreams :angel:


----------



## Scopitone

Just finished the 2008 Met _Salome_.


----------



## interestedin

Woodduck said:


> for some reason, we English speakers like to accent the second. We also tend to do it with Wagnerian names like Sieglinde, Brunnhilde and Gutrune.


That's quite interesting because it's not just you English speakers. The intuitively German pronunciation of those names would be SiegLINde, BrünnHILde and GutrUne. The same with Walküre which everyone unfamiliar with the word would pronounce WalkÜre. I even saw a German TV documentary where Wagner experts pronounced it that (wrong) way. In my mind I never think of her as BRÜNNhilde. That sound's just wrong in standard German.


----------



## Pugg

interestedin said:


> That's quite interesting because it's not just you English speakers. The intuitively German pronunciation of those names would be SiegLINde, BrünnHILde and GutrUne. The same with Walküre which everyone unfamiliar with the word would pronounce WalkÜre. I even saw a German TV documentary where Wagner experts pronounced it that (wrong) way. In my mind I never think of her as BRÜNNhilde. That sound's just wrong in standard German.


You must be from Germany.


----------



## Sloe

interestedin said:


> That's quite interesting because it's not just you English speakers. The intuitively German pronunciation of those names would be SiegLINde, BrünnHILde and GutrUne. The same with Walküre which everyone unfamiliar with the word would pronounce WalkÜre. I even saw a German TV documentary where Wagner experts pronounced it that (wrong) way. In my mind I never think of her as BRÜNNhilde. That sound's just wrong in standard German.


In Germanic languages the stress is always on the second syllable.


----------



## Reichstag aus LICHT

DavidA said:


> Not only does the audience have to put up with the daft Eurotrash productions, they now come out with sore rears.


_Regietheater_ is now officially a pain in the ar$e.


----------



## Pugg

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> _Regietheater_ is now officially a pain in the ar$e.


This, we decided a long, long time ago .


----------



## interestedin

You got me, Pugg. But don't tell anyone :lol:


----------



## Pugg

interestedin said:


> You got me, Pugg. But don't tell anyone :lol:


Not a word, promise :cheers:


----------



## interestedin

Sloe said:


> In Germanic languages the stress is always on the second syllable.


Apparently there are exceptions. At least if the names in Wagner's operas are Germanic/of Germanic origin..


----------



## Woodduck

interestedin said:


> That's quite interesting because it's not just you English speakers. The intuitively German pronunciation of those names would be SiegLINde, BrünnHILde and GutrUne. The same with Walküre which everyone unfamiliar with the word would pronounce WalkÜre. I even saw a German TV documentary where Wagner experts pronounced it that (wrong) way. In my mind I never think of her as BRÜNNhilde. That sound's just wrong in standard German.


So did Wagner want to sound non-standard with his first syllable accents? Was he trying to be consistent with the archaic _Stabreim_ he used for the _Ring_ libretto? Why is Bayreuth accented on the first syllable? Tannhauser? Hollander? Lohengrin? Telramund? Gurnemanz? Parsifal? Waltraute? Ortlinde? Flosshilde? Wellgunde? All accented on the first syllable. The only Wagnerian three-syllable name that isn't is Amfortas.


----------



## Reichstag aus LICHT

Woodduck said:


> Why is Bayreuth accented on the first syllable? Or should it not be?


Having been there a few times, I've heard Germans use both pronunciations: BAY-reuth and Bay-REUTH. I personally put the stress on the first syllable, but I don't know whether that's authentic or not.


----------



## Scopitone

Have there been any operas based on Frankenstein or Dracula?

Surely. But maybe they were failures - kind of like the Spider-Man and Superman broadway shows.

Actually, I think the Lon Chaney _Wolf Man_ could be the basis for an excellent opera. There's a lot going on there besides just turning into a monster when the moon comes out.


----------



## Sloe

Scopitone said:


> Have there been any operas based on Frankenstein or Dracula?
> 
> Surely. But maybe they were failures - kind of like the Spider-Man and Superman broadway shows.
> 
> Actually, I think the Lon Chaney _Wolf Man_ could be the basis for an excellent opera. There's a lot going on there besides just turning into a monster when the moon comes out.


Not based on Dracula there is at least one vampire opera. Heinrich Marschner´s opera Der Vampyr.

Here is the second act in a version set in a rather strange Japan the opera is actually set in Scotland:






Here you can listen to the whole opera:


----------



## Scopitone

Nice! I found a recording on spotify, too. I will check it out. 

Wow, 1828. The modern concept of vampires was still coming together.


----------



## Barbebleu

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> Having been there a few times, I've heard Germans use both pronunciations: BAY-reuth and Bay-REUTH. I personally put the stress on the first syllable, but I don't know whether that's authentic or not.


I've always thought of it as Bay-REUTH.


----------



## Barbebleu

Woodduck said:


> So did Wagner want to sound non-standard with his first syllable accents? Was he trying to be consistent with the archaic _Stabreim_ he used for the _Ring_ libretto? Why is Bayreuth accented on the first syllable? Tannhauser? Hollander? Lohengrin? Telramund? Gurnemanz? Parsifal? Waltraute? Ortlinde? Flosshilde? Wellgunde? All accented on the first syllable. The only Wagnerian three-syllable name that isn't is Amfortas.


Amfortas tends to be sung with the accent on the second syllable doesn't it?


----------



## Reichstag aus LICHT

Sloe said:


> Here is the second act in a version set in a rather strange Japan the opera is actually set in Scotland


...The Mackado?


----------



## Ginger

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> Having been there a few times, I've heard Germans use both pronunciations: BAY-reuth and Bay-REUTH. I personally put the stress on the first syllable, but I don't know whether that's authentic or not.


I also say Bay REUTH, but both is possible. I have the theory that people from Bavaria stress the second syllable. Everybody else I met says BAYreuth. And to Brünnhilde: it's normally BrünnHILde, but if you shorten it to Brünnhild, which happens sometimes in the Ring you have to say BRÜNNhild.


----------



## Guest

Ginger said:


> I also say Bay REUTH, but both is possible. I have the theory that people from Bavaria stress the second syllable. Everybody else I met says BAYreuth. And to Brünnhilde: it's normally BrünnHILde, but if you shorten it to Brünnhild, which happens sometimes in the Ring you have to say BRÜNNhild.


Thank you so much, GINger.


----------



## mountmccabe

Libby Larsen has a opera _Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus_. She wrote both music and libretto. The Minnesota Opera Company premiered the work in 1990. I can't find any music samples.

I know about it because a local company, West Edge Opera, has announced it as one of the operas for their 2017 summer festival.

There are quite a few minor Dracula-related operas. A few I found:

Hector Fabio Torres Cardona - _Dracula_. Some is available on YouTube:





Robert Moran - The Dracula Diaries. I can't find anything of it to listen to.

Paul Ziemba - Dracula, the Opera, a singspiel or ballad opera. You can watch a performance on YouTube (this calls it Dracula, Prince of Night)





Silvestro de Palma had a worked called _I Vampiri_ that premiered around 1812. I've seen varied references to it as instrumental or as a comic opera. I can't find any recordings.


----------



## Woodduck

Ginger said:


> I also say Bay REUTH, but both is possible. I have the theory that people from Bavaria stress the second syllable. Everybody else I met says BAYreuth. And to Brünnhilde: it's normally BrünnHILde, but if you shorten it to Brünnhild, which happens sometimes in the Ring you have to say BRÜNNhild.


Since Wagner set his characters' names to music, it's easy to demonstrate where he wanted the accents to fall. Musically, it's first-syllable accents on three-syllable names all the way through his operas (the only exception I know of being Am-FOR-tas).

Siegfried, before he dies, sings "BRUNN-hil-de! Heilige Braut!" No one in the _Ring_ differs with him. How people pronounce the name in conversation is their own business, but I prefer to take Siegfried's word for it. After all, he knew her rather well!


----------



## Scopitone

@mountmccabe That's good stuff. Definitely more than I expected. I'm surprised there's just the one Frankenstein. I guess the James Whale version of the monster is just too entrenched in the culture. Film versions that have tried to adhere to the novel have generally failed, too, possibly scaring off composers. It's such a poignant story, though, with themes more appropriate today than in 1820.


----------



## interestedin

Woodduck said:


> So did Wagner want to sound non-standard with his first syllable accents? Was he trying to be consistent with the archaic _Stabreim_ he used for the _Ring_ libretto? Why is Bayreuth accented on the first syllable? Tannhauser? Hollander? Lohengrin? Telramund? Gurnemanz? Parsifal? Waltraute? Ortlinde? Flosshilde? Wellgunde? All accented on the first syllable. The only Wagnerian three-syllable name that isn't is Amfortas.


I don't know why it is the way it is. But not all those names and their pronunciations are Wagner's inventions. Perhaps it has something to do with them being put together from several words and then emphasizing one part. There are several -hildes and -lindes, but only one ORTlinde.


----------



## Poodle

Worth every euro! :tiphat:


----------



## Pugg

Tenor voice lovers attention:

http://www.metoperashop.org/shop/wo..._campaign=AUGUST_WEEK2&utm_content=TenorsBook


----------



## Scopitone

I was listening to the Met podcast - an older episode about LULU.

I did not realize it was based on the same source material that gave us the classic PANDORA'S BOX (screen goddess Louise Brooks).


----------



## Pugg

Question; does anyone knows this work? I found it on the JPC website 

​
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)	
Cinq-Mars
Mathias Vidal, Veronique Gens, Andrew Foster-Williams, Norma Nahoun, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rundfunkorchester München, Ulf Schirmer


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> Question; does anyone knows this work? I found it on the JPC website
> 
> ​
> Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
> Cinq-Mars
> Mathias Vidal, Veronique Gens, Andrew Foster-Williams, Norma Nahoun, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rundfunkorchester München, Ulf Schirmer


I have heard it that recording actually it is a good opera worth listening to.


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> I have heard it that recording actually it is a good opera worth listening to.


It's €40.00 so I will keep it in my shopping basket till someone respond who heard it.


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> Question; does anyone knows this work? I found it on the JPC website
> 
> ​
> Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
> Cinq-Mars
> Mathias Vidal, Veronique Gens, Andrew Foster-Williams, Norma Nahoun, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Rundfunkorchester München, Ulf Schirmer


Not heard it but the singers look OK.


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> It's €40.00 so I will keep it in my shopping basket till someone respond who heard it.


I heard it on radio so no need to pay for me.


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> I heard it on radio so no need to pay for me.


I have only this to go for.......

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Ediciones+Singulares/ES1024


----------



## Pugg

Opera in English sale at Presto:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/promotion/chandos?k=8&w=Opera


----------



## Scopitone

Pugg said:


> Opera in English sale at Presto:
> 
> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/promotion/chandos?k=8&w=Opera


I think I will order the *Tosca '53* set. Even with postage to USA, it comes out to a better price than amazon (thanks to the sale). Might throw in the *West Side Story 50th Anniv* movie soundtrack, just for giggles.


----------



## Scopitone

posted in wrong thread

nothing to see here


----------



## Pugg

so did I then


----------



## sospiro

Scopitone said:


> posted in wrong thread
> 
> nothing to see here


:lol:

[filler ........]


----------



## Scopitone

May 2017 is a long way off, but. . .

The broadcast of Strauss' _Der Rosenkavalier_ will be presented live in select cinemas nationwide on Saturday, May 13 at 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT, followed by an encore presentation on Wednesday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. local time.

The Met's first new production since 1969 of Strauss's rich romantic masterpiece stars *Renée Fleming* in one of her signature roles as the Marschallin, opposite *Elīna Garanča* in her first North-American performances as Octavian, the impulsive young title character.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> May 2017 is a long way off, but. . .
> 
> The broadcast of Strauss' _Der Rosenkavalier_ will be presented live in select cinemas nationwide on Saturday, May 13 at 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT, followed by an encore presentation on Wednesday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. local time.
> 
> The Met's first new production since 1969 of Strauss's rich romantic masterpiece stars *Renée Fleming* in one of her signature roles as the Marschallin, opposite *Elīna Garanča* in her first North-American performances as Octavian, the impulsive young title character.


All good things come to those who wait. 
( It sounds so much better in French)


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> :lol:
> 
> [filler ........]


You know me, helpful as ever, but this was even hard to catch up for me .


----------



## Pugg

For opera travellers and Donizetti fans :

http://www.donizetti.org/fd2016/?ut...&utm_campaign=September 2016&utm_medium=email


----------



## sospiro

Angela Gheorghiu nearly loses it, but doesn't, when a lamp falls over. A real pro!


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Angela Gheorghiu nearly loses it, but doesn't, when a lamp falls over. A real pro!


The staging however, that Television in the background :devil:


----------



## SixFootScowl

Pugg said:


> Opera in English sale at Presto:
> 
> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/promotion/chandos?k=8&w=Opera


Just avoid the Fidelio one. They translated "abscheulicher" as "sadistic swine." Pretty much ruins it.


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


> Just avoid the Fidelio one. They translated "abscheulicher" as "sadistic swine." Pretty much ruins it.


I do have Tosca and Wagners Ring, you should see the dust on it.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Pugg said:


> I do have Tosca and Wagners Ring, you should see the dust on it.


I have Tosca and the Hollander and like them both. I also have Barber of Seville which is ruined when she drops the note and says "how stupid of me," which totally contradicts Rosina's true character, and worse yet, they changed "the useless precaution" to "the man (or was it woman) who loved a stranger," totally destroying one of the clever parts of entwining the opera's other name into the opera.

For the Thieving Magpie I only have the English edition, no other, and I like it.


----------



## mountmccabe

Tracklist for Joyce DiDonato's upcoming collection In War and Peace - Harmony Through Music with Il Pomo d'Oro, to be released in November (I think?)


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> The staging however, that Television in the background :devil:


There is worse staging.
This is Regie one can live with.


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> There is worse staging.
> This is Regie one can live with.


Whatever float our boats.


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


> I have Tosca and the Hollander and like them both. I also have Barber of Seville which is ruined when she drops the note and says "how stupid of me," which totally contradicts Rosina's true character, and worse yet, they changed "the useless precaution" to "the man (or was it woman) who loved a stranger," totally destroying one of the clever parts of entwining the opera's other name into the opera.
> 
> For the Thieving Magpie I only have the English edition, no other, and I like it.


If Tosca appears ...."Mario, Mario", and the tenor singing : Here I am , I quit, sorry .


----------



## Pugg

http://www.operaspanga.nl/

Site is available in English, people come from miles around to this venue .


----------



## starthrower

Is the Vaughan Williams opera any good? Would you put in the time to give it a listen?


----------



## sospiro

starthrower said:


> Is the Vaughan Williams opera any good? Would you put in the time to give it a listen?


I've not heard it so sorry can't help.


----------



## mountmccabe

starthrower said:


> Is the Vaughan Williams opera any good? Would you put in the time to give it a listen?


_The Poisoned Kiss_ is the only one I've seen; it was sort of cute but very slight. It is sort of his attempt at a Gilbert & Sullivan-style piece, but it's not very witty/funny. The libretto is poor and the music does little to elevate it. I love much of his non-operatic works, but would not recommend this opera.

I don't know the others at all.


----------



## Woodduck

Vaughan Williams's _The Pilgrim's Progress_, a setting of John Bunyan's allegory of the progress of the soul toward its eternal reward, isn't much of a drama (as you might guess), but it's full of beautiful music, some of it used in other works such as the 5th symphony.


----------



## Sonata

I'm so excited !!! I just bought my ticket for Carmen in Detroit this coming October. I'll be going myself, my husband considered it but opted out this time. That's OK, I think it'll be a bit of an adventure going alone. So stoked!


----------



## SixFootScowl

Pugg said:


> If Tosca appears ...."Mario, Mario", and the tenor singing : Here I am , I quit, sorry .


When she first appears at the chapel, the Chandos English libretto is thus,

*Tosca*
(_from outside_)
Mario!

*Cavaradossi*
(_Towards the small door from which Tosca's voice is heard_)
Here I am!


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


> When she first appears at the chapel, the Chandos English libretto is thus,
> 
> *Tosca*
> (_from outside_)
> Mario!
> 
> *Cavaradossi*
> (_Towards the small door from which Tosca's voice is heard_)
> Here I am!


It's about the language sounding strange, Violetta ( Traviata) sings : E Strano, sounds much better then: It's strange.
Italian should be Italian


----------



## sospiro

Sonata said:


> I'm so excited !!! I just bought my ticket for Carmen in Detroit this coming October. I'll be going myself, my husband considered it but opted out this time. That's OK, I think it'll be a bit of an adventure going alone. So stoked!


So pleased for you. Is this the first time you've seen Carmen?


----------



## damianjb1

Sonata said:


> I'm so excited !!! I just bought my ticket for Carmen in Detroit this coming October. I'll be going myself, my husband considered it but opted out this time. That's OK, I think it'll be a bit of an adventure going alone. So stoked!


Carmen's fantastic. You'll love it. It's a much darker story than people often think.
The lead character is murdered by her stalker. A story that will never date.

I've got a real soft spot for Karajan's first recording of the Opera with Leontyne Price in the title role.


----------



## Pugg

damianjb1 said:


> Carmen's fantastic. You'll love it. It's a much darker story than people often think.
> The lead character is murdered by her stalker. A story that will never date.
> 
> I've got a real soft spot for Karajan's first recording of the Opera with Leontyne Price in the title role.


You are not the only one, of my favourites .


----------



## Don Fatale

Yikes. It says something about the Dubai demographic that there are still seats available at the inaugural show of the Dubai Opera tonight (Aug 31st) with Placido Domingo.

I'm not sure I'd like to pay over £100/$150 for a seat for the visiting Trieste Opera company in September,. The vast numbers of tickets still available (viewing the website) indicates others feel the same.

I suspect the 'Dubai Opera' will be more about long running musicals and popular entertainers.

That being said, I'd still like to visit at some point.


----------



## sospiro

Don Fatale said:


> Yikes. It says something about the Dubai demographic that there are still seats available at the inaugural show of the Dubai Opera tonight (Aug 31st) with Placido Domingo.
> 
> I'm not sure I'd like to pay over £100/$150 for a seat for the visiting Trieste Opera company in September,. The vast numbers of tickets still available (viewing the website) indicates others feel the same.
> 
> I suspect the 'Dubai Opera' will be more about long running musicals and popular entertainers.
> 
> That being said, I'd still like to visit at some point.


Maybe people have finally decided that Domingo isn't worth paying that amount. Would be a fabulous trip though.


----------



## Sloe

Don Fatale said:


> Yikes. It says something about the Dubai demographic that there are still seats available at the inaugural show of the Dubai Opera tonight (Aug 31st) with Placido Domingo.
> 
> I'm not sure I'd like to pay over £100/$150 for a seat for the visiting Trieste Opera company in September,. The vast numbers of tickets still available (viewing the website) indicates others feel the same.
> 
> I suspect the 'Dubai Opera' will be more about long running musicals and popular entertainers.
> 
> That being said, I'd still like to visit at some point.


I have never seen any Arabs when I have been to opera performances.


----------



## DavidA

damianjb1 said:


> Carmen's fantastic. You'll love it. It's a much darker story than people often think.
> The lead character is murdered by her stalker. A story that will never date.
> 
> *I've got a real soft spot for Karajan's first recording of the Opera with Leontyne Price in the title role.*


Not authentically french but Oh boy, what singing!


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> I have never seen any Arabs when I have been to opera performances.


You have to be very rich to attend, personally...I wouldn't go if it was free .


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot has a 60% discount sale .


----------



## Becca

Marilyn Horne's Horn ...

View attachment 88472


----------



## Sonata

sospiro said:


> So pleased for you. Is this the first time you've seen Carmen?


Thank you!
This will be the first time I'll see ANY opera live!! I am familiar with the story though, and I have a couple of audio versions. I've listened twice before and will probably listen again this week and again a week prior to the performance


----------



## Folsom

Don Fatale said:


> I suspect the 'Dubai Opera' will be more about long running musicals and popular entertainers.


Sounds about right. I use to live where there was a symphony orchestra that did a free outside event every year. Sadly I wanted to avoid it because I wasn't into hearing Pink Panther and James Bond, etc...


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> You have to be very rich to attend, personally...I wouldn't go if it was free .


You live in Rotterdam and must have noticed the difference between the audience of opera houses and the persons on the street.
Arabs don´t like opera or classical music at all.


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> You live in Rotterdam and must have noticed the difference between the audience of opera houses and the persons on the street.
> Arabs don´t like opera or classical music at all.


Funny enough we do have a Arabian friend who attends opera quit frequently, he's a faithful Met Live productions goer.
In the Doelen ( local concert hall) I see also more "Foreigners" ore new Dutchman/ woman nowadays.

But my point was the_ country as such_, without going in to much political detail as we are going off topic completely then .


----------



## Belowpar

http://www.roh.org.uk/productions/norma-by-alex-olle

I just think you should know that the current information page for Norma at the ROH has a section on "The Story".

Followed by "Read more… (Contains spoilers)"

Thank God they warned me.


----------



## Don Fatale

Belowpar said:


> http://www.roh.org.uk/productions/norma-by-alex-olle
> I just think you should know that the current information page for Norma at the ROH has a section on "The Story".
> Followed by "Read more… (Contains spoilers)"
> Thank God they warned me.


Are you going? I'm there on Sept 26th. Should be good.


----------



## Belowpar

Opening night next Monday.

(Have been very busy over the summer I'll update my plans.)


----------



## Dongiovanni

Belowpar said:


> http://www.roh.org.uk/productions/norma-by-alex-olle
> 
> I just think you should know that the current information page for Norma at the ROH has a section on "The Story".
> 
> Followed by "Read more… (Contains spoilers)"
> 
> Thank God they warned me.




What, no warnings for sexually explicit scenes ?

I'm going, October 8th.


----------



## Sloe

Dongiovanni said:


> What, no warnings for sexually explicit scenes ?
> 
> I'm going, October 8th.


They have this:



> Please note
> 
> Norma contains themes of an adult nature.


----------



## sospiro

Did anyone watch the Insight?






Interesting article and it looks like the story will be changed. 
_
"... The two directors say they're still figuring out one of the opera's trickiest moments, the denouement. Felice Romano's libretto calls for the heroine to throw herself on a sacrificial pyre, along with her two children, a moment that rivals anything in Greek tragedy for extremity. Ollé won't be drawn on the details, but *hints that their interpretation may surprise purists.*"_


----------



## Pugg

sospiro said:


> Did anyone watch the Insight?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting article and it looks like the story will be changed.
> _
> "... The two directors say they're still figuring out one of the opera's trickiest moments, the denouement. Felice Romano's libretto calls for the heroine to throw herself on a sacrificial pyre, along with her two children, a moment that rivals anything in Greek tragedy for extremity. Ollé won't be drawn on the details, but *hints that their interpretation may surprise purists.*"_


The last outstanding work is been ruined, thank goodness, I held my nerve and NOT booking tickets ( ore even tried for that matter)


----------



## schigolch

The tenor Johan Botha dies at 51 years old.

http://kurier.at/kultur/startenor-johan-botha-ist-tot/220.101.458

Sit tibi terra levis.


----------



## Pugg

schigolch said:


> The tenor Johan Botha dies at 51 years old.
> 
> http://kurier.at/kultur/startenor-johan-botha-ist-tot/220.101.458
> 
> Sit tibi terra levis.


interestedin, opened a topic bout him passing away.


----------



## schigolch

Baritone Giampiero Mastromei dies at 84.

http://www.versiliatoday.it/2016/09/09/addio-al-cantante-lirico-giampiero-mastromei/

Sit tibi terra levis.


----------



## Belowpar

No time to do a proper review, but if the new ROH Norma doesn't get ***** reviews then I'll stop reading the papers!

Go see if you can.


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> No time to do a proper review, but if the new ROH Norma doesn't get ***** reviews then I'll stop reading the papers!
> 
> Go see if you can.


Now _you_ making us curios .


----------



## sospiro

Belowpar said:


> No time to do a proper review, but if the new ROH Norma doesn't get ***** reviews then I'll stop reading the papers!
> 
> Go see if you can.


Really pleased you enjoyed it.

Going to opening night of a new season is one of the things on my list.


----------



## sospiro

37 year old Oliver Mears, currently Artistic Director of Northern Ireland Opera, has been appointed Director of Opera Royal Opera House, to succeed Kasper Holten.

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/oliver-mears-to-join-royal-opera-house-as-director-of-opera

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...-new-director-of-opera-northern-ireland-opera

I've never heard of him.


----------



## Don Fatale

Belowpar said:


> No time to do a proper review, but if the new ROH Norma doesn't get ***** reviews then I'll stop reading the papers!
> 
> Go see if you can.


Glad you enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to it in two weeks, but alas... 3 stars in The Telegraph and Guardian too.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/wh...he-most-commanding-norma-of-our-time--review/
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...lini-calleja-fura-dels-baus-royal-opera-house


----------



## Belowpar

Don Fatale said:


> Glad you enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to it in two weeks, but alas... 3 stars in The Telegraph and Guardian too.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/wh...he-most-commanding-norma-of-our-time--review/
> https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...lini-calleja-fura-dels-baus-royal-opera-house


Thanks I'll have the butler cancel the subscriptions.

However I do look forward to your thoughts.


----------



## mountmccabe

Belowpar said:


> No time to do a proper review, but if the new ROH Norma doesn't get ***** reviews then I'll stop reading the papers!
> 
> Go see if you can.


I had a difficult time trying to figure out what word you wrote that got censored by the board, ha.

Glad you enjoyed it!


----------



## Don Fatale

mountmccabe said:


> I had a difficult time trying to figure out what word you wrote that got censored by the board, ha.
> 
> Glad you enjoyed it!


At least it didn't get **** reviews.


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> Thanks I'll have the butler cancel the subscriptions.
> 
> However I do look forward to your thoughts.


But was it really 5 stars?


----------



## Belowpar

Pugg said:


> But was it really 5 stars?


Well with two days reflection probably not. They do change the setting and although its very interesting with some great insights, it doesn't quite hold together (neither did the last 'straight' production I saw).

However the playing is all you could want for and the singing quite marvelous with all the leading parts having big vioces that just thrill.

New rating


----------



## Pugg

This looks very interesting!

https://www.metoperashop.org/shop/t...aign=SEPTEMBER_WEEK4&utm_content=NewMetBoxSet


----------



## SixFootScowl

I really wish some opera company would perform Mendelssohn's Elijah as an opera.


----------



## sospiro

Florestan said:


> I really wish some opera company would perform Mendelssohn's Elijah as an opera.


Oh and me! The story could be portrayed very easily.


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


> I really wish some opera company would perform Mendelssohn's Elijah as an opera.


I am sure it's done, semi staged. I know noting beats the real but in this case the cup is half full.


----------



## JosefinaHW

Florestan said:


> I really wish some opera company would perform Mendelssohn's Elijah as an opera.


Not being staged as an opera, but might still interest you:

Akron Symphony, Saturday, May 6, 2017, 7:30 p.m., EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall

https://akronsymphony.org/concerts/mendelssohns-elijah.3932


----------



## SixFootScowl

JosefinaHW said:


> Not being staged as an opera, but might still interest you:
> 
> Akron Symphony, Saturday, May 6, 2017, 7:30 p.m., EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall
> 
> https://akronsymphony.org/concerts/mendelssohns-elijah.3932


Not terribly far from Detroit either. I did attend Elijah a couple years ago at Hill Auditorium on the University of Michigan campus.

But what I really want is a DVD of an operatic performance.


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


> Not terribly far from Detroit either. I did attend Elijah a couple years ago at Hill Auditorium on the University of Michigan campus.
> 
> But what I really want is a DVD of an operatic performance.


In this case the glass is completely empty and will stay that way Florestan I am afraid.


----------



## Pugg

For those members who can receive ARTE.T.V : Wednesday 21-9-2016.
20.15 European time. 
*The Magic flute. *


----------



## Dongiovanni

Don Fatale said:


> Glad you enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to it in two weeks, but alas... 3 stars in The Telegraph and Guardian too.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/wh...he-most-commanding-norma-of-our-time--review/
> https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...lini-calleja-fura-dels-baus-royal-opera-house


I can't wait ! I was really dissapointed when Yoncheva cancelled her ROH Violetta in 2015, let's hope this time she won't let me down.

This quote is quite flattering to her debut:
_Nobody, not even Callas, is ever equally successful in all aspects of this score, but Yoncheva could blossom into one of the most commanding Normas of our time - if she can find a more persuasive staging to enhance her._

Was not impressed by Ollé's Trovatore. No high hopes here as well.


----------



## Don Fatale

Dongiovanni said:


> I can't wait ! I was really dissapointed when Yoncheva cancelled her ROH Violetta in 2015, let's hope this time she won't let me down.
> 
> This quote is quite flattering to her debut:
> _Nobody, not even Callas, is ever equally successful in all aspects of this score, but Yoncheva could blossom into one of the most commanding Normas of our time - if she can find a more persuasive staging to enhance her._


Friends (in Malta where I am now) asked if I wanted to go to the cinema broadcast of Norma on Monday. I had to decline for the best of reasons... I'll be in the opera house in person. Now I have to bring back a programme for them, signed by Calleja!


----------



## sospiro

Don Fatale said:


> Friends (in Malta where I am now) asked if I wanted to go to the cinema broadcast of Norma on Monday. I had to decline for the best of reasons... I'll be in the opera house in person. Now I have to bring back a programme for them, signed by Calleja!


Do you ever see him around?


----------



## Don Fatale

sospiro said:


> Do you ever see him around?


He's around. Last time I saw him was when I was waiting for a tram, but that was next to the stage door in Munich.


----------



## sospiro

Don Fatale said:


> He's around. Last time I saw him was when I was waiting for a tram, but that was next to the stage door in Munich.


:lol:

I meant in Malta


----------



## sospiro

The World's Hardest Opera Quiz ... allegedly


----------



## Barbebleu

sospiro said:


> The World's Hardest Opera Quiz ... allegedly


Tricky! Not willing to say what I scored but I am appalled.


----------



## JosefinaHW

I am extremely excited: Yesterday I joined the Metropolitan Opera and I am also now subscribed to the Met on Demand! Started by watching some of _Parsifal_ yesterday: 28 March 1992 performance with Kurt Moll, Waltraud Meier and Bernd Weikl. Unfortunately I was only able to watch an hour yesterday and I didn't get to hear anything of _Tristan und Isolde_ today. If all goes well, I hope to make the 22 October live performance in the theater of one of the universities not too far from where I live. I feel like I've taken this incredibly huge step!!!


----------



## Pugg

JosefinaHW said:


> I am extremely excited: Yesterday I joined the Metropolitan Opera and I am also now subscribed to the Met on Demand! Started by watching some of _Parsifal_ yesterday: 28 March 1992 performance with Kurt Moll, Waltraud Meier and Bernd Weikl. Unfortunately I was only able to watch an hour yesterday and I didn't get to hear anything of _Tristan und Isolde_ today. If all goes well, I hope to make the 22 October live performance in the theater of one of the universities not too far from where I live. I feel like I've taken this incredibly huge step!!!


Welcome to the fanatic opera groups Josefina.:kiss:


----------



## sospiro

JosefinaHW said:


> I am extremely excited: Yesterday I joined the Metropolitan Opera and I am also now subscribed to the Met on Demand! Started by watching some of _Parsifal_ yesterday: 28 March 1992 performance with Kurt Moll, Waltraud Meier and Bernd Weikl. Unfortunately I was only able to watch an hour yesterday and I didn't get to hear anything of _Tristan und Isolde_ today. If all goes well, I hope to make the 22 October live performance in the theater of one of the universities not too far from where I live. I feel like I've taken this incredibly huge step!!!


I don't subscribe but I've heard Met on Demand is excellent.

I hope you have a great time on the 22nd!


----------



## sospiro

"Britain's leading tenor - _Alfie Boe_" ???? What? 

http://www.al-press.com/index.php/e...re-world-class-acts-to-its-phenomenal-line-up


----------



## Don Fatale

sospiro said:


> "Britain's leading tenor - _Alfie Boe_" ???? What?
> 
> http://www.al-press.com/index.php/e...re-world-class-acts-to-its-phenomenal-line-up


What must Russell Watson and Paul Potts have to say. (I can't be bothered to look for the tongue-in-cheek emoticon).

But seriously, Gwyn Hughes Jones needs to get some decent PR. Superb performer, good enough for the Met and Royal Opera. His only fault is he makes the big notes look too easy!


----------



## Pugg

Oh, dear, I do hope Angela and Jonas going to make it this time.
( The dollars will be good I think)


----------



## sospiro

Pugg said:


> Oh, dear, I do hope Angela and Jonas going to make it this time.
> ( The dollars will be good I think)


:lol:

I hope their paths don't cross after this in Vienna - "Non abbiamo soprano"


----------



## Scopitone

JosefinaHW said:


> I am extremely excited: Yesterday I joined the Metropolitan Opera and I am also now subscribed to the Met on Demand! Started by watching some of _Parsifal_ yesterday: 28 March 1992 performance with Kurt Moll, Waltraud Meier and Bernd Weikl. Unfortunately I was only able to watch an hour yesterday and I didn't get to hear anything of _Tristan und Isolde_ today. If all goes well, I hope to make the 22 October live performance in the theater of one of the universities not too far from where I live. I feel like I've taken this incredibly huge step!!!


Yay! Welcome. 

I have Met on Demand, too, and I have barely scratched the surface on what it has available. But I have loved just about everything I tried on there so far.


----------



## Scopitone

I follow Spotify's "Classical New Releases" playlist. They update it with a few new albums each week. I try to explore stuff on there. Today, they had a Rossini album by Franco Fagioli. I don't know him, and I usually listen to recital albums by women. But I figured I would broaden my horizons a little bit.

Turns out the dude is a countertenor - and apparently a famous one. I've never listened to a whole album by a countertenor. It's taking a little getting used to, but I am about half way through the set.

Hooray for broadened horizons! (although I admit to watching and liking the Farinelli movie a year or two back, and I know they used a lot of countertenor to help simulate the castrato voice.


----------



## Scopitone

sospiro said:


> I don't subscribe but I've heard Met on Demand is excellent.


At $15 a month, Met on Demand is a little pricey, especially alongside my $10 spotify sub that I use only for classical. But for $25 a month between the two, I get to listen and view so much.

It's a budget-conscious opera noob's dream.


----------



## Pugg

For those who can receive the Arte Channel:
Verdi "La Traviata" by Sofia Coppola & Valentino, pics look fabulous.


----------



## Don Fatale

Scopitone said:


> I follow Spotify's "Classical New Releases" playlist. They update it with a few new albums each week. I try to explore stuff on there. Today, they had a Rossini album by Franco Fagioli. I don't know him, and I usually listen to recital albums by women. But I figured I would broaden my horizons a little bit.
> 
> Turns out the dude is a countertenor - and apparently a famous one. I've never listened to a whole album by a countertenor. It's taking a little getting used to, but I am about half way through the set.
> 
> Hooray for broadened horizons! (although I admit to watching and liking the Farinelli movie a year or two back, and I know they used a lot of countertenor to help simulate the castrato voice.


