tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54836784923457557232012-01-29T11:53:04.050+01:00mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.comBlogger5891100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-16628218843696040992012-01-27T20:17:00.001+01:002012-01-27T20:18:09.255+01:00

In celebration of Mozarts 255th birthday: Which is Mozarts best opera I dare assume, few will choose an opera not listed above.

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DAVID MCVICARScottish. Born 1966. Studied acting initially graduating from Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Detailed biographical information here. Directorial approach: Multilayered productions, often surprisingly traditional in the outlook, with opulent costumes (McVicars favourite period is the 18th Century) but come with a nasty twist. Reknowned for his direction of the singers

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-49082484482773796222012-01-24T22:15:00.004+01:002012-01-24T22:48:39.444+01:00

Don Carlo. Bayerische Staatoper, January 22 2011 LIVESTREAMING. Prod: Jürgen Rose. Cond: Asher Fish. Cast: René Pape (Filippo), Jonas Kaufmann (Don C), Anja Harteros (Elisabetta), Anna Smirnova (Eboli), Daniel Boaz (Posa), Eric Halfvarson (Inquisitor). According to the opera house about 459.000 people watched the free online-streaming, which worked perfect in my region (Scandinavia). Jürgen Roses

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La forza del destino. Paris Bastille Opera, November 28 2011. Production: Jean-Claude Auvray. Conductor: Philippe Jordan. Cast: Violeta Urmana (L), Marcelo Alvarez (Alvaro), Vladimir Stoyanov (Don C), Nadia Krasteva (Preziosilla), Kwangchoul Yun (Padre Guardiano), Nicola Alaimo (Fra Melitone) In summary, the Bastille Opera has presented  us with and entirely unconvincing staging of Verdis La

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-33114827967822623712011-11-01T10:03:00.000+01:002011-11-01T10:03:00.534+01:00

Richard Strauss orchestral lieder. CD. Poesie. Diana Damrau with Christian Thielemann conducting the Munich Philharmonics. 2011 From the dazzling coloratura of Amor to the innigkeit of Morgen and the broad expressiveness of Zueiningung. In this, her best disc until now, Diana Damrau sings a wide selection 22 of Richard Strauss´ songs accompanied by the Strauss-specialist Christian Thielemann,

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Khovanshchina. DVD. Bayerische Staatsoper, July 2007. Prod: Tcherniakov, Cond: Nagano. Cast: Burchuladze (I Khovansky), K-V Vogt (A Khovansky), Dosifey (Kotscherga), Golitsyn (Daszak), Doris Soffel (Marfa). In brief: The best production I have seen from Dmitri Tcherniakov. And perhaps the best Khovanschina on DVD. Perhaps. But not all may agree. I saw this production in Munich right after the

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Tristan and Isolde. DVD. Prod: Marthaler, cond: Peter Schneider. Bayreuth 2009. Cast: Iréne Theorin (Isolde), Robert Dean Smith (Tristan), Michelle Breedt (Brangäne), Jukka Rasilainen (Kurwenal), Robert Holl (Marke). I reviewed this production in detail when I saw it in Bayreuth (with the same cast) in 2008 and my opinion of both singers and staging essentially remains the same. With the notion,

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-79155712698587341402011-10-28T10:14:00.002+02:002012-01-28T15:48:11.584+01:00

Salome. DVD. Production: Jürgen Flimm. Cast: Karita Mattila (Salome), Ildiko Komlosi (Herodias), Kim Begley (Herodes), Juha Uusitalo (Jochanaan), Joseph Kaiser (Narraboth). Conductor: Patrick Summers. Jürgen Flimm´s extraordinarily successful Salome production takes place a fictional totalitarian environment on the verge of a desert. The technical wood and glass constructions of the sets leading

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ANDREAS KRIEGENBURGGerman. Born 1963. Carpenter by trade. Wellknown in German theatre. Protege of Frank Castoft. Detailed biographic information here. Directorial approach: Comedy-existentialist physical theatre. Major achievements in opera: Wozzeck at the Bavarian State Opera 2008 was his breakthrough in opera. He will direct of the Munich Ring 2012. ANDREAS KRIEGENBURG - THE PRODUCTIONS

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CLAUS GUTHGerman. Born 1964. Biographical and performance details on Claus Guths website Directorial approach: Simplistic, often dark and with a psychoanalytical edge. Major achievements in opera: Major breakthrough with Nozze di Figaro in Salzburg 2006. One of the most sought-after directors of today. Director of the Hamburg Ring. CLAUS GUTH - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS Nozze di Figaro, Salzburg

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-27992047734596755752011-10-15T23:04:00.001+02:002011-10-15T23:04:00.807+02:00

Nino Machaidze: Romantic arias. Sony 2011 Nino Machaidze, born 1983 in Tblisi, Georgia came to fame overnight as a late substitution for Anna Netrebko as Juliette in the 2008 Salzburg production of Romeo and Juliette partnering Rolando Villazon - also released on DVD. I was in Salzburg that summer, watchin the production in one of the plaza´s of the Old City, remembering all the fuss about her -

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-16472482372705920402011-10-15T17:19:00.003+02:002012-01-28T17:46:34.023+01:00

DMITRI TCHERNIAKOVRussian. Born 1970. Biographical details here Directorial approach: Simplistic, political. Major achievements in opera: Breakthrough with Boris Godunov and Khovanschchina in 2005-7. Widely regarded as one of the most talented directors of his generation. DMITRI TCHERNIAKOV - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS Boris Godunov, Berlin 2005-7: Khovanschchina, Munich 2008: Don Giovanni,

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-74123902045900643472011-10-15T10:28:00.003+02:002011-10-15T10:28:00.053+02:00

