Gratuitous Friday – Consolation Trovatore Audio from Munich

If you are at work like I am, and don't have permission (or time) to watch the streaming video from the Bayrische Staatsoper today, here is the audio from last week's premiere performance of Trovatore with Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros. On the other hand, if you are in any way at all able to watch the webcast, do it! (It starts at 1:00 PM Eastern U.S. Time.) And rest assured that some enterprising someone eventually will manage to make it available to us poor working slobs. 

Plácido Domingo (und Freundinnen) auf der Freilichtbühne Loreley

Last night at the Freilichtbühne Loreley in Germany, Plácido Domingo held forth for a pleasant evening concert of opera excerpts, mostly Verdi and Wagner (I wonder how they came up with that program idea?) 

With him were two young up-and-coming American sopranos, whose careers he has been championing lately. The program kicks off with a rough-n-ready Meistersinger Prelude. You can see it for a few months on Arte LiveWeb.

Ana Durlovski is La Sonnambula

Amina sings of her joy (?), while Mom
makes some final alterations to her party dress.

The other day I made a comment on Earworm Opera's blog about the silliness of the plot of La Sonnambula.  I went back to double-check the reference before I started on this post, and noticed that Earworm had been talking about I Puritani! She was kind enough to respond to me without commenting on my error. Really, it was a comment on Bellini plots in general. Many of Bellini's opera plots are far-fetched, silly, and/or undramatic. 

Then I found this Stuttgart Staatsoper performance of La Sonnambula on Arte LiveWeb. Widely acclaimed (in Germany, anyway), it took me a whole year to find out about this production. Directors Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito update the setting and probe the background of the story and the possible interrelationships of the characters, particularly complicating the dynamic of Annina and Elvino and their arranged marriage. They add a whole lot of interest and intrigue to the story line that complement and contrast with the beautiful music. They also manage to add humor and just a bit of obligatory ickiness.

Gratuitous Luca Pisaroni Post – Publio (La Clemenza di Tito)

This little aria from La Clemenza di Tito often is treated as a throwaway. In fact, the whole role of Publio—except for his participation in several significant trios—often seems nearly superfluous. However, Martin Kušej made the most of having handsome, young, bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni in the role.

This is not the school-principal Publio, the Cowardly Lion Publio, the stomping-around-shouting-commands Publio, or even the stand-around-and-be-ready-for-the-trios Publio. This Publio has just as many issues as the rest of this crazy group–maybe more. He may (or may not) have serious intentions towards Tito, Vitelia, and/or Sesto (and possibly any number of named and unnamed characters). 

Zerbinetta Reminds Us About Some Online Opera

Zerbinetta (the Likely Impossibilities blogger, not the opera character) reminds us of some good sources of (free) online opera viewing in her Sunday post called Opera on the interwebs. She says:

If you, like me, are feeling opera-deprived, there's some great stuff to watch on the internet. The Guardian is blowing some whistles that have nothing to do with American politics: as in previous years, they are streaming various productions from Glyndebourne, until August 31. 

Zerbinetta offers a lot more useful information; and you can read the rest (plus a comment from me, because I always have more to say) over at her blog.