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 :-)

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 :-)))

More from Tony....

photo "borrowed" from the Accademia Nazionale website :-)


..... Smith ;-)))) Or better know as the lovely Tony Pappano ;-)
On an otherwise grey and dull Sunday , with nothing to look forward to than suitcase packing for yet more work travel at inhumanly early hours of the morning I luckily stumbled upon this wonderful interview with Tony Pappano in the Guardian which made me feel the warm Italian sun and think of a rich and fragrant glass of wine with a background of glorious and heart lifting music (maybe not Va pensiero, but definitely some Verdi ;-))

Click here to enjoy the interview for yourself.


It’s filled with wonderful sweet and sad childhood memories, with Pappano’s search of roots and identity between America, the UK and Italy, with a sense of healthy competitiveness between his two orchestras and various stories of music and life. You get some unexpected insights into the everyday life on an Italian orchestra, between the funny and the passionate.
And you can also find out interesting things about future plans for both the Santa Cecilia and the ROH. Among the latter a promise very dear to me of more Italian repertoire at the ROH, among which an Otello (which ,if information from other interviews is correct, may be with Anja Harteros and possibly Marcelo Alvarez), more Rossini and hopefully even a new production of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci.

But going back to the main focus of the interview, Pappano’s work with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, here is the link to their website:

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

If like me you rush to have a glimpse of that Guillaume Tell poster, alas it is not on line ;-) But there is plently of interesting stuff, including a possibility to listen to the concerts on line via PappanoinWeb!

You can also find the UK tour dates of the ANSC and buy tickets on line:

Thursday 17 March at 19.45 Tournée - Basingstoke, The Anvil
Antonio Pappano direttore
Boris Berezovsky pianoforte
Verdi ..... Aida: Sinfonia
Liszt ..... Concerto per pianoforte n. 1
Mahler ..... Sinfonia n. 1 "Il Titano"

Friday 18 March at 19.30 Tournée - Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
Antonio Pappano direttore
Boris Berezovsky pianoforte
Verdi ..... Aida: Sinfonia
Liszt ..... Concerto per pianoforte n. 1
Respighi ..... Pini e Fontane di Roma"

Saturday 19 March at 19.30 Tournée - Birmingham, Symphony Hall
Antonio Pappano direttore
Boris Berezovsky pianoforte
Verdi ..... Aida: Sinfonia
Liszt ..... Concerto per pianoforte n. 1
Mahler ..... Sinfonia n. 1 "Il Titano"

Go see! :-)

Wish i could too, but since i can’t i’ll give at least the PappanoinWeb live streaming a try :-))

Grazie Tony for brightening up my Sunday and In bocca al lupo! to the ANSC for their UK tour!

Around London, things you may want to see..

There are a couple of things in London to check out, which seem to be less know of :-)

If you wonder what the ROH orchestra is doing when they are not playing in the House, well:

As you can see, they are playing with Tony Pappano at the Cardogan Hall:

Sunday 27 February, 2011, 7pm

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

Zurich International Concert Series 2010-11

Antonio Pappano Conductor/Piano

Thomas Hampson Baritone

Klaus Florian Vogt Tenor

Programme:Mahler: Piano Quartet Movement in A minor

Wagner: Siegfried Idyll

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde (chamber version, arranged Schoenberg completed Rainer Riehn)

Tickets are still available at the above link :-)

And -

On Thursday 10th February 2011 Italian baritone Massimo Cavalletti will make his Rosenblatt Recitals debut in London and will perform songs and arias by composers including Rossini, Mozart, Tosti, Denza, Toselli, Bizet, Donizetti, Bellini, Cipriano and Verdi ( full recital program in the link).

Thursday 10 February, 7:30pm
St John’s, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HA
Tickets £20 £15 £10 (concessions £10)
Box office: 020 7222 1061
Online booking: www.sjss.org.uk

You can read more about his repertoire in the recital link as well. The Lucca-born baritone received praising reviews for his different roles in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra and Puccini’s La Bohème: Massimo Cavalletti has a “perfect diction and captivating presence on stage” (Musical Criticism), “full of life and fun” (Opera Britannia), “his singing is robust and lively” (New York Times).

If you are a student you can get the following discount - Rosenblatt Recitals offer £15 tickets for £5 when students come to St John’s box office and show their student card, quoting ‘Student Rosenblatt’.

Furthermore if you sign up to the Rosenblatt Recitals mailing list you will receive 50% off your first ticket purchase.

A small amuse bouche:( as i miss listening to Lucia...)

Thanks unmaxfan for the videos!