Aleksandra Kurzak: Gioia. CD Decca. 2011 Polish coloratura Aleksandra Kurzak (born 1977) just released her first soloalbum with Decca, where she chose to present highlights from the coloratura repertoire - Rosina, Gilda, Adina, Violetta, Lucia, Lauretta, Adele, Musetta. Plus the Polish accent Hanna’s aria from Stanisław Moniuszko’s “The Haunted Manor”. Kurzak is a no-nonsense performer, with

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STEFAN HERHEIMNorwegian. Born 1970. Cellist. Lives in Berlin. Biographical details and full list of productions here Directorial approach: Deconstructionalist, often interpolating multiple actions on stage Major achievements in opera: Major breakthrough with Parsifal in Bayreuth 2008. STEFAN HERHEIM - SELECTED PRODUCTIONS Parsifal, Bayreuth 2008: Rusalka, Bruxelles 2008 (Dresden 2011):

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-75047313254409919492011-10-05T15:38:00.001+02:002012-01-28T17:46:34.031+01:00

MARTIN KUSEJAustrian. Born 1961. Gained prominence as opera director in the past 10 years. Comes from the spoken theatre. Detailed biographic information here or on Martin Kusejs webpage. Directorial approach: Simplistic, stark, dark. Major achievements in opera: International breakthrough with various Mozart-stagings in Salzburg - Don Giovanni 2002 and Clemenza di Tito 2003. MARTIN KUSEJ - 

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DVD. Selma Jezkova. Prod: Kasper Holten, cond: Michael Schønwandt with the Royal Danish Orchestra. 2010. Cast: Ylva Kihlberg (Selma) Poul Ruders adaptation of Dancer in the Dark was met with unaimously negative reviews from the Danish press after the 2010 world premiere. In fact, Dancer in the Dark - the opera is only loosely based on Dancer in the Dark - the move, and in fact Poul Ruders

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DVD. Katia Kabanova  Teatro Real (Madrid) 2008. Prod: Robert Carsen, cond: Jiří Bělohlávek. Cast: Karita Mattila (Katya), Miroslav Dvorský (Boris), Dalia Schaechter (Kabanicha),  Guy De Mey (Tichon), Natascha Petrinsky (Varvara). What more do you need to make an opera DVD than a stunningly beautiful staging, a divine heroine, great supporting cast and a superb conductor? You do the following: 1)

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Elektra. DVD. Prod: Lehnhoff, cond: Gatti with the Vienna Philharmonics. Salzburg, 2010. Cast: Irene Theorin (Elektra), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Chrysothemis), Waltraud Meier (Klytemnestra), René Pape (Orest). They really did assemble the best cast imaginable last years Elektra in Salzburg. Eva-Maria Westbroek, superb neurotic acting and vocally blooming delivers a Chrysothemis in the league of

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-81946604922922822932011-09-28T21:19:00.001+02:002011-09-28T21:48:35.361+02:00

Lohengrin. DVD. Bayerische Staatsoper München 2009. Production: Richard Jones. Conductor: Kent Nagano. Cast: Jonas Kaufmann (Lohengrin), Anja Harteros (Elsa), Michaela Schuster (Ortrud), Wolfgang Koch (Telramund), Christoph Fischesser (Heinrich). Richard Jones´ production of Lohengrin in Munich was The Wagnerian Talk of the Season 2009-10 mainly as this was Jonas Kaufmann´s debut in the title

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Anna Prohaska: Siréne. CD. Deutsche Grammophon. 2011. With Erich Schneider (piano). Anna Prohaska (born 1983) is hardly an insider-tip anymore, presenting her first solo CD for Deutsche Grammophon. She studied at Hans Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin and I remember when she graduated with maximum honours not more than a couple of years ago. Already as a student, she became a member of the

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-31600266226722827772011-09-24T10:22:00.001+02:002011-09-28T10:23:48.670+02:00

Mojca Erdmann: Mozarts Garden or mostly mozart. CD 2011. Deutsche Gramophone If one upcoming soprano is marketed for stardom it is the German lyric soprano Mojca Erdmann. With the same manager as Anna Netrebko, the ways for major contracts seems paved, such as Zerlina both in Baden-Baden this summer and in the new upcoming Met production this fall. Initially named "mostly mozart" for the German

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-19272968565701305892011-09-23T20:48:00.003+02:002011-09-24T00:12:25.642+02:00

 © Monika Rittershaus for Salzburger Festspiele Die Frau Ohne Schatten. Grosses Festspielhaus, August 17th, 2011, Salzburg Festival. Christian Thielemann conducts the Vienna Philharmonics. Director: Christoph Loy. Soloists: Anne Schwanewilms (Kaiserin), Stephen Gould (Kaiser), Wolfgang Koch (Barak), Evelyn Herlitzius (his wife), Michaela Schuster (Amme). Maximum points to Christian

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0Salzburg, Austria47.80949 13.05501000000003847.75799 12.98456000000004 47.860989999999994 13.125460000000038tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-31626622246557410032011-08-18T21:34:00.000+02:002011-08-18T21:34:57.860+02:00

Rossignol/Iolanta double bill. Concert performance. August 15th, Grosses Festspielhaus, Salzburg. Ivar Bolton conducts the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg. Performers: Julia Novikova, Julia Lezhneva, Antonio Poli, Andrei Bondarenko (all Rossignol), Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczala, Alexei Markov, Evgeni Nikitin, John Relyea u.a. What most will not find surprising: That Iolanta is a role perfectly

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-76134550364979607012011-08-18T21:09:00.000+02:002011-08-18T21:09:20.841+02:00

Verdi Requiem. Grosses Feststpielhaus, Salzburg Festival. August 15th. Riccardo Muti conducts the Vienna Philharmonics. Soloists: Krassimira Stoyanova, Olga Borodina, Saimir Pirgu, Ildar Abdrazakov. Muti conducted not without nuance, but his version of the Verdi Requiem is still mainly brisk and powerful I still wonder to what extent the Vienna Philharmonics could actually play this piece

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-9699108932481868462011-08-16T23:44:00.003+02:002012-01-28T17:34:18.994+01:00

