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!!!!!

ROH + BBC= more goodies!

There have been a number of successful broadcasts from the ROH this season on the BBC, both radio and TV, among which Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, the usual opera broadcasts and as we all remember the positively mouthwatering series of Opera Italia! All this, and i would also guess the considerable success Tony has had as a communicator of opera on TV (see the recent nomination from the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards for Creative Communication for the series) have lead to a new partnership with the BBC, which was announced today.

Quoting from the BBC press release on this:

"Alice's Adventures In Wonderland will be broadcast on BBC Two on Saturday 23 April at 2.30pm immediately preceded by a documentary exploring the making of the ballet at 2pm" "The Royal Opera House and the BBC will come together to co-produce new commissions for 2012 created especially for television prior to live performance on the stage ..."

More Tony! yay!!!! "The new deal includes a series on classical masterworks presented by Antonio Pappano, beginning with Pappano's Essential Tosca for BBC Two and also the development of a new five-part series about singing to be written and presented by Antonio Pappano"

And guess what????!!!! We will get THAT TOSCA on TV!! :-))) "Other presentations include The Royal Opera's production of Tosca Tosca with Angela Gheorghiu as the heroine, Jonas Kaufmann as her lover Cavaradossi and Bryn Terfel as the Chief of Police Scarpia, accompanied by Pappano's Essential Tosca, a documentary presented by Antonio Pappano in which he examines the dramatic importance of each location in the opera and illustrates what Puccini does musically to create a great theatrical experience."

By the way, the Tosca will also be on BBC Radio3 , as well as "Mexican tenor Rolando Villazon starring in Massenet's Werther, Nina Stemme as the heroine Leonora in Beethoven's Fidelio, and Simon Keenlyside singing the title role of Verdi's Macbeth for the first time in the UK. Radio 3 will also broadcast two operas live: Puccini's Madam Butterfly and a new production of Massenet's Cendrillon (Cinderella) with Joyce DiDonato in the title role. "

More details in the press release link above. Great news, isn't it? :-)

End of season – Italian style

This summer break seems incredibly short and long at the same time…. Work is keeping me away from London, so I haven’t been to a live performance in what seems like too long already.. Withdrawal never used to be so bad ;-) And looking at the calendar I lulled my conscience with the idea that it will be long enough for me to catch up with the last of the season before the new one starts… I’m no longer sure that will be possible, but sometimes one needs to concentrate on producing the budget that will then be madly spent over the next 10-11 months ;-)

I realised that since the last “real” post I have seen some 10 shows, which makes tying all those loose ends a bit of a headache… I could so take the easy route and just talk about what so perfectly ended my musical year on a high note, but I have decided to exercise discipline for once because I have taken that route way too many times this year. Looking back on the blog over the last 12 months I realised that I have missed out quite a number of things I have seen and heard and that a reader might get a very skewed view of what music is to me. I’ll come back to this in the next post and I don’t want to anticipate too much, but I want to capture for myself as well all that has left an imprint on me, not just some of the steps. After all, trying to hold on to all the millions of seconds of joy and flashes of feelings and insights that I come across in every performance was the reason I started this blog in the first place and I feel I am not really living up to my own expectations.

Enough said about that …on to the ROH Italian season :-)

Rossini, Verdi, Puccini. Il Barbiere, Traviata, Tosca is mostly likely my list of most seen, longest known works. All 3 i am at the sing-along-stage ;-))) I don’t even need to tell you that I overdosed on the Tosca in the last year and got close to doing it in Traviata as well, which is why in the booking i skipped both. Instead I went for a double dose of Ballo, which is one of the few Verdis which I previously knew only from recordings and videos. And of course I fought to get a double package of Barbiere. This is my favourite from childhood and I can honestly say I have a full body soft spot for it!

The two also had at the time of the booking the most attractive casting for me: I could hear Ramon Vargas finally in a full length role and initially the velvet voiced Carlos Alvarez as Renato and then the one in a lifetime all star cast in Barbiere!

