Operas Online (Arte Concert Edition) – Some Last Chance Opportunities

Arte Concert has some goodies for us online this summer; and some are going away very soon or sooner. Take some time to enjoy these while they last. In order of disappearance: 

06/21/2019 – Benjamin: Lessons in Love and Violence

07/10/2019 – Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos

07/10/2019 – Stravinsky: The Rake’s Progress

08/20/2019 – Leoncavello: I Pagliacci

08/20/2019 – Montemezzi: L’incante Simo

08/30/2019 – Gluck: Alceste (not available in U.S. but can be viewed using VPN)

10/26/2019 – Mercadante: Il Bravo

12/13/2020 – Mozart: Thamos

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)

Conversation about Carsen's 'Kavalier with Renée Fleming (and others)

We won't see it till next spring, but it's happening now in London. Here is an early preview of another new Met (and ROH) production: Robert Carsen's production of Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. Kaspar Holten and Renée Fleming (and a host of others, including Andris Nelsons, who is conducting in London, and the Man Himself, Mr. Carsen.) chat about the current performances in London at the Royal Opera House. 

12/09/2016 – In my original post I neglected to credit Anik, who blogs at Eye Bags, for alerting me to this program. Thanks Anik!

Gratuitous Soprano Duet – Aber der Richtige (aus Arabella)

Sigh! I didn't get to see all of this in the live webcast. I am hoping an enterprising pirate...er...fan might have snagged 'n' shared it. Meanwhile, I found this kindly posted by the Bayerische Staatsoper. Anja Harteros and Hanna-Elisabeth Müller…

Sigh….that’s all…just…sigh!

Well, there is one more thing. I am tempted into a bit of fantasy opera casting. I am thinking, well, AH has sung the Marschallin, and HEM will be a marvelous Sophie (she makes her debut as Sophie in Amsterdam this fall). Who would be your choice of Octavian to place between them?

Arabella from the Bayersiche Staatsoper (Live on July 11)

From the STAATSOPER.TV website:

Bayerische Staatsoper will at 7 p.m. on Saturday, 11 July show the new production of Arabella by Richard Strauss with Anja Harteros in the title role.

With this opera, the film director Andreas Dresen will make his debut at Bayerische Staatsoper. Standing on the podium of Bayerisches Staatsorchester will be the Swiss conductor and musical director of the Paris Opera, Philippe Jordan. Anja Harteros will be participating in a Festival premiere for the fourth time after her premiere performances in Alcina (2005),Lohengrin (2009) and Il trovatore (2013). Singing at her side will be Kurt Rydl (Count Waldner), Doris Soffel (Adelaide),Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (Zdenka) and Joseph Kaiser (Matteo). Thomas J. Mayer, who was heard most recently at Bayerische Staatsoper as Wotan in Der Ring der Nibelungen (2012 and 2015), will be performing Mandryka.

Gratuitous Friday – Miah Persson Sings Strauss' Four Last Songs

...can there be a Marschallin in her future? One can only hope!

Lieder: Strauss i Mahler

(Click the link above the photo. There doesn't seem to be a way to embed this.)

I think I found this one thanks to PauaGirl. Thank you, PauaGirl!

Heut oder Morgen (or in a week or so) – Der Glyndenkavalier

We can still see the Glyndebourne Rosenkavalier for a few more weeks at concert.arte.tv. It will be gone soon. Not today or tomorrow, but well...March 2. So if you haven't seen it, do make time to do so—today, or tomorrow, or soon. Or, if you've already seen it, watch it again—with French or German subtitles. 

Anja Harteros sings the Final Scene from Capriccio

On June 19th, Anja Harteros joined Phillippe Jordan and the Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris in Vienna to sing a bit of Richard Strauss. On July 6^th, Ö1 Radio broadcast a recording of that performance.

Here is the first half of that concert, which contains the Mondscheinmusik and the final scene from Capriccio (starting at about 33 minutes in.) Before welcoming Frau Harteros to the stage, the orchestra presented a sprightly performance of Bizet’s youthful symphony. While orchestral music usually is outside the realm of this blog, I do recommend listening to the Bizet and to the two Ravel Daphnis et Chloé Suites that follow the break.   

Happy Birthday, Richard Strauss (from Ö1 Radio)

It's hard to find a picture of him smiling!

Here is an edition of the Ö1 program Apropos Musik in celebration of Richard Strauss' 150th birthday. There are some interviews—with Strauss, and with singers who worked with him. Obviously these conversations are a lot more meaningful if one has a good grasp of German. 

What’s most interesting, however, are the Rosenkavalier excerpts conducted by the dude himself and recordings of him at the keyboard (accompanying Anton Dermota and Maria Reining, and playing two Lied arrangements via piano roll.) I highly recommend spending this hour with Strauss and friends. Happy Birthday, Herr Doktor Strauss!

Die Frau Ohne Schatten from London via Ö1 Radio

Oh, and speaking of Richard Strauss: 

In case you missed it last time around, here is the March 2014 Die Frau Ohne Schatten broadcast from the Royal Opera House, with Emily Magee, Johan Botha, Michaela Schuster, Johan Reuter, and Elena Pankratova, under the baton of Symyon Bychkov, courtesy of Austria's Ö1 Radio. Available for about 5 days. 

Rosenkavalier and Boheme from Sweden

Check out these 2014 videos from Malmö Opera in Sweden!

[Update 06/29/2014: I was clicking back through these links and found that whoever posted them has made them "private" videos. So we can't look at them again. However, I am sure if we keep an eye out, we'll find them again somewhere.]

Der Rosenkavalier
Act 1*
Act 2
Act 3

I am not sure what I think of this overall production, but I am particularly impressed with both the singing and acting of Dorottya Láng as Octavian (just one of the guys) and Sofie Asplund as Sofie.

