Jackie and Pat and Debbie and Flicka – DivaChat

This is a fun, free-wheeling conversation among four amazing opera divas: Marilyn Horne, Patricia Racette, Deborah Voigt, and Frederica von Stade. Among many topics, they discuss how they got their start; who their main influences are; and what they're up to now. Full of fun chat, interesting background, and some opera inside jokes (Flora Amici)! And Jackie schools Debbie on fach. Check it out. 

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), in collaboration with San Francisco Opera, presents "Sunday with the Divas," Moderated by Stephen Rubin. Recorded February 25, 2018 at the Nourse Theater, San Francisco.

Gerald Finley is Il Prigioniero (NY Philharmonic Performance Now Available)

I have admired this work since I first heard the Dorati recording with the National Symphony (right). What drew me to this opera was its thematic connection to Dallapiccola's choral work Canti di Prigioni—both textually and musically. 

I think of Il Prigioniero as Puccini meets Berg. Dallapiccola has taken Berg's heavy romantic approach to the 12-tone system and Italianized it. As 12-tone music goes, it's pretty darned lyrical; and Patricia Racette, Gerald Finley, and Peter Horare make the lyrical most of it in this dramatic performance. 

The NY Phil radio broadcast with Gerald Finley is finally available at InstantEncore. I could not find an English translation, but here is the original Italian libretto. And here are the NY Phil program notes by Alan Gilbert. For more background, here are two reviews: Zerbinetta’s for Bachtrack, and Anthony Tommassini’s for the New York Times.