Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, and her fiance, Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott, have given birth to their first child in a Vienna, Austria, hospital. The baby boy weighed-in at 7.9 pounds. The name of the child wasn’t announced, but Opera Chic has learned the bambino will be called Tiago Arua Schrott.
(Photo credit: Yahoo!)
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(h/t: Opera Chic) Woody Allen is rehearsing Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi for Los Angelas Opera. Evidently, Mark Stern, LA Opera Chairman and CEO, and friend of Allen’s, asked him a number of times, begged, perhaps, to direct an opera. So, Allen reluctantly accepts his friend’s invitation although he’s concerned about disappointing everybody, “which I’m sure I will”. Still he agreed and since, according to Allen,
“these things are planned years in advance” … “I’ll be dead before it happens. I’m 72. I’m never going to make it to the opera.”
(never say never).
Schicci is the third act of Puccini’s Il Trittico, a collection of three one-act operas, and a comedy, which may be the saving grace for Allen. (or maybe not). Billy Friedkin, who directed The French Connection and The Exorcist, is no stranger to opera, having directed Schicci for Washington National Opera in 2006, will direct the first two acts, Il tabarro and Suor Angelica.
So it shouldn’t be a total loss.
(maybe).
An opera by Al Gore? Are you serious? Well, Gore won’t actually be writing the opera, but an Al Gore opera is actually being written for La Scala’s 2011 season (h/t Opera Chic):
“[A]n opera has been commissioned to composer Giorgio Battistelli for the 2011 season, based on An Inconvenient Truth, the best-selling book by Al Gore (Gore had recently been hired by Milan’s Mayor to prepare a presentation supporting the nomination for Milan as host city of the 2015 Expo, arguing that the shockingly gray, polluted, bike lane-deprived city is in fact a paragon of green virtue).”
(words fail me)
Peter Gelb, General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera, was voted into TIME’s 100 for 2008! Gelb became the Met’s 16th general manager in 2006, and he immediately launched a crusade to reinvigorate the sometimes stodgy world of opera. His initiatives, most notably the high-definition live broadcasts in movie theaters across the country, and in Europe and Japan has brought opera to a wider audience. Additionally, last September Sirius Satellite Radio started broadcasting Met opera performances 24/7! Anna Netrebko, the stunning Russian soprano, has written the tribute to Peter Gelb in TIME. In the article Netrebko refers to Gelb as “revolutionary and a visionary in the field of classical music” and says what impresses her most is that he has “implemented these new and exciting programs while also elevating the art of great singing.”
Bravo! Mr. Gelb!
photo: www.metoperafamily.org
I picked up a copy of French soprano Natalie Dessay’s Italian Opera Arias. This is a nice collection of bel canto favorites from Verdi, Belinni and Donizetti. I truly enjoyed these recordings! Dessay’s Violetta, from Verdi’s la Traviata, is very strong, emotional and intelligent; she quite adeptly illustrates the shifting moods of the tragic courtesan destined to die. The offstage phrases were sung by none other than French tenor Roberto Alagna. As Elvira, from Belinni’s i Puritani, Dessay gives an emotionally-charged performance. Her sweet, lilting voice singing “Qui la voce” is ravishingly beautiful.
My favorite piece on this recording is Dessay’s Lucia, from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, a role she played in the Met’s opening night gala this past September. Just as in her Met performance, Dessay played a wonderfully vulnerable, fragile Lucia during the famous “mad scene.” And if the music itself isn’t enough, the CD comes with a bonus DVD of Dessay’s Lucia performance at the Met. One can’t truly appreciate this diva without actually seeing her perform! Brava!
Prague National Theater
This evening we attended Dvorák’s opera “Rusalka” at the Prague National Theater. The performance began at 7 p.m. and we were chauffeured to the performance in one of the hotel’s Mercedes limos about 30-minutes before show-time. We had orchestra row seats with a semi-private box, just behind the orchestra pit. 
