When singing comes from the heart....

I don't like crossovers, i'm not really into musicals, but i dare you to say this has not touched every fibre of your heart! And he's got the most smooth and beautiful natural voice :-)

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!

Hablando del rey Rolando ( ROH Contes d'Hoffmann)

ROH foto

On a second viewing this old production seemed even worse for wear than before. It has passed it’s expiry date some 10-15 years ago I guess. I still think for a first time contact with Hoffmann it a great one to see because it has all the gimmicks and is very literal on all special effects. To the adult viewers some of the tricks maybe a bit overplayed but it still has a bit of a fairy tale character to it, which I am naïve enough to still be able to enjoy ;-) The adult in me however rebels against the decadent Venice falling so totally flat on stage! I understand that the staging is a bit ridiculous and it is hard to take one self’s contribution to it seriously but it didn’t really seem like the people involved gave it the best go. Strangely enough there was double the involvement in the prologue and end, which felt overacted and a bit exaggerated. I am not trying to be excessively harsh here, it is just that it truly felt either underplayed or overacted, in all cases as “acting” and not really being there in time and space naturally.

The orchestra and cher Pappano were in top form indeed. Pappano deliveryed amazingly as always in ensemble scenes and you always get a feeling with him in those parts that he music explodes, tornadoes out of the pit to engulf you. Having said that I was just a tiny bit disappointed in the romantic, lyrical parts as they never quite got to the French elegance and coquetry that I expected ( again,. More of an observation to the 2nd act). It did however the convey the melancholic and sad mood wonderfully in the 3rd act.

The girls were good, with Olympia (Ekaterina Lekhina) being a bit less fabulous than in the GR, but first night nerves can get to everyone :-) Guilietta (Christine Rice) has a pleasant warm voice, but she never quite convinced me as courtesan. Antonia (Katie Van Kooten) has for me the toughest job of the three and I really liked her voice, I just wish she hadn’t struggled a bit in her last aria. I don’t know if she started a bit off from the orchestra or if Pappano just pushed it a bit too hard for her; however the struggle came off believable in the circumstances of the scene and the character and she has us all with emotion and torment.

Nicklausse (Kristine Jepson) builds up a believable character and she has a good voice but somehow I was never fully blown away. The one disappointment of the night for me was however Gidon Saks villain. I don’t know if it was first night nerves or what, the role in itself is very long and by no means easy, however Scintille, diamante didn’t sparkle at all and there was more than one painful top note and also some problems in the lower register. Pity, because he should be almost as powerful as Hoffmann and didn’t quite manage to get to that level.

But this was not a bad night by any means, nor was the singing bad, it was good, but only one managed to be excellent, outstanding…there was only one star this evening and it was undoubtedly Rolando Villazon. The orchestra, the music and Rolando made the night a truly special one, one to say I have been there, I have seen and heard that! The amount of expectations being shovelled on his slight elegant shoulders must have been immense and it surely would have crushed a lesser artist. But not Rolando!

The role certainly suits him perfectly, vocally and most of all intellectually and emotionally. And judging from his latest statements and interviews he has the perfect state of mind for the role. His was never “acting”, he was Hoffmann, every single second he was on stage. He stepped on it and just as the audience at the tavern we were riveted, listening to his every word and watching his every movement. He not only was Hoffmann but also managed to take us back in time and explore the evolution of the character with them. He did that wit every gesture, every blink of his eyes but he did it also with his voice. It started dark, rich, disillusioned and switched amazingly to youthful and innocent freshness inact1, to careless and abandoned passion in act 2 and to romantic lyricism and preoccupation in act3 only to come back with more force in the end.

His every gesture was equally as well in tune with his adventures. He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he not only is a gifted singer but a completed and amazingly talented artist, gestures, voice, facial expression all were perfectly in tune. And we got to sample some of that amazing charisma he can whip up on stage. He can make you smile, laugh, cry, forget to breath and explode with emotion with the efficiency of a wizard.

And the singing? The singing was passionate, moving, colourful, engaging and abandoned, powerful and just plain beautiful. It will never be perfect and some will always be there to measure decibels and intensity and what not. But to be as human as he is on stage, to be as convincing and really tell the story with such truth you couldn’t possibly be perfect because emotions aren’t perfect and controllable. It was in his phrasing and every aria that one would find a perfect reflection of the orchestra and nobody else on stage managed to display the beauty of it just as he did. The lyrical, musical, sweet character of his voice is amazing and a quality that is rarely appreciated as it deserves. The “Frenchness” that I sometimes felt underplayed in the orchestra came off in waves and waves from his voice, never exaggerated but just warmly and totally irresistibly. He is quite the charmer this one when he sets his mind to it ;-) And the more I hear him, the more I like his lower register, elegantly virile as it is. And the tops were as sunny and as secure as everyone was thirsting to hear them again :-)

He started off on the top of the mountain in the prologue and just kept on swirling powerfully and elegantly there, never once letting the tension ease, never once reducing the intensity and energy that drives him. And the last spoken words summing up the fate of his three loves was as powerful as the singing.

