This week on Rhode Island Public television,
WSBE: (Comcast 294, Cox 808, Full Channel 109,
and Verizon 478)
Le comte ory
Great Performances at the Met
|
Saturday, June 1 -- 8:00pm; Sunday, June 2 -- 3:00am; Monday, June 3-- 12:00am
Le Comte Ory
Rossini's vocally dazzling comedy stars bel canto sensation Juan Diego Florez in the title role of this Met premiere production. He vies with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, in the trouser role of Isolier, for the love of the lonely Countess Adele, sung by soprano Diana Damrau. Bartlett Sher, director of the Met's hit productions of The Barber of Seville and Les Contes D'Hoffmann, describes the world of the opera as, "a place where love is dangerous. People get hurt. That can be very funny and very painful. Rossini captures both-with the most beautiful love music Rossini ever wrote."
DURATION: 150 MIN
DETAILS: [CC] [STEREO]
GENRE: PARENTS PICKS
MEETING BRYN TERFEL - BBC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=bNxHR1EVrLA
And here is another complementary two-part interview with Mr. Terfel on Classic Talk with Bing and Dennis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm2BUrTJ3fU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEN5qJlIvME
This just in: sad news about his impending divorce.
£8m divorce of UK's top opera star Bryn Terfel
revealed as love rival is 'glassed' in nightclub
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2276257/8m-divorce-UKs-opera-star-Bryn-Terfel-revealed-love-rival-glassed-nightclub.html
Opera Lovers of RI
Third anniversary!
June 25, 2010, I published my first blog
entry. It has been great fun and a tremendous learning experience for me, truly a labor of love. I
hope it has been fruitful for you as well. In celebration of this anniversary, three years without
missing a single week, I am inviting you to join us for a "Dutch
treat" lunch at Asian Palace.
(I wish I could offer to give a free banquet
but I don't make any money from the blog and my day job can't subsidize it.)
Come and meet other local opera lovers. I
bet we can get the restaurant to play some opera in the background!
Save the date:
Noon, SATURday, June 22, 2013.
Please send me an RSVP; if we get enough people,
we'll reserve the banquet room.
RSVP to me: drpegueros@gmail.com
Asian Palace is very reasonable and has a
huge menu that includes Chinese, Thai, and Japanese selections, including a
full sushi bar. Keep in mind that they only have the regular menu on weekends,
not the lunch menu. The website includes directions: http://www.asianpalacedining.com/
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Now playing in Boston!
THE BOSTON GLOBE, TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013
Movie review
‘Becoming Traviata’
is
becoming to Verdi
By Jeffrey Gantz
BECOMING
TRAVIATA (TRAVIATA ET NOUS) - 3 out of 4
stars
Language: French, Italian, and English, with subtitles
Running
time: 108 minutes
Cast: Natalie Dessay, Jean-François Sivadier,
Louis Langrée, Charles Castronovo, Ludovic Tézier
Director: Philippe Béziat
Playing
at: Museum of Fine Arts,
Opening
date: Wednesday and various dates
through June 6
Philippe Béziat’s “Becoming Traviata” isn’t just a documentary about the staging of Verdi’s “La traviata” at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France in summer 2011. Like Wim Wenders’s Pina Bausch tribute, “Pina,” it’s a work of art. Stage director Jean-François Sivadier, conductor Louis Langrée, and renowned coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay — none of them identified till the closing credits — don’t explain what they’re doing, they simply do it. But because we see the opera being rehearsed from beginning to end, and because we hear the famous arias, you can follow the story even if you’re unfamiliar with the opera — though a five-minute brush-up on the plot wouldn’t hurt.
The best parts of this engrossing film are the
exchanges between Sivadier and Dessay, who sings the title role of Violetta.