There were three seats across and one behind. We had seats “1″ and “2″ (in front) and shared the box with another couple. It was quite pleasant and we had an unobstructed view of the stage (we also had a fabulous view of the conductor and the orchestra musicians). The theater projected the opera’s text (”titles”) in English on a small screen just above the stage, which added to the enjoyment of the performance. There was a 15-minute intermission after both the first and second act with champagne, beer, water and light snacks in the lobby. This opera actually premiered in this very theater in 1901.
The opera was conducted by Oliver Dohnányl and starred Helena Kaupová as Rusalka, Tomáš Cerneý as the Prince, Miloslav Podskalský as Vodnik (the Water Goblin), Yvona Škvárová as Ježibaba (the Witch) and Anda-Louise Bogza as Cizí knežna (the Foreign Princess)
Kaupová was wonderful singing “Mesícku na nebi hlubokém” (Oh, moon high up in the sky) and it made quite a difference hearing the aria performed by a Czech. I noticed a difference in her diction versus Renée Fleming. However, Kaupová’s voice wasn’t as strong as it needed to be, as she was overpowered by the orchestra a time or two. The best performance of the night came from Podskalský as he sang “Kvetiny bile po ceste” (White blossoms all along the road) to a huge round of applause from the audience.
There are many interpretations of this opera and I suppose this is necessary to keep the story interesting and “current.” However, Rusalka is a fairy tale and I believe should be performed as one. This performance was and it didn’t disappoint. Cindy and I truly enjoyed this opera.
After the performance the hotel limo was waiting to take us back to the hotel.
It’s opening night at the Met and I’m listening to Mary Zimmerman’s production of Lucia di Lammermore. This performance is dedicated to the memory of the late Beverly Sills. The first act has ended and Met radio host Margaret Juntwait is interviewing Marcello Giordani who plays “Edgardo.” He’s talking about his son who doesn’t like opera because it takes his dad away from home so often; his son likes “Hip Hop” and Jay-Lo. (funny).
The first act was wonderful and (in scene 2) Natalie Dessay sang beautifully, the aria “Regnava nel silenzio”. You could feel the emotion, her love for Edgardo, with the sweet lilting rendition of the cabaletta “Quando rapita in estasi”. The Dessay-Giordani duet, their loving farewell to close the act, “Verranno a te sull’ a ure,” was magical, as first Dessay, then Giordani, then both together sang the beautiful melody.
Soon the curtain will rise on Act II…
7:47: Act II has ended. The sextet sounded great (powerful) and I understand the staging was incredible, essentially a wedding photo. (interesting). It’s intermission and Maestro Pla¡cido Domingo has joined Margaret Juntwait; they’re discussing tomorrow night’s performance of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, which Domingo is conducting.
Mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne has just walked in and they’re talking about singing bel canto and how demanding it is. The ability to sing the legato is key (which goes without saying). Domingo departs…
Horne is talking about what she’s been up to and it appears she’s been doing a lot of teaching. She likes working with “young people,” and she says it actually keeps her young. (A feeling that’s important, I suppose, being a grandma and all). Now compliments for Domingo and the work he does (and his interest in) developing young performers.
They’re wrapping up (you can hear the orchestra warming up in the background). It sounds like Horne will be returning to the Met tomorrow night for Roméo et Juliette. Horne departs…
Act III is about to begin and Lucia will soon go mad…
I’m sipping a glass of Glengoyne Scotch, smooth and warm…
9:24:The third act closes and the opera ends to enthusiastic applause. Dessay’s vocal display of “Il dolce suono,” during Lucia’s “mad scene” was dramatic and thrilling. A cadenza as the aria ended added to the sweet sadness of the song. Dessay drew extended applause for her performance during this scene, “brava, brava”.
Giordani’s singing of Edgardo’s heart-wrenching final farewell, “Tu che a Dio spiegasti l’ali,” was excellent. Evidently, Lucia came out as a spirit and encouraged Edgardo to join her in death. A different twist to the end of the opera. I guess it makes sense. After all, Edgardo’s final words are to Lucia.
Now Margaret Juntwait is describing the curtain calls…
Standing ovation!