@ MonikaRittershaus for Salzburger Festspiele Cosí fan tutte. August 16th, Haus für Mozart, Salzburg Festival. Prod: Claus Guth. Cond: Marc Minkowski with Musiciens du Louvre. Cast: Maria Bengtsson (Fiordiligi), Michele Losier (Dorabella), Anna Prohaska (Despina), Alek Shrader (Ferrando), Christopher Maltman (Guglielmo), Bo Skovhus (Alfonso). It is a major revision of his 2009 staging of Cosi

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1Salzburg, Austria47.80949 13.05501000000003847.75799 12.98456000000004 47.860989999999994 13.125460000000038tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-9567425486609830242011-08-16T23:29:00.000+02:002011-08-16T23:29:42.109+02:00

Europe: Amsterdam - Nederlanse Opera Barcelona - Liceu Berlin - Staatsoper Berlin - Komische Oper Berlin - Deutsche Oper Bruxelles - La Monnaie Copenhagen - Royal Danish Opera Dresden - Semperoper Frankfurt - Oper London - English National Opera London - Royal Opera Hamburg - Staatsoper Madrid - Teatro Real Milano - Teatro alla Scala Munich - Staatsoper Oslo - Norwegian Opera

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Werther. DVD. Paris Opera Bastille 2010. Production: Benoit Jacquot. Conductor: Michel Plasson. Cast: Jonas Kaufmann (Werther), Sophie Koch (Sophie), Ludovic Tezier (Albert), Anne-Catherine Gillet (Sophie) This is one of  the very few opera DVDs where you have to search in your bag of superlatives and just use them up. Moving, transporting, stunning..name it. One of the best opera DVDs ever

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As in January 2008, Rolando Villazon chose Vienna for his comeback, this time as Nemorino (L´Elisir d´amore), after vocal chord surgery. A logical choice, as he is much loved there, and audiences predictably reacted with major ovations including 5 minutes applause after "Una furtiva lagrima".Others were rather critical of his performance, to put it mildly.However, Nemorino is a sort of warm-up

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Rolando Villazon was recently elected the greatest living tenor on stage, whether some of you (including myself) like it or not..At least we´ll know in a couple of weeks exactly how great he is at the moment.Now it is time to elect the greatest soprano on stage - ie. best currently active soprano. The vote will be between the sopranos listed below, UNLESS I receive alternative suggestions within

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-37590163319273017442010-03-22T19:59:00.007+01:002012-01-28T11:36:15.416+01:00

RAI footage of the unforgiving Karol Wojtyla (aka Pope John Paul II) accompany the third act of the new Fura del Baus staging of Tannhäuser at Scala. Predictably met with booing at opening night. Otherwise the Catalán theater makers look like themselves:

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-91762529085553044872010-03-22T19:00:00.000+01:002010-03-22T20:07:51.688+01:00

Wolfgang Wagner died yesterday in Bayreuth, age 90.Being Richard Wagner´s grandson, his tenure as leader of the Bayreuth Festival virtually lasted more than a lifetime, beginning with the re-opening of the New Bayreuth after World War Two in 1951, jointly leading the Festival with his brother Wieland until his death in 1966 and from then on alone until retirement in 2008.While Wolfgang Wagner may

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-40481703400484759532010-02-28T16:23:00.004+01:002010-02-28T16:57:00.594+01:00

Why not celebrate the 200th birthday of Chopin (March 1st 2010) by deciding upon who is the greatest living (=active) Chopin pianist?Vote below (open one week from now) - if your favorite Chopin pianist does not feature, please use the free text or the comments section, and I may add him/her. Who is the worlds greatest living Chopin pianist?poll

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What do you think about the 2010-11 Metropolitan Opera season? Vote below. Vote ends one week from today (March 7th). What do you think about the 2010-11 Met season?survey

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-16390354587067060472010-02-25T20:47:00.000+01:002010-02-25T20:47:00.177+01:00

Mefistofele (Boito). Teatro di Palermo 2008. Production: Giancarlo del Monaco. Cast: Ferruccio Furlanetto (M), Guiseppe Filianoti (F), Dimitra Theodossiou (Margherita/Elena). Conductor: Stefano Ranzani. Further information here.In this Palermo production of Boito´s Mefistofele, Giancarlo del Monaco sets the action in a rather drab and incoherent imitation of Germany in the 1920´s combined with a

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Il re pastore. Salzburg 2006. Production and conductor: Thomas Hengelbrock. Cast: Kresimir Spicer (Alessandro), Annette Dasch (Aminta), Marlis Petersen (Elisa), Arpiné Rahdijan (Tamiri), Andreas Karasiak (Agenore). Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble. Further information here.Not exactly a standard work in the repertoire, Mozart´s two-act serenata from 1775 (he was 19) Il re pastore, libretto by

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The readers have spoken:With 37% of the votes, Rolando Villazón was elected as the best tenor of the moment. Closely follwed by Juan Diego Florez with 34% and with Jonas Kaufmann taking third position with 20% of the votes.To be honest, I forgot to vote myself, but one vote more for Jonas Kaufmann would unfortunately not have made the difference. The readers have spoken, indeed...Below, Rolando

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-67271088360048970592010-02-14T12:04:00.006+01:002010-02-14T17:13:38.960+01:00

Lastens Vej. Operaen, København. Februar 2010. Instruktør: David Radok. Besætning: Michael Kristensen (Tom), John Lundgren (Nick), Gisela Stille (Anne), Tyrkerbaba (Randi Stene). Dirigent: Ion Marin med det Kongelige Kapel. Yderligere information her.Dydens smalle vej er ofte både møjsommelig og kedelig, men bærer dog lønnen i sig selv, hvad enten i dette liv eller det næste. I modsætning til

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-3565415539637895072010-02-10T23:31:00.006+01:002010-03-24T22:54:15.553+01:00

Europe:Amsterdam - Nederlanse OperaCopenhagen - Royal Danish OperaLondon - Royal OperaMadrid - Teatro RealParis - Bastille OperaVienna State OperaVienna - Theater an der WienOutside Europe:Chicago Lyric OperaMetropolitan OperaSan Francisco OperaMetropolitan Opera HD telecasts

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-42123415028596291202010-02-09T16:59:00.005+01:002010-02-09T17:10:33.878+01:00

First performance (?) of Rolando Villazón singing "L´Alba" on the Popstar to Operastar show on January 29th after his vocal chord surgery. And the questionmark? I suspect it is play-back. Am I wrong?