Saw him in Paris on Tuesday in title role Eliogabalo. Pretty good, but I'm no fan of counter-tenors.


----------



## schigolch

I am, and Mr. Fagioli is one of my favorites.


----------



## Rosie

I picked up a box set of different classical era operas yesterday on my travels, it has Mozart's don giovanni and many Rossini operas. I wish there was enough time to hear them all! :lol:


----------



## Malinda831

Thoughts? I found this girl on YouTube and messaged her! I found out she is 20 and has only been classically trained for just about 2 years!


----------



## Pugg

Malinda831 said:


> Thoughts? I found this girl on YouTube and messaged her! I found out she is 20 and has only been classically trained for just about 2 years!


Welcome to TalkClassical Malinda831, thanks for sharing.
Alas I am not impressed by this girls voice, sharp and no offence the size....it does matter, A.K.A Eaglen and Voigt to name just two.


----------



## Malinda831

Pugg said:


> Welcome to TalkClassical Malinda831, thanks for sharing.
> Alas I am not impressed by this girls voice, sharp and no offence the size....it does matter, A.K.A Eaglen and Voigt to name just two.


I think her nerves got to her (allotting the few sharp notes in the beginning) but once she settled down I found it quite impressive. Size does not matter and it is ridiculous that you believe it does. I hear a budding promise in this young girls voice, would you think differently if there were no video and it was just audio? What about if she was thin? Then would she be good enough to claim the talent she obviously has? Voluptuous women in the opera world is quite common.and are you claiming Jane Eaglen is not talented because of her WEIGHT? REALLY? I didn't think this was a forum for fat shaming, I must have been mistaken.


----------



## Pugg

Malinda831 said:


> I think her nerves got to her (allotting the few sharp notes in the beginning) but once she settled down I found it quite impressive. Size does not matter and it is ridiculous that you believe it does. I hear a budding promise in this young girls voice, would you think differently if there were no video and it was just audio? What about if she was thin? Then would she be good enough to claim the talent she obviously has? Voluptuous women in the opera world is quite common.and are you claiming Jane Eaglen is not talented because of her WEIGHT? REALLY? I didn't think this was a forum for fat shaming, I must have been mistaken.


_I did not mean offending you_, I give you two examples for woman who had to lose weight. I am not making this up you know.
And no, I am not that superficial.


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> Welcome to TalkClassical Malinda831, thanks for sharing.
> Alas I am not impressed by this girls voice, sharp and no offence the size....it does matter, A.K.A Eaglen and Voigt to name just two.


Yes it does matter on stage. Caballe was pleased Karajan gave her a contract but was not pleased when she saw the contract required her to lose 30lb! The fact is though opera is a visual art and (especiall in these days of HD broadcasts) a singer must try to look the part.


----------



## DavidA

Just read The Spectator's review of Richard Jones' DonGiovanni at the ENO. Far more of Jones' idiocies that Mozart / Da Ponte so it will not be going on my 'to see' list.


----------



## Scopitone

La Callas doing her best _Charlie's Angels_ pose. . .


----------



## JosefinaHW

Is anyone able to tell me what's going on with the Met's In Theater schedule? I just went to purchase my ticket for the encore broadcast of _Tristan und Isolde_ and it's no longer listed; the concert was supposed to be on Oct. 22nd.?!? I read some of the reviews of the opening night performance here on TC but I couldn't care less--I want to see it regardless.

Now, the only concert shown as being broadcast in theaters on 22 Oct is _Don Giovanni_--I will certainly go see _Don Giovanni_ if _T&I_ is not available, but I'd like to hear about others' experiences with these theater changes. Thanks.

If not, I'm going to call the Met tomorrow.


----------



## mountmccabe

The live transmission schedule has not changed. The live transmission of _Don Giovanni_ has been scheduled for 12:55 PM EDT on October 22nd since the schedule was announced months ago. The standard encore screening (for the US, at least) is the Wednesday after the live broadcast, at around 6:30 PM local time.

But the cinema screening schedule can vary significantly, especially for locations outside of the United States and/or where the live broadcast is an especially inconvenient time.

I looked around a little bit, and as an example NCPA Theatre in Mumbai, India is showing Tristan und Isolde on Monday, October 24, almost two weeks after the live transmission. They are 9 hours ahead of NYC, so an actual live transmissions would typically start at 10 PM, local time. (Tristan would have started at 9 PM local time, but not ended until after 2 AM). There may be other reasons the first screening is not live or within a day or so.

I see much the same thing with ROH in Cinemas; the screenings here in San Francisco (8 hours before London) are typically several weeks after the live transmission.

There are also some locations where the transmission is delayed to make the timing more convenient. The screenings in Honolulu, HI used to be live, but they'd start at 6 or 7 AM. Currently one can buy a ticket for _Don Giovanni_ on October 22, though it starts at 12:55 PM local time, delayed 6 hours from the live broadcast. There is also an encore on Wednesday, October 26, at 6:30 PM.

So if you live outside the continental US, it might make most sense to contact your local cinema.


----------



## Pugg

JosefinaHW said:


> Is anyone able to tell me what's going on with the Met's In Theater schedule? I just went to purchase my ticket for the encore broadcast of _Tristan und Isolde_ and it's no longer listed; the concert was supposed to be on Oct. 22nd.?!? I read some of the reviews of the opening night performance here on TC but I couldn't care less--I want to see it regardless.
> 
> Now, the only concert shown as being broadcast in theatres on 22 Oct is _Don Giovanni_--I will certainly go see _Don Giovanni_ if _T&I_ is not available, but I'd like to hear about others' experiences with these theatre changes. Thanks.
> 
> If not, I'm going to call the Met tomorrow.


I am going to see that one as well, as programmed in my subscription.


----------



## JosefinaHW

mountmccabe said:


> The live transmission schedule has not changed. The live transmission of _Don Giovanni_ has been scheduled for 12:55 PM EDT on October 22nd since the schedule was announced months ago. The standard encore screening (for the US, at least) is the Wednesday after the live broadcast, at around 6:30 PM local time.
> 
> But the cinema screening schedule can vary significantly, especially for locations outside of the United States and/or where the live broadcast is an especially inconvenient time.


Thanks for the info, Mountmccabe. I am late to the MetOp party so I was confused about how the advanced ticketing option worked, etc.. I spoke to them before you wrote this response but I'm glad it is here for all to see. I could have sworn that I saw that the encore theater presentation of _T&I _was the 22 Oct., but that really doesn't matter at this point--I will see it when it enters the archive.

This might sound odd but considering the size and quality of my computer monitor and my speakers the thought of watching a performance in a small movie theater doesn't have a great deal of appeal. The closest IMAX theater presentation is the same distance to me as the Met itself. Circumstances are such that I cannot be three hours from home at the moment but even if that weren't the case I would probably opt for the IMAX theater. The Digital Concert Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic has completely spoiled me--I get a better view of the entire orchestra from home. The only thing I cannot reproduce (yet) is the antiphonal sound of St. Marc's or when the BP tries to recreate that effect. What's very hopeful is that my sister and brother-in-law have just installed a six-zone sound system around the pool area in the back of their home. I'm hoping that my brother-in-law can help me program the speakers so that I can recreate the antiphonal effect.


----------



## DavidA

They told his in the broadcast that the ROH is showing The Nose online free but I can't find it. Anyone?


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> They told his in the broadcast that the ROH is showing The Nose online free but I can't find it. Anyone?


We are missing sospiro foe this kind of info.


----------



## sacraselva

Several sources say the live stream will be of the last performance of the run, on November 9th.


----------



## mountmccabe

That makes sense. The ROH website marks the performances on both the 1st and the 9th as Filming. The first one is their practice/run through, the second is when it is actually broadcast/streamed.

Similarly for _L'Contes d'Hoffmann_ both the 11th and 15th are marked Filming, but only the latter is scheduled to be shown in cinemas.


----------



## Pugg

For those who can receive the Mezzo Channel: Saturday 29TH October .

*Capuleti e i Montecchi by Bellini at the Liceu
*
I Capuleti e i Montecchi, by Vincenzo Bellini
Libretto by Felice Romani

Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Riccardo Frizza (Conductor)
Conxita Garcia (Chorus Master)

Vincent Boussard (Stage Director)
Vincent Lemaire (Sets), Christian Lacroix (Costumes), Guido Levi (Lighting)

_Joyce DiDonato_ (Romeo)
Patrizia Ciofi (Giulietta)
Antonino Siragusa (Tebaldo)
Simón Orfila (Lorenzo)
Marco Spotti (Capellio)

Recorded on June the 1st, 2016 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
Directed by Fabrice Castanier


----------



## Belowpar

Yes that was me in the Royal Box last night. Another one off the bucket list!

I will spare full details, save to say the front of house staff at ROH were outstanding in their handling of a minor crises.
Thank you to all of them.


PS If I had access to seats like that, I'd go a lot!


----------



## Don Fatale

How wonderful. How did HRH Belowpar manage such a thing?


----------



## Pugg

For those who can receive the Mezzo Channel: Wednesday, November 9th

Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti
Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Marco Armiliato (Conductor)

_Elena Mosuc (Lucia di Lammermoor)
Juan Diego Flórez (Edgardo)_
Marco Caria (Enrico)
Simón Orfila (Raimondo)
Albert Casals (Arturo)
Jorge Rodríguez Norton (Normano)
Sandra Ferrández (Alisa)

Recorded on December 20th & 23th 2015 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
Directed by Fabrice Castanier


----------



## Pugg

*Dame Joan Sutherland*



In loving memory of the most wonderful voices 
(*Sydney, 7 november 1926* - Les Avants (Montreux), 10 oktober 2010)


----------



## Pugg

For the Mezzo Channel viewers: November 16 th

Joyce DiDonato sings *La Donna del Lago by Rossini* at the Metropolitan Opera

La Donna del Lago, by Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola based on Sir Walter Scott's ''The Lady of the Lake''

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus, Michele Mariotti (Conductor)
Donald Palumbo (Chorus Master)

Paul Curran (Stage Direction)
Kevin Knight (Sets & Costumes), Duane Schuler (Lighting), Driscoll Otto (Projection)

Joyce DiDonato (Elena)
Juan Diego Flórez (Giacomo V)
Daniela Barcellona (Malcolm)
Eduardo Valdes (Serano)
Oren Gradus (Duglas d'Angus)
John Osborn (Rodrigo Di Dhu)
Olga Makarina (Albina)
Gregory Schmidt (Bertram)

Recorded at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, in 2015
Directed by Gary Halvorson


----------



## graziesignore

Please tell me I'm not dreaming... and that there was/is actually a singer named Manrico Biscotti






Manrico Biscotti.
Manrico Biscotti.
MANRICO BISCOTTI...

is this a real name or is this just fantasy?


----------



## Pugg

Anyone going to L'amour de loin tonight?


----------



## DavidA

No I watched the trailer and decided to give it a miss


----------



## Pugg

I do have tickets so......,still 18 seats sold .


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> I do have tickets so......,still 18 seats sold .


I remember when they broadcast Parsifal. Only one seat was sold such is the cultural atmosphere up here!


----------



## Pugg

I am sure this production will not be on the "menu " again, any time soon.
We where the last 4 ones to leave before it finished.


----------



## mountmccabe

Pugg said:


> Anyone going to L'amour de loin tonight?


I went and really loved it. The cast was really wonderful. There were some missteps in the production, but also a lot to like. The main effect was making me plan to rewatch the DVD of the Sellars production conducted by Salonen.

The theater I went to was pretty full, though I think they've also redone the theater to put in fewer, but fancier seats.


----------



## Reichstag aus LICHT

graziesignore said:


> Please tell me I'm not dreaming... and that there was/is actually a singer named Manrico Biscotti
> 
> is this a real name or is this just fantasy?


Are we caught in a landslide, with no escape from reality?

CHORUS: Garibaldi, Garibaldi, Garibaldi, Oreo...

(Queen, _Bohemian Patisserie_)


----------



## Reichstag aus LICHT

DavidA said:


> I remember when they broadcast Parsifal. Only one seat was sold such is the cultural atmosphere up here!


I know. Shocking, isn't it?


----------



## Woodduck

Pugg said:


> Anyone going to L'amour de loin tonight?


I didn't see Saariaho's opera, but heard most of it on radio. It's arresting in its sound world, dreamy and weird, but I can't imagine wanting to listen to the music again: lots of atmosphere and "mood" but little to keep in one's head, and certainly nothing to sing in the shower - like a lot of recent music I've heard and promptly forgotten.

It's a very stripped down story about the pursuit of ideal love, and it ends tragically - a sort of echo of _Tristan_ and _Pelleas_, but less substantial than either. I suspect that much of the positive effect it has on audiences has more to do with the magically luminous visual production than with the music. Susannah Philips was superb in the lead soprano role, and Tamara Mumford excellent as the pilgrim, but I can't say as much for the forced singing of baritone Eric Owens. I wouldn't mind seeing this production, and would probably find the music more satisfying in that context.


----------



## Pugg

On the other hand...... formerly we have a special topic on the Met goers, now hardly any response at all.
I do respect everyone's taste but for me personally, never again.


----------



## JosefinaHW

Pugg said:


> On the other hand...... formerly we have a special topic on the Met goers, now hardly any response at all.
> I do respect everyone's taste but for me personally, never again.


Hi Pugg,

You know I just joined the Met and the Met HD on Demand. Life is such that I am not going to get to the theater any time soon but it doesn't bother me that I will wait until the performances make it into the archive. I have found so much gorgeous vocal music that I don't want to be pulled away from it for other music that doesn't immediately resonate with me. I'm not giving up on the Met but I've tried two different versions of _Parsifal_ and as soon as they get to the part where Kundry is seen as despondent and extremely decompensated I just get extremely annoyed and switch to Schubert and Schumann's lieder or something else. After watching the sumptuous Mehta _Orfeo ed Euridice _trying to get through the latest Met version was tortuous--each time I try I just go back and watch a favorite scene on YouTube to get rid of the bitter taste. I am sure there will be performances that I will enjoy but it has not been a good introduction.

On a different subject, do you get the Arte TV station? I know you get Mezzo.


----------



## DavidA

Just to say the BBC are televising Glyndebourne's The Barber of Seville (Rossini) over Christmas


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> Just to say the BBC are televising Glyndebourne's The Barber of Seville (Rossini) over Christmas


Thank you DavidA, Florestan will be envy us.


----------



## Pugg

> JosefinaHW; On a different subject, do you get the Arte TV station? I know you get Mezzo.


Yes I do have a channel with that name, they have _sometimes_, music, should I pay attention to something special?


----------



## SixFootScowl

> Just to say the BBC are televising Glyndebourne's The Barber of Seville (Rossini) over Christmas





Pugg said:


> Thank you DavidA, Florestan will be envy us.


Wow, nice. No way to get that over the internet in the USA?


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


> Wow, nice. No way to get that over the internet in the USA?


I don't think so, they ( BBC) have Iplayer but only for the U.K.
I do think that it will show up you know where....( bootleg)


----------



## Belowpar

DavidA said:


> Just to say the BBC are televising Glyndebourne's The Barber of Seville (Rossini) over Christmas


Yes it's on BBC 4 at 8pm this Sunday 18th

It's preceded by an hour long documentary of Danielle de Niese preparing for her role.
Its then followed By another documentary about Mozart's time in London


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> Yes it's on BBC 4 at 8pm this Sunday 18th
> 
> It's preceded by an hour long documentary of Danielle de Niese preparing for her role.
> Its then followed By another documentary about Mozart's time in London


Good one you, I was searching in my T.V guide and could not find it. ( they don't do 3 and 4 programming. )
I can receive it nevertheless., so many thanks.


----------



## Pugg

_Production Company	Glyndebourne Media_
Conductor...................	Enrique Mazzola
Director......................	Annabel Arden
Make-up Designer............Joanna Parker
Lighting Director..........	James Farncombe
Rosina......................	Danielle de Niese
Dr Bartolo	...................Alessandro Corbelli
Count Almaviva...........	Taylor Stayton
Figaro.......................	Bjorn Burger
Basilio	.......................Christophoros Stamboglis
Berta.........................	Janis Kelly
Chorus	Glyndebourne Chorus

The cast looks promising.


----------



## JosefinaHW

Pugg said:


> Yes I do have a channel with that name, they have _sometimes_, music, should I pay attention to something special?


Matthias Goerne will be performing Schumann's oratorio _Das Paradies und die Peri_, op. 50 on December 21 and 22, 2016 in Paris. According to Paris Philharmonic's website the concert will be broadcast at a later date on Arte and_ France Maestro Music_ (available for replay for 1 year).

http://www.orchestredeparis.com/fr/concerts/concerts-denoel_2970.html

Apparently "Arte" has channels all over Europe and apparently some of their programs are available in the US, but looking up their schedules is very difficult. I would be EXTREMELY GRATEFUL if you would keep your eye out for this broadcast. Once you see a broadcast date then I will very thoroughly search all the Arte channels.


----------



## Pugg

> Apparently "Arte" has channels all over Europe and apparently some of their programs are available in the US, but looking up their schedules is very difficult. I would be EXTREMELY GRATEFUL if you would keep your eye out for this broadcast. Once you see a broadcast date then I will very thoroughly search all the Arte channels.


My program guide works only 4 days ahead, I did make a note of it and will be back as soon as these days are available.


----------



## DavidA

The programme with Denielle de Neise talking about singing Rosina at Glyndebourne was most interesting. Look forward to seeing the whole opera.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Oh ha ha ha, here is a good one. My sister knows I am really into opera. Today she sends me a You Tube of Andrea Bocelli and I felt like, "Oh great, do I have to watch this" (







). It was terrible. So I send the following You Tube back to her:






Her reply (emphasis hers),

*Wow what a voice!!!!!*


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


> Oh ha ha ha, here is a good one. My sister knows I am really into opera. Today she sends me a You Tube of Andrea Bocelli and I felt like, "Oh great, do I have to watch this" (
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ). It was terrible. So I send the following You Tube back to her:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> T
> 
> Her reply (emphasis hers),
> 
> *Wow what a voice!!!!!*


Try to find the one from the complete recording, its so much better then this.


----------



## hpowders

Florestan said:


> Oh ha ha ha, here is a good one. My sister knows I am really into opera. Today she sends me a You Tube of Andrea Bocelli and I felt like, "Oh great, do I have to watch this" (
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ). It was terrible. So I send the following You Tube back to her:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Her reply (emphasis hers),
> 
> *Wow what a voice!!!!!*


He is afraid to sing at the Trump inauguration. He will be doing Trump a big favor by staying away.

He is what the mainstream elite believes is "THE VOICE"!! :lol:


----------



## Scopitone

I had major streaming issues the other day on MetLive, and it occurred to me:

I pay $15 for a month of this service. 

For $15-30 instead, I could buy an opera on disc each month. At the end of a year, I would have a nice little 12-show video library that wouldn't depend on my internet's behaving. 

I may consider this plan for the new year.


----------



## Scopitone

I'm mostly not-gay.

But that Jonas Kaufman, tho...

Also, so weird going from The Ring to a Donizetti romcom. Not bad. Just weird.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> I had major streaming issues the other day on MetLive, and it occurred to me:
> 
> I pay $15 for a month of this service.
> 
> For $15-30 instead, I could buy an opera on disc each month. At the end of a year, I would have a nice little 12-show video library that wouldn't depend on my Internet's behaving.
> 
> I may consider this plan for the new year.


That's why I love to have them at home, I know the Met has a very food archive but I ratter have the DVD in hand.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> I'm mostly not-gay.
> 
> But that Jonas Kaufman, tho...
> 
> Also, so weird going from The Ring to a Donizetti romcom. Not bad. Just weird.


They, The Met does that also on matinee days, one in the afternoon and the same evening something complete different.
Thank goodness I don't live there, it would be my financial downfall.


----------



## bharbeke

Pugg said:


> That's why I love to have them at home, I know the Met has a very food archive but I ratter have the DVD in hand.


I know it's a typo, but now I'm imagining a museum exhibit with pastries sold in the Met lobby throughout the years.


----------



## Pugg

bharbeke said:


> I know it's a typo, but now I'm imagining a museum exhibit with pastries sold in the Met lobby throughout the years.


Love it that you have a nice sense of humour.


----------



## Admiral

Saw Anna Netrebko in Manon at the Met recently. She's the real deal - the voice equal parts smoke and silver and such a compelling actress. 

I think she has several/many good years left, but I can't imagine the instrument is getting better, so get out there now if you have the chance.


----------



## Sloe

Florestan said:


> Oh ha ha ha, here is a good one. My sister knows I am really into opera. Today she sends me a You Tube of Andrea Bocelli and I felt like, "Oh great, do I have to watch this" (
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ). It was terrible. So I send the following You Tube back to her:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Her reply (emphasis hers),
> 
> *Wow what a voice!!!!!*


What video of Bocelli was it?


----------



## SixFootScowl

Sloe said:


> What video of Bocelli was it?


I wasn't going to post it lest someone actually watches it, but here it is:


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


> I wasn't going to post it lest someone actually watches it, but here it is:


Never been a fan of Bocelli :devil:


----------



## Sloe

Florestan said:


> I wasn't going to post it lest someone actually watches it, but here it is:


I have to say I like it. At least he didn´t sing something from an opera.

This is worse:






It must be thankful to sing in a production with Boccelli every other singer unless they are similar type of singers appears as the best singer ever next to Boccelli.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Sloe said:


> I have to say I like it. At least he didn´t sing something from an opera.


Good when a singer stays in their appropriate place.


----------



## DavidA

Sloe said:


> I have to say I like it. At least he didn´t sing something from an opera.
> 
> This is worse:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It must be thankful to sing in a production with Boccelli every other singer unless they are similar type of singers appears as the best singer ever next to Boccelli.


Like del Monaco without the voice! :lol:


----------



## Sloe

DavidA said:


> Like del Monaco without the voice! :lol:


I usually feel sorry for Don Jose even if he abandons poor Micaela but when he sounds that bland I think he gets what he deserves.


----------



## Pugg

You should try listening to his Werther......:devil:


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> You should try listening to his Werther......:devil:


I don't know why but by judging from the comments by some that have seen his operas performances live they think he is great and we have to respect that.


----------



## Pugg

*Otello*
*The Royal Opera
21 June-15 July 2017*
Main Stage

Antonio Pappano conducts a new production of Verdi's thrilling Shakespeare-inspired opera directed by Keith Warner, starring *Jonas Kaufmann *and Gregory Kunde in the title role.


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot has a 60% discount on: Grace Bumbry.


----------



## Vox Gabrieli

*Bach: Johannes Passion - Janssen, List, von Pataky, Branzell, Perras; E. Kleiber. Bue*

A completely heartbreaking piece. You can purchase it on Opera Depot.


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> *Otello*
> *The Royal Opera
> 21 June-15 July 2017*
> Main Stage
> 
> Antonio Pappano conducts a new production of Verdi's thrilling Shakespeare-inspired opera directed by Keith Warner, starring *Jonas Kaufmann *and Gregory Kunde in the title role.


I wonder if Kaufmann is going to wear black face or whether they will yield to the new PC rules


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> I wonder if Kaufmann is going to wear black face or whether they will yield to the new PC rules


Oh, yes, I completely forgot about that. 
( If he ever shows up this days also )


----------



## JosefinaHW

!Maria Jose Siri! I just discovered another extraordinary singer! 'have to run out and shovel the snow before the family gets back but just watched the Berlin Philharmonic perform Verdi's Requiem--absolutely breathtaking!!! 'can't wait to watch it again when it gets into the archive. With all the instruments and the choir, Maria's voice just soared up and down and was so powerful that she was never drowned out--soprano is an acquired taste for me, but her voice and expression didn't take any acquiring....


----------



## Pugg

I do remember her singing this: Andrea Chénier/ La mamma morta on You Tube, quit impressing indeed .


----------



## Sloe

Pugg said:


> Anyone going to L'amour de loin tonight?


I heard it on radio last saturday. Much better than I expected. Really pleasant.


----------



## JosefinaHW

Pugg said:


> I do remember her singing this: Andrea Chénier/ La mamma morta on You Tube, quit impressing indeed .


I am very proud to have my judgment (taste?) confirmed by you in my new vocal explorations, especially re/ sopranos. Thank you, Pugg. It would seem from the biography on her website and some of the YouTube videos that I have watched that Maria is a relatively "new" singer. I'll post the full bio that is available on her website below.

Her first official opera performance was in 2008. Is eight years long time in a sopranos' career? I really don't know, but it doesn't seem to be the case unless it is a question of the quality of her management. I feel I should type the following in a very tiny size..... Just from casually noticing the careers of some actresses (and an opera singer is certainly an actress, right), you see extraordinary transformations after they are taken on by very experienced managers. Right now the YouTube videos are not only not professionally filmed--to me they are terrible amateur videos--in one of them the person filming is trembling and coughing....  Her website also needs a lot of help--unless it's just me that cannot stand neon pink...

Is she relatively unknown in the opera world at large? Is that because of her manager? I don't know.

I started watching "Casta Diva" videos after I watched her perform the Verdi Requiem because one of those videos was the first that was suggested when I searched for her name on YouTube. Then I watched the Renee Flemming I posted.... It does seem to me from having read some of the opera threads on here that "Casta Diva" is the test aria for a certain fach of the soprano voice. Is it her fach? I have no idea at this point. If it is her fach, can it be the case that a relatively new singer not sing it well because it takes greater training, rather than just be the case that she could not eventually sing it well?

I'd like to hear you and other TC member's thoughts on this. P.S. Florestan, I just saw that you clicked "Like" in my post that mentioned Maria Jose Siri. Have you heard her perform? What are your thoughts on what I posted above?

"ARIOSI MANAGEMENT WORLDWIDE OPERA ARTISTS MANAGEMENT
Maria José Siri Soprano

Maria José Siri nasce in Uruguay. Di lontane origini italiane (il bisnonno era di Napoli), inizia a
suonare il pianoforte a 5 anni, incentivata dalla passione per la musica del padre, che le
insegna a suonare e cantare il Tango. Nel 2003 inizia a calcare i palcoscenici del suo Paese
ed è subito riconosciuta come giovanissimo talento nei Concorsi internazionali Juventudes
Musicales e Ars Lyrica di Montevideo che le assegnano il Primo premio assoluto. Nel 2003
viene eletta come Rivelazione dell'anno dall'Associazione dei Critici Musicali Argentini. Giunta
per la prima volta nel 2004 in Italia, si aggiudica il Primo Premio sia al Concorso Internazionale
dell'Accademia Musicale Umbra che al Mattia Battistini di Rieti, prima di ottenere gli stessi
ambitissimi Primi Premi Assoluti ai Concorsi Nuevas Voces Liricas al Teatro Colon di Buenos
Aires e al Concorso Internazional di Bilbao in Spagna. 2006 si aggiudica anche il Premio
Musica Spagnola del Concorso Manuel Ausensi del Teatro Liceu di Barcelona, il Primo premio
Competizione dell'Opera e il Premio Miglior Cantante, assegnato dal pubblico alla Semperoper
in Germania. Comincia la sua carriera internazionale nei teatri più importanti al mondo: nel
2008 canta Leonora ne IL TROVATORE al Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, debutta come Mimì
ne LA BOHEME al Semper Oper di Dresda, Requiem di Verdi con la Berliner Philharmoniker a
Berlino e LA TRAVIATA al Festival di Sant Margarethen in Austria. Ma è alla Staatsoper di
Stoccarda che fa il suo debutto come AIDA, che diventerà il suo personaggio preferito. Nel
dicembre dello stesso anno viene infatti scelta per la parte della schiava etiope nella
produzione del grande Franco Zeffirelli al Teatro Massimo di Palermo che la vorrà poi in molte
altre produzioni. Nel 2009 debutta con grande successo al Teatro alla Scala di Milano nel ruolo
principale in Aida con la regia di Franco Zeffirelli e la straordinaria direzione d'orchestra di
Daniel Barenboim, poi in tour con La Scala a Tel Aviv e Tokyo. Nello stesso anno interpreta
anche Sifare in MITRIDATE RE DI PONTO al Festival di Mozart di La Coruña con il regista
Graham Vick, AIDA al Soyrèes Lirique Festival a Sanxay ed a Stoccarda, dove si esibisce
anche ne IL TROVATORE e come Nedda in PAGLIACCI al Maggio Musicale Fiorentino per la
regia di Zeffirelli. Tra i suoi successi ricordiamo anche Rachel ne LA JUIVE a San Pietroburgo,
Requiem Verdi al Festival di Mozart di La Coruña sotto la direzione di Victor Pablo Perez,
TOSCA al Carlo Felice di Genova, Savonlinna, Torino, Palermo e Vienna, Lucrezia in I DUE
FOSCARI a Trieste, Nedda in PAGLIACCI a Montevideo, Leonora ne IL TROVATORE a
Palermo, Bologna e Venezia, AIDA a Stoccarda, al Festival di Bregenz con la regia di Graham
Vick, ad Amburgo e a Firenze durante il Maggio Musicale Fiorentino con la regia di Ferzan
Ozpetek e diretta dal M° Zubin Mehta. E ancora Tatyana in EUGEN ONEGIN alla Staatsoper
Unter den Linden di Berlino, Mimì in LA BOHÈME al Liceu di Barcellona e al San Carlo di
Napoli, Maddalena in ANDREA CHENIER al Festival di Bregenz, al Regio di Torino e al
Kungliga Operan di Stoccolma, Leonora in LA FORZA DEL DESTINO a Colonia, SUOR
ANGELICA in Il Trittico alla Copenhagen Royal Opera, Amelia nel SIMON BOCCANEGRA e
Desdemona nell'OTELLO a Torino, TOSCA allo Staatsoper di Berlino e a Stoccarda, MANON
LESCAUT a Valencia, PAGLIACCI a Montecarlo, UN BALLO IN MASCHERA a Bologna e
Bruxelles, AIDA e DON GIOVANNI all'Arena di Verona, MANON LESCAUT a San Paolo del
Brasile, DON CARLOS a Bilbao, TOSCA e ANDREA CHÉNIER a Tokyo, ATTILA a Bologna,
TOSCA a Torino, AIDA a Mosca con Zubin Mehta, SUOR ANGELICA a Napoli e NORMA a
Macerata. Tra i suoi impegni della stagione 2016/17 ricordiamo l'inaugurazione del Teatro alla
Scala di Milano con MADAMA BUTTERFLY diretto da Riccardo Chailly, TOSCA a Dresda, il
REQUIEM di Verdi alla Philharmonie di Berlino e al Teatro Bolshoi di Mosca diretto da Chailly,
ANDREA CHENIER e TOSCA a Berlino, ANDREA CHÉNIER a Roma e MANON LESCAUT a
Torino, Génève e Napoli.
Dicembre 2016

ARIOSI MANAGEMENT SAGL VIA AL LIDO, 9 CH - 6817 MAROGGIA -
WWW.ARIOSIMANAGEMENT.COM - [email protected]"


----------



## Pugg

> I started watching "Casta Diva" videos after I watched her perform the Verdi Requiem because one of those videos was the first that was suggested when I searched for her name on YouTube. Then I watched the Renee Flemming I posted.... It does seem to me from having read some of the opera threads on here that "Casta Diva" is the test aria for a certain fach of the soprano voice. Is it her fach? I have no idea at this point. If it is her fach, can it be the case that a relatively new singer not sing it well because it takes greater training, rather than just be the case that she could not eventually sing it well?


I will check out some more videos and get back to you.


----------



## SixFootScowl

JosefinaHW said:


> P.S. Florestan, I just saw that you clicked "Like" in my post that mentioned Maria Jose Siri. Have you heard her perform? What are your thoughts on what I posted above?


Actually I have never heard of her. Her You Tube videos are all works that I do not know, but for Tosca. The reason I clicked like on the other post is that you had discovered this wonderful singer. It is always fun to discover a new singer and then drink in the beautiful singing and learn what recordings are available (and of course, for me, to buy several of them).

It does not look like Maria Jose Siri has any recordings yet. If you told me she is in Barber of Seville, my ears would perk up and I would check it out.


----------



## JosefinaHW

Pugg said:


> I will check out some more videos and get back to you.


Thank you very much, Pugg! I will also be watching several YouTube videos of her performances and THEN I'm going to listen to another recording of Verdi's _Requiem. _I'm going to start out listening to it as piece of music, not particularly a piece of religious music but I'll post whatever recording I pick in the "Religious Music" section of the forum.

Again, Many Thanks!


----------



## Becca

I'm sorry that I never got to see Giulini do this during his later years in Los Angeles, but we do have this....


----------



## interestedin

German bass-baritone Gerd Grochowski who sang (among other things) Wagner in Bayreuth, at the Scala and at the Met died on Monday. On Sunday he was still on stage and performed Wotan in Die Walküre. He was only 60 years old.


----------



## Sonata

So the local opera company two hours from me is putting on Barber of Seville in May....I'm strongly considering acquiring a ticket. I had an incredible time in Detroit seeing Carmen live, it'd be nice to see another live performance!


----------



## Scopitone

I watched the first two acts of MACBETH last night on met-on-demand. It was a fairly recent performance, starring Netrebko. (everything they stream is either Netrebko or Fleming LOL) 

Anyway, it was a fine enough modern staging, and the singing was fine. But as my first exposure to Verdi's "Scottish Play", I am so far underwhelmed by the music and the pacing (which seems somehow fast and slow at the same time). I am hoping the next two acts will ramp up my interest.


----------



## Pugg

If you ever have a change take a look at Simon Keenlyside doing Macbeth. It's from the Royal Opera house London.
Outstanding, capital O


----------



## JosefinaHW

Scopitone said:


> I watched the first two acts of MACBETH last night on met-on-demand. It was a fairly recent performance, starring Netrebko. (everything they stream is either Netrebko or Fleming LOL)
> 
> Anyway, it was a fine enough modern staging, and the singing was fine. But as my first exposure to Verdi's "Scottish Play", I am so far underwhelmed by the music and the pacing (which seems somehow fast and slow at the same time). I am hoping the next two acts will ramp up my interest.


This was the first Verdi opera that I listened to in full, weird, I know... I wanted another perspective on the character of MacBeth... I love the following aria, thanks to Pugg for the suggested singer:


----------



## JosefinaHW

Pugg said:


> If you ever have a change take a look at Simon Keenlyside doing Macbeth. It's from the Royal Opera house London.
> Outstanding, capital O


What a voice!!!!!! Is he a regular at the Royal Opera House? I've got this video on continuous repeat.


----------



## Pugg

JosefinaHW said:


> What a voice!!!!!! Is he a regular at the Royal Opera House? I've got this video on continuous repeat.


He's a regular all over the world, outstanding voice, he's doing a wonderful Papageno also from the Royal Opera House.
( On DVD also)


----------



## Meyerbeer Smith

Scopitone said:


> I watched the first two acts of MACBETH last night on met-on-demand. It was a fairly recent performance, starring Netrebko. (everything they stream is either Netrebko or Fleming LOL)
> 
> Anyway, it was a fine enough modern staging, and the singing was fine. But as my first exposure to Verdi's "Scottish Play", I am so far underwhelmed by the music and the pacing (which seems somehow fast and slow at the same time). I am hoping the next two acts will ramp up my interest.