Fantastic performance!
The Met’s Opening Night Gala is over.
Tomorrow evening is the Opening Night Gala at the Metropolitan Opera! For me, the gala begins at 5:30 p.m., as I tune in to Donizetti’s bel canto masterpiece, Lucia di Lammermoor broadcast live via Sirius “Met Opera Radio”.
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With this production, the Met kicks off its 2007-08 season and tomorrow night’s Lucia promises to be absolutely exhilarating! The opera features French soprano, Natalie Dessay, in the title role.
I enjoy Dessay, she has an interesting perspective on opera and the roles she plays. When asked about the intimidation of being the fifty-eighth Lucia at the Met, and following in the performance footsteps of such great sopranos as Lily Pons, Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland, she shrugs it off, “I’m not a musicologist” … “These questions of who sang what, when, how–what can I say?” Needless to say, Dessay doesn’t scour ancient scores to rediscover the embellishments of past performers, rather she focuses on her own intrepretation and performance. Dessay says, “The challenge of Lucia, to me, is to make the character real.” In doing so, she focuses on being musical and theatrical at the same time, which requires great care for the words she sings. Dessay desires to create the illusion of speech in her singing, which is the key to creating the right theatrical performance:
“I try not to remind people that I’m singing instead of speaking. To make that happen, you should sing it really, really well, with deep commitment to the truth, so that you are believable as a character, not as a singer. This is what I want to achieve. Music is not the last goal–it’s a way to achieve the goal which is theater.”
Accompanying Dessay’s Lucia will be Sicilian-born tenor Marcello Giordani, who plays Lucia’s lover Edgardo; Mariusz Kwiecien, her scheming brother Enrico; and John Relyea as the compassionate Raimondo. Maestro James Levine conducts the the performance.
On Tuesday night, another Met performance will be broadcast live over Sirius: Gounod’s sensual interpretation of Shakespeare’s Roméo et Juliette.
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Starring the stunning Russian soprano, Anna Netrebko, as Juliette, and tenor Roberto Alagna, as her Roméo. Nathun Gunn will play Romeo’s friend Mercutio, and the incomparable Maestro Plácido Domingo will conduct.
The Met will stage several performances of Roméo et Juliette throughout the season, including their New Year’s Eve gala. Accompanying Netrebko during these performances will be several “high-voltage” Roméos: Roberto Alagna for the first two performances, Joseph Kaiser in his company debut, and Matthew Polenzani for the New Year’s Eve performance. Nathan Gunn and Stéphane Degout will share the role of Mercutio. Rolando Villazón was originally scheduled to star opposite Netrebko, but on the advice of his doctor, has cancelled all performances for the next couple of months. Villazón still remains scheduled to play Roméo during the December 15th matinee performance to be simulcast in movie theaters and recorded for television.
It’s going to be a good week!
The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Metropolitan Opera, and New York City Opera’s tribute to Beverly Sills has just ended. What a heartwarming presentation it was! The event was free. Tickets were given away starting at noon today on a first-come, first-served basis at the Met box-office. The event was also broadcast live to Times Square and on Sirius Satellite Radio (my venue). The performers included, Plá¡cido Domingo (accompanied by James Levine on piano), who sang Handel’s “Ombra mai fù”; Anna Netrebko singing Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Nightingale and the Rose”; John Relyea singing Schubert’s “An die Musik”; and Natalie Dessay who sang Strauss’ “IIch wollt ein Sträußlein binden”. The speakers included many of Sills’ family and friends: her brother, Stanley Sills told a story about the famous “pubic” typo in the first edition of Sills’ autobiography, Bubbles; Mayor Mike Bloomberg spoke of Sills’ penchant for fundraising; Met Chairman, Peter Gelb said her departure from the Met had nothing to do with his arrival (which Sills orchestrated); comedian Carol Burnett was especially touching as she relayed that Sills’ was the first person she phoned whenever she came to New York; television journalist, Barbara Walters spoke heartwarmingly about Sills’ daughter “Muffy” who is deaf and suffers from MS; and former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger described the “hide-in-plane-sight” affair the two shared (tongue-in-cheek, of course).
