Sunday Brunch – Malin Hartelius is Vitellia (La Clemenza in Concert)

This is audio only (and not the greatest sound—although pretty amazing, considering it probably was recorded from inside someone’s vest pocket), but it’s so wonderful to have. I don't know how I missed this. I really need work on my soprano-stalking skills.

Gratuitous Friday – Thomas Ebenstein on "Open Mike Night"

From the Jedermann Bühne (Everyman Stage – kind of an “open mike in the plaza”) in Salzburg, Thomas Ebenstein sings Pedrillo's lovely little ballad from Act 3 of Die Entführung aus dem Serail: Im Mohrenland gefangen war. (The guitarist is not awesome, but then again, he’s not why I posted this clip, is he?) This was recorded this past summer, before the Hangar 7 TV production of Die Entführung.

Servus.TV präsentiert 

Thomas Ebenstein auf die Salzburger Jedermann Bühne

The Rake's Progress on Ö1 Radio

I just noticed that Ö1 Radio broadcast Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress from Vienna’s Theatre an der Wien last weekend. This means we have only about 24 hours left to listen to it on 7 Tage Ö1. I’ve only heard the first 20 or so minutes, but it’s sounding pretty good (including the always-wonderful Arnold Schoenberg Chor.) 

Toby Spence (Tom Rakewell)

Bo Skovhus (Nick Shadow)

Anna Prohaska (Anne Truelove)

Manfred Hemm (Truelove)

Anne Sofie von Otter (Baba the Turk)

Caroline Wilson (Mohter Goose)

Gerhard Siegel (Sellem)

Arnold Schoenberg Chor

ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester

Dirigent: Michael Boder

One More Reason to ReJoyce – Return of The Master Class

From The Yankee Diva herself, on Facebook:

Mark your calendars: October 4  I will return to the Juilliard School for another live-streamed master class! Hope you can tune in!

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ll be there, either right on time, or in time-delay. What a great opportunity to learn about acting, singing, and life!  

If you’ve missed Joyce DiDonato’s recent master classes, or you just want to re-experience the joy, you can see excerpts of her ROH classes and her Julliard classes.

Daniel Behle is a Pearlfisher (in Concert)

I was going to post one of the Ottavio arias from his recent Paris Don Giovanni, then I came across this performance of Nadir's aria, Je crois entendre encore from Bizet's Pêcheurs de Perles. Just when I think Daniel Behle can't impress me any more than he already does, I come across another performance like this. 

Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros Sing Verdi's Requiem at La Scala

This is the new recording of Verdi's Requiem from La Scala. 
We finally watched it last night with the subtitles on (the DVD player's default setting, apparently). I'm not used to following the text so closely during this work, but it was illuminating, particularly in this excerpt. JK is the first tenor I've seen who gives any sense of story line to this piece. The usual story presented is "I'm a tenor, and I am singing this Verdi piece; listen to how beautiful my voice is." In this performance I really get a sense of someone who is more than a little bit worried of what he is going to face on that "day of wrath." 

This aria is not my favorite bit from the Requiem (plus, I generally prefer my Ingemiscos in context), but it it sure is wonderful. And of course, JK and AH are outstanding!

Speaking of Anja Harteros:

Checking out the Lieder Board

I often provide printed texts of the music I post here. If I can find a good translation, I will post that as well.

One of the best sources I have found for opera and lieder translations is a little site called The Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Archive. Actually, the site is not so little. The archive currently indexes 75,564 texts with 17,008 translations to English, French, Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and others; and it is updated almost daily.

Sunday Brunch – Daniel Behle and the Oliver Schnyder Trio

Here are two songs from Schubert's Die Winterreise, concluding the recording sessions by Daniel Behle (recently seen as Don Ottavio in that Paris Don Giovanni) and the Oliver Schnyder Trio on June 17, 2013: "Erstarrung" and "Rückblick" in Daniel Behle's own transcription for tenor and piano trio. They performed this live over the summer, and the recording is due out in November.

A Fanboy's Scrapbook

Since I don't hang posters on my bedroom wall any more.

Luca Pisaroni:

Opening night of "Le Nozze di Figaro" at Royal Opera House!

Gratuitous Friday – More Miah (and Rolando) in L'Elisir

I have a lot to say about this production, but I will save a more lengthy discussion for another day. 

As a director, Rolando is a very good tenor, and of course Miah Persson is a game leading lady (and probably a better director). 

Rolando's s concept is cute; but he either needs to go further with the silent movie camp, or really reel it in (no pun intended). For my money, I'd like to see less mugging and more character. Meanwhile, Adina seems to be a good fit for Ms. Persson. So for now, let's just enjoy Miah and Rolando doing some lovely vocalizing. 

