Week of September 27 - October 4, 2012

This week on Rhode Island Public television,

WSBE:  (Comcast 294, Cox 808, Full Channel 109, and Verizon 478) 

Anna Bolena

Episode Information

Program Information

When To Watch

Great Performances at the Met

Saturday, September 29 -- 7:30pm, Sunday, September 30 -- 2:30am; Sunday night, September 30 -- 11:30pm*

(*All performances begin a half hour earlier than usual due to the length of the performance.)

Anna Netrebko
is

Anna Bolena

Season 6 opens with Gaetano Donizetti's "Anna Bolena," based on the last days of Anne Boleyn (Anna Netrebko), the second wife of British monarch Henry VIII (Ildar Abdrazakov).

DURATION: 210 MIN

DETAILS: [HD] [CC] [STEREO]

GENRE: PARENTS PICKS

Synopsis: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=431

Preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DETH22SI0LA

THIS SUNDAY!

September 30, 2012   4:00pm

at The University of Rhode Island
University Artist Series 

Geoffrey Gibbs’

William Sprague 
and 
His Women

William Sprague, 1830-1915

an historical opera centered on U.S. Civil War era R.I. Governor William Sprague. 

Performed in an enhanced concert reading with orchestra, conducted by
Brian Cardany

Unless listed otherwise, events are in the Fine Arts Center Concert Hall, Kingston, RI.
Unless listed otherwise, General Admission $10; Students $5.

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WGBH Radio~On Demand on Classical New England--

HEAR THE OPERA, DOWNLOAD PROGRAM NOTES, AND SEE PICTURES

Screwball Tragedy: 

Niobe, Regina di Tebe

French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky as Anfione, the King of Thebes. (Boston Early Music Festival)

Classical New England is proud to present the world broadcast premiere of what you could call a “screwball tragedy,” Agostino Steffani’s 1688 Opera Niobe: Regina di Tebe (“Niobe, Queen of Thebes”), a work that lay forgotten until its revival in 2008, and subsequent North American premiere at the 2011 Boston Early Music Festival.

The opera opens with Anfione, the King of Thebes (sung brilliantly by the emerging French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky), who wants nothing more than to hang up his scepter and immerse himself in metaphysical contemplation of the harmony of the spheres. But Anfione’s celestial ambitions are dashed by a litany of earthly troubles: a foreign invasion, a kidnapping, adultery by enchantment, a dancing bear and some very angry gods.

In Steffani's opera, the King of Thebes is at turns an enlightened demi-god, an enraged, jealous husband and a bellicose warrior-king…and that's just one of many complex characters in this spectacular opera, bringing to life Ovid's timeless tale of love, pride and divided loyalties.  We also get Queen-with-attitude, Niobe herself (sung by Boston favorite Amanda Forsythe), the lovesick courtier Clearte (Kevin Skelton), who pines for Niobe, the enemy prince of Thessaly (Matthew White), who also has designs on the haughty Queen; Jose Lemos is the wisecracking nurse Nerea, Colin Balzer and Yulia Van Doren as the young lovers Tibernio and Manto; Charles Robert Stephens as Manto’s father, the blind soothsayer Tiresia; and Jesse Blumberg in a crackling role as the evil magician Poliferno. Stephen Stubbs and Paul O’Dette co-direct the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra in a production recorded by WGBH engineers at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston.


Niobe, Regina di Tebe Act I


Niobe, Regina di Tebe Act II


Niobe, Regina di Tebe Act III


      Download program notes and libretto



http://www.wgbh.org/articles/Screwball-Tragedy-Niobe-Regina-di-Tebe-7099
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In the mood for a trip to Vermont?

Peep at the leaves and listen to a little Bach!

2nd Annual Blache Moyse Memorial Concert

J.S. Bach: BWV 8 Cantata: Liebster Gott, wun werde' ich sterben?

                BWV 140 Cantata: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme.