The two-hour event was interspersed with recorded performances by Beverly Sills, including the song, “Just an Octave Apart,” a duo she sang with Carol Burnett.
All of the speakers were sincere and witty; obviously, Beverly Sills had touched each of them in a very special way. Peter Gelb, whom Sills hired, said she would call him after he’d started working and ask, “Peter, is everything perfect?” Today, Gelb’s reply was, “Sadly, Beverly, without you the world of opera is less perfect.”
Legendary tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, died of pancreatic cancer yesterday at his home in Modena, Italy. He was 71 years old.
Pavarotti’s manager, Terri Robson, said,
“The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness.”
Pavarotti had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. He underwent surgery in July 2006 to remove a cancerous mass; he had also been receiving radiation treatments.
Pavarotti’s death came only one day after becoming the first recipient of the new “Excellence in Italian Culture Award” from the Italian government, the Italian Culture Ministry reported on Tuesday evening. The tenor received the award for promoting Italian culture abroad and within Italy itself. The opera house where he performed for the first time 40 years ago, La Scala opera house in Milan, stated it will organize a singing contest in honor of the Italian tenor.
Following his first professional appearance in 1961, Pavarotti made his Met debut on November 23, 1968, as Rodolfo in La Bohéme opposite Mirella Freni. By the time he gave his farewell performance on March 13, 2004, as Cavaradossi inTosca, he had sung with the company in 378 performances, more than anywhere else in the world.
According to the All Music Guide:
Pavarotti appeared in the first “Live from the Met” broadcast on the PBS network and has been the most consistent draw on that series for years. His outstanding catalogue of recordings on the London (Decca) record label preserves nearly every role he ever performed and will be hard to match for its quality and scope. His charity work has including AIDS benefit concerts and world hunger gala events, as well as his “Pavarotti and Friends” concerts to benefit children, especially in the former Yugoslav states. He also founded a quadrennial contest to identify talented young singers and boost their careers. And, as one of the “Three Tenors,” he has brought operatic singing to a wider popular audience than previously might have been thought possible. In 2003 he released his first solo crossover CD, Ti adoro.
The Met will broadcast the following tribute concerts on Sirius:
Thursday, September 6: La Fille du Régiment - Donizetti (Jan. 6, 1973) Richard Bonynge; Joan Sutherland, Regina Resnik, Luciano Pavarotti, Fernando CorenaFriday, September 7: Il Trovatore - Verdi (Jan. 21, 1989) James Levine; Aprile Millo, Fiorenza Cossotto, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, Paul PlishkaSaturday, September 8: L’ Elisir d’Amore - Donizetti (Apr. 29, 1989) Marcello Panni; Kathleen Battle, Luciano Pavarotti. Gino Quilico, Paul PlishkaSunday, September 9: Tosca - Puccini (Apr. 1, 1995) Daniel Oren; Elizabeth Holleque, Luciano Pavarotti, Juan PonsMonday, September 10: Rigoletto - Verdi (February 10, 1973) James Levine; Reri Grist, Joann Grillo, Luciano Pavarotti, Ingvar Wixell, John MacurdyTueday, September 11: Un Ballo in Maschera - Verdi (Jan. 26, 1997) James Levine; Deborah Voigt, Young-Ok Shin, Barbara Dever, Luciano Pavarotti, Juan PonsWednesday, September 12: Luisa Miller - Verdi (Jan. 23, 1982) Nello Santi; Katia Ricciarelli, Bianca Berini, Luciano Pavarotti, Leo Nucci, Paul Plishka, John CheekThursday, September 13: I Puritani - Bellini (Mar. 13, 1976) Richard Bonynge; Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Sherrill Milnes, James Morris [first time on Sirius radio]
Coloratura soprano Beverly Sills passed away yesterday; she was 78 and died of cancer.