And another

Tony Pappano on Mahler and passing on knowledge

On this beautiful sunny afternoon, spend some time listening to Tony Pappano talk about Mahler and many other things...

Click on the pictures to be taken to the Euronews website where you can watch the videos.

Opening minds, telling the secrets... a beautiful thing :-)

Jonas Kaufmann: Verismo

Click below for the Decca page for the Verismo Album, Jonas, Pappano and MUSIC, MUSIC MUSIC!!!!!
Enjoy!!!

Jonas Kaufmann: Verismo

Jonas Kaufmann Verismo Arias

Photo © Regina Recht
In case you didn't know Jonas and the wonderful Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under the magic wand of Tony Pappano recorded earlier this year an album of Verismo arias which is coming soon! In like very very soon :-))

If you can't wait from today you can preorder:
in Germany from amazon.de , scheduled issue date 17 September!
and in France from fnac.com , schedules issue date in France 27 September
UPDATE! (thanks HM:-) and on amazon.co.uk now listed as well, with no details on date yet ....

Nothing so far in the UK, but there is nothing to stop you from ordering from the above (check international sending costs before you do though to avoid surprises).

So, Verismo! But what is on it???? One thing is sure, it ain't Puccini! So who is up for a bit of a guessing game? ;-)))

From information available publicly, mostly things Jonas himself mentioned throughout the year in interviews, here is a potential list in no particular order:

Francesco Cilea:
..because he is going to sing Maurizio soon :-)))
Adriana Lecouvreur - L´anima ho stanca
Adriana Lecouvreur - La dolcissima effigie

and because he's put a personal stamp on the next one...
L'Arlesiana -Il Lamento di Federico

Pietro Mascagni:
..also because he said he would like to sing this..
Cavalleria Rusticana - Mamma, quel vino e generoso

and this is also less known:
Iris - Apri la tua finestra

Umberto Giordano:
..well, can't have him without this gorgeous opera! twice if possible :-)
Andrea Chenier - Un di all'azzurro spazio
Andrea Chenier - Come un bel dì di maggio
Andrea Chenier - Vicino a te (this is certain!!! thanks Kende! of course ,the beautiful duet with Eva-Maria Westbroek!!)

Ruggero Leoncavallo:
This is certain! :-)
Pagliacci - Vesti la giubba

but there could also be this much lesser known
La Boheme - Testa adorata

Amilcare Ponchielli:
If he is up than it must be this..
La Gioconda - Cielo e mar

but there has also been talk of this opera
I lituani - which i have never heard yet and of which i don't know the tenor aria...

Riccardo Zandonai:
...with this beauuuutiful aria! also certain i would say :-)
Giulietta e Romeo - Giulietta! son io!

Licinio Refice - Ombra di nube
This is certain as well ;-)

That is as far as my crystal ball would go :-)

Suggestions, ideas, comments? Anything to add or take away? Any favourites? Versions?
Feel free too add your thoughts :-)

I am not the biggest fan of Versimo myself, but some of these i really like and others i expect to get to know :-) Let's put it this way.. if these two can't make me rethink Verismo for myself then i am a lost cause, which i am hoping will not be the case :-)

Don Carlo ROH ...from the heart

photo Catherine Ashmore at musicweb-international.com

Ohh Carlo…..

How do you put so much music into words without exaggerating, without leaving important things out and without boring everyone to death… I suspect I’ll become one of those old grannies who will forever pester her grandchildren and everyone else she meets with the story of the Don Carlo she once saw… and nothing will be quite like that Carlo she saw in her days :-)

Of course every performance is unique in its own way and maybe many are worth seeing and some even remembering for a long long time… But we probably all have some recordings at home which leave us wondering what it must have felt like to be there, what did the public think when they listened to it live? Did they think 20, 30 years later or more people would think it special, reference it and constantly compare others to it? I’d love to be able to go back and sit through one of these and compare the feeling to the one I’ve had during this Don Carlo run. And apparently I wasn’t the only one thinking that this was not just your good performance of the week, or the season. I’ve heard many people around me say that it is the best they have seen, or rave about how extraordinary x or y was. The overall smiling faces at the exit also confirmed the kind of festive feeling the evening had surrounding it. It’s not that usual to see smiling faces after almost 4h and a half hours of opera, especially when the most loved characters end in brutal death :-) And still this tale of love, betrayal, freedom and politics left many elated. It also seems the word spread during the run that this is a must see thing, as many famous faces were sighted in the hall ;-) Even singer colleagues travelled to enjoy it.