He’s intellectual in his approach; he tells her to think about “È strano”
(“It’s strange”) in the abstract, and when at one point he talks about
different ways to sing “gioir” (“joy”), she answers, “What does that mean?” He
moves her around like a choreographer with a prima ballerina; in the first act,
after Charles Castronovo’s Alfredo has professed his love and left, Sivadier
has Dessay raise her left hand as if to say, “No one’s here. I’m going to kiss
him anyway.” At times it seems Dessay just wants to cut loose and do things her
way, but she listens and incorporates Sivadier’s suggestions into her very
detailed performance. There are lighthearted moments as well: In the last act,
when she’s lying on the floor, he says, “Show me something — let’s see if we
have the same idea,” whereupon she bursts out laughing.
What “Becoming Traviata” doesn’t provide is
much sense of what this “Traviata” became, since we don’t see the finished
product, and stage designer Alexandre de Dardel’s updated concept is only
hinted at. There’s also nothing about how Dessay, who sang Violetta for Santa
Fe Opera in 2009 and last year at the Metropolitan Opera, approached a role
that many feel is too big for her voice. The film just goes from one
illuminating detail to another: Langrée asking the London Symphony Orchestra
strings to cry along with Alfredo’s father (Ludovic Tézier); Sivadier being
invited to pick up the baton for a moment, something he’s obviously dying to
do; Dessay practicing Violetta’s final collapse over the closing credits.
“Becoming Traviata” might make you feel you’ve
seen Verdi’s opera, or it might make you want to see it. The Aix-en-Provence
production, as it happens, is available on DVD.
Jeffrey Gantz can be reached at jeffreymgantz@gmail.com.
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Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
(28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012)
We missed the anniversary of the birthday of
the great German baritone, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau yesterday. If you are unfamiliar with him, he was the greatest of the
interpreters of Schubert lieder. Elizabeth Schwartzkopf described him as "a
born god who has it all." His accompanist was usually the great Gerald
Moore.
Here are three superb recordings:
My favorite is “Di Provenza” from La Traviata (as Germont père)
Ständchen "Serenade" – by Schubert
(1958 recording) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKULM9s5iKg
Recital of Schubert Lieder with Jörg Demus,
Piano
Recording, 30 July 1979 (1 hour, 17 minutes)
Kleines Festspielhaus, Salzburger Festspiele.
 |
| Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore |
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Masuko Ushioda
April 2, 1942 – May 28, 2013
from Classical New England
We're saddened to pass along the news that
violinist Masuko Ushioda has died. Beloved violin professor at New England
Conservatory, award-winning musician, humanitarian, and friend to many, Ms.
Ushioda will be missed.
In her most recent visit to our studio, she
played Debussy's "Danse sacree et profane" as part of a stunning
ensemble. Hear it later this afternoon on the air, or here:
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OPERA ON THE INTERNET
WITH
DAVE D' AGUANNO
Broadcasts from the Lyric Opera of Chicago's past season continue
on NPR this coming Saturday (June 1) with a performance of Donizetti's
delightful comedy "Don Pasquale." The series of performances of this
work originally took place in November & December of last year.
BBC Radio 3 is broadcasting a Royal Opera House performance of
Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" (February 2013). The title role is sung
by baritone Simon Keenlyside who appeared in the Met's HD-transmission this
past season of "The Tempest" by Thomas Ades. The Tchaikovsky opera
features the same cast that appeared in the video presentation that was shown
recently at the Cable Car Cinema, and I can personally attest to the fact that
it was, in my opinion, a terrific performance!
Puccini fans get to hear "La Fanciulla del West" on
German Radio this Saturday. It's a performance that took place in Frankfurt on
May 12, with soprano Eva-Maria Westbroeck singing the role of Minnie. Ms
Westbroeck, as many of you know, recently performed the title role in the Met's
HD-transmission of Zandonai's "Francesca da Rimini."
