Opera and Choral Events

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Your source for classical voice, opera, and choral events

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Week of October 30 - November 6, 2014


*ALL LINKS ARE LIVE

Opera Star Joyce DiDonato Will Sing National Anthem at Game 7 (October 29, 2014)

Joyce DiDonato at Carnegie Hall on Sunday. She has performed the national anthem before a Royals game at Kauffman Stadium once before, in 2007.CreditHiroyuki Ito for The New York Times





This week at a theater near you,  in Met-HD:

Saturday, November 1, 2014
1:ooPM

She's back!

Anita Rachvelishvili

CARMEN
Richard Eyre’s mesmerizing production of Bizet’s steamy melodrama returns with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili singing her signature role of the ill-fated gypsy temptress. Aleksandrs Antonenko plays her desperate lover, the soldier Don José, and Ildar Abdrazakov is the swaggering bullfighter, Escamillo, who comes between them. Pablo Heras-Casado conducts the irresistible score, which features one beloved and instantly recognizable melody after another.





















To hear Anita Rachvelishvili sing "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle,"
"L'amour est un oiseau rebelle"





This week on Rhode Island Public television,
WSBE:  (Comcast 294, Cox 808, Full Channel 109, and Verizon 478)

 Saturday, November 1, 8:00pm
Sunday, November 2, 3:00am
Monday, November 3, 12:00am

the enchanted island

























"The Enchanted Island," a Jeremy Sams pasticcio about the war between Prospero and Sycorax from "The Tempest" being interrupted by the four lovers from "A Midsummer Night's Dream," whose honeymoon cruise has shipwrecked on the island.
DURATION: 210 MIN
DETAILS: [CC] [STEREO]
GENRE: PARENTS PICKS





Klinghoffer’: the aftershocks continue


Was the ‘Klinghoffer’ Premiere an ‘Operatic Kristallnacht’?
Dispatch from the scene at—and in—Lincoln Center Monday night
By Judith Miller

http://tabletmag.com/scroll/186493/was-the-klinghoffer-premiere-an-operatic-kristallnacht?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_content=Was+the+%E2%80%98Klinghoffer%E2%80%99+Premiere+an+%E2%80%98Operatic+Kristallnacht%E2%80%99%3F&utm_campaign=Oct2014

'Klinghoffer' opera does not glorify anti-Semitic violence
Raw, uneasy, complicated and messy: Despite its faults, the Met Opera’s ‘Death of Klinghoffer’ is simply not the anti-Semitic bogeyman the protesters make it out to be.
By Brian Schaefer Oct. 22, 2014 | 11:17 AM 


The Death of Klinghoffer Opera: Palestinian Propaganda Masquerading as Art
By Carol Greewald



Rosie’s      Corner


The WQXR  Blog reports that there was a dust-up recently when Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas asked a woman with an eight-year-old to leave a performance because they were distracting the players and the audience. While there was some question over whether he had ejected them or just asked them to move, the blogger asks for opinions on the appropriate age to bring children to concerts.  http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/conductor-halts-concert-eject-patron-restless-child/?utm_source=local&utm_medium=treatment&utm_campaign=daMost&utm_content=damostviewed 
I don’t know if Maestro Tilson Thomas was justified in interrupting his performance to eject the mother and child (if he had his back to the audience as most conductors do, it is likely that they were creating some kind of an audible distraction for him to have become aware of it.)  On the other hand, the maestro has a reputation for imperiousness. He once threw a handful of cough lozenges at an audience that was coughing excessively.

There are different ways to teach children about music. Sadly, nowadays, many schools have lost their music education programs. I started with daily singing using rhythm instruments in first grade and listening to the weekly Standard School Broadcast in school sponsored by Standard Oil of California.    http://www.originaloldradio.com/standard_school_broadcast.html   
It is a pity that so many children are not exposed to classical music, for I believe it helps with discipline for children to have the opportunity to sing, or play an instrument in a band. Furthermore, studies have shown that children who are engaged in learning an instrument are less likely to get into trouble. 
Rosie & Kenny c. 1970
When I was in college, just discovering the music scene in San Francisco, I took my younger brother to concerts. Eleven years younger than me, we developed a ritual. He would dress in his First Communion suit, with its clip-on tie, and we would go off to free concerts in churches, museums and occasionally, the San Francisco Symphony. He knew that wearing the suit required a certain standard of behavior. I’d buy him a pack of Cadbury Butterscotch which he’d learned to unwrap noiselessly in his pocket.  People often glared at us when we arrived at our seats, expecting him to act up during the performance. He never did; many people complimented us on his good behavior.

In the time before cell phones and computers, my daughter--now an avid opera fan-- grew up with older siblings who were string players; her earliest memories are of being babysat by an older brother (who later graduated from Juilliard)  endlessly practicing his cello. Family parties before she was old enough to talk included her siblings’ musician friends playing their instruments. At four, she improvised her sister’s violinist’s stance using a rectangular bread board and a pencil. At five, she saw her first opera (Placido Domingo's and Teresa Stratas’s Carmen on screen). Our house had a twelve-foot wall with shelves of phonograph records. There was always music in our house however, most people don’t grow up surrounded by classical music.