And with this clip, Miah Persson week comes to a close...or does it?

Ask And Ye Shall Recieve – the 2013 Paris Don Giovanni

Just yesterday I wrote that I wished we could see this whole production. Lo, and behold, here it is. The entire opera is embedded below, and if you click here, you can go right to Donna Elvira's entrance for Ah, fuggi traditore! It's Christmas in September!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Don Giovanni (1787) 

Théâtre des Champs-Elysées 2013 

Markus Werba | Don Giovanni
Miah Persson | Donna Elvira
Daniel Behle | Don Ottavio
Sophie Marin-Degor | Donna Anna
Robert Gleadow | Leporello
Serena Malfi | Zerlina
Nahuel Di Pierro | Masetto
Steven Humes | Le Commandeur
Chor des Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
Le Cercle de l’Harmonie
Dirigent | Jérémie Rhorer 

Miah Persson's Spring 2013 Interview

Markus Werba and Miah Persson as Don Giovanni and Donna Elvira

In my Miah Persson research last weekend, I came across this interview. I didn't find it in a magazine or newspaper; it’s actually on her management (Askonas Holt) website. 

I thought since I hadn't seen it before, maybe some of my readers hadn’t come across it yet, either. She gave this interview last Spring,  right after she appeared as Donna Elvira in the Théâtre des Champs Élysées production of Don Giovanni with Markus Werba, Robert Gleadow, and Daniel Behle (and some other sopranos, too, I guess.)

Miah Persson Evokes Tears...well, Mistiness

This is cheating a bit, since it's merely a slightly expanded version of a comment I posted over at The Earworm the other day, entitled Tears and Sarcasm:

I just finished listening to Du bist die ruh’ again; I’m not literally crying, but I am feeling Very Misty. Miah Persson has a way of stretching a phrase till it almost pulls apart, then hugging it back into shape with a warm sigh. (And Roger Vignoles is no slouch, either!) I think I’d better listen again. Twice!

Gerald Finley Master Class Webcast on September 18

We interrupt Miah Persson Week here at Regie, or not Regie to bring you this special bulletin:

Gerald Finley's masterclass at the Royal College of Music will be broadcast live on the RCM website starting at 14.00 this Wednesday September 18th.

For those of us who will be otherwise occupied at 2 PM, London time on Wednesday, this event will appear later on the RCM’s YouTube channel, where you can also now watch recordings of two recent masterclasses, with legendary violinist Ida Haendel and pianist András Schiff.

Monday Morning Mendelssohn (and Handel) with Miah Persson

You know how you hear or see one thing, then that gets you to looking around for more? Well, here’s where that led me this morning. After listening to her recital from September 2, I decided to look for reviews of Miah Persson's performance. I did not find any, but I did come cross this concert:

On September 6, 2013, Miah Persson participated in the season opening concert of the NDR Symphony Orchestra. She sang two beautiful arias with soloists from the NDR Youth Symphony Orchestra—one very familiar (Let the bright Seraphim), and the other brand new to me (Mendelssohn's concert scena, Infelice). 

Sunday Brunch – Miah Persson Sings Grieg

This is the second encore from Miah Persson’s September 2 recital.

Jeg elsker Dig! (I love you!)

Edvard Grieg/Hans Christian Andersen

(We love you, too, Miah!)

Weekend(s) Interrupted

Among the new goodies I did not watch or listen to because I was too busy doing Other Important Things last weekend*:

Tomorrow, I attend the matinee of Tristan und Isolde at Washington National Opera (more about that later...maybe), so these discs will continue to languish on the corner of my desk for another week, along with these:

Die Schöne Mullerin Sing-off – Nine Tenors in 90 Minutes

Ernst Haefliger

I really should just keep my virtual radio tuned to Austria's Ö1. This week on Stimme Hören (Hearing Voices), was a tenor-all-star version of Die Schöne Mullerin, featuring tenors historic and current: from Ernst Haefliger and Aksel Schiotz to Werner Güra and Jonas Kaufmann. It's a Lieder-nerd's paradise!

I guess they figured every good Austrian knows Fritz Wunderlich’s performances by heart, since they refer to him but don't actually play any of his recordings. 

(For an archived recording of this broadcast, click here.)  

Gratuitous Friday – Anja Harteros in September

Anja Harteros sings September from Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs. I had trouble deciding which of the four songs to post. Each one sounded better than the last one. I settled on September, since it's...September (clever, huh?) 

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.  

Die Entfürhung aus Hangar 7 – The Review

From the folks who brought you La Traviata in the Zurich Hauptbahnhof, this Servus TV production, which is part of this summer's Salzberger Festpielen, is novel and pleasant. But ultimately, it’s more of a spectacle than a drama-with-music. 

