Sonnambula from the ROH with a surprise bonus from Celso Albelo :-)

© Royal Opera House 2011 / Bill Cooper via bbc.co.uk/radio3 Opera on 3

If like me you are a belcanto fan, you might want to catch up with this BBC Radio 3/ Opera on 3 broadcast from the ROH while you still can, link to the programme is here.

Lisa ..... Elena Xanthoudakis (Soprano),
Amina ..... Eglise Gutierrez (Soprano),
Teresa ..... Elizabeth Sikora (Mezzo-soprano),
Elvino ..... Celso Albelo (Tenor),
Count Rodolfo ..... Michele Pertusi (Baritone),
Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus, Daniel Oren (conductor)

It's a strong cast, who can certainly deliver the goods the music promises, i just wish, having seen it in person, that the actual production would have worked with the singers and the music. I've rarely seen such a bland one and the cast and music certainly deserved a better one. It's frustrating to me that belcanto doesn't really get the attention it deserves at this house, better productions, more involved directors, etc. Quibbles aside, do listen to the broadcast while it is still available, because you will get the best of what this Sonnambula was, the voices and the music :-)

© Royal Opera House 2011 / Bill Cooper

I've heard most of the cast before, except for the tenor :-) And let's face it, i'm always listening out for young, beautiful tenor voices. I love this kind of music and there are not many voices out there which can do it truly justice. These are tough plots to bring alive while you concentrate on singing... beautifully :-) I think you have to love this music dearly and it has to show in your singing.

I'd heard of Celso Albelo before his Elvino at the ROH and it was a pleasant discovery to hear him live. He's very young and has had a brilliant career so far and looks to be on the right path to continue to do well. For me he had what i was looking for, the voice and the heart to carry this music. For those who want to know more of the roles, places, etc there is plenty on Celso Albelo's official web.

But i was lucky to get a little peek behind the curtain and get a bit of insight into Celso beyond stage and roles ;-) And here are a few of his "secrets" he shared and i can in turn share with you :-)

Celso Albelo © Joan Tomas para Fidelio Artist via www.celsoalbelo.com

1.- Tell me about some pieces and recordings of classical music which are of special interest to you.

I am very interested in opera in general and especially in Romantic bel canto. Obviously the admiration I have for some singers such as Alfredo Kraus and Carlo Bergonzi means that I treasure some of their records devotedly.

2.- Music which makes you cry- (whatever genre or style)

In fact I don´t cry at music, although I do feel moved by singers who give it their all on stage, like Leo Nucci, for example. I believe that the performer is there by virtue of the audience and I like to feel this when I go to the opera.

3.- Pieces which you believe are under-valued and pieces or composers that you think are over-valued.

Although this question is almost one to ask a musicologist, my opinion is limited to my tastes. I think that bel canto in general is underestimated (Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini), I have even heard people saying that singing this repertoire is easier than Mozart… It´s the same with Verismo, which I like but I know that it is almost looked down on by certain groups. I don´t agree with this, because each repertoire has its difficulties. ¿Over-valued composer? None.

4.- A performance you went to that you will never forget

My first Traviata, in Madrid: it was the first time I went to the opera and in fact it really moved me. Another unforgettable performance was a Tosca that I saw in Valencia, conducted by Zubin Mehta and with the tenor Jorge de León as Cavaradossi: he was simply immense, stratospheric, tear-jerking!

5.- Something (or some things ) you are really proud of

I suppose that you are referring to my singing... I think I control my phrasing and legato, always in the Italian style. I make an effort to always be expressive and moving.

6.- “My biggest “secret” pleasure is…”

It´s no secret, but I love good food, good wine, good bread and I have a special weakness for desserts...

7. -“When I want to get away from everything I…”

I go to my island to dive. It is a magnificent experience, which brings you into contact with nature and with yourself.

8.- The funniest thing they have asked you to do in a production

I haven´t been asked to do many amusing things, but singing with my back to the audience is something I don´t like and I have had to do it on occasion. It´s good if you can argue with the director and reach an agreement.