                BWV 243, Magnificat

Hannah Yu, Soprano

Mary Westbrook-Geha, Mezzo-Soprano

Steven Paul Spears, Tenor

Sanford Sylvan, Baritone

Blanche Moyse Chorale, Mary Westbrook-Geha, Director

Blanche Moyse Memorial Orchestra

Sunday, October 7, 2012

3 PM, Parson Auditorium, Marlboro, Vt.

Tickets $20, $40   bmcvt.org   802-257-4523

To hear Wachet Auf: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sj-NKqR0tw

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OPERA ON THE INTERNET 

WITH  

DAVE  D' AGUANNO

As has been the case recently, the internet opera schedule for this coming Saturday (September 29) has some very interesting items on tap for your listening enjoyment.

Of special interest, primarily to those of us "of a certain age": Verdi's "La Traviata" in a 1946 performance conducted by Arturo Toscanini, with the NBC Orchestra & Chorus and an exceptional cast headed by soprano Licia Albanese, with tenor Jan Peerce and baritone Robert Merrill. This is one that fans of any of those musicians won't want to miss!

(www/wrti.org/)

On a more up-to-date front, there's more Verdi in store for those who might be interested in hearing his take on the Joan of Arc story, with a performance of his (early) opera "Giovanna d'Arco." This is a performance that was given in Graz (Austria) this past Monday (September 24). If you like Verdi, it's bound to satisfy!

(http://oe1.orf.at/)

Then there's a September 14th performance of "Nabucco." More Verdi? -- No! This one is Falvetti's 1683 opera (predating Verdi's by about 150 years!) given by musicians at this year's Festival d'Ambronay!

(http://sites.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/accueil/)

Plus, CBC's Radio 2 is bringing us yet another performance from the Canadian Opera Company's 2011/2012 season. This one comes from this past April; the opera is the one which many regard as Offenbach's masterpiece -- "The Tales of Hoffmann" -- featuring John Relyea as the four villains. Relyea, of course, sang in a couple of previous Met HD-transmissions, most notably "The Damnation of Faust" (Berlioz) & "I Puritani" (Bellini), the latter being one of the first HD-transmissions offered by the Met back in 2007. (Was it really that long ago??)

(www.cbc.ca/radio2/)

http://www.lamonnaie.be/en/mymm/related/event/221/media/1460/Passion%20-%20Pascal%20Dusapin/

This one would be primarily for those of you with a taste for modern opera.

It's a performance (Lille, 2/2/12) being shown on the Brussels website of Dusapin's opera "Passion" with your choice of French or Dutch subtitles (or no subtitles at all).

The website offers information on the opera as well as the video performance itself.

Dusapin's music is certainly modern (21st century) but somewhat low-key and atmospheric rather than harsh & dissonant.

Might be worth checking out.

Enjoy!

DAVE

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COMING SOON! THE FIRST Live in HD: OCTOBER 13, 2012

Donizetti’s L'Elisir d'Amore–New Production

October 13, 2012, 12:55 pm ET

U.S. Encore: Wednesday, November 7, 2012 at 6:30 pm local time

Anna Netrebko and Matthew Polenzani star in Bartlett Sher's new production of one of the greatest comic gems in opera, as the fickle Adina and her besotted Nemorino. Mariusz Kwiecien is the blustery sergeant Belcore and Ambrogio Maestri is Dulcamara, the loveable quack and dispenser of the elixir. Maurizio Benini conducts.

Approximate runtime: 3:02

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Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~Berthold Auerbach (1812-1882), German-Jewish novelist

2012-2013 SEASON

All Concerts are at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Providence, RI

Holiday Concert - 

Saturday, November 24, 2012 at 8 PM

Pre-concert talk by Dr. Samuel Breene - 7:00 PM

• Antonio Vivaldi - Gloria  with Jean Danton, soprano & Megan Roth, mezzo-soprano

Jean Danton

Megan Roth

• Benjamin Britten - St. Nicolas with Kirk Dougherty, tenor and the North Smithfield High School Women's Choir, Regina McAdam conductor