Having said all this …. I am reluctant to be so definitive about things that I see, because it always is a personal view and my criteria may well be different than other people’s; besides this is not about giving out titles and prizes. So I will rather stick to this:

They have been of the performances I have most enjoyed over all the years I have been seeing opera and will definitely be of the ones I will never, ever be able to forget. Musically this cast and this orchestra and this conductor have revealed so many new facets of this piece, I am grateful for being able to see all performances! It has been a very very happy time, more so than I even expected and the feeling of joy was increased by the feeling that every evening I shared the “buzz” with people surrounding me in the audience. What more can I ask from going to the opera than being given these short, but unforgettable moments of happiness :-)

In a piece where I heave learned to love every single note it is hard to single out those which are “extra special”… I’ll try to mention a few, but wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up retelling the whole opera ;-)

So, I loved…


Jonas doing the softest little trills on “Benedici un casto amor” in the first act and the audience on the last performance remembering that is was his only aria and giving into the impulse of applauding him…

Popy and Jonas really bringing out the fresh chemistry in the first duet; it felt like the perfect carefree young couple freshly in love….

Jonas posing as if in the portrait he has just given Elisabetta and making the audience giggle very single time and then bursting into the “Caaaaarlo son ioooo... e t'aaaaaamo!”…. ohhhhhh….

Pumeza Matshikiza well sung and lively Tebaldo, she definitely was a sparkling stage presence :-)

Robert Lloyd for being part of this production and lending the ghost of Carlos V that world-weary and at the same time peaceful quality

Simon and Jonas for delivering my favourite “Dio, che nell'alma infondere” ever !!!! especially the retake in piano is the most touching and musically stylish I could have imagined. I am grateful to both for putting all their singing and acting skills into creating the friendship bond between Rodrigo and Carlo on stage. It was natural and warm and very touching. Of course there was general choreography, but in all the times I have seen it there was never a gesture that seemed purposely placed or born out of anything else than live interaction. It actually was different every single time and made it exciting to go and see what they come up with or end up doing on the night. Which doesn’t mean I didn’t find the fist on chest thumping just a tiny bit funny… I know it fits the plot and it ties the friendship and Flanders and it is an encouraging gesture, but grown men doing this kind of exaggerated gesture today do look a bit odd :-)

Simon “handling” the court ladies and their curiosity in a most elegant and clever fashion. After the first performance I was waiting for the “D'un gran torneo si parla già, E del torneo il Re sarà.” like for a piece of candy... Verdi must have really loved Posa’s character, because there is not a note he sings that isn’t delightful! And Simon’s slightly annoyed smiles while responding to Eboli were priceless :-)

Popy delivering with dignity and total regal air “Un favore chiedete alla Regina.”

The whole duet between Carlo and Elisabetta in the garden.. from the “Io vengo a domandar grazia alla mia Regina” to the “Ah! maledetto io soooooooon!” Here like in the duet Rodrigo/Carlo each performance brought something new and the interaction became increasingly natural. I love every note, every word of it… Jonas burnished and finite tone in “Mi volsi a un gelido marmo d'avel” and the desperate dip into the fountain , Popy’s equally emotional “Perchè, perchè accusar il cor d'indifferenza?”, Jonas singing the most unbelievable “Perduto ben, mio sol tesor, Ah, tu, splendor di mia vita” (especially that last viiiiiiiiit-aa somehow touched you straight in the heart), Popy singing ever so softly over Carlo’s head in her lap “Ahimè! Il dolor l'uccide... /Tra queste braccia io lo vedrò Morir d'affanno, morir d'amore... /Colui che il ciel mi destinò! ” and Carlo coming back to his senses in a lost piano and then in an emotional outburst on “Elisabetta! tu... bell'adorata” while trapping her within this arms and Popy bravely resisting :-) and pulling herself proudly up in the “Compi l'opra, a svenar corri il padre/Ed allor del suo sangue macchiato /All'altar puoi menare la madre.”. You have to admire a woman and singer who can deliver those lines with such willpower and despair at the same time.

Sparks flying in the confrontation between Rodrigo an Philip … it was never any other way than heart-stopping and riveting. I almost stopped breathing every single time and the gradually darkening lights to intense red perfectly accompanied the tension… which was for me absolutely explosive when Simon delivered the “Orrenda, orrenda pace!(deathly silcen) /La pace dei sepolcri (buuuummmm!!!!!)O Re, non abbia mai di voi l'istoria a dir:Ei fu Neron! (in chilling voice)” aaahhhhhh, amazingggg!!! Simon’s exaltation in the delivery of the aria ending in “Date la libertà!” and Furlanetto’s amazingly shaded, varied depiction of the king with his deeply ingrained convictions of reigning through fear and death, his admiration of the idealist, his well meant warnings, his doubts regarding the Queen, every gesture perfect, nothing too much, nothing too little… “La morte in questa man ha un avvenir fecondo.” The whole weight of the world is lying in his voice and words when the king says “O strano sognator! Tu muterai pensier,Se il cor dell'uom conoscerai,Qual Filippo il conosce!” Up to that last gesture which is looved and waited for where he extends his hand to be kissed and then almost seems to want to caress Rodrigo’s hair and in the end decides to do neither... The whole play of voices and words, of piani and forte or covered darkness and open sounds… so much to see, hear and feel in something over 10 minutes.