9. Places or theatres you dream about singing in and why

Covent Garden, La Scala and the Met are goals which any opera singer has, and that includes me, but in my case I always love to return home, to Tenerife and Las Palmas, or the Real de Madrid –the city where I live, to sing in the Liceu in Barcelona and in my ‘other home’, which is A Coruña, in Galicia. I had never dreamed about singing in Japan, but when I did it in the end it was like a dream because I have some wonderful memories…

10. Tell us something about tenors that you think people should know, but they don´t

We are normal people. People always say that tenors are especially demanding, obsessive, neurotic and compulsive. Some of them are (ha ha ha), but no more than in other professions. It is true that being a singer means having to be in good health, but, believe me, we live and suffer like all other mortals.

...........
( see, told you, tenors are really nice people ;-))))

Wishing him all the best for the future, i'm sure we'll hear him and of him again :-)

I hope he had a good time in London and that he will be back!

Placido

Placido Domingo leaves the stage with his wife after the curtain call of Placido Domingo Celebration at the Royal Opera House after a special performance to celebrate his 40th anniversary with the Royal Opera in London October 27, 2011. REUTERS/Olivia Harris

Last night the ROH was a place of love :-) We celebrated Placido's 40 years relationship with the House in the presence of the man himself. And yest again he sang for us and gave himself to stage and audience. I've read the papers today and i have to agree: nobody dies like Placido!

It was a night filled with flowers and memories. I cannot speak for his performances at the ROH other than last year's Simon, which was also my first time hearing Placido live, but his voice has been with me for nearly 40 years. As far back as i can think of i hear his voice. I feel really luckily to have been able to experience last night live and to have seen and heard Placido live.

The night itself got more exciting as we went along and although i was sorry to kind of go cold straight into Otello, which deserves all the concentration and emotion we can give it, i felt in the end the sequence was perfect, the end was what anyone could dream of. I will always cherish that absolutely gorgeous image of Placido Domingo pretending to be dead beautifully in the arms of Marina Poplavskaya's Amelia/Maria. Opera at it's best! Just as he has been giving us for so many years.

There are plenty more details about the individual 3 acts in the press if you would like to know more :-) I just feel i have to say one thing, Pappano brought Verdi to shimmering beauty, that was one of the most beautiful renditions of Rigoletto's last act i have ever heard :-)

I'll end this with the thoughts of the man of the day, because he has a way of putting the essence of things into words like few do. Placido from the heart, speaking to all opera-nutters out there ( via Louise Jury's arts blog in the Evening standard):

Placido Domingo sings London's praises

There is no better advocate for opera than Placido Domingo - and not just because he was one of the Three Tenors who made Puccini such a hit at Italia ’90.
Of course, there is the voice which is still special even if he is some years past collecting a bus pass. But everyone who meets him adores him, too. Staff relish telling you how he knows the doorkeepers, remembers everyone’s names, looks at family photos and has his make-up done with everyone else and not alone in his own dressing room.

And he has a knack of making something sound like a compliment when it is questionable whether it really is – but with no sense of being snide.
"I think the public in London is amazing," he told me amidst the adoring crush on stage after he had brought the Royal Opera House to its feet last night at a special gala marking the 40th anniversary of his Covent Garden debut.
"In some theatres maybe you have anything between half an hour or 40 minutes of curtain calls but in London I think they kind of respect the artists and say, ‘The artists has been doing a lot, they have to go home.’ Ten minutes in London is equivalent to half an hour or 40
minutes elsewhere."
He certainly got that last night, sharing the stage with no fewer than four younger singers who were making their Covent Garden debut.
"It’s really the future when you see these people," he said, making clear he had no doubts about the future of his artform – unless we become robots or machines.

"I believe opera is forever, as long as there is sensibility in people. We are all a little bit out of our minds because of opera. Normally the artists [are] but there are a lot of people and they are a little bit out of their mind and many of them completely out of
their mind because they love opera."
Domingo looked around the Royal Opera House stage and reminisced with John Tooley who was the general administrator when he sang there for the first time 40 years ago, long before the improvements made by the Nineties re-development.