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-87236132777535435552010-02-04T03:59:00.012+01:002010-02-14T11:09:01.877+01:00

Update, February 14th: And the winner is....Rolando VillazónNow, let us once and for all decide upon who is the greatest tenor of the moment - vote below!The vote will be open for one week. No cheating! One vote per person only!Please note this vote is supposed to reflect the tenors status as of now - ie. Plácido Domingo´s must be judged only on current achievements, same as Rolando Villazón, who

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-49285461929964212282010-02-03T11:21:00.006+01:002011-09-26T21:16:48.048+02:00

Rodelinda. Glyndebourne 1998. Production: Jean-Marie Villégier. Cast: Anna Caterina Antonacci (Rodelinda), Andreas Scholl (Bertarido), Umberto Chiumino (Garibaldo), Louise Winter (Eduige), Kurt Streit (Grimaldo). Conductor: William Christie with the OAE. Further information here. In genereal, these baroque operas do well with updating, and this is no exception updating Händels 1725 opera to the

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-54889966288044611062010-02-02T13:16:00.001+01:002010-02-02T21:18:24.342+01:00

Verdi: Requiem. Orchestra e Coro dell´Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Rome, 2009. Live recording. Cond: Antonio Pappano. Soloists: Anja Harteros, Sonia Ganassi, Rolando Villazón, René Pape. Further information here.As far as I am concerned this is THE release of 2009. And a Verdi Requiem of a quality I have not heard in decades of recording. All the pieces come together for Antonio Pappano,

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-1328235721139429292009-11-21T23:23:00.002+01:002009-11-21T23:28:15.720+01:00

Obituary in The Guardian by Alan Blyth (who died himself in 2007)Television portait of Elisabeth Söderström:

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-20353098290776879672009-11-15T21:17:00.005+01:002009-11-15T21:23:18.740+01:00

New production of Don Giovanni just opened in Munich (October 2009). Production by Stephan Kimmig. Kent Nagano conducts. Mariusz Kwiecien is Don Giovanni. Maija Kovalevska and Ellie Dehn are the two ladies:

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-25760917242359992192009-11-15T20:48:00.003+01:002009-11-15T20:55:55.317+01:00

Andrzej Zhulavski´s 1989 film of Boris Godunov is now available full-lenght on YouTube. Ruggero Raimondi both sings and plays Boris. As of the rest, Galina Vishnevskaya and Nicolai Gedda provide vocal input only. Rostropovich conducts.The opening scene:By victorkiev on YouTube

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-66108309893071705852009-11-07T23:36:00.005+01:002009-11-07T23:41:41.916+01:00

mostly opera is now on facebookFor my part, I imagine using the group to post smaller news-segments or other things of interest, not warranting a post here. And..hopefully participate in discussions. I am (at least for the moment) not intending to start with twitter as well, hoping a facebook-group may cover some of that ground.As always, we shall see. The group is now 15 minutes old and has 2

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-14112751671374797132009-11-06T23:49:00.007+01:002009-11-09T00:01:16.069+01:00

Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), Helmut Deutsch (piano). Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin. Released on DECCA, 2009. Further information here.A timid, sensitive boy loves a young, beautiful woman. Initially she seems to love him too, but leaves him for a real man. The hunter beats the poetic boy to win the miller´s daughter. And, instead of just swallowing the disappointment and quite literally look for other

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-43376270975698468792009-11-06T22:46:00.005+01:002009-11-06T23:09:21.708+01:00

Renée Fleming and Christoph Eschenbach in CopenhagenRenée Fleming with Orchestre de Paris conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. Copenhagen, May 11th, 2009. Program: Capriccio final scene and Bruckner´s 9th symphony. Extras: Zueinigung and Morgen (R. Strauss).Upon reading that at her recent London concert, Renée Fleming was criticized for singing approximately 20 minutes, I was reminded that

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-49218543639238042272009-11-06T22:00:00.000+01:002009-11-06T22:21:26.624+01:00

The cunning little vixen. Paris Bastille Opera 2008. Production: André Engel. Cast includes: Jukka Rasilainen (Forester), Elena Tsallagova (Vixen), Hannah Esther Minutillo (Fox). Conductor: Dennis Russell Davies. Further information here.André Engel and his team has simply created a great, straight-forward production of Janacek´s opera The cunning little vixen. A couple of seasons ago, the same

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-38230546020151258032009-11-06T19:14:00.007+01:002012-01-28T17:53:24.500+01:00

Natalya Kreslina and Audun IversenEugene Onegin. Royal Danish Opera, September 6th 2009. Production: Peter Konwitschny. Cast: Audun Iversen (Eugene Onegin), Natalya Kreslina (Tatiana), Jenny Carlsted (Olga), Niels Jørgen Riis (Lenski), Gustav Belacek (Gremin). Conductor: Michael Schønwandt. I sincerely do not hope, this is what the Royal Danish Opera gets (rather: Has chosen) instead of the

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-32370554608277110702009-11-06T16:46:00.000+01:002009-11-07T00:20:03.913+01:00

Irmgard Seefried - lieder. 2-CD release of previously released material. Released 2007. Further information including track-list here.German soprano Irmgard Seefried (1919-1988) was an ensemble member of the Vienna State Opera in the socalled golden period of the 1050´s, contemporary with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Lisa della Casa, Christa Ludwig. A lyric soprano, among her operatic roles she was

