Met Radio Broadcasts Archived on BBC Radio 3

Opera on 3

I was reminded the other day that BBC Radio 3 transmits the Met Saturday broadcasts. Not only that, they archive each one for about 30 days. This means if you had other things you had to do yesterday and couldn’t set aside six hours to listen to the fabulous performance of Parsifal, that you still have time to do so.

As of this writing, they also have archived recordings of Tosca, Il Trovatore, and L'elisir d'amore. Of course, they also broadcast other opera performances from the UK and Europe. I still find the website a bit difficult to navigate; but perseverance pays off. You can always explore while you’re listening to the archives.

Benjamin Appl: Life as a Singer (BBC Interview)

German baritone Benjamin Appl didn't just suddenly appear on the music scene (Barihunks® has been following him for a bit), but he's new on my horizon. I am borderline obsessed with his recent Schwarzenberg Schubert recital (still available from Ö1 Radio for a few more days). 

Although still young, Benjamin has been busy, studying and performing in Europe, the UK, and the United States.  He is a BBC New Generation Artist; and during the 2015/16 season he also will be an ECHO Rising Stars artist, appearing in recital at the major venues throughout Europe. A few of his recital performances can be found on YT (stay tuned); and I am on the lookout for a recording of his recent Wigmore performance (broadcast on BBC Radio 3 a few months ago), and any others that may be out there. 

Here is Herr Appl's recent interview with the BBC:

Other People's Blogs

The Eyes Have It points us to a great interview with conductor Marin Alsop on BBC's Desert Island Discs. (You can download this show as a podcast, too.)

Dorothea Röschmann – An Appreciation alerts us to a new recital recording by...you guessed it: Dorothea Röschmann!

Over at opera, innit, dehggial didn't like Prokofiev's Love for Three Oranges; but at least now we know where to find it at YT.

Come on Manon, let's go!

I used to think (in my young childhood*) the opera was called Manon, Let's Go. And it's not totally nonsensical. I mean, when you think about it, that's basically what Des Grieux and Lescaut say to her in Act 2 while she's busy scooping up her jewelry instead of running from the police. 

Anyway, the reason for this post is to highlight the bounty of "making of" videos the ROH has posted for their new production of Puccini's Manon Lescaut. (This was Puccini's first big hit. Apparently, he could easily have retired and lived off his profits from Edgar and Manon. But fortunately, he didn't rest on his laurels, or he never would have written La Boheme, and a few other big hits!)

Blogger eyesometric provides us with a bunch of other links about this production, and also reminds us that the BBC Radio 3 will be broadcasting a live performance of this new production from the ROH featuring Kristine Opolais, Jonas Kaufmann, and Christopher Maltman with Anthony Pappano waving the stick. 

Meanwhile, here are those videos:

*Yes, I was already listening to opera as a young child. I used to record the Met broadcasts on my reel-to-reel for frequent playback. One that I listened to over and over was an Ariadne with Tatiana Troyanos and…well, I didn’t care about who else was in it at that point. 

Three Rs: Rosenkavalier, Röschmann, and aRiodante (not together)

Der infamous Rosenkavalier from Glyndebourne (Video available for about 6 days.)

Dorothea Röschmann singing Faure, Liszt (somewhat surprisingly), Strauss, and Wolf (less surprising) in recital from Wigmore on Radio BBC 3 (For about 7 more days.)

Handel’s Ariodante in a 1997 performance from the Concertgebouw on Radio 4 Concerthuis (for about 16 more days) with Anne Sofie von Otter, Richard Croft, Marc Minkowski, and others.

Kaufmann – Winterreise: The Recording & Werther: The Lost Audio

Those who were able to see the Live in HD broadcast of Massenet's Werther on Saturday witnessed the technical difficulty the Met experienced and missed the audio for a chunk of the finale. (Those of us listening to the radio broadcast at home heard the whole opera, but of course didn't get to see any of it.)

By way of apology, the Met posted the final scene from Saturday's broadcast. Thanks to Intermezzo for sharing this link. (This is why I keep up with other people's blogs.)

The BBC Radio 3 will be airing Saturday's radio broadcast on Monday afternoon (March 17) at 2 PM London time (6 PM U.S. Eastern time). 

Jonas Kaufmann was interviewed on the radio last week about his Met Werther, his brand new Winterreise recording, and live opera on video. (Sorry for the email chime in the middle of the Schubert song.)

Reminder of Online Operas to be Thankful for (Some for a limited time!)

Video

If you haven't watched La Clemenza di Tito from La Monnaie yet, you have only a few more days to do so. Go watch it. Now!

And, for one day only, the Bayerische Staatsoper's new production of Die Frau Ohne Schatten starting at 6 PM (CET), which is around noon New York time on Sunday, December 1.  