Back to the “lovely” things in life … Jonas saying “A mezzanotte al giardin dellaRegina sotto gli allor della fonte vicina… È mezzanotte” with so much lightness and youth fullness that you can’t help being touched but Carlo’s forever hopeful soul :-) Simon almost dashing out of Carlo’s arms after Eboli with drawn dagger …scary that one. I liked the fact that it was physically challenging, there wasn’t any mock fury, the struggle, pulling and pushing was all real.

Verdi’s genius in creating the terzetto started by Eboli with “Trema per te, falso figliuolo” it takes a really good orchestra, an excellent conductor and 3 great singers to pull that one off with such punch!

Then the next bit of Carlo&Rodrigo interaction with the “A te! All'intimo del Re...!...Sospetti tu di me? ...No; del mio cor sei la speranza. /Questo cor che sì t'amo /A te chiudere non so. /In te riposi ogni fidanza; /Si, questi fogli importanti ti do. Io m'abbandono a te ......Tu puoi fidar in me.” Incredible! The contempt in Jonas “Intimo del re” and Simons shades of anger, disappointment, disbelief and hurt in “sospetti tu di me?... di me? ” On one night he actually shoved Jonas hard ;-) and that heart felt hug at the end… ahhhh and yes, the fist on chest thing again :-)

The bells going round the house before the autodafe , the Flemish deputies choir and the looks exchanged between Elisabetta, Philip and Carlo in this scene

Furlanetto’s “Ella giammai m'amò...!” , the very very very best today, no doubt about it. The setting for the scene is perfect, every single word and turn of voice fits every word. It never felt like singing of certain known phrases, but like what it really should be ... an intimate confession. You are held captive by every word and although long and intricate it always felt over in a second. Grazie maestro for the understated, elegant and exquisite demonstration of what a wealth of experience, talent and a wonderful voice can do in this role. Regal in every aspect :-)

Rarely in an opera are political conflicts so ironically and effectively presented like in Don Carlo, and the “chat”between the Inquisitor and the king is an excellent example thereof. I’m going to stop myself from citing the entire libretto from it, although I honestly think I would enjoy it even if the muppets sang it! Luckily, not the case here :-) I do have my favourite words, shreds of music even here : the Inquisitor saying “Le idee del novator in te son penetrate!” and of course famous almost last words ;-))) “Perché evocar allor l'ombra di Samuel? /Dato ho finor due Regi / al regno tuo possente...! /L'opra di tanti di tu vuoi strugger, demente! /Perchè mi trovo io qui? /Che vuol il Re da me?/” “Santa Claus” Tomlinson was really scary here and I felt an incredible chill when he said in his deep, hot-as-the-flames-of-hell voice the last two lines, finite and like a unmoveable death sentence. You can hear in these deceptive words all the crucial decisions he has made and that this will have consequences, and not of the happy kind. Bravi!
I love the next scene between the king and Elisabetta just as much, and a little bit more for Popy than for Furlanetto ( not that he wasn’t great, it needs two for this martial drama to unfold). But Popy was here every single time better and better and a true French princess and Spanish queen. There is incredible strength of character and power of expression in this young, slender, elegantly pale singer and you can’t help but feel proud of her in this scene. Her “Io l'oso! Sì! /Ben lo sapete. Un di promessa /al figlio vostro fu la mia man; /Or v'appartengo, a Dio sommessa, /Ma immacolata qual giglio io son. /Ed ora si sospetta /L'onor di Elisabetta...! Si dubita di me... /Chi m'oltraggia è il Re!” I like it so much that she isn’t just the unjustly accused, but the whole weight of her acknowledgment of her destiny, duty but also status comes through. Overall I really liked Popy’s gutsy Elisabetta, no meek, oppressed women, but a real queen, even though a deeply unhappy one. And Furlanetto’s king is frighteningly out of control in his “Ardita troppo, voi favellate! /Me debole credete e sfidarmi sembrate: /La debolezza in me può diventar furor. /Tremate allor, per voi, per me.” Another one of those many moments which make your pulse race…