During the height of Sills’s stardom in the 1970s, she appeared regularly on television talk shows and variety specials with such personalities as Mike Douglas, Dick Cavett, Dinah Shore, Carol Burnett (a good friend with whom she sang duets) and even the Muppets. She was particularly associated with Johnny Carson and his Tonight Show, even filling in for Carson as guest host on occasion. Her warm and unpretentious personality made her very popular with the general public, and she used that renown to popularize opera.
In recent years, as chairman of the Metropolitan Opera’s board, she raised the money to save the company’s Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts after longtime sponsor Chevron Texaco withdrew its support.
Adieu.
Woody Allen is slated to direct Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” for L.A. Opera’s 2008-09 season.
L.A. Opera general director Plácido Domingo courted Woody Allen for four years before he finally agreed to direct his first opera. According to Allen, “I have no idea what I am doing, but incompetence has never prevented me from plunging in with enthusiasm.”
Diane Keaton will play Lauretta (just kidding!)
(photo by Colon Swan)
Director and librettist, Colin Graham’s legacy, a new operatic version of Anna Karenina recently opened at Opera Theater of St. Louis. Colin, who passed away in April was scheduled to direct the would premier production at Florida Grand Opera in Miami, but it was never meant to be. His assistant, Mark Streshinsky, saw it through. This Anna was composed by David Carlson; Graham wrote the libretto.
After receiving huge acclaim in Miami, Anna Karenina has moved to the company Colin led to international renown during his two-decade tenure as artistic director. The production stars, with soprano Kelly Kaduce as Anna, Robert Gierlach as Vronsky, Christian Van Horn as Karenin, Brandon Jovanovich as Levin, Sarah Coburn as Kitty, Christine Abraham as Dolly and veteran Rosalind Elias as Agafia. The music director of Florida Grand Opera, Stewart Robertson, is the music director for this production. (photo above by Debra Gray Mitchell)
I recently picked up the DVD of an opera by Gaetano Donizetti called L’Elisir d’Amore (i.e. The Elixer of Love). This is a recording of a 2005 performance at the Vienna State Opera. It was conducted by Alfred Eschwé. The opera stars
- Anna Netrebko (soprano) as Adina,
- Rolando Villazón (tenor) as Nemorino,
- Leo Nucci (baritone) as Belcore, and
- Ildebrando D’Arcangelo (bass) as Dulcamara
This is opera buffo at its best! Nemorino, a simple-minded young man, is in love with Adina, who is impressed by the dashing Sergeant Belcore, a man overly impressed with his own charms. Dulcamara arrives in the village, offering panaceas of his own fraudulent design. Nemorino seeks a love potion which is happily provided by Dulcamara, but the love potion is actually just a bottle of wine. Adina, meanwhile, has agreed to marry Belcore, forcing Nemorino to obtain more elixir from Dulcamara, which he can only pay for by enlisting in Belcore’s troop. Rumor reaches the village that Nemorino has inherited a fortune, and he now finds himself immensely popular among the girls of the village, arousing Adina’s jealousy. When Dulcamara tells her that Nemorino has enlisted in order to find a way to her heart, she relents, dismisses Belcore and agrees to marry Nemorino, after buying him out of the regiment.
The music was absolutely wonderful and the performances were fantastic. Anna Netrebko’s voice was superb and her portrayal of the coy, teasing Adina was striking to say the least. Nucci did a great job as the pompous Sergeant Belcore and D’Arcangelo’s Doctor Dulcamara was outstanding and affectionately sleazy!
The best of the show was Rolando Villazón! His Nemorino was a perfect match for Netrebko’s Adina. I love these two best when they perform together! Villazón is an amazing actor and his performance ranged from comical (especially when getting a little tipsy after drinking the love potion) to softly heartwarming. I laughed out loud at his silly bottle dance and was surprised by his juggling skill (yes, he juggled apples). He absolutely stole the show when he sang, “Una furtiva lagrima,” (A furtive tear) his soft, quiet expression–a pianissimo–and breathtaking decrescendo at the end earned a welcomed encore for the young tenor!
