Gratuitous Friday – Miah Persson: "Lascia ch'io pianga"

This is from Rene Jacobs' 2003 complete recording of Handel's Rinaldo, with Mia Persson as "a lovely Almirena," and the ever-reliable Freiburger Baroqueorchester. It may be the slowest performances of this aria I've ever heard. Halting, yet always moving forward, and beautifully ornamented in the da capo. Sigh!

Another Marriage of Figaro? Really?

Do we need another Le Nozze di Figaro? Well, I do. It's my favorite opera. And Luca Pisaroni as Figaro makes any Nozze a don't-miss performance! In honor of his recent San Francisco appearance (and in lieu of a recording of those performances), here he is. There are some other singers and a conductor, too. 

Figaro – Luca Pisaroni

Susanna – Rosemary Joshua

Il Conte Almaviva – Pietro Spagnoli

La Contessa Almaviva – Annette Dasch

Cherubino – Angelica Kirchschlager

Marcellina – Sophie Pondjiclis

Antonio – Alessandro Svab

Bartolo – Antonio Abete

Don Basilio – Enrico Facini

Barbarina – Pauline Courtin

Don Curzio – Serge Goubioud

Conductor – Rene Jacobs

Monday Mozart – Kenneth Tarver is Arbace (Audio Track)

Arbace is such an ungrateful role. You need a super technique to sing his two arias, yet it's not really a big part. Depending on which version you are in, you're at least the second tenor, or maybe even third! 

So, I was listening to Rene Jacobs' recording of Idomeneo recently, having only just realized that Richard Croft (sigh) sings the lead in this performance. I confess I was listening casually, so when this aria came on, I had to double check who was singing. Who the heck is Kenneth Tarver? Where can I find more of his performances? 

Well, he is also Don Ottavio on Jacobs' Don Giovanni. He is not brand new on the scene, and he's been singing some big roles in big houses, but we definitely need to hear more. I wonder when he will take on the title role in Idomeneo? (He’d also be an awesome Idamante – I am beginning to really like the idea of tenor Idamante – but don’t worry, I am still a Major Mezzo Fan, too!)

Here is Mr. Tarver as Prince Ramiro in La Cenerentola:

Monteverdi Monday – Simon Keenlyside is Orfeo

Here is a young-ish Simon Keenlyside in a beautiful (if slightly strange) production of L'Orfeo, choreographed and directed by Trisha Brown and conducted by Rene Jacobs in 1998. The singing is lovely, the dancing is lively, and you gotta admire all the singing while leaping about. 

                                                                Orfeo is happy 'cause he just married Eurydice.

                                                                We are happy 'cause he is singing & dancing!