Electronic gadgets and social media have made it possible for us to hear all kinds of music non-stop but we have not solved the problem of how to optimize classical music education in a time of belt-tightening. Audiences are graying. Unless we turn this trend around, classical music will be relegated to a smaller and smaller audience. If people don’t attend concerts and buy recordings, classical musicians will not be able to enhance our lives with their audible beauty. 









Sunday, November 2, at 8PM  (11 PM ET)
On KDFC    

Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini

Puccini's heartbreaking tale of innocence, betrayal and sacrifice returns in a bold and beautiful production by Jun Kaneko, designer of San Francisco Opera's dazzling production of The Magic Flute (2012). Patricia Racette heads a superb cast including Elizabeth DeShong, Brian Jagde, and Brian Mulligan.




OPERA ON THE INTERNET 
WITH  
DAVE  D' AGUANNO


Thanks to New York City's Metropolitan Opera Company, there are 3 potentially wonderful operatic performances being offered for us to enjoy in the coming week. Of the three, most opera-goers will probably be mainly attracted to the LIVE HD-transmission this Saturday afternoon (November 1) of Bizet's "Carmen." On the other hand, the other 2 items are FREE on your computer, the first of which will be taking place tomorrow evening (October 30) at 7:25, when the Met's free live audio-stream will carry the premiere performance this season of Verdi's "Aida." Then, on Monday (November 3), it's Mozart's "The Magic Flute."

Other Saturday highlights include the July 14, 2014 performance from London's Royal Opera House of Donizetti's "Maria Stuarda" with none other than Joyce Di Donato once again singing the title role as she did recently in the Met's HD-transmission, but with a different supporting cast.

"Ottone in Villa" -- Antonio Vivaldi's very first opera, premiered in 1713 -- can be heard on Radio 4 (the Netherlands) in a performance that took place in Copenhagen on July 31 this past summer.

Besides the Met's broadcast of "The Magic Flute" taking place next Monday, there's more Mozart on tap, as French Radio brings to the "airwaves" a performance from Paris of "The Abduction from the Seraglio." It's a broadcast of this past Friday evening's performance.

Moving ahead to 21st century opera, David  DiChiera's 2007 opera "Cyrano" (based on you-know-what) comes to us on NPR in its world premiere performance from Michigan (10/13/07).

The BBC, on the other hand, is going even farther back than 2007, as "The Egyptian Helen" by Richard Strauss appears on their schedule for this coming Monday in a rare recording that was taped in May 1979. Former dramatic soprano Gwyneth Jones sings the lead role in this one.

Swedish Radio also has a broadcast from the past on its schedule for this Saturday, the opera in question being "Samson & Dalila" (by Saint-Saens), and the performance took place at the Met on April 18, 1987, with tenor Jon Vickers as Samson, mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne as Dalila, & baritone Louis Quilico as the High Priest -- many people, no doubt, would consider this a dream cast for this wonderful opera!


Enjoy!

DAVE



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The Met
Saturday afternoon radio broadcast 
resumes December 6.


Rossini's Il Barbiere Di Siviglia
December 6, 2014 12:00 pm ET
Mariotti; Leonard, Brownlee, Maltman, Muraro, Burchuladze
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Week of October 23 - October 30, 2014

*ALL LINKS ARE LIVE




This week on Rhode Island Public television,
WSBE:  (Comcast 294, Cox 808, Full Channel 109, and Verizon 478)

 Saturday, October 25, 8:00pm
Sunday, October 26, 3:00am
Monday, October 27, 12:00am

LA Cenerentola



"La Cenerentola," Rossini's take on the Cinderella fairy tale, stars Joyce DiDonato in the title role and  as the dashing prince.
DURATION: 180 MIN
DETAILS: [CC] [STEREO]









Arguing over Klinghoffer
Demonstrators in New York protesting the Metropolitan Opera's decision to produce 'The Death of Klinghoffer,' Sept. 22, 2014. (Raffi Wineburg)


The Times of Israel

Large protests expected at Met ‘Klinghoffer’ opening Monday

100 wheelchairs to be set up outside Manhattan’s Lincoln Center in memory of handicapped murder victim; rabbis to host prayer vigil




The New York Times

Protests Greet Metropolitan Opera’s Premiere of ‘Klinghoffer’


The Guardian home

We took four New Yorkers to The Death of Klinghoffer: what was their verdict?
On Monday night, hundreds of people protested outside the Met opera that Klinghoffer was antisemitic. So what was our panel’s take?