Photo: Rolando Villazón and Anna Netrebko in L’Elisir d’Amore.
I read an interview in Opera News magazine about Korean soprano Hei-Kyung Hong. She came to America as a teenager and studied at Juillard. The article was very interesting as she contrasted the isolation of pre-Korean War Asia with the prominence of Asia today with respect to the Western culture. Anyway, a couple of quotes from the interview really stood out to me. They reminded me of the people I knew and worked with in Korea. 
First, a statement on Korean artists, “To succeed in music, it is important to have qualities that burn, an aggressive and competitive fire.” Koreans have this character. I see it in their appreciation of beauty…not just of music, but of art in general and even nature. I’m reminded of the a reed field I visited outside of Gunsan. There was a path that meandered through this huge reed field and every once in a while there was a post of carved wood with a poem or thought in Korean etched upon it.
Next, of her career, she says, “Twenty years from now, people will say, “Who is Hei-Kyung Hong?” People are quick to forget. But I will have my family. This is what really matters. Your legacy is your children and their children.” I admire her humility and her perspective. So many artists, especially in the snobbish world of opera, brag of their accomplishments and do a lot of name-dropping. Hong is just the opposite. How refreshing.
I had a real treat yesterday evening…the last performance of Anthony Minghella’s production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Met was streamed live over the internet. This performance featured Soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domás as Cio-Cio San and Tenor Marcello Giordani as Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton. I knew with my current assignment to Korea I would not have the opportunity to actually attend the opera in New York, but this was the next best thing. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and consider myself very fortunate to have experienced it. Gallardo-Domás was wonderful as the innocent and naive Butterfly and Giordani’s Pinkerton wasn’t nearly the scumbag I was accustomed to (an interesting and believable interpretation).
The performance wasn’t without some snags, though. The second act was delayed due to some computer glitches and Ms. Gallardo-Domás was indisposed and unable to return for the second part of act two; she was replaced by her understudy who didn’t miss a beat.
I’m listening to some of my favorite opera pieces tonight while enjoying a glass of Clemente VII Chianti Classico…
- “Carmen”by Georges Bizet. Opera prelude with Claudio Abbado conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. This performance is superbly disciplined. Abbado nails its colors to the wall at the very start in a breathtakingly fast account of the opening prelude to the opera. This recording was made at the 1977 Edinburgh Festival.
- “Brindisi” sung by tenor Rolando Villizón and soprano Anna Nebtrebko from the 2005 Salzburg Festival’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La traviata” (the lost one). This is a drinking song and expresses the pleasures of wine. Alfredo (Villizón) is prompted into entertaining the company of a party after the coaxing of the wild courtesan, Violetta (Netrebko).
- “Un Pensiero Nemico Di Pace” (A thought inimical to peace) from Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (The Triumph of Time and Disillusionment) by George Frideric Handel. In the first decade of the 18th century, the church, for all intents and purposes, prohibited opera in Rome. Basically, the only performances took place in religious institutions such as seminaries and colleges. Opera survived through private performances for societies elite. This piece is referred to as “Aria della Bellezza” (Beauty’s Aria) and is sung by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli. This piece is more appropriately called an oratorio and is basically an allegoric play in which Pleasure, Truth and Time appear as characters in the action. Torn between them is Beauty who first succumbs to fleeting, earthly temptations and then, after a dramatic dispute, entrusts herself to the “eternal wisdom of heaven”.
- “Ah, Fors’e Lui” (Ah, for him) from “La travita.” After the singing of Brindisi and the crowd disperses, Alfredo expresses his love for Violetta. In this piece, Alfredo has departed and Violetta, much affected by Alfredo’s declaration reveals her longing to love and to be loved. Anna Netrebko sings.