But things are never quite as you plan them. First the ROH lost Carlos Alvarez ( who I hope has fully recovered by now) and shortly before the actual kick off of all these performances mayhem hit the ROH casts: firstly Simon Keenlyside had to go off and rest his voice then Deborah Voigt was unwell for Tosca and the flu threatened a number of the ones still standing…. While others unfortunately were soon to be sitting rather than standing.

It surely was exciting in more ways than one! I don’t think the casting team in ROH would want to repeat the experience, but I’d say that given all the last minute crisis music came out as glorious as ever and we got to see some good and some really amazing shows.

photos by Bill Cooper at playbillarts.com

Il Barbiere…

I think had everyone’s expectations riding on it and it was one of those very happy cases of expectations being exceeded. Juandi is Juandi and he is the prince of the Barber ;-) Elegant, funny, charming, riding the coloratura up and down as if it would a fun slide over waves, utterly infectious! Somebody who can put a cheeky smile on your face while doing this is sheer recipe for happiness. He was the desperate count all the way, intelligently riding the edge between endearingly funny and OTT with a firm foot planted on the right side. I don’t know anyone else who can transform excellence into normality with such ease :-)

So how do you make an impression as Rosina when your big entrance happens already well into the show? Easy-peasy! You just call yourself Joyce! DiDonato that is ;-))) And you dish out the coloratura with just as much panache as Juandi and look cute as a button on stage! I’ve seen the Met Barber on video and was looking forward to this, but she is soooo much much better live! I have never heard such colours and such shades and richness of feeling in a Rossini lady ever! I apologise to mine and my friend’s neighbours in the amphitheatre ..we probable left them deaf in a matter of seconds after herUna voce… It was just spontaneous, irrepressible shouting and clapping! I couldn’t and wouldn’t have wanted to stop myself if my life depended on it. I still feel my throat closing in with emotion when I remember that moment! That is how sheer bliss feels like, you just burst with joy from every cell! And as far as I could tell from the overwhelming roar in my ears some 2000 people there felt pretty much the same.

The others were just as good! Corbelli should be knighted for his singing praise of the Italian language, there just aren’t any many singers where the joy of music and text compliment each other so well. Spagnoli was so much more than a replacement, his Figaro was natural and intelligent and all round secure and his interaction with his colleagues placed him firmly at the centre of the action, probably much more so than most people would have expected.

Pietro Spagnoli and Juan Diego Flórez photos by Bill Cooper at playbillarts.com

And I will never ever look at Maestro Furlanetto in the same way again!!! There is no way I can reconcile in my mind the image of the utterly mad Don Basilio with that of the regal and powerful kind Filip! So extremely different and yet so amazing … the only thing they have in common is that giant of a voice, warm and dangerous and enveloping at the same time. But I would have never thought he could let himself be so crazy … he didn’t just give it a try he went aaaaaall the way! And produced the creepiest and funniest Basilio I have ever seen :-) I have a completely new level of respect for the artist Ferrucio Furlanetto and am now looking forward even more to his Filip and his Fiesco, surely unmissable!

My only doubt before seeing the show was if Pappano and Rossini were two flavours that went well together? Well, it was like chocolate and orange, strawberries and cream..juuuuuuuuust delicious!!!! Turns out delicate, witty and playful Rossini is exactly the thing for Pappano, he was incredibly at home in the music and so obviously enjoyed it… just as much as the singers did singing it, the orchestra playing it and us listening to it :-)

Jennifer Rhys-Davies, Juan Diego Flórez and Joyce DiDonato photos by Bill Cooper at playbillarts.com

Of course there was the unfortunate broken leg and I’m afraid we will be also be left without the DVD recording of this performance…. Sadly so… and if that really were the case all I can say is that as far as I can see there is no real reason why it shouldn’t be a DVD! In fact, it would probable make for a best seller :-) It was definitely the kind of performance you would tell you grandchildren about….

