Dmitri Hvorostovsky - Russian passion at the Edinburgh festival

My festival started with a bang!! And probably started the way it should have ended, in absolute mind blowing, soul filling superlatives!

Translation: I experienced my first live “song evening”! And it was to be a memorable one, by the hand of Dmitri Hvorostovsky and in Russian no less! I say if you decide to do something new, do it properly!

Usher Hall was packed but one cannot say it was dressed for the evening... It looked more like a bombed place where big holes in the walls were hidden behind wooden panels. However, it is still a miracle they are able to hold concerts there at all considering that just a few days ago the place was totally uninhabitable.

In the middle of a song we also heard a loud bang, which could be either of – the first set of firework at this year’s Military tattoo or the workers dropping some boxes 3 floors down. Hvorostovsky reckoned the roof didn’t tremble too much during the evening ;-)

Considering that my vocabulary in Russian is reduced to “vodka” , which I don’t like, and “spasiva” which probably sounds like everything else but thanks, I was quite apprehensive about enjoying the evening. So in order to prevent linguistic frustration I did my homework and read all possible translations of what would be the program of the night; some I did not find at all but I armed myself with trust in the wonderful performer which I had first heard in a ROH Traviata.

But I found that homework wasn’t necessary, because the artist translated with his voice, tone, gestures and gazes all you would ever need to know about Russian. It did give me however the freedom to ignore the program pages in my lap and tie my eyes to Dmitri. Some would think that “fun” is not the right word for describing an evening of Russian songs, but it is exactly what I experienced. They are often depicted as being an endless road to depression, but I found them much more intense and multifaceted than that. Yes there is winter cold, and sadness about lives’ struggle, there is hope of end and fear of betrayal but there is so much more and so much more powerful. And with such a passionate and consummate performer the songs grew to impressive dimensions. Even if you didn’t understand the word, you saw the sadness in his eyes, you heard the suffering in his tone, you saw the rage and frustration in his hand. And you heard sarcasm flow from his lips, just as you saw them curb in the most lender of smiles.



It is a true artist’s achievement to spellbind an audience of thousands in a foreign language with just your voice and a piano. Gradually people forgot about their programs and just listened to Dmitri tell us wonderful stories. There was a strong connection there, a dialogue of smiles, eyes and ears, which thankfully survived even the constant interruptions of applause after each song. It became more relaxed and familiar than such evening might be, but I don’t think it lost any of the intensity of the performance.

For more details on the program of the evening please see intermezzo! I felt that I had little to tell about the songs after this, but I decided that it gave me such an unforgettable experience and such pleasure that I had to say thanks once again to Dmitri and Ivari Ilja, who so sensitively and finely accompanied the songs with his piano.

I liked all songs, the sad ones, the melancholic ones, the furious ones and the merry ones, but above all the ironic ones. Watching Dmitri sing Tchaikosvky’s Pimpinella is just pure fun!!!

And he has the most amazing technique and endless breath, guaranteed to make the audience’s jaws drop to the floor where they stayed for pretty much of the evening ;-) My only slight disappointment was not hearing Goethe’s “Gluckliche Fahrt” and “Uber alle Gipfeln ” in original, but Medtner’s music and Dmitri’s singing fully compensated for that.

Dmitri was also dressed for the part, all black silk and flowing lines around his shoulders and arms which made his movements even more gracious.

This was and evening of pure, refined Russian passion to die for!

And for me one of many many more song evening to follow, whatever the language.

Watch out for the repeat later this year at the Barbican and on the 15th on BBC for the broadcast of the evening in Edinburgh.

Here is a small taster of an older version of PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY "In the Midst of the Ball," Op. 38, No. 3

Thanks for the video dokoleg1

For further reviews please see the Scotsman and the Herald

The Salzburg Romeo et Juliette

I know, I know not exactly the photo you were expecting to see, but come on, the kiss, the touch, the death, the dress, the necklaces, the dagger are all over the place. But do click and you will see it is nevertheless about the same Romeo.