Kirk Dougherty

Regina McAdam

                                  ***                                   

Saturday, March 16, 2013 8:00 PM

Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul

Pre-concert talk by

Dr. Samuel Breene - 7:00 PM

Arvo Pärt – Te Deum

Fusionworks Dance Company

Deb Meunier, Artistic Director

Brown University Chorus

L.  Frederick  Jodry, Conductor

Franz Schubert – Mass  No. 3 in Bb Major

Soloists are the winners of the

Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra's

5th Annual Collegiate Vocal Competition

                               ***                                  

Saturday, May 11, 2013 8:00 PM

Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul

Pre-concert talk by

Dr. Samuel Breene - 7:00 PM

ALL BEETHOVEN PROGRAM

Ludwig van Beethoven – Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt

Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 1 in C Major

Ludwig van Beethoven – Mass in C Major

Patrice Tiedemann, Soprano

Hillary Nicholson, Mezzo-soprano

Martin Kelly, Tenor

René de la Garza, Baritone

                              ***                                  

All concerts conducted by

Edward Markward, Music Director    

Please visit our web page : http://www.ricco.org/

We rely on your generosity!

Your gift will help bring to life the choral works of musical masters such as Mozart, Bach, Handel, and Haydn, as well as musical premieres from young contemporary composers, and works that have never been performed in Rhode Island, like Sir Michael Tippett's A Child of Our Time. Your contribution also helps to support educational initiatives like our Annual Collegiate Vocal Solo Competition which provides the opportunity for young classical singers to perform as soloists with a large chorus and  professional orchestra.

You can make a secure online donation through PayPal by clicking the Donate button below, or by mailing your donation to our office address:

141 Phenix Ave., Cranston, RI  02920. 

Thank you for your support!

 

The Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
All donations qualify as a tax deduction under appropriate tax laws.

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UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS

Saturday, October 20, 2012"The Three Sopranos"

Featuring Norma Ciazzia, Kate Norigian, and Alisa Cassola,
with Bolly Ray Poli and Melissa Woolverton as pianist.

St. Michael's Church
Bristol, RI
8:00pm

PROGRAM

For tickets, please call the Opera Providence office at 401-331-6060.

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Thursday, October 25, 2012"Dancing With the Opera Stars"

Dinner/Concert
Metacomet Country Club
500 Veterans Memorial Parkway
East Providence, RI

Tickets: $60 per person
Includes a four course dinner with wine pairings.
For tickets, please call the Opera Providence office at 401-331-6060.

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Thursday, December 6, 2012"Fa-la-la and Opera"

 Dinner/Concert to Celebrate the Holiday Season
Metacomet Country Club
500 Veterans Memorial Parkway
East Providence, RI

Tickets: $60 per person
Includes a four course dinner with wine pairings.
For tickets, please call the Opera Providence office at 401-331-6060.

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Friday, January 25, 2013 and Sunday, January 27, 2013 
Winter Concert Series

Blithewold Mansion and Gardens
Bristol, RI

Tickets: $40 per person
For tickets, please call the Opera Providence office at 401-331-6060.

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Friday, February 15, 2013 and Sunday, February 17, 2013
 Winter Concert Series
Valentine's Day Concert

Blithewold Mansion and Gardens
Bristol, RI

Tickets: $40 per person
For tickets, please call the Opera Providence office at 401-331-6060.

Annual Appeal
2012-2013

Join Opera Providence by becoming a contributor
to Rhode Island's Premier Opera Company.

With your donation of $1000 you receive:

• Opera Classics Series – one ticket to each performance
   
• Blithewold Concert – one ticket

With your donation of $500 you receive:

• One ticket to all performances in the Opera Classics Series
  
  OR
   
• One ticket to all performances in the Blithewold Concert Series

With your donation of $250 you receive:

• One ticket to a Blithewold Concert
  
  OR
   
• One ticket to a Newport Concert.

To contribute to the Annual Appeal, please contact:

Opera Providence
585 Elmgrove Avenue
Providence RI 02906
401-331-6060

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Position available: Communications Director The Singers will hire a new communications director this fall. Duties, qualifications, and application instructions are online. Junior Providence Singers: Three audition sessions T.J. Harper, JPS music director, will conduct auditions from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Carter Center on Monday, August 27; Wednesday, September 5; and Monday, September 10. If those dates and times don’t work, call 751-5700 or e-mail the office and we’ll find some that do.  More about the JPS

