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Opera
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Subject: RE: Opera From: GUEST,Jane Ann Liston Date: 07 Nov 12 - 08:13 AM Ah, Lucia - now that is precisely one of the characters whom I meant earlier when I referred to women with 'victim' writ large upon the forehead when they walk onto the grand opera stage. Even allows herself to be bossed about by her brother! Cio-Cio San (Butterfly) is another; naive to the point of stupidity and ends up destroying herself. Incidentally, that opera was partly based upon the experiences of a Scot, Thomas Glpver, who visited 19th century Japan, not that he betrayed a Japanese girl, of course! Sidney Jones' musical play/operetta was also one of the inspirations for the Puccini work; as I prefer to leave the theatre laughing rather than weeping, I know which I would prefer to see!. Back to Lucia; Mr Firth, it is quite true what Mr Campin (and I think a few others) says about the inappropriateness of 20th-century-type wedding kilts for an opera set in 17th/18th century Borders; in fact the wearing of tartan was banned for about a quarter of the 18th century, post-Culloden. That's also why many Scots cringe at the portrayal of Scotland in Brigadoon; once every hundred years is too frequent! Also, referring to an even earlier post, the dancer Moira Shearer was certainly not English, but a Scot born in Dunfermline. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: ChanteyLass Date: 08 Nov 12 - 08:30 PM I enjoyed the broadcast of L'Eliser D'Amore, but I had to drive through a snowstorm to get to it. The theater is only a few miles away and the roads were not awful. However, on one stretch of road the streetlights and two traffic signals were out. I almost turned around then but I decided to see how things looked at the theater. The power there was on. By the time I left the theater, the snow had stopped and power along the road had been restored. Wednesday night I will probably go to Otello. I hope there is no snow that evening. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: GUEST,Jane Ann Liston Date: 09 Nov 12 - 09:02 AM Chanteylass, you might now find Gilbert & Sullivan's 'The Sorcerer' entertaining, as it owes not a little to L'Elisir d'Amore (as well as a passing reference to Der Freischtutz). By the way, I see I omitted the name of the Sidney Jones operetta which was one of the inspirations for 'Madama Butterfly' in my last post; it is 'The Geisha', written in 1896. One of the numbers, 'Chin-chin Chinaman' later became a street song. Not often performed now, but lots of good tunes, colour and fun. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Don Firth Date: 09 Nov 12 - 04:24 PM Jane Ann, although I am an American of Scottish descent (my great grandfather, born in Scotland, rounded the Horn in 1851 and settled in the American Pacific Northwest), I must confess that I am not that up on the details of the history of Scottish dress codes. I did see one production of Lucia di Lammermoor on television a few decades ago in which a number of the men were wearing kilts. I made the mistake of assuming that those in charge of costuming and such knew what they were doing. I have recently become quite skeptical in that area, what with directors these days trying their "bold, new concepts" and doing things like dressing the Nibelungen dwarfs in 20th century work clothes, complete with hard-hat and safety goggles and carrying lunch pails. And dressing Siegfried, not in the usual bearskin, but in chinos, a plaid shirt, and suspenders (braces). There, too, one often makes the mistake of assuming that people know what they're doing, such as those doing the publicity on the first movie that Americans saw Moira Shearer appear in, The Red Shoes (1948). She was billed as an English ballerina. [In the classic movie Casablanca, there is a scene in Rick's restaurant in which Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and prefect of police Captain Renault (Claude Rains) are sitting at a table and chatting.So—like Rick, I was misinformed. As to the "wimpyness" of women in opera, I refer you to my post above, at 22 Sep 12 – 03:31 (clicking HERE should take you back there), in which I discuss Beethoven's opera, Fidelio. The heroine, Leonora, gets her husband and dozens of other political prisoners freed and exposes a tyrant for what he his. Not exactly "wimpy." Or Minnie in Puccini's La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West). Her saloon, in addition to being place where the local miners can slake their thirst, is a school. She is teaching many of them to read and write. And it's the nearest thing the small mining town has to a church. She reads Bible verses to the miners on Sundays. She's the town's one civilizing influence. And in the final act of the opera, she faces down a lynch mob and saves a man's life. Not "wimpy" at all. And, of course, Brunhilde and the other ladies in the troop of Valkyries are anything but shrinking violets. In Lucia di Lammermoor, she was essentially a victim of the domination of her brother, the head of the family. But there was no way in that cultural and historical context that she could have prevailed. Read a bit of history, and about the status of women in the period being