- “Nessun dorma” (No one must sleep) from Giacomo Puccini’s “Turandot.” Turandot was Puccini’s last opera and unfortunately he didn’t live to complete the score. Franco Alfano, a friend of Puccini’s, completed the score with some help from Puccini’s notes. The story of this opera takes place in the city of Pekin, where dwells Princess Turandot. She was to be won only by a royal suitor who could answer three riddles. If he failed he was to be executed. A suitor, Calaf, the son of Timur (the exiled King of Tartary), sings this aria on the eve before the name of the unknown prince was to be announced. Calaf turns out to be the unknown prince. Tenor Franco Corelli is singing this aria.
- “Hojotoh! Hojotoho!” The Ride of the Valkyries from Richard Wagner’s “Die Walküre” (The Valkyrie). This opera is actually the second part in Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelung” and is basically a story about the god Wotan who has had a lengthy affair with the Earth goddess, Erda, producing nine daughters who have grown up to be equestriennes with enlisting commissions. They swoop down on battlefields to bring up to Valhalla recently deceased heroes who are to form a guard for the fortress. These girls are known as the Valkyries, and one of them, Brunnhilde, is the character referred to in the title of the opera. This piece, sung by Anita Soldh, Ruth Falcon, Ute Walther, Urusla Kunz, Margareta Lilowa (sopranos and mezzo-sopranos), opens the last act and is the exciting “Ride of the Valkries.” This should be familiar to every concert-goer but is far more exciting when the curtain goes up and the music is supplemented with the warrior maidens themselves rushing over the mountain tops, first four, then eight of them calling to each other, “Ho-yo-to-ho.” Unfortunately this piece is probably associated more with the phrase “I love the smell of Napalm in the morning” (Robert Duval in “Apocalypse Now”) than the opera.
- The “Humming Chorus” from Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” closes the first scene of the second and final act. This is a beautiful melody used earlier in the production in what is known as the “Letter Duet.” At this point in the opera, Cio-Cio-San (Madame Butterfly) and her servant, Suzuki, are watching the Nagasaki harbor for the arrival of Cio-Cio-San’s husband, Pinkerton. The humming chorus is played and hummed by an off-stage chorus, and the act quietly closes.
- The “Nuns’ Chorus” from the operetta “Casanova” by Johann Strauss II. A beautiful piece sung by soprano Kiri Te Kanawa and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
- “Mi chiamano Mimi” (They call me Mimi) from Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohéme” (The Bohemians). This piece sung by soprano Mirella Freni, is our introduction to the character of Mimi, a seamstress, who is visiting the apartment of her neighbors, Rodolfo and Marcello, on Christmas Eve. The song describes her simple life as a seamstress.
- “O mio babbino caro” (Oh, My Beloved Daddy) from the Puccini opera “Gianni Schicchi.” Soprano Renée Fleming sings the part of Lauretta, the daughter of Gianni Scicchi. In the opera, the wealthy Buoso Donati has died and his relatives search frantically for his will. Rinuccio, who is in love with Lauretta, finds the will and discovers Donati has left his fortune to the monks of a monastery. He secretly sends for Scicci and urges his relatives to consult his prospective father-in-law. However the relatives protest. Lauretta, whom her father loves very much, urges him to find a solution to the troubles of the Donati, so that she may marry Rinuccio.
- The “Chanson Bohéme” (Gypsy Song) opens the second act of Bizet’s “Carmen.” Teresa Berganza sings the part of Carmen. Carmen and her gypsy sisters are in Lilla Pastia’s tavern. Some of the girls are dancing and Carmen sings this song about their music and dance. The third verse is the strongest, rising to a crescendo, and all the girls are dancing at this point. Carmen sings:
Vigorously the gypsies
drove their instruments wild,
and this dazzling din
held the gipsy women spellbound.
Under the rhythm of the song,
ardent, wild, feverish,
intoxicated, they let themselves
be carried away by the whirlwind dance!
La-la-la-la… - “Voi che sapete” (Tell me what love is) from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Le nozze di Figaro” (The Marriage of Figaro). Teresa Berganza sings this aria, which is of course, a love song.
- “Non mi dir” (not to say to me) from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” (Don Juan). Considered by many the greatest opera ever composed. Soprano Anna Netrebko sings the part of Donna Anna who is responding to her fian?e, Don Ottavio’s, marriage request. With great tenderness she tells him that she does love him but that while her sorrow for her father (who was murdered by Don Giovanni) is still so fresh she can’t think of marriage.