Clearly, from an acoustic standpoint, an airplane hangar is a less-than-optimal setting for the singers, and ensemble work is occasionally dodgy. On the other hand, given the obstacles, the singers do remarkably well. Of course, such flaws are part of the excitement of live performance. The acting and singing range from OK to quite good and the visuals are almost always fun, fascinating, or at least interesting. All that is to say it’s a fun cool experiment, and if it gets more people even superficially interested in opera, then job well done.

Re-Abducted – Mozart in Hangar 7, Part 2

Blonde (Rebecca Nelsen) rocks out in rehearsal.

1. The wonderful Blonde in this production is Rebecca Nelsen. (She's a new discovery for me but Smorgy interviewed  her a few years ago. I need to catch up!)
2. You can see a much higher quality video than the one on the Tube of Yoo (and some nifty rehearsal photos) at the Servus TV website.

Bad News/Good News from Washington National Opera

Dear WNO patron,

Deborah Voigt, originally scheduled to perform the role of Isolde in Tristan and Isolde September 15–27, has regrettably withdrawn from the production.

Internationally renowned Swedish soprano Iréne Theorin will sing the performances on September 15, 18, 21, and 24. Acclaimed British soprano Alwyn Mellor will sing the final performance on September 27.

So. I am bummed about not seeing Deborah Voigt live and in person (even if only from the cheap seats); but somehow, I just had a feeling she might withdraw (or maybe I heard a rumor). And I am thrilled to get to see and hear Iréne Theorin! 

Below is Theorin's Liebestod from Bayreuth.

Abduction from Hangar 7 – Salzburger Festspiele Fernsehproduktion

On August 26, Hangar-7 at the Salzburg Airport was transformed into an event location resounding with culture, when Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, produced especially for TV viewers in co-production with ServusTV, was broadcast live from there. 

I just found this copy of the broadcast. Watch it before it disappears. We'll chat about it later.

(Updates 9/9/2013: 1. Rebecca Nelsen is Blonde in this production. 2. You can see a much higher quality video at the Servus TV website.) 

Sunday Brunch – Pavol Breslik Sings Franck

Christmas concerts are strange beasts. Sometimes musicians program the darnedest things—probably because, "Hey! It's religious, right?" So we get Ave Maria (pray for us now and at the time of our death) and Panis Angelicus (the sacred body, broken for us) mixed in with O Holy-a Night-a*; O, du fröliche; and the Twelve Days of Christmas. But I guess, when else is a tenor going to get to sing this chestnut in a concert setting? 

Gratuitous Friday – Christian Gerhaher Sings Mahler

Christian Gerhaher has recorded Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer at least twice commercially: once in the original piano version with long-time accompanist Gerold Huber, and once in the Schoenberg transcription with the Hyperion Ensemble. He also has performed the song cycle numerous times with piano or orchestra. Here is a live performance with the Mahler Youth Orchestra.

Now, Herr Gerhaher has an album due out (I guess it is out in some parts of the world) with Kent Nagano and more of Mahler's orchestral songs, including of course, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. 

Even more exciting is his upcoming performance of the cycle this Sunday with the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Digital Concert Hall site. Herr Gerhaher will also participate in a performance of Janacek's Mass. It should be an exciting program.

David Bižić is Figaro in Switzerland

There's still time to catch a flight to Geneva to see David Bižić in Le nozze di Figaro.

David Bižić demonstrates his dance moves as 
Figaro in Le nozze di...

Bernarda Fink Sings Brahms: die Mainacht

I have been a fan of Bernarda Fink's Bach and Handel for a while now; and I have been exploring Lieder of Schumann and Schubert lately. 

OK, those things don't really connect, except they do now. I came across this recording of Brahms Lieder by Frau Fink, and I am enthralled. 

Although I know the symphonies, major choral works, and a lot of piano music by Brahms, I don't know many of his Lieder, (except, of course, Vergebliches Staendchen, and the Weigenlied.) Lots of Lieder texts are about the month of May and/or night; this one is my new favorite (audio player and text are below the jump):

Jonas Kaufmann – No Limits

If he weren't the greatest tenor singing today, he’d sound arrogant. In this nearly-20-minute interview, Jonas Kaufmann talks about Verdi, Don Carlo, and Schiller, among others. Herr Kaufmann clearly has a good perspective on his career. He has brains as well as resonance; and he studies more than just the notes when he learns a role! 

JK also shares his thoughts about updated stagings (Verdi is pretty indestructible, while Puccini is much more tied to his original settings.) (Thanks to Intermezzo for drawing our attention to this fascinating interview.