portrayed. And as far as Madama Butterfly is concerned, Cio-Cio San, as we all tend to do, interpreted the behavior of Lieutenant Pinkerton within the context of her own culture. In the Japanese culture at the time, Honor was of primary importance and people kept their word, or they, themselves, were dishonored. She trusted that Pinkerton was sincere. She had no reason to think otherwise. The outcome is not a matter of Cio-Cio San being a "wimp," it centered on the fact that Pinkerton was a pluperfect bastard! He may have been quite handsome in his uniform, but he was an "Ugly American." No. I think you'll find that the fate of women in opera is more a matter of historical and cultural context than their being "wimpy." How about Jane Austin's novels? They almost all center on young women sitting at home twiddling their thumbs waiting for some wealthy and handsome young swain to come along and marry them. The culture of the era being portrayed. Elizabeth Bennet, however, gives the handsome, dashing, and insufferably snobbish Mr. Darcy a good "wedgie." Rather than fawning over him like the other young women, she blows him off! Indicates that she wouldn't have him if he were the last man on earth. This wakes him up to the fact that he's not the center of the universe. Humanizes him. Once he gets down off his high horse and learns to respect her, he then becomes acceptable. Historical context. Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: ChanteyLass Date: 09 Nov 12 - 09:55 PM Jane Ann, if I get a chance to see The Sorcerer, I will. I enjoy Gilbert and Sullivan but have only seen their best-known works. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Songwronger Date: 18 Nov 12 - 05:13 PM We're continually compressing CDs into MP3s, and the ones I'm working on now are from a couple of sets called "The Record of Singing." Vols 3 & 4. Going to compress and then sell the originals. Amazing stuff. Recordings from the 78 RPM era. Some outstanding excerpts. Well worth looking for if you like opera: The Record of Singing (wikipedia) |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: ChanteyLass Date: 18 Nov 12 - 08:14 PM On Wednesday evening I saw Verdi's Otello live in HD with Johan Botha singing the lead and Renee Fleming as Desdemona. Next up in two weeks will be The Tempest. One problem, and I'm not a good friend because I'm whining about this: I used to go alone contentedly, but this year a woman I worked with has joined me for the two operas so far and said she'll go to Tempest and some of the others. But she whispers during the performances, giving her blow-by-blow opinions. I try to look totally focused on what we see and hear and only respond with an occasional "Mmm" without taking my eyes from the screen, but so far that's not working! If this is a problem for me, it must be so for others in the audience! |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 18 Nov 12 - 08:49 PM Chantey Lass: You know, we all lead busy lives and are stressed for any number of reasons. We have a few things that bring us joy, such as music.This person is ruining something that's important to you. Please, please, tell her. What's the worst thing that can happen if you tell her? Believe me, I have real sympathy for your "whine." Good luck, Elmore |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: GUEST Date: 19 Nov 12 - 09:01 AM Saw Verdi's Falstaff in class last week. The comedy was a bit too broad, but Bryn Terfel as Falstaff was irresistable, and the cast in general were first rate singers of a difficult musical score. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 19 Nov 12 - 10:02 AM Guest just above was me. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Stilly River Sage Date: 19 Nov 12 - 11:35 AM This weekend I poked around in the Windows Media Center settings and moved all of the recordings from the default C: (that was getting a tad full) over to a spacious extra drive. And I found information about easily converting the WMC files so I can burn them to BluRay and delete them from the drive. First up are the four operas in the Ring Cycle, and that should empty out a bit of space! :) SRS |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Don Firth Date: 19 Nov 12 - 03:01 PM ChanteyLass, rather than suffer the running commentary, perhaps you could tell your friend frankly that you are trying to concentrate on the opera and find her commentary distracting. And if she could please file it until after the final curtain, you'd be happy to discuss it with her. Unfortunately, there seem to be many people who attend operas that could benefit from a good dope-slap every now and then. When my wife was in college, she had a woman friend who would go to a full-length opera production, then when the tenor or the soprano or the baritone had sung their big aria, would want to pick up and leave! Idiotic! Save some money! Buy a record of miscellaneous operatic arias and listen at home! A little background: A voice teacher in Seattle actually ran a small opera company (this was well before Seattle Opera got started) and had the use of a small theater that seated maybe 200 people. She didn't just teach young singers to sing, she taught the full operatic roles. Then, when she had a cast assembled, she would produce