La Clemenza di Tito @ L'Opera National du Rhin

Another Clemenza di Tito?  YAY!  It looks like an interesting production, in which I am certain "...dans lequel on ne s'ennuie pas une seconde…" Of course, no opera lover I know could ever be bored with any performance of Clemenza. There's always something to see or listen to! 

Stéphanie d'Oustrac' Sesto  should be pretty amazing; and this blogger is a big David Bižić fan. Two things I particularly love about the second video below: (1) Publio trying to fingerprint Sesto during the "Vieni!" trio; (2) the harpsichord tuning in the background of one interview. It says, "Hey folks, we are in the Opera House!" 

I'm glad francetv is publicizing this production. D'ya think they'll broadcast it? 

One can only hope that someone will. 

Tito Benjamin Bruns 
Vitellia Jacquelyn Wagner 
Sesto Stéphanie d'Oustrac 
Servilia Chiara Skerath 
Annio Anna Radziejewska
Publio David Bižić

Chœurs de l'Opéra National du Rhin
Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse 

Direction musicale Andreas Spering 

Mise en scène Katharina Thoma 
Décors Julia Müer 
Costumes Irina Bartels 
Lumières Olaf Winter

Gratuitous Friday – Peter Mattei as Don Giovanni (Champagne Aria)

The Paris Opera has graciously shared this little clip of Michael Haenke's Don Giovanni (which, sadly, doesn't seem to be available in full anywhere these days). The cast also included David Bižić, Patricia Petibon, and Veronique Gens.

Thank you, Paris Opera!

David Bižić Sings! (With Lisette Oropesa)

An audio excerpt from the new production of Werther at the Met:

David Bižić Speaks!

Just posted: David Bižić's interview with Margaret Juntwait broadcast on Met Opera Radio on SIRIUS XM on February 24, 2014. He talks about making his debut at the Met and about his “ascent” to higher baritone opera roles. Mr. Bižić is well- spoken, and he has a speaking voice that’s as warm and wonderful as his singing voice!

As Seen on Facebook...

This shout-out to Alban Berg by Thomas Hampson, who is preparing his Met role debut:

A rebuttal by David Daniels to a review of the UK version of the recent English Concert Theodora, (he's not participating in the UK/Europe run) and a candid rehearsal photo from Carnegie Hall, featuring our beloved Dorothea Röschmann:

And this from David Bižić (who is starring in Don Giovanni in Vienna with several other artists of interest):

Monday Mozart – David Bižić is Figaro: Aprite un po' quegli occhi

Our favorite Serbian Barihunk David Bižić as Figaro in a live recording from Grand Théâtre de Genève 2013 (audio only). Happy Monday!

Gratuitous Friday – David Bižić is Leporello

This video is a low-quality bootleg but more than we'd have otherwise. And it's a good one to have. I've posted bits of this before, which you can find by clicking on the David Bižić link below or looking for Peter Mattei on RnR. The full cast list is below the clip; they are stage-directed by Michael Haneke at the Opera Bastille. 

The whole performance (or nearly whole, anyway) is contained in this YOO_TOOB playlist. It’s quite worth listening through the muffled sound and watching the dimly lit stage to hear Peter Mattei, Véronique Gens, and David Bižić do their Mozart thing. The rest of the cast is pretty good too. Happy Friday! 

Filmed live on April 19, 2012 at Opera Bastille, Paris. 

Peter Mattei - Don Giovanni 

Paata Burchuladze - Il Commendatore 

Patricia Petibon - Donna Anna 

Saimir Pirgu - Don Ottavio 

Véronique Gens - Donna Elvira 

David Bizic - Leporello 

Nahuel Di Pierro - Masetto 

Gaëlle Arquez - Zerlina 

Marius Stieghorst - Conductor

Michael Haneke - Stage Director

Christoph Kanter - Sets

Annette Beaufaÿs - Costumes

André Diot - Lighting

Alessandro Di Stefano - Maestro del coro

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...