In the end the ROH gave him what he so fully earned – thundering applause!! I was immensely touched by the image of RV in his wig, in front of the huge red ROH curtain with the House giving him a standing ovation and him being touched as well… he sent us kisses, signalled his heart and was literally jumping up and down with joy. And all I wanted to say was: yes, Rolando we love you too, very much so :-) And a happy Rolando is an incredible joy to watch!

Rolando sigue siendo el rey! (Hoffmann conquers the ROH)

Foto borrowed from Joaquim ;-)

More tomorrow as tonight I am dead!

Rolando Villazon returns to Les Contes d'Hoffmann at ROH

Photo: ROH site

I’ve had a challenging weekend! And all i did was listen to almost 7 hours of French opera : 4x Offenbach plus 3x Berlioz. I’ll come back to Berlioz and his Damnation in a separate post, but just wanted to say than when I realised I had almost overbook myself I was quite apprehensive about my capacity to take all this in during one single day. It proved to be an inspiring combination and two works that go well together if you are in a pensative mood.


On to Hoffmann…
The last time I have heard this opera I was just a kid, the perspectives changes significantly with age. I find this now an utterly fascinating work, by far not just another French opera about love. As I see it now it is the tale of a very troubled man, always in the quest of deep, unlimited passion, be it love, beauty, art, music or his own literary muse. And it poses to me that interesting question of what is life without passion, but what if passion takes over life. One to Hoffmann is unbearable and the other leads equally to destruction (which is where I felt that Damnation tied wonderfully into as well).

The public laughed often throughout the opera, but I have to admit that for me (maybe also because of knowing where it ends time and time again) passages weren’t funny, but more grotesque, sometimes sad and always unsettling. Of course one can choose the way one views this opera.

Maybe it is also the old sets and the whole feeling they have about them of time not having been very kind on them, it does feel indeed more as distant memories through the eyes of a wiser and more disillusioned man than actual moments in current time.

But I am certain that the uniting element is Rolando Villazon’s interpretation of Hoffmann. I don’t know if it particularly reflects his current mood as an artist, but the role suits him exceptionally well. The music is good to his voice and vice versa, I have heard some beautiful warm notes in his lower register yesterday and the long rich lines were melancholic and emotional. But I see what he is trying to convey and do with the character and I like it. I hope the public will go to the performance with an open mind and open eyes and try and see beyond the old fashioned set up. And he is in good form, still looked and sounded pretty fresh at the end of it :-)
Kristine Jepson’s Nicklass felt like a true companion, but I am not sure about everyone else taking their character one step further. Wonderful singing from Olympia (Ekaterina Lekhina) and Antonia (Katie Van Kooten) and genuineness of character.

The scene which felt the weakest to me was Giulietta’s Venice. To be honest Pappano also had a bit of a dull moment there, it just didn’t sparkle, none of the expected sensuous character and spell of it came over, at least not for me. It was all a bit jaded and I do hope they do better on opening night, because each piece has it’s significance and they should have equal weight and intensity. Admittedly the set here doesn’t help but I do expect more, even though it might be the most difficult to act .

All in all it was a surprising and interesting preview and I must admit I wish there were some dress down opera-nights ;-) Nice to be really comfortable for once, also to see house staff more relaxed and the whole feeling of “working art” ;-)

But I am also looking forward to that tension, the butterflies of the “real thing”!

So I’ll be back with more Hoffmann after Tuesday night, until then good luck for the opening to all singers, performers and all staff who work on it :-)

PS Have to wonder if this will be the last we see of this particular production? I hope it doesn’t drop out of the repertory just because the sets call out for retirement, it is too beautiful an opera not be able to enjoy it more often!

The Salzburg Romeo et Juliette

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

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

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

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

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

BRAVOOO!! BISSS!! ZUGABEEE!!!

Once is not enough!

Sunday, Don Carlo at the ROH – It was in all respects an unforgettable day, new and unique in many ways. This is an opera I know very well and adore but had never seen live before. It was also a new production at ROH, so few things were known in advance and other than Pappano himself and the ROH orchestra I had never seen or heard any of the singers live before.