Angela Marambio as Amelia and Ramón Vargas as Riccardo Photo from http://www.operatoday.com/

Un ballo…

The first time round was the very next afternoon after the Barbiere first night. In many ways a bad idea… that kind of buzz cannot be repeated easily, it was a lazy Sunday afternoon and poor Ramon Vargas was off sick; Roberto Aronica had a bad allergic reaction and the orchestra had a bit of a tired day, maybe the aftermath of the Barbiere. All in all more one of those “better miss it” performances.

Luckily, the second time things improved significantly in spite of an even earlier matinee. Main plus point: Senor Vargas was back on, sounding very well, in spite of lingering cold and he was also looking sharp and surprisingly younger than at the start of the season in Don Giovanni. He delivered exactly what he promised in an earlier interview in musicalcriticism I wish we heard more of him at the ROH, because he is one of those who know what they sing and why they choose a role and who sing at the kind of level where you can appreciate all the details the composer built into the music. If I were to think of an adjective to associate to his voice and style of singing it would probably be elegance :-) He definitely energised the stage in an otherwise pretty dull production. The ball and it’s audience reflecting mirror is definitely the best of it, with some beautiful period costumes otherwise gracing the stage and little else.

Dalibor Jenis portrayed Renato convincingly both physically and vocally, in the first evening I saw him he definitely provided one of the better moments of the performance. His “Eri tu” got well deserved applause each time, it was well delivered and managed to touch the listener. Angela Marambio has a strong and nicely coloured voice, but I fear that the part might be a little heavy for the voice at times as high notes turned harsh too often. The early hours of the second performance also didn’t favour most of the singers.

The other significant upside of the second round was the orchestra and Maurizo Benini himself. No sleepiness in sight and they delivered Verdi with elegance and precision. I’ve heard Benini recently again conducting L’Elisir in Glyndebourne and I liked and appreciated the same things about him: it might not be the most exhilarating and creative sound, but it is smooth and balanced, with all the right shades in all the right places. It may sound funny, but for my ears he simply made Verdi sound like Verdi and Donizetti like Donizetti , which is highly enjoyable and more than can be said about many conductors and orchestra’s. I would always trust him with a true Italianate sound.

Bryn Terfel and Angela Gheorghiu photo from www.classicalsource.com

Tosca …

Drama, drama, drama…. No more comments ;-))) Now, Tosca i have seen enough times this year and this will be no means be for me a memorable one, nor among my favourites this year. It was curiosity that got the better of me on the opening night. I really wanted to hear Bryn Terfel again and singing Scarpia and was curious about Mrs Gheorghiu’s Tosca, since I had missed it a couple of years back.

The backpain induced by my amphitheatre chair might have been partly at fault. But I didn’t come out floating.. Then again in the Barbiere I never noticed the same backpain…. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good performance, well sung, well conducted, but it took a while to really get rolling and didn’t reach some chords within at the expected level of intensity. Angela sounded good and I get why Tosca can be more on the feminine side, but it was a bit of an undecided portrayal, missing oomph in parts and displaying them in others. Until the last act, when Scarpia was no more, there was definitely more stage chemistry between her Tosca and Bryn’s Scarpia then between her and Marcello Giordani, her Mario that night. I loved Bryn’s Hollander and I like him as an artist a lot, but that night something was not quite there, perhaps he was too charming???

Angela Gheorghiu as Tosca and Marcello Giordani as Cavaradossi photo C Ashmore at http://www.musicweb-international.com/

The whole thing did click where I expected it least, in the last act, and although I thought the “E lucevan” would not really get me because of my preference for intimate delivery here, that was not the case. Giordani managed to show what he hadn’t that much the rest of the night, ie that he can sing in softer tones, that he can be creative and that being an experienced artist can mean more than just correct delivery. Again, a case of well deserved applause for an aria that was something more than the usual thing.