full-length operas in the little theater! There was some criticism of this by other voice teachers because many of the singers were still teenagers, and they felt that singing a full-length opera was a bit much for a young, developing voice. Nevertheless, I heard some really fine singing of well-known operas by these kids, on a stage not much bigger than a postage stamp (the Soldier's Chorus in Faust consisted of four guys marching in place while they sang). No orchestra. Mrs. Towers, the teacher, accompanied them on a piano. I heard one girl, Monte, sixteen years old, do a really fine job of singing both Marguerita in Faust and Gilda in Rigoletto. Then, years later, while attending a big production at Seattle Opera (with full orchestra, lavish costumes, and in a 3,100 seat opera house), of seeing and hearing Monte, all growed up, singing in the real thing! Anyway, back to the point: many of the audiences at the productions of the "Towers Opera Studio" were attended by parents and family of the kids in the cast, not necessarily confirmed opera-goers. And some of them, apparently wanting to display the fact that they know the music in the opera, when a big aria would come along (say, Monte singing "Caro Nome" in Rigoletto) would hum or whistle along!! Or at least administer a brisk dope-slap to about half the people in the audience! ChantyLass, if your friend is trying to demonstrate how knowledgeable she is about opera, she is actually demonstrating her lack of knowledge of the protocols of being a sophisticated and appreciative audience member. Don Firth P. S. Although having young singers singing roles in full-length operas might be a bit questionable as to overloading their developing voices, Mrs. Towers was aware that many young singers don't make it into opera companies because when they appear for, say, the regional Metropolitan Opera auditions, they know maybe a dozen arias—but not entire roles. This means that if the Met judges like the voice and think it may be worth investing in, they will be paying the singer to learn entire roles over the next few years. IF, however, a young singer already knows at least a couple of roles, the judges may find them far more attractive. Less time in training and actually on stage much earlier. Mario Lanza, erroneously considered by some to be one of the greatest operatic singers of the mid-twentieth century, was unacceptable to opera companies in general. He had a really great voice. And he knew lots of arias, some of which he recorded (especially after he starred in the movie "The Great Caruso." But he didn't know any roles. And he was a notoriously lazy slob who wouldn't work at it, and he had a hard time keeping his weight under 300 lbs., which is why the movie studio scratched him from starring in "The Student Prince" and had the slender, handsome Edmond Purdom lip-sync to Lanza's pre-recorded singing. Also, he had the musical taste of a warthog! My voice teacher at the time commented that Lanza had a truly great voice, but it was like giving a Stradivarius violin to a baboon! |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: ChanteyLass Date: 19 Nov 12 - 07:52 PM After I did my whining here last night, I thought about my problem with my friend some more, and of course now some of you have given me some suggestions. I think what I will do before the next broadcast starts is tell my friend that I am going to try really hard not to talk to her until the intermission so that we can both listen to the opera and not disturb other people who came to hear it, too. That way I will be blaming myself for the bad behavior, but I hope she decides to be quiet, too. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Don Firth Date: 19 Nov 12 - 09:03 PM Soungs like a good, tactful way of going about it. I hope she gets the clue. Happy listening! Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 20 Nov 12 - 08:36 AM Good luck. I hope your plan is not too subtle for her. I'd really like to know if it works. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: ChanteyLass Date: 29 Nov 12 - 07:02 PM My plan in fact worked well, but I may have to repeat it just before each opera. My friend made a couple of comments near the beginning, but I kept my eyes focused on the screen and did not make any sound of acknowledgement when she spoke. After those first few comments, she was quiet. I forgot to remind her during intermission but she stayed quiet. Last night's broadcast was Thomas Ades' The Tempest. The composer was also the conductor. I would not call the score beautiful, but as a whole the opera was interesting. One of the characters, Trinculo (iesten Davies), was a counter-tenor role. Listening to Ariel, (Audrey Luna), I wondered if there is such a thing as a counter-soprano! Most of the time she seemed to be singing at the upper range of the human voice. Also, she was very strong and agile. During the intermission interview, she credited the person (from the dance troupe?) who did the opening instrumental sequence swinging from a chandelier in a Cirque du Soleil way, but what she had to do with her body while singing looked difficult to me! |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 29 Nov 12 - 07:58 PM Glad to hear your plan was successful, Chantey Lass. Recently I saw a dvd of Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream in which the lead role was played by a counter-tenor. The instructor said that generally men can't stand counter-tenors. I found the whole production peculiar, but interesting. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz Date: 29 Nov 12 - 08:16 PM For those of you interested in Opera, may I introduce to you Martina Govednik, mezzo-soprano, a wonderfully talented lady that I had the opportunity to listen to and to meet in Montreal this past summer...http://martinagovednik.com BR |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: GUEST,Bob Ryszkiewicz Date: 29 Nov 12 - 08:24 PM Martina Govednik, mezzo-soprano, as Carmen...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh9cMhK3fK8 |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 29 Nov 12 - 09:11 PM Easy on the eyes. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Stilly River Sage Date: 30 Nov 12 - 08:16 AM Thanks for that, Bob. She has a beautiful voice. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: GUEST,Bob Ryzkiewicz Date: 30 Nov 12 - 08:16 PM Stilly River Sage: I found Martina via an invitation to an Art event that an old friend was involved with. Her performance was in a Church (in the Gay Village of Montreal) with Art displayed on the floor. She began doing Carmen alone, then with an accompanist. She sang to the Art and a group of about 25 people. Being a performer myself, and I know many of you also will appreciate, having played to small groups of people, where it took every fibre of your being to do the best show you could. The sound was not right, and doing Carmen in the round, so to speak, impressed me. She just rolled over the technical obstacles. Not too far off from the Folk musician who finds gigs, or creates them. Her talent needs exposure, (see more on YouTube) just doing my part to help...bob |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Don Firth Date: 30 Nov 12 - 09:13 PM The backup was not exactly the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, but they were giving it a shot, and SHE has The Voice, and all the Moves. I'll be looking for her name in the future. Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: ChanteyLass Date: 21 Dec 12 - 09:42 PM On Wednesday night I saw the broadcast of the Met Opera's production of Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito, an opera I'd never heard of until the Met put it on it's schedule. (Remember, I'm fairly new to opera and have a lot to learn.) It was glorious. In addition to the beautiful music and singing, Elina Garanca and Kate Lindsay were wonderful in trouser roles. The acting was excellent. The set and costumes were impressive. I Hope others get a chance to see it. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Stilly River Sage Date: 22 Dec 12 - 11:36 AM Sounds wonderful! How do the ticket costs compare to a regular film showing at the theater? SRS |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: ChanteyLass Date: 22 Dec 12 - 10:20 PM the regular price for movies is $8.50, but there are discounts for seniors and children--a whopping 50¢ less for each.. There are also "Bargain Tuesdays" when all tickets are $7 and Senior Wednesdays when people 60 and older pay $5.50. The live broadcasts of operas on Saturday are $25 ($23 for seniors; $12 for children. The rebroadcasts I go to on Wednesdays are $19 for everyone. The Showcase Cinemas I go to has a loyalty card, Starpass. With it I earn points for every dollar I spend there. I can use them for a free soft drink, free popcorn, and when I get enough I get a free movie. I can't use them for special events like operas, but I do earn points when I buy an opera ticket. I think I'll be seeing more movies than in years past. I have already earned one ticket which I will use for Les Miserables. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 23 Dec 12 - 10:26 AM ChanteyLass, I envy you. Right now, We're in the process of moving and just can't deal with anything else. The up side is that once we get to the mountains of North Georgia, Gainsville, Ga. is only an hour away, and has a theater that shows the Met series. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: ChanteyLass Date: 30 Dec 12 - 12:38 AM Yay! Enjoy! A few years ago I thought I would never be interested in opera but met others who raved about it. I decided to broaden my horizons and am glad I did. Yet it still seems odd and somewhat elitist. Folk music seems accessible to everyone, but opera? Not so sure. I am glad that my friend has joined me there, and yes she is quieter during the broadcasts. She has also joined me at folk concerts, but only for one performer--Christine Lavin! For others who want to see opera broadcasts, every year they are adding locations in the US and internationally. If there is nothing in your area yet, maybe there will be eventually. Don't fear it, but try it out. I still think that I would not like this without the subtitles, and I arrive early to be sure that I can see them. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Jim Carroll Date: 30 Dec 12 - 03:37 AM Never been able to get around the picture of Elmer Fudd chasing Bugs Bunny while singing "Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit", in the Looney Tunes operatic send-up - a classic. Tend to agree with Rossini - "Wagner has lovely moments but awful quarters of an hour". Jim Carroll |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 30 Dec 12 - 09:37 AM Since we are moving to the middle of nowhere, I'm checking out the Met On Line. It has a huge selection of operas including most of those which have been presented at the movies. I'm not sure if it shows the new season at the same time as it happens at the movie theaters. I'm really going to miss the opera classes I've been taking for several years at a local college. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 20 Jan 13 - 09:56 PM Saw L'eliser D'amore on New Hampshire PBS yesterday. It was an excellent production. We're moving to Georgia this week. Does anybody know if Georgia Public Television carries Great Performances at the Met? I googled it to death, but couldn't get any information. I have options, but have enjoyed these broadcasts over the years. Thanks, Elmore
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Subject: RE: Opera From: GUEST Date: 21 Jan 13 - 01:51 AM This has nothing to do with folk music! |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 21 Jan 13 - 09:12 AM So? |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Stilly River Sage Date: 21 Jan 13 - 10:28 AM Unnamed GUEST, pull up your socks and move along. You saw the title - "Opera" - you can figure it won't interest you. The great thing about Mudcat.org is that it serves a lot of music interests. Elmore, though it detects my current region when I navigate to the http://www.pbs.org/tv_schedules/ site there is an "edit settings" link in gray near the top right of the page. Enter your new town and see what's in the schedule. I'm sure if you're near a large market you'll see that program, it is a staple. You need to start worrying if you don't find PBS at all. I lived in a small town in northern Louisiana for a few months in 1981 and they had a nascent PBS station - the only classical music I could hear in the region was what was broadcast on PBS. It was a lifesaver (the area was so rural and southern that there weren't even rock and roll radio stations, they were only country or church.) The good thing in this day and age is that with a good Internet connection you can navigate to a region's station and watch much of it online, and become a donor to that station to support their programs. There was no Internet in 1981 and I didn't get my first computer until 1984 and I think our connectivity began three or four years later. How far we have come! A note to Don - I still have those four Wagner (Ring Cycle) operas in my computer and this week I figured out how to get them out of the "recorded TV" files. The .wtv files aren't compatible with much of anything but can be converted within the program and burned to a disk. I'll stick each of those on BluRay. It's very slow - to get a program converted and burned to disk I have to start in the evening and leave it running overnight. I'll examine the reviews of various conversion programs and see about doing it faster. In Explorer can mouse over the .wtv file and choose to quickly convert it to the older dvr-ms file type, and I think the various free and for fee converters may go from there to put it in a more universal file type. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 21 Jan 13 - 12:29 PM Thanks, SRS, I'll give that a try. We're going to be living 2 hours or so north of Atlanta, but I'm pretty sure we have a PBS outlet. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Stilly River Sage Date: 21 Jan 13 - 04:28 PM Around here in Texas I think a lot of outlying counties and towns cable systems have the Dallas/Fort Worth channels in their lineups. Assuming something similar exists there, it would make sense that they would carry however many PBS stations are in the Atlanta area. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Genie Date: 22 Jan 13 - 12:30 AM I'm finding this thread very interesting, though it seems to be wandering far and wide! BTW, "Guest" who doth keep proclaiming lack of interest in the topic and questioning its fit to "folk music," there are songs most definitely adopted as "folk music" (not to mention other genres such as jazz, blues) that come from opera. such as the Gershwin/Gershwin/Heyward aria "Summertime," from "Porgy And Bess." Which brings me to the question of what distinguishes a "musical" from an "opera." My understanding, simplistic as it may be, is that in an "opera," all or nearly all the lines are SUNG, whereas in a "musical, " spoken dialogue is interrupted from time to time (sometimes quite unnaturally) by the actors bursting into song and maybe dance as well. So the original "Porgy And Bess" (as, I understood it, George Gershwin construed it), as well as Lloyd-Webber's "Cats," the Broadway version of "Les Misérables," and the show "Miss Saigon," are really operas (even though they're - shudder! - in English and don't sound like "classical music." Almost all other theatre productions and movies I can think of where there are a lot of songs sung/danced by the actors are "musicals," complete with a lot of spoken dialogue. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Stilly River Sage Date: 22 Jan 13 - 01:02 AM I'll be interested to see what answer you get to this one. I think the lines between operetta and opera and musicals have blurred a lot in recent times. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 22 Jan 13 - 11:47 AM To complicate matters, the French created opera comique, the Germans, Singspiel, in the eighteenth century, both of which had speaking parts, but nontheless were considered to be opera. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 02 Mar 13 - 01:02 PM Listening now to "Parsifal," Met broadcast, on Catmusica. Wonderful singing. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Ron Davies Date: 02 Mar 13 - 01:54 PM So this thread is up again. I'm not an opera buff , in general ,but quite a few of the overtures --and even more choruses--are just sublime. OK, I'm not an unbiased observer, having been in orchestras which played many overtures and in choruses which have done opera choruses. At least twice we did an opera chorus concert. Sold out the Kennedy Center concert hall. And great fun--among other things, like the soloists, the chorus has to assume roles through the music. I'm pushing to do another one. One more thing: there are allegations, fine, but no proof, that Schubert was a pedopohile. Fascinating the way some folks like to lynch people in the Mudcat Kangaroo Court. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Stilly River Sage Date: 02 Mar 13 - 02:18 PM That was some out-of-the-blue stuff, Ron. What can you tell us about Catmusica? I found a site, but can't hear it. Is it only in Spain? How are you listening to it? SRS |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 02 Mar 13 - 03:06 PM Never any problem listening to catmusica (Barcelona). They have two classical streams on the net, so one has a choice. I think that they are on 24/7, but I haven't listened beyond about 10pm, MST. I see http://www.catmusica.cat/index_cm.htm at the top of the page. Their language is Catalan; no Spanish. The vocalists are Jonas Kaufman, tenor; Katerina Delayman, soprano; Rene Pape, baix; Peter Mattel, bariton; Evgeny Nikitin, baix-bariton and Runi Brattaberg, baix. I may try and get a cd of this performance, if it becomes available. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: ChanteyLass Date: 02 Mar 13 - 06:54 PM I have now seen more Met in HD broadcasts. On jan. 9 I saw Un Ballo in Maschera. It was good, but I think I'm more impressed by more elaborate sets and costumes than were used in this production. As an aside, I think this is the only broadcast this season in which Dmitri Hvorostovsky appears. He has a small following among a group of people from Providence's East Side (a fairly pricey neighborhood). They only come to the operas in which he appears. The women in that group tend to gasp and giggle when he appears on screen. However, they didn't come to this one. I skipped Aida on January 16 because it had been done two years ago and my budget isn't endless. However, the woman who sang the lead was a different one and I was impressed with her in the previews. On January 23 I saw Les Troyens, and enjoyed it very much. On Feb. 6 I saw Maria Stuarda, the opera that I had most looked forward to this season. I was not disappointed. It was very dramatic. Next up, on Wednesday, will be Rigoletto==set in Las Vegas in 1960! Last week I used a free pass to see the movie Quartet, which is about four opera singers living in a retirement home who are rehearsing to perform a quartet from this opera as part of a fundraiser for the home. I am looking forward to seeing that quartet performed. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Ron Davies Date: 04 Mar 13 - 09:36 PM "out of the blue" The Schubert allegation is earlier in this thread. But it's presented as a fact. A rather revolting smear--by somebody who is not careful about facts. I considered responding at the time. But it slipped by. The opera chorus and overture observations however are not out of the blue, I'm sure. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Mar 13 - 10:45 PM It's long enough I don't remember what all is in it. I'll review the posts later. A 200-year-old accusation is a bit of a reach. SRS |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Ron Davies Date: 05 Mar 13 - 06:46 PM It's an--off the cuff--smear. And I will not let it pass a second time. Admittedly I'm not an unbiased observer: Schubert's 5th, 8th and 9th, the Trout Quintet, the String Quintet in C and the Piano Trios 1 and 2 are some of my favorite music. i.e. I think Merle Haggard put it pretty well--I'm sure he was thinking of his reaction to an attack on Schubert, wasn't he?--- "walkin' on the fightin' side of me". |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 06 Mar 13 - 10:23 AM Many of the eighteenth and nineteenth century led unhappy lives. Some were mad as hatters. Doesn't detract from the beauty of their music. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: GUEST,999 Date: 06 Mar 13 - 11:34 AM It's goin' downhill. Two bits to anyone who can listen to over a minute of this. |
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Subject: RE: Opera From: Elmore Date: 06 Mar 13 - 02:41 PM 999: I tried. You get to keep your two bits. |
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