Everyone applauds the singers, the conductor, the orchestra, the staging, the whatnot. I think it is unfair that the critics don't get their share of applause!! In loose translations these were the critics thoughts on the show:

- Teasing instead of passion ( yep, no sex there...)
- Salzburg is looking for a superstar - in vain (maybe they are just shortsighted, someone give them the glasses!)
- Salzburg has the superstar ( but..i thought... oh well...)
- With joy about Oper-Ken and Oper Barbie ( no comment...)
- 324.000 watched Romeo in ORF ( finally we are getting some numbers, isn't that what it is all about?)
- the children's love and death in Verona (yep, they are both of kindergarten age, and don't you just see little gory black and white images of dead babies?? )

Marvellous!!!! I have rarely laughed so much!!! Way better than the stand ups at the Edinburgh festival!

And i needed the giggles because i totally dehydrated myself with crying over the death scene the other night. I have left enough comments on other people's wonderful posts about the performance ( Parsi, operanuts, ximo) and they have described the performance much better than i ever could, i just wanted to give praise to those who are never duly recognised for their merits!!

BRAVOOO!! BISSS!! ZUGABEEE!!!

Jonas Kaufmann on the cover of the September Gramophone! GO GET IT NOW!!!

Can't wait to read what the Gramphone has to say about the "stage animal" Jonas Kaufmann :-)

And here is a preview of the editorial from James Inverne

With his permission i will cite:

"Now, from Germany, comes Jonas Kaufmann.
His early vocal difficulties mean that he has burst upon the international scene as a fully mature, major artist. And "artist" with Kaufmann means the full deal - the man can sing, with a full-bodied ardour that recalls the great Ramón Vinay, and act with the commitment of a Jon Vickers. Without wishing to second-guess our forthcoming review of his new Carmen DVD, I'll go out on a limb and say that his stunning Don José is the most thrillingly acted on film since that of Luis Lima (also at Covent Garden, in 1997) and perhaps the best sung of any. It is good news indeed that this film and his recent Decca arias disc will be followed next year by a German-themed recital and, for EMI, a new Madama Butterfly opposite Angela Gheorghiu."

Seems to me that a lot of tenor themed articles are filling the papers lately :-) Good to know that the hunger for tenor voices seems to have been satisfied for the moment. There are excellent appetisers, first, second courses available, and even some scrumptious deserts!!

Thanks Gramophone for this edition, first thing tomorrow morning , even before my morning espresso i'll run to the shop to get my copy!

PS And latest news caught from here : http://209.20.72.76/news/2008/jul/07/madama-butterfly-recording/ So the recording of M Butterfly has happened during July in Rome :-) Niceeee. Interesting to hear Jonas as Pinkerton!

Imi e dor de tine! (missing you Timisoara)

Such is life...you never know where it takes you... and I am just about to say goodbye to another place, but more about that some other time...

Today somebody sent me this and just like that i drowned in memories... and went straight back in time to my childhood in Timisoara (a town also know as Temeswar or little Wien)

This is where I grew up and this is where i spent half my time: The opera! The love affair began early ;-) 3 years old i heard my first Nabucco! By the way, a little gossip, did you know little old me and Mr Ioan Holender share the same birthplace??? (yes, THE Ioan Holender from the Staatsoper in Wien )


Thanks Aluna for these wonderful pictures and memories!
http://www.yvettedefrance.com/Photos-du-monde/A1/Roumanie/Roumanie.htm

Readers, enjoy the pictures and if you like, go see the place, go enjoy the country, the music and the food! I am sure it will sneak its way into your hearts :-)

There are even pictures from the "famous Dracula castle", actually a nice medieval built belonging to the king known as Vlad Tepes, or Vlad Dracul. And where a beautiful movie version of La Cenerentola by Rossini was filmed :-)

And for you music lovers out there there is one event you shouldn't miss!! (this is where i have heard several times Maxim Vengerov work his violin magic and where Joshua Bell also played in the last edition)

http://www.festivalenescu.ro/ Watch this space as the program of the festival in 2009 will be announced in October 2008. If you want to know what happened at the 2007 edition here is an article that was published in The Guardian at the time:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/sep/19/festivals.classicalmusicandopera

And in case you wonder, as i expect you would, what Enescu music is like, well... here is a little something:

thanks for the video wwhagiuxx

And here is Enescu himself in an audio only recording playing the Corelli Sonata

Thanks for the video aimson

And this is probably the most famous piece composed by Enescu: Ciocirlia (the lark)


Thanks for the video gxgfree4rhyme

And by the way he was also Yehudi Menuhin's teacher. Here is a recording of them both playing Bach's double violin concerto with Yehudi being only 16 years old in his recording:



thanks for the video AbsoluteZ3R0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Enescu