Le Freischütz, Opéra Comique, Paris
Updated: 2011-04-30 19:34:58
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cda8b8b6-6456-11e0-a69a-00144feab49a.html#axzz1JPvv5SoJ
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cda8b8b6-6456-11e0-a69a-00144feab49a.html#axzz1JPvv5SoJ
New York City Opera’ evening of “Monodramas” (under that
general title) may not appeal to the opera-goer who prefers such typical fare as the company’ other offering this week, Donizetti’ L’lisir d’more, but I found it a devilish and delightful exploration of the depths of inner consciousness.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/arts/music/bartlett-sher-directs-rossinis-le-comte-ory-at-the-metropolitan-opera.html?_r=1
By the time he emerged from retirement with Otello, his
twenty-seventh opera, at 73, there wasn’ much Giuseppe Verdi
didn’ know about how to make an orchestra do his bidding, set the mood
of each line of a good story, piling excitement on excitement and letting the
tension mutate to something gentler at the right times in order to make the
outburst to follow the more demoniac.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/fe1d2968-69d4-11e0-89db-00144feab49a.html#axzz1Jyt92hUX
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/arts/music/daniel-catan-composer-of-operas-in-spanish-dies-at-62.html?src=me
Victorien Sardou wrote the melodrama La Tosca, a play subject to
all sorts of incidental drama and off-stage intrigue, for Sarah Bernhardt.
It’ hard to go wrong with The Magic Flute. Mozart’
final opera contains every audience-pleasing feature in spades: beautiful
music, a fairy tale story, romance, laughter, villains, heroes/heroines, and
for most — a happy ending.
In those dark days before VCR and DVD, knowledgeable film buffs craved the
return of Solaris and Stalker to a local art house screen.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/mar/24/strauss-intermezzo-scottish-opera
It has long been my belief that the problems of the planet would be resolved
(or move on to their next stage) if only the folk of every ethnicity (nation,
faith, historic minority, tribe) would devote their energy to creating
opera—and perhaps theater or dance—out of its musical and mythical
traditions.
A Frenchman, three Germans and a Venezuelan-born French national: musical responses to Venice.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/reviews/monteverdi-the-return-of-ulysses-eno-young-vic-2252967.html
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/bcf09dda-65e7-11e0-9d40-00144feab49a.html#axzz1JW2V4gES
http://chicagoclassicalreview.com/2011/04/soprano-majeski-sparks-venturesome-civic-program/
Adapting an extended literary work for the stage remains a challenge today
and was no less so in the baroque era. Ariosto’ enormously long poem
Orlando Furioso was extremely popular and inevitably his highly
coloured characters found their way onto the operatic stage.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/in-for-the-long-haul/story-e6frg8n6-1226025846825
Rossini’ penultimate stage work, Le Comte Ory, belongs to
the tradition of sexy scoundrel operas, along with such works as Don
Giovanni, Zampa, Fra Diavolo, Barbe-Bleu,
Les Brigands and Threepenny Opera.
Benedict Andrews’thought-provoking new production of Claudio
Monteverdi’ Il ritorno d’lisse in patria, the latest of
English National Opera’ innovative stagings at the Young Vic, juxtaposes
images of unremitting modernity with a tapestry of archaic aural colours, all
placed within an antique frame which resonates with universal emotions.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/03/placido-domingo-il-postino-.html
Saturday, April 23 was indeed a rainy afternoon in New York City.
For the second time in a matter of just a few weeks, the Wigmore Hall
audience were treated to an evening of seventeenth-century song and dance.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ceee993e-5fa6-11e0-a718-00144feab49a.html#axzz1IwtV6OkF
There’ more Byron than Brontë in Bernard Herrmann’ 1951
Wuthering Heights.
http://sfist.com/2011/03/24/sfist_interviews_soprano_melody_moo.php
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704529204576257193932580966.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_MIDDLETopBucket
“Show goes on despite fresh bomb scare”. Not exactly the sort of
headline a new opera company might have dreamt of for its inaugural production.
Trust Winnipeg’ resourceful Little Opera Company to come up with a little known, yet charmingly entertaining spring production.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/lifestyle/music/review_la_clemenza_di_tito_by_mozart_english_touring_opera_lyceum_theatre_sheffield_1_3283453
Rigoletto is the perfect opera. Even Verdi, who wrote so many
wonderful scores, never created anything more flawless.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-live-0413-vincent-review-20110412,0,3673390.column
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/classical-beat
Richard Strauss, nearly eighty years old and past caring what anybody
thought (Pauline aside), ignored the Second World War happening just down the
street and collaborated with his longtime conductor Clemens Krauss in an arch
libretto about the feud for primacy between poetry and music, concluding with
their synthesis in opera.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704608504576208381100985642.html?mod=WSJ_ArtsEnt_LifestyleArtEnt_4
Happy Birthday (on Friday) to American composer, band leader, and pianist, Duke Ellington!
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an incredibly influential jazz musician who also composed gospel, film, and classical music. He earned twelve Grammy awards, multiple recordings were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and he earned the Grammy ...
Begin your Donizetti La Fille du Régiment experience with a martini and an excerpt of what the May 6 & 8 production promises. Singers will sing selections from the performance guaranteeing a fabulous evening. Donizetti Down & Dirty Thursday, April 28 • 6:00 pm Beside Bardenay • Boise • 610 Grove Street Reserve your tickets [...]
Don’t miss the free preview of La Fille du Régiment, Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 at the Opera Idaho Studio. Make your reservations by calling Fernando at 345-3531 x2 or by email to fernando@operaidaho.org
If you missed the opportunity to attend Opera Idaho’s performances of Madama Butterfly or you want to hear more, Boise State Public Radio is broadcasting it on KBSU this afternoon: Friday, April 22 • 3:00pm Turn your dial to 90.3 FM or log on to radio.boisestate.edu
Happy Birthday (On Monday) to Austrian composer Franz von Suppé (1819-1895). von Suppé is one of those composers who was born with an awesome long name: Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo Cavaliere Suppé Demelli. Once he was old enough he Germanized and simplified his name.
von Suppé was primarily an opera composer, and ...
Composer Zhou Long has just been named recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music, joining both an elite list of winners and an even more exclusive number of immigrants who have won the award. While it may seem odd to see the quintessential American music prize go to a non-native, the only official stipulation is [...]
Pianists Elizabeth and Sonya Schumann are spearheading a project that will bring engaging musical experiences to children. The project is based at kickstarter.com, a web platform for funding creative projects. The sisters believe exposing children to high quality classical performances in a relatable context will create a new generation of classical music lovers. So, they [...]
Happy late Birthday to Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera! (1916-1983)
Alberto Ginastera is one of the most important and well-known of the Latin American composers. He was very prolific, composing operas, ballets, orchestra works, concertos, and chamber pieces. Ginastera almost always tried to find a way to work traditional Argentine melodies, folk ...
Happy Birthday to French composer and harpist extraordinaire Carlos Salzedo.
Salzedo's parents were both musical, and his mother was a court pianist to the queen of Spain. Salzedo began playing piano at a very young age and, after playing for the queen of Spain at age three, was dubbed her "little ...
I snuck into the Costume Shop today, and found racks and racks of ballgowns!
There are 42, to be exact (ballgowns, not racks).
These beautiful ballgowns are headed off to Florida for Opera Tampa's production of La Traviata.
Maybe they'll bring some sunshine with them, when they come back! :)