More Staatsoper.TV

And while we’re on the subject, here’s the schedule for the rest of the 2018 – 2019 live-stream season from the Bayerische Staatsoper:

01/06/2019

Bedřich Smetana

Die verkaufte Braut (The Bartered Bride)

18.00 hours

Conductor: Tomáš Hanus

Director: David Bösch

Selene Zanetti (Marie), Pavol Breslik (Hans), Günther Groissböck (Kezal)

02/23/2019

Ernst Krenek

Karl V.

19.00 hours

Conductor: Erik Nielsen

Director: Carlus Padrissa – La Fura dels Baus

Bo Skovhus (Karl V.), Anne Schwanewilms (Isabella), Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke (Franz I.)

03/30/2019

Giacomo Puccini
La fanciulla del West
19.00 hours
Conductor: James Gaffigan
Director: Andreas Dresen
Anja Kampe (Minnie), Brandon Jovanovich (Dick), John Lundgren (Jack)

07/06/2019

Richard Strauss
Salome
20.00 hours
Conductor: Kirill Petrenko
Director: Krzysztof Warlikowski
Marlis Petersen (Salome), Wolfgang Koch (Jochanaan), Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke (Herodes), Michaela Schuster (Herodias)

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?

Hello, Ragazzi! (Part Three)

Fantasy Opera Casting: 

Stemme, Kaufmann, and friends in the Carsen staging.

Hello, Ragazzi! (Part Two)

I just noticed that it's been about four months since my last post. I have been watching and listening to and thinking about opera...just not writing about it lately. So, I am trying to decide whether to spew all my thoughts out in this one post, or spread them out over a few days. I think I will spread them out.

So, last night I saw the Met in HD encore of the 2014 broadcast of Cosi Fan Tutte. This post is not about that. Seeing Cosi led me to binge-reading older Cosi posts on my own blog and at The Earworm. This post is not about what I learned during this late-night binge-read. 

This post also is not about the new high-end theater that hosts the Met transmissions (wine and cheese at intermission). This post is about is the other opera series—or what’s left of it—at my local high-end cinema this year. There is one more opera in August. This post is about that opera. 

That opera is Puccini’s La fanciulla del west from La Scala. I am pretty sure I want to see that! But before I buy my tickets, I wanted to find out more. (The cinema website is not helpful about details. I guess they figure either you want to see it or you don’t.)

So, this is the Robert Carsen production—my curiosity is officially piqued­—with a typically Robert Carsen meta-theater concept, and what the Bachtrack review calls a “final, brilliant coup de théȃtre [that] brings us full circle.” It seems Mr. Carsen has taken the spaghetti western concept and really run with it. The opera begins and ends in a movie theater. OK, now I gotta go see it. But before I do, I research a little more. 

Hello, Ragazzi! (Random Thoughts while Listening to Puccini)

I wonder if Japanese people find Madama Butterfly slightly embarrassing and annoying with its fake Japonaiserie. I wonder this because I found it odd, while listening to La Fanciulla del West, to hear the chorus singing, "Hello, ragazzi," "Whisky per tutti," and other cowboy-like phrases. (Not to mention, "doo dah, doo dah day," which, as far as I know, is not actually from the old west!) 

Whisky Milk Punch at The Bite House.

Come to think of it, Madama Butterfly also has fake American-nesses: that Star-Spangled Banner quote and Pinkerton's inquiry, "Milk punch o' whisky?" to name two.

What exactly is milk punch? I just read a suggestion that there's a comma missing; apparently it was supposed to be, "Milk, punch, or whisky?" On the other hand, there are recipes for milk punch. (Which came first: the drink or the opera?) 

Or, maybe they meant “milk punch with whisky.” (Yes, my mind does wander.)

I also noticed that Puccini has stolen some melodic bits from Phantom of the Opera for La Fanciulla. I wonder if Sir Andrew is aware of this...

La Fanciulla del Wien

Tomasz Konieczny, Nina Stemme, and Jonas Kaufmann in the Wild, Wild West.

Part 1

Kaufmann & Stemme: La Fancuilla del West

Jonas Kaufmann & Nina Stemme in Puccini's La Fancuilla del West. Some brief excerpts below. It's better than nothing...and a good start!