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-46091598198744908272009-11-05T19:21:00.006+01:002012-01-28T17:36:48.269+01:00

Eugene Onegin. Paris Palais Garnier 2008. Director: Dmitri Tcherniakov. Cast: Mariusz Kwiecien (Eugene Onegin), Tatiana Monogarova (Tatiana), Andrey Dunaev (Lenski), Margarita Mamsikova (Olga), Anatoli Kotcherga (Gremin). Conductor: Alexandre Vedernikov with the Bolshoi orchestra and choir. It is not a small thing to update the Russian National Opera, a project even young director Dmitri

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-53416078078408938162009-11-05T14:19:00.000+01:002009-11-07T00:34:49.543+01:00

Macbeth. Metropolitan Opera 2008, previously shown in HD theaters. Director: Adrian Noble. Cast includes: Maria Guleghina (Lady Macbeth), Zeljo Lucic (Macbeth), Dmitri Pittas (Macduff), John Relyea (Banquo). Conductor: James Levine. Further information here.Directed by the former manager of the Royal Shakespeare Company Adrian Noble, this Macbeth is set in the 20th century against a consistently

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-55065908292417626982009-10-01T15:59:00.001+02:002012-01-28T23:07:38.797+01:00

Rosenkavalier. DVD. Baden-Baden 2009. Production: Conductor: Christian Thielemann. Cast: Renée Fleming (Marschallin), Sophie Koch (Octavian), Diana Damrau (Sophie), Franz Hawlata (Ochs), Jonas Kaufmann (A Singer). This production has so many things going for it and yet somehow it narrowly misses the mark. First of all, Herbert Wernicke´s production is wonderful: First seen in Salzburg 1995 and

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-88575313397722019682009-09-20T23:20:00.000+02:002010-02-02T21:24:09.665+01:00

Anna Netrebko and Massimo Giordano in Copenhagen. September 19th, 2009. Emmanuel Villaume conducts the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.As part of a minor tour, Anna Netrebko and Massimor Giordano visited Copenhagen, complete with pre-printed programme. Netrebko´s first-ever visit in Copenhagen.The exact happenings of the concert is described in detail here, suffice to say that this was

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-10200271087517094962009-07-24T17:20:00.007+02:002009-11-06T21:05:22.648+01:00

A better casting for the male leads of Don Giovanni is hard to imagine. Unfortunately the ladies did not quite live up to their male counterparts. According to himself, this was Bryn Terfel´s last performance of Don Giovanni as the Don.Manfred Honeck conducted the Verbier Festival Orchestra for this concert performance on July 20th 2009.

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-83050223782999545362009-07-22T22:50:00.012+02:002012-01-28T17:33:45.628+01:00

Isabel Leonard and Bo Skovhus German director Claus Guth´s Mozart-Da Ponte trilogy concludes at this years Salzburg Festival with Cosí fan tutte featuring a superb cast including Miah Persson, Bo Skovhus, Isabel Leonard (a superstar of tomorrow) and Patricia Petibon. Adam Fischer conducts the Vienna Philharmonics. Those familiar with Claus Guth´s previous work such as the psychoanalytic Nozze di

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-71584515880350262392009-05-12T00:19:00.012+02:002009-05-12T01:40:00.681+02:00

Jonas Kaufmann, tenor. Helmut Deutsch, piano. Glyptoteket, Copenhagen. May 8th 2008.This liederabend in the context of the series of Helge Jacobsen concerts marked German tenor Jonas Kaufmann´s first performance in Denmark, which took place in the intimate venue all of the New Carlsberg Glypotek. Jonas Kaufmann is naturally confindent and authoritative on stage. He clearly commands the language,

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-76548695455271796302009-05-07T00:47:00.003+02:002009-05-07T00:51:34.094+02:00

Classical comedian Anna Russell´s analysis of the Nibelungen Ring has become almost legendary. Here from her (first) farewell tour in 1984:Posted on YouTube by YvonneDesire

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-25057623084524409352009-05-07T00:43:00.000+02:002009-05-07T00:44:19.236+02:00

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-78813524470648863532009-04-16T23:54:00.003+02:002009-05-05T00:05:14.696+02:00

Waltraud Meier´s performance of Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera 1997 is by many, perhaps also by herself, considered one of the low points of her career. Waltraud Meier said of the experience: "I have enormous respect for Zeffirelli, but our two styles just didn't match..The staging was folkloristic, with horses on stage and that sort of thing. It was the most horrible time, but I don't think

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-47043959774955379062009-04-15T23:33:00.007+02:002012-01-28T17:41:42.482+01:00

Lohengrin, Berlin State Opera, April 12th 2009. Production: Stefan Herheim. Cast: Klaus Florian Vogt (Lohengrin), Dorothea Röschmann (Elsa), Michaela Schuster (Ortrud), Gerd Grochowski (Telramund), Markus Brück (Herald), Kwangchul Youn (Heinrich). Conductor: Daniel Barenboim. Further information here. Norwegian director Stefan Herheim has become one of the most sought-after directors after his

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-63019530369187081742009-04-14T12:00:00.004+02:002010-03-01T19:19:13.210+01:00

Jenufa. Bavarian State Opera, April 11th 2009. Production: Barbara Frey. Cast: Eva-Maria Westbroek (Jenufa), Deborah Polaski (Kostelnicka), Stefan Margita (Laca), Joseph Kaiser (Steva), Helga Dernesch (Burya). Conductor: Kirill Petrenko. Further information here.That Eva-Maria Westbroek (born 1971) spend the initial years of her career with endless and futile auditions leading her nowhere must

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-38968662444250671412009-04-13T22:15:00.005+02:002012-01-27T17:56:23.265+01:00