Try Abbado's 1976 recording with Cappucilli and Verrett:





Music only here:


----------



## Belowpar

Scopitone said:


> I watched the first two acts of MACBETH last night on met-on-demand. It was a fairly recent performance, starring Netrebko. (everything they stream is either Netrebko or Fleming LOL)
> 
> Anyway, it was a fine enough modern staging, and the singing was fine. But as my first exposure to Verdi's "Scottish Play", I am so far underwhelmed by the music and the pacing (which seems somehow fast and slow at the same time). I am hoping the next two acts will ramp up my interest.


I love Verdi and Calas 'speaking' the intro to her aria was one of the first things that grabbed me about Opera...but I'm with you on this.

As Pugg said on another thread, we can't like em all.

But at some point I wil try again.


----------



## Scopitone

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will look into them. 

Sometimes, a piece can grow on you over time. And sometimes not!


----------



## Don Fatale

The problem I experience with Macbeth productions is the boring modern updates, all greyscale, greatcoats and rifles. When a director is commissioned for this piece and this is all they can come up with, they should be summarily executed with one of their damn rifles! Jeez, Macbeth takes place in the Scottish highlands somewhere before 1500. Is that so hard for these directors to understand?


----------



## Scopitone

Don Fatale said:


> The problem I experience with Macbeth productions is the boring modern updates, all greyscale, greatcoats and rifles. When a director is commissioned for this piece and this is all they can come up with, they should be summarily executed with one of their damn rifles! Jeez, Macbeth takes place in the Scottish highlands somewhere before 1500. Is that so hard for these directors to understand?


Truth. And this MET production is no different. The way they did the Witches, though, grew on me.


----------



## Pugg

Don Fatale said:


> The problem I experience with Macbeth productions is the boring modern updates, all greyscale, greatcoats and rifles. When a director is commissioned for this piece and this is all they can come up with, they should be summarily executed with one of their damn rifles! Jeez, Macbeth takes place in the Scottish highlands somewhere before 1500. Is that so hard for these directors to understand?


And Netrebko wearing a two piece suit doesn't work either.


----------



## Meyerbeer Smith

Don Fatale said:


> The problem I experience with Macbeth productions is the boring modern updates, all greyscale, greatcoats and rifles. When a director is commissioned for this piece and this is all they can come up with, they should be summarily executed with one of their damn rifles! Jeez, Macbeth takes place in the Scottish highlands somewhere before 1500. Is that so hard for these directors to understand?


But Don Fatale, don't you understand that setting an opera (or play) in period is kitsch? Next you'll be saying that _Romeo and Juliet_ should be set in 16th century Verona! Any traditional production is arrière garde, so panders to bourgeois morality. The director's purpose isn't to tell a story, it's to rape the audience into a new consciousness. That means there should be blood all over the stage, all the men should pack heavy guns (which are also phallic symbols - a critique of masculinity), the witches should be naked under see-through plastic mackintoshes, and Macbeth should wear an enormous fur coat and pour wine over his guests.


----------



## Don Fatale

SimonTemplar said:


> But Don Fatale, don't you understand that setting an opera (or play) in period is kitsch? Next you'll be saying that _Romeo and Juliet_ should be set in 16th century Verona! Any traditional production is arrière garde, so panders to bourgeois morality. The director's purpose isn't to tell a story, it's to rape the audience into a new consciousness. That means there should be blood all over the stage, all the men should pack heavy guns (which are also phallic symbols - a critique of masculinity), the witches should be naked under see-through plastic mackintoshes, and Macbeth should wear an enormous fur coat and pour wine over his guests.


Thanks for explaining. I feel like such an idiot. How little I know of the opera world. Here was I thinking it was about great singing, big tunes, grand themes and evocative settings


----------



## Meyerbeer Smith

Don Fatale said:


> Thanks for explaining. I feel like such an idiot. How little I know of the opera world. Here was I thinking it was about great singing, big tunes, grand themes and evocative settings


A century ago, maybe. Nowadays it's chorus members dressed as rats sitting on toilets, to show the corruption of the bourgeoisie. And get rid of beauty! Let's attract a younger audience to opera, by making it as much like a Tarantino gorefest as possible.


----------



## Scopitone

SimonTemplar said:


> Let's attract a younger audience to opera, by making it as much like a Tarantino gorefest as possible.


This line would make a great signature. :tiphat:


----------



## Pugg

​Roberta Peters died last Wednesday at 86 years old.

Obituary :
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/obituary/1665/Roberta-Peters


----------



## Sonata

Pugg said:


> If you ever have a change take a look at Simon Keenlyside doing Macbeth. It's from the Royal Opera house London.
> Outstanding, capital O


I am definitely getting this sometime.


----------



## Sonata

SimonTemplar said:


> But Don Fatale, don't you understand that setting an opera (or play) in period is kitsch? Next you'll be saying that _Romeo and Juliet_ should be set in 16th century Verona! Any traditional production is arrière garde, so panders to bourgeois morality. The director's purpose isn't to tell a story, *it's to rape the audience into a new consciousness.* That means there should be blood all over the stage, all the men should pack heavy guns (which are also phallic symbols - a critique of masculinity), the witches should be naked under see-through plastic mackintoshes, and Macbeth should wear an enormous fur coat and pour wine over his guests.


Blech. I've enough of that in my day to day life. Gimme a story!!


----------



## Pugg

Sonata said:


> I am definitely getting this sometime.


Glad you liked it.


----------



## Sonata

I haven't seen it yet  But I am Verdi obsessed and I usually do well to follow the recommendations here


----------



## hpowders

Sonata said:


> I haven't seen it yet  But I am Verdi obsessed and I usually do well to follow the recommendations here


Music to my ears, "Verdi obsessed" on this Wagner-drunk forum. This may be TC sacrilege, but Verdi strikes my heart much more than Wagner could ever do.


----------



## Pugg

Sonata said:


> I haven't seen it yet  But I am Verdi obsessed and I usually do well to follow the recommendations here


As long as we Sills lovers stick together.


----------



## Sonata

Pugg said:


> As long as we Sills lovers stick together.


Always will!


----------



## mountmccabe

I am having a hard time playing mp3s from Opera Depot. I've found 25% of operas unplayable in my main media player. I kind of ignored it when it was just free downloads (don't look a gift horse, etc.), but now there have been several I have purchased, too. And when I brought this up, he was unsympathetic.

Anyone else having similar issues?

What media players do you use, in general? I'm currently using Music Bee, but I also tried Windows Media Player and Groove Music (since they were on my computer already).

I was able to get them to play with VLC, but that just means I'm not going to listen to them (unless VLC adds support for gapless playback, which they say they won't).


----------



## Pugg

> Anyone else having similar issues?


I have a friend with the same "problem" he stopped buying downloads at that site.
I personally sticking to CD"S


----------



## JosefinaHW

Pugg said:


> He's a regular all over the world, outstanding voice, he's doing a wonderful Papageno also from the Royal Opera House.
> ( On DVD also)


Today I purchased several of his performances on CD and DVD. I didn't list them all. (Many thanks to you for recommending him!!!) 



(I'm ending my MET subscription on 31 Jan when next billing would occur--I am going to purchase performances from other venues, such as the following)


----------



## JosefinaHW

More Simon Keenlyside purchases today:

https://pixxxels.org/

https://postimage.org/

https://postimage.org/

https://postimage.org/


----------



## JosefinaHW

Ok, this will be my last Keenlyside list *for today*.

https://postimage.org/app.php

https://postimage.org/

https://postimage.org/app.php


----------



## Pugg

Oh dear, his voice did really getting you, happy listening/ watching.
I am going tonight for Macbeth.


----------



## Pugg

JosefinaHW said:


> Today I purchased several of his performances on CD and DVD. I didn't list them all. (Many thanks to you for recommending him!!!)


I bought this one for only € 5.00 in a closing down sale years ago.


----------



## Pugg

Opera depot: A New Ring Cycle!

Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen - Flagstad, Svanholm, Lorenz, Frantz, Weber, Treptow, H. Konetzni; Furtwängler. Milano, 1950
$29.97 - $50.97


----------



## Scopitone

Watching an older Lohengrin from met on demand. I can't be one hundred percent certain because of his glasses, but it looks like Levine has his eyes closed about half the time as he's conducting the prelude.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> Watching an older Lohengrin from met on demand. I can't be one hundred percent certain because of his glasses, but it looks like Levine has his eyes closed about half the time as he's conducting the prelude.


He's doing that often, _musically_ the man is a genius.


----------



## Scopitone

Pugg said:


> He's doing that often, _musically_ the man is a genius.


I liked it. It suggested that he knows the music so deeply that there's no need for him to watch the score. And also that he's feeling it deeply.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> I liked it. It suggested that he knows the music so deeply that there's no need for him to watch the score. And also that he's feeling it deeply.


You've got it in one. :angel:


----------



## JosefinaHW

Pugg said:


> Oh dear, his voice did really getting you, happy listening/ watching.
> I am going tonight for Macbeth.


Pugg, did you listen/watch the Simon Keenlyside ROH performance? Did you already own the DVD or Blu-Ray?


----------



## Pugg

JosefinaHW said:


> Pugg, did you listen/watch the Simon Keenlyside ROH performance? Did you already own the DVD or Blu-Ray?


Yes I did, Friday night ( my time) and I do have the "normal" DVD. 
I don't do streaming, I am the fortunate of have two classical T.V channels.

_By the way; on Arte still no sing from the concert we talked about earlier.
_


----------



## JosefinaHW

Pugg said:


> Yes I did, Friday night ( my time) and I do have the "normal" DVD.
> I don't do streaming, I am the fortunate of have two classical T.V channels.
> 
> _By the way; on Arte still no sing from the concert we talked about earlier.
> _


Thank you for keeping an eye out for me! :kiss:


----------



## Pugg

JosefinaHW said:


> Thank you for keeping an eye out for me! :kiss:


Always, and no problem whatsoever.:cheers:


----------



## DavidA

Just seen the dreary Il Trovatore broadcast from ROH. Dreadful production. Wish I hadn't bothered!


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> Just seen the dreary Il Trovatore broadcast from ROH. Dreadful production. Wish I hadn't bothered!


For those who can watch the Mezzo Channel Saturday 4th you can see this one as stated by DavidA.


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot has a 60% discount on : Renata Tebaldi!
We are celebrating this milestone by offering 60% off all of Tebaldis' recordings for the next 48 hours only!


----------



## Don Fatale

Far from the opera seasons at Verona being finished, it seems that the roman arena will be getting a roof to protect the opera-goers from the frequent rain. (The _impermiabile_ hawkers won't be pleased.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...tre-verona-protected-giant-retractable-cover/


----------



## schigolch

Nicolai Gedda has died at 91 years of age. 

Sit tibi terra levis.


----------



## Guest

I realy liked his voice and way of singing,great tenor.may he rest in peace.


----------



## Sloe

schigolch said:


> Nicolai Gedda has died at 91 years of age.
> 
> Sit tibi terra levis.


This year seems to be worse than last year when it comes to celebrity deaths.


----------



## Pugg

Sloe said:


> This year seems to be worse than last year when it comes to celebrity deaths.


And the year only started.


----------



## DavidA

schigolch said:


> Nicolai Gedda has died at 91 years of age.
> 
> Sit tibi terra levis.


Excellent, versatile tenor


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot has a Valentine sale, all 50% off .


----------



## SixFootScowl

> This year seems to be worse than last year when it comes to celebrity deaths.





Pugg said:


> And the year only started.


____  ____


----------



## SixFootScowl

Pugg said:


> Opera Depot has a Valentine sale, all 50% off .


Yeah and I see they have a Fidelio conducted by Goodall with Vickers and Behrens! This is very tempting but I already have 20 some Fidelio sets. Do I need another one?

Additionally they have a Goodall Ring recorded from earlier performances than the one that is commercially released with Mackerras conducting in the Rheingold part.


----------



## Pugg

Florestan said:


> Yeah and I see they have a Fidelio conducted by Goodall with Vickers and Behrens! This is very tempting but I already have 20 some Fidelio sets. Do I need another one?
> 
> Additionally they have a Goodall Ring recorded from earlier performances than the one that is commercially released with Mackerras conducting in the Rheingold part.


At that price, what can go wrong?


----------



## Belowpar

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04pd0td

BBC4 showed the first of the 4 Ring Operas performed in an aclaimed semi staged version by Opera North, tonight.

All 4 are currently available on iplayer but I can't find out when Wlakure and the others are due to be broadcast?


----------



## Pugg

Presto having sale on DG and Decca:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/promotion/bargains?k=8&w=Opera


----------



## Pugg

Dutch National Opera new season:

http://www.operaballet.nl/nl/programma/opera#201709


----------



## mountmccabe

Pugg said:


> Dutch National Opera new season:
> 
> http://www.operaballet.nl/nl/programma/opera#201709


I would want to see almost everything.


----------



## Pugg

mountmccabe said:


> I would want to see almost everything.


I do have 3 or 4 in mind.
Those bloody awful staging almost drives me bonkers.


----------



## DavidA

Belowpar said:


> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04pd0td
> 
> BBC4 showed the first of the 4 Ring Operas performed in an aclaimed semi staged version by Opera North, tonight.
> 
> All 4 are currently available on iplayer but I can't find out when Wlakure and the others are due to be broadcast?


Must confess I find watching a staged version of the Ring can be a bit tedious so I'd sooner turn the picture of a semi staged version and just have the mysic


----------



## mountmccabe

Pugg said:


> I do have 3 or 4 in mind.
> Those bloody awful staging almost drives me bonkers.


The interesting stagings are one of the reasons I would be so excited, but I understand different people have different tastes!

Even beyond production considerations, the list of operas is varied and exciting. San Francisco Opera's season has about the same number of productions, but I dare not hope for such a great variety of works.


----------



## Sloe

mountmccabe said:


> The interesting stagings are one of the reasons I would be so excited, but I understand different people have different tastes!
> 
> Even beyond production considerations, the list of operas is varied and exciting. San Francisco Opera's season has about the same number of productions, but I dare not hope for such a great variety of works.


I watched their home page the most unusual was Manon I think they could have one really unusual opera.

Why is Rigoletto go fans of the sopranos? I can understand Taken.


----------



## Pugg

*Norbeck, Peters & Ford* new release :

ERICH LEINSDORF Cond. Boston Symphony Orch.: 'Vetrate di Chiesa' (Respighi); Romeo and Juliet - Excerpts (Prokofiev); w.GINA BACHAUER: Piano Concerto #2 in c (Rachmaninoff); w.*BEVERLY SILLS: DAPHNE* - Final Scene (Strauss). [A most rewarding program comprising two different BSO concerts, in the magnificence of the glorious Symphony Hall acoustic!] (Canada) 2-St Laurent Studio YSL T-412, Live Performances, 1964 & 1967, Symphony Hall, Boston. Transfers by Yves St Laurent. (C1491)

"Bachauer was a strong, powerful player with a formidable technique. She was often compared to Teresa Carreño (1853-1917), and a 1955 description of her shows the attitude of the time. 'Her technique shows a decidedly masculine approach, and unlike other famous woman pianists she is very much at home with works usually regarded as the prerogative of the 'stronger' sex'. Rachmaninov instilled into Bachauer his idea that music was 'sound and colour' and it is her range of both that makes her playing so distinctive. Extremely self-critical, Bachauer was always working, listening and improving her interpretations."

- Jonathan Summers, Naxos' A-Z of Pianists

"


> Beverly Sills was the acclaimed Brooklyn-born coloratura soprano who was more popular with the American public than any opera singer since Enrico Caruso. Sills won the greatest reviews of her career [as Cleopatra in Handel's GIULIO CESARE, 1966, New York City Opera]. Critics praised her adroit handling of the music's florid fioratura, her perfect trills, her exquisite pianissimo singing and her rich sound....Suddenly she was an opera super-star. In 1968 she had another enormous success in the title role of Massenet's MANON. When the production was revived the next year, the NEW YORKER critic Winthrop Sargent wrote: 'If I were recommending the wonders of New York City to a tourist, I should place Beverly Sills as Manon at the top of the list...".


----------



## mountmccabe

Sloe said:


> I watched their home page the most unusual was Manon I think they could have one really unusual opera.


I would point out that for the Fall 2017 season, _Girls of the Golden West_ is not the Puccini opera, but a new one by John Adams, with libretto compiled by Peter Sellars (who also directs the production).

And, in general, while I would rank the adventurousness of SFO at less than the DNO, they are better than many others. The world premiere in October is not even uncommon; each of the previous two seasons have also included a world premiere, and over David Gockley's just-concluded career as General Director, SFO has averaged nearly a world premiere per year (he was involved in bringing _Girls of the Golden West_ here, too).

It's also a big enough company that in the past few years they have produced big operas such as _Les Troyens_, _Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg_, _Don Carlo_, and are preparing for the Ring next summer.



Sloe said:


> Why is Rigoletto go fans of the sopranos? I can understand Taken.


The "Who Should See It" sidebar is often kind of bizarre, but I guess I don't typically make positive decisions on operas based on plot. Maybe the connection they're seeing is general underground crime, or the quasi-mob like group that abducts Gilda. Or perhaps it was an attempt at a pun?

At least they do have samples of the music, production photos, a video trailer, and give the running time. Those are important things, and all of them seem clear and prominent on their sight.


----------



## mountmccabe

Just for fun I am going to see when San Francisco Opera has last produced the operas in the 2017/18 Dutch National Opera season. Of course this isn't an entirely fair comparison due to the long tail of opera productions beyond the most popular.

Operabase ranks for 2015/16 are in parentheses (n/a used for operas not in the top 500 (occasionally because they are premieres)).

La Forza del Destino (78) - 2005/2006. I applaud performing the less common Verdi operas.
Eligobalo (n/a) - 1974/75 is the only season they've done any Cavalli at all, L'Ormindo.
Eine Florentinische Tragodie (231) - I can find no record of any Zemlinsky at SFO. 
Gianni Schicchi (41) - Last performed in 2009/10 as part of Il Triticco. Before that it was 1979/1980, as part of a different triple bill.
La boheme (4) - Everyone always performs this all the time. But one giant warhorse does not ruin a season.
Tristan und Isolde (44) - 2006/07. Not a real rarity, but a personal favorite.
The Rake's Progress (79) - 2007/08

I'm not going to look for the operas that are part of the Opera Forward Festival, but this is a big plus (SF Opera does have their Opera Labs thing now; the oratorio The Source by Ted Hearne opens tonight). But SFO has not performed any Bernstein (there are rumours _A Quiet Place_ is coming soon), and has only performed any Henze in two seasons (Das Verratene Meer in 1991/92, and Elegy for Young Lovers in 1978/79).

Gurre-lieder (n/a) - In 1968/69 SFO performed Erwartung. There has been no other Schönberg.
La Clemenza di Tito (69). 1993/94. Again, I am not looking for an entire season of the most rare operas ever. But if we're going to have Mozart, it's nice to mix it up!
Les Contes d'Hoffmann (31) - 2012/13. Before that it was 1996/97.
Lessons in Love and Violence (n/a) - SFO has not yet performed anything by Benjamin, but as noted, SFO has done many world premieres.

This is SFO's 2016/17 season:

Andrea Chenier - (94)
Dream of the Red Chamber - (n/a)
Don Pasquale - (33)
Vec Makropulos - (128)
Aida - (12)
Madame Butterfly - (6)
The Source* - (n/a)
La Voix humaine* - (85)
Rigoletto (10)
Don Giovanni (9)
La boheme - (4)

* part of SF Opera Labs, performed in the smaller theater.

And, again, this is not a bad season. I've seen almost all of the six operas staged thus far; some of them have been quite excellent. And of course there's far more to evaluating a season than rarity. But I think this is something many American companies do poorly with, and it's something I respond to.


----------



## mountmccabe

mountmccabe said:


> And of course there's far more to evaluating a season than rarity. But I think this is something many American companies do poorly with, and it's something I respond to.


Like, really. One of the things I love about opera is that there are thousands of them. For most of last year, I listened to a new operas every Friday, just to expose myself to new works. It was incredibly easy to find candidates!

I look at the upcoming SFO summer season, and it's not that they are bad operas - they're not! They're masterpieces! - but I'm not excited about seeing them. And they've all been performed here recently:

La boheme in 2014/15
Don Giovanni in 2011/12
Rigoletto in 2012/13

I was living in NYC for some of that, but the Met did all of these while I was there, too. And before that I was living in Arizona, and they did all of those in the last few years I was there (La boheme in 2009/10, and the other two in 2008/09).

I sort of understand why, but this is also why I didn't really explore seeing live opera until I moved to NYC and there were several hundred performances to choose from per year.


----------



## Sloe

mountmccabe said:


> I would point out that for the Fall 2017 season, _Girls of the Golden West_ is not the Puccini opera, but a new one by John Adams, with libretto compiled by Peter Sellars (who also directs the production).
> QUOTE]
> 
> I was not thinking about that one when I wrote the post.


----------



## Sloe

mountmccabe said:


> The "Who Should See It" sidebar is often kind of bizarre, but I guess I don't typically make positive decisions on operas based on plot. Maybe the connection they're seeing is general underground crime, or the quasi-mob like group that abducts Gilda. Or perhaps it was an attempt at a pun?


I think it is great. Yes if you like films about fathers that experience their daughter being kidnapped you should see Rigoletto.


----------



## Badinerie

If anyone has Amazon Prime I can heartily recommend Joyce DiDonato's performance of Berlioz Les Nuits d'été. It will probebly be on You Tube too. Didnt expect it to be as good as it was. Lovely! You have to sit through some ''Merry Pranks" first though.


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot has a super sale: 60% 


> Our regulars know that we almost never discount our entire collection at 60% off, so you are really going to want to pounce on this sale especially because it is only going to last for 48 hours!


----------



## SixFootScowl

Pugg said:


> Opera Depot has a super sale: 60%


This looks quite interesting with Behrens as Sieglinde.









But how is mp3 download from that site? Is it direct to computer or do they jerk you all around like Amazon does?


----------



## Scopitone

Florestan said:


> But how is mp3 download from that site? Is it direct to computer or do they jerk you all around like Amazon does?


I am pretty sure it's just a zip file with all the tracks in it, as well as a pdf of artwork.


----------



## mountmccabe

Florestan said:


> This looks quite interesting with Behrens as Sieglinde.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But how is mp3 download from that site? Is it direct to computer or do they jerk you all around like Amazon does?


In what way does Amazon jerk you around? I've had no problems purchasing mp3s from Amazon.

And yes, from Opera Depot you get a zip file. From your account you're able to download it up to five times, so even if you accidentally delete it or lose a hard drive or something, your purchase is safe.

But I've had problems playing the mp3s. About 75% of the 40 or so recordings I've gotten from them have been fine. The other ten sets do not play in any of the several music players I've tried. I've only been able to get them to play with VLC, and being a video player, it does not offer gapless playback, which I consider a deal breaker for listening to opera.

At any rate, I've given up on Opera Depot. I don't want to waste money (or even bother with their free downloads) for mp3s I am not going to listen to.


----------



## SixFootScowl

mountmccabe said:


> In what way does Amazon jerk you around? I've had no problems purchasing mp3s from Amazon.
> ...
> I don't want to waste money (or even bother with their free downloads) for mp3s I am not going to listen to.


Amazon was trying to direct me to place the purchased files on their cloud and you had to work around that to get them to your computer, but the last time I downloaded (a couple years ago or so) they required you use their free software for downloads and it was a pain and I had to borrow a computer that had Microsoft to get my files because they did not support Linux with their free program.

Agree, I don't take the free downloads from OD either as I won't listen to most of them.


----------



## schigolch

Kurt Moll dies at 78: http://slippedisc.com/2017/03/a-great-german-bass-has-died-at-78/

Sit tibi terra levis.


----------



## schigolch

Alberto Zedda dies at 89 years old:

http://www.apemusicale.it/joomla/terza-pagina/4346-pesaro-la-scomparsa-di-alberto-zedda-1928-2017

A great musician, a great scholar, a great teacher.

Sit tibi terra levis.


----------



## Pugg

schigolch said:


> Kurt Moll dies at 78: http://slippedisc.com/2017/03/a-great-german-bass-has-died-at-78/
> 
> Sit tibi terra levis.





schigolch said:


> Alberto Zedda dies at 89 years old:
> 
> http://www.apemusicale.it/joomla/terza-pagina/4346-pesaro-la-scomparsa-di-alberto-zedda-1928-2017
> 
> A great musician, a great scholar, a great teacher.
> 
> Sit tibi terra levis.


Thanks for sharing schigolch.


----------



## Pugg

For those who van receive the Mezzo Channel: Saturday 11th

*La Traviata by Verdi in Glyndebourne*

La Traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi
Opera in four acts (1853), libretto by Francesco Maria Piave after La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas
London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Glyndebourne Chorus, Mark Elder (conductor)

Tom Cairns (Stage Director)
Hildegard Bechtler (Designer)
Aletta Collins (Choreographer)
Peter Mumford (Lighting)
Nina Dunn (Video)

Venera Gimadieva (Violetta Valéry)
Michael Fabiano (Alfredo Germont)
Tassis Christoyannis (Giorgio Germont)
Emanuele D'Aguanno (Gastone de Letorières)
Graeme Broadbent (Doctor Grenvil)

Recorded August 2014 at the Glyndebourne Festival
Directed by François Roussillon


----------



## Pugg

Opera depot has a sale :

50% Off

Some new recordings came my way this week both featuring _Elena Souliotis_ and Giangiacomo Guelfi, two brilliant singers who left too few recordings.

So we are celebrating their careers by offering 50% off all of their titles along with three brand new recordings.


----------



## SixFootScowl

For some reason I have not been that delighted with the few sets I have obtained from Opera Depot or other sites of their ilk.


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## Pugg

Opera Depot: New Wagner Ring recording and 50% off.

Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen - Lindholm, Cox, Stewart, Jones, Brilioth, Ridderbusch, Martin, Bailey, Bode, Reynolds; Stein. Bayreuth, 1970


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## Pugg

​New Parsifal staging in Vienna .


----------



## Barbebleu

Florestan said:


> For some reason I have not been that delighted with the few sets I have obtained from Opera Depot or other sites of their ilk.


I take it then Flo that recording quality figures high in your list of priorities when listening to opera?


----------



## Barbebleu

Pugg said:


> Opera Depot: New Wagner Ring recording and 50% off.
> 
> Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen - Lindholm, Cox, Stewart, Jones, Brilioth, Ridderbusch, Martin, Bailey, Bode, Reynolds; Stein. Bayreuth, 1970


Yeah, I felt duty bound to add that to my collection. Now if I can only live for another forty years I should probably get around to hearing it!:lol:


----------



## SixFootScowl

Barbebleu said:


> I take it then Flo that recording quality figures high in your list of priorities when listening to opera?


With some exceptions this is generally true of me. I do like the Cossotto Barber of Seville which is not as good of quality. Maybe when I have a few years of Ring listening under my belt (or under my hat band :lol: ) I may begin to appreciate older recordings and I am taking a dip into historical Ring with this interesting compilation set that I am currently ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000005GQX/


----------



## Barbebleu

Florestan said:


> With some exceptions this is generally true of me. I do like the Cossotto Barber of Seville which is not as good of quality. Maybe when I have a few years of Ring listening under my belt (or under my hat band :lol: ) I may begin to appreciate older recordings and I am taking a dip into historical Ring with this interesting compilation set that I am currently ordering: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000005GQX/


No criticism intended Flo, merely an observation. I have been listening to pre-electric recordings for a fair number of years so recording quality while important isn't crucial but occasionally I feel the need to listen to more recent recordings of my favourite operas! And by recent I mean 60's and 70's?:lol:


----------



## Pugg

Presto has a nice sale:

Arthaus and EuroArts Sale - up to 60% off

Vai - 25% off


----------



## bestellen

I am definitely getting this sometime.


----------



## Pugg

bestellen said:


> I am definitely getting this sometime.


Keep a eye out on the dates though, usually about 8-10 weeks.


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> ​New Parsifal staging in Vienna .


Oh dear!!!!


----------



## DavidA

Barbebleu said:


> No criticism intended Flo, merely an observation. I have been listening to pre-electric recordings for a fair number of years so recording quality while important isn't crucial but occasionally I feel the need to listen to more recent recordings of my favourite operas! And by recent I mean 60's and 70's?:lol:


Frankly why anyone pays out for ancient recordings when perfectly decent ones are available in good sound is beyond me. There are some historical recordings I have because I got them very cheap - e.g. Beecham's Zauberflote and Faust - out of interest but will not listen to them very often.


----------



## interestedin

German tenor Manfred Jung who sang (among other roles) Siegfried in the Boulez/Chereau Ring Cycle has died on 14 April.


----------



## Scopitone

60% off sale at Opera Depot starts today (april 20)


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> 60% off sale at Opera Depot starts today (april 20)


You've been shopping already I've seen.


----------



## Pugg

For those who can receive the Mezzo Channel: * April 22th 08.30 A.M European time .*

*I Capuleti e I Montecchi by Bellini *at La Fenice

Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro La Fenice, Omer Meir Wellber (Conductor)
Claudio Marino Moretti (Chorus Master)

Arnaud Bernard (Stage Direction)
Alessandro Camera (Sets), Fabio Barettin (Lighting), Maria Carla Ricotti (Costumes)

Jessica Pratt (Giulietta)
Sonia Ganassi (Romeo)
Rubén Amoretti (Capellio)
Shalva Mukeria (Tebaldo)
Luca Dall'Amico (Lorenzo)

Recorded January 18th, 2015 at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice
Directed by Stéphane Vérité


----------



## Scopitone

Pugg said:


> You've been shopping already I've seen.


Yup! 

I might should go back for some more of the usually expensive Wagner stuff.


----------



## Scopitone

All afternoon, I have been watching master classes on youtube, conducted by Joyce D and Renee F.

These lovely young women they're coaching have great voices. So they are getting training on breathing, acting, timing. Joyce is especially great. She's funny and animated (Renee is a little more serious). The change Joyce brought in one young singer's Rossini performance after just 20 minutes of coaching is astonishing. The student started out singing the aria beautifully.

By the end, she was _performing _beautifully, to go with her singing. And it was 10x better.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> All afternoon, I have been watching master classes on youtube, conducted by Joyce D and Renee F.
> 
> These lovely young women they're coaching have great voices. So they are getting training on breathing, acting, timing. Joyce is especially great. She's funny and animated (Renee is a little more serious). The change Joyce brought in one young singer's Rossini performance after just 20 minutes of coaching is astonishing. The student started out singing the aria beautifully.
> 
> By the end, she was _performing _beautifully, to go with her singing. And it was 10x better.


I have a bootleg with Renée giving masterclasses, It's fun and very meaningful learning.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Oh wow, Joyce D! I will be seeing her perform a concert version of Handel's Ariodante this Tuesday evening. I am looking forward to it but my legs are not (about 4 hours). Fortunately we have back row so I can stand part of the time.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Scopitone said:


> Yup!
> 
> I might should go back for some more of the usually expensive Wagner stuff.


This one very tempting:


----------



## Scopitone

I think I am through with the sale now. I went back over the last few days and picked up two Ring cycles - Solti London '65 and Boulez '77. Plus highlights from Boulez '76 at Bayreuth, and:

Bellini: Norma - Callas, Nicolai, Corelli, Christoff; Votto. Trieste, 1953
Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande - Mollet, De Los Angeles, Haas, Rouleau; Fournet. Buenos Aires, 1962
Berlioz: Les Troyens - Gedda, Horne, Verrett, Luchetti, Massard, Clabassi; Prêtre. Roma, 1969
Strauss: Salome - Rysanek, Vickers, Stewart, Hesse; Kempe. French Radio, 1974
Wagner: Tristan und Isolde - Wenkoff, Ligendza, Minton, McIntyre, Ridderbusch; C. Kleiber. Bayreuth, 1976
Berg: Wozzeck - Adam, Fine, Uhl, Paskuda, Proebstl; C. Kleiber. Munchen, 1970
Beethoven: Fidelio - Jones, King, Crass, Berry, Popp, Dallapozza, Nienstedt; Bernstein. Wien, 1970


I think that's all. I am still sorting and tagging the mp3 files. Counting the RING cycles and the free '77 Parsifal, that's over 20 complete operas (and a highlights disc) out of this sale.

Not too shabby.


----------



## SixFootScowl

^ The question is what kind of sound quality are you getting?

The Goodall Fidelio is decent but for some hiss and some bad skips in the beginning of the overture.

The Bernstein Fidelio (not Janowitz) is pretty good throughout. A good deal of stage noise but that does not bother me and I do like to hear those chains drop to the floor in live recordings when Leonore unchains Florestan in the Finale.


----------



## Scopitone

As a frequent listener of Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, and other classic rock boots, I am pretty patient with sound quality. 

That said, I wouldn't normally buy this many operas at one time. One or two high quality recordings at a time makes more sense. But I had a few extra bucks from my tax return, and the price was too good to pass up. I also tried to go for things that interested me and _also_ had a few reviews, so I could get an idea what to expect on the sound quality.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> As a frequent listener of Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, and other classic rock boots, I am pretty patient with sound quality.
> 
> That said, I wouldn't normally buy this many operas at one time. One or two high quality recordings at a time makes more sense. But I had a few extra bucks from my tax return, and the price was too good to pass up. I also tried to go for things that interested me and _also_ had a few reviews, so I could get an idea what to expect on the sound quality.


Sounds all very fair, enjoy the listing.


----------



## Scopitone

IN THEATERS MAY 13, MAY 17

The Met: Live in HD
Der Rosenkavalier
*Renée Fleming* sings one of her signature roles as the Marschallin, opposite *Elīna Garanča* in her first North American performances as Octavian, the impulsive young title character.

 Why yes, I _will _try to make both showings.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> IN THEATERS MAY 13, MAY 17
> 
> The Met: Live in HD
> Der Rosenkavalier
> *Renée Fleming* sings one of her signature roles as the Marschallin, opposite *Elīna Garanča* in her first North American performances as Octavian, the impulsive young title character.
> 
> Why yes, I _will _try to make both showings.


You know who has his tickets already.......


----------



## Scopitone

I just realized yesterday that the word is "Verismo". 

Not "Verisimo". 

 at me.


----------



## hpowders

Scopitone said:


> I just realized yesterday that the word is "Verismo".
> 
> Not "Verisimo".
> 
> at me.


Veri-smo-rt of you to notice!


----------



## Scopitone

These two Callas recordings are listed as 1957 La Scala. Are they the same performance?

Is there a rule for quality in Myto vs EMI discs?


----------



## Pugg

Vienna : 
Der Ring des Nibelungen

Das Rheingold: 30. April, 20.* Mai 2017 (*= Livestream)
Die Walküre: 1., 21.* Mai 2017 (*= Livestream)
Siegfried: 7., 28.* Mai 2017 (*= Livestream)
Götterdämmerung: 10. Mai, 5.* Juni 2017 (*= Livestream)


----------



## Scopitone

I really am quite in love with Diana Damrau right now, from watching Le Comte Ory. 

That gorgeous expressive face. That angelic voice. Those stunning gowns. 