Posa’s death scene…really hard to describe, because this too was born again every single time… I’m dangerously close to thinking that I’ll never see another Posa dying more beautifully and realistically in the arms of another Carlo… I had a big knot in my throat already when Posa sings “Felice ancor io son se abbracciar ti poss'io!”… And I like that this particular Carlo doesn’t take that long to understand what Rodrigo is talking about, you feel his stupor and dread already at “Convien qui dirci addio!”. I’ve rarely heard a voice as sweet at that of this Rodrigo telling Carlo not to cry: “Ci congiunga Iddio nel ciel, /Ei che premia i suoi fedel'. /Sul tuo ciglio il pianto io miro; /
Lagrimar così, perché? /No, fa cor, l'estremo spiro /Lieto è a chi morrà per te.” And that last word held on a seemingly endless tone while touching their foreheads... It almost felt like the connection between the two singers gave their joint force to the phrases. After the gun shot the last performance gave the perfect ending to Rodrigo’s life as well. The choreography of this scene has always been brilliant, but given the circumstances must be really hard to execute because both singers are facing the audience and supporting a dying Rodrigo or holding his hand while not really facing each other is not easily achievable without it looking awkward. Thursday they both fell with perfect coordination and without even exchanging a look on their knees, where Rodrigo tells Carlos Elisabetta is expecting him in the monastery and gradually falls in his arms while dying. Carlo supports him partially so that singing doesn’t become an act of torture while resting his head crying on Rodrigo’s shoulder. At the right time according to the text he extends his arm to grab the one extended by Rodrigo and when he finally dies “Ah! ... di me... non... ti... scordar...! “ Carlo gently slides Rodrigo to the floor, while holding his head so that he doesn’t end up bumping his head on the stage floor, making sure he doesn’t role into a position that he would either not look lifeless or which would be impossible to hold until the soldiers lift his body up. It really takes these two to pull something like this off, unspoken coordination and attention and consideration for the colleague and all this while singing and listening to the text as if having a conversation in a lunch break. I really can’t thank Simon and Jonas enough for the faultless singing in this scene as well as for all the efforts made to create it anew every time and make it absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking to watch.

Almost the end, you’ll be happy to know :-)

Popy huuuge aria in act 5 is something for which she deserves many many Bravos. I am not a big fan of long soprano arias, not even with Verdi, but she worked and worked and worked on this one until she too managed to fill the hall with only absolute silence and her voice. Although a certain tenor would certainly love for the old forgotten Verdi aria here to be reborn.. I wouldn’t want to miss this one… ideally I would have them both ;-)))

The final duet Elisabetta/ Carlo is almost as beautiful as the one in the garden scene, and even sadder if possible… and if you are not yet under the spell of those magically spun piani, this will get you there for sure! I really felt my heart soar on the “Si, con la voce tua quella gente m'appella./E se morrò per lei, la mia morte fia bella!” and just dissolve at “Non vedi, Elisabetta! /io ti stringo al mio seno, /Nè mia virtù vacilla, /nè ad essa io mancherò! (desperate!)/Or che tutto finì /e la man lo ritiro dalla tua man, /Tu piangi? (of course she does, who wouldn’t????)”.
Of course there is the killing and the excellently choreographed swords fight, however for me it could end ethereally and oh so sadly on their intertwined voices singing: “Ma lassù ci vedremo in un mondo migliore, /Dell'avvenire eterno /suonan per noi già l'ore; /E là noi troverem nel grembo del Signor /Il sospirato ben che fugge in terra ognor!/In tal di, che per noi non avrà più domani, /Tutti i nomi scordiam /degli affetti profani.”... Brava Popy for holing her own in the piani and those who haven’t heard Jonas sing them, you have to try and catch him do it!!... you have no idea what you are missing :-)


Fine.

Tears with Tristan und Isolde at the ROH

Photo Bill Cooper at musicalcriticism.com


You all know by now I am a sap and prone to sit teary eyed through opera performances :-) No news here…However, last night’s Tristan und Isolde was to be a different kind of experience.

Today I am not on friendly terms with Mr Wagner! Not at all… but fear not, it is just lovers’ quarrel… I’m sure I will forgive and forget pretty soon :-)

This was my first Tristan und Isolde live and I feel shamelessly privileged for this to have been it! There might be better recordings as I am sure people will point out, but last night was enough to leave me with a memorable experience of it.