I was lucky enough to take part in the insight day and get a preview of the tremendous amount of work that goes into a production of this size..it all starts almost 2 years in advance and endless hours and ideas go into it from director, set and costume design, lighting, props, armoury, etc. Knowing about all this in advance does make one a much more generous audience, but I don’t see this as a fault, rather as an advantage. We should know about the work that goes into a production, that is comes to live no only thanks for orchestra and some 10, 20, 200 people o stage. But then again I am a generally grateful listener and viewer. Yes I have seen many amazing videos of this opera and listened to even more famous recordings but it is not in my nature to go to a performance looking to find something I have heard or seen before. I look forward to the music and wish to be touched and entertained.

And entertained I was, and boy was it an emotional rollercoaster ride!

Is it a modern production…maybe, depending on what you define as modern. Is it unrecognisable and a riddle? By no means! Totally identifiable and clear, you know immediately where you are and the story unfolds clearly and unambiguously and I am thankful for that. I love the story and I didn’t want it changed, I just wanted it told in an original and exciting way. But by no means is the story told in a boring, static and unimaginative fashion. You don’t see reproductions of Goya or Velasquez on stage, this is not a fashion show of the middle ages in Spain nor is it a lesson in ancient interior design, and it shouldn’t be. This is, as in opera in general, a story of people, of destinies bound, changed and limited by the times in which they live, like human life in general. And it was this story that the production focused on.

Before I go any further let me state the one thing I disliked about it, visually and musically – the Autodafe. I disliked all of it, the colours, the staging, the interference with the music, the way it clashes with the overall concept. It is loud in a bad way, it is kitsch, it is way way over the top, it is utterly tasteless! Whereas the rest of the production brings millions of shades of light and darkness into live, where it displays elegant simplicity and stark, visually and emotionally intensive images this has a huge golden cathedral, a bloody Christ image, screaming masses and preaching priests, all drowning out some of Verdi’s most beautiful music for both chorus and orchestra. The heretics condemned by the inquisitions wear KuKlux clan robes and hats wit flames on them ( really? It is not like we don’t know the inquisition will burn them) The masses scream for blood – literally, the priests scream at the heretics and then the same masses are supposed to fluidly switch to singing. Well, it ain’t happening! Oh and behind the Bloody Christ curtain 5 shapeless bodies are burned but the flames never really reach them properly .This is more cheap Hollywood thrill than opera, more Braveheart than Verdi… and even in Braveheart torture was more dignified than this! It is too noisy and there is too much going on for it to be truly scary and powerful, which is a pitty. This production was accused for focusing too much on the love story and too little on politics… It would have been this and the dialogue between king and inquisitor which highlight politics…. Sadly in the case of the autodafe politics is very badly done indeed! It wishes to be realistic but ends up being just noisy and kitsch. Verdi wrote the power and the force into the music to perfection, every note in the scene underlines it and all these gimmicks manage to do is dilute this impact.

Anyway, enough about that…. It is a very low point of the production but luckily it sits in the middle and is therefore not the impression you are left with in the end. And there is still hope that this can be cleaned up in future revivals.

I’ve heard people comments that this production is dark and black. I disagree with both..yes there is black, but this is the Spanish court…but I have rarely seen so much variety in just one colour, so many textures and shades. The costumes are simply amazing and there are no two the same. I look forward to the DVD to discover all the intricate details of stitching I have seen from a distance. The costumes sit perfectly and give the characters the right amount of individuality and personality. Love Filips entrance in the gardens with some soldiers and courtiers, hey make striking and well defined pictures, you feel you are in Spain and a big cheer to everyone for wearing their costumes so naturally which must not be easy with meters and meters of silk and velvet. Same for the beautiful handcrafted and originally heavy swords and daggers. I have seen them up close and they are amazing! Nobody tripped while wearing them, they all looked born and bread with them, bravo! Just like everything else in this production I thing the true beauty lies in the details and maybe we the audience should pay closer attention then just spending 4,30 h counting high notes and low notes ;-)

Staging is scarce with many dark and oppressing walls which come to live vividly thanks to some of the most amazing lighting work I have ever seen. I sadly don’t remember their names but they deserve a big fat bonus! Carlo’s entrance into the monastery after Fontainebleau into a huge dark space with Carlo V tomb is eerily lit by lights dissecting the darkness through small squares in the walls. Probably next to the white fairly tale like image of Fontainebleau the most beautiful image of the entire show. Beautiful also the golden hot light in the queen’s garden. And I especially liked the chorus of ladies dressed in amazing black dresses wearing blood red fans and flowers. Yes the garden wall is slightly Lego -like ( what’s up with those strange cones on the bricks? ) but the contrast between red, black yellow works very well ( the poppy fields in the back are also a nice detail and it shows that sadly real live is outside the walls, beyond the reach of those enclosed in the gardens).