And what weekend of opera would be complete without yet another
broadcast of Bizet's "Carmen"? This time around, it's ORF
broadcasting this past Sunday's performance of the work from the Vienna State
Opera. Those of you who may have seen the Met's HD-transmission of this opera a
few years back will be pleased to know that the current performance features
both Elina Garanca and Roberto Alagna in the leading roles once again!
Enjoy!
DAVE
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2013 Summer encores of
Live in HD Broadcasts
Live in HD Broadcasts
2013-14 Live in HD
Season Preview
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Some interesting articles
Singing opera with someone else’s lungs
Renee Fleming E-Newsletter
Survival Economics: Small Opera Companies Drive Change
A disease called Richard? Wagner as mental health menace
Cleveland Orchestra plays in bars to reach new audiences
Judge Allows Composer to Sue Brooklyn Philharmonic for Breach of
Contract
What does a £2,500 record sound like?
Audiophile Pete Hutchison has gone to extraordinary lengths to
reissue golden era classical recordings in their purest form. He talks to
Killian Fox about the price of perfection, the 'digital con', and the sound of
a truly analogue recording
How to Entice People to Buy Symphony Tickets
L.A. Philharmonic concerned about potential subway noise
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-disney-subway-noise-20130517,0,4730121.story
The Day the Music Died in Mali
Spanish opera protests austerity
Florida Grand Opera delays ‘Tristan and Isolde,’ replaces with
‘Thaïs’
Composer John Adams Talks Hollywood, Social Media, and His
Sensitivity to Coughing
Titanic violin real, hospital CT scan suggests
Can you learn to love music you hate?
'Moonstruck' paralegal was lovestruck with her boss, famed defense
lawyer Chuck Peruto
Russian choir of 4,335 performs in St. Petersburg
Music review: Chamber Chorus chants (and harmonizes) paradisically
Opera Is Not Dead: The rich history—and rich present—of a unique
art form
Felicity Kendal’s Drunk Love, Glyndebourne Gets Bombed
Scene Last Night: Joe Torre, Neubauers at Bat on Met Opera Gala
At a benefit for the Metropolitan Opera last night, Joe Torre noted
the connection between opera and baseball.
Leaving the Met, but Not for Valhalla
L.A. Opera gives impressive 'Tosca'
Review: Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky shines in the title role.
Roving Downtown, From Opera to Folk
Nico Muhly Previews His ‘Two Boys’ at Le Poisson Rouge
Music Review: For Richard Wagner's 200th birthday, Met Opera
compiles 25-disc, 9-opera set
Mobile Company Turns Adorable Pets Into Moving WiFi Hotspots
http://designtaxi.com/news/357975/Mobile-Company-Turns-Adorable-Pets-Into-Moving-WiFi-Hotspots/
Concert and Event Calendar
2012-2013 Season
Friday, June 14, 2013 — 8:00pm
Saturday, June 15, 2013 — 8:00pm
Friday, June 21, 2013 — 8:00pm
Sunday, June 23, 2013 — 3:00pm
"Pirates of Penzance
— Featuring —
Samuel - Devon Morin, The Pirate King - Ryne Cherry, Fredric - Joshua Collier,
Ruth - Ana Maria Ugarte, Kate - Arielle Rogers, Edith - Kristen Charpentier,
Mabel - Julianne Gearhart, Major General Stanley - Andy Papas, The Sergeant - Jason Shealy
Stage Director and Choreographer - Nathaniel Merchants • Artistic Director - Rene de la Garza
The Columbus Theatre
Broadway
Providence, RI
Tickets: $35 and $60 per person
For tickets please call the Opera Providence Office at 401-331-6060
July & August 2013
Summer production of
"Elixir of Love"
Exact dates to be determined.
For additional information on our exciting opera season,
to purchase tickets, or to contribute to the Annual Appeal, contact:
Opera Providence
585 Elmgrove Avenue
Providence RI 02906
401-331-6060
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The Met radio broadcast season is
over for now...
check this space the first week
of December.
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NO OPERA ON WGBH TV
THIS WEEK!
