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).

Gratuitous Friday – Luca Pisaroni as Alidoro (La Cenerentola)

Luca as Alidoro at the Met last season. And RnR regulars recognize our charming Angelina! Happy Friday!

Wiener Staatsoper Live

About a year ago the Vienna State Opera started streaming live broadcasts on the web and to specially equipped Samsung TVs. It seems they've noticed that not everyone who is interested in their programming speaks German. So this fall they broadened their advertising to reach the English-speaking audience. It is now somewhat easier to figure out how works the website. 

Unlike some organizations, the Staatsoper does charge for their streamed performances, but they also offer benefits such as delayed streaming so you can see the opera at 6pm in your own time zone. Right now you can also get a free pass to an opera of your choice just by registering at their website. And there are some goodies coming up just within the coming week:

Sunday, November 2 

Wagner: Tannhäuser

Friday, November 7

Puccini: La Boheme 

Plus:
Le Nozze di Figaro

La Cenerentola

La Traviata

Arabella 

Die Fledermaus

...all before the clock strikes 2015!

Check out the staatsoperlive.com/en webpage, to get the free offer, and go to staatsoperlive.com/en/live to see the full schedule. And click below to see a preview:

I have to add, whether in the interest of full disclosure, or just to brag, that I received an email a few days ago from the Staatsoperlive folks asking me to post this video on my blog. I have posted about their broadcasts before, so I don't feel I am pandering. On the contrary, I am flattered that they found me and thought my little blog was worth their effort!

Glyndebourne, von Karajan, and Joyce DiDonato from France Musique

Because my French comprehension is less than optimal, I listen to France Musique less frequently than British and Austrian online radio. But France Musique offers many musical gems.

Lirico Spinto is the French equivalent of the Austrian Stimmen Hören. The episodes are available for much longer after their original broadcasts than their Austrian counterparts, and they are available as podcasts from iTunes, which you can subscribe to for auto-downloading—much handier than trying to record them with Audacity!) The most recent two programs are wonderful compilations:

Monday Mozart – Kenneth Tarver is Arbace (Audio Track)

Arbace is such an ungrateful role. You need a super technique to sing his two arias, yet it's not really a big part. Depending on which version you are in, you're at least the second tenor, or maybe even third! 

So, I was listening to Rene Jacobs' recording of Idomeneo recently, having only just realized that Richard Croft (sigh) sings the lead in this performance. I confess I was listening casually, so when this aria came on, I had to double check who was singing. Who the heck is Kenneth Tarver? Where can I find more of his performances? 

Well, he is also Don Ottavio on Jacobs' Don Giovanni. He is not brand new on the scene, and he's been singing some big roles in big houses, but we definitely need to hear more. I wonder when he will take on the title role in Idomeneo? (He’d also be an awesome Idamante – I am beginning to really like the idea of tenor Idamante – but don’t worry, I am still a Major Mezzo Fan, too!)

Here is Mr. Tarver as Prince Ramiro in La Cenerentola:

Further Blog Posts I Wish I had Written

Now and then, I come across a blog post that really speaks to me.  It usually says, "Why didn't you think of that?" Here are a few more that I wish I'd written, and some clips to go with them. 

Opera Obsession blogger Lucy says she “learned to love opera via studio recordings; then I saw Ponnelle's Cenerentola production and realized that there were worlds even beyond the fabulous music.”