Audio

Next Monday and for seven days thereafter, you can hear the recent Wozzeck from Covent Garden with Simon Keenlyside and Karita Mattila on BBC Radio 3.

Dvorak's Armida is still available for listening (for a few days) at Sveriges Radio, who also have a recent performance of Britten's Gloriana (also Covent Garden, with a cast including Toby Spence and Kate Royal) for about a month. 

Finally, the latest Orfeo ed Euridice from Paris with Franco Fagioli as Orfeo and Malin Hartelius (sigh) as Euridice (yes, it's in Italian, which actually sounded rather odd (but awesome) to me, since the most recent performances I've heard were in French) on francemusique.com. This wonderful performance is available for about four weeks. 

ROH on BBC (Radio 3)

Royal Opera House, Convent Garden performances on BBC Radio 3:

·         Les Vêpres siciliennes – Monday  18 November (Available Now!)

·         Wozzeck – Monday 2 December, 7.30pm

·         Parsifal (Live) – Wednesday 11 December, 4.45pm

·         Capriccio – Saturday 4 January, 7.30pm

·         Elektra – Monday 17 February, 7.30pm

All broadcasts will be available afterwards on BBC iPlayer. (Usually for about a week.)

Thanks to baritone (Official) Gerald Finley for calling our attention to the broadcasts, particularly his upcoming performance as Amfortas in Parsifal. Mr. Finley discusses Parsifal in this clip:

Watching the Radio – Soprano Sendungen von Ö1

Joyce, Anna, Nuria, and Miah

If you have the kind of trouble I have finding programmes on BBC Radio 3, and you can’t access U-toob* at work, you can at least listen to the broadcast from the Last Night of the Proms on my new favorite radio station, Austria’s Ö1. Of course, it’s a great listen, plus it’s fun to hear the Austrian announcer pronounce “Last Night of the Proms” perfectly, then stumble over “DiDonato.” The program is on 7 Tage, and is available for a few more days online or on your mobile Ö1 app.  

Two on 3 – Werner Güra and Dorothea Röschmann's Recitals from Edinburgh and One on 1 – Christian Gerhaher im Salzburg

Listen now:

Werner Güra and Christoph Berner

Werner Güra (tenor) and Christoph Berner (piano) perform music by Beethoven and Schubert.

German tenor Werner Güra and pianist Christoph Berner perform live at the Edinburgh International Festival. Love and longing, life and loss are explored in this song recital of works by Beethoven and Schubert.

Hampson on Hardtalk – Opera May be Expensive, but it’s not Elitist

Thomas Hampson is one of our best ambassador/advocates for opera for  and to the people. He is down to earth, well-spoken, accessible, and of course, one of our many favorite baritiones! Here is a interview aired today on BBC 3 Radio on the program Hardtalk, a chat program of  interviews with the world's leading politicians, thinkers and cultural figures. Here is the intro to the chat: 

"Opera is one of the least watched art forms in the world, and possibly the most expensive. Hardtalk speaks to opera superstar Thomas Hampson. He says the way to get people to love opera is to get them to understand it, and then it has the power to transform. If he is right, could one of the most elite and expensive art forms have worldwide appeal?" 

Listen to it on iPlayer for 7 more days and/or listen and/or download it as a podcast.

Wagner's Ring at the Proms on BBC Radio 3

•    Wagner: Der Ring des Niebelungen 
     from the Proms
     Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim conductor
  
  
  
  The first two operas can be heard on BBC Radio 3 now; the rest are on their way.
  
  

Das Rhinegold (7/22)

Iain Paterson baritone (Wotan)

Anna Larsson mezzo-soprano (Erda)

Johannes Martin Kränzle baritone (Alberich)

Eric Halfvarson bass (Fafner)

Die Walküre (7/23)

Bryn Terfel bass-baritone (Wotan)

Eric Halfvarson bass (Hunding)

Simon O'Neill tenor (Siegmund)

Anja Kampe soprano, Proms debut artist (Sieglinde)

Nina Stemme soprano (Brünnhilde)

Ekaterina Gubanova mezzo-soprano (Fricka)

Siegfried (7/26)

Lance Ryan tenor, Proms debut artist (Siegfried)

Nina Stemme soprano (Brünnhilde)

Terje Stensvold baritone (Wanderer)

Peter Bronder tenor (Mime)

Götterdämmerung (7/28)

Nina Stemme soprano (Brünnhilde)

Andreas Schager tenor (Siegfried)

Mikhail Petrenko bass (Hagen)

Gerd Grochowski baritone (Gunther)

Also coming up:

Tristan und Isolde (7/27)

Tannhauser (8/4)

Parsifal (8/25)

Rossini: La Donna del Lago on BBC Radio 3

I highly recommend heading over to BBC Radio 3 some time within the next six days to listen to a complete performance of Rossini's La Donna del Lago from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

Before you do, take a look at this preview. The featured singers (Joyce DiDonato, Juan Diego Florez, to name two) offer an overview of the plot, and you get to see some behind the scenes rehearsal footage. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon (or Tuesday evening, or whatever)!