Strangely enough it wasn’t the music in itself that moved me to tears, or the story (not during at least) ..it was the final applause and my seat neighbours. The lights in the House went out but I could still make out the shadow of a slowly moving Nina Stemme who helped Ben Heppner up from the stage floor and holding hands they slowly approached the stage edge. The lights went on and they were showered by Bravos and applause among which they shared a warm hug. At which point I cracked under emotions :-) I sniffled my way through all the applause and am happy to say even hoarser than the performances last week left me. Among the boos for the production team the young women sitting next to me asked me: why are they doing this? I said: I have no idea, I guess too modern? She said: Ah, probably… have they not seen it before? Me: No, this is the premiere night. Did you like it? She and her boyfriends said in one breath: Oh yess, very very much! All I could do is nod and smile and quickly look away so they wouldn’t think I must be crazy for crying just then :-)

I’ll explain…

First about the neighbours… they were very clearly first time opera goers and very much in love ;-) Some date, ah? Opera, Wagner, Tristan und Isolde in a minimalist and very atmospheric production, all in German! There can’t be any more proof in the power of music than this! They had very cheap seats, we were all perched up in the lower slips, with a hand rail in front, luckily on the right side of the production so we had the privilege to see the singers all the time. All through the first introduction she was munching on a sandwich from a pretty noisy plastic bag. I though… o God noo, why mee!! Expecting the worse of the night, of course…. However as I was saying they were extremely quiet and watched and listened for 5 hours , half embraced or holding hands to Heppner and Stemme singing the story of Tristan und Isolde. And as you now all know, they absolutely loved it :-) Forgive me therefore if I think this is really romantic and somehow magical :-)

And I had one of my secret wishes fulfilled at least last night. .. have young people come to the opera and absolutely fall in love with it! Those two will be back, I know it!

Why the applause moved me so much? Or rather the singer’s reaction to it? Because I simply think that any singers who gloriously make it through this opera like Stemme and Heppner did last night deserve…. I don’t know what… but something beautiful and wonderful! Because they are survivors!

Which is where I come to my love-hate relationship today with Mr Wagner… what was he thinking??????? Yes, the music is beautiful and especially in the piano bits there are some instrumental solos to die for and be born again! But did he really think singers could get through this score unharmed? Did he ever try to sing it himself? My guess is no… I’ve never before had the sensation when listening to opera that I was witnessing sacrifice , last night I did. Nobody can tell me any singer gets through a Tristan und Isolde unharmed. I understand why they would wish to sing it and why this piece is performed, but I realise what it costs. It’s horrendous really come to think of it. I don’t think the story requires young singers, the intensity of love can be portrayed more convincingly in a more mature stage I life I think, however you need a fairly strong body to get through this. These are parts that will leave scars on your voice and possibly put an end to your singing. Yes, I know there are financial rewards that come with it, but I don’t believe singing like last night’s can be induced by any cheques.

It is a strange piece, I don’t think the libretto is a strong in characterisation like for example the one for Lohengrin. The music is grand and tender and sophisticated but also cruel and ruthless. Scenes are stretched over hours and singers are chained in the middle of the force of the orchestra in the most emotional passages. There is of course the argument that the story can be told in 3 hours rather than 5…. But seeing last night’s performance I wonder if the physiological impact would be the same. At the end of the day the potion induces irreversible and unfulfilable longing, which may only find relief in death. The ending cannot be believable unless you get to feel the intensity of the longing. It has to feel like torture to some point and in 5 hours the impact is achieved.

I think the hardest part is creating the story, making the emotions believable , outside time and almost outside the score. Trying to deliver more than the music, or making the music good enough to let the meaning flourish from within is what this piece needs to come alive. And last night it did!

I haven’t seen either Nina Stemme or Ben Heppner before so I can’t comment on how good they are as actors in general, but they fully inhabited Tristan und Isolde last night. I know people will find weaknesses in the singing ( maybe more with Heppner) but I think that would be unfair. From the very beginning there was a sense of purpose to every phrase, restrained emotion in every step, in every gesture. Even their embraces where touching and transmitted a very believable sense of longing and caring. For me there wasn’t one awkward moment during the 5 hours. I can’t say what was choreography and what was actually Heppner and Stemme becoming Tristan und Isolde. Whatever it was it worked! As to their singing she is absolutely glorious and the voice carries all the power and decision, engagement and pride one would wish from Isolde. Heppner’s voice does show what singing this part does to one, but it is still very very musical and beautiful to listen to and the ever so slight wobble for me is negligible. There weren’t any really harsh parts that I could say bothered me significantly. I am just left wondering what his voice might have sounded like before he sang the part… I can only say I greatly respect and admire him for what he still does with Tristan today.

The other total musical pleasure of the night was Michael Volle’s Kurwenal! A voice equally as warm and as powerful, who rode the orchestra with apparent ease and who created a very believable and engaged portray of a friend. His applause was very well deserved and I really hope we will see him on the ROH stage more often!