#Smitten 

What am I going to tell Hilary Hahn?


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> I really am quite in love with Diana Damrau right now, from watching Le Comte Ory.
> 
> That gorgeous expressive face. That angelic voice. Those stunning gowns.
> 
> #Smitten
> 
> What am I going to tell Hilary Hahn?


Nothing ...yet, one tip, ( if I may) watch the DVD from Damrau/ Flores doing Rigolleto


----------



## Scopitone

Pugg said:


> Nothing ...yet, one tip, ( if I may) watch the DVD from Damrau/ Flores doing Rigolleto


Thanks! I will add it to the ever-growing to-buy list.

I shan't tell Hilary Hahn about my crush on Diana. These things have been known to pass. :lol:


----------



## SixFootScowl

We should have a new law. All recordings that include counter tenors or male sopranos should have a warning label.


----------



## Scopitone

Confession: I prefer this style of opera album reissue cover that Decca and WB/EMI do, with the original cover shrunken down.

As opposed to just the original cover image.


----------



## DavidA

Florestan said:


> We should have a new law. All recordings that include counter tenors or male sopranos should have a warning label.


What about castrati? :lol:


----------



## SixFootScowl

DavidA said:


> What about castrati? :lol:


They didn't have recording technology in those days and I sure hope there are no castrati running around today. But I do enjoy the castrati music sung by Cecilia Bartoli.


----------



## Scopitone

Okay, I can't hold it in anymore. 

No disrespect, but why was Mirella Freni always orange?


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> Okay, I can't hold it in anymore.
> 
> No disrespect, but why was Mirella Freni always orange?


The same as mr T from Pennsylvania avenue


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> Confession: I prefer this style of opera album reissue cover that Decca and WB/EMI do, with the original cover shrunken down.
> 
> As opposed to just the original cover image.


I prefer original covers, these new ones screaming, I am cheap.
( I am a snob, I know)
Doesn't this one looks classy?


----------



## Scopitone

yessssssssssssssssssssssssss


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> yessssssssssssssssssssssssss


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> Confession: I prefer this style of opera album reissue cover that Decca and WB/EMI do, with the original cover shrunken down.
> 
> As opposed to just the original cover image.


By the way, these Decca recordings are also on DVD .


----------



## Scopitone

I requested several opera DVDs from interlibrary loan. But sometimes they decide to buy things I request instead of borrowing them.

*Your request for Salieri: LEuropa riconosciuta by Diana Damrau (Actor), Riccardo Muti (Director) was processed and is now on order for our collection. *


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> I requested several opera DVDs from interlibrary loan. But sometimes they decide to buy things I request instead of borrowing them.
> 
> *Your request for Salieri: LEuropa riconosciuta by Diana Damrau (Actor), Riccardo Muti (Director) was processed and is now on order for our collection. *


That's what I call service.


----------



## Pugg

http://www.metopera.org/Season/2016...ampaign=4-17LC50Upgrade&utm_content=version_A

Does anyone of you have tickets for this 50 years at Lincoln centre Gala?


----------



## Pugg

Soprano Agnes Giebel past away last month is been announced.


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> Soprano Agnes Giebel past away last month is been announced.


Beautiful voice


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> Beautiful voice


Born in my country, and was a very fine Bach singer indeed.


----------



## Pugg

Just ordered our new tickets for the Metropolitan Season 2017-2018 .
Surprise.......... no rise in ticket prices. :angel:


----------



## mrsjohnclaggart

There are some funny comments from the Schumanns (Robert and Clara) and Mendelssohn about Wagner being unable or unwilling to shut up during social evenings, giving his opinion about absolutely everything, and pronouncing obsessively on art. Since those three people were artists of enormous gifts that goes to his arrogance and lack of tact. Tchaikovsky who reviewed the first Ring Cycle for a Russian paper had the impression of a "big headed autocrat" and a deeply unpleasant man. But apparently in his years in Switzerland he was able to manifest considerable charm. Once he was exiled from Germany he had a tough life, was usually broke and manouevering for money and was on the brink of giving up when King Ludwig's messenger found him essentially hiding from his army of creditors. In her million word diary Cosma who seems if anything nastier and more bigoted, does capture his bias and self importance, but intermittantly what seems to have been a brilliant conversational gift. In any case, she more or less killed him. She picked a ferocious fight with him (over a young woman), flounced out of the room, and he dropped dead. The cult of "great artist" is a slippery slope it seems to me. He was a genius no doubt but there is no contradiction between genius and extreme egoism. One is usually better off loving the art and letting the artist moulder in peace if he or she is dead, than worrying too much about how likeable they might have been (though no doubt some were).


----------



## Pugg

mrsjohnclaggart said:


> There are some funny comments from the Schumanns (Robert and Clara) and Mendelssohn about Wagner being unable or unwilling to shut up during social evenings, giving his opinion about absolutely everything, and pronouncing obsessively on art. Since those three people were artists of enormous gifts that goes to his arrogance and lack of tact. Tchaikovsky who reviewed the first Ring Cycle for a Russian paper had the impression of a "big headed autocrat" and a deeply unpleasant man. But apparently in his years in Switzerland he was able to manifest considerable charm. Once he was exiled from Germany he had a tough life, was usually broke and manouevering for money and was on the brink of giving up when King Ludwig's messenger found him essentially hiding from his army of creditors. In her million word diary Cosma who seems if anything nastier and more bigoted, does capture his bias and self importance, but intermittantly what seems to have been a brilliant conversational gift. In any case, she more or less killed him. She picked a ferocious fight with him (over a young woman), flounced out of the room, and he dropped dead. The cult of "great artist" is a slippery slope it seems to me. He was a genius no doubt but there is no contradiction between genius and extreme egoism. One is usually better off loving the art and letting the artist moulder in peace if he or she is dead, than worrying too much about how likeable they might have been (though no doubt some were).


Thanks for sharing and welcome to TalkClassical , perhaps you can put it also in a Wagner thread.


----------



## Pugg

Opera depot :
Our New Ring:
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen - Nilsson, Windgassen, Adam, Rysanek, King, Greindl, Mödl, Silja; Böhm/Suitner. Bayreuth, 1967


Suitner & Böhm!

Our newest Ring Cycle features a dazzling cast including Birgit Nilsson, Wolfgang Windgassen, Theo Adam, Leonie Rysanek, James King, Josef Greindl, Karl Ridderbusch, Thomas Stewart, Anja Silja, Marta Mödl, and Helga Dernesch.

It also has the distinction of being the only Ring Cycle in the history of Bayreuth ever to have been conducted by two different conductors, Karl Böhm and Otmar Suitner


----------



## Scopitone

As much as I love music and get an emotional response from it frequently, I don't often get chills down my back. 

By "Casta Diva" does it for me, more than anything else. Both Renee and Maria have given me chills today from that piece.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> As much as I love music and get an emotional response from it frequently, I don't often get chills down my back.
> 
> By "Casta Diva" does it for me, more than anything else. Both Renee and Maria have given me chills today from that piece.


I do have that with La Traviata, every time Alfredo enter Violetta's room just before she's dying, even now when typing I can hear the melody in my head.


----------



## Star

mrsjohnclaggart said:


> There are some funny comments from the Schumanns (Robert and Clara) and Mendelssohn about Wagner being unable or unwilling to shut up during social evenings, giving his opinion about absolutely everything, and pronouncing obsessively on art. Since those three people were artists of enormous gifts that goes to his arrogance and lack of tact. Tchaikovsky who reviewed the first Ring Cycle for a Russian paper had the impression of a "big headed autocrat" and a deeply unpleasant man. But apparently in his years in Switzerland he was able to manifest considerable charm. Once he was exiled from Germany he had a tough life, was usually broke and manouevering for money and was on the brink of giving up when King Ludwig's messenger found him essentially hiding from his army of creditors. In her million word diary Cosma who seems if anything nastier and more bigoted, does capture his bias and self importance, but intermittantly what seems to have been a brilliant conversational gift. In any case, she more or less killed him. She picked a ferocious fight with him (over a young woman), flounced out of the room, and he dropped dead. The cult of "great artist" is a slippery slope it seems to me. He was a genius no doubt but there is no contradiction between genius and extreme egoism. One is usually better off loving the art and letting the artist moulder in peace if he or she is dead, than worrying too much about how likeable they might have been (though no doubt some were).


Sums up Wagner from what I've read. He would also reportedly bang with his stick on the floor when he felt people were not listenng to him with enough intent!


----------



## Woodduck

Star said:


> Sums up Wagner from what I've read. He would also reportedly bang with his stick on the floor when he felt people were not listenng to him with enough intent!


None of us is capable of "summing up" Wagner.


----------



## Pugg

Woodduck said:


> None of us is capable of "summing up" Wagner.


But your still trying .


----------



## Woodduck

Pugg said:


> But your still trying .


Hah! Just when you think you've got his number, you find there's another number to add. We all take an "Incomplete" in this class.


----------



## Pugg

For those who are in Salzburg this summer:

La clemenza di Tito (W.A. Mozart)
27 juli t/m 21 augustus 2017
Dirigent: Teodor Currentzis
Regisseur: Peter Sellars
Solisten: Russell Thomas, Golda Schutz, Christina Gansch, Marianne Crebassa, Jeanine De Bique en Willard White.

Lady Macbeth van Mtsensk (D. Sjostakovitsj)
2 t/m 21 augustus 2017
Dirigent: Mariss Jansons
Regisseur: Andreas Kriegenburg
Solisten: Nina Stemme, Dmitry Ulyanov, Maxim Paster, Maxim Aksenov e.a.

Aida (G. Verdi)
2 t/m 25 augustus 2017
Dirigent: Riccardo Muti
Regisseur: Shirin Neshat
Solisten: Anna Netrebko, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Roberto Tagliavini, Francesco Meli, Yusif Eyvazov e.a.

Wozzeck (A. Berg)
8 t/m 27 augustus 2017
Dirigent: Vladimir Jurowski
Regisseur: William Kentridge
Solisten: Mattias Goerne, John Daszak, Mauro Peter, Gerhard Siegel, Asmik Grigorian e.a.

Ariodante (G.F. Händel)
16 t/m 28 augustus 2017
Dirigent: Gianluca Capuano
Regisseur: Christof Loy
Solisten: Nathan Berg, Kathryn Lewek, Cecilia Bartoli, Rolando Villazón, Sandrine Piau, Christophe Dumaux en Kristofer Lundin.

Lear (A. Reimann)
20 t/m 29 augustus 2017
Dirigent: Franz Welser-Möst
Regisseur: Simon Stone
Solisten: Gerald Finley, Evelyn Herlitzius, Anna Prohaska, Lauri Vasar e.a.

I due Foscari (G. Verdi)
11 en 14 augustus 2017
Dirigent: Michele Mariotti
Regisseur: [concertant]
Solisten: Plácido Domingo, Joseph Calleja, Maria Agresta, Roberto Tagliavini e.a.

Lucrezi Borgia (G. Donizetti)
27 en 30 augustus 2017
Dirigent: Marco Armiliato
Regisseur: [concertant]
Solisten: Ildar Abdrazakov, Krassimira Stoyanova, Juan Diego Flórez e.a.

L'Orfeo (C. Monteverdi)
26 juli 2017
Dirigent: John Eliot Gardiner
Regisseur: Elsa Rooke en John Eliot Gardiner
Solisten: Krystian Adam, Hana Blazikova, Lucile Richardot, Francesca Boncompagni e.a.

Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (C. Monteverdi)
28 juli 2017
Dirigent: John Eliot Gardiner
Regisseur: Elsa Rooke en John Eliot Gardiner
Solisten: Furio Zanasi, Lucile Richardot, Krystian Adam, Hana Blazikova e.a.

L'incoronazione di Poppea (C. Monteverdi)
29 juli 2017
Dirigent: John Eliot Gardiner
Regisseur: Elsa Rooke en John Eliot Gardiner
Solisten: Hana Blazikova, Kangmin Justin Kim, Marianna Pizzolato, Gianluca Buratto e.a.

Der Schauspieldirektor (W.A. Mozart / A. Salieri)
28 juli t/m 27 augustus 2017
Dirigent: Erina Yashima
Regisseur: Elena Tzavara
Solisten: jongtalentprogramma.

Zie voor meer informatie over het festival de website van de Salzburger Festspiele.


----------



## Star

Woodduck said:


> None of us is capable of "summing up" Wagner.


Rossini had a go: "Wagner has lovely moments but awful quarters of an hour."


----------



## Vinyl

Confession: Some times I don't bother reading the libretto or even a synopsis, I just drop the stylus on side 1 and cruise through to the end without knowing what any of the words are.


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## SixFootScowl

Vinyl said:


> Confession: Some times I don't bother reading the libretto or even a synopsis, I just drop the stylus on side 1 and cruise through to the end without knowing what any of the words are.


I have done the same for the libretto part. And rather than read libretto I much prefer a good DVD with subtitles. I know the subtitles fall short of a complete libretto, but it is generally sufficient. Of my favorite operas, I do read the libretto at least once, but not while following along with the music which I probably could not do if I wanted to.


----------



## Annied

Vinyl said:


> Confession: Some times I don't bother reading the libretto or even a synopsis, I just drop the stylus on side 1 and cruise through to the end without knowing what any of the words are.


It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one! It's how the actual sounds of the words fit the music that matters to me more than their meaning. That said, I do like to know the story of any opera I actually attend, so I do do my homework for them.


----------



## Vinyl

Florestan said:


> And rather than read libretto I much prefer a good DVD with subtitles.


OK, I was talking about when I listen to recordings. A live performance or DVD is a whole other matter, of course.



> Of my favorite operas, I do read the libretto at least once, but not while following along with the music which I probably could not do if I wanted to.


Me too. Wikipedia synopsis plus follow the libretto (if it is included with the records). But it doesn't always enhance the experience.


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## Vox Gabrieli

I've found that a libretto is necessary even if you're fluent in the language.


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## Pugg

Annied said:


> It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one! It's how the actual sounds of the words fit the music that matters to me more than their meaning. That said, I do like to know the story of any opera I actually attend, so I do do my homework for them.


Me too, helps a lot , and remembering is even better, not confusing Manon with, let's say Mimi, both dying, different source though.


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## Vinyl

Now listening to Giulio Cesare. Quick look at the synopsis: Egypt, Cleo, murdering brothers, almost drowning, yada yada. Cool. Play. Profit.


----------



## Pugg

Vinyl said:


> Now listening to Giulio Cesare. Quick look at the synopsis: Egypt, Cleo, murdering brothers, almost drowning, yada yada. Cool. Play. Profit.


Good luck the next four hours.......


----------



## Vinyl

Pugg said:


> Good luck the next four hours.......


Thanks a lot. I've got the libretto right here, just in case I get confused.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Vinyl said:


> Now listening to Giulio Cesare. Quick look at the synopsis: Egypt, Cleo, murdering brothers, almost drowning, yada yada. Cool. Play. Profit.


Great opera. I just finished the DVD with Janet Baker. It was awesome. It got me very interested and I have ordered two CD sets, one of the DVD soundtrack, which is sung in English, and one in the original language (Jacobs).


----------



## Lensky

Florestan said:


> Great opera. I just finished the DVD with Janet Baker. It was awesome. It got me very interested and I have ordered two CD sets, one of the DVD soundtrack, which is sung in English, and one in the original language (Jacobs).


And what about this one?


----------



## mountmccabe

Arte's stream of Joyce DiDonato's War & Peace concert from Barcelona is starting now: http://concert.arte.tv/de/joyce-didonato-gran-teatre-del-liceu-barcelona


----------



## Annied

mountmccabe said:


> Arte's stream of Joyce DiDonato's War & Peace concert from Barcelona is starting now: http://concert.arte.tv/de/joyce-didonato-gran-teatre-del-liceu-barcelona


That had me confused until I realised you'd said it was a live stream as I'm watching a Yoncheva/Beczala concert on Arte's TV channel!


----------



## SixFootScowl

Lensky said:


> And what about this one?


It is not complete and the voices are very different. Every instance of "Alto Countertenor" listed on Wikipedia for this opera is sung by a bass-baritone in this set. I describe this in more detail in this post. It is worth it for Beverly Sills and Maureen Forrester but you need a complete set, and I recommend Jacobs and or the sung-in-English with Janet Baker which you can also get on DVD and the Baker DVD is a wonderful performance.

The pictured Sills set is 148 minutes on two disks (per Amazon listing)
The Janet Baker set is 183 minutes on three disks (per Presto Classical listing)
I think the Jacobs set is even longer than Baker and is on 3 disks per Presto Classical, but showing as 4 disks on Amazon.

I just ordered the Jacobs the other day and watched the Janet Baker DVD that I had purchased last year. The DVD was so good that after I finished I found a CD set of the same performance and ordered it immediately. Beware on the Baker CD sets; there are several covers and many are single-disk highlights sets and it is not always stated in the listing or on the cover (and sometimes mis-stated or mis-leading in the listings), so do your research and cross reference with a bar code look up website.

All the singing in the Baker DVD is absolutely wonderful but one of my favorite parts is this aria for Cleopatra (especially 4:30-5:00):


----------



## Lensky

Thanks a lot for your precious help & the details about the different sets :tiphat:


----------



## SixFootScowl

Lensky said:


> Thanks a lot for your precious help & the details about the different sets :tiphat:


May want to look at this thread with discussion of the available sets. You may prefer some other set than what I listed:
http://www.talkclassical.com/20442-best-current-recording-giulio.html


----------



## SixFootScowl

Lensky said:


> Thanks a lot for your precious help & the details about the different sets :tiphat:


I will be interested in what set you select. Please post it once you make a decision. Probably in one of he linked threads that are on the topic of that opera.


----------



## DavidA

A comment in Radio Times about ROH Mastersingers:

"Kaspar Holten's woeful production is best forgotten!" 

Along with the rest of his rubbish productions!


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> A comment in Radio Times about ROH Mastersingers:
> 
> "Kaspar Holten's woeful production is best forgotten!"
> 
> Along with the rest of his rubbish productions!


Are the critics sharpening their knifes, for the upcoming Otello with Kaufmann already DavidA ?


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> Are the critics sharpening their knifes, for the upcoming Otello with Kaufmann already DavidA ?


Holten is bad news all round for opera productions. I can never see why these hacks get appointed in the first place.


----------



## Pugg

BBC Cardiff singer of the world competition starts:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/r8zp5v


----------



## Zellibrung

Been listening to Glass' Evening Song a lot recently. Why did no one ever tell me that some of his stuff was actually better than Einstein on the Beach.


----------



## Pugg

Zellibrung said:


> Been listening to Glass' Evening Song a lot recently. Why did no one ever tell me that some of his stuff was actually better than Einstein on the Beach.


I see Glass hardly ever mentioned on this site, so I guess that's why.


----------



## schigolch

The great musicologist and Rossini specialist Philip Gossett, died today at 75 years old.

Sit tibi terra levis.

http://deadobituary.com/philip-gossett-american-musicologist-died-at-75/


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Is it true that people in London camp for three days in front of the Royal Opera House in order to come at tickets? Are they that hard to obtain?


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot : 50% off all Meistersingers.

Two New Meistersingers
We have added two new recordings of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg:

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Adam, Bode, Cox, Sotin, Hirte, Reynolds, Weikl; Varviso. Bayreuth, 1974
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Frantz, Aldenhoff, Lemnitz, Unger, Böhme, Pflanzl; Kempe. Dresden, 1951

New Free Download
This week's free download is an English-language performance of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg!


----------



## wkasimer

> Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Frantz, Aldenhoff, Lemnitz, Unger, Böhme, Pflanzl; Kempe. Dresden, 1951


I assume that this is the same recording that's been around for decades. I first heard it on Vox LP's, and most recently as issued by Profil:









It's worth hearing once, for the quality of the Dresden Staatskapelle, but the cast looks better on paper than it sounds through my loudspeakers.


----------



## Scopitone

They have a 1943 Bayreuth _Meistersinger _on OperaDepot.


----------



## Scopitone

@Pugg

Cashflow sadly forced me to miss the Renee/Elena _Rosencavalier_ broadcast last month. How was it? Divine, I suspect.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> @Pugg
> 
> Cashflow sadly forced me to miss the Renee/Elena _Rosencavalier_ broadcast last month. How was it? Divine, I suspect.


If it comes in reprise you should see it, it is beyond words.
Belowpar wroth a nice piece about it: post#274

http://www.talkclassical.com/28094-our-own-reviews-operas-19.html


----------



## Scopitone

I misspelled Kavalier.

That's how disappointed I am in missing the performance.


----------



## Pugg

For those who can receive the Mezzo Channel:

*Poliuto by Gaetano Donizetti at the Glyndebourne Festival*

Poliuto, by Gaetano Donizetti
Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Chorus, Enrique Mazzola (Conductor)

Mariame Clément (Stage Direction)
Julia Hansen (Sets)
Bernd Purkrabek (Lighting)

Michael Fabiano (Poliuto)
Ana María Martínez (Paolina)
Igor Golovatenko (Severo)
Matthew Rose (Callistene)
Timothy Robinson (Felice)
Emanuele D'Aguanno (Nearco)

_Recorded on July 9 and 15, 2015 at the Glyndebourne Festival
Directed by François Roussillon_

JUne 21yj 20.30 European summer time.


----------



## Belowpar

Pugg said:


> For those who can receive the Mezzo Channel:
> 
> *Poliuto by Gaetano Donizetti at the Glyndebourne Festival*
> 
> Poliuto, by Gaetano Donizetti
> Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano
> 
> London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Chorus, Enrique Mazzola (Conductor)
> 
> Mariame Clément (Stage Direction)
> Julia Hansen (Sets)
> Bernd Purkrabek (Lighting)
> 
> Michael Fabiano (Poliuto)
> Ana María Martínez (Paolina)
> Igor Golovatenko (Severo)
> Matthew Rose (Callistene)
> Timothy Robinson (Felice)
> Emanuele D'Aguanno (Nearco)
> 
> _Recorded on July 9 and 15, 2015 at the Glyndebourne Festival
> Directed by François Roussillon_
> 
> JUne 21yj 20.30 European summer time.


Thanks for the recomendation re Rosenkavalier, Pugg.

I also reviewed this one.

Donizetti is always worth listening to and Fabiano is the real deal. Just didn't expect a drab production from Glyndebourne.


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> Thanks for the recomendation re Rosenkavalier, Pugg.
> 
> I also reviewed this one.
> 
> Donizetti is always worth listening to and Fabiano is the real deal. Just didn't expect a drab production from Glyndebourne.


I did specified it in my post that is was yours Belowpar.:tiphat:
So al credits for you!.


----------



## Scopitone

I'm watching the 1995 Verdi Otello starring Renee Fleming. I can't believe how much thicker she looks - especially in the face. It's quite distracting. 

Any chance there was a baby involved around that time?


ETA: okay, at the end of Act 2 the whole cast come out and take curtain calls. What the heck is that all about? It really annoys me. There's still half the Opera to go.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Scopitone said:


> ETA: okay, at the end of Act 2 the whole cast come out and take curtain calls. What the heck is that all about? It really annoys me. There's still half the Opera to go.


I have seen that in a number of opera DVDs that I have. I think it is pretty common.


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> I'm watching the 1995 Verdi Otello starring Renee Fleming. I can't believe how much thicker she looks - especially in the face. It's quite distracting.
> 
> Any chance there was a baby involved around that time?
> 
> ETA: okay, at the end of Act 2 the whole cast come out and take curtain calls. What the heck is that all about? It really annoys me. There's still half the Opera to go.


I only know she has two daughters but she use to be a bit round about the hips / tush.
( We love to giggle a bit so I ask her on August 22th )

Applaud....interval, very common like Florestan says.
( Mind you act 3 starts also with applauding)


----------



## Scopitone

I don't mind applause. But coming out and taking bows? The performances to that point had been good. But not THAT good.


----------



## Nocture In Blue

Could someone help me? I have tickets to the some performances at the Bayreuth Festspiele this year. Sadly I can't go. I booked the ticket in a haste and got the wrong dates.
Here's a part of their General Terms and Conditions (10.4 b):

_sale of admission tickets on non-authorised Internet platforms, for example, and in particular, eBay, or non-authorised Online-Ticket-Markets, or within the framework of Internet auctions; an exception here is respective sale within the scope of a immediate (so-called "buy it now") sale or immediate sale at a price which does not exceed the original price of the ticket, including the card charge and - if such costs were incurred - the proportion of the processing charge, in addition to costs which were or will be incurred to the seller during the purchase and/or during the resale of the ticket by the chosen method (e.g. postage and/or e.g. eBay charge or similar charges)_

I don't really understand a thing. Is at against the rules to sell at eBay under all circumstances or is okay if I sell them under a lower price than I paid? 
Does anyone here know another place where I could sell them without breaking the rules?

I would be grateful for some help.


----------



## Pugg

> I'm don't really understand a thing. Is at against the rules to sell at eBay under all circumstances or is okay if I sell them under a lower price than I paid?


You can sell them at eBay for the normal price, no bidding is what they mean, only buy now option is permitted.


----------



## Nocture In Blue

Okay. Thank you, Pugg.


----------



## mountmccabe

I forget where it was but I mentioned I was going to see Deborah Voigt at Merola's 60th Anniversary Gala. I was unexpectedly out of town and missed it. She sang on two things, "Bell nuit, o nuit d'amour" from Hoffmann with Dolora Zajick, and "Anything you can do" from _Annie Get Your Gun_ with Catherine Cook. There was a lot at the concert I would have loved to hear, especially Issachah Savage and Sarah Cambridge (current Adler fellow) singing the close of Act 1 of _Die Walküre_.

I was able to attend a different Merola event yesterday; a Master Class with Jane Eaglen. She was really entertaining, and it was fascinating to hear a singer teach singing. She focused a lot on technique and how to focus and shape the sound. There were also some immediate results that were quite thrilling. I'm really looking forward to hearing more from these singers this summer!


----------



## JoeSaunders

Florestan said:


> I have seen that in a number of opera DVDs that I have. * I think it is pretty common.*


Pigeon pottery? POTTERY PIGEON!


----------



## SiegendesLicht

Nocture In Blue said:


> Could someone help me? I have tickets to the some performances at the Bayreuth Festspiele this year. Sadly I can't go. I booked the ticket in a haste and got the wrong dates.
> Here's a part of their General Terms and Conditions (10.4 b):
> 
> _sale of admission tickets on non-authorised Internet platforms, for example, and in particular, eBay, or non-authorised Online-Ticket-Markets, or within the framework of Internet auctions; an exception here is respective sale within the scope of a immediate (so-called "buy it now") sale or immediate sale at a price which does not exceed the original price of the ticket, including the card charge and - if such costs were incurred - the proportion of the processing charge, in addition to costs which were or will be incurred to the seller during the purchase and/or during the resale of the ticket by the chosen method (e.g. postage and/or e.g. eBay charge or similar charges)_
> 
> I don't really understand a thing. Is at against the rules to sell at eBay under all circumstances or is okay if I sell them under a lower price than I paid?
> Does anyone here know another place where I could sell them without breaking the rules?
> 
> I would be grateful for some help.


What tickets do you have? Have you sold them already?


----------



## Pugg

Presto having a huge opera sale, even new titles:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/promotion/opera


----------



## Pugg

For those who can revive the Mezzo Channel

*04/07 - 08h30 on mezzo

10/07 - 17h52 on mezzo
*

*Salome, by Richard Strauss*

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Daniele Gatti (Conductor)
Ivo van Hove (Stage Direction)
Jan Versweyveld (Sets), An D'Huys (Costumes), Jan Versweyveld (Lighting)

Lance Ryan (Herodes)
Doris Soffel (Herodias)
Malin Byström (Salome)
Evgeny Nikitin (Jochanaan)
NN (Narraboth)
Hanna Hipp (Ein Page der Herodias)
Dietmar Kerschbaum (1. Jude)
Thomas Ebenstein (2. Jude)
Mark Omvlee (3. Jude)
Marcel Beekman (4. Jude)
Alexander Vassiliev (5. Jude)
James Creswell (1. Nazarener)
Roger Smeets (2. Nazarener)

Live From the De Nationale Opera, Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam
TV Director, François Roussillon

And live from Amsterdam on Tuesday 27th only H.D subscribers.


----------



## Scopitone

I can't find a "Least Favorite Character" thread and don't want to start one because it's so negative. But I have to comment about how annoying Gilda is. She commits suicide for her first boyfriend. No, not even that -- the first man who's ever noticed her, a man she hardly knows at all. Except she _does _know that he's a cad and thus most likely playing her.

I don't know that we're supposed to dislike her, though.

So I have decided that she doesn't die for The Duke, specifically. She gets herself killed because Rigoletto has kept her imprisoned so long (and maybe hits her sometimes?). She feels there is no escape possible for her, and she would rather die than spend the rest of her life locked up. The Duke is a convenient excuse - she can do something nice for him while making her ultimate escape.


----------



## mountmccabe

Scopitone said:


> So I have decided that she doesn't die for The Duke, specifically. She gets herself killed because Rigoletto has kept her imprisoned so long (and maybe hits her sometimes?). She feels there is no escape possible for her, and she would rather die than spend the rest of her life locked up. The Duke is a convenient excuse - she can do something nice for him while making her ultimate escape.


Rigoletto is certainly a terrible father, and a terrible man. He loves her, but not enough to do anything difficult like let her experience life. So I agree. No matter how much she realizes it, she is fleeing her nasty, power-drunk but powerless father.

This is one reason I don't like the opera. At the end we are asked to feel sorry for Rigoletto, even though little bad happens to him. His daughter dies, but that's a bad thing that happens to her, and it's almost directly his fault. Perhaps at the time it was more common to view children/women as property, but that doesn't help the opera, in my mind.


----------



## Scopitone

You may be onto something about the loss of his "property" being a bad thing. She's his only chance at living on, since he's old and deformed and not likely to find another woman like his wife. So her death is the end of his everything, not just the loss of his little girl. I suspect that would be a bigger deal in the original story setting. 

"power-drunk but powerless father"

Nice! It's true that while he has a kind of power, in that he can insult courtiers as part of his jester job, he's really got nuthin. No one likes or respects him. Running Gilda's life is the only arena where he can enforce his will and "be a man". 

It is a pretty f'd up story.


----------



## huntsman

If I want to get info on the 'best' or 'most popular' version of an opera, where can I look?

There are scores of productions available of each well known opera, and I'd rather not wade through many before finding a really nice one, particularly as I'm new to opera. Once I know a lot more, I'm sure the search will be easier, but meantime, I'll take all the help I can get.

Does this resource exist?


----------



## Scopitone

huntsman said:


> If I want to get info on the 'best' or 'most popular' version of an opera, where can I look?
> 
> There are scores of productions available of each well known opera, and I'd rather not wade through many before finding a really nice one, particularly as I'm new to opera. Once I know a lot more, I'm sure the search will be easier, but meantime, I'll take all the help I can get.
> 
> Does this resource exist?


Welcome to Opera! I am new, too, and I love it. 

Try this thread, for starters: http://www.talkclassical.com/showthread.php?t=38696


----------



## Annied

SiegendesLicht said:


> Is it true that people in London camp for three days in front of the Royal Opera House in order to come at tickets? Are they that hard to obtain?


It's not hard to get a ticket generally speaking, but they can be very hard to obtain at the public booking stage for operas featuring the "top" handful performers of the day. By the time the subscribers, corporates and "Friends" (who get priority booking) have taken their shares, there aren't always a lot of tickets left over. Years ago I certainly saw people who had camped out outside the Box Office, although I don't know how many days they'd been there. Nowadays everything seems to be done online, so I'm not sure if it still happens.


----------



## Scopitone

I was watching a video on youtube called THE STORY OF OPERA. At one point, the narrator tells a story about an orchestra in South America whose conductor and assistant conductor both became ill right before an opera was to begin. They ask the orchestra if anyone could step in and conduct, and a young cellist raises his hand. He takes the podium and tells the orchestra that they know the music perfectly by heart. They are to close their music and just follow him. It's a smashing success. 

And so began Toscanini's conducting career.


----------



## Scopitone

_Butterfly _has to be one of the characters most hurt by HD, since she's so young.

Last night, I started the lovely 2016 production on MetOD, starring Kristine Opolais (rising star?). She's in her late 30's and very good looking. But she looks oooooold when she says "Less than twenty" for her age - and then Pinkerton says she's 15, and he and Sharpless get all HumbertHumbert about it.


----------



## Nocture In Blue

SiegendesLicht said:


> What tickets do you have? Have you sold them already?


I have tickets to the third Ring Cycle. No, I haven't sold them. To be perfectly honest, I haven't even started trying, yet.


----------



## huntsman

Scopitone said:


> Welcome to Opera! I am new, too, and I love it.
> 
> Try this thread, for starters: http://www.talkclassical.com/showthread.php?t=38696


Thank you Scopitone! Fine thread, but I was rather hoping for one that compares different productions of the same opera. Take Aida, for example - there are a score or more available to purchase/stream etc....but which one? (and why?)

Addendum - Now that I have spent time in that thread, I see it evolved through exactly the comparisons I require - stupid me!:lol:


----------



## Scopitone

Famous Operas Made Significantly Shorter Through Feminism 


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/Feminism/comments/3j5vgj


----------



## mountmccabe

A lot of operas would be significantly shorter/less troublesome if the characters respected themselves, listened to each other, and just communicated better overall.

Same can be said for a lot of art. And a lot of real life, too.


----------



## Scopitone

Truth. How many romantic comedies would be ended if the two characters sat down and had a 5 min conversation instead of two hours of confusion and misunderstandings? :lol:


----------



## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> Truth. How many romantic comedies would be ended if the two characters sat down and had a 5 min conversation instead of two hours of confusion and misunderstandings? :lol:


We always do that, on the diner table, phones out, computers out having a meal and talk about anything ( including my shopping on line) for more wonderful opera / music.


----------



## Scopitone

Opera Depot - I have never heard of this singer. Not a shock, as I know next to nothing!:lol:



> This week's free download is a new compilation featuring Ingrid Bjoner in nearly two hours of excerpts.
> 
> The compilation features arias and scenes from Don Giovanni, Fidelio, Aida, La Forza del destino, Turandot, Feuersnot, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Elektra, Die Walküre, Siegfried, Götterdämmerung and Tristan und Isolde.
> 
> She is joined by Cesare Valletti, Regina Resnik, Marcel Cordes, Grace Hoffman, Birgit Nilsson, Jean Cox and Ruth Hesse.


----------



## JAS

Scopitone said:


> Opera Depot - I have never heard of this singer. Not a shock, as I know next to nothing!:lol:


That may be the first time I have ever seen such a statement on TC. I think it deserves a prize.


----------



## Scopitone




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## Pugg

Scopitone said:


>


Fascinating watching, I believe it's for sale at Amazon.


----------



## Scopitone

Pugg said:


> Fascinating watching, I believe it's for sale at Amazon.


The whole video WAGNER AND ME is on youtube, Stephen Frey is delightful. He's a total fanboy for Wagner's music, and the enthusiasm is catching.

He does spend probably too much time dealing with the whole Hitler thing, which is unfortunate because it distracts from all the lovely musical bits. But I supposed he figured he must.