Cool, huh? But wait, there’s more. Here’s JDF singing O fiamma soave:

Keenlyside, Stoyanova, Breslik in Eugene Onegin on BBC Radio 3

BBC Radio 3 broadcasts the Royal Opera House production of Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin today at 1:00 PM New York time; 6 PM London time. If, like me, you're not able to listen today, the recording should be available for replay for about a week.

Tatyana ..... Krassimira Stoyanova (soprano)

Eugene Onegin ..... Simon Keenlyside (baritone)

Madame Larina ..... Diana Montague (mezzo-soprano)

Filipyevna ..... Kathleen Wilkinson (mezzo-soprano)

Olga ..... Elena Maximova (mezzo-soprano)

A Peasant Singer ..... Elliot Goldie (tenor)

Lensky ..... Pavol Breslik (tenor)

Monsieur Triquet ..... Christoph Mortagne (tenor)

A Captain ..... Michel de Souza (baritone)

Zaretsky ..... Jihoon Kim (bass)

Prince Gremin ..... Peter Rose (bass)

Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

Robin Ticciati, conductor

Wagner 200: The Flying Dutchman @ BBC Radio 3 – Anja Kampe and Bryn Terfel

Wagner 200: The Flying Dutchman

BBC Radio 3 recently broadcast the 2009 Royal Opera House production of The Flying Dutchman, starring Bryn Terfel as the ghostly sea captain and Anja Kampe as Senta (both shown at left). 

Andrew Clements of The Guardian said Terfel's ...performance is mesmerising – hauntingly well-sung..." and Fiona Maddocks (also at The Guardian) noted, "Anja Kampe's Senta— nervy, intense, powerful in high fortissimo passages, tenderly inflected and sinuously acted—was outstanding."

The recording is available for about 3 more days.

Wagner: Derfliegende Höllander (The Flying Dutchman)

The Dutchman ..... Bryn Terfel (baritone)
Senta ..... Anja Kampe (soprano)
Daland ..... Hans-Peter Konig (bass)
Erik ..... Torsten Kerl (tenor)
Steersman ..... John Tessier (tenor)
Mary ..... Clare Shearer (soprano)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

Marc Albrecht, conductor

BBC Radio 3 Reminder – Britten and Wagner

Here's another chance to hear Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, originally broadcast in March by Bayrische Radio. The BBC will broadcast it on Radio 3, Wednesday May 8. The BBC usually archives these concerts for about a week after the broadcast. 

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde – Stemme und Storey on BBC Radio 3

As Brünnhilde und Siegfried

We have only a few days left to hear the Tristan und Isolde from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on BBC Radio 3.  The BBC SSO recorded each act separately and this is how the BBC is sharing it with us. The links for each act are below. From what I've read (and heard) so far, Acts 1 and 2 are don't-miss events. There were cast changes over the course of the performances, most notably the title characters are different in Act 3. 

So the news is Nina Stemme's Isolde. She recorded it quite a few years ago, so it's good to hear her current take on it. Tristan is Ian Storey (he'll be singing the role next season at Washington National Opera) and he is news, too. 

Bach Marathon for Easter Monday – John Eliot Gardiner

Thanks to Intermezzo for alerting us to Sir John Eliot Gardiner's 9-hour Bach Marathon from the Royal Albert Hall on Monday April 1. You can purchase an all-day standing room ticket for £10. It sounds exhausting and wonderful. 

For those of us who can't be in London next Monday, BBC Radio 3 will be broadcasting the entire programme. 

Parsifal – Excerpt from Act II with Kaufmann and Dalayman

Yes, more about Kaufmann as Parsifal from the Met. This 40-minute clip was just uploaded. 

Given the ephemeral nature of videos at YT, I recommend taking look at it before it disappears again. 

The video quality is not optimal, but it's a nice big chunk of Act 2 for those of us who haven't had a chance to see any of the broadcast to enjoy. Nice too for those who did see it and would like to reminisce a little bit. (BTW, there's less than 24 hours to hear the full radio broadcast over at BBC 3.)

Met Parsifal Replay on BBC Radio 3

I missed the Live in HD cinema transmission of Parsifal. (I'm planning to attend the encore presentation.) But I got to the car and home in time to listen to quite a bit of the performance. If you missed the radio broadcast too, we have about four days more to catch it on-demand from (interestingly) BBC Radio 3. Click here to listen to Parsifal from the Met.  It's complete with entertaining (or annoying, depending on your mood) intermission features.