Sophie Koch as Brangane was good, but I can’t say I really warmed to either her voice or the character. But it could be due to the character itself, I find Brangane a bit one dimensional and slightly irritating, her only purpose seemingly being he exchange of the potions. John Tomlinson is a better Inquisitor than he is the King Marke, I have to say I missed Matti Salminen here. His king was as a character all he should be and for that he deserves Bravos, it is the voice I’m afraid that just can’t really fill the part anymore.

Pappano once again put his artist fingers on the orchestra strings and managed to convey both the grand and the delicate. He deserves many praise for mastering both the frightening waves and the soft caresses in this music, he showed how beautiful the score is and put another building stone in my appreciation for Mr Wagner and for that I am grateful.

Then there was the production… not at all deserving of booos in my opinion. I don’t know if I love it without reserve, it can be a bit hard on the eyes as very static all over the 5 h stretch. But it does work in creating the appropriate mood and convey the infinite longing as well as the desire to escape into death. What I absolutely loved was Olaf Winter’s lighting, magnificently atmospheric! I think the staging worked with Stemme and Heppner, I am not so sure lesser artists can carry the weight of the grey wall and grey stage floor and simplicity of black clothes as convincingly. The gymnastics around the table in the last act I felt were superfluous. A second chair instead of the table would have done the trick and would have required less effort and concentration on such detail in this most difficult of acts for Tristan. But it is a minor detail, which can be ignored. The blood bath in the end was eerie, but worked, as did the static almost still life images of people in the banquet background.

I don’t know what people want or expect of a Tristan und Isolde staging. It is not like any of the details of place and time really matter to the story. What would more clutter add? Nothing. It would of course add props to support singers in not doing anything else than sing it through. Forgivable in this score. I find this minimalist version more touching and effective, even if it required that extra something from the singers. It can only hope that in future revivals the cast will be able to do as amazing a job as the one I saw last night. Simply unforgettable!


Tristan und Isolde
Tuesday, September 29 5:00 PM
Composer Richard Wagner
Director Christof Loy
Designs Johannes Leiacker
Lighting Design Olaf Winter

Performers
Conductor Antonio Pappano
Tristan Ben Heppner
King Marke John Tomlinson
Isolde Nina Stemme
Kurwenal Michael Volle
Brangäne Sophie Koch
Melot Richard Berkeley Steele
Sailor Ji-Min Park¤
Steersman Dawid Kimberg§
Shepherd Ryland Davies


Nina Stemme Interview at musicalcriticism

Guardian article on Isoldes

And the reviews:
Telegraph
Independent
Times
Musicalcriticism
This isLondon
The Stage
Music OMH
Whatsonstage
Classicalsource
WienerZeitung

Intermezzo
TTTC
Boulezian

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 :-)

Joyce di Donato, Joseph Calleja and Thomas Hampson tomorrow at the ROH with Antonio Pappano

WOW!!!!!


DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY AND ANTONIO PAPPANO IN CONCERTWednesday 24 June at 7.30pm


I am very sorry to be sending you yet another email regarding our concert this Wednesday, 24 June. It seems only yesterday that I wrote to tell you about Rolando Villazón's unavoidable withdrawal due to a serious throat condition and of the wonderful Dmitri Hvorostovsky stepping into the breach. Unfortunately Dmitri Hvorostovsky is now also under doctors' orders to completely rest his voice and it is with great regret that he has had to cancel all his current engagements. We are, of course, very disappointed not to be hearing Dmitri and hope he will soon be fully recovered.

We have therefore turned to some of the wonderful singers that we have with us here at the moment and I am very pleased to be able to tell you that the dazzling American mezzo Joyce DiDonato (Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia), and the young and charismatic Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja and the celebrated American baritone Thomas Hampson, both appearing in La traviata - have agreed to join Antonio Pappano for what we anticipate to be a very exciting evening. Also participating will be the Concert Master of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, violinist Vasko Vassilev.


PS
I sure hope my two favourite baritones, Simon Keenlyside and Dmitri Hvorostovsky make a quick recovery!

The Italian Season kicks off at the ROH tonight!

So tonight the party starts!

There will be Traviata with Fleming, Calleja, Hampson and Pappano, there will be Barbiere with Keenlyside, DiDonato, Florez, Corbelli, Furlanetto and Pappano ( be still my heart!!) , Ballo with Vargas, Marambio, Jenis, Manistina and Benini and Tosca with Voigt, Giordani, Terfel and Lacombe.