It was my birthday recently and I bought for myself a DVD of the Salzburg Festival’s La traviata featuring soprano Anna Netrebko as the wild courtesan, Violetta Valery, and Rollando Villazón as her gentleman suitor, tenor Alfredo Germont.
I think it’s interesting to note that in the first performance of this opera in Venice, 1853, the performers wore modern clothing. Opera-goers at the time were used to grand opera and neither the critics, nor the public, appreciated this unique presentation. This sentiment is being echoed by many today.
Personally, I found that the striped-down presentation actually enhanced the performance. The clock that many consider gaudy and distracting served its purpose well and was a constant reminder that time was running out for Violetta.
The one thing that everyone seems to agree on is the amazing performance by Anna Netrebko! Her voice is simply beautiful and her diction clear, with a rich coloratura that will only get better as she matures. She portrayed a bright, vibrant Violetta in perfect contrast with the sickness that consumed her during the course of the opera. I absolutely loved her rendition of the aria, Ah! Fors’ é Lui–one could feel the emotion as she wondered if this “country boy” could truly represent true love in her life.
And what of the leading man? Although he hasn’t garnered the attention of Netrebko, Rolando Villazón’s performance is just as amazing. His acting is superb, his emotional expression is impressive and believable. His voice is well-balanced and sensuous.
Brava! Bravo!
Photo: Anna Netrebko as Violetta Valery
I discovered the most wonderful website today: VivaLaVoce.com is a 24-hour internet radio station presenting classical vocal music in all its forms, from the Middle Ages to the present. VivaLaVoce.com is a product of Washington DC’s only all-classical radio station, WGMS (the top rated classical radio station in the country).
Every day at 8:00 p.m. Eastern (9:00 am, the following day for me) they stream a full-length opera, commercial-free, with an encore at 3:00 am (4:00 p.m.) for folks who are overseas. Of course the encore is too early for me during the week (until daylight savings time ends in October), but the timing is great for weekends and either presentation is convenient.
In addition to the “Opera @ 8,” they stream opera music 24/7. Right now I’m listening to Mozart’s “Le nozze di Figaro: Act II” recorded at The Metropolitan Opera in New York. There’s a schedule for what’s playing when, too!
“The station that sings!” Absolutely wonderful!
Due to his false portrayal in the movie “Amadeus,” Antonio Salieri is considered a mediocre composer and a malevolent, envious and petty man. Truth be told he actually achieved more fame in his day than Mozart and with regard to his ability as a composer, Cecilia Bartoli has set the record straight with “The Salieri Album,” a collection of Salieri arias.
Antonio Salieri composed his music during a time of dramatic change in opera. He witnessed the reformation of the opera style by composers such as Christoph Gluck who believed that Italian, French and Handelian opera was full of excess and a betrayal of opera’s true meaning–why it was created in the fist place. Gluck thought opera had become so extravagant, with excessive ornamentation by vocalists and overtures unrelated to the opera’s story, that it overwhelmed the drama of the opera itself. Of Antonio Salieri, Gluck spoke of him as his only true heir.
Salieri’s operas demonstrate the Gluckian ideal of dramatic truth and this is perhaps the reason why he is so misunderstood today. But listen to “The Salieri Album” and you’ll hear truth. Cecelia Bartoli, the beautiful mezzo-soprano, is absolutely wonderful. Her rich vocal tones and thrilling vibrato are breathtaking. My favorite piece is “Vieni a me sull’ali d’oro (Come to me on golden wings),” where Bartoli sings the expressive and noble minuet Salieri originally wrote for castrato Giuseppe Millico in “Armida.”
I doubt this will be as big a seller as Bartoli’s “Opera Proibita” or her Mozart and Vivaldi recordings, and that is unfortunate. “The Salieri Album” has certainly earned a place at the top of my list of favorite opera recordings!
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