More Miah (Interview from 2011) Plus Sarah and John Mark

I was actually doing a search on tenor John Mark Ainsley, which led me to a 2008 interview with mezzo Sarah Connolly, which (obviously?) led me to this Miah Persson interview from 2011. As we know MP became an amazing Donna Elvira and Governess (in Turn of the Screw); and she turned out a rather charming Adina in L'Elisir. So, meanwhile, here she is in (for me) some unexpected repertoire. Can you imagine her Violetta? Sigh!

OK since I mentioned JMA and SC, here are some clips from them, too 

(in more expected repertoire):

More Handel: Theodora from Carnegie Hall – This Sunday at 7

         The English Concert Plays Handel's Theodora

From the WQXR website:

Last month, early-music specialist Harry Bicket came to Carnegie Hall with the English Concert for the latest installment in their Handel project—the rarely heard oratorio Theodora.

Tune in Sunday at 7 pm to hear that performance featuring an all-star lineup of soloists: soprano Dorothea Röschmann, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, countertenor David Daniels, tenor Kurt Streit and bass-baritone Neal Davies.

On choral duties is the Choir of Trinity Wall Street led by Julian Wachner.

Theodora was "Handel's biggest flop and the piece he was most proud of," according to Bicket. But then one could look at other works that "perhaps didn't have such a great reception the first time around and we now appreciate as the masterpieces that they are." Bicket called it a social-political story, influenced by Thomas Paine, among other thinkers, and also an introspective work.

Performers

• The English Concert
  Harry Bicket, Artistic Director and Conductor
• Dorothea Röschmann, Soprano (Theodora)
• Sarah Connolly, Mezzo-Soprano (Irene)
• David Daniels, Countertenor (Didymus)
• Kurt Streit, Tenor (Septimius)
• Neal Davies, Bass-Baritone (Valens)
• The Choir of Trinity Wall Street
  Julian Wachner, Director of Music and the Arts

Update 3/17/2014: It's down there in the comments, but in case you don't make it that far, I wanted to call your attention to the following information from a blog buddy who shared the link to the WQXR archive of this broadcast: 

stray March 17, 2014 at 6:40 PM Wouldn't it be great if some radio station archived it online? Absolutely!

Additional Agrippina from Liceu

Here are three "fan" videos from Handel's Agrippina from Liceu. Aren't smartphones wonderful? (although the sound is a bit wonky on the Danielle clip.)

More Agrippina from Liceu

What I didn't mention in my last Agrippina post is that the staging in Liceu is by David McVicar. (Partly because that’s not as pertinent when listening on the radio.) So far, I haven't seen any naked executioners, but there is cocaine use, some smooth Gene Kelly style hoofing, and an amusing vignette in which Sarah Connolly (not in pants, for a change) and Danielle de Niese show up at a party wearing the same gown. 

Danielle De Niese i Sarah Connolly. (foto: A. Bofill)

These are among the videos (below) that the Gran Teatre del Liceu have shared for us on the Toob of Yooo. Can there be a full video out there on the horizon? 

Sunday Brunch, Expanded Edition – Mezzos in Pants

This is a great U-TOOB playlist featuring one of our favorite opera phenomena: mezzos playing men. This playlist includes Sarah Connolly (a lot), Alice Coote, Joyce DiDonato, Vesselina Karasova, Angelika Kirchschlager, Elina Garanca, Isabel Leonard, Helene Schneiderman, and Kate Lindsey and costars some of our favorite sopranos, too (Miah Persson in at least two!!!)!

And then check out La Clemenza di Tito from La Monnaie for more mezzos in pants. (I have a crush on Swedish mezzo Anna Grevelius as Annio, but I am not sure if I have a crush on her, or on him.)