Thursday, May 27, 2021

Three Divas in Concert

 

This charming recital with pianist Vlad Iftinca and guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas comes from the newly refurbished opera house in the Palace of Versailles.  It is courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.  Thank you, Peter.

The Program 

“Je veux vivre dans ce rêve” From Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette sung by Nadine Sierra.  [I saw Nadine sing this role at the San Francisco Opera.]

“Voi che sapete” From Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro sung by Isabel Leonard.[I saw Isabel sing this role in HD from the Met.]

“Ebben? Ne andrò lontana” From Catalani’s La Wally sung by Ailyn Pérez.

“Crudele? ... Non mi dir” From Mozart’s Don Giovanni sung by Nadine Sierra.

“Agitata da due venti” From Vivaldi’s Griselda sung by Isabel Leonard. [I saw Isabel sing this role in Santa Fe.  She was stunning.]

“Stridono lassù” From Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci sung by Ailyn Pérez.

“Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour” (Barcarolle) From Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann sung by Isabel Leonard and Nadine Sierra.

“Prenderò quel brunettino” From Mozart’s Così fan tutte sung by Isabel Leonard and Ailyn Pérez.

“Mira, o Norma ... Sì, fino all’ore estreme” From Bellini’s Norma sung by Nadine Sierra and Ailyn Pérez. [Gorgeous.  Thank you for not reminding me of any version heard before.  Bravi!!]

“Marie Theres’! … Hab’ mir’s gelobt” From R. Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier   [This is, of course, one of my great loves sung by all three.  These ladies can wail.  I need me some Rosenkavalier.]

Isabel Leonard speaks briefly about their shared Latina heritage before going on to the Latina part of the program.

“Près des remparts de Séville” (Seguidilla) From Bizet’s