How Bass-Baritones Amuse Themselves (David Bižić and Yuri Kissin)

Yuri Kissin

So this is how baritones and basses kill time when they are not on duty during the orchestra rehearsal. Well, some basses, baritones, and bass-baritones. And probably many tenors and counter tenors, and maybe even some sopranos, mezzos, and contraltos. Yuri Kissin and David Bižić give us a peek at what goes on in the back row when the conductor isn't watching.

There are parts of Don Giovanni that you just don't get to do if you are a bass-baritone. Say, Donnas Elvira or Anna. I think it'd be fun to have a beer or two with these wild and crazy guys. If you have a low tolerance for silliness, do not watch this video!

At YT, the poster calls this: 

A different Don Giovanni orchestra rehearsal 

I'd call it: When Serbia Meets Siberia

Masetto in Madrid – Another Gratuitous David Bižić Post

BLG Artist Management posted this on their Facebook page today (roughly translated): 

Called to the rescue, David Bižić reprises the role of Masetto in D. Tcherniakov's staging of  Don Giovanni at the Teatro Real de Madrid ... Starting tomorrow, April 3 to April 24.

This would explain his new cover photo at Facebook:

It must be interesting to finish playing the Don and go right back to Masetto. It's not actually clear whom he is replacing, as he is already listed by Teatro Real in the role. 

But what's really important is this means... the controversial production from Aix-en-Provence has been revived in Madrid. Canadian baritone Russell Braun and American bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen appear as Don Giovanni and Leporello respectively, and Christine Schäfer leads the women as Donna Anna.

Fingers crossed for a broadcast! 

Two Favorite Barihunks in Don Giovanni: Bižić & Mattei

Men at work

We've posted about both Peter Mattei and David Bižić recently. Now it's time to see/hear them together. Mr. Bižić just made his debut as Don Giovanni at the Slovenia National Theater (I am still trying to find a review!) In the great tradition of Mozart bass-baritones, he started as Masetto, and moved up to Leporello. In fact, his Don Giovanni in this Michael Haneke production is...you guessed it: Peter Mattei!

This is another one of those controversial French productions; it premiered in 2006 at the Palais Garnier, and was revived in 2012 at Opéra Bastille. Blogger Opera Cake loved it (I think we’d enjoy going to the opera with Opera Cake) but many, if not most others were not as enthusiastic. Mr. Mattei is a very controlling Giovanni (he sings gorgeously, of course) who uses his sex appeal to manipulate everybody (with Bižić at right). 

Sunday Brunch – David Bižić sings Fauré

More warm, reverent, and mellow tones from David Bižić. Here he sings the Libera Me from Fauré’s Requiem with Choeur Accentus and Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, under the directon of Laurence Equilbey. The performance took place in June 2010 at the Basilique Cathédrale.

Faure Requiem: Libera me 

Gratuitous Friday – David Bižić Sings Brahms and Mozart

One of the standout young singers in the La Boheme we saw from ROH is Serbian bass-baritonehunk David Bižić as Schaunard, the only one of the boys who’s actually making any money. Research reveals that Mr. Bižić is one year younger than the ROH Boheme production, and so far he has sung mainly in Israel and France. In 2007 he won second prize at Domingo’s Operalia competition. Today we get double gratuitousness—one clip is audio only and the other is a full-on video.

La Boheme – ROH, 2013 (OK Tevye, Tradition Ain’t All Bad)

Dmytro Popov, Stefania Dovahn, David Bižić, 

Nahuel Di Pierro, and Audun Iversen

www.facebook.com/davidbizic

There is something to be said, I guess, for a nice literal traditional opera production. Even more so for one performed by a non-superstar cast. It allows one to become more engaged in the story. My Dad and I went to see this at the local indie/arts cinema last night, mainly because they announced it when we were there on Saturday for the Lohengrin transmission (more about that in a separate post…yes there’s always more for me to say about that Lohengrin!)