Director of opera Elaine Padmore gives more details to OMH here. Read also for some comments on the new season, which will kick with another dose of italianita ;-)))

For insights from Tony Pappano about conducting Traviata, Barbiere and Lulu ( of which you can still catch a last performance this weekend) check out this MusicalCriticism interview.

The Thomas Hampson Inteview on OMH here.

For those into Divas and Traviatas here is another interview from MusicalCriticism with Renee Fleming.

Tickets for all this stuff have been in great demand, but check out the ROH page, some last minute tickets here and there are to be had these days, or else you can try your luck with the day tickets.

For those who have been unlucky with Traviata and Barbiere there is another chance with the ROH BP Summer big screen:

Traviata, on the 30th of June, details here.

Barbiere, on the 15th of July, details here.

As for me, i have a confession to make... ehem... iboughtaticketfortheTraviata... STOP! Don't start throwing the rotten tomatoes just yet! I know it looked just a day ago as if i had sworn off Traviata for a while... sadly i have the the willpower of a blackcurrant, i'm destined for Ribena...erm Traviata ;-) I haven't even paid attention to it when the schedule came on sale, and then a week ago i realised it was Tony Pappano conducting! That was my undoing. So yesterday i snatched up a low visibility, high vertigo ticket for the Traviata on Monday, the 22nd.

Don't expect any comparisons to come out of me as a consequence though :-) I have no expectations beyond Signor Pappano making me believe Verdi wrote divine music indeed. :-) There will be no cast comparisons, so no need to try and find me in the House and push me to my death ( besides you wouldn't want any 210 pounds paying patrons to die in the process, would you? ;-))

After which i will indeed do the Ballo twice ( i've never seen it live before and i look forward to hearing Vargas again!) and oh yes, i definitely plan to overdose on the Barbiere ( performances, insight, the lot). I've just heard Simon Keenlyside in Verdi, so it will be more than interesting to hear how fast he can switch to Rossini. I'm quite confident he can :-) How Pappano will switch back and forth from Verdi to Rossini is for me another open question.

Then there is the Tosca.... i know, more Tosca.... well, so far i've stayed away from it, for obvious reasons. With my recent track record if i'd had any voice at all i could very well apply to be an understudy for any role ;-))))) (but you're safe, remember.. i'm still slightly.. indisposed ;-) ) But i have to admit upfront that the name Bryn Terfel is flashing before my eyes every day. There is a slight chance that i will give in in the end... i'll have to wait and see.

So, ladies and gents, brush up on your Italian, let your decoltees and your shoes sparkle and let the 3 signori above entertain you! Heat up your summer with some passione, amore, morte, gelosia, intrigo, risata e dolore :-))

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 :-)))

The Jonas Kaufmann ROH Carmen DVD is out!!!!

Amendment 15 September :

Musical Criticism quote, hope they don't mind:Kaufmann's large fanclub shouldn't wait to get hold of the DVD! ;-))))


And I have it!!!!! Might have even been the first buyer ;-)



I went in for a quick browse before the show last night..that is into the ROH shop and just as i was entering i was telling myself:"You are only here for a poster for the empty walls in your flat. DON'T go buying anything else, don't touch anything, don't look at anything for longer than 3 second!" I am not very much in tune with this inner voice, as I have never walked out of that place emptyhanded!

And this proved to be no different, i've simply got no willpower!

Not in front of this anyway ;-)))



I entered the shop and good sucked up into Carmenland!!!

There was of course, the poster on the wall:



There were two different stands, one on either side of the till, one with ROH Recordings and the other with New Releases and as Carmen hits both marks, it was on both:


A huge flat screen behind the till was playing the Carmen DVD..last act... and yes, i actually sat there and watched mesmerised all the final duet...

And the loudspeakers were playing....yes indeed, the Carmen audio...the 2nd act, which was a bit disconcerning with other pictures running on the screen. Since i was hoovering about, (totally swooning!, but probably to the outside world i was just looking bored) the nice lady says, it is the DVD which you hear playing now.... oh, reallyyyy???? I would have never guessed!!!! ;-))))


Then I snapped back into action and took out my mobile phone and immortalised this memorable moment! i did ask for permission though and then suddenly lost all respect of the sales staff...i went from potential customer to "the mad women who is taking 2o pictures of a stand with DVDs". They were polite enough not to say it, but their faces were telling the tale!

After all, what is a little embarassment compared to the joy of owning this copy!


Well this gorgeous copys is all MINE!! And i don't plan on sharing it with anyone, so go get your own!
--> The ROH SHOP

PS And I did buy that poster, which will soon decorate my wall, take a guess of what it might be ;-)) and no, it ain't Carmen :-)