General Opera News

[Anne]

Thank you for the tour.  It was very enjoyable.

[Wanderer]

Thank you for the tour.  It was very enjoyable.

I think I'll set a (long-term) goal of attending a production there. I'm bound to visit Norway at some point, anyway. 

I only hope the new Athens Opera House (designed by Renzo Piano) will be as beautiful or spectacular.

[Wendell_E]

Continuing its innovative use of electronic media to reach a global audience, the Metropolitan Opera introduces Met Player, a new subscription service that will make its extensive video and audio catalog of full-length performances available to the public for the first time online, and in exceptional, state-of-the-art quality. Beginning on October 22, 120 historic audio recordings and 50 full-length opera videos will be available during the first month of the new service, including over a dozen of the company's acclaimed The Met: Live in HD transmissions, known for their extraordinary sound and picture quality.  New content, including HD productions and archival broadcasts, will be added monthly.

...The service will be available for a monthly charge of $14.99 or on a per view price ranging from $3.99 to $4.99.

...Some of the initial offerings have never been seen since their original television broadcasts: Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci with Tatiana Troyanos, Teresa Stratas, and Domingo (1978); Leontyne Price's Aida (1985); and The Queen of Spades with Galina Gorchakova, and Domingo (1999).

...Utilizing the technology of Met Player, users have the option of hooking up their computers to new HD TV sets and home-stereo sound systems, delivering the Met's catalog in high quality.

Subscription fees are priced at $14.99 per month or $149.99 for a yearly plan....  Individual purchases will cost $4.99 for HD videos and $3.99 for an audio performance or non-HD video; these individual purchases may be played in a six-hour period within 30 days.

...

For a preview of the Met Player experience, go to www.metplayer.org/preview. For an optimal viewing experience, a multi-core processor, with at least 1GB of memory and 32MB of video RAM, is recommended.

Full press release at http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/press/detail.aspx?id=4906

[UB]

On Saturday - the 27th - at 1:05 PM Eastern, Radio France will broadcast the premiere performance of Peter Eötvös's latest opera - Enjoy

Lady Sarashina
Opéra en 9 tableaux sur un livret de Mari Mezei
d'après des fragments du "Journal de Sarashina"
publiés en anglais sous le titre de "As I crossed a
Bridge of Dreams"
Création mondiale
Commande de l'Opéra de Lyon

Mireille Delunsch : Lady Sarashina
Ilse Eerens : la princesse, la jeune Dame, une dame
du rêve
Peter Bording : le garde, le bouffon, le messager,
le père, le chat, le bonze, le gentilhomme
Salomé Kammer : l'Impératrice, la mère, la soeur,
une dame du rêve, la Dame d'honneur
Orchestre de l'Opera National de Lyon

[Wanderer]

Korngold's Die tote Stadt at San Francisco Opera.

[knight66]

Not news as such, well at all, but I did not want to start a new thread for it.

Here is a link to Jessye Norman singing Gluck, Chicago 1990.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AG-wMqtMb1g

I do think it is very striking that she clearly has trouble articulating the high and fast passages, smudging them, though attempting a more measured approach when the music returns; though with no greater success. It does not lie truly high, but there is no doubt that she is having problems.

Mike

[Wendell_E]

Our friend Nigel in Paris reports that the Paris Opera's production of Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen is being shown free online on November 4 at 7.30 p.m. at three websites:  www.operadeparis.fr, www.medici.tv and www.france2.fr

Here's the webpage of the production, including a slideshow ("Diaporama"): http://www.operadeparis.fr/Saison-2008-2009/Spectacle.asp?IdS=523

[ezodisy]

Why didn't any of you rascals tell me that Elektra is on at the Royal Opera House? I love this one, would have missed it if it hadn't been for a friend who isn't even interested in opera. Bless her. Ezodisy's going to hear women shrieking for 2 hours. Awesome.