----------



## danj

Been listening to a lot of Opera lately and Handel with Rinaldo and Strauss II's Die Zigeunerbaron have been my absolute favorites.


----------



## Pugg

For the Mezzo viewers: Saturday July 15th 20.30 P.M

*Joyce DiDonato sings Maria Stuarda by Donizetti at the Metropolitan Opera*

Maria Stuarda, by Gaetano Donizetti
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Maurizio Benini (conductor)
David McVicar (Stage Director)
Leah Hausman (Choreographer)
John Macfarlane (Set & Costume Designer)
Jennifer Tipton (Lighting Designer)

Joyce DiDonato (Maria Stuarda)
Elza van den Heever (Elisabetta)
Matthew Rose (Talbot)
Joshua Hopkins (Cecil)
Matthew Polenzani (Leicester)
Maria Zifchak (Anna Kennedy)

Recorded at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, in 2013
Gary Halvorson (TV Director)


----------



## Star

Scopitone said:


> The whole video WAGNER AND ME is on youtube, Stephen Frey is delightful. He's a total fanboy for Wagner's music, and the enthusiasm is catching.
> 
> He does spend probably too much time dealing with the whole Hitler thing, which is unfortunate because it distracts from all the lovely musical bits. But I supposed he figured he must.


I saw this programme. Thought Fry was just downright silly and precious almost treating Bayreuth as a hallowed ground. I was amused what the Jewish survivor of a concentration camp said when he asked her if she listened to Wagner: "No I don't like noise!"


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## BaritoneAssoluto

Star said:


> I saw this programme. Thought Fry was just downright silly and precious almost treating Bayreuth as a hallowed ground. I was amused what the Jewish survivor of a concentration camp said when he asked her if she listened to Wagner: "No I don't like noise!"


Noise? Have she NOT heard the prelude to Tristan und Isolde? The fire scene of Gotterdammerung? I guess music is subjective but I wouldn't classify that as noise. Mozart or Puccini? Now THAT is noise!


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## Pugg

For the Mezzo viewers:

*Roméo et Juliette by Gounod at the Arena di Verona
*

Orchestra and Ballet of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, Fabio Mastrangelo (Conductor)
Francesco Micheli (Stage Direction)

Nino Machaidze (Juliette)
Ketevan Kemoklidze (Stéphano)
Cristina Melis (Gertrude)
Stefano Secco (Roméo)
Jean François Borras (Tybalt)
Paolo Antognetti (Benvolio)
Artur Rucinski (Mercutio)
Nicolò Ceriani (Pâris)
Gianpiero Ruggeri (Grégorio)
Manrico Signorini (Capulet)
Giorgio Giuseppini (Frère Laurent)
Deyan Vatchkov (Le duc de Vérone)

Recorded in 2011 at the Arena di Verona
Directed by Andy Sommer

Operas
Sunday
6 August at 13:01
on mezzo live hd
Genre : Opéra
Length : 02:57:01
Director : Andy Sommer
Next broadcasts

07/08 - 09h00 on mezzo live hd

07/08 - 12h30 on mezzo

08/08 - 00h02 on mezzo live hd

09/08 - 17h00 on mezzo live hd

11/08 - 20h30 on mezzo live hd

15/08 - 16h30 on mezzo

20/08 - 20h30 on mezzo live hd

21/08 - 17h00 on mezzo live hd

22/08 - 13h00 on mezzo live hd


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## Star

BaritoneAssoluto said:


> Noise? Have she NOT heard the prelude to Tristan und Isolde? The fire scene of Gotterdammerung? I guess music is subjective but I wouldn't classify that as noise. Mozart or Puccini? Now THAT is noise!


I have no doubt she had being a trained orchestral musician. But there is rather more to Wagner than the two pieces you have mentioned. Your rather comments on Mozart and Puccini show more about your taste than they do about the composers concerned and I think most people posting here will know they are laughably out of court.


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## JosefinaHW

I am shopping the opera score sale at SheetMusicPlus and I found _A Critical Report of Mozart's Cosi fan tutte _in the bargain bin_. _Would someone take a look at two of the sample pages posted on their site and explain to me what this "critical report" is discussing. If you have the time please explain the nature and purpose of a critical report of an opera. Thank you very much.

http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title...cuola-degli-amanti-kv-588-sheet-music/5124909


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## damianjb1

Hi. Just wondering if anyone is going to Parsifal on Wednesday in Sydney with Jonas Kaufmann? I'm going on my own so it would be great to have someone to have a drink in the interval with.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

damianjb1 said:


> Hi. Just wondering if anyone is going to Parsifal on Wednesday in Sydney with Jonas Kaufmann? I'm going on my own so it would be great to have someone to have a drink in the interval with.


Have you said Parsifal?! I would love to, but I am afraid I don't have time or the means to make it all the way from Hamburg. It is sad, because otherwise we could have many drinks and discuss this most amazing of musical works until long into the night. Just now discussing it is really all I want to do....


----------



## Pugg

damianjb1 said:


> Hi. Just wondering if anyone is going to Parsifal on Wednesday in Sydney with Jonas Kaufmann? I'm going on my own so it would be great to have someone to have a drink in the interval with.


The only member I can think of is Simon Templar, he's a fervent opera goer/ writer.


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## Pugg

Opera Depot has a 50% sale on everything......


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## Pugg

For those who having the Arte channel:

12.08.2017

20:15 Uhr - Arte

AIDA vom Salzburg Festival mit Anna Netrebko

https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/074586-001-A/salzburger-festspiele-2017-aida
It's in German but you can see the other participants.


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## Annied

Pugg said:


> For those who having the Arte channel:
> 
> 12.08.2017
> 
> 20:15 Uhr - Arte
> 
> AIDA vom Salzburg Festival mit Anna Netrebko
> 
> https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/074586-001-A/salzburger-festspiele-2017-aida
> It's in German but you can see the other participants.


It's safely on my DVD recorder's HDD, although I haven't watched it yet.

For anyone who can receive German television channels, there's a very good webpage which lists all the concerts/ballet/opera coming up for the coming 4 or 5 weeks.

https://www.klassikkalender.de/klassische-musik-im-tv/


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## Pugg

^

We do have 3Sat but it's unwatchable interfered by other channels , bought even new cables but no luck.


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## Taplow

Thank you for bringing my attention to arte.tv ... I've bookmarked it for later perusal and viewing.


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## Annied

Pugg said:


> ^
> 
> We do have 3Sat but it's unwatchable interfered by other channels , bought even new cables but no luck.


Oh that's a shame. Do you have cable or satellite? I ask because there are 2 3Sat channels on satellite, one HD, the other not. They're on different transponders, which might make a difference. I do get a marginally stronger signal on the non HD one.


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## Pugg

Annied said:


> Oh that's a shame. Do you have cable or satellite? I ask because there are 2 3Sat channels on satellite, one HD, the other not. They're on different transponders, which might make a difference. I do get a marginally stronger signal on the non HD one.


We only have cable, satellite dishes are not allowed in our street.


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## Pugg

Annied said:


> Oh that's a shame. Do you have cable or satellite? I ask because there are 2 3Sat channels on satellite, one HD, the other not. They're on different transponders, which might make a difference. I do get a marginally stronger signal on the non HD one.


We only have cable, which is working reasonable well, satellite dishes are not allowed in our street.


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## Pugg

On the Mezzo channel
*28/08 - *12h30 on mezzo

*05/09 *- 16h30 on mezzo

Turandot by Puccini at the Arena di Verona

Orchestra and Ballet of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, Giuliano Carella (Conductor)
Franco Zeffirelli (Stage Direction & Sets)

Maria Guleghina (Turandot)
Carlo Bosi (Imperatore)
Luiz-Ottavio Faria (Timur)
Salvatore Licitra (Calaf)
Tamar Iveri (Liù)

Recorded in 2010 at the Arena di Verona
Directed by Andy Sommer


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## Pugg

On the Mezzo channel
*28/08 - *12h30 on mezzo

*05/09 *- 16h30 on mezzo

Turandot by Puccini at the Arena di Verona

Orchestra and Ballet of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, Giuliano Carella (Conductor)
Franco Zeffirelli (Stage Direction & Sets)

Maria Guleghina (Turandot)
Carlo Bosi (Imperatore)
Luiz-Ottavio Faria (Timur)
Salvatore Licitra (Calaf)
Tamar Iveri (Liù)

Recorded in 2010 at the Arena di Verona
Directed by Andy Sommer


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## mountmccabe

Lise Davidsen, getting good reviews singing Ariadne at Glyndebourne made her debut at the BBC Proms, in concert 33. The concert begins with the suite from Peter Gynt by Grieg and continues with the tone-poem _Luonnotar_ by Sibelius. You can listen to this concert online for another 21 days.

The rest of the concert is instrumental, and has more Sibelius, and then Schumann and Hindemith after the break.

A rehearsal tease of her singing "Es gibt ein Reich" with piano is available on YouTube


----------



## Pugg

Saturday 19 August at 20:30 on the Mezzo Channel:

*Ariadne auf Naxos by Strauss at the Glyndebourne Festival*

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski (Conductor)
Katharina Thoma (Stage Director)
Julia Müer (Set Designer)
Irina Bartels (Costume Designer)
Olaf Winter (Lighting Designer)

Thomas Allen (Music Master)
Soile Isokoski (Ariadne)
Kate Lindsey (Composer)
Laura Claycomb (Zerbinetta)
Dmitri Vargin (Harlequin)
James Kryshak (Scaramuccio)
Torben Jürgens (Truffaldino)
Andrew Stenson (Brighella)
Sergey Skorokhodov (Bacchus)
Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke (Dancing Master)
Ana Maria Labin (Naiad)
Adriana Di Paola Dryad
Gabriela Istoc (Echo)
William Relton (The Major-Domo)

Recorded at the Glyndebourne Festival, June 22, 2013


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## Annied

Pugg said:


> We only have cable, which is working reasonable well, satellite dishes are not allowed in our street.


You win some, you lose some I suppose. You miss out on 3Sat, here in the UK, we can't get Mezzo.


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## Don Fatale

Entertaining story running at the moment, concerning a violinist who stood up to sing when Aida failed to make the stage on time.

http://slippedisc.com/2017/08/last-night-the-aida-missed-her-entry-so-a-violinist-stood-up-and-sang/


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## Azol

Sadly, today has been reported that *Enzo Dara*, one of the greatest basso-buffo has died on 25th August 2017
http://www.plateamagazine.com/noticias/3101-fallece-el-bajo-buffo-italiano-enzo-dara


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## Pugg

Azol said:


> Sadly, today has been reported that *Enzo Dara*, one of the greatest basso-buffo has died on 25th August 2017
> http://www.plateamagazine.com/noticias/3101-fallece-el-bajo-buffo-italiano-enzo-dara


Always stylish, great voice.


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## Pugg

Dame Kiri te Kanawa has officially announced, never to perform in public again.
( Thought she retired already)


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## Taplow

Pugg said:


> Dame Kiri te Kanawa has officially announced, never to perform in public again.
> ( Thought she retired already)


Me, too. But good on her for making this decision. Too many singers hang on well past their expiry date. Sutherland made the right choice, but Pavarotti risked becoming a parody of himself. Gruberova is still singing at 70, but I'm rather glad she is as it means I get to see her performing a couple of the Donizetti queens before she finally retires.


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## Pugg

Taplow said:


> Me, too. But good on her for making this decision. Too many singers hang on well past their expiry date. Sutherland made the right choice, but Pavarotti risked becoming a parody of himself. Gruberova is still singing at 70, but I'm rather glad she is as it means I get to see her performing a couple of the Donizetti queens before she finally retires.


Doming at 76 .......... how long will this going on?


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## Annied

I caught the concert from the Arena di Verona commemorating the 10th anniversary of Pavarotti's death on RAI 1 the other day. I could have wept when I heard Carreras. His was the voice that hooked me on opera and I still love all those early recordings from the 1970s. I find it very sad when performers can't bring themselves to give up public performances.


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## Pugg

Does anyone know if Montserrat Caballé is still singing?


----------



## Annied

My neighbour went to a concert Montserrat Caballé gave with her daughter in Rosenheim last autumn. She showed me a video clip she'd taken. It was really painful to hear. Apparently there were a lot of complaints as the ticket prices were pretty high.


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## Pugg

For those who can receive the Mezzo Channel:

17 September at 13:00

18/09 - 09h00 on mezzo live hd

19/09 - 00h01 on mezzo live hd

20/09 - 17h00 on mezzo live hd

22/09 - 20h30 on mezzo live hd

10/10 - 08h30 on mezzo

*Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the Met Opera
*
Cavalleria Rusticana, by Pietro Mascagni
Marcelo Álvarez (Turiddu), Eva -Maria Westbrock (Santuzza), Jane Bunnell (Mamma Lucia), George Gagnidze (Alfio), Ginger Costa-Jackson (Lola)

Pagliacci, by Ruggero Leoncavallo
George Gagnidze (Tonio), Marcelo Álvarez (Canio), Andrew Stenson (Beppe), Patricia Racette (Nedda), Lucas Meachem (Silvio)

Orchestra & Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, Fabrio Luisi (Conductor)
Donald Palumbo (Chorus Master), Anthony Piccolo (Children's Chorus Master)

David McVicar (Stage Direction)
Rae Smith (Sets), Moritz Junge (Costumes), Paule Constable (Lighting), Andrew George (Choreographer)

Recorded at the Metropolitan Opera, New York in 2015
Directed by Gary Halvorson


----------



## DavidA

Please note a cinema broadcast of Mozart's Magic Flute from Covent Garden on Wed 20th Sept

For full list:

https://www.roh.org.uk/cinemas


----------



## Pugg

Cheryl Studer and Jennifer Larmore are in The Netherlands to be jury in the International vocal jury in Den Bosch.


----------



## SiegendesLicht

A couple pictures from last night's premiere of Wagner's Parsifal at the Staatsoper Hamburg, with Andreas Schager as Parsifal and Claudia Mahnke as Kundry:

























Parsifal's make-up looks like an allusion to the new "It" movie. What a shame! Especially since these are really good singers. Achim Freyer is the name of the guy orchestrating this travesty.


----------



## Sloe

SiegendesLicht said:


> A couple pictures from last night's premiere of Wagner's Parsifal at the Staatsoper Hamburg, with Andreas Schager as Parsifal and Claudia Mahnke as Kundry:
> 
> View attachment 97550
> 
> 
> View attachment 97551
> 
> 
> View attachment 97552
> 
> 
> Parsifal's make-up looks like an allusion to the new "It" movie. What a shame! Especially since these are really good singers. Achim Freyer is the name of the guy orchestrating this travesty.


I thought it was Pagliacci.


----------



## hpowders

SiegendesLicht said:


> A couple pictures from last night's premiere of Wagner's Parsifal at the Staatsoper Hamburg, with Andreas Schager as Parsifal and Claudia Mahnke as Kundry:
> 
> View attachment 97550
> 
> 
> View attachment 97551
> 
> 
> View attachment 97552
> 
> 
> Parsifal's make-up looks like an allusion to the new "It" movie. What a shame! Especially since these are really good singers. Achim Freyer is the name of the guy orchestrating this travesty.


Looks like Eurotrash is still alive and well. Kundry, with the makeup, I could see, but Parsifal, himself, no. This kind of crap cheapens the glorious music he sings.

I would rather listen to a recording with my eyes closed, than to watch him like that.


----------



## JosefinaHW

The Metropolitan Opera sent out the following notice today:

99¢ Opera Rentals on iTunes
For one week only, the Met’s entire video catalog will be available at a special 99¢ per title rental price. This special offer runs September 25–October 2.

They don't give any more information than what you see above. I also have no idea if this only applies to iTunes USA, but I think it's worth checking out beginning 25 September.


----------



## Scopitone

Ooh, I didn't realize it was Frederica von Stade on this recording. I have listened to it a few times in the past and enjoyed the heck out of it. Stratas is on it, too.


----------



## Scopitone

JosefinaHW said:


> The Metropolitan Opera sent out the following notice today:
> 
> 99¢ Opera Rentals on iTunes
> For one week only, the Met's entire video catalog will be available at a special 99¢ per title rental price. This special offer runs September 25-October 2.
> 
> They don't give any more information than what you see above. I also have no idea if this only applies to iTunes USA, but I think it's worth checking out beginning 25 September.


That's a good deal, and I started to rent several of them.

However, sometimes I watch an opera over several days. And I am not sure 48 hours is sufficient time, for those just-in-case situations. Especially if I end up getting some Wagner, as I am considering.


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## Johnmusic

An 'opera miscellaneous' is most useful. What do you remember about your first opera listing? Mine was a 78 of Caruso and Schumann-Heinke when I was @8 in a duet from Il Trovatore.


----------



## Pugg

Johnmusic said:


> An 'opera miscellaneous' is most useful. What do you remember about your first opera listing? Mine was a 78 of Caruso and Schumann-Heinke when I was @8 in a duet from Il Trovatore.


That's why we have this thread, thank you for sharing and a very warm welcome to Talk Classical.


----------



## SixFootScowl

I first started attending operas in the 1980s because I felt classical instrumental music did not have enough to hold my attention. I figured with opera I get the music, singing, acting and story. Plenty to keep things interesting. 

Also, I discovered it was a great way to get dates if I had opera tickets. The ladies who did not want to go to the opera were not worth bothering with (beer drinking rockers etc.), but the ladies who were willing to go to the opera were more likely to be a bit classier. 

After that I never listened to opera until I got Beethoven fever, which ultimately led me to Fidelio. When I bought a DVD of Fidelio there was no turning back. I now have 100s of opera on CD and DVD and can't stop.


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## Belowpar

The BBC has just remembered there's something it used to do rather well. Opera!

ON Sunday October 15th BBC4 are broadcasting the recent Otello from the ROH which was the debut of Kaufman in the title role. There will be a season of documentaries on TV and Radio to follow. Details are sketchy at present.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/operaseason

Apologies for starting with sarcasm, but when you know the background of the current boss one might reasonably have expected a little more.


----------



## Nevilevelis

Belowpar said:


> The BBC has just remembered there's something it used to do rather well. Opera!
> 
> ON Sunday October 15th BBC4 are broadcasting the recent Otello from the ROH which was the debut of Kaufman in the title role. There will be a season of documentaries on TV and Radio to follow. Details are sketchy at present.
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/operaseason
> 
> Apologies for starting with sarcasm, but when you know the background of the current boss one might reasonably have expected a little more.


Many thanks for mentioning this - it had escaped my attention, even when checking the schedules for Lucy Worsley's documentary.

How far ahead is TV programming decided? Is the current boss in his own planning period yet? At the ROH it is six years, I believe.


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> The BBC has just remembered there's something it used to do rather well. Opera!
> 
> ON Sunday October 15th BBC4 are broadcasting the recent Otello from the ROH which was the debut of Kaufman in the title role. There will be a season of documentaries on TV and Radio to follow. Details are sketchy at present.
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/operaseason
> 
> Apologies for starting with sarcasm, but when you know the background of the current boss one might reasonably have expected a little more.


The BBC is now "announcing" , it starts all on Saturday on BBC 2 followed by Sunday on BBC 4 ( Ottelo)


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## DavidA

Pugg said:


> The BBC is now "announcing" , it starts all on Saturday on BBC 2 followed by Sunday on BBC 4 ( Ottelo)


Not wishing to complain but there are only two operas actually planned to be broadcast: Otello (which I've seen) and Hamlet (which is a new opera I probably won't enjoy if it's like other new operas). I would have thought with the numbers of DVD recordings out there the BBC could have run one each week.


----------



## Barbebleu

DavidA said:


> Not wishing to complain but there are only two operas actually planned to be broadcast: Otello (which I've seen) and Hamlet (which is a new opera I probably won't enjoy if it's like other new operas). I would have thought with the numbers of DVD recordings out there the BBC could have run one each week.


Typical BBC half-measures. They're probably afraid that they might offend some unheard of minority if they cater to the few of us out there who actually like opera.


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> Not wishing to complain but there are only two operas actually planned to be broadcast: Otello (which I've seen) and Hamlet (which is a new opera I probably won't enjoy if it's like other new operas). I would have thought with the numbers of DVD recordings out there the BBC could have run one each week.


But it also could be the Ambroise Thomas "Hamlet" that's good music.


----------



## Pugg

For those who can receive the Arte Channel, on Thursday 19th October there will be a semi live production from Paris : Don Carlo, Jonas Kaufmann leads the cast.


----------



## DavidA

"There is an element of circus about us"

Sir Anthony Pappano talking about opera


----------



## Belowpar

The writer adn Critic Charles Osborne has died.

www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/oct/18/charles-osborne-obituary

His books on Verdi and Bel Canto are really good. There used to be a London organization Amici di Verdi and he would regularly attend events and give short talks, for no charge to the organisers. This was in the 1990's and he always seemed kindly and put up with the odd really stupid question/opinion rather well. His love of Opera shone through.

Reading the Obit, shows he was more waspish in his professional life and it certainly seemed it was a full one.

RIP


----------



## Itullian

DavidA said:


> "There is an element of circus about us"
> 
> Sir Anthony Pappano talking about opera


The way they're doing opera today, yes.


----------



## MAS

Belowpar said:


> The writer adn Critic Charles Osborne has died.
> 
> www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/oct/18/charles-osborne-obituary
> 
> His books on Verdi and Bel Canto are really good. There used to be a London organization Amici di Verdi and he would regularly attend events and give short talks, for no charge to the organisers. This was in the 1990's and he always seemed kindly and put up with the odd really stupid question/opinion rather well. His love of Opera shone through.
> 
> Reading the Obit, shows he was more waspish in his professional life and it certainly seemed it was a full one.
> 
> RIP


Oh, I'm sorry to hear that - his blog was an instructive instrument. Sadly, that too is ended. RIP C.O. (his moniker on High Fidelity and other magazines).


----------



## DavidA

Itullian said:


> The way they're doing opera today, yes.


Don't take it too seriously! It's entertainment!


----------



## DavidA

Saw the program on Kaufmann on BBC. Some interesting stuff mixed with the flannel. He has a voice physiotherapist!


----------



## DavidA

Belowpar said:


> The writer adn Critic Charles Osborne has died.
> 
> www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/oct/18/charles-osborne-obituary
> 
> His books on Verdi and Bel Canto are really good. There used to be a London organization Amici di Verdi and he would regularly attend events and give short talks, for no charge to the organisers. This was in the 1990's and he always seemed kindly and put up with the odd really stupid question/opinion rather well. His love of Opera shone through.
> 
> Reading the Obit, shows he was more waspish in his professional life and it certainly seemed it was a full one.
> 
> RIP


Osbourne certainly made more sense than many critics. Maybe because he had been on stage himself?


----------



## Itullian

DavidA said:


> Don't take it too seriously! It's entertainment!


It can be more than entertainment!

A movie is entertainment but can much more.


----------



## Don Fatale

Belowpar said:


> The writer adn Critic Charles Osborne has died.
> www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/oct/18/charles-osborne-obituary
> His books on Verdi and Bel Canto are really good. There used to be a London organization Amici di Verdi and he would regularly attend events and give short talks, for no charge to the organisers. This was in the 1990's and he always seemed kindly and put up with the odd really stupid question/opinion rather well. His love of Opera shone through.
> Reading the Obit, shows he was more waspish in his professional life and it certainly seemed it was a full one.
> RIP


Yes I saw this and was sorry to hear of his passing. I know we've discussed it elsewhere, but his Complete Operas of Verdi is a must-read for any die-hard or novice Verdi fan. I only realised how partisan he was towards Verdi when I read his similar format books on Puccini and Wagner. But if you're going to be partisan, then I guess taking Verdi's side is easily forgiven.


----------



## mountmccabe

rwagner.net seems to have expired. It was really great having the Wagner librettos available online in one place, both in German and English translations.

I have these librettos in standalone books, liner notes in LPs and CDs, and some pdfs, but online was an easy reference!


----------



## DavidA

John Suchet in his readable biography on Verdi says, "There is not an opera house in the world that has not at some point staged a Verdi opera" Is that right? I thought of Bayreuth?


----------



## SiegendesLicht

DavidA said:


> John Suchet in his readable biography on Verdi says, "There is not an opera house in the world that has not at some point staged a Verdi opera" Is that right? I thought of Bayreuth?


Of course. Beethoven symphonies were performed in Bayreuth a time or two, but not Verdi.


----------



## Pugg

SiegendesLicht said:


> Of course. Beethoven symphonies were performed in Bayreuth a time or two, but not Verdi.


Would that be blasphemy you think?


----------



## SiegendesLicht

^ Actually I made a mistake. Verdi HAS been performed in Bayreuth, this very summer. Parts of his opera "Otello" and Alban Berg's opera "Wozzeck" were performed by the Bayreuth Orchestra in a concert dedicated to the 100th birthday of Wieland Wagner a day before the official opening of the Wagner festival. Whether it was a blasphemy - well, worse thinng have been done in Bayreuth in the recent times.


----------



## schigolch

Float like a butterfly, sing like a soprano ... how Muhammad Ali's epic life became an operahttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/nov/02/the-greatest-muhammad-ali-opera-oratorio-louisville-orchestra-teddy-abrams


----------



## Woodduck

Pugg said:


> Would that be blasphemy you think?


Blasphemy is good.


----------



## Pugg

Woodduck said:


> Blasphemy is good.


Thus spoke Mr Woodduck.


----------



## Pesaro

In the October issue of BBC Music Magazine, there is an article rating the top 20 operas of all time. The ratings are based on a poll by 172 singers who each nominated 3 operas. I am pretty sure that most every opera lover could name three favorites. The top twenty list here is a combination of very popular favorites like Puccini's "La Boheme" and some unexpected choices such as Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" and Verdi's "Don Carlos". 

Two very popular operas that missed the cut are Bizet's "Carmen" and Verdi's "Aida". If those two works were not so incredibly inspired, I would not be shocked by their absence. American operas were totally ignored. I am not sure Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" deserves top 20 status but I have seen it twice and enjoyed it tremendously both times.

Maybe 20 choices was simply too few. Gotterdamerung was also ignored and I really cannot fathom keeping that one out.


----------



## schigolch

This is the list, in fact:

1.Le nozze di Figaro
2.La bohème
3.Der Rosenkavalier
4.Wozzeck
5.Peter Grimes
6.Tosca
7.L'incoronazione di Poppea
8.Don Giovanni
9.Otello
10.Tristan und Isolde
11.Pelléas et Mélisande
12.La traviata
13.Eugene Onegin
14.Jenůfa
15.Don Carlos
16.Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
17.L'Orfeo
18.Falstaff
19.Giulio Cesare
20.Die Walküre


----------



## mountmccabe

This was mentioned in a recent thread, though it focused on the results of voting inspired by the BBC poll, conducted via by the Met Live in HD Facebook group.

I found the similarities between those two different lists - along with results from different-style voting done here - quite interesting.


----------



## DavidA

Pesaro said:


> In the October issue of BBC Music Magazine, there is an article rating the top 20 operas of all time. The ratings are based on a poll by 172 singers who each nominated 3 operas. I am pretty sure that most every opera lover could name three favorites. The top twenty list here is a combination of very popular favorites like Puccini's "La Boheme" and some unexpected choices such as Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" and Verdi's "Don Carlos".
> 
> *Two very popular operas that missed the cut are Bizet's "Carmen" and Verdi's "Aida". If those two works were not so incredibly inspired, I would not be shocked by their absence.* American operas were totally ignored. I am not sure Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" deserves top 20 status but I have seen it twice and enjoyed it tremendously both times.
> 
> Maybe 20 choices was simply too few. Gotterdamerung was also ignored and I really cannot fathom keeping that one out.


This list has no credibility if it misses out both Carmen and Aida, two of the greatest operas ever written.


----------



## DonAlfonso

DavidA said:


> This list has no credibility if it misses out both Carmen and Aida, two of the greatest operas ever written.


I think that's a bit harsh. There are only 20 places.
Which opera on the list would you drop for those two?
Personally I'd rank Rigoletto ahead of Aida in the Verdi repertoire.
I think you could take any 20 of the top 50 or so operas and claim them to be best and still maintain credibility.

I thought it would be interesting to compare that list to our own 'TC Top 200 Operas' from 2015 so:
1.Le nozze di Figaro	(4)
2.La bohème	(17)
3.Der Rosenkavalier	(20)
4.Wozzeck	(8)
5.Peter Grimes	(26)
6.Tosca	(27)
7.L'incoronazione di Poppea	(52)
8.Don Giovanni	(2)
9.Otello	(13)
10.Tristan und Isolde	(3)
11.Pelléas et Mélisande	(7)
12.La traviata	(16)
13.Eugene Onegin	(30)
14.Jenůfa	(45)
15.Don Carlos	(5)
16.Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg	(14)
17.L'Orfeo	(9)
18.Falstaff	(53)
19.Giulio Cesare	(42)
20.Die Walküre	(1*) Der Ring des Nibelungen voted on as one opera


----------



## schigolch

Remember also that the participants in the poll were restricted to name just three operas. For instance, I do love "Aida" and "Carmen", but they are not in my personal top three (though probably they are in my top twenty), anyway. This could also be the case for others.


----------



## Pugg

Boheme above Traviata and no Don Carlo....ridiculous .:devil:


----------



## Donna Elvira

DonAlfonso said:


> I think that's a bit harsh. There are only 20 places.
> Which opera on the list would you drop for those two?
> Personally I'd rank Rigoletto ahead of Aida in the Verdi repertoire.
> I think you could take any 20 of the top 50 or so operas and claim them to be best and still maintain credibility.
> 
> I thought it would be interesting to compare that list to our own 'TC Top 200 Operas' from 2015 so:
> 1.Le nozze di Figaro	(4)
> 2.La bohème	(17)
> 3.Der Rosenkavalier	(20)
> 4.Wozzeck	(8)
> 5.Peter Grimes	(26)
> 6.Tosca	(27)
> 7.L'incoronazione di Poppea	(52)
> 8.Don Giovanni	(2)
> 9.Otello	(13)
> 10.Tristan und Isolde	(3)
> 11.Pelléas et Mélisande	(7)
> 12.La traviata	(16)
> 13.Eugene Onegin	(30)
> 14.Jenůfa	(45)
> 15.Don Carlos	(5)
> 16.Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg	(14)
> 17.L'Orfeo	(9)
> 18.Falstaff	(53)
> 19.Giulio Cesare	(42)
> 20.Die Walküre	(1*) Der Ring des Nibelungen voted on as one opera


I was going to post my opinion but then I realized I don't understand what you are talking about.
Both the lists are the same.
Is the one you posted the BBC or the "TC Top 200 Operas' from 2015 ?"
Anyhow, I don't like their (to whoever it belongs) list, it's too balanced.
IMHO, the greatest period of opera was between the 18th and early 20th Century, and by including very good (excellent) operas from mid-20th and 17th Century, there's less room for some of the greatest achievments in opera, like you said, "Rigoletto."


----------



## Donna Elvira

Well, I love opera and I'm a newbie to this site. 
I don't want to offend anyone, we all have our justified choices when it comes to music, and especially to operas and opera artists, which often gets more heated discussions than chamber music, symphonies, etc..
I am grateful that there is a place where I can find others who appreciate this genre, and where I can express myself, if an idea comes up, without actually being required to post in a more formal thread about one topic.
Thank you to the initiator of this thread.


----------



## Don Fatale

Donna Elvira said:


> Well, I love opera and I'm a newbie to this site.
> I don't want to offend anyone, we all have our justified choices when it comes to music, and especially to operas and opera artists, which often gets more heated discussions than chamber music, symphonies, etc..
> I am grateful that there is a place where I can find others who appreciate this genre, and where I can express myself, if an idea comes up, without actually being required to post in a more formal thread about one topic.
> Thank you to the initiator of this thread.


Welcome to our "safe space" where all opinions are equally correct.


----------



## Donna Elvira

Today, Nov. 23rd, two very famous tenors premiered at the Met.
Pavarotti in La Boheme and Caruso in Rigoletto.

Listening to arias by each tenor, in their respective operas, in honor of those great events.


----------



## Pugg

_Opera depot_: Black Friday

But this year we are discounting everything by 60% off for Black Friday!

These are simply the best prices you will find for some of the greatest live performances every recorded!


----------



## BlackDahlia

I've recently been researching Maria Callas, after coming across this amazing performance of Bellini's "Casta Diva".






What a facinating woman she was.

Would someone please recommend something as a good introduction to her work?


----------



## Don Fatale

Google earth whistle-stop tour of nine opera houses.
https://earth.google.com/web/@45.87...PcGVyYSBIb3VzZXMiFGVmX2djc19vcGVyYWhvdXNlc18w


----------



## BlackDahlia

BlackDahlia said:


> I've recently been researching Maria Callas... What a facinating woman she was.
> 
> Would someone please recommend something as a good introduction to her work?


Ok... starting with the opera "Tosca" by Giacomo Puccini (1900)

Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, and Tito Gobbi, with conductor Victor De Sabata and "The La Scalia Forces"
Recorded for EMI in 1953.

I read that this studio recording of this opera was widely regarded for decades as the best of all the recorded performances of Tosca. So, I got this, plus the 1964 stereo recording (also for EMI) with Madam Callas, Tito Gobbi, and Carlo Bergonzi.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Rocker Patti Smith's Top Five Operas:

1. Wagner's Parsifal
2. Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
3. Puccini's Madama Butterfly
4. Verdi's La Traviata
5. Puccini's Tosca


----------



## Pugg

Fritz Kobus said:


> Rocker Patti Smith's Top Five Operas:
> 
> 1. Wagner's Parsifal
> 2. Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
> 3. Puccini's Madama Butterfly
> 4. Verdi's La Traviata
> 5. Puccini's Tosca


Real sense for drama there .


----------



## Belowpar

Interesting because I find Smith's music and poetry unlistenable and Lady Belowpar describes attending one of her concerts as the longest year of her life! Even more so because on the BBC there’s recently been a series on the Gregory Porters favourite singers. Porter uses an interview with Smiths Guitarist, Lenny Kaye, for an intelligent discussion on crooners.

Hopefully one day I’ll learn not to judge the entire contents of a book by its cover.


----------



## Don Fatale

Belowpar said:


> Interesting because I find Smith's music and poetry unlistenable and Lady Belowpar describes attending one of her concerts as the longest year of her life! Even more so because on the BBC there's recently been a series on the Gregory Porters favourite singers. Porter uses an interview with Smiths Guitarist, Lenny Kaye, for an intelligent discussion on crooners.
> 
> Hopefully one day I'll learn not to judge the entire contents of a book by its cover.


Hmmm, I saw her in concert (or rather, at a festival) a couple of years back and found her entertaining, in a way that seasoned performers are. If they don't know what they're doing by now they never will. An hour before the gig I was at an intimate talk she gave and found her to be compelling and likeable, not surprised to discover she's an opera fan.