But as said the scenes at St Justo work best in all their blackness, darkness and grandness. It doesn’t look plasticy and for those who thought the black marble angels are too much, well they really exist in the Escorial and I like the idea of them symbolising peace and tranquillity in death because that is the final message for Carlo’s destiny.

Definitely looking forward to seeing it again to discover further details because I am sure there are many more I have missed out J

Now to the cast and characters…



Lloyd/ the monk/CarloV – good but no longer great, I guess age is slowly taking its toll but still allows for a beautiful sound J

Eboli/Ganassi- not her ideal role I would say, she convinced in O don fatale but other than that her voice had many difficult moments which almost made me think she would be able to deliver the big aria..she managed in the end but she just lacks some “spunk”, she seems a far lesser character than she could be in the story;
Elisabeta/Poplavskaya – we were told she was still suffering from the effects of bronchitis, but I heard no such thing in her voice. It is a beautiful instrument and she sang well and I am sure as she gets more experienced it will get even better. I didn’t find her cold as some critics said, she showed the right amount of dignity for the queen; if she would not have been so restrained than Carlo’s desperation would have made less sense so in context well played J

Halfvarson- I have seen his inquisitor in video again and his evilness and sheer power of character is amazing and fun to watch. There are no shades and no excuses in this character, he is what he is and there are no excuses about it. He has the power to sink or save the king and this comes beautifully across. Sheer pleasure to watch and hear! And he has all gestures of physical frailness down to a T, which only bring out even more the contrast to the absolute power his character holds. The way he menacingly and all powerful lifts the cross on Fillips desk above his head in a gesture of absolute rule with a trembling hand is amazing, very good choreography.

Filip/Furlanetto – while were are at it the relationship between king and inquisitor is beautifully played. Furlanetto’s is a deeply religious king, he holds the Inquisitor’s hand in seek of guidance and absolution. Confrontation comes but it is obvious that the king depends on the Inquisitor. Their dialogue is exquisite, musically, vocally, in choreography. They are both very good singers, and very experienced in playing these parts. I enjoyed Furlanetto’s more human kings tremendously, he played the various shades of his character admirably. This comes across especially in his dialogue with Posa and in the dialogues with the queen. With Posa we see both king, but a wise one who does not condemn open expression of opinion, and human being..a father who is jealous and weary of his son; also a lonely man in power who seeks maybe not an equal because there is none but somebody who this power is not overwhelming. Destruction and ultimately failure for this king lies not from in his human fragility but in his absolute belief and reliance on fate and on old ways of imposing it. In the end Posa’s suggestions merely become interesting ideas but for his time in life he stays with the old ways, Flanders will not be free and in return he remains king, with the support of the Inquisitor. I don’t know why people felt there was not enough politics in the performance, it was there all right just more subtle and combined with the human side of the king, equally as powerful. Also beautifully played his jealousy towards his wife,and his obvious love for her. You feel sorry for this king, as his is a lonely existence and somehow feels the end of his time: he does not find a support in Posa as they don’t share beliefs although they share a code of honour; his wife is his truly but not in live with him, his has the inquisitors strength at his side but it comes with absolute submission, he never manages to share with his son more than blood and their respect and admiration of Rodrigo. Furlanetto is a star and his was applauded as such but I got the feeling that in previous performances he had also been THE star of the show which he wasn’t tonight, I am glad to say. Not that I didn’t cheer him and applaud him, but this opera is only truly a success if everyone is exceptionally good, and on Sunday they were, not one stood out, they all did!

Rodrigo/Keenlyside – him I was almost most curious about because I had never heard his voice even in recordings. He is obviously the ROH’s beloved child who can do nothing wrong ;-) He is no Verdi baritone, not like Cappuccilli or Bruson or others. So I started of doubting his Rodrigo, or more his ability to charm me into liking his singing. But like it I did! What his voice may lack sometimes in weight, in broadness he more than compensates in technique and acting.His singing is truly beautiful! Not a note goes wrong, nothing is out of control, the phrasing is endless and flows with no effort, you hear no breathing and the ever so small passages of coloratura where amazing. I long to hear his Don Giovanni! And I came to recognise that I can be conquered by something other than a beautiful tone of voice. I was totally charmed by some especially beautiful singing of a not so perfect voice. His Rodrigo was dignified, warm, brave and honest and a true friend. There were may scenes I especially liked in this show: The dialogue Filip-Inquisitor was true musical pleasure,but there were two others which truly touched my heart beyond my ears, one of which was the last scene between Rodrigo and Carlo. Such singing, such emotion in every tone of voice! Such gestures! I could not stop my eyes from tearing and my heart from aching! Pity I had to do some sound control for obvious reasons. But no sound control when it came to applauses I joined the entire ROH in cheering this wonderful and shy singer on! Now I know why he is loved so much and what can I say, I have just joined the crowds J ( And the fact that this overwhelming applause still makes him blush and shy away from the attention is truly endearing!)