"This stage was little but this house has always been enormous - the warmth of the public the company like a family. I always miss being at Covent Garden. It’s unbeatable," he told me. He genuinely seems to love it – and for everyone there last night, the feeling was
definitely mutual.

And you can listen to the evening on BBC Radio 3 on the 5th of November at 6pm in Opera on 3.

The Big Bang

OMG, is it already October?? When did we get here and how?

Then again I think I may know how… in… erm… 4 song recitals at Wigmore (plus one on the radio ;-) , 3 Trittico and 5 Faust at the ROH, 1 Rosenblatt recital and 1 Abbado at the RFH.. and the Met HD have not even started yet!

As you can see I am in danger of becoming London’s musical venues main sponsor. Just kidding ;-)))) Yes, I have done all of that and still managed to have cereal and yogurt for breakfast every day. You have to love London! In spite of credit crunch, rising bills and so on you can still have a rich and fulfilling cultural life.

Some may say a crazy and excessive one but hey, try resisting these temptations. And lucky for the above institutions, especially the Wigmore Hall and the ROH, I am not the only one on a musical binge :-)

If the rest of the season will match the big bang start we are in for a joyride.

At the Wigmore we have had in about 2 weeks, Chris Maltman, Christian Gerhaher ( 3 times) and Gerald Finley. With repertoires and styles as diverse as one could wish for and all have left me with some amazing memories and some cherishable moments of total bliss. The Wigmore has done amazing work these last seasons, and this one will be no exception. I am especially glad that their Wigmore live label won a Gramophone Award for label of the year, well done, Congratulation! They are one of my favourite places in the world :-)

What about the ROH?! Believe me I wasn’t planning on moving into the House just yet :-p But the Trittico has been something else. I have to say I was bored by Puccini before Tony Pappano, but he has made me listen anew and I have learned to appreciate and love this music again and discover bits I didn’t know, like this Trittico. Anyone who has seen and heard the Pappano&Jones version at the ROH must wonder why on earth these were ever separated as they are a perfect trio. They bring exciting and modern music and certainly an amazing evening at the theatre. Where and when else do you get to transition from horror and fear to compassion and redemption and finally to comedy, all in the space of 4h. I never believd in advance that so much emotion can be packed in a single evening or that one, as a spectator, could go through all these stages so naturally. And amazingly it wasn’t a one off experience, but it repeated itself every time I saw it, with the same intensity. I hope to come back to this and give credit in more detail to all the amazing singers who have brought the charters alive in such vivid colours, but also give recognition to the one-and-only amazing orchestra! To make a world of such musical complexity and contrast sound so light and natural is really special and I feel I have to say thank you to every single musician in that pit!

Mind you I didn’t feel that when the Faust run started, I have to tell the truth and say I was yawning profusely all throughout the Faust rehearsal, and I wasn’t tired! I think I had heard the Trittico the night before and it seemed like I had gone fromTechnicolor to no colour. It didn’t bode well and I really thought that my love of French music simply didn’t extend to Mr Gounod and this work in particular. After all, he is neither Massenet, nor Bizet or Belioz. But I am all about second, third and more chances. And I’m not willing to give up on a work just like that, especially if I feel I haven’t really heard it enough times. Try it for yourself, give things more than one listen before you make up your mind ( except for Rosenkavalier, you are allowed to make an exception there;-))) So it may not have been love at first sight this time, but relax I didn’t see 5 of them out of stubbornness. By number 3 I was hooked :-) Two words: Rene Pape. I find for me the recipe with French music tends to be the same: gorgeous smooth voices, perfect clear diction, flowing line- works wonder and the music is transformed! But if we add charisma to the mix … ah then l’amour ensues with this music! For me Gounod really needs all of these things to work it’s magic, but when it does, it is addictive.