Jacques Lacombe brought the passion in his Puccini conducting but at time I felt he run away with it and it all was too loud in many places, sometimes almost covering the artists, which should not have been the case.

The Tosca had it’s moments and I’m glad I went, but I wouldn’t have gone again.

Renée Fleming (Violetta) and Joseph Calleja (Alfredo) photo C Ashmore at http://www.musicweb-international.com/

Traviata…

This also never made my to do list for the season, in spite of being one of my favourites. I decided to see the one in Munich instead, but as some of you might remember, the Verdi in the pit there left me longing for the “real stuff”…

Then there had always been the temptation of Hampson doing Germont. It’s no secret that he is an artist I have favoured for some years now, I know his voice is not to everyone’s likening but in both lieder and on stage I find him compelling and interesting. And who better to give me the “real Verdi” than Pappano ;-)))

Weak heart as I am, I ended up seeing this Traviata not once, but twice! Standing! And this is one choice I don’t regret.

I’m sorry to say the Diva of the night, Mrs Fleming has never been my cup of tea and sadly my opinion after two Traviatas has not changed significantly. Too much distortion in the sound for my taste, not enough emotional connection. It might be just my personal reaction, but it is what it is. Around the same time I saw and heard Ermonela Jaho sing Violetta from Lyon … now that was a Traviata where I cried buckets! Always a good sign with such a well known opera I think :-)))))

Calleja on the other hand I heard live for the first time in a full length opera and I was more than pleasantly surprised! Quite a development from when I have heard him in a TV documentary a number of years ago. More please! I will be looking forward to catching the Met broadcast of his Hoffmann… which is sure to be a challenge in his repertory.

He was energetic and daring enough to outshine the Diva in the middle of her big first act aria with his high note ;-))) He made for an Alfredo who’s energy on stage seemed sometimes barely contained. It did seam at times however that he was almost too thrilled to be singing on this stage to concentrate more on portraying Alfredo’s struggle with his feelings for Violetta. The pleasure in hearing him sing however outweighed the sometimes lack of chemistry with Renee’s Violetta.

No disconnect whatsoever in Hampson’s Germont! It is what I so admire about him, the ability to portray the character, to tell his story and get the public to engage with it to the point where you don’t notice the notes he is singing, but rather the emotions he transmits. Which doesn’t mean at all that you stop hearing the refinement of his singing! I am really glad we got an extra dose of Hampson in the concert with Pappano and although he is very busy with his projects in the US I hope he will be back at the ROH sometimes soon :-)

And I have to say a very big Thank you! to Tony Pappano for reconnecting me emotionally to the Traviata score… now that was Verdi! What a relief, I had thought I was slowly growing tired of it, but not a chance… now, with the right kind of sound in my ears, I’m actually looking forward to some Traviatas during the next season ;-))

And that was us, arrivederci from the ROH until September, when we kick off with some more Donizetti and Verdi :-)

Between Cardiff and Munchen (Aida, Traviata and Singer of the World competition)

I should so be working!!!! And I swear I have been trying since this morning, but there is just too much music in my head getting in the way…. so you will get this “mixed salad” post so I can exorcise the music out of my system :-)

Considering none of the things going through my mind I have heard live it is quite something that they influence me so much, but I guess this is a good thing. I have however heard all of these performances on either radio or TV and whether or not you care to read my thoughts, apparently they want out.

At “home” we are in the middle of the Cardiff Singer of the world competition, which I have never been able to enjoy live, but this has just become my “must do” two years from now. It may not be the most technically accomplished and refined singing you will have ever heard, but that is NOT the point of it! The point is, it is living, breathing and yess, singing proof that opera and song are still very much alive and kicking! And that young people DO love this music, DO want to sing it and that there are exciting voices out there to thrill us for years to come. I can’t explain how much it means to me to see young people singing this music and also young audience discovering it. It is very often that as a relatively young person you feel isolated in the world of classical music, especial I today’s theatres. And almost every time I step into one I ask myself with sadness why the music doesn’t capture the hearts of children and young people? I am inclined to think that it is mostly because they don’t know it rather that they don’t like it. But it is sad to be 30ish and feel like the youngest in the bunch when you to the opera and other classical music events.