Tosca. Zurich Opera, April 9th 2009. Production: Robert Carsen. Cast: Emily Magee (Tosca), Jonas Kaufmann (Cavaradossi), Thomas Hampson (Scarpia). Conductor: Carlo Rizzi. Further information here. All the ingredients were there: As starry cast, a stylish director as well as a beautiful (and sold-out) auditorium. Nevertheless, the evening never really took off. Canadian director Robert Carsen

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-35100201813395945702009-04-11T10:35:00.008+02:002009-04-13T19:48:24.336+02:00

Verdi Requiem. Berlin Philharmonie, April 9th 2009. Soloists: Anja Harteros, Luciana D´Intino, Guiseppe Filianoti, René Pape. Conductor: Daniel Barenboim with La Scala orchestra and chorus.The short version:A smashing performance of the Verdi Requiem in the Berlin Philharmonie.Superb La Scala Chorus.René Pape is back in super-shape.The long(er) version:Dedicated to the victims of the recent

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-80669677840423660972009-04-05T19:57:00.003+02:002009-04-05T20:24:01.676+02:00

Stephanie Blythe sings Brahms, Wagner and Mahler. 2004. Further information here.American mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe (born 1970) continue to receive rave reviews for her performances, most notably at the Metropolitan Opera in parts such as Orfeo (Gluck), Fricka (Walküre) and Ulrica (Ballo di Maschera). Her European performances are rather scarce, a contributory factor without doubt being her

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-19736681929717207252009-04-05T10:19:00.004+02:002012-01-28T17:42:14.968+01:00

Norwegian director Stefan Herheim´s new production of Lohengrin opened yesterday, April 4th at the Berlin State Opera. Cast included Klaus Florian Vogt, Dorothea Röschmann (in her role debut as Elsa), Kwangchul Youn (replacing René Pape). Daniel Barenboim conducted. The premiere has been surrounded by more than the usual dose of controversy/press hysteria as Stefan Herheim and Daniel Barenboim

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-53440775678804084242009-03-16T08:00:00.004+01:002009-03-16T10:17:33.723+01:00

Fascinating and rare rehearsal footage from Wieland Wagner´s legendary 1965 Bayreuth Festival Ring, conducted by Karl BöhmRheingold with Theo Adam, Gustav Neidlinger, Wolfgang Windgassen etc: Walküre Act 1 with Léonie Rysanek and James King:Walküre 2 with Martti Talvela etc: Götterdämmerung - including Birgit Nilsson, Josef Greindl, Anja Silja:Published by ringburg on YouTube.

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-57811287180894583592009-03-15T21:00:00.000+01:002009-03-15T21:01:15.009+01:00

Swedish operatic lyric mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman (born 1970), whom some may remember as a stunning Miss Julie in Philippe Boesmans opera in Aix-en-Provence (or on DVD), just won the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest Final with "La Voix", a rather strange mix of Nessun Dorma and synthesizer pop. She will now represent Sweden in the Eurovision final in Moscow.Upcoming engagements include

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-14126939582619232102009-03-14T23:30:00.000+01:002009-03-14T23:58:34.406+01:00

I hereby present "The alternative Metropolitan Opera Anniversary Gala" introducing 10 top artists: 8 singers, 1 director and 1 conductor. All active today enjoying high-profile careers - everywhere else but at The Met. All artists have in common that they have never appeared at the Met, for more, or rather less, obvious reasons.Artists known (at least to me) to make their debuts in upcoming

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-49915928677993188272009-03-12T12:50:00.006+01:002009-03-26T22:19:06.287+01:00

Due to illness René Pape will not appear at the MET Gala this Sunday. Instead, John Tomlinson will sing from Boris Godunov and James Morris will sing Wotan. And John Relyea will sing "Veau D´Or".Furthermore, René Pape will be replaced by Kwangchul Youn in the April 4th premiere of Lohengrin in Berlin.

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Parsifal. Berlin State Opera, March 9th. Director: Eichinger. Cast: Plácido Domingo (Parsifal), Waltraud Meier (Kundry), Robert Holl (Gurnemanz), Hanno Müller-Brachmann (Amfortas), Christof Fischesser (Klingsor). Conductor: Daniel Barenboim. Further information here.There were two major differences between the performance of March 6th and that of yesterday: First, and most importantly, Daniel

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-62169316992458256392009-03-09T11:00:00.000+01:002010-02-26T20:59:22.891+01:00

Manon Lescaut. Cast: Karita Mattila (Manon), Marcelo Giordani (des Grieux). Conductor: James Levine. Further information here.Not a production adding to Peter Gelb´s image of The Met as a modern opera house, this Manon Lescaut looks mostly like the dusty interiors of a museum, and by the way has already been released on DVD decades ago with Plácido Domingo and Renata Scotto. As Manon, Karita

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-50180458562809763292009-03-09T09:00:00.006+01:002009-03-09T12:56:25.853+01:00

Carmen. Deutsche Oper Berlin, March 8th 2009. Production: Schumacher revision of 1979 production. Cast: Angelika Kirchschlager (Carmen), Massimo Giordano (Don José), Michaela Kaune (Micaëla), Raymond Aceta (Escamillo). Conductor: Yves Abel. Further information here.Not even 3 months ago, director Jürgen Gosch had to cancel this new Carmen at the Deutsche Oper due to illness, leaving the house

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The past 4 days (March 5-8th) Karita Mattila and Christian Thielemann have appeared together in three concerts with the Munich Philharmonics in Munich. Karita Mattila´s contribution to this all-Strauss programme was to sing Drei Hymnen.Volker Boser writes in Abendzeitung (not online):You have to thank Christian Thielemann for finally allowing us to see this extraordinary Finnish soprano live

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-90149564997629963822009-03-08T14:19:00.007+01:002009-03-08T14:58:00.462+01:00