La Boheme

Acts 1 & 2

Acts 3 & 4

Ditto about the production, but the guys do a nice job, especially Vladislav Sulimsky as Marcello, Daniel Hällström as Schaunard, and Joachim Bäckström (also heard recently with Dorothea 

Röschmann in Haydn's Seasons) as Rodolpho.

*The posts at YT cannot be embedded, so I am providing links only this time around.

Gratuitous Friday – Anne Sofie von Otter, Barbara Bonney, and the Rose

Our instinct is to look at the person who's singing. But this time, watch Anne Sofie von Otter as Octavian while Sophie (Barbara Bonney) goes on about how pretty the rose smells. ASvO's emotion is electric and honest. I never ever forget that she is a girl playing a boy, but I totally believe she is totally fascinated, turned on, and perhaps even already in love with this lovely girl. And Barbara B. helps by being totally adorable. It sounds cliche, but I actually get chills watching ASvO in this scene. The singers and director make this work!

Weekend at the Opera with Radio 4 Concerthuis

Baroque, Classical, and 20th Century opera are all on the menu at the Netherlands Radio 4 Concerthuis. Each recording will be available for about 2 to 3 months.

Vivaldi's Farnace from June 2012, with a cast that includes Max Emanuel Cencic, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, Daniel Behle, and Vivica Geneux with Diego Fasolis conducting.

Vivaldi: Farnace

Die Zauberflöte from 1958, with a young, vibrant Fritz Wunderlich, and an otherwise all-Dutch ensemble that includes the young Elly Ameling as the First Boy, and a young Bernard Haitink at the helm. 

The Magic Flute

Richard Strauss' Arabella, from April 2014 with rising star American soprano Jacquelyn Wagner (who seems to be making a specialty of the title role), Agneta Eichenholz as Zdenka, and Marc Albrecht leading this performance from the Netherlands National Opera.

Arabella

Carlos Kleiber und Der Rosenkavalier (The Conductorcam Edition)

Anyone can watch what's happening on the stage, including the conductor. But during an opera, the only people who can (or need to) watch the conductor are the musicians—the singers and instrumentalists.

Here are about 90 minutes of the orchestra-eye view of the great maestro Carlos Kleiber in action—not a rehearsal (there are a lot of those clips around, too), but a live performance; not “just” an orchestra concert, but an opera. I am a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. If I can see into the wings from my seat, I watch what’s going on backstage almost as much as what’s on stage. If I am sitting high enough to see into the pit, I watch the orchestra a lot, too.

Sunday Brunch – Vesselina Presents Malin with “The Rose”

I just noticed that of my gratuitous idols (at the top of the page), Malin Hartelius is one post behind the others. Well! I just had to do something about that! And Vesselina Kasarova is a great bonus in this clip. This Zurich performance is at least seven years old. I wonder if MH will be taking on the Marschallin soon. Maybe not for a few years…

I love how Octavian has to coax Sophie out of the cupboard! I’ve not seen this entire performance, so I’m not sure who the cadaverous dude is who seems to get so much screen time. Ignore him and enjoy the bliss that is MH’s Sophie.  Himmlische indeed!

Die Frau Ohne Schatten in Munich – Follow Up

Since I postponed my weekend travel till tomorrow (Monday), I was able to catch some of Richard Strauss' Die Frau Ohne Schatten from Munich on Staatsopertv.de. 

Unfortunately the sound and video were out of sync for most of Act 2, and I could never get Act 3 to start (I made the mistake of pausing during the intermission feature!) 

What I heard was very good, and what I saw was very interesting (I did manage to see the toy-boy (and falcon-toy-boy) scenes.) I also thought the use of projections was really effective. I am sure it will show up somewhere soon for re-viewing. Meanwhile, what did you all think?

Die Frau Ohne Schatten in Munich – Online Tomorrow

One Night Only*: the Bayerische Staatsoper's new production of Die Frau Ohne Schatten starting at 6 PM (CET), which is around noon New York time on Sunday, December 1. 

*If you are now singing a number from Dreamgirls in your head, you may be ga... a fan of Broadway musicals.

Shadow Envy

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

Two of my blog buddies (and many others) have recently seen Die Frau Ohne Schatten at the Met in NYC, and I am feeling a bit left out. Like the Empress, I am looking for a shadow. Actually, I found a not-too-awful transfer on the TOOB of the rather amazing 1992 Salzburg production conducted by Sir Georg Solti and directed by Götz Friedrich. (A very Yenta-y Nurse, and strikingly heroic Emperor are just two of the delights of this recording!) This will tide me over for a bit. Here’s Act 1:

Photo: Wilfried Hösl

Meanwhile, next Sunday (December 1), there's a must see live broadcast from the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. 

Gratuitous Friday – Rosenkavalier Finale (Kirchschlager, Isokoski, and Kühmeier)

A heavenly Rosenkavalier finale with Angelika Kirschlager, Soile Isokoski, and the lovely Genia Kühmeier.  

Angelika Kirchschlager  (Octavian)

Soile Isokoski   (Marschallin)

Genia Kühmeier  (Sophie) 

Georg Tichy  (Faninal)

Wiener Staatsoper Anniversary Gala (5.11.2005)

Christian Thielemann, conducting

Rosenkavalier on Ö1 today, Live Stream Tomorrow - Sophie Sub

Ileana Tonca, scheduled to sing Sophie in the 2014 Wiener Staatsoper performances of Der Rosenkavalier, will be filling in for Mojca Erdmann as Sophie -- tonight on the radio and tomorrow on the live webcast. 

I don’t know why Erdmann is not singing these performances, but I’m not sad.