Must See Medici TV – Stars in Concert and Staatsoper Lulu

...and speaking of Thomas Hampson, here he is in concert, along with some other singers you may have heard of...

I haven't seen it yet, but it's on my holiday weekend to-do list. 

Watch this at Medici.TV

And now for something completely different, there's this: 

Watch the opera here on medici.tv 

Thanks to MediciTV for sharing this for those of us who missed the live stream on StaatsoperTV. I watched Act 1 on Saturday, but had to give up at intermission. The storm was really messing with my internet connection. What I've seen and heard is impressive. DT's production seems to really suit the expressionist tone of the plot and music. (Lulu is my number-one top 20th century opera!) 

And the cast is doing an exceptional job so far, featuring singers well-known for their Mozart interpretations (including two former Belmontes as Alwa and the Painter!) Watch this blog for a full review sometime soon.

As Seen on Facebook – Happy Birthday to Thomas Hampson

Luca Pisaroni

19 hrs · 

HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY!! to my AWESOMEST father-in-law Thomas Hampson.
You are a rockstar!!!! Love you loads!!!!

Catherine Pisaroni shared Luca Pisaroni's photo.

19 hrs · Edited ·

I have the best family EVER and today we celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday. Love you soooo much!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And what a nice photo. Catherine is so fortunate to have these two men in her life! (not to mention those two furry guys, Lenny and Tristan!) 

Lenny & Tristan

Page Liked · 17 hrs · 

Happy birthday!!! We love you!!! 💕💕💕💕 — withThomas Hampson.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Hampson!

Yet Another Reason to Love Rinat Shaham

"I am trying with all my power to do other roles, but as long as my cleavage is more or less up and my vibrato is not wider than a major third, I wouldn’t mind sprinkling my life with Carmens until it’s simply not hirable anymore." 

This quote is from her brief but infomative Parterre Box interview from earlier this week. Among other things, she talks about her repertoire and the benefits (to the singers and the audience) of working with contemporary directors like Stefan Herheim and Krzysztof Warlikowski. In addition to her Carmens, Cherubinos (Cherubini?), and Cendrillions, Ms. Shaham is a rocking Donna Elvira (see yesterday's and other related posts). She's also a gracious Twitter correspondent (@Rinatshaham). More please! 

La Monnaie Don Giovanni – Age Restricted on the Toob

Another opportunity to see/hear the entire performance of Warlikowski's Don G. from La Monnaie. But you have to prove you're old enough. (They probably should make you prove you're open-minded enough!)