Rosenkavalier. Berlin State Opera, March 7th 2009. Production: Nicolas Brieger. Cast: Angela Denoke (Marschallin), Magdalena Kožená (Octavian), Sylvia Schwartz (Sophie), Peter Rose (Ochs), Hans-Joachim Ketelsen (Faninal). Conductor: Asher Fisch. Further information here.The main interest in this revival of Briegers stylish Rosenkavalier production at the Berlin State Opera was Dorothea Röschmann

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-74359007908437482162009-03-07T12:27:00.020+01:002009-03-07T16:22:44.136+01:00

Parsifal. Berlin State Opera. March 6th 2009. Cast: Plácido Domingo (Parsifal), Waltraud Meier (Kundry), Matti Salminen (Gurnemanz), Christof Fischesser (Klingsor), Hanno Müller-Brachmann (Amfortas). Conductor: Daniel Barenboim. Further information here.The Parsifal production of the Berlin State Opera is by film-maker Bernd Eichinger from 2005 and described in detail at my last visit two years

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-60209186448493746802009-03-05T08:00:00.002+01:002009-03-06T23:29:10.475+01:00

Worst possible (well almost) opera news of the week (the season??, the year??):Matti Salminen replaces René Pape in the Barenboim-conducted Berlin Parsifal on Friday. Notwithstanding I am a big fan of Salminen, and Plácido Domingo and Waltraud Meier are both appearing as well, I must admit I shall probably have to sell my ticket. Which at least shouldn´t be a problem.And, as of Wednesday, a look

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The 2009-10 Los Angeles Opera Ring will be directed by Achim Freyer and conducted by James Conlon.Rheingold and Walküre opens Spring 2009. Three complete cycles will be given in 2010.A website has been set up for the LA Ring with plenty of information.75-year German director Achim Freyer, a former pupil of Bertold Brecht has worked with opera for 30 years, staging many world premieres. Freyer´s

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The biggest prize (in monetary terms) of the classical music world, The Birgit Nilsson Prize, awarding one million dollars to the winner was awarded for the first time, the winner being: Plácido Domingo.The identity of the first winner was already decided by Birgit Nilsson before her death and has until now been kept in a sealed envelope. The prize will be awarded every second or third year, the

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-80067241253603245402009-02-18T01:21:00.001+01:002009-02-18T01:21:00.501+01:00

Christianne Stotijn with Julius Drake: Tchaikovsky romances. Released January 2009. Further information here.Dutch mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn (born 1977) seems set on making an international singing career centered around concert- and liedsinging and just released her fourth solo album "Tchaikovsky romances" on Onyx.What genuinely places Christianne Stotijn apart from the vast majority of

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-91778642012127156582009-02-16T19:32:00.018+01:002009-02-16T22:53:20.109+01:00

Faust. Berlin State Opera, February 15th, 2009 (premiere). Production: Karsten Wiegand. Cast: Charles Castronovo (Faust), René Pape (Méphistophéles), Marina Poplavskaya (Marguerite), Silvia de la Muela (Siebel), Roman Trekel (Valentin). Conductor: Alain Altinoglu. Further information here.Initially we see Méphistopheles and Faust as Franciscan monks in front of a black wall, Méphistophéles

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-42293326010638025042009-02-15T17:30:00.001+01:002009-02-15T17:39:07.628+01:00

Die Ägyptische Helena. Berlin Deutsche Oper, February 14th 2009. Production: Marco-Arturo Marelli. Cast: Ricarda Merberth (Helena), Robert Chafin (Menelaos), Laura Aikin (Aithra), Morten Frank Larsen (Altair). Coductor: Andrew Litton. Further information here Apparently Richard Strauss and Hofmannsthal were surprised by the lack of success of Die Ägyptische Helena when it opened in 1928 at the

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-48359478037076986432009-02-15T05:49:00.001+01:002009-02-15T17:13:54.809+01:00

Carmen. Royal Opera Covent Garden 2006. Production: Francesca Zambello. Cast: Anna Caterina Antonacci (Carmen), Jonas Kaufmann (Don José), Ildebrando D´Arcangelo (Escamillo), Norah Amsellem (Micaëla). Conductor: Antonio Pappano. Further information here.Director Francesca Zambello opted to create a "realistically desolate" production of Carmen for the Royal Opera in order to reflect on the

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-19359652243648737612009-02-10T20:50:00.000+01:002009-02-10T20:50:07.799+01:00

Officially, the Metropolitan has announced the 2009-10 HD season:Tosca, October 10 – Levine; Mattila, M. Álvarez, Uusitalo, PlishkaAida, October 24 – Gatti; Urmana, Zajick, Botha, Guelfi, Scandiuzzi, KocánTurandot, November 7 – Nelsons; Guleghina, Poplavskaya, Giordani, RameyLes Contes d’Hoffmann, December 19 – Levine; Kim, Netrebko, Gubanova, Garanča, Villazón, PapeDer Rosenkavalier, January 9 –

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DVD reviews listed alphabetically by the composer BÁRTOK, BÉLA Duke Bluebeards Castle - film by Kováts 1981. Solti (c) BEETHOVEN, LUDWIG VAN Fidelio - Metropolitan Opera 2002; Flimm (d), Levine (c) Fidelio - Zurich 2004; Flimm (d), Harnoncourt (c) Missa Solemnis. Recorded in 2005 at the reopening of the Dresdner Frauenkirche. Fabio Luisi (c) BELLINI, VINCENZO I Puritani - Metropolitan Opera

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-63681661344908938632009-02-08T22:00:00.000+01:002009-02-08T22:48:39.435+01:00

Anna Caterina Antonacci: Era la notte. Released 2006. Further information here.Giramo´s La Pazza, Monteverdi´s Lamento d'Arianna and Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda as well as Strozzi´s Lamento.Such is the content of soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci´s as yet only solo-disc released in 2006. A soprano, of whom it is often said, that she should be experienced live to be fully appreciated.