Anyways, this competition gives me a boost of confidence that these may be just appearances. The other positive effect is to see young artist absolutely passionate with what they do, with singing and performing. In a house performance it is so often about perfection, the perfectly pitched note, the right gesture, etc that you can forget this is not an ordinary line of work, it is about art and people deeply involved with what they do. This becomes so much more evident in a competition like Cardiff. Of course there is drive and ambition in every competitor, but the passion, the total enthusiasm and raw talent is also there. And at this level it becomes quickly evident who is driven just by ambition and who really wants to do this for all their life, because they simply cannot imagine doing anything else. And in the hall in Cardiff it must be even more exiting, as you probably feel both the nerves and excitement of the competitors in a more direct way. As fully developed artist later they all learn to dissimulate, to hide their emotions and nerves and also maybe no longer dive head first in a performance, but right now they give it their all and you get them on a more open, personal level. I wouldn’t want this on an opera stage ( I really don’t want to see the excruciating effort they make to deliver that amazing performance that blows me away, I think we are really only supposed to see the magic on stage, even though it might sound cruel) but, in such a competition, as an exception, I think that is part of its special appeal and it is also something that shows the potential within them. Full and cold control might not actually convey that this is what they are meant to be doing at this stage in their development.

I have watched excerpts of two nights on line and unfortunately will miss most of the rest, but I plan to catch up as soon as I can on the BBC videos. And we should listen and watch as these are names that we will see soon on opera house posters. I will at this stage no necessarily name all names, let’s see it all and then I might get back and mention some names, especially if they don’t go all the way, but I felt they did leave a mark on me. For the 2 nights that I have seen I have been wowed by sopranos! They must be good if I preferred them above all others :-) . I also got a feeling that the category weakest overall in the opera world at the moment is not the tenor, but the baritone! Yes, we have some amazing ones singing songs and there are a couple of well established names in opera as well. But by far not enough!! An they seem to be still in very scarce supply among young singers as well, which is worrying… Operas don’t stand on tenors and sopranos alone, to get that all rounded, blow your mind effect you need equally good mezzos, baritones and basses. And the latter two are in really scarce supply at the moment, baritones especially… at least the feeling I get these days…

There is of course the usual debate about if singers already performing on big stages should participate or not, etc but at the end of the day I believe the judges are aware of the different opportunities each competitor has had and they don’t judge by them but by the talent and potential of each singer, and as it has been proven time and time again, you never know where the underdog may appear from :-)

For the ones who want to know more about contestants, the competition, see some details here is the BBC site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/cardiffsinger/sites/2009/pages/competitors.shtml


I have some complaints as well ;-) I wish we got some more coverage of the song contest as well, as many of the competitors appear in both and it is really a pity that song is often treated as the poor step sister or opera, because there is much to be gained for both audiences and the young artists emotionally, technically and artistically from the genre. Secondly, it think it is unfair that the BBC videos cannot be watched from abroad. I don’t mean the full program, but one aria each on a competitor’s page either? Why not? I thought this was about opportunities, exposure, etc… so why not let the whole world see one or two arias for each? Why not let the public outside the UK take a liking to an artist before they become part of the engine/ industry? And don’t give me the copyright and such chat, surely a competition like this and the singers themselves deserve a bit of sharing.

And from the young and talented I move ( erm… swiftly? ;-))) to the equally talented but well established ( where I am sure many of the young ones dream to be one day ;-))

Munich… Verdi, Aida, Traviata, Daniele Gatti, Jonas Kaufmann, Angela Gheorghiu, Simon Keenlyside, Salvatore Licitra, Ecaterina Gubanova, Kristin Lewis, Giacomo Prestia, Christian van Horn….Keri- Lynn Wilson

Enough names there to give any opera lover an increased heart-beat! ;-)

Aida – premiere, it is pretty known right now that Gatti was boed! Unbelievable to me! Yes, the march in Aida could have been a tad more imposing, with a bit more gravitas, but otherwise what I heard on Bayern4 was utterly beautiful and it felt like true Verdi, the duet Aida Amneris in the 3rd scene was incredibly elegant and powerful.