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/21/the-death-of-klinghoffer-panel-art-censor


The Times of Israel

Passionate ‘Klinghoffer’ protest


outshines lackluster premiere



Times of Israel reviewer, who was close to falling asleep during the opera, wonders





Violin making: 20 beautiful photos of craftsmen at work
Turning a violin from a humble block of wood into the perfectly balanced instrument we are all so familiar with takes a superb craftsman. Sit back and admire their exquisite work.

http://www.classicfm.com/instruments/violin/violin-making-pictures/wood/


Rosie’s      Corner

As you know, I do this blog out of love; I have never made a cent, or even a t-shirt or a coffee cup from the blog.  Today I want to tell you about KDFC, a great classical music station out of San Francisco; I tell you from my heart, not for any material gain.
I came from San Francisco where KDFC was originally a commercial classical radio station. Forty years ago, classical stations were supported by commercials for wineries and other genteel sponsors. Times change; for a while, we heard the jarring juxtaposition of Chopin etudes and Verdi overtures alongside tire commercials and spots for car dealers. Classical radio stations struggle along. Some, like WGBH, are part of the public radio networks which rely on listeners' support. KDFC, always a very fine station, went through a transformation from being a commercial station, resolving some controversies, to its present status as an independent, listener-supported station. The selection of music is broad and deep; one hears pieces that one never hears anywhere else. Its hosts are knowledgeable and informative without chatting endlessly. I could go on but suffice it to say that listening to it is an aesthetically satisfying experience. Not only does it do an excellent job of broadcasting opera recordings but it broadcasts the San Francisco Opera.
I am writing about it now because it has just released its mobile app. I urge you to take a listen; put on its all-night show, California Classical All-Night; or KDFC While You Work, with Dianne Nicolini. Soon you will find that becomes your default choice for classical music as it has become ours.  And if it pleases you, send a check to support its independence. God bless the Internet that gives us such choices!










To listen:

To download the app to your mobile device:









Seventh Annual 

COLLEGIATE VOCAL 

COMPETITION 




Auditions

This year, four winners in the categories of Soprano, Mezzo-soprano (or Alto), Tenor and Baritone (or Bass) will appear as soloists with the Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra in its March 14, 2015 concert, Songs of Praise and Peace.   The winning soloists will be featured in our performance of W. A. Mozart's Vesperae solennes de confessore, k 339.

In addition to the opportunity of appearing as soloist with the Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra and inclusion in all publicity for this concert, each of the winners will receive remuneration of two hundred dollars ($200.00).

The competition will take place on Saturday, October 25, 2014 between 1:00 and 5:00 PM at the Music Mansion in Providence, RI. An accompanist will be provided. Entrants should come prepared to sing an aria or art song of his or her choosing.

The entrant must be enrolled as a student at an institution of higher education (RI, MA, CT) at the time of the audition and must be recommended by a teacher at his/her school.  The recommendation may be indicated by signature on the application.  The adjudicators are three of New England's most respected singers who have appeared on numerous occasions as soloists with the Chorale.  

Upon receipt of the application, the entrant will be assigned an audition time.   Please download the application from our website,www.ricco.org. A $35 entry fee in the form of a check made payable to RICCO should  accompany the application form, which is due byOctober 10, 2014 at our address below.

We look forward to hearing you in this, our 7th ANNUAL COLLEGIATE VOCAL COMPETITION.



Rhode Island Civic Chorale & Orchestra
141 Phenix Avenue
Cranston, RI 02920



401.521.5670




Like us on Facebook

141 Phenix Avenue. Cranston RI, 02920 401.521.5670







OPERA ON THE INTERNET 
WITH  
DAVE  D' AGUANNO

While there won't be a live HD-transmission from the Met this coming Saturday (October 25), opera-lovers may want to take advantage of tomorrow night's FREE live audio-stream from the Met of Bizet's "Carmen" which begins at 7:25 pm and features some of the same singers who are scheduled to appear on the live HD-transmission of this opera on November 1.
(www.metopera.org/)


Although "Carmen" may be considered one of the most popular operas in the world, Puccini's "Tosca" is certainly a worthy contender as well, and it is this opera that can be heard on Saturday in a performance that took place on October 16 at the Paris Opera, a video of which was "floating around" on YouTube a few days ago but which has mysteriously disappeared.


If you have a taste for the more obscure operas of the 19th century, why not check out the broadcast from Geneva of Ernest Reyer's "Sigurd" which took place a year ago (October 10, 2013)? Sigurd is actually the same literary figure as the more familiar Siegfried (as in Wagner's Ring Cycle), & the plot of Reyer's opera is basically the same as that of Act 3 of "Siegfried" and most of "Die Gotterdammerung."
(http://oe1.orf.at/)


Or you might be interested in Weber's "Die Drei Pintos" which was actually orchestrated and completed by Gustav Mahler. The performance on hand via German Radio comes from Berlin (9/26/99).
(www.dradio.de/dkultur/)

In a lighter vein, there's Jerome Kern's "Show Boat" which turns up this week on NPR's schedule of broadcasts from the 2013/2014 season, as presented by the San Francisco Opera. Soprano Patricia Racette sings the role of Julie La Verne in this performance which stems from this past June.

Enjoy!
DAVE


*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
The Met
Saturday afternoon radio broadcast 
resumes December 6.


Rossini's Il Barbiere Di Siviglia
December 6, 2014 12:00 pm ET
Mariotti; Leonard, Brownlee, Maltman, Muraro, Burchuladze
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.