Servilia and Annio – The Strongest Characters in La Clemenza di Tito? (Part 1)

Act 1 Finale

Are Servilia and Annio the strongest characters in La Clemenza di Tito? Not usually, but in this production, they seem to be the ones who have the most focus and most drive. I last saw Simona Šaturová as a strong Violetta in La Monnaie's rather kinky La Traviata. Here, she is a Servilia who really has her shtuff together, knows who she is, and doesn't take crap from anyone, not even Vitellia! Her Act 2 aria, Se altra lagrima is not just a simple plea in a pretty waltz time. 

Three Hours of the 2013 Bayreuth Ring on Ö1 Radio

Catherine Foster as Brünnhilde @Bayreuth

Last Saturday, Ö1 Radio presented about three hours' worth of substantial chunks from the latest Bayreuth Ring Cycle. (The complete operas were/are available here and there from previous complete broadcasts.)

(For an archived recording of this broadcast, click here.) 

The performances feature Catherine Foster as Brünnhilde, Johan Botha as Siegmund,  Wolfgang Koch as Wotan/Wanderer, Lance Ryan as Siegfried, and Anja Kampe as Sieglinde, and others.

Of course, we'd love to see it, but while we wait (maybe in vain) for the videos, this might tide us over. Ö1 archived this program in its 7 Tage Ö1 archive, which means we have just a few more days to listen. (I was in such a hurry to post this, I forgot to add the link, so here it is again, just to be sure!)

The Two New War Requiem Recordings (Plus One)

On the (near) eve of the U.S. release Antonio Pappano's recording of Britten's War Requiem (November 19), we can hear the entire performance online at NPR for about a week. The soloists are Anna Netrebko, Ian Bostridge, Thomas Hampson. Pappano leads the Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. (Thanks to Mr. Hampson for the heads-up.)

Meanwhile, the Mariss Jansons recording with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, the Tölzer Boys Choir, soprano Emily Magee, tenor Mark Padmore, and baritone Christian Gerhaher is available now. And you can download it from Amazon.com for less than six bucks!

Update: Thanks to Stray (see below) we also have a link to a recent Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcast. Soloists are Tatiana Pavlovskaya, John Mark Ainsley, and Matthias Goerne, with Charles Dutoit conducting. The BSO Media Center is a super resource, with lots of great information, videos, broadcasts and podcasts, including an 11-minute video that offers background on Britten and the War Requiem.

Monday Mozart – Ach Belmonte! Ach mein Leben!

This is Christof Loy’s interpretation of Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Loy’s visions don’t always work for me (sometimes they just look low budget), but this performance does work on several levels. I also like the HIP feeling from the Ivor Bolton and the orchestra.

This quartet is the finale of Act 2  (and one of my favorite parts of the opera—it’s almost a little opera by itself), when the lovers are reunited for the first time. We know Konstanze has mixed feelings about seeing Belmonte again (as usual). She starts to go to him, then goes past him; he has to catch her. It seems Belmonte may not be too far off the mark when he asks if she’s in love with Selim. Pedrillo and Blonde seem to be on better terms, and they make up quickly (Pedrillo seems a lot more contrite than Belmonte). Meanwhile, Konstanze is not happy with Belmonte, even as they sing "Viva Love!"

Sunday Brunch, Expanded Edition – Mezzos in Pants

This is a great U-TOOB playlist featuring one of our favorite opera phenomena: mezzos playing men. This playlist includes Sarah Connolly (a lot), Alice Coote, Joyce DiDonato, Vesselina Karasova, Angelika Kirchschlager, Elina Garanca, Isabel Leonard, Helene Schneiderman, and Kate Lindsey and costars some of our favorite sopranos, too (Miah Persson in at least two!!!)!

And then check out La Clemenza di Tito from La Monnaie for more mezzos in pants. (I have a crush on Swedish mezzo Anna Grevelius as Annio, but I am not sure if I have a crush on her, or on him.)