Our 41st Season  |  Creation and Coronation Subscribe now Create your choral season Subscribe to our three-concert series and save nearly 20 percent. You’ll have premium seating for Duruflé Requiem Haydn Creation Fit for a Queen Our friends at the Philharmonic will also offer Providence Singers subscribers a 15-percent discount on tickets for Handel’s Messiah* Mahler’s Symphony No. 2* Order your subscriptions online or call the Singers office at 401-751-5700. * Tickets for Messiah and Mahler are available directly from the Philharmonic. November 3–4, 2012: Duruflé’s Requiem Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs Like Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Duruflé left the terrifying “Dies Irae” movement out of his 1947 Requiem. It is a requiem that tends toward contemplation and consolation. Other works include Daniel Pinkham’s Wedding Cantata, and Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs, a setting of five poems by his wife, Hila Plitmann. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, St. Mary’s Church, Bristol 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, Providence December 8, 2012: George Frideric Handel’s Messiah Two and a half centuries after its first performance, Handel’sMessiah easily remains the most frequently performed, most beloved work in the choral canon. The Providence Singers and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra join forces for a December performance at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. Betsy Burleigh conducts. 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012, The Vets, Providence Buy tickets from the Philharmonic online or by phone: 401-248-7000 February 10, 2013: Franz Joseph Haydn’s Creation Haydn had spectacular choral triumphs late in his life, none greater than the oratorio The Creation. The Singers and the New Bedford Symphony will perform The Creation in New Bedford and Providence. 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, at Temple Emanu-El in Providence (Also performed Saturday, Feb. 9, in New Bedford. More at New Bedford Symphony) April 6-7, 2013: Fit for a Queen Music was everywhere at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953: selections from England’s glorious musical past (Handel’s Zadok the Priest has been part of every coronation since George II in 1727)  and new works by Herbert Howells, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Healy Willan and others. The Singers will perform music written for Queen Elizabeth at her coronation and during the six decades since, including new music from the recently published Choirbook for the Queen. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6, 2013, Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, Providence 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 7, 2013, St. Mary’s Church, Bristol May 4, 2013: Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 2 Symphony No. 2, the “Resurrection Symphony,” was, with the Eighth Symphony, among Mahler’s most popular and successful works during his lifetime. He was struck by a text he heard at the funeral of the conductor Hans von Bülow: “Auferstehen, ja auferstehen wirst du, mein Staub,  nach kurzer Ruhe!” (“You shall arise, my dust, yes you shall arise after a brief rest!”) The  Singers will perform as guest artists with the Rhode Island Philharmonic. 8 p.m. Saturday, May 4 The Vets, Providence Tickets are available from the Rhode Island Philharmonic online or by phone: 401-248-7000 --------------------------------------------------- The Providence Singers Inc.  |  667 Waterman Avenue  |  East Providence  RI  02914 The Carter Center  |  Studio 154  |  401-751-5700  |  Fax: 401-751-5722 .*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.* Joyce di Donato Joyce triumphs in her first tour to South America: “Exquisito”

http://www.joycedidonato.com/2012/09/05/joyce-triumphs-in-her-first-tour-to-south-america-exquisito/#more-4594

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MET RADIO BROADCAST

Autumn is here it and the Met opera season started with a new production of L'Elisir d'Amore!

Alas, there are no radio broadcasts until 
after the leaves have fallen. 

The 2012-13 Radio broadcasts will begin 

December 8, 12:55pm with Verdi's 

Un Ballo in Maschera 

Listen to the Met Opera Saturday afternoon broadcasts on Harvard Radio, 95.3 in the Boston area or live-streaming online at http://www.whrb.org

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http://www.cafepress.com/+opera-and-i-vote+bumper-stickers

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This is a not-for-profit site; I do it for the love of it, but let me remind you that 

ART IS NOT FREE!  

It costs money to hire an accompanist, pay a skilled conductor, hire musicians, rent a practice hall, rent a performance space, and pay for scores for an chorus and/or orchestra. Professional musicians have invested years in education and perfecting their skills. 
Amateurs who are members of choruses are not paid but they, too, invest hours practicing their art.

For an opera, the costs are astronomical. 

So if you LOVE music, then sing! play an instrument! join a chorus! and support the artists who give us pleasure and happiness every day of their working lives! 

Even a small check helps...and remember to send it once a year! Now is a good time.