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!

Passion, Rage, Love, Anger (a Master Class on Donna Elvira)

I love it when Joyce DiDonato works with (and on) aspiring Donna Elviras. This is from JDD's Guildhall masterclasses in the spring of 2015. I try not to miss any of her classes, but somehow, I overlooked this one. Thanks to YouTube algorithms, this video popped up in a sidebar yesterday. Watch and learn about the many facets of Donna Elvira, and JDD's ideas and guidance. She gets a little physical, but I think student soprano Francesca Chiejina survived the session—and came away with a lot more insight to the role. I can't wait to see her on stage!

Gratuitous Friday – Werner Güra Sings Mozart Lieder

Werner Güra and Christoph Berner offer a program of Mozart. Mozart is not the first name that comes to mind when we talk about Lieder. But Werner Gura should be one of the first names that comes to mind when talking about Mozart! Here are some excerpts from a lovely program of Lieder (which are thoughtfully  interspersed with a few of Mozart's solo piano works.)

Then there's a Mozart Chanson. Yup, Mozart set some French texts. That crazy kid!

This recital was just reissued by Harmonia Mundi on their budget label. At full price, this is a wonderful program. At budget price (for CD or mp3 download), this recital of relative Mozart rarities is a must have! 

Alice Coote Talks about Fate, Cross-dressing, and Mozart

Alice Coote, mezzo-soprano. (Benjamin Ealovega)

…and whether men or women are better kissers.

I mentioned the new podcast from WQXR: He Sang She Sang in a recent post. Each week they spend about 20 to 40 minutes discussing the upcoming Met radio (and HD, when applicable) opera broadcast. 

This podcast is a great companion to the more scholarly (and sometimes less engaging) pre-opera lectures from the Met Opera Guild (those are good too; but sometimes they can be a bit stuffy).

Although this episode is hosted by just the “insider,” He Sang She Sang usually has two or three hosts, at least one of whom is an opera neophyte. This lightens the discussion considerably, and…well the conversation is less stuffy (and sometimes just a bit irreverent.) They talk about the upcoming opera and play some musical excerpts. Almost every week they interview someone involved with the current production—often, and most interestingly, one of the singers.

This episode focuses on Alice Coote, even more than on Idomeneo—and that’s not a bad thing! She gives us her take on Mozart, Idomeneo, fate, saying goodbye, and dressing up as a man—among other things. We also get to hear a few excerpts from the 1996 Met recording. On the podcast website, there’s also a link to a clip from the current production.

Go. Listen. Enjoy. And check out the other episodes. Even if you already know all about the opera under discussion, I am sure you’ll enjoy the conversations, the music, and—yes—the fun.

Distanced from L’Amour de Loin

It almost seems too late to bother writing about this performance, but I have thoughts and I like to share them; and I rarely let minor things like good timing get in the way. So here goes.

Kaija Saariaho's L’Amour de Loin is an odd opera; difficult to get “into;” almost an oratorio. But in preparation for the Met Live in HD cine-cast, I found an audio recording; and I took some time with both the official Met podcast and the new He Sang, She Sang offering from WQXR—both of which offer great insights into the piece. I also caught some excerpts from the premiere performances in Salzburg (?) as directed by Peter Sellars. I kind of wish he’d directed this one.

Once again, Robert Lepage focuses on his machinery at the expense of his singers. I must concur with [another blogger, whose name I cannot remember at the moment, but I will fill it in and add a link as soon as I can figure out who it was]**, who wished that Mr. Lepage would let his singers get down on the stage and move about. The lights were pretty and expressive, but the machine was ungainly and drew odd attention to itself. Plus, the chorus looked odd (and uncomfortable) popping up in between the rows of lights to sing. I swear I heard people giggle (not sure if it was in the theater or in the opera house) the first few times the heads of the chorus bobbed up from the “sea.”

Hello, Ragazzi! (Part Four)

I’ve noticed (and no doubt my readers have noticed) that I've been mentioning/referring to Robert Carsen productions frequently in recent posts. This realization made me think. If the Met is going to continue importing some of its “new” productions from other venues (I understand it’s a more economical way to bring in new work than to create every new production from scratch), can we convince them to bring in Robert Carsen’s La Fanciulla del West? Since the Met was the site of Fanciulla’s origin, I think it’s about time we get a new production (or any production for that matter. It’s been 6 years since the last time they presented it.)

Maybe we could cast it with Nina Stemme and Jonas Kaufmann (though I understand he’s travelling outside Europe less due to changes in his domestic life). Alternate tenors: is Brandon Jovanovich ready for this role? He acted a good prince in Rusalka and sang a pretty exciting Florestan in concert a few years ago. How about Anja Kampe or Patricia Racette as Minnie? I am sure there are many other dramatic tenors and sopranos (and barihunks)—who also can act—who could fill out this production. Who would you like to see in a new Fanciulla?

Herheim and Cenerentola – Yes, Please!!

Stefan Herheim's staging of Rossini's La Cenerentola at the Norwegian National Opera. Was it broadcast/streamed? Will it be broadcast/streamed? 

Herr Herheim may not be everyone's cup of tea; but I want to see everything he's touched! He is a director who works from and with the music; and he doesn't have a bad singing voice, either. Fingers crossed that this will appear in some video form (if not already). Meanwhile, let's enjoy this teaser video (as found at The Opera Platform).

Too Many Leaves; Not Enough Sex

Kwiecien and Breslik in Munich- More (implied) sex; fewer leaves.

So, I just chatted with My Uncle (now that Dad has passed on, we'll be hearing more about My Uncle, who is My Dad's younger brother). My Uncle loves opera, choral music, and music in general. He has a beautiful voice, plays piano wonderfully by ear (doesn't read a note of music), and has a rather surreal sense of humor.

He and my cousins saw Eugene Onegin at the Lyric Opera of Chicago last week. Lyric has a pretty stellar cast (Mariusz Kwiecien, Charles Castronovo, Anna Maria Martinez), and the old Met version: Robert Carsen's production with the leaves. My Chicago relatives are not fond of the "new" productions. They prefer rich costuming and scenery to look at as they take in the lovely singing. 

My Uncle's neighbor (a retired music professor) asked how they enjoyed the performance (she happened to attend the same one). 
My Uncle said, "I'd like to see more sets." 
"More sex?!?!" she asked. 
"Well, that too," he added. 
I guess it just depends on which production you see. Hopefully they'll see more sex in Carmen.