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-23018358291286051692009-02-08T10:34:00.007+01:002009-11-06T21:45:47.863+01:00

2009-10 opera house schedules (mostly) in Europe:Amsterdam, De Nederlandse OperaBarcelona LiceuBavarian State Opera (Munich)Berlin Deutsche OperBerlin Komische OperBerlin State Opera Bruxelles La MonnaieDanish Royal Opera, CopenhagenDresden SemperoperFrankfurt OperHamburgische StaatsoperLepzig OperaLondon, English National OperaLondon Royal OperaMadrid, Teatro RealMilan, Teatro alla ScalaOslo,

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-38807394460289385662009-01-19T01:05:00.004+01:002010-03-01T19:05:14.480+01:00

Elina Garanca: Bel canto. Arias from Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti. With Filharmonia del Teatro Communale di Bologna. Released by DG January 2009. Conductor: Roberto Abbado. Appearances by Ildebrando d´Arcangelo and Ekaterina Siurina. Further information and tracklist on the album website here.32-year Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca recently stated in an interview that she tends to move

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-10088072631433795542009-01-19T00:30:00.004+01:002009-01-19T03:02:45.944+01:00

Mission completed, so to speak.Seven versions of the Nibelungen Ring are commercially available on DVD, all of which are as of now extensively reviewed on this site.In chronological order (ranking by my personal preference in the parenthesis):1. Bayreuth 1980: Chéreau/BoulezThe legendary "Centenary Ring" from 1976, commemorating the centennial of the world premiere of the Ring. Notable for

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-57791053023041677982009-01-18T18:20:00.002+01:002009-01-24T20:04:41.506+01:00

Der Ring des Nibelungen (complete). Stuttgart Opera 2002-3. Production: Joachim Schlömer, Christof Nel, Wieler/Morabito, Peter Konwtischny. Conductor: Lothar Zagrosek. Further information here. Overview and general commentsAt some point during the 1990´s Stuttgart Opera manager Klaus Zehelein conceived the idea of simply dividing the Nibelungen Ring Tetralogy into four independent operas. Whether

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-85357676350326179022009-01-12T20:45:00.004+01:002009-01-12T21:13:06.122+01:00

For anyone wishing to engage in a serious discussion of Peter Grimes, these are the two cornerstone interpreters you will need to familiarize yourself with:Peter Pears (1910-1986), the original creator of Peter Grimes in 1945 and Benjamin Britten´s lifelong partner. Peter Pears´ Peter Grimes is a light-voiced, lyrical dreamer, here from the 1969 BBC film, released on DVD in the Mad Scene:A

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Tan Dun: The First Emperor. Metropolitan Opera 2007. Production: Zhang Yimou . Cast: Plácido Domingo (The first emperor), Elizabeth Futral (his daughter), Paul Groves (Jianli), Michelle DeYoung (Shaman). Conductor: Tan Dun. Further information here.There are many fine aspects to Tan Dun´s opera The First Emperor, which received its world-premiere at the Metropolitan Opera 2006: The rhythms in the

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Peter Grimes. Metropolitan Opera 2008. Production: John Doyle. Cast: Anthony Dean Griffey (Peter Grimes), Patricia Racette (Ellen Orford), Anthony Michaels-Moore (Bastrode), Teddy Tahu Rhodes (Ned Keene), Jill Grove (Auntie), Felicity Palmer (Mrs Sedley), Anthony Michaels-Moore (Balstrode). Conductor: Donald Runnicles. Further information here.Whatever else you may think of John Doyles 2008

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-16934973336534059792009-01-07T00:05:00.001+01:002012-01-28T17:32:52.949+01:00

Tristan and Isolde. Zurich Opera, December 18th 2008. Production: Claus Guth. Cast: Nina Stemme (Isolde), Ian Storey (Tristan), Michelle Breedt (Brangäne), Alfred Muff (King Marke), Martin Gantner (Kurwenal). Conductor: Ingo Metzmacher. Further information here. For this new Zurich Opera production of Tristan and Isolde, German director Claus Guth chose to play out the love affair (rather: The

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-9609209166987935322009-01-06T01:00:00.001+01:002009-01-06T02:26:28.523+01:00

Hansel and Gretel. Metropolitan Opera 2007. Production: Richard Jones. Cast: Christine Schäfer (Gretel), Alice Coote (Hänsel), Philip Langridge (Witch), Alan Held (father), Rosalind Plowright (mother). Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski. Further information here.Richard Jones´ production of Hänsel and Gretel has previously been seen at the Welsh National Opera and Lyric Opera Chicago before traveling

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René Pape: King Marke´s monologue (Tristan and Isolde, Act 2). Claudio Abbado conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, 2004:Posted by ancentre on YouTube

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Christine Schäfer: Winterreise. With Eric Schneider (piano). Released 2006. Further information here.Being a high, lyric soprano, Christine Schäfers 2006 recording of this baritone/mezzo or lower standard fare is most courageous. Not the least since her interpretation is entirely compelling. Christine Schäfer´s approach to Winterreise is cool, clear and unsentimental applying an an almost

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Lady Macbeth from Mtsensk. Amsterdam 2006. Production: Martin Kusej. Cast: Eva-Maria Westbroek (Katerina), Christopher Ventris (Sergei). Conductor: Mariss Jansons with the Concertgebouw. Further information here. A winner from start to end: Martin Kusej´s 2006 Amsterdam production of Lady Macbeth from Mtsensk, which will play at the Paris Bastille Opera in January 2009. I simply cannot imagine a

mostly opera...http://www.blogger.com/profile/05653818157295091506noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5483678492345755723.post-41101474304904011282009-01-03T18:32:00.002+01:002009-01-04T03:29:38.973+01:00

Photo from a concert in New York with Boulez and the Lucerne OrchestraDas lied von der Erde. Copenhagen, November 28th, 2008. Soloists: Anna Larsson and Robert Dean Smith. Thomas Dausgaard conducts the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Details here.With tears streaming down her cheeks, Swedish contralto Anna Larsson proved why she probably is the finest Mahler contralto on stage today in this

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