----------



## Pugg

For those in Europe who can receive the Mezzo Channel:

*The King Carot, Jacques Offenbach
*
Le Roi Carotte (The King Carot)
Extravaganza-opera-buffa in three acts
Jacques Offenbach, composer
Victorien Sardou, libretto after Hoffmann's fairy tail
Agathe Mélinand, libretto adaptation and new version dialogue

Opéra de Lyon, Orchestra and chorus
Victor Aviat , conductor
Laurent Pelly, staging and costume
Chantal Thomas, sets
Joël Adam, light

With
Robin-Luron, Julie Boulianne
Fridolin XXIV, Yann Beuron
Le Roi Carotte (The King Carot), Christophe Mortagne
Truck, Boris Grappe
Pipertrunck, Jean-Sébastien Bou
Rosée-du-soir (Evening dew), Chloé Briot
Cunégonde, Antoinette Dennefeld
La sorcière Coloquinte (The witch Coloquinte), Lydie Pruvot

Recorded on December 21st and 23rd 2015 at the 'Opéra national de Lyon
TV Director, François Roussillon

Monday
18 December at 12:30
on mezzo
Genre : Opéra
Length : 02:15:48
Director : Francois Roussillon
Next broadcasts

20/12 - 20h30 on mezzo

24/12 - 16h30 on mezzo

02/01 - 08h30 on mezzo

11/01 - 12h00 on mezzo

14/01 - 16h30 on mezzo


----------



## DavidA

La Boheme from Royal Opera House broadcast Christmas Day in BBC in UK


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> La Boheme from Royal Opera House broadcast Christmas Day in BBC in UK


Is this radio or telly David?


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> Is this radio or telly David?


Television BBC 4 evening


----------



## Metairie Road

DavidA said:


> La Boheme from Royal Opera House broadcast Christmas Day in BBC in UK


Thank God for the internet. In the U.S. it'll be the F***ing Nutcracker again.

Best wishes and Merry Christmas to all

Metairie Road


----------



## Pugg

*For the members who can see the Mezzo channel:*

*Turandot by Puccini at the Arena di Verona*

Turandot, by Giacomo Puccini

Orchestra and Ballet of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, Giuliano Carella (Conductor)
Franco Zeffirelli (Stage Direction & Sets)

Maria Guleghina (Turandot)
Carlo Bosi (Imperatore)
Luiz-Ottavio Faria (Timur)
Salvatore Licitra (Calaf)
Tamar Iveri (Liù)

Recorded in 2010 at the Arena di Verona
Directed by Andy Sommer
Operas
Friday
29 December at 20:32
on mezzo
Genre : Opéra
Length : 02:08:22
Director : Andy Sommer
Next broadcasts

11/01 - 14h20 on mezzo


----------



## Star

Pugg said:


> *For the members who can see the Mezzo channel:*
> 
> *Turandot by Puccini at the Arena di Verona*
> 
> Turandot, by Giacomo Puccini
> 
> Orchestra and Ballet of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, Giuliano Carella (Conductor)
> Franco Zeffirelli (Stage Direction & Sets)
> 
> Maria Guleghina (Turandot)
> Carlo Bosi (Imperatore)
> Luiz-Ottavio Faria (Timur)
> Salvatore Licitra (Calaf)
> Tamar Iveri (Liù)
> 
> Recorded in 2010 at the Arena di Verona
> Directed by Andy Sommer
> Operas
> Friday
> 29 December at 20:32
> on mezzo
> Genre : Opéra
> Length : 02:08:22
> Director : Andy Sommer
> Next broadcasts
> 
> 11/01 - 14h20 on mezzo


Don't lose your head!


----------



## DavidA

BlackDahlia said:


> Ok... starting with the opera "Tosca" by Giacomo Puccini (1900)
> 
> Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, and Tito Gobbi, with conductor Victor De Sabata and "The La Scalia Forces"
> Recorded for EMI in 1953.
> 
> I read that this studio recording of this opera was widely regarded for decades as the best of all the recorded performances of Tosca. So, I got this, plus the 1964 stereo recording (also for EMI) with Madam Callas, Tito Gobbi, and Carlo Bergonzi.


The de Sabata is generally reckoned to be one of the greatest opera recordings ever. The Pretre was made when Callas and Gobbi's voices were not as they once were.


----------



## Belowpar

A (very) few more tickets have been released for The Ring at ROH next autumn.

http://www.roh.org.uk/packages/ring-package


----------



## Pugg

Star said:


> Don't lose your head!


I am no Prince, and I don't do riddles .


----------



## dreadnought

I've been saving the Hvorostovsky/Fleming _Eugene Onegin _ for a rainy day, and I finally watched it last night. Holy moly, it's good. Now I know why I always saw everyone talking it up!


----------



## SixFootScowl

dreadnought said:


> I've been saving the Hvorostovsky/Fleming _Eugene Onegin _ for a rainy day, and I finally watched it last night. Holy moly, it's good. Now I know why I always saw everyone talking it up!


Still in my unwatched pile, but I am going to eventually get to it.


----------



## Pugg

Fritz Kobus said:


> Still in my unwatched pile, but I am going to eventually get to it.


Shame on you. 

first good intentions for the New Year perhaps?


----------



## SixFootScowl

Pugg said:


> Shame on you.
> 
> first good intentions for the New Year perhaps?


UWP includes:
Alcina
Aroldo
Barber of Seville 3 of 12 sets 
Capriccio (Fleming)
Capuleti (Didonato)
Cenerentola (Didonato)
Cenerentola (Bartoli)
Die Frau ohne Schatten (Gergiev)
KL'Elisir (Netrebko)
Eugene Onegin
Hansel un Gretel 
Italian in algeri
Khovanshchina
Lohengin 2 of 4 sets
Lucrezia Borgia (Fleming)
Maria Stuarda 1 of 6 sets
Meistersinger 3 of 5 sets
Mitridate
Puritani (Gruberova)
La Fille du Regiment (Ciofi)
Orphee (Kozena)
L'orfeo
Ring (de Billy)
Tosca (Gheorghiu)
Ulisse (Kuhlmann)
William Tell
Xerxes


----------



## Don Fatale

When saw "Royal Opera House tenor rejects 'in your face' sexual violence against women on stage" I wasn't surprised who it was. I believe the vast majority of the audience agree with him.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...e-tenor-rejects-face-sexual-violence-against/


----------



## dreadnought

Don Fatale said:


> When saw "Royal Opera House tenor rejects 'in your face' sexual violence against women on stage" I wasn't surprised who it was. I believe the vast majority of the audience agree with him.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...e-tenor-rejects-face-sexual-violence-against/


That's an interesting article! I think Fabiano (and you) are right.

Tangentially, I followed the article's link to the original interview with Fabiano and they mentioned his fiancé Bryan. How neat! I'm always excited to hear about LGBT opera singers. ♥


----------



## Pugg

dreadnought said:


> That's an interesting article! I think Fabiano (and you) are right.
> 
> Tangentially, I followed the article's link to the original interview with Fabiano and they mentioned his fiancé Bryan. How neat! I'm always excited to hear about LGBT opera singers. ♥


Does it really matter if is a singer from the LGBT group?


----------



## dreadnought

Pugg said:


> Does it really matter if is a singer from the LGBT group?


Well, I said it was tangential. I'm a lesbian, so I'm happy to see LGBT singers on the big stages and I didn't know Fabiano was.


----------



## Pugg

dreadnought said:


> Well, I said it was tangential. I'm a lesbian, so I'm happy to see LGBT singers on the big stages and I didn't know Fabiano was.


Okay, fair enough.


----------



## Star

Don Fatale said:


> When saw "Royal Opera House tenor rejects 'in your face' sexual violence against women on stage" I wasn't surprised who it was. I believe the vast majority of the audience agree with him.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...e-tenor-rejects-face-sexual-violence-against/


I think it's the movies who need to tone down violence of all sorts too. Let's face it - not many operas require graphic violence against women to be shown.


----------



## Pugg

For those who can see the Mezzo Channel:

Saturday
6 January at 20:29
on mezzo live hd
Genre : Opéra
Length : 01:51:43
Director : Stéphane Lebard
Next broadcasts

13/01 - 08h30 on mezzo

22/01 - 12h30 on mezzo

30/01 - 16h30 on mezzo

*La Bohème by Puccini at the Liceu*

La Bohème, by Giacomo Puccini

Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Marc Piollet (Conductor)
Jonathan Miller (Stage Director)
Isabella Bywater (Sets, Costumes)
Jean Kalman (Lighting)

Eleonora Buratto (Mimí)
Olga Kulchynska (Musetta)
Saimir Pirgu (Rodolfo)
Gabriel Bermúdez(Marcello)
Isaac Galan (Schaunard)
Paul Gay (Colline)
Fernando Latorre (Benoît / Alcindoro)

Recorded at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona, in 2016
Directed by Stéphane Lebard


----------



## Pugg

The Royal Opera's new La bohème - a first glimpse (ROH Insight)


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> The Royal Opera's new La bohème - a first glimpse (ROH Insight)


It's good................


----------



## Pugg

DavidA said:


> It's good................


I was about to ask you that, I've seen two acts and so far no complains from this site, good singing great staging ( until now) 
Agree?


----------



## DavidA

Pugg said:


> I was about to ask you that, I've seen two acts and so far no complains from this site, good singing great staging ( until now)
> Agree?


Yes you can always find objections to the staging but I thought it was atmospheric and the second act outstanding. Singing really good as long as you don't expect Pavarotti


----------



## Belowpar

Pugg said:


> I was about to ask you that, I've seen two acts and so far no complains from this site, good singing great staging ( until now)
> Agree?


Agree with David. On stage the changing scenery works brilliantly - almost like cinematic dissolves. And that cast were a lot more youthful than many I've seen. All in all it worked very well as the replacement for a very longstanding and loved production. (Note have yet to watch the broadcast)

All of which makes a few silly things a bit irksome. E.G. They live in a garret where they keep a roof light open in that weather! Etc.


----------



## DavidA

There is a broadcast of Rigoletto at cinemas in the UK next Tuesday 16th from Covent Garden


----------



## Pugg

​Remembering the great Lily Pons who died 42 years ago.


----------



## Belowpar

DavidA said:


> There is a broadcast of Rigoletto at cinemas in the UK next Tuesday 16th from Covent Garden


Will it feature full frontal male nudity? I think we should be told.


----------



## Pugg

​
This great opera premiered in Rome on *January 14th, 1900.*


----------



## Bellinilover

I just got home from seeing THE OPERA HOUSE, the new documentary about the Metropolitan Opera (old Met and new Met) that played in theaters last Saturday and tonight. It was interesting and well presented, though I would have preferred less talk about architecture/construction and more about performances.


----------



## Pugg

http://tracking.wordfly.com/view/?s...All)&utm_content=version_A&sourceNumber=34926

San Francisco Opera is announcing the new season already.


----------



## bravenewworld

I have a (very) miscellaneous question:

How do you pronounce Athalia (by Handel)? Is it A-thay-lia or is it A-thah-lia? Or is the 'th' pronounced as t?

I'm going to a performance and I want to know how to pronounce the title


----------



## Pugg

bravenewworld said:


> I have a (very) miscellaneous question:
> 
> How do you pronounce Athalia (by Handel)? Is it A-thay-lia or is it A-thah-lia? Or is the 'th' pronounced as t?
> 
> I'm going to a performance and I want to know how to pronounce the title


http://biblespeak.org/athalia-pronunciation/


----------



## Pugg

Remembering : *Giuseppe Verdi.*

Past away 27 January 1901


----------



## Pugg

*On Mezzo Live HD, Wednesday at 8.00 pm*

_Offenbach : Les Contes d'Hoffmann
_

Juan Diego Flórez (Hoffmann), Olga Peretyatko (Olympia)
Nicolas Courjal (Lindorf /Coppélius) ...

Orchestre philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and les Choeurs de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Jacques Lacombe.

Live from Opéra de Monte Carlo


----------



## Pugg

https://www.staatsoperlive.com/en/live/514/carmen-2018-01-29/#tab_0

Free steaming tonight January 28th.


----------



## Pugg

Opera Depot has 60 % Valentine's Day Sale


----------



## SixFootScowl

And there is a big half off sale on historical opera performances at Norbeck, Peters & Ford.


----------



## Pugg

Fritz Kobus said:


> And there is a big half off sale on historical opera performances at Norbeck, Peters & Ford.


Alas only overstock................


----------



## SixFootScowl

Pugg said:


> Alas only overstock................


Only overstock on sale, yes, but there is a lot of it. What is meant by overstock? They have too much stock? Stuff they don't want to carry any more?

Now I am wondering how or where to get the 1968 Sawallisch Walkure. Of it is all on You Tube so one can watch or listen there too.


----------



## Pugg

Fritz Kobus said:


> Only overstock on sale, yes, but there is a lot of it. What is meant by overstock? * They have too much stock*? Stuff they don't want to carry any more?
> 
> Now I am wondering how or where to get the 1968 Sawallisch Walkure. Of it is all on You Tube so one can watch or listen there too.


You've answered your own question, stays to long on the shelfs. 
Dead money for them .


----------



## Pugg

*Me tSeason 2018-2019 HD transmission.*

Aida (G. Verdi)
6 oktober 2018
Dirigent: Nicola Luisotti
Regisseur: Sonja Frisell
Solisten: Anna Netrebko, Anita Rachvelishvili, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Quinn Kelsey e.a.

Samson et Dalila (C. Saint-Saëns) nieuwe productie
20 oktober 2018
Dirigent: Sir Mark Elder
Regisseur: Darko Tresnjak
Solisten: Roberto Alagna, Elīna Garanča, Laurent Naouri, Elchin Azizov e.a.

La fanciulla del West (G. Puccini)
27 oktober 2018
Dirigent: Marco Armiliato
Regisseur: Giancarlo Del Monaco
Solisten: Eva-Maria Westbroek, Jonas Kaufmann, Carlo Bosi, Željko Lučić, e.a.

Marnie (N. Muhly) nieuwe productie
10 november 2018
Dirigent: Robert Spano
Regisseur: Michael Mayer
Solisten: Isabel Leonard, Janis Kelly, Denyce Graves, Iestyn Davies en Christopher Maltman.

La traviata (G. Verdi) nieuwe productie
15 december 2018
Dirigent: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Regisseur: Michael Mayer
Solisten: Diana Damrau, Juan Diego Flórez, Quinn Kelsey e.a.

Adriana Lecouvreur (F. Cilea) nieuwe productie
12 januari 2019
Dirigent: Gianandrea Noseda
Regisseur: Sir David McVicar
Solisten: Anna Netrebko, Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Beczala, Carlo Bosi, Ambrogio Maestri e.a.

Carmen (G. Bizet)
2 februari 2019
Dirigent: Louis Langrée
Regisseur: Sir Richard Eyre
Solisten: Clémentine Margaine, Aleksandra Kurzak, Roberto Alagna en Alexander Vinogradov.

La fille du Régiment (G. Donizetti)
2 maart 2019
Dirigent: Enrique Mazzola
Regisseurs: Laurent Pelly
Solisten: Pretty Yende, Javier Camarena, Stephanie Blythe, Maurizio Muraro e.a.

Die Walküre (R. Wagner)
30 maart 2019
Dirigent: Philippe Jordan
Regisseur: Robert Lepage
Solisten: Christine Goerke, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Stuart Skelton, Jamie Barton, Greeg Grimsley, Günther Groissböck e.a.

Dialogues des Carmélites (F. Poulenc)
11 mei 2019
Dirigent: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Regisseur: John Dexter
Solisten: Isabel Leonard, Adrianne Pieczonka, Erin Morley, Karen Cargill, Karita Mattila e.a.

door Jordi Kooiman


----------



## Pugg

The whole season 2018-2019

http://www.metopera.org/Season/2018-19-season/


----------



## SixFootScowl

Pugg said:


> The whole season 2018-2019
> 
> http://www.metopera.org/Season/2018-19-season/


Lots of good ones. Going to be a great season!


----------



## Belowpar

Can anyone get the search engine to work? There is a thread for this called something like "opera in London" but I can't' find it.

Up coming; a rarity and a world Premier.

One for Nick Fuller
Received today.
"I am writing on behalf University College Opera to inform you that the tickets for this year's production of the British premiere of Charles Gounod's opera 'Polyeucte' are now on sale on the Royal Theatre Stratford East website.
Written by Gounod in London in the 1870s, 'Polyeucte' tells a tragic story of love and Christian martyrdom in defiance of an all-powerful powerful Roman empire. An excellent cast of young singers joins the the UCL orchestra and chorus, conducted by Charles Peebles and directed by upcoming British director Thomas Guthrie."

http://www.stratfordeast.com/whats-on/all-shows/polyeucte#schedules

The Theatre Royal is 5 mins walk from London's Stratford Tube/Overland station and a Gem of a Theatre. I would go but will be away. A few years ago they put on Donizetti's, La Favorita which is now my personal favourite 'unknown' Opera. The standards of singing and imaginative production (on a small budget) are recommendable, the Orchestra a little less so.

Speaking of which I plan to attend a real first this summer.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...nge-de-nisida-lost-opera-rara-london-premiere


----------



## Granate

Yesterday I listened to my last Opera from my long-running Wagner Challenges, putting an end to my journey through the world of Richard Wagner's discography. 

In the near future my ears will be on Orchestral music, rating Beethoven, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and Sibelius Symphony recordings. From time to time I will do a recording challenge with famous individual operas, starting from tomorrow with Beethoven's Fidelio (which I watched yesterday). My reccommendations are written in the HWR thread and the individual opera threads for Wagner. It's been a pleasure to chat and debate with you all. Farewell.


----------



## Pugg

Granate said:


> Yesterday I listened to my last Opera from my long-running Wagner Challenges, putting an end to my journey through the world of Richard Wagner's discography.
> 
> In the near future my ears will be on Orchestral music, rating Beethoven, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and Sibelius Symphony recordings. From time to time I will do a recording challenge with famous individual operas, starting from tomorrow with Beethoven's Fidelio (which I watched yesterday). My reccommendations are written in the HWR thread and the individual opera threads for Wagner. It's been a pleasure to chat and debate with you all. Farewell.


Drop by from time to time , although I not always agree with you, you made them good reading and I enjoy them.


----------



## DavidA

Granate said:


> Yesterday I listened to my last Opera from my long-running Wagner Challenges, *putting an end to my journey through the world of Richard Wagner's discography. *
> 
> In the near future my ears will be on Orchestral music, rating Beethoven, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and Sibelius Symphony recordings. From time to time I will do a recording challenge with famous individual operas, starting from tomorrow with Beethoven's Fidelio (which I watched yesterday). My reccommendations are written in the HWR thread and the individual opera threads for Wagner. It's been a pleasure to chat and debate with you all. Farewell.


You deserve the VC for bravery! :lol:


----------



## SixFootScowl

Now here is something interesting. I have wondered if there was ever an opera that had the sport of baseball as a theme, and then I discovered it right here in Detroit, Michigan, right under my nose, the Michigan Opera Theater presents, this May, Daniel Sonenberg's _The Summer King._



> The Summer King tells the story of Negro Leagues baseball legend Josh Gibson, considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. It's a story of talent, heartbreak and one man's journey to overcome prejudice and discrimination.







Co-produced with the Pittsburg Opera. Here are clips from the performance at the Pittsburgh Opera.


----------



## KenOC

Pugg said:


> You've answered your own question, stays to long on the shelfs.
> Dead money for them .


A perfect response. Anybody wanting to know more can look up "DuPont Analysis" in Wiki.


----------



## Pugg

KenOC said:


> A perfect response. Anybody wanting to know more can look up "DuPont Analysis" in Wiki.


It seems one can't trust wiki any more, for quotes .


----------



## Pugg

For those who can see the Mezzo channel;
*Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti at the Liceu
*
Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti
Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Marco Armiliato (Conductor)
Conxita Garcia (Chorus Master)
Damiano Michieletto (Stage Direction)
Paolo Fantin (Sets), Carla Teti (Costumes), Martin Gebhardt (Lighting)

Elena Mosuc (Lucia di Lammermoor)
Juan Diego Flórez (Edgardo)
Marco Caria (Enrico)
Simón Orfila (Raimondo)
Albert Casals (Arturo)
Jorge Rodríguez Norton (Normano)
Sandra Ferrández (Alisa)

Recorded on December 20th & 23th 2015 at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
Directed by Fabrice Castanier

Sunday
25 February at 20:30
on mezzo live hd
Genre : Opéra
Length : 02:33:52
Director : Fabrice Castanier
Next broadcasts

26/02 - 17h18 on mezzo live hd

27/02 - 12h32 on mezzo live hd

28/02 - 09h00 on mezzo live hd

02/03 - 00h19 on mezzo live hd

03/03 - 20h30 on mezzo

04/03 - 10h57 on mezzo live hd

10/03 - 08h30 on mezzo

19/03 - 12h30 on mezzo

27/03 - 16h30 on mezzo


----------



## Pugg

Presto has a DVD sale ( including Blue Ray )

https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/promotions/dvd-and-bluray-sale


----------



## Pugg

http://www.operaawards.org/
The opera awards are know, Teresa Berganza wins for her live time achievement .


----------



## Pugg

For the people of New York, unique opportunity.

https://nycopera.com/lamore-dei-tre...tm_campaign=L'amorecast&utm_content=version_A


----------



## Pugg

R.O.H program in in the cinema ( my country)


Die Walküre (R. Wagner)
28 oktober 2018
Dirigent: Antonio Pappano
Regisseur: Keith Warner
Solisten: Stuart Skelton, Emily Magee, John Lundgren, Nina Stemme, Sarah Connolly, Ain Anger, Lise Davidsen, Kai Rüütel e.a.

Pique Dame (P.I. Tsjaikovski)
22 januari 2019
Dirigent: Antonio Pappano
Regisseur: Stefan Herheim
Solisten: Eva-Maria Westbroek, Aleksandrs Antonenko, Vladimir Stoyanov, Felicity Palmer, John Lundgren, Anna Goryachova e.a.

La traviata (G. Verdi)
30 januari 2019
Dirigent: Antonello Manacorda
Regisseur: Richard Eyre
Solisten: Ermonela Jaho, Charles Castronovo, Plácido Domingo e.a.

Alessandro Corbelli zingt wederom Fra Melitone in La forza del destino. (© Alvaro Yanez)

La forza del destino (G. Verdi)
2 april 2019
Dirigent: Antonio Pappano
Regisseur: Christof Loy
Solisten: Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Ludovic Tézier, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Alessandro Corbelli, Veronica Simeoni, Roberta Alexander e.a.

Faust (C. Gounod)
30 april 2019
Dirigent: Dan Ettinger
Regisseur: David McVicar
Solisten: Michael Fabiano, Erwin Schrott, Diana Damrau, Stéphane Degout, Varduhi Abrahamyan


----------



## Scopitone

I just watched the Met's delightful 2014 _Barber_. (Isabel Leonard - be still my heart!)

I have one complaint, though, and it's a superficial one: Lawrence Brownlee is a lovely singer, a funny actor, and seems like an all-around great guy in interviews. But this is the second time I have seen him perform across from a taller Leading Lady. (the other was Garanca in _La Cenerentola_)

It's not fair to him, I know, but it takes me right out of the romantic scenes.


----------



## Pugg

Mezzo Channel viewers:

Daniele Gatti conducts *Salome* by Strauss at the Dutch National Opera & Ballet Amsterdam

Salome, by Richard Strauss

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Daniele Gatti (Conductor)
Ivo van Hove (Stage Direction)
Jan Versweyveld (Sets), An D'Huys (Costumes), Jan Versweyveld (Lighting)

Lance Ryan (Herodes)
Doris Soffel (Herodias)
Malin Byström (Salome)
Evgeny Nikitin (Jochanaan)
Peter Sonn (Narraboth)
Hanna Hipp (Ein Page der Herodias)
Dietmar Kerschbaum (1. Jude)
Marcel Reijans (2. Jude)
Mark Omvlee (3. Jude)
Marcel Beekman (4. Jude)
Alexander Vassiliev (5. Jude)
James Creswell (1. Nazarener)
Roger Smeets (2. Nazarener)

Recorded on June 27, 2017 at Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Amsterdam
TV Director, François Roussillon


----------



## Barbebleu

Lance 'the yodeller' Ryan. Heaven help us.


----------



## Pugg

Opera depot:


> For the next week please take advantage of an astonishing *60% off all *1700 recordings in my collection. Consider it my birthday gift to you!


I am searching already.


----------



## SixFootScowl

Opera depot:
For the next week please take advantage of an astonishing 60% off all 1700 recordings in my collection. Consider it my birthday gift to you!



Pugg said:


> Opera depot:
> I am searching already.


Flying Dutchman time!


----------



## SixFootScowl

................


----------



## Granate

For my Opera challenges, I have put in my wishlist the Scala 62 _Semiramide_ and a Wiener Staatsoper 61 _Turandot_, with Sutherland and Nilsson.


















Edit: Wait. There is an Orfeo release I found on Spotify! Then only the Semiramide.


















Fritz. Have you heard about this one? I've heard praise about Thomas Stewart in the title role.


----------



## Belowpar

Pugg's favourite singer is predictably a success in her new venture.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/carousel-theater-1102253

I love Carousel (despite the dogy plot).


----------



## Pugg

Belowpar said:


> Pugg's favourite singer is predictably a success in her new venture.
> 
> https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/carousel-theater-1102253
> 
> I love Carousel (despite the dogy plot).


Thanks you very much for this, I wish I could see it, in real that is. :angel:


----------



## Pugg

The Vienna Opera house has this new productions 2018-2019

_ Hector Berlioz' Les Troyens_
14. Oktober 2018
D: Alain Altinoglu; R: David McVicar; mit: Brandon Jovanovich, Adam Plachetka, Peter Kellner, Jongmin Park, Paolo Fanale, Rachel Frenkel, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Joyce DiDonato, Margarita Gritskova
Johannes Maria Stauds und Durs Grünbeins Die Weiden Uraufführung, Auftragswerk der Wiener Staatsoper
8. Dezember 2018
D: Ingo Metzmacher; R: Andrea Moses; mit Rachel Frenkel, Tomasz Konieczny, Thomas Ebenstein, Andrea Carroll, Herbert Lippert, Monika Bohinec, Alexandru Moisiuc, Zoryana Kushpler, Wolfgang Bankl, Sylvie Rohrer
_ Gaetano Donizettis Lucia di Lammermoor_
9. Februar 2019
D: Evelino Pidò, R: Laurent Pelly; mit: George Petean, Olga Peretyatko-Mariotti, Juan Diego Flórez, Jongmin Park
Manfred Trojahns Orest
Erstaufführung an der Wiener Staatsoper
31. März 2019
D: Michael Boder; R: Marco Arturo Marelli; mit: Thomas Johannes Mayer, Thomas Ebenstein, Daniel Johansson, Audrey Luna, Laura Aikin, Evelyn Herlitzius
_Richard Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten_
25. Mai 2019
D: Christian Thielemann; R: Vincent Huguet; mit: Stephen Gould, Camilla Nylund, Evelyn Herlitzius, Wolfgang Koch, Nina Stemme);
_Giuseppe Verdis Otello_
20. Juni 2019
D: Myung-Whun Chung; R: Adrian Noble; mit: Aleksandrs Antonenko, Olga Bezsmertna, Vladislav Sulimsky
sowie
Elisabeth Naskes Was ist los bei den Enakos?
Uraufführung, Auftragswerk der Wiener Staatsoper
26. Jänner 2019
in der KINDEROPER | AGRANA STUDIOBÜHNE | WALFISCHGASS
R: Ela Baumann

The whole programme can be found:

https://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/spielplan-tickets/liste/refDate/2018-09-01/


----------



## Barbebleu

There's a fantastic YouTube video of Das Rheingold done in 2016 by the Chinese National Opera. Brilliant staging and first class singing and acting by absolutely everyone. Well worth a look. Somebody from Bayreuth should be looking too!!


----------



## Granate

Barbebleu said:


> There's a fantastic YouTube video of Das Rheingold done in 2016 by the Chinese National Opera. Brilliant staging and first class singing and acting by absolutely everyone. Well worth a look. Somebody from Bayreuth should be looking too!!


Too rushed, but bold singing. And yay! Projections!


----------



## Stallo

Hi! Im new here. My favorite singer is Sumi Jo, I have been on a YT-roll the last weeks and pretty much watched every performance by her that is. The ONLY thing i wish is that she would extend her usage of F6-G#6 in some arias. Not because its about hitting the highest notes of course, but I just find it so beautiful colouring of for example voices of spring and una voce poco fa when I listen to other versions. Not sure if I have ever heard her sing above F6. To me it seems she can hit them fairly easy, so I dont know what holds her back. Oh well, its probably too late as shes getting older, but just my little ramble of the day.


----------



## schigolch

Huguette Tourangeau dies at 79 years old.

Sit tibi terra levis.


----------



## Granate

Stallo said:


> Hi! Im new here. My favorite singer is Sumi Jo, I have been on a YT-roll the last weeks and pretty much watched every performance by her that is. The ONLY thing i wish is that she would extend her usage of F6-G#6 in some arias. Not because its about hitting the highest notes of course, but I just find it so beautiful colouring of for example voices of spring and una voce poco fa when I listen to other versions. Not sure if I have ever heard her sing above F6. To me it seems she can hit them fairly easy, so I dont know what holds her back. Oh well, its probably too late as shes getting older, but just my little ramble of the day.


Welcome to Talk Classical, Stallo. Have a very good time here and post whenever you want.


----------



## Pugg

schigolch said:


> Huguette Tourangeau dies at 79 years old.
> 
> Sit tibi terra levis.


Not that old I am sorry to say, R.I.P


----------



## Sloe

Barbebleu said:


> There's a fantastic YouTube video of Das Rheingold done in 2016 by the Chinese National Opera. Brilliant staging and first class singing and acting by absolutely everyone. Well worth a look. Somebody from Bayreuth should be looking too!!


Also Götterdämmerung. It is uploaded by the singer singing Fafner and Hagen.

https://www.youtube.com/user/godblesschen/videos

Did not enjoy it that much so I haven´t seen it much. There is something wrong with the sound that makes the orchestra louder so that affects the impression.

Wang Wei who sings Brünnhilde sung the title role in Turandot in Ljubljana in 2015 and Budapest in 2016.


----------



## Belowpar

Diva's will always be Diva's? Oh I do love a good spat!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...en-personality-clashes-masterclass-cancelled/


----------



## DavidA

Belowpar said:


> Diva's will always be Diva's? Oh I do love a good spat!
> 
> https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...en-personality-clashes-masterclass-cancelled/


Appears less of a spat than a shortage of money


----------



## Sloe

Interview with Hui He in English were she tells about her life and career:


----------



## Rogerx

schigolch said:


> Huguette Tourangeau dies at 79 years old.
> 
> Sit tibi terra levis.


I am shocked seeing this, I've seen her a few times with Sutherland and also doing Orfeo in Amsterdam.


----------



## Sloe

Interview with Kathleen Kim in Korean but with English subtitles:


----------



## Rogerx

Sloe said:


> Interview with Kathleen Kim in Korean but with English subtitles:


I do hope I am not offending you but what's with all the Asian voices, are you from that part of the world? 
They all sound so mechanic to me.


----------



## Sloe

Rogerx said:


> I do hope I am not offending you but what's with all the Asian voices, are you from that part of the world?
> They all sound so mechanic to me.


Because I bother to listen to them and have been interested in the far east since I was a child.
I don´t like all of them but I like some. But if I am spamming I will calm down.
At least Hui He have been on TV in my country so at least that would give me approval to like her.

I also like Jontjeva and I am not Bulgarian for that matter.


----------



## Rogerx

Sloe said:


> Because I bother to listen to them and have been interested in the far east since I was a child.
> I don´t like all of them but I like some. But if I am spamming I will calm down.
> At least Hui He have been on TV in my country so at least that would give me approval to like her.
> 
> I also like Jontjeva and I am not Bulgarian for that matter.


That's why I started by apologises in advance, do what you like, this way I and others seeing hearing different things.


----------



## Belowpar

Nina Stemme is a fantastic artist. Her Brunnhilde for Barenboim at the Proms in 2013 is right at the top of my experiences. Indeed I'm really looking forward to her performances of the same role for Pappano this autumn. So I warmly congratulate her and can see there's no one a more worthy winner of this prize, of $1 000 000.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/c...mme-wins-1m-birgit-nilsson-prize-worth-every/

However one has to ask. What's the point of giving such a successful artist this?


----------



## Sloe

Belowpar said:


> Nina Stemme is a fantastic artist. Her Brunnhilde for Barenboim at the Proms in 2013 is right at the top of my experiences. Indeed I'm really looking forward to her performances of the same role for Pappano this autumn. So I warmly congratulate her and can see there's no one a more worthy winner of this prize, of $1 000 000.
> 
> https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/c...mme-wins-1m-birgit-nilsson-prize-worth-every/
> 
> However one has to ask. What's the point of giving such a successful artist this?


What is the point of giving a successful politician, scientist or writer a Nobel prize?


----------



## Belowpar

Sloe said:


> What is the point of giving a successful politician, scientist or writer a Nobel prize?


I'm not sure about the whole 'gong' thing. It is often said that the Honours System in GB&I is about getting a reward for doing your job - as long as you know the right people. BUT at least with a a Noble, I think your work will be better known if you win. Will it help Ms Stemme get more bookings? Does she need help getting her work more fame?.

Here's another one that seems pointless.

A "genius" award for a Director who is already working at Bayreuth (will no doubt annoy more than a few on here.)

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/genius-as-circumstance/#!


----------



## Sloe

Belowpar said:


> I'm not sure about the whole 'gong' thing. It is often said that the Honours System in GB&I is about getting a reward for doing your job - as long as you know the right people. BUT at least with a a Noble, I think your work will be better known if you win. Will it help Ms Stemme get more bookings? Does she need help getting her work more fame?.
> 
> Here's another one that seems pointless.
> 
> A "genius" award for a Director who is already working at Bayreuth (will no doubt annoy more than a few on here.)
> 
> https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/genius-as-circumstance/#!


The prize is for someone that have done the most exceptional achievements. It is deemed to go to the most famous and successful. Other winners have been Placido Domingo and the Wiener Philharmonics.
Domingo was the first winner and appointed by Birgit Nilsson herself before she died.


----------



## Belowpar

Last time I saw Domingo, he was walking to the Savoy with his family. I'm sure he needed the money?!?!?

Sorry but you are not helping me understand; why give more to the most successful? What possible purpose can it serve?


----------



## Sloe

Belowpar said:


> Last time I saw Domingo, he was walking to the Savoy with his family. I'm sure he needed the money?!?!?
> 
> Sorry but you are not helping me understand; why give more to the most successful? What possible purpose can it serve?


To give appreciation to those that have done the most exceptional contributions to classical music. It is Birgit Nilsson´s money and that is how she wanted them to be inherited. Or would you prefer her fortune to go to her siblings, nieces and nephews? It is not intended as a stipendiary to help struggling artists.


----------



## Belowpar

Sloe said:


> To give appreciation to those that have done the most exceptional contributions to classical music. It is Birgit Nilsson´s money and that is how she wanted them to be inherited. Or would you prefer her fortune to go to her siblings, nieces and nephews? It is not intended as a stipendiary to help struggling artists.


Seriously not trying to have a slanging match here.

But I know all that, it's in the article I posted. It's a personal thing, I just can't understand "Why" anyone would want to create such an award. What possble benefit does it have?

