He Sang She Sang – Podcast Reincarnated as Live Facebook Videos

I've  periodically harassed WQXR to ask them to bring back the one-season podcast He Sang She Sang, which presented wonderful insights into upcoming Met opera broadcasts. They've steadfastly ignored me.

Meanwhile, He Sang She Sang sneakily reappeared as video feeds on Facebook. They're now focused more on behind-the-scenes conversations with opera singers. They're a lot of fun; and they're informative. I think they're available only at Facebook; do check them out!

Watching the Radio – JDD and TH in live Orchestral Programs

OK, so if it's not a master class blog, is this becoming a blog full of gratuitous mentions of Joyce DiDonato and Thomas Hampson? Probably. 

But don't worry, I am not forgetting my other obsessions! It's just what's happening now is you can hear both TH's and JDD's recent orchestral programs online in the radio archives, thanks to NPO Radio 4 in the Netherlands and WQXR in New York, NY. 

Thomas Hampson recently participated in Mariss Jansons' farewell concert with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (March 20), singing Mahler (natürlich), Copland (of course), and Berio (not as surprising as you might think).

And Joyce DiDonato brought her Carnegie Hall residence to a close on March 18 with a wonderful bel canto concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra, sharing the stage with Laura Claycomb and Lawrence Brownlee. 

I caught most of TH's program (including a fine orchestral reading of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra) but I totally zoned out and missed JDD's concert. Now we all can relive (or live for the first time these two outstanding programs!

Enjoy!

And Just in Case Clicking a Link Feels Like Too Much Work...

...how do you feel about embedded audio of Handel's Theodora, as performed last month at Carnegie Hall?

Thank you WQXR. And thank you, Stray! 

More Handel: Theodora from Carnegie Hall – This Sunday at 7

         The English Concert Plays Handel's Theodora

From the WQXR website:

Last month, early-music specialist Harry Bicket came to Carnegie Hall with the English Concert for the latest installment in their Handel project—the rarely heard oratorio Theodora.

Tune in Sunday at 7 pm to hear that performance featuring an all-star lineup of soloists: soprano Dorothea Röschmann, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, countertenor David Daniels, tenor Kurt Streit and bass-baritone Neal Davies.

On choral duties is the Choir of Trinity Wall Street led by Julian Wachner.

Theodora was "Handel's biggest flop and the piece he was most proud of," according to Bicket. But then one could look at other works that "perhaps didn't have such a great reception the first time around and we now appreciate as the masterpieces that they are." Bicket called it a social-political story, influenced by Thomas Paine, among other thinkers, and also an introspective work.

Performers

• The English Concert
  Harry Bicket, Artistic Director and Conductor
• Dorothea Röschmann, Soprano (Theodora)
• Sarah Connolly, Mezzo-Soprano (Irene)
• David Daniels, Countertenor (Didymus)
• Kurt Streit, Tenor (Septimius)
• Neal Davies, Bass-Baritone (Valens)
• The Choir of Trinity Wall Street
  Julian Wachner, Director of Music and the Arts

Update 3/17/2014: It's down there in the comments, but in case you don't make it that far, I wanted to call your attention to the following information from a blog buddy who shared the link to the WQXR archive of this broadcast: 

stray March 17, 2014 at 6:40 PM Wouldn't it be great if some radio station archived it online? Absolutely!