But it wasn’t just Rene, it was the whole production and all the other singers too. For me McVicar has nailed this one, I can see this production gazillion times and still be shocked, touched, amused and entertained by it. I like how attractive and addictive it makes evil, how pervasive it is throughout the scenes, how people, and not only the main characters, fall in its trap time again and how, just when you are having too much fun, it becomes dark and menacing. I have to say today I woke up with Mephisto’s Hahahaha.. hihihihi in my head and the swagger of the dancers in rhythms of valse at Cabaret L’Infer ;-) But last night was great on sooo many levels, Grigolo convinced me for the first time, by being genuine and engaged on all levels, not being over the top and mainly by singing really well. So did Malin Bystrom , who’s ending aria was uplifting to say the least ( and this is one of my favourite images from the production, with Mephisto and Faust trying to hold her back on earth while she aspires for forgiveness from above, a simple but very compelling image which makes you feel the strength of this women).

But I have to say this was Mephisto’s game throughout the run. Charisma, humour, style and elegance, darkness and menace all reunited in those devilish brows and in that uniquely beautiful voice (and he is a big oxygen saver in that closed space as he never ever seems to breath ;-)) . I do hope the ROH will bring Rene Pape back to London soon.

I may come back to the Faust too, as 5 of them is too much to squeeze in this post and there was more great singing throughout :-) Like for example from that amazing chorus!

I narrowly escaped my 6th Faust by exercising restraint and going instead to St John’s for a Rosenblatt recital with Marius Brenciu, an evening of style, elegance and all things nice, he really is accomplished and I especially loved the encores ( songs by Enescu and Strauss). I love it when singers challenge their audience to think outside the box for recitals and take them down less expected routes, without forgetting all time favourites either ;-)

By the way, the next Rosenblatt recital is already tomorrow and if you fancy hearing Lucio Gallo again ( a perfect Gianni Scchicchi in the ROH’s Trittico just a few days ago) go to At John’s tomorrow, Wednesday, 12th October, 7,30 PM. Full details here .

As you can see a rare full Tosti evening :-)

And here is, borrowed from the Rosenblatt recitals site, the usual interview with the singer:


11 Oct 2011
Rosenblatt Recitals in conversation with... Lucio Gallo



Prior to his Rosenblatt Recital tomorrow at St John's, Smith Square, the Italian baritone kindly answered some of our questions telling us about his love for films and for London and also revealed an amusing story from his 27-year-long career:
For your Rosenblatt Recital you are singing songs exclusively by Tosti – what is it about that composer that is special to you? Why did you choose such a programme?
I have always liked the music of Tosti but in the past I always made a point of singing music by several composers in my recitals, apart from lieder cycles of course. Then after my Rosenblatt recital in 2009, I had a long talk with Ian Rosenblatt about doing another recital and when he expressed his passion for Tosti, I suggested doing an entire concert of his music.
In a past interview you stated that opera was the most beautiful and complete art form. After opera, what is your favourite art form?
I really love cinema and I always had a fondness for 50’s movies with their theatrical style. A lot of them have enriched my acting on stage.
You have sung with many of the world’s most renowned opera singers – is there an anecdote or a story with a particular artist that you would like to share with us?
I sang with great artists, directors and for world-renowned conductors, obviously in a 27-year career there have been a few amusing episodes. One in particular goes back many years ago when we brought the Le Nozze di Figaro to a tour in Tokyo with the Vienna State Opera. On a day off from rehearsals, we went around the city with Ruggero Raimondi and other artists of the cast. Suddenly caught in the rain, we started singing (and dancing to) the famous Singing in the Rain, cheerfully led by Raimondi. Some photographers who had followed the group immortalized the scene in a rather beautiful picture which ended up in several international newspapers!
Tell us your secret to singing?
The voice is the instrument closest to the human being. Singing is within each one of us and it is often a way to express different emotions ... joy, anger, pain. It takes us closer to the birds and the way they express themselves through song; it gives us a great sense of freedom.
What is the role you have most enjoyed singing to date?
Iago from Otello by Giuseppe Verdi; I think it's one of the most interesting roles written for a baritone.
Many performers have a pre-performance ritual to help them feel less nervous – do you have any tricks to help keep you calm?
As mentioned before I am a big movie fan, so on the afternoon before a performance I watch a good movie to relax.
When you are not listening to opera and jazz, what kind of music do you listen to?
Classical, Pop….
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Always somewhere that makes me feel good. Apart from Italy it would be London; I think it's the most beautiful city in the world.
Do you play any musical instruments?
Before performing operas and song recitals, I played guitar and bass guitar in a band for many years. Unfortunately, the theatre commitments have become much more frequent and I have not had much time to continue to dabble with these instruments.