Perhaps I should just internalise these thoughts.


----------



## Barbebleu

Sloe said:


> What is the point of giving a successful politician, scientist or writer a Nobel prize?


It's not a Nobel that Stemme is getting. Just a shed load of cash! But I take your point.


----------



## Sloe

Barbebleu said:


> It's not a Nobel that Stemme is getting. Just a shed load of cash! But I take your point.


That is what the Nobel prize is.


----------



## Scopitone

@Pugg

CAROUSEL Revival Cast Album to Be Available Digitally June 8th, in Stores July 13
https://www.broadwayworld.com/artic...Digitally-June-8th-in-Stores-July-13-20180523

Renee!


----------



## Scopitone

The Met's COSI with Kelli O'Hara - 

Has there been any announcement about this performance being streamed or available to purchase on disc?


----------



## Granate

Deleted post about French Opera


----------



## SixFootScowl

In my search for a likeable French opera, I forgot this one which I really like a lot. May have to give it a listen today:


----------



## betterthanfine

Scopitone said:


> @Pugg
> 
> CAROUSEL Revival Cast Album to Be Available Digitally June 8th, in Stores July 13
> https://www.broadwayworld.com/artic...Digitally-June-8th-in-Stores-July-13-20180523
> 
> Renee!


Oh, fun! I would've loved to go to one of the shows, this makes up for my not being able to.


----------



## DavidA

Sloe said:


> What is the point of giving a successful politician, scientist or writer a Nobel prize?


Obama won the Nobel peace prize for doing nothing. At least the scientists have actually done something


----------



## DavidA

Note that Domingo has been booed at Bayreuth. I cannot fathom why this distinguished artist keeps wanting to put himself at a disadvantage doing things he is not very good at


----------



## Sieglinde

I wish he has stopped a good decade ago. He had a long and amazing career, why does he feel the need to do this?


----------



## Granate

Sieglinde said:


> I wish he has stopped a good decade ago. He had a long and amazing career, why does he feel the need to do this?


As always, some members here take more seriously the disapproval of a small group of people critical of the direction of Domingo's career than the indifference or approval of far more Bayreuth goers for that Valkyrie, as I've read in many reports. I think that Plácido Domingo has nothing to lose artistically, and won't listen a journalist or CM fan about the end of his career or his, indeed, poor execution as a baritenor. I don't know about his conducting, I would need to listen to the broadcast of that evening.

You know who are instead risking or losing their artistic careers? Those who don't behave properly with members of the orchestra, try to avoid paying an amount of taxes, or remain friends with controversial presidents while working in the west with reknowed orchestras that need the money of institutions, sponsors or their audience.


----------



## DavidA

Granate said:


> As always, some members here take more seriously the disapproval of a small group of people critical of the direction of Domingo's career than the indifference or approval of far more Bayreuth goers for that Valkyrie, as I've read in many reports. *I think that Plácido Domingo has nothing to lose artistically*, and won't listen a journalist or CM fan about the end of his career or his, indeed, poor execution as a baritenor. I don't know about his conducting, I would need to listen to the broadcast of that evening.
> 
> You know who are instead risking or losing their artistic careers? Those who don't behave properly with members of the orchestra, try to avoid paying an amount of taxes, or remain friends with controversial presidents while working in the west with reknowed orchestras that need the money of institutions, sponsors or their audience.


I can't quite see what your second paragraph has to do with Domingo. However I remember a famous cricketer, when asked why he'd retired (some thought too early) said "People always remember you as you last were." Thankfully we have Domingo's recordings as a great tenor to remember him by. I'd hate to have to remember him as a second rate baritone or third rate conductor


----------



## The Conte

In the barber shop I visit there is a sign up:

"We are only as good as our last cut."

Not quite true when it comes to the world of opera, where people remember the highlights of an operatic career for the rest of their lives, but that doesn't mean singers should be in poking their heads out of their coffins and exclaiming, "No, just one last song, please!"

N.


----------



## Granate

DavidA said:


> I can't quite see what your second paragraph has to do with Domingo. However I remember a famous cricketer, when asked why he'd retired (some thought too early) said "People always remember you as you last were." Thankfully we have Domingo's recordings as a great tenor to remember him by. I'd hate to have to remember him as a second rate baritone or third rate conductor


I disagree with that concept of success, and I think it has to do with popular "fame" than "legacy". I found quite selfish that Nico Rosberg retired from Formula 1 when he won his first championchip. It's been really long since 2007 when Fernando Alonso won his last cup, and that's indeed the time when Formula 1 was most followed in Spain and made great audiences on TV. Stupid decisions and team changes by Alonso would harm his career indeed, to the point that from 2015 Formula 1 is no longer watched in Spain although he keeps driving there and his fellows praise him as one of the best and most experienced drivers in the present. We'll only praise his legacy for the better when he retires, which is quite close. Of course, motorsports has never been mainstream in my country. And I don't think anyone in Spain remembers 2000s Michael Jackson's career, or Julio Iglesias' late albums. Their best works remain in our memory instead.

Could it be that Anglosaxons have a different concept of memory than Mediterraneans? If we (in Spain) like enough a person, we ignore their failures or their shortcomings, but when we are indifferent or dislike them, we do the opposite. Do you also see it this way?


----------



## DavidA

Granate said:


> I disagree with that concept of success, and I think it has to do with popular "fame" than "legacy". I found quite selfish that Nico Rosberg retired from Formula 1 when he won his first championchip. It's been really long since 2007 when Fernando Alonso won his last cup, and that's indeed the time when Formula 1 was most followed in Spain and made great audiences on TV. Stupid decisions and team changes by Alonso would harm his career indeed, to the point that from 2015 Formula 1 is no longer watched in Spain although he keeps driving there and his fellows praise him as one of the best and most experienced drivers in the present. We'll only praise his legacy for the better when he retires, which is quite close. Of course, motorsports has never been mainstream in my country. And I don't think anyone in Spain remembers 2000s Michael Jackson's career, or Julio Iglesias' late albums. Their best works remain in our memory instead.
> 
> Could it be that Anglosaxons have a different concept of memory than Mediterraneans? If we (in Spain) like enough a person, we ignore their failures or their shortcomings, but when we are indifferent or dislike them, we do the opposite. Do you also see it this way?


Perhaps it is my generation. My definition of 'success' does not revolve around fame and fortune. Just seen the documentary about Whitney Houston and we can say she was a very successful singer but a highly unsuccessful woman. Sadly our memories are blighted by what she became rather than what she was. Possibly because we are anglosaxons look at things with a more critical eye.

I can understand Rosberg retiring - he had reached his goal, why bother to go through it all again. However, some people have this craving for the roar of the crowd. Boxers are particularly susceptible to the 'one more fight' and go on fighting far too long - eg Mohammed Ali.

I didn't realise you were Spanish. Congratulations on your excellent English!


----------



## Sieglinde

So I'm watching a Don Carlo (as I often do) and this performance. :lol: Filippo started Restate by offering Posa a drink (which he declined) and then it just. Escalated.









(Lerma astral projecting in he background and wishing this wasn't his life)









"No you don't understand my son took _everything_ from me"









no comment









Posa tried to go for the hand kiss and Filippo was having _none of that_






Update:









Filippo just continued to hold him for like, half the riot. Wow.





 (just the prison scene)

(Also, Lerma stabbed Eboli. Rude)


----------



## Sloe

Sieglinde said:


> So I'm watching a Don Carlo (as I often do) and this performance. :lol: Filippo started Restate by offering Posa a drink (which he declined) and then it just. Escalated.
> /QUOTE]
> 
> For me there is only one version of Don Carlo namely this version with Seong Seo Na as Don Carlo Paol Kong as Rodrigo like a lot Philip Kang as king Philip also like a lot and last but not least the wonderful Hyunju Park as Elisabetha this is why Don Carlo is my favourite Verdi opera and one of my favourite operas:


----------



## Sieglinde

I just watched this one a few days ago, really good production! Rodrigo, Elisabetta and Carlo are especially great.


----------



## Sloe

Sieglinde said:


> I just watched this one a few days ago, really good production! Rodrigo, Elisabetta and Carlo are especially great.


I take that as an answer to my post. Nice to see domeone with a similar opinion. I think Hyunju Park is an absolutely enchanting singer.

It is always a feeling of nervousness and shame to say what performances you like but I really like this.


----------



## Dimace

A very nice Atmest du Nicht from my beloved Lohengrin.


----------



## DavidA

Interesting
https://slippedisc.com/2018/10/the-sketch-of-an-unrealised-wagner-opera/


----------



## Woodduck

Dimace said:


> A very nice Atmest du Nicht from my beloved Lohengrin.


Are they in a hospital?


----------



## SixFootScowl

Woodduck said:


> Are they in a hospital?


Possibly a psychiatric ward?


----------



## Sloe

Fritz Kobus said:


> Possibly a psychiatric ward?


Isn't that Sciarrino's Lohengrin?


----------



## Woodduck

Sloe said:


> Isn't that Sciarrino's Lohengrin?


No. It's Neuenfels, I think. But there seem to be no rats in the hospital, although the walls are made of Swiss cheese.


----------



## Dimace

Woodduck said:


> Are they in a hospital?


No! White is the color of purity. And Lohengrin is a very good, innocent and pure guy. :angel:


----------



## Woodduck

Dimace said:


> No! White is the color of purity. And Lohengrin is a very good, innocent and pure guy. :angel:


Well that's a relief. Elsa looks pure too. Actually the whole room looks pure. Makes you want those rats to come back and dirty up the place.


----------



## Sloe

Woodduck said:


> No. It's Neuenfels, I think. But there seem to be no rats in the hospital, although the walls are made of Swiss cheese.


I mean in the opera Lohengrin by Sciarrino Elsa is a patient at a psychiatric ward.


----------



## Woodduck

Sloe said:


> I mean in the opera Lohengrin by Sciarrino Elsa is a patient at a psychiatric ward.


I didn't know Sciarrino wrote an opera called _Lohengrin._ Is it a comedy?


----------



## Granate

Sloe said:


> I mean in the opera Lohengrin by Sciarrino Elsa is a patient at a psychiatric ward.


Wait no. That was a Parsifal where Amfortas was the patient. XD


----------



## Woodduck

^^^ Lord have mercy. Too depressing.


----------



## Sloe

Woodduck said:


> I didn't know Sciarrino wrote an opera called _Lohengrin._ Is it a comedy?


Doesn´t sound very funny:


----------



## Sloe

Stallo said:


> Hi! Im new here. My favorite singer is Sumi Jo, I have been on a YT-roll the last weeks and pretty much watched every performance by her that is. The ONLY thing i wish is that she would extend her usage of F6-G#6 in some arias. Not because its about hitting the highest notes of course, but I just find it so beautiful colouring of for example voices of spring and una voce poco fa when I listen to other versions. Not sure if I have ever heard her sing above F6. To me it seems she can hit them fairly easy, so I dont know what holds her back. Oh well, its probably too late as shes getting older, but just my little ramble of the day.


Sumi Jo is only the tip of the ice berg. There are many fine Korean singers. I like Hyunju Park, Saekyung Rim and Anna Son. There are also many fine Korean operas and even if they are modern they have memorable tunes.

Hyunju Park is absolutely enchanting. And Saekyung Rim is spicy and for me the Cio Cio San.


----------



## Sloe

Rogerx said:


> That's why I started by apologises in advance, do what you like, this way I and others seeing hearing different things.


I thought it was interesting I think Kathleen Kim makes a good Lucia dI Lamermoor and she is educated in America. For the Hui He interview it had some insights of being a struggling opera singer in a country were opera is not big at all. I think Hui He, Saekyung Rim and Hyunju Park are wonderful singers that really touch me and I like to share my experience.

I also like to have a profile here.


----------



## DavidA

Robert Merrill on Candid Camera!

https://slippedisc.com/2018/11/when-your-barber-sang-good-opera/


----------



## Sieglinde

Watching yet another Don Carlo where Filippo is horny on main for Rodrigo XD

























He also kissed Eboli while Elisabetta was busy singing her aria. :lol:


----------



## Meyerbeer Smith

My parents had the Edinburgh Tattoo on television; a Czech band played, of all things, the Act II finale from Auber's Gustave III.


----------



## Sieglinde

Watched the recent Paris Boccanegra (it's on vk.com but also culturebox except that refused to work) - unexpectedly tame for Bieito and a lot of feels. I have never seen a Fiesco who just refuses to let go of Simone in the finale until the end. And Tézier is just heartbreaking. 


Also, Agresta can apparently act when she wants to. 

Another highlight: ridiculously young and cute Pietro. (Kid's been born in '93.)


----------



## JoeSaunders

Look, it's that Andreas Schager guy doing a "walse" thing. Totally out of context and very memey, but that's how I like it!


----------



## Meyerbeer Smith

Sloe said:


> Doesn´t sound very funny:


Give me Elsa's Dream any day.


----------



## Barbebleu

Dr. Shatterhand said:


> Give me Elsa's Dream any day.


Love your hobbies. Not sure about the opera thing though!!:devil:


----------



## Meyerbeer Smith

Barbebleu said:


> Love your hobbies. Not sure about the opera thing though!!:devil:


After a hard day's work trying to cause nuclear war between the major powers, there's nothing like kicking back in my underwater volcano base and listening to Mozart.


----------



## DavidA

Domingo is 78 today

Still singing, still conducting, still running LA Opera! 

Happy birthday, man!


----------



## SixFootScowl

DavidA said:


> Domingo is 78 today
> 
> Still singing, still conducting, still running LA Opera!
> 
> Happy birthday, man!


He and Mariella Devia should do some duets. A couple of well-aged voices.


----------



## howlingfantods

DavidA said:


> Domingo is 78 today
> 
> Still singing, still conducting, still running LA Opera!
> 
> Happy birthday, man!


A fun article from around 45 years ago that I ran across recently, asking whether Domingo was singing too much. Cameos from Callas and Nilsson. Decades on, it's amusing to read these comments questioning whether Domingo was shortening his career by pushing himself too much.

https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/27/...-the-more-i-sing-the-better-i-sound-keep.html


----------



## DavidA

howlingfantods said:


> A fun article from around 45 years ago that I ran across recently, asking whether Domingo was singing too much. Cameos from Callas and Nilsson. Decades on, it's amusing to read these comments questioning whether Domingo was shortening his career by pushing himself too much.
> 
> https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/27/...-the-more-i-sing-the-better-i-sound-keep.html


No question, the man is a phenomenon.


----------



## DavidA

Antonio Pappano did a programme on BBC 4 tracing the history of the aria. Very entertaining and informative and well worth a watch if you have BBC i player.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002w72

Hopefully it might also find its way on to You Tube


----------



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes

Did anyone watch *The Tale of Tsar Saltan* preformed? I did last year and it was very good!


----------



## Don Fatale

What happened to the interesting thread about Carmen? Why can we not freely discuss things? This seems a cavalier and thoughtless attitude to delete some well reasoned posts that in many cases can take some time to write.

Yet we're permitted to discuss 'sexiest' soprano, baritone, whatever, best black singers, which perturbs me far more at times.


----------



## sharkeysnight

All those hot takes, lost in time, like tears in rain...time to die (maybe).


----------



## Woodduck

Don Fatale said:


> *What happened to the interesting thread about Carmen?* Why can we not freely discuss things? This seems a cavalier and thoughtless attitude to delete some well reasoned posts that in many cases can take some time to write.
> 
> Yet we're permitted to discuss 'sexiest' soprano, baritone, whatever, best black singers, which perturbs me far more at times.


My word... It's actually gone, isn't it?

I am in full, emphatic agreement with you. There were a few nasty personal comments in that thread, but that hardly seems a reason for deep sixing the whole thing. Why do we come here and spend time thinking and writing if our best efforts are to be expunged by overreacting moderators?

Perhaps they're just "cleaning it up" and will put it back when it's all nice 'n' pretty.


----------



## Mezzoforever

Hi guys! I'm new here and I just recently (about year and a half) started to learn singing.

I hoped I could ask you guys a question... I came across this youtube channel, it's called Mister Opera. 





Have you guys heard of it and what do you think? (He's all into chest voice I noticed lol)

Anyway, thank you for adding me 
Ciao


----------



## Sieglinde

I realized that despite 22 years of being an opera fan (it's my anniversary tonight) and listening to/watching Ballo five billion times, I _still don't know which one is Horn and which one is Ribbing_.


----------



## JoeSaunders

Mezzoforever said:


> Hi guys! I'm new here and I just recently (about year and a half) started to learn singing.
> 
> I hoped I could ask you guys a question... I came across this youtube channel, it's called Mister Opera.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Have you guys heard of it and what do you think? (He's all into chest voice I noticed lol)
> 
> Anyway, thank you for adding me
> Ciao


I'd ignore that guy. He's clearly conflating his own subjective vocal preferences with 'good technique', and probably glossing over the differences older recording equipment accounts for. While it might be true (though I don't know) that singing technique has changed in various ways over the years, perhaps for the worse, I doubt that this youtuber is arriving at that conclusion via any rational process!


----------



## Sieglinde

Since photos and reviews are out for the ROH Forza, I couldn't help but notice a neat parallel to the legendary Munich one:

















Also, reviews all seem to notice how Intense[SUP]TM[/SUP] these two are together.


----------



## MarioDelMonacoViva

Sieglinde said:


> Since photos and reviews are out for the ROH Forza, I couldn't help but notice a neat parallel to the legendary Munich one:
> 
> View attachment 114717
> 
> 
> View attachment 114718
> 
> 
> Also, reviews all seem to notice how Intense[SUP]TM[/SUP] these two are together.


I am sooo looking forward to that tomorrow! Are you going?


----------



## KitMurkit

Just to have an image: who is your favourite opera singer, guys? I mean of all times from the past and current singers.


----------



## KitMurkit

Or may be i'v had to start a new thread?


----------



## SixFootScowl

KitMurkit said:


> Or may be i'v had to start a new thread?


You could do that. Or there are a couple threads not quite the same but,

favorite-modern-opera-singers

Favorite opera singers in each voice type

Note, you can save yourself extra posts as the original post allows for editing for some time.


----------



## KitMurkit

Fritz Kobus said:


> favorite-modern-opera-singers
> 
> Favorite opera singers in each voice type


By the voice types is more informative. Thanks, there is no need for new thread.


----------



## Sieglinde

PlacidoDomingo said:


> I am sooo looking forward to that tomorrow! Are you going?


I wish, but there are no cinemas nearby, so I have to wait until it's out of dvd.


----------



## wendy440

My poor vision means I often can't read titles at live performances. I was hoping to find English versions of libretti that I could download to my iPad, which I could then read, with white text on black so as not to annoy anyone else, instead of squinting in the hope of seeing titles. Even the ones on seat backs are difficult for me. I've done a lot of searching and come up with little. Any suggestions?


----------



## SixFootScowl

wendy440 said:


> My poor vision means I often can't read titles at live performances. I was hoping to find English versions of libretti that I could download to my iPad, which I could then read, with white text on black so as not to annoy anyone else, instead of squinting in the hope of seeing titles. Even the ones on seat backs are difficult for me. I've done a lot of searching and come up with little. Any suggestions?


Is it that they cannot correct your vision for the required distance, or are there worse complications? My father was legally blind since about the age of 60 with macular degeneration, tunnel vision, cataracts, and very near sighted. He could see the television across the room, but only once he found it as it was only a small area where he could see, no peripheral vision. When I had cataracts they could not correct my one eye beyond about 2 feet because the cataract interfered. Plastic lens implants made a world of difference.


----------



## Rogerx

Mezzoforever said:


> Hi guys! I'm new here and I just recently (about year and a half) started to learn singing.
> 
> I hoped I could ask you guys a question... I came across this youtube channel, it's called Mister Opera.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Have you guys heard of it and what do you think? (He's all into chest voice I noticed lol)
> 
> Anyway, thank you for adding me
> Ciao


I am lost for words.


----------



## JosefinaHW

wendy440 said:


> My poor vision means I often can't read titles at live performances. I was hoping to find English versions of libretti that I could download to my iPad, which I could then read, with white text on black so as not to annoy anyone else, instead of squinting in the hope of seeing titles. Even the ones on seat backs are difficult for me. I've done a lot of searching and come up with little. Any suggestions?


I hope what Fritz asked will help your problem. If not, on Amazon.US they sell kindle versions of many libretti. Some are free to borrow with Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program. Why don't you sign up for a free trial of Kindle Unlimited and Download the Kindle App for your Ipad and see what you think.

Here's a sample:

https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-RHEIN...3PJD2QK48SC&psc=1&refRID=0NT7J72WZ3PJD2QK48SC

Good Luck!


----------



## Sieglinde

So I managed to catch Forza anyway and it was an Experience :devil:

*Pappano:* "they are not love duets"
*
Tézier and Kaufmann:*









The subtitles really just.

















soldier: "sir please we really need to get that bullet out. can you two please stop dueting"









the divorce









context? what context?


----------



## SixFootScowl

JosefinaHW said:


> I hope what Fritz asked will help your problem. If not, on Amazon.US they sell kindle versions of many libretti. Some are free to borrow with Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program. Why don't you sign up for a free trial of Kindle Unlimited and Download the Kindle App for your Ipad and see what you think.
> 
> Here's a sample:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-RHEIN...3PJD2QK48SC&psc=1&refRID=0NT7J72WZ3PJD2QK48SC
> 
> Good Luck!


Also, while not complete librettos, subtitles on DVDs are very helpful. Perhaps wendy can see those as they would be fairly close up (very close if at the computer screen).


----------



## JosefinaHW

Wagner Listeners: Is there a thread here on TC re/ the various scores, score errata, translations, Wagner opera scholarship? TY


----------



## interestedin

Verena Lafferentz, Richard Wagner's last living grandchild, passed away last week at age 98.


----------



## flamencosketches

From Bruno Walter's article on Wikipedia:

"Walter's daughter Gretel was murdered on August 21, 1939 in Berlin by her husband, who then killed himself; his motive was jealousy over her growing relationship with the Italian bass singer Ezio Pinza.[21] Walter's wife fell into a permanent depression and died in 1945, and Walter blamed himself for the tragedy, as his daughter had met Pinza only because Walter had made special efforts to hire him to sing the role of Don Giovanni."

Damn...! That may as well have happened _in_ Don Giovanni.


----------



## apricissimus

Dumb opera question (because I'm making a genuine effort to appreciate and learn the genre):

I've seen many people here talk about listening to an opera with the libretto close at hand. I assume that since this is an English language forum that most people's first language is English. So when you read the libretto along with the music, are your eyes darting back and forth between the original language and the English translation? Does that leave much mental space for appreciating the music? (For operas in English, or in a language you understand well enough, the libretto would not be necessary.)


----------



## SixFootScowl

apricissimus said:


> Dumb opera question (because I'm making a genuine effort to appreciate and learn the genre):
> 
> I've seen many people here talk about listening to an opera with the libretto close at hand. I assume that since this is an English language forum that most people's first language is English. So when you read the libretto along with the music, are your eyes darting back and forth between the original language and the English translation? Does that leave much mental space for appreciating the music? (For operas in English, or in a language you understand well enough, the libretto would not be necessary.)


 My preference is to watch it on DVD with English subtitles enough times that I and more or less know what is going on when I listen to an audio recording. Sung in English is not always that easy to follow as sometimes if not often the words are hard to understand among the music.


----------



## JosefinaHW

apricissimus said:


> I've seen many people here* talk about listening to an opera with the libretto close at hand.* I assume that since this is an English language forum that most people's first language is English. So when you read the libretto along with the music, are your eyes darting back and forth between the original language and the English translation? Does that leave much mental space for appreciating the music? (For operas in English, or in a language you understand well enough, the libretto would not be necessary.)


I'm not sure to whom you were referring to but I've recently talked about it a great deal because I am listening to Wagner's operas, at this moment, _The Ring. _I had read that there were multiple meanings that Wagner wanted to convey, I thought/think that the most effective way to determine what he wanted to say was to understand the text very carefully.

So far, I have access to three video performances of The Ring, so I would read the text first, then watch whatever amount until I became confused or something didn't jive with the action and music, replay, continue. That's why it takes me 60 hours to watch the 15 hour Ring Cycle.

I don't recommend this method for anyone else. It is exhausting and does take away from the appreciation of the music.

With other gorgeous lyrical operas, if there is not a video version with a singer(s) that I like, I put the opera on in the car and just absorb it and then sing along. Then, if the libretto wasn't included with the CDs I buy it and sing along with libretto. This is fun for me: Mozart's operas are fabulous to enjoy and learn this way.


----------



## Sieglinde

apricissimus said:


> Dumb opera question (because I'm making a genuine effort to appreciate and learn the genre):
> 
> I've seen many people here talk about listening to an opera with the libretto close at hand. I assume that since this is an English language forum that most people's first language is English. So when you read the libretto along with the music, are your eyes darting back and forth between the original language and the English translation? Does that leave much mental space for appreciating the music? (For operas in English, or in a language you understand well enough, the libretto would not be necessary.)


I picked up a lot of Italian from bilingual libretti. I spent entire summers listening to opera in the library. Back then, filmed opera in tv was a rare treat and dvds barely existed. I remembered watching the 80's Carmen movie with Domingo every two weeks. On VHS XD


----------



## bharbeke

If you or a friend would like a good introduction to opera, here is a fantastic podcast to do just that:

https://www.soundtrackpodcast.com/podcasts/wagner-the-first-lord-of-the-ring.htm


----------



## mountmccabe

apricissimus said:


> Dumb opera question (because I'm making a genuine effort to appreciate and learn the genre):
> 
> I've seen many people here talk about listening to an opera with the libretto close at hand. I assume that since this is an English language forum that most people's first language is English. So when you read the libretto along with the music, are your eyes darting back and forth between the original language and the English translation? Does that leave much mental space for appreciating the music? (For operas in English, or in a language you understand well enough, the libretto would not be necessary.)


I think there is an underlying assumption that one will listen to the opera several times (hundreds, in some cases).

You are right, opera is a very rich artform, especially when viewing a performance. There are many things to appreciate, the text and score as written, the vocal performances, the instrumental performances, the work of the conductor, as well as everything on stage: sets, costumes, and the acting of the singers, chorus, and supers. And that's not even considering the ways in which these elements work together, how they're structured, and the levels of meaning.

And of course every one of these has many pieces to it; "vocal performance" means a lot: is the singer hitting the notes, how is their diction, are they in sync with the orchestra and the other singers, but also what is the overall effect of their singing, how does it fit/express the character, and more!

I feel that knowing that I will want to listen to/attend many performances of my favorite operas allows me to give myself the freedom, mentally, to focus on or ignore different elements each time, realizing that I don't have to take everything in every time (and even that I can just sit back and enjoy it and not trying to come up with a review or an analysis of how the opera or the production works). This is one reason people watch the same video multiple times, or listen to the same audio performance, or attend a live production on multiple nights.

So I may decide that for today's listen I am going to focus on the text, and read along with the libretto. At the end I may not have much to say about the conductor, or the specific vocal performances, but I'll know the opera (and specifically how the text is used, how it flows) better, which will benefit me when I next hear or see the opera.

I think most people that are listening with a libretto are (a) not doing it every time, and (b) doing it for operas they love or expect they will love.


----------



## mountmccabe

Oh, and I should note that opera has a very long history, and many operas work differently.

Very approximately, a Handel opera from the early 1700s will have recitatives and arias. The arias will have 8 lines and last six minutes as the singer uses the same text over and over. The texts of the recitatives are more direct, the music is often just basic accompaniment, and there's little florid or interesting vocal writing, so there's much less to take in, musically. So you can focus on words or music, depending on what is offered.

A Wagner opera from the mid to late 1800s works very differently. The aria/recitative distinction is gone, and if a singer goes on for six minutes they're getting through 80 lines in that time. So they're much more text-dense.

I made those numbers up, but Winterstürme, perhaps one of the closest things to an aria in _Die Walküre_ takes about three minutes to sing and I count 41 lines. And Lascia Amor (from Handel's _Orlando_) takes six lines over four minutes.

Just one more example out of the many, many possible: When I saw _Satyagraha_ by Philip Glass at the Metropolitan Opera they handed out a single sheet of paper with the entire set of texts for the opera on it. This is not a short opera, about 3.5 hours including the two intervals. It was perfectly readable font, and not a crowded page. I don't think it had the original Sanskrit on it as well). They did this because they did not use the Met Titles (their back of the seat in-front of you subtitle system) despite the text being sung in Sanskrit.


----------



## flamencosketches

How is Boulez's Wagner? I see there's videos of the entire Ring cycle with Boulez at the podium on Youtube with English subs.

Going to try and check out the Rheingold one and see how far I make it.


----------



## Sieglinde

flamencosketches said:


> How is Boulez's Wagner? I see there's videos of the entire Ring cycle with Boulez at the podium on Youtube with English subs.
> 
> Going to try and check out the Rheingold one and see how far I make it.


The Boulez/Chéreau Ring is pretty damn good. It was my first full Ring.


----------



## Sieglinde

I just watched yet another Don Carlo (from Florence) in which Filippo was_ this close_ to murdering the Grand Inquisitor (I guess Halfvarson just has that effect on people) and frankly... so many problems would be solved if he did.


----------



## annaw

Sieglinde said:


> The Boulez/Chéreau Ring is pretty damn good. It was my first full Ring.


I second that! Boulez ring is really good and the subs help to make connections between the music and the plot line.


----------



## Sieglinde

Concept: Domingo, badly photoshopped as Thanos. Each infinity stone is a Verdi baritone role. Actual baritones are the superhero team assembling to defeat him.


----------



## Rogerx

https://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-o...aunch&utm_content=version_A&emailsource=44766

R.O.H season 2019-2020


----------



## mountmccabe

I appreciate how hard ROH is getting dragged for their website. Many opera and classical music companies have difficult to read websites, but this is one of the worst. Even the press release is difficult to read and it doesn't show individual dates for the productions, just the date ranges.


----------



## Rogerx

mountmccabe said:


> I appreciate how hard ROH is getting dragged for their website. Many opera and classical music companies have difficult to read websites, but this is one of the worst. Even the press release is difficult to read and it doesn't show individual dates for the productions, just the date ranges.


Don't shoot the messenger, complains at the R.O.H office .


----------



## JosefinaHW

I recently decided to explore opera chronologically and by region. I've begun reading Grout and Wiegel-Williams Fourth Edition of A Short History of Opera. As I read it I want to go back further and further in time, but I have to set a limit. For the moment, the earliest piece I would like to listen to is Andrei Gabrieli's choruses for the 16th century performance of Sophocle's _Oedipus_.

You probably are all familiar with this music and production, but just in case you aren't. Here is a review of the performance from the NYTimes, 1937 (If the link doesn't work for you, let me know and I will see if I can copy and paste the text).

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1937/05/09/468904462.pdf

1. Do we have a thread that covers the precursors of "Italian" opera? Something that would include this work by Andrei Gabrieli or that would go even further back in time?


----------



## SixFootScowl

Why didn't Bach write any operas?


----------



## Itullian

Fritz Kobus said:


> Why didn't Bach write any operas?


I give up, why?


----------



## JosefinaHW

^^^Fritzi, you keep posting stuff right after my posts! What's up with that? Plz send me a PM rather than respond after my opera precursor post. TYVM


----------



## JosefinaHW

I recently decided to explore opera chronologically and by region. I've begun reading Grout and Wiegel-Williams Fourth Edition of A Short History of Opera. As I read it I want to go back further and further in time, but I have to set a limit. For the moment, the earliest piece I would like to listen to is Andrei Gabrieli's choruses for the 16th century performance of Sophocle's _Oedipus_.

You probably are all familiar with this music and production, but just in case you aren't. Here is a review of the performance from the NYTimes, 1937 (If the link doesn't work for you, let me know and I will see if I can copy and paste the text).

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/tim.../468904462.pdf

1. Do we have a thread that covers the precursors of "Italian" opera? Something that would include this work by Andrei Gabrieli or that would go even further back in time?


----------



## millionrainbows

I just got Tristan und Isolde by Barenboim, Berlin PO, on Teldec, marked $7.99 and 40% off. Did I do good?









Josefina, the link works, but you have to be a subscriber to read the article.


----------



## SixFootScowl

millionrainbows said:


> I just got Tristan und Isolde by Barenboim, Berlin PO, on Teldec, marked $7.99 and 40% off. Did I do good?


You did great! That is one of the best Tristan recordings! Best price I am seeing online is a little over $8 shipped for used VG.


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## Rogerx

> An Important Message to Our Customers:
> 
> Twelve years ago I started this business because of my love for live opera recordings, as well as a means to find a source of income while I pursued my career as an opera conductor. In recent years I have been very blessed to have had many exciting opportunities to work with companies like San Francisco Opera, Opera San José and the San Francisco Symphony.
> 
> Last fall I accepted a full-time job at Minnesota Opera. It had been my hope that I would be able to run this business in my spare time, but the demands of the job have made juggling these two lives very difficult.
> 
> I have made the decision that effective sometime towards the end of August I will be ceasing production of CDs. This will allow me to spend more time on remastering new titles and creating fun promotions. I appreciate that this will be bad news to many of my CD customers, and I do apologize for that. I am fully committed, however, to offer one-and-one help to get you all comfortable with the ease and convenience of being able to instantly download a recording. I will also be creating a series of videos that should help.
> 
> I am very humbled by the loyalty of all of you. With this new model I am confidant that Opera Depot will be able to go on well into the future and I can continue to share my passion for live opera with you all.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Andrew Whitfield


From Opera depot


----------



## JoeSaunders

Ah **** Sarah Connolly has breast cancer


----------



## samm

I just found this free Harvard course on 19th century opera: "19th-Century Opera: Meyerbeer, Wagner, & Verdi."

https://www.edx.org/course/19th-century-opera-meyerbeer-wagner-verdi-2

There's also another on 18th century opera: "18th-Century Opera: Handel & Mozart."

https://www.edx.org/course/18th-century-opera-handel-mozart-1


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## DavidA

Fritz Kobus said:


> Why didn't Bach write any operas?


Bach wrote music for the church mainly in which operas were not relevant. If you want to hear his nearest thing to opera try the secular Coffee Cantata


----------



## NLAdriaan

DavidA said:


> Bach wrote music for the church mainly in which operas were not relevant. If you want to hear his nearest thing to opera try the secular Coffee Cantata


If you want to hear Bach's nearest thing to opera, try his Matthew's, John's or even Markus' Passions. Rattle/Sellars even gave a staged version of the two main ones, totally unnecessary IMO, but anyhow:


----------



## Barbebleu

JoeSaunders said:


> Ah **** Sarah Connolly has breast cancer


That's upsetting to hear. I wish her and her family well.


----------



## Scopitone

How does one pronounce "Mirella Freni"?


----------



## SixFootScowl

Scopitone said:


> How does one pronounce "Mirella Freni"?


Find her in a live performance on You Tube where the host announces her and hope they pronounce it correctly.


----------



## Scopitone

I have always mentally said it like "Miraya Frennie". :tiphat:


----------



## Open Book




----------



## Barelytenor

JoeSaunders said:


> Ah **** Sarah Connolly has breast cancer


Oh I hate to hear that, what a lovely woman and a lovely singer she is.