Talking Amneris- Ecaterina Gubanova, don’t know how the voices sounded in the house, but over the radio it was catchy and secure in all registers with a nice, full lower register, my kind of mezzo! Brava! I wasn’t nearly as taken with Kristin Lewis Aida. That was some horrendous Italian, so incredibly closed… uuuff! And it felt much less secure both in the upper and lower registers. She was good, but I didn’t feel as deserving of the massive acclaim she got. For me Amneris definitely outshone her.

Salvatore Licitra did the best he can and that is not little. The role is a struggle for any tenor and he has been singing a number of these difficult parts these last years ( I remember a Forza in Wien). His voice has a nice sound but by the end there wasn’t much energy left for some nice piani, still good job… especially as I am trying to think who else out there is singing Radames these days. Not many and none so much better that one could say bah! to Licitra’s performance the other day. I am looking forward to Marcelo Alvarez’ Radames next year in ROH :-) Though even for him the role will be a pretty big hat to fill. The basses… the King was better than Ramphis. Definitely! Better voice, warmer, securer in all areas, just more enjoyable to listen to. CVH ( Christian van Horn) definitely had the edge over Giacomo Prestia imo. Ok the last is more experienced and had from the public reaction sung there quite a number of times before, but I heard what I heard. I am sure that a couple of years down the road CVH will make a wonderful Ramphis and other even more exciting roles. One to listen out for! ( and he deserves a special brownie point for not breaking his neck in those ridiculous space-boots he had to wear!)

Nothing to say about the production, haven’t seen it and the few photos available are neither shocking, nor traditional, neither too out there nor anything else in particular.

On to the next day’s Traviata…. More Verdi!

Can I start by saying one thing? Can somebody please switch Mrs Wilson for Gatti just for the Friday performance?? Pleasseeeee????

One can dream….. Ain’t gonna happen, so I guess I will have to deal with it. That Traviata wasn’t Verdi! Not to me, not compared to any other I have seen or heard. That was… ummm, how to put it… a weird Radezky march type thing with a constant start, rush, run, stop hiiiii hiiii hiiiiii ( insert panting noises from the running), rush, run, stop hiiiiii hiiii….etc I mean – please forgive my bluntness – it was as if the woman had Jack the Ripper himself running behind her!!!! And I can honestly say I am having a hard time being so harsh, I don’t like saying it, but it needs to be said I think. Verdi is not a loud, marching band sound in full rush with some bland, indescript tam tam tam tam foot tapping inserted here and there. It is continuous, flowing, emotional, beautiful arches of music. It didn’t help that this style of conducting also allowed constant interruptions after each aria for applause ( ok, very well deserved applause… but come oooon…)

Lucky for the all the payers of the overpriced seats ( not in general, but if you are a victim of the early booking system you’ll know what I mean… and yes I whinge because for the prices I am paying I have never ever had such bad seats at the ROH!) the singing was in a completely different league. Don’t think they got much rehearsal time, but when Angela Gheorghiu, Jonas Kaufmann and Simon Keenlyside show up for the Traviata, all in excellent form, you can expect not only every note to sit, harmonies to happen, but you end up being touched. The singing was very very good and thank God they knew the score (unlike the Mrs with the baton…) and the three seemed to marvellously end up on the same wave length to deliver some beautiful lines and intertwine their voices to great effect. More after the weekend when I hope to hear it live will all 3 in same form ( crossing fingers AND toes ;-))

Special mention ( cause I know there are more than a few dyyyyying to now this as I was!) Simon Keenlyside made his debut as Germont.. sooooo, was he good?? LOL…. Won’t say… I’ll just keep it to myself and enjoy this glowing feeling ;-)))) …. Ok, I won’t be that bad, he was … ohhhhhh, woooooowwwww, OMG!!!!! You get it, don’t you? Hope he sings it at the ROH soon…those lines, those piani, that elegance, that feeling…. And I haven’t seen it! I’ve read all kinds of comments, but him everyone agrees that it was the best Germont they have ever heard In Munich. I agree that he is one of the very bets I have ever heard (recordings included).