Last, but by no means least, Rolando/Carlo: Now, having listened to him live and also having been lucky enough to briefly meet him in the signing afterwards I must say that all prejudice and rumour about this man is false, but one! Yes, he does give it all and more on stage and that makes him special. But his is not even remotely fidgety or hysterical, neither on stage nor in person! He has strong features but close up he is an incredibly handsome man and yes, very charming. He is I am sure exuberant at times but I have known him to be essentially shy and showing a good dose of distance to the unknown bunch of fans. He is intelligent and warm and very very coquet! (Good for him! ) And he is much taller than he seems! But enough about the man, let’s talk some shop about the singer! I had heard his voice before and has read the critics. I liked his recorded singing and wanted the critics to be wrong. I wanted to hear him with my own ears and know whether I liked him or not, and I know myself, had a heard anything wrong I would not have been able to overlook it. I do not judge because singers are human but I would not have been able to walk up t him and say I liked your singing had it not truly been the case. His voice is smaller in volume than you would think from recordings, significantly so, I would not expect him to fill the Met. But! It is infinitely more beautiful live than you would expect. His recordings distract you with thrilling acuti from his other qualities. Live, with less volume you get to discover other things, like for instance that his lower register is amazing! It as the best surprise of all, the warmth and the easiness with which his delivers the lower notes. By the way, people talk and give their opinion on his technique. I know not of such things but I can tell you that I never heard him take 1 breath, not even during the most straining passages and his mezza voce was always most beautifully paired with the orchestral tone of all. His must be doing something right and his must know what he is doing! He was an extremely convincing Carlo and there is as much acting talent behind it as there is work. His every gesture was elegant and princiary, there was endless emotion but there was no gesture or singing over the top. His Carlo is in love, desperately so and he is a lonely and week man, however he is not self-centred. Yes love is more important to his character than everything else, but there is nothing wrong with that. It is an interpretation of a very young man. Yes politics interest him from time to time but it is always as a result of Rodrigo’s insistence and his desire to sear purpose in life other than his unhappy love for Elisabeta, it never end up as a driving force. When Rodrigo is gone from his side al strength leaves with him and his acting in the last scene with Rodrigo is very touching. As it is in my second favourite scene, the garden scene with Elisabeth. This is probably the most emotionally charged scene in the performance and it is all due to Rolando, musically and acting wise absolutely perfect!!! I only wish I had a magic rewind button to watch and hear it all over again. He was good tonight,very good indeed and his voice is as good as ever, he pushed it to limits and beyond and it stayed strong. I just wish he didn’t think he needed to push upwards just because he could, it is not what is truly special about him ;-) His tone of voice is very warm and truly lyrical and surprisingly enough live nothing at all like Domingo, young or old. He has his unique sound and way of singing. What I heard was unexpected, but in a good way. I enjoyed it very differently than I thought I would and I look forward to hearing him again, whatever he may decide to sing and play. And I also realised that his impact on stage is the product not so much of his own personality but of his voice, his hard work and dedication to his characters and his singing. He was great and the public rewarded him with much deserved applause. I’ ve heard during the break much bitching about his projection and lack thereof, so called imbalances in registers and other rubbish…but in the end I realised most people there did not pay hundreds of pounds to pick a show, the singing and every note to shreds. Most of us where there waiting for a story to be told and told well and we were thoroughly entertained. He may not be the Carlo of 99% of recordings we have heard but I at least go to see it live to hear something different, equally as good and unforgettable. And that is what I told him afterwards at the signing, that tonight he was king! And I meant it, king of his voice, of all his abilities, king of his character which he sang, played and manipulated to perfection to tell the story of Don Carlo.

The one bit that I knew about the opera, the music, somehow was in the background, but in a good way. Pappano and the ROH were as wonderful as any recording I have every heard and because they delivered on every account what they promised I was able to focus on everything else, which was new. I wish I could hear it again to e able to indulge more in all that music and I will surely be back for the revival, especially if Pappano conducts… I just wish he would kick the director’s but in the autodafe and tell him that “music rules!”.