Kind regards, :tiphat:

George


----------



## SixFootScowl

Open Book said:


>


That is going to take some practice!


----------



## Scopitone

Open Book said:


>


Ha! I was _way _off. . .


----------



## Scopitone

Barelytenor said:


> Oh I hate to hear that, what a lovely woman and a lovely singer she is.
> 
> Kind regards, :tiphat:
> 
> George




I was just watching her 2009 "Rule Britannia" last night and enjoying her sense of humor alongside her talent.


----------



## Open Book

Scopitone said:


> Ha! I was _way _off. . .


It can't tell me how to pronounce "Ferenc Fricsay". I'm disappointed.


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## Woodduck

Open Book said:


> It can't tell me how to pronounce "Ferenc Fricsay". I'm disappointed.


Feh'-rents free'-choy. The r is flipped.


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## Sieglinde

Honestly, even the ts isn't a real Hungarian C. Our C sorts of sounds like the German Z. (And we say C in a lot of Latin names - basically, if it's followed by e, i, ae or oe, it's a C, not a K.)


----------



## Woodduck

Sieglinde said:


> Honestly, even the ts isn't a real Hungarian C. Our C sorts of sounds like the German Z. (And we say C in a lot of Latin names - basically, if it's followed by e, i, ae or oe, it's a C, not a K.)


Since we're being precise (and why not?), the Hungarian "csay" doesn't really sound like "choy" - the short "a" is _very_ short, and the "y" is a long, closed "ee" sound - but "choy" seems the simplest approximation of it for an English speaker.

My father was Hungarian, so I heard the language often, though my siblings and I never learned to converse in it. I regretted that mainly when I met a brilliant Hungarian girl named Katalin in my high school French class, where she and I would correct our non-French teacher's French accent.


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## Sieglinde

Woodduck said:


> Since we're being precise (and why not?), the Hungarian "csay" doesn't really sound like "choy" - the short "a" is _very_ short, and the "y" is a long, closed "ee" sound - but "choy" seems the simplest approximation of it for an English speaker.
> 
> My father was Hungarian, so I heard the language often, though my siblings and I never learned to converse in it. I regretted that mainly when I met a brilliant Hungarian girl named Katalin in my high school French class, where she and I would correct our non-French teacher's French accent.


I wonder if any language has an "a" sound like ours. Because others tends to have a short á instead - something only the Palóc dialect uses here.

Don't let me get too into it, I tend to get carried away since I'm a Hungarian teacher by degree. :lol:


----------



## Woodduck

Sieglinde said:


> I wonder if any language has an "a" sound like ours. Because others tends to have a short á instead - something only the Palóc dialect uses here.
> 
> Don't let me get too into it, I tend to get carried away since I'm a Hungarian teacher by degree. :lol:


Heh heh... I love languages, so let's get (slightly) into it. I think the Hindi short "a" may come close to the Hungarian, at least in some dialects, and there's also a longer "a" which gets transliterated "aa." This video is on the short "a," but at the very end he pronounces the long "aa." Sounds pretty close, doesn't it?


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## Sieglinde

Anyone else watched the Salzburg Boccanegra livestream? I can't find a topic for broadcasts. 

Overall impressions:

- René Pape sounds fantastic and I imagine he will do Fiesco many more times in the future - a very fitting role for him. 
- Luca Salsi makes for a sympathetic and rather youthful Boccanegra (they barely made an effort to age him a bit) and acts much better than in the recent Verona Trovatore (probably because any direction there has fallen apart ages ago and everyone resorted to park and bark). 
- Marina Rebeka is a fierce Amelia who will hopefully be the real power behind the new Doge. This is a woman who rolled a nat 20 to intimidate Lorenzino and just waltzed out.
- Charles Castronovo is finally - finally! - a believeably young and hotheaded Adorno. I have seen so many whiny, cowardly, mediocre Adornos (and about half of them were Meli - who gave that man monopoly over this role?), I didn't believe possible that he could be anything but that.
- The producition is not much to talk about, although the blocking seems rather all over the place and often ineffective.
- The director didn't really know what to do with Paolo so he just gave him a lot of random activity but nothing coherent comes out of it. 
- The tweets are kinda funny but later disappear. Thankfully, no one tweets "F" at the end :lol:


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## JoeSaunders

Here's an interesting piece about vocal vibrato!


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## Woodduck

JoeSaunders said:


> Here's an interesting piece about vocal vibrato!


This would be a good intro to a thread about vibrato (there have been some in the past). I found it succinct and useful in affirming what I believe about Baroque music practice: that the notion that singers sang with the hooty, straight tone used by some "early music specialists" and recommended by some scholars is just wrong. Much of that thinking is based on sources showing critics of the time complaining about "shaking," "wobbling," "bleating" or "unsteadiness," all of which have always been recognized as faults. A "steady" tone isn't necessarily one without the subtle pulsation of an attractive vibrato, and the quotations cited in this video make it clear that the effect was considered musically desirable. The mere fact that there are stops on 16th-century organs intended to imitate the vocal vibrato (and called "vox humana"!) should be a giveaway.

Vibrato is a natural function of a well-trained voice. It's an involuntary secondary pulsation of the vocal folds under the pressure of the breath, increasing in strength as that pressure increases. It can be suppressed voluntarily, but can't be forced; it must be _allowed_ to happen, and will happen when the vocal muscles are properly coordinated. The voice can be made to "wobble" in various ways - we often hear this in popular music and jazz - but such effects are equivalent to the artificial vibrato used on various instruments.


----------



## TxllxT

*The real thing: Why to learn opera texts by heart (translation from Russian FaceBook)*

This tale is not about work, but about relaxation. Once we went to Slovenia, and from there we decided to drive away to Venice for a day. One day. Everything would be fine, but in the first three hours of tourism, we were robbed. They pulled everything out of the bag: credit cards, cash and passports. Passports with VISAS, and the worst thing is an English visa, through which I had to fly to London three days later to sing a performance. Coronation of Poppea Monteverdi. One of the main roles. Replacements / insurance singer thrifty English did not bother to get it.
I had a nervous breakdown. We immediately called the consulate (the nearest was in Milan), but summer, lads, summer! Consul on vacation. Lol
We got into the international police at San Marco. But this is the international police in Italy! They do not speak English. But I didn't speak Italian in tepors. What to do? My moss, seething with heat and adrenaline, gives an original solution: try to communicate phrases from operas with carabinieri (since I always translated the texts of the games verbatim).
I began with a mixture of "Coronation of Poppea" and Gluckovsky Orpheus:
- Son disprezzata e sconsolata! Io manco, io moro ... (I am rejected and inconsolable by everyone! I lose consciousness, I die.)
The policemen would be glad to burst into my face, but seeing my buried physics and general hysterical state, they sat me down and gave me water. Further it was necessary to somehow outline the essence of the problem. I decided to go further along Orpheus and Eurydice, especially since in my view the words "Eurydice" and "passport" were interchangeable.
- Che faro senza mio passaporte? Dove andro senza mio passaporte? (What will I do without a passport? Where will I go without a passport?)

It worked. The police were active. They began to show me photos of various thieves and tweezers, until I saw a lady in a hijab that crashed into me with all the dope on the bridge.
- Ecco la donna maledetta! Vorrei smembrarla! (This damn woman! I want to dismember her!)

Having recovered from the shock, the police gave us a certificate according to which we were to be taken free of charge to the place of our departure (Trieste), they gave us water and rations, and promised to keep us informed. All the way to the train station, I prayed to the spirit of Senor Monteverdi, whose opera was to remain without prima.

Already at the station a call - an excited policeman asked me to return to the station. When we dragged along, all the policemen lined up at the entrance with happy faces, shaking our passports - it turns out that the thief threw them along with credit cards in the men's toilet in San Marco, where they were found by a boy from Bangladesh who brought them to the police.

Dying from the happiness that suddenly fell on us, I cried out:
- Signore cavalliero! Vi benedico per la vostra bonta e gentilezza! (Signor Knight, I bless you for your kindness and affection!)

The dead policeman said goodbye to me:
- Signora, la sua lingua e molto elegante! (Senora, you have a very elegant Italian)
(c)
Maria Ostroukhova


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## TxllxT

http://robertgilder.co/test/wp/portfolio-item/maria-ostroukhova/


----------



## Becca

While there is some logic to performing Wotan's Farewell in a train station, I can't say that it did anything to convince me that Bryn Terfel is right for the role.


----------



## Woodduck

Becca said:


> While there is some logic to performing Wotan's Farewell in a train station, I can't say that it did anything to convince me that Bryn Terfel is right for the role.


Goodbyes are always particularly poignant in rairoad stations. I can just see Wotan waving to his little girl through the steamed-up window of the Amtrak train, a little tear staining his cheek as it pulls out of the terminal, leaving her fast asleep on a bench surrounded by a laser barrier to keep away drunks and everyone else but the heroic MIT undergrad who has never learned fear of high-tech alarm systems.


----------



## The Conte

TxllxT said:


> This tale is not about work, but about relaxation. Once we went to Slovenia, and from there we decided to drive away to Venice for a day. One day. Everything would be fine, but in the first three hours of tourism, we were robbed. They pulled everything out of the bag: credit cards, cash and passports. Passports with VISAS, and the worst thing is an English visa, through which I had to fly to London three days later to sing a performance. Coronation of Poppea Monteverdi. One of the main roles. Replacements / insurance singer thrifty English did not bother to get it.
> I had a nervous breakdown. We immediately called the consulate (the nearest was in Milan), but summer, lads, summer! Consul on vacation. Lol
> We got into the international police at San Marco. But this is the international police in Italy! They do not speak English. But I didn't speak Italian in tepors. What to do? My moss, seething with heat and adrenaline, gives an original solution: try to communicate phrases from operas with carabinieri (since I always translated the texts of the games verbatim).
> I began with a mixture of "Coronation of Poppea" and Gluckovsky Orpheus:
> - Son disprezzata e sconsolata! Io manco, io moro ... (I am rejected and inconsolable by everyone! I lose consciousness, I die.)
> The policemen would be glad to burst into my face, but seeing my buried physics and general hysterical state, they sat me down and gave me water. Further it was necessary to somehow outline the essence of the problem. I decided to go further along Orpheus and Eurydice, especially since in my view the words "Eurydice" and "passport" were interchangeable.
> - Che faro senza mio passaporte? Dove andro senza mio passaporte? (What will I do without a passport? Where will I go without a passport?)
> 
> It worked. The police were active. They began to show me photos of various thieves and tweezers, until I saw a lady in a hijab that crashed into me with all the dope on the bridge.
> - Ecco la donna maledetta! Vorrei smembrarla! (This damn woman! I want to dismember her!)
> 
> Having recovered from the shock, the police gave us a certificate according to which we were to be taken free of charge to the place of our departure (Trieste), they gave us water and rations, and promised to keep us informed. All the way to the train station, I prayed to the spirit of Senor Monteverdi, whose opera was to remain without prima.
> 
> Already at the station a call - an excited policeman asked me to return to the station. When we dragged along, all the policemen lined up at the entrance with happy faces, shaking our passports - it turns out that the thief threw them along with credit cards in the men's toilet in San Marco, where they were found by a boy from Bangladesh who brought them to the police.
> 
> Dying from the happiness that suddenly fell on us, I cried out:
> - Signore cavalliero! Vi benedico per la vostra bonta e gentilezza! (Signor Knight, I bless you for your kindness and affection!)
> 
> The dead policeman said goodbye to me:
> - Signora, la sua lingua e molto elegante! (Senora, you have a very elegant Italian)
> (c)
> Maria Ostroukhova


It's the translation from Russian to English which is far more entertaining than the use of operatic Italian here.

"until I saw a lady in a hijab that crashed into me with all the dope on the bridge."

N.


----------



## Granate

This just made my day! :clap::clap:


----------



## lluissineu

SUPERB!!!. Sometimes I've spoken in Italian, even though I've never studied it, by using opera sentences and talking advantage of its similarity to The Spanish, Catalan (my mother language) and French (which can be tricky sometimes because there are a lot of false friends)


----------



## Belowpar

Good to know its still going and indeed developing.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...d-opera-singers-in-the-house-that-verdi-built

Has anyone been? Can you view memorabilia?


----------



## The Conte

Belowpar said:


> Good to know its still going and indeed developing.
> 
> https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...d-opera-singers-in-the-house-that-verdi-built
> 
> Has anyone been? Can you view memorabilia?


I've only seen it from the outside (and incidentally it's just down the road from where Callas lived). Next time I am in Milan I will find out for you.

N.


----------



## Rogerx

Met opera Stay tuned for the announcement of the Met’s 2020–21 season—only one week away on February 13! We will be announcing a brand-new season packed with opera’s most exceptional artists, stunning new productions, classic revivals, and a wide range of repertoire.

#SeasonAnnouncment #MetOpera #Opera #NewSeason #NYC #MetropolitanOpera
From Instagram


----------



## Sieglinde

I'm hoping for a Billy Budd Live in HD


----------



## Rogerx

Rogerx said:


> Met opera Stay tuned for the announcement of the Met's 2020-21 season-only one week away on February 13! We will be announcing a brand-new season packed with opera's most exceptional artists, stunning new productions, classic revivals, and a wide range of repertoire.
> 
> #SeasonAnnouncment #MetOpera #Opera #NewSeason #NYC #MetropolitanOpera
> From Instagram


https://www.metopera.org/season/2020-21-season/


----------



## Sieglinde

*Opera Royal de Wallonie Don Carlos livestream!*

https://www.france.tv/spectacles-et..._FqaenDYeEc5SRlVBydH9oBsRHiTnZ1DR0j17Xn6JGnAQ

Starting in less than an hour. 5-act French and it looks absolutely gorgeous from their photos and behind-the-scenes videos.


----------



## Rogerx

Sieglinde said:


> I'm hoping for a Billy Budd Live in HD


You have to wait another year or so .


----------



## Rogerx

*Full list for cinema goers.*

Full list for cinema goers

Aida (G. Verdi)
10 oktober 2020
Dirigent: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Regisseur: Michael Mayer
Solisten: Anna Netrebko, Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Beczala, Ludovic Tézier e.a.

Il trovatore (G. Verdi)
7 november 2020
Dirigent: Michele Mariotti
Regisseur: David McVicar
Solisten: Sonya Yoncheva, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Roberto Aronica, Quinn Kelsey en Kwangchul Youn.

Fidelio (L. van Beethoven)
12 december 2020
Dirigent: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Regisseur: Jürgen Flimm
Solisten: Lise Davidsen, Golda Schultz, Brandon Jovanovich, Alek Shrader, Franz-Josef Selig e.a.

Die Zauberflöte (W.A. Mozart)
16 januari 2021
Dirigent: Gustavo Dudamel
Regisseur: Simon McBurney
Solisten: Christiane Karg, Kathryn Lewek, Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Thomas Oliemans, Stephen Milling e.a.

Roméo et Juliette (C. Gounod)
30 januari 2021
Dirigent: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Regisseur: Bartlett Sher
Solisten: Nadine Sierra, Stephen Costello, Julie Boulianne, Ildra Abdrazakov, David Portillo e.a.

Don Giovanni (W.A. Mozart)
27 maart 2021
Dirigent: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Regisseur: Ivo van Hove
Solisten: Ailyn Pérez, Isabel Leonard, Hera Hyesang Park, Ben Bliss, Peter Mattei, Gerald Finley, Alfred Walker en Ryan Speedo Green.

Dead Man Walking (J. Heggie)
17 april 2021
Dirigent: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Regisseur: Ivo van Hove
Solisten: Latonia Moore, Joyce DiDonato, Susan Graham en Etienne Dupuis.

Die Frau ohne Schatten (R. Strauss)
24 april 2021
Dirigent: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Regisseur: Herbert Wernicke
Solisten: Elza van den Heever, Nina Stemme, Evelyn Herlitzius, Klaus Florian Vogt, Michael Volle, Ryan Speedo Green e.a.

Nabucco (G. Verdi)
8 mei 2021
Dirigent: Marco Armiliato
Regisseur: Elijah Moshinsky
Solisten: George Gagnidze, Anna Netrebko, Varduhi Abrahamyan, Najmiddin Mavlyanov en Dmitry Belosselskiy.

Il Pirata (V. Bellini)
22 mei 2021
Dirigent: Maurizio Benini
Regisseur: John Copley
Solisten: Diana Damrau, Javier Camarena, Nicolas Testé e.a.


----------



## Sieglinde

They chose the wrong Trovatore cast for the HD. The second run has Rachvelishvili and Tézier.

I listened to Kelsey after critics praised him to high heavens in early '18, and can't see the appeal. Nice tone, but lyric, and he utterly lacks charisma. And all this in THAT Trovatore. How quick they were to forget... 


Coincidentally, I first heard Tézier around the same time, in the Munich Forza video, and he was everything I could dream of in a Verdi baritone. I've since watched him in nearly every available video, including 2 Trovatore productions. He is the real deal. Voice, presence, technique, aristocratic elegance, authority.


----------



## DavidA

Just heard the Met performances have been shut down including the Dutchman cinema broadcast

https://slippedisc.com/2020/03/break...for-the-month/


----------



## mountmccabe

Yep. It is a citywide ban on events of over 500 people. So the NY Phil, Carnegie Hall, and Broadway theaters are also now dark.

Here in Seattle and neighboring counties it's events of over 250 people. I believe California is currently recommending it the same, and in SF the mayor shut down Civic Center events (where SF Symphony, SF Ballet, SF Opera and other organizations perform).


----------



## Rogerx

https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/met-to-launch-nightly-met-opera-streams-a-free-series-of-encore-live-in-hd-presentations-streamed-on-the-company-website-during-the-coronavirus-closure/


----------



## Sieglinde

Bayerische Staatsoper announced the next season and new Tristan with Kaufmann and Harteros excuse me while I scream


----------



## Barbebleu

Sieglinde said:


> Bayerische Staatsoper announced the next season and new Tristan with Kaufmann and Harteros excuse me while I scream


I vowed I would never go back to the Staatsoper while it was in the Schiller. Now it's back in Unter den Linden I can go. If Kaufmann and Harteros are doing Tristan then I'll definitely have to go. The last Tristan I saw at the Schiller had Seiffert and Meier as Tristan und Isolde and it was rather good I expect this to be good too but it will be interesting to hear how Kaufmann tackles this very demanding rôle.


----------



## Woodduck

Barbebleu said:


> I vowed I would never go back to the Staatsoper while it was in the Schiller. Now it's back in Unter den Linden I can go. If Kaufmann and Harteros are doing Tristan then I'll definitely have to go. The last Tristan I saw at the Schiller had Seiffert and Meier as Tristan und Isolde and it was rather good I expect this to be good too but it will be interesting to hear how Kaufmann tackles this very demanding rôle.


A friend in Boston was scheduled to hear Kaufmann try out Act 3, but the BSO is shut down.


----------



## Sieglinde

Hopefully he has the stamina - it will be nice to see a Tristan who can act and doesn't yell his way through it.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Barbebleu said:


> I vowed I would never go back to the Staatsoper while it was in the Schiller. Now it's back in Unter den Linden I can go. If Kaufmann and Harteros are doing Tristan then I'll definitely have to go. The last Tristan I saw at the Schiller had Seiffert and Meier as Tristan und Isolde and it was rather good I expect this to be good too but it will be interesting to hear how Kaufmann tackles this very demanding rôle.


Even more to hear how Harteros copes. Surely by no stretch is this an Isolde voice. Her Aida on the Pappano recording is a bit on the light side.


----------



## Woodduck

Sieglinde said:


> Hopefully he has the stamina - it will be nice to see a Tristan who can act and doesn't yell his way through it.


His voice's dark color is in its favor, but I wonder if it has the squillo - the edge, the ping, the...well, you know - to cut through and dominate the sometimes heavy scoring which seems pitted against a tenor's mid-range. Wagner remarked that he wanted to go back and thin out some of the orchestration (possibly so that no more of his tenors would end up dead), but it's one of the projects he never got around to, along with revising more of _Tannhauser._


----------



## Sieglinde

Woodduck said:


> His voice's dark color is in its favor, but I wonder if it has the squillo - the edge, the ping, the...well, you know - to cut through and dominate the sometimes heavy scoring which seems pitted against a tenor's mid-range. Wagner remarked that he wanted to go back and thin out some of the orchestration (possibly so that no more of his tenors would end up dead), but it's one of the projects he never got around to, along with revising more of _Tannhauser._


Oh, I forgot that poor first Tristan literally died soon after.


----------



## Woodduck

Sieglinde said:


> Oh, I forgot that poor first Tristan literally died soon after.


Yeah, Wagner rather melodramatically said "I've killed my Tristan!" Schnorr von Carolsfeld actually died of a rheumatic condition. His wife, the Isolde, was so depressed she ended her career and took up spiritualism. According to Wiki, she "was influenced by one of her mediumistic pupils to believe she was destined to marry Wagner. This caused her to be deeply jealous of Cosima von Bülow, who was living openly with Wagner at Tribschen, and she tried to create a rift between them."

People were so colorful then.


----------



## Tsaraslondon

Woodduck said:


> Yeah, Wagner rather melodramatically said "I've killed my Tristan!" Schnorr von Carolsfeld actually died of a rheumatic condition. His wife, the Isolde, was so depressed she ended her career and took up spiritualism. According to Wiki, she "was influenced by one of her mediumistic pupils to believe she was destined to marry Wagner. This caused her to be deeply jealous of Cosima von Bülow, who was living openly with Wagner at Tribschen, and she tried to create a rift between them."
> 
> People were so colorful then.


It was said of Mme Scio, who created the role of Cherubini's Medée, that she died singing the role, a reference to its great difficulty.


----------



## Rogerx

For live streaming updates from the Met.

https://twitter.com/MetOpera


----------



## interestedin

Barbebleu said:


> I vowed I would never go back to the Staatsoper while it was in the Schiller. Now it's back in Unter den Linden I can go.


Not Berlin, Bayern 

The first Kaufmann-Harteros-Tristan will be heard in the Nationaltheater München, the very house where Tristan premiered in 1865.


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## Sieglinde

Tatiana and Onegin having their passionate finale scene in their kitchen because of the lockdown  (Elena Stikhina, Roman Burdenko)


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## Rogerx

BREAKING: BAYREUTH FESTIVAL IS CALLED OFF
By Norman Lebrecht
On March 31, 2020
Katharina Wagner has just told BR-Klassik that this summer’s festival has been canceled.

The festival website says the decision was taken by its shareholders: the federal republic, the state of Bavaria, the town of Bayreuth and the society of friends.

It seems that a sudden local spike in Corona cases prompted the decision.


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## Sloe

Rogerx said:


> BREAKING: BAYREUTH FESTIVAL IS CALLED OFF
> By Norman Lebrecht
> On March 31, 2020
> Katharina Wagner has just told BR-Klassik that this summer's festival has been canceled.
> 
> The festival website says the decision was taken by its shareholders: the federal republic, the state of Bavaria, the town of Bayreuth and the society of friends.
> 
> It seems that a sudden local spike in Corona cases prompted the decision.


Crazy.

It can be said that Puccini´s Il Trittico premiered when the Spanish flu that was way worse was raging.


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## Rogerx

Sloe said:


> Crazy.
> 
> It can be said that Puccini´s Il Trittico premiered when the Spanish flu that was way worse was raging.


I know but don't shoot, I am only the messenger.


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## Helgi

This should probably be in the "who's been missing from TC" thread, but I think the opera forum is the right place to ask: what happened to Marschallin Blair?

I read through a lot of old threads on here and I love her posts (I'm assuming she's a she, but you never know). 

So, I miss her even if I wasn't around when she was posting — and I wonder why she left?


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## SixFootScowl

Supermarket Opera:
[video=facebook_share;787919047913419]https://www.facebook.com/ruy.carneiro.18/videos/787919047913419/[/video]


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## Sloe

Helgi said:


> This should probably be in the "who's been missing from TC" thread, but I think the opera forum is the right place to ask: what happened to Marschallin Blair?
> 
> I read through a lot of old threads on here and I love her posts (I'm assuming she's a she, but you never know).
> 
> So, I miss her even if I wasn't around when she was posting - and I wonder why she left?


He is a he.

He got angry at the site and started a mockforum.


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## Belowpar

I'm another who misses him. He had style and clearly loved Opera and the voice ...but the fuse was sometimes short.

Another I miss from that period is the Dutch Guy (dam my memory) whose singer amongst singers was Renee Flemming.


Continuing with the senior moment how many names can people fill in for me...

The couple who met on here and went off to Northern France to live happily ever after?

The peripatetic Don .... who loved Mefistofele. 

The retired teacher who loved basses and Baritones and F1!

Would love to see them (and several others) all back.


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## Tsaraslondon

Belowpar said:


> Another I miss from that period is the Dutch Guy (dam my memory) whose singer amongst singers was Renee Flemming.


If you mean Pugg, I'm pretty sure he's still here but has a new profile.


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## Barbebleu

Tsaraslondon said:


> If you mean Pugg, I'm pretty sure he's still here but has a new profile.


You betcha!:lol:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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## Rogerx

*There will be no operas at AT ARENA DI VERONA THIS YEAR*

The cancellation of the August-September opera festival has just been announced by artistic director Cecilia Gasdia.

The financial loss is in the region of 20 million Euros.

The blow to opera morale is incalculable.

There will, however, be carefully distanced concerts from a redesigned stage by singers including Marcelo Álvarez Marco Armiliato Roberto Aronica Daniela Barcelona Ezio Bosso Plácido Domingo Yusif Eyvazov Vittorio Grigolo Francesco Meli Anna Netrebko Leo Nucci Daniel Oren Lisette Oropesa Michele Pertusi Saimir Pirgu Anna Pirozzi Marina Rebeka Luca Salsi Fabio Sartori Ekaterina Semenchuk María José Siri and Sonya Yoncheva.


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## Rogerx

ROME WILL STAGE OPERAS IN A PARK
By Norman Lebrecht
On May 11, 2020
Carlo Fuortes, head of Opera di Roma, has announced a plan to stage operas in the Piazza di Siena, in the park of Villa Borghese.

The plan has the approval of the mayor’s scientific advisers and the space will accommodate 1,000 distanced spectators.

The first opera will be Rigoletto with Salsi and Grigolo, conducted by Daniele Gatti.


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## Meyerbeer Smith

And Opera Australia has cancelled most of its season ... including its first production of La Juive.


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## apricissimus

(deleted) 15 characters


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## Sieglinde

Council chamber scene but it's a video conference call because Simon is a responsible leader and Genova is on lockdown :lol:


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## DavidA

See Kaufman's new Otello is out soon:


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## Rogerx

From Opera Depot :


CDs are Back!

I am happy to say that after 2 months in quarantine, I have been reunited with my equipment, and can begin fulfilling CD orders once again! 

To make it even more appealing, I am offering 50% off my entire collection, including all of our recent new releases.

The catch is, I will only be able to do so for about a week, so make sure you take advantage and stock up for what is looking like it might be a long quarantine... 

Sale (and CDs) End Next Week!


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## Rogerx

DavidA said:


> See Kaufman's new Otello is out soon:
> 
> View attachment 135951


I posted this weeks ago in the upcoming Opera / CD DVD release.


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## DavidA

Rogerx said:


> I posted this weeks ago in the upcoming Opera / CD DVD release.


Oh well at least people have had a double dose. It does provide an update for those like me who missed your post!


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## Rogerx

DavidA said:


> Oh well at least people have had a double dose. It does provide an update for those like me who missed your post!


Can't argue with that .


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## Rogerx

The new sensation:

Samuel Mariño (male soprano)

Händelfestspielorchester Halle, Martin Hofstetter


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## Rogerx

*Puccini Festival*

The Italian press agency ANSA reports that the annual Puccini Opera Festival at Torre del Lago will go ahead on June 26-August 14.

The three operas on the agenda are Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Gianni Schicchi.

Sir Antonio Pappano will conduct the Orchestra Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in a 28 July Beethoven concert.


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## Rogerx

*Metropolitan Opera*

From the NY Times:



> The Metropolitan Opera, which ordinarily can hold nearly 4,000 people, says it would be able to seat an audience of 400 if it introduces social distancing, making its already delicate financial model untenable. 'I can't imagine any scenario in which performances can take place at the Met when social distancing is still a factor,' said Peter Gelb, the opera's general manager.
> 
> That's fairly definitive.


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## Rogerx

*Mady Mesplé (7 March 1931 - 30 May 2020)*



Mady Mesplé (1931-2020)

The French soprano Mady Mesplé, who possessed one of the greatest coloratura voices of the twentieth century, has died aged 89.


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## Open Book

Rogerx said:


> From Opera Depot :
> 
> CDs are Back!
> 
> I am happy to say that after 2 months in quarantine, I have been reunited with my equipment, and can begin fulfilling CD orders once again!
> 
> To make it even more appealing, I am offering 50% off my entire collection, including all of our recent new releases.
> 
> The catch is, I will only be able to do so for about a week, so make sure you take advantage and stock up for what is looking like it might be a long quarantine...
> 
> Sale (and CDs) End Next Week!


I am unfamiliar with this site. It looks weird. The music for sale there is all live performances in the public domain? And they are a label unto themselves?

Do you buy from them much? The prices look great if these are full length performances.


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## Rogerx

> I am unfamiliar with this site. It looks weird. The music for sale there is all live performances in the public domain? And they are a label unto themselves?
> 
> Do you buy from them much? The prices look great if these are full length performances.


I have about 60 all full length opera recording, not studio though just from radio and television recording, you cab search by singer etc, will put a pic later .

Erratum, you can see the pic's on the site, remember not track listing, just self made copies without liner notes.


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## Rogerx

Placido Domingo: I’M BACK

The singer has been giving interviews, declaring himself fully recovered from the Coronavirus.

He will return to the stage at the end of August in a concert at the Arena di Verona.

‘The thought of returning to my beloved Arena fills me with joy. An Arena transformed to protect us from contagion, all spaced and at the same time all united, audience, choir, orchestra, artists, in a big embrace. For me who was lucky enough to live there 50 years of magical evenings, returning to this historical moment will be a profound emotion, different from all the others. Because the happiness of making music will be joined by great respect for those who have struggled, suffered and for those who no longer exist.’


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## Granate

I've discovered right now that Strauss' _Arabella_ has nothing to do with anything Arabian or exotic.


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## DavidA

Just watching the well sung but simply excruciating production of Beethoven’s Fidelio broadcast on BBC from the Royal Opera House. I wondered if they had broadcast The Mad Hatter's Tea Party by mistake! Typical ROH crap with a director thinking he knows better than the genius who wrote it. Just annoying


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## Sieglinde

Anyone else watched the Hadrian livestream?

Really stunning production and excellent singers. Musically not really my cup of tea (melody whomst?) but as a queer person, it was refreshing that a tenor and a baritone finally got to be openly in love.


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## schigolch

Edita Gruberova confirms she retires:

http://www.rivistamusica.com/la-gru...IjMkm8vtxRChNjdXsfJOOqAWLjH3-Sa9ItyYuzDZBNJDs


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## Plague

I like Asmik Grigorian's bras:


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## Plague

Antonio Pappano introduces us to Verdi's Aida in four episodes:


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## DavidA

There is a Cosi fan Tutte on Sky Arts from ROH knocking around the lists. Worth seeing if I remember rightly. Sky Arts now on Freeview Channel 11 UK


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## VitellioScarpia

schigolch said:


> Edita Gruberova confirms she retires:
> 
> http://www.rivistamusica.com/la-gru...IjMkm8vtxRChNjdXsfJOOqAWLjH3-Sa9ItyYuzDZBNJDs


Will she drag PD along with her? :devil:


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## Sieglinde

The French version of _Restate_ has to be the most cursed thing ever.

Every time I hear it I'm like no. wrong. I want the real one. go away.


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## The Conte

Sieglinde said:


> The French version of _Restate_ has to be the most cursed thing ever.
> 
> Every time I hear it I'm like no. wrong. I want the real one. go away.


????? 

Don Carlo/Don Carlos?

N.


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## DavidA

The Conte said:


> ?????
> 
> Don Carlo/Don Carlos?
> 
> N.


Don Carlo - Italian version
Don Carlos - French version

I believe


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## Rogerx

VitellioScarpia said:


> Will she drag PD along with her? :devil:


And who might that be, if I may be so bold asking?


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## Rogerx

*Breaking news: La Scala calls off season launch*

The wellspring of Italian opera was supposed to launch its 20-21 season this morning, a season that traditionally begins on December 7.

But the renewed rise of Covid across Italy has thrown everything into confusion.

The theatre issued this very short-term emergency statement, confirming its plans until next Monday:

Due the evolution of the epidemic in Italy and Europe and to the consequent uncertainty of the regulations, Teatro alla Scala postpones the press conference which was scheduled for today to present the activity calendar from December 2020 to March 2021.
The performances scheduled up to Monday 19 October are confirmed. Teatro alla Scala follows the situation and will give information about the next performances as soon as the regulations are clarified.


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## Rogerx

*HOT TIP: Dudamel to Paris*

Hearing persistent rustles from Paris that Gustavo Dudamel is to be named music director of the Opéra, succeeding Philippe Jordan who has moved to Vienna.

Dudamel has taken Spanish citizenship and his agent is pursuing a suitable European post. He has made no secret of his ambition to conduct more opera. Paris ticks a lot of his boxes.

The orchestra say they like him. Alexander Neef certainly does.

He can probably balance Paris with his LA job.


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## ericdxx

A guy I met through work told me that Glass' Mad rush is incorporated into Satyagraha. Is that true and if so, what part of the opera did he refer to?


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## Rogerx

JONAS KAUFMANN RETURNS TO WAGNER STAGE WITH LISE DAVIDSEN
MAIN
Norman Lebrecht

May 04, 2021

Bavarian State Opera is putting on the first act from Die Walküre next Thursday, with or without audience depending on Covid rules at the time.

The performance is conducted by Asher Fisch and sung by Jonas Kaufmann, Lise Davidsen and Georg Zeppenfeld. It will be streamed for free on the company’s website.

Luxury casting, Covid style.

Kaufmann and Davidsen have sung Fidelio together in London, pre-Covid.


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## Birmanbass

Rogerx said:


> And who might that be, if I may be so bold asking?


Pleasant Sunday?


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## Rogerx

Birmanbass said:


> Pleasant Sunday?


Down under humor?


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## Birmanbass

Rogerx said:


> Down under humor?


Not a crossword fiend? Pleasant Sunday in Espanol= Placido Domingo  Or i could have been even more oblique and said (or sung)
Oh, you can kiss me on a Monday
A Monday, a Monday is very, very good
Or you can kiss me on a Tuesday
A Tuesday, a Tuesday, in fact I wish you would
Or you can kiss me on a Wednesday
A Thursday, a Friday and Saturday is best
But never, never on a Sunday
A Sunday, a Sunday, 'cause that's my day of rest
Sung by Melina Mercouri in the film and if it indeed it was Placido who was being referred to as PD ? Then he may indeed not have had any day of rest. Its a hard life being a superstar. Hopefully he will keep on performing...i like his voice as a baritone. 80 years old incredible.


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