There are still a few tickets left to Lucio Gallo's Rosenblatt Recital on Wednesday 12 October. To book your tickets, please visit https://secure.sjss.org.uk/

Sorry to miss this…. Sounds like a lovely evening in a venue with acoustics that I really like… If any of you go, do come back and let me know how it was!

Oh and finally, Abbado :-))) If you haven’t been at the Southbank tonight you have missed an amazing evening. I have never heard any orchestra sound like the Lucerne one… and with Abbado at the lead, their sound is pure magic and the Bruckner tonight is not something you hear like that often in your life… The longest, most emotional standing ovation I have ever been part of at the RFH, ended sweetly , as is custom with the musicians of this orchestra with hugs on stage :-) Music from the heart :-)

Marius Brenciu kicks off Rosenblatt recital series

And what a season this is!
Check out upcoming recitals this season with names such as Lucio Gallo, Fabio Armiliato, Giuseppe Filianoti and more, not least the cherry on the cake, ie JDF at RAH!

For tomorrow, 28th September 2011, at St John's , come to hear Marius Brenciu with Ingrid Surgenor on the piano sing songs and arias by composers including Gluck, Giordani, Bellini, Mozart, Donizetti, Verdi, Cilea, Respighi, Tosti, Tchaikovsky. ( Full programme in link)

Marius won First Prizes in both the “Lied” and “Singer of the World” Competitions at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in 2001. He made his debut at the Met in 2008 with an overwhelming success in La Rondine and also performed in renowned productions such as La Traviata, La Bohème, Macbeth, Simon Boccanegra and L’Elisir d’amore among others. Future engagements include concert performances of Lensky in Eugene Onegin with the Symphony Orchestra of the Bayerische Rundfunk.

And here is an little video from said Rondine at the Met where Marius Brenciu sang Prunier:





Thanks GrandTierBox for the videos!

And here is a little interview with Marius, where he talks among other things about his dream roles :-)( and it links back to more info on the Facebook site of the Rosenblatt recitals)

Upcoming season....

I'm back :-)

Hm just a thought.... thank God i get a dosis of Puccini to start off with, because i then have 10 Mozart lined up ( no, it is not a mistake, it is 10 = 5(ie 4+1)+3+2) .

What do you think, am i in danger of overdosing???

Maybe i should get another sip of Puccini, can't have Mozart on an empty stomach....

By the way, i love the ROH, did you know?

I'm sooo excited, i just can't hiiideee it! :-)))

I'm not dead! Well not yet anyway ;-) Almost tried death by work, but for the coming days i've got another "poison" of choice... MUSIC!!! And scrumptious loads of it!!

Tosca, Tosca, Tosca :-))))))) and then maybe Butterfly and Cendrillon and Tell and more Tosca!!! I'm absolutely giddy with excitement and reading this:

http://jessicamusic.blogspot.com/2011/07/theyre-queuing-overnight-at-covent.html

I almost wish i had been there to feel the atmosphere :-) I hope as many as possible got tickets!

I'm looking forward to Puccini with Pappano, because nobody does Tosca like him! To hearing everyone again ( the best Mario EVER! and Ange and Bryn live again) , to proming, to Rossini and Santa Cecilia (how cool is it that Pappano has both his orchestras in town?!) , to lunch on the run between venues, to boiling alive at the RAH, to freezing inside the ROH, to waking up and going to bed with music ringing in my head :-)

Let the fun begin!!!!!

Antonio Pappano via Rai

Thanks ThePrestigiosoGaston for the videos!!!!

I admit, i am forever fascinated with Pappano's music and his talent for communication :-)

It's a marvellous season end at the ROH, Werther, Macbeth, Tosca, all of which he's made me listen to in new and always touching ways and i am very much looking forward to hearing him again with Santa Cecilia at the Proms with Rossini's Tell.

Listen to what the Maestro has to say :-)))