[Brünnhilde forever]

Luv: How'd you expect me to tell you something I myself don't know about?   

And if I'd known about the shrieking females, what'd I have to do to hear them via my computer?   

[Brünnhilde forever]

Got this in the mail today:

[knight66]

Why didn't any of you rascals tell me that Elektra is on at the Royal Opera House? I love this one, would have missed it if it hadn't been for a friend who isn't even interested in opera. Bless her. Ezodisy's going to hear women shrieking for 2 hours. Awesome.

Do let us know how it goes. Almost the last thing I saw there was Elektra, those singers did shriek rather more than the music might suggest; better luck with your cast.

Mike

[ezodisy]

Luv: How'd you expect me to tell you something I myself don't know about?   

You see, I always knew you were different from other women

those singers did shriek rather more than the music might suggest; better luck with your cast.

the pleasure here is resoundingly in the pain, hope the shrieking cracks lenses. When was the Elektra production you mention? I saw one at the ROH too but it was about 5 years ago.

[knight66]

It was a bit longer ago than that. I think it was the current production; one set, blood runs down the walls. Eva Marton was I think Elektra. Unfortunately my most enduring memory was that my back gave out and I saw the second half standing at the back of the top gallery.

Same thing with Flying Dutchman....

Now, I carry my backfriend with me.

http://www.medesign.co.uk/shop/proddetail.php?prod=BFSHome

I like shrieking, but it has to be in tune. Let us know how the hollering goes.

Mike

[pjme]

I'm just back from Antwerp Opera house . Britten's "Rape of Lucretia" in a very stylised production. Mainly Belgian and Dutch ( young) performers. sara Fulgoni is Lucretia, Yves Saelens an impressive "Male chorus". Elgar Howarth (73) conducts.

I went to Britten' Rape of Lucretia at Antwerp Opera last week. Really excellent ( one or two ugly details notwithstanding...: really awful fake flowers (think of knitting needles with tissue paper petals...) and the rape-scene itself as a kind of stop-motion...choreography...)
Sara Fulgoni as a perfect Lucretia and Yves Saelens , a Belgian tenor, now at the height of his powers, as "Male chorus". He realy should sing War requiem or some of the Canticles....



Yves Saelens and Anja Van Engeland as Male &Female chorus


The "stop motion" effect rape-scene in Antwerp... silly!
But conductor Elgar Howarth ( 73) leads a truly gripping performance - 8 singers - 13 instruments.


P.

[knight66]

Seemingly Glass has been commissioned by the New York City Opera to write an opera on the life of Walt Disney. Unless this allows him to drag on the Seven Dwarfs, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; I cannot understand what there will be to produce of a theatrical nature.

Mike

[Brünnhilde forever]

With Mortier bowing out of his contract with the NYCO, I wonder who will step in to finance the commission. 

[knight66]

The opera is to be called 'The Perfect American', premiered in 2012, the 75th birthday year of Glass.

I know no more, but the same source has a long item on Classical Artist of the Year.....Russell Watson; I do hope Glass sees the item, he would make a splendid 'Dopey' in the Disney opera.

Mike

[Maciek]

Glass? I'm sure Bruce has already reserved tickets for the first 7 shows.

[bhodges]

Glass? I'm sure Bruce has already reserved tickets for the first 7 shows.

  I confess that I have yet to warm up to Glass...   I saw Satyagraha last year and...well...once was fine.

--Bruce

[Maciek]

What better way than to view the Disney opera 7 times in a row? It will let you appreciate the complexity and variability of the music better...



Just so I'm not accused of artifcially vivifying the opera section, this is a CD some of you may have missed, and I believe Lis, for one, liked his voice (or was it looks? I forget):


Wojtek Drabowicz - opera arias on DUX; the running time is not exactly generous - less than 50 minutes!

I ordered it today and hope it arrives later this week, maybe next Monday (we're in the middle of an extended weekend at the moment).