More of this next week…

And NOW I can work! Don’t worry you don’t need to read all this, I just needed to write it :-)

Vieni, vieni.....Jonas Kaufmann's Pinkerton calls to Angela's Butterfly

Thank you leonorafl for the video!

Poor Cio-cio-san! Pinkerton really is a macho-swine that makes you want to strangle him when he seduces Butterfly...

Still , you kinda' understand why she can't resist this particular "piglet" :-)

Hearing this "...sei miaaaa!! vieniiiii...vieniiii" makes you want to see how fast you can run :-)))

Catch up post....

(George Enescu Legend, trumpet Wynton Marsalis)
Thank you gxgfree4rhyme for the video

Ok, this is me, all over the place as usual, this post was supposed to be an entry post into the new year, but since then daily life and events took over... But since some of the feeling in this post is still lingering around I decided to still do it.

This hasn't been a great start in the new year over all and until yesterday the mood was gloomy, friends are not feeling well, everyone has had problems from the tiny and annoying to the big and potentially lifechanging, so this is somehow for them. I didn't feel all cheery to begin with myself, so i decided to start the year on the blog with a musical piece that fit the mood, not all that black, but definitely a bit pensative. I was saving it for some appropriate moment, but it is special to me so here it is :-) On this note let's look back and then scroll forward to the present:

Hoffmann at the ROH -A different Rolando? - I saw one more and looking back at the year and on hearing Rolando Villazon for the first time earlier and then again at the end of the year i saw interesting changes. I think he definitely ended the year on a high note, with some powerful confidence again his and also with different options and roads open to him. I think a different Rolando finished the year than the one that began it, one that has challanging artistic plans ahead and who has more of a mind of his own and is more than ever before in charge of his artistic future. Some might questions his choices for the coming year but I say why not?? People have tried to tie him to numerous preconceptions and squeeze him in many drawers. I am glad he won't stay there and is bold enough to break these imaginary limits and go after what he wants musically. I don't know if the new choices are the right ones, but who cares and kudos to him for trying and the results should be more than interesting to watch and listen to. I think for the future he will be somebody even more intersting to follow than before, whether or not you agree with his choices. Critise, love, enjoy, buy or don't buy his CDs, but let him make his choices!

Turandot at the ROH - This was the last performance i saw in 2008 and although it isn't really one i would choose for New Year's it was worth seeing. Both Cura and Irene Theorin had the sniffles, but they still gave good interpretations, although I wished JCura had been in better form because there was a bit of a missing connection, which he otherwise never fails to create, with the public. Still, his Nessun dorma (my black list aria Nr1!) was interesting and well told and sung and he deserved more credit for it than he got. I haven't seen this opera in a while and i found myself being more interested than i thought. Still a silly story , well actually 2 stories in one. I was abit bothered by the volume of the orchestra which covered the singers more than i would have wished for, but i have thought about it and maybe it was partly because i sat practically on top of it and the singers weren't having their best day. I loved the production and Andrei Serban has managed to create an interpretation which is both suited but not heavy, i agree with what has been said about the production, that it has stood the test of time very well, you couldn't tell it was from 1985! As said, i liked the sound of the orchestra and i was definitely drawn into the enthusiastic conducting, but i had a bit of an issue with the volume. However i reconciled myself with it, party also because of this interview Nicola Luisotti gave in musicalcriticism. I felt the emotion in his conducting and i like the way he thinks and the boldness and passion that lies within his beliefs.

Thais from the Met - what a wonderful opera!!! Give me music French music anytime, it goes straight to my heart, however corny that may sound! Rene...well she is a diva and her costumes would have fit any fashion runway anytime. Beautiful, if artificial (My God her fans are gonna kill me but i have to say, still beautiful voice, but i somehow have the feeling that the Diva persona sometimes upstages the artist.) Mind you, if she didn't sing that well, the opera wouldn't have been as good to hear and watch, so i'm just saying she ain't my cup of tea. Hampson on the other hand so definitely is!! (and don't give me the stinky eye!! I never said my taste is flawless or that i even have one, i'm all subjective and full of weak spots and of course i don't expect people to agree with me). He sang wonderfully for my ears and he was absolutely fanatically scary!!! Now i believe he can do Scarpia and i am looking forward to it. The production was "suitable".. Met style with a lighter touch ( for the Met, that is ;-))))))) Didn't go too far in the sparkly OTT direction, but also wasn't bold enough to go beyond pretty.

New Year's Day in Wien - right, in my dreams!!! But i did get up to the obligatory morning glass of bubbly and the Wiener Philarmoniker concert. I wouldn't want my year to start any other way. The Wiener Philarmoniker had fun with Barenboim, he had fun conducting, i had fun watching and there is nothing like a bit of Radezky and Strauss to put the swing..er that would be the walzer... in the new year.

And so began 2009 and the first thing I saw was La Rondine from the Met... everyone is bitching but everyone has seen it, isn't that just hilarious???? I liked it, Angela had a cold and you could hear it at the beginning, but then was she ok. She was beautifully dressed and sang nicely and was just herself. That's just the way it is, some like her and some don't and i sometimes do and sometimes don't. I was neutral about this one. I thought it was a nice performance and as I hadn't seen the opera before, i quite enjoyed it. I thought Roberto sounded sometimes strained in the 1 part (act 1+2) and i was going to say Lisette and the Prunier stole the show. But ahhh, Roberto is still Roberto! Put feelings to his voice and it just blooms, and he was very very good in the 3rd act, and me and him were probably the only ones bawling their eyes out in the end. His non lasciarmi solo was just heartwrenching!! And it takes guts to open up so much on stage to the feelings within that you openly cry. So he's a sap (and so am i), but he's an adorable one. I was happy to see within him still that Roberto that i first heard in 1992. And they may critise him, but he still is somebody you want to watch and hear (if not, why are the tickets for the Trovatore so in demand, ey? Ok, there is Dima as well :-))) And there is Sondra..and what fun it will be!! And i can see everyone just dying to critise this Manrico, but again, everyone is also cueing up to hear him.. Some love to hate him, but deep down we actually hate that we so still love him :-))
So my reason to remember this is that Roberto moved me to tears and that Marius Brenciu was in it!! I've heard of him before and i was really proud of his Prunier, and of his excelent English, and of his easy presence and calm demeanor as a singer. His falsetto was a bit shaky at the beginning but otherwise very good singing. I hope to see him life, maybe at the ROH one day, why not? Someone to watch and definitely someone i will watch out for! Oh, and Lisette was wonderful as Lisette. After all, this Rondine was wonderfully cast and a good night out!

And since we are on Manrico i am back where I so impulsively started this year's blogging, in the midst of the friends battle for tickets :-) (Soooooo looking forward to the battle for bookings 4... let me just drop the scary word... Barbiere!!! ;-))))

So, are you still with me or are you asleep??? If i confused you, sorry, i know this was a mix and match, but i'd rather you look at it like a tasty Greek salad!! And with that i am still in Athens and my ears, my heart, by brains are still buzzing from last night's concert where Jonas was amazzzzzzzziiiiiinnnggggggggggg!!!!!! Like you didn't know I was gonna say that :-) But don't be mad ;-) Look how i started the year and look where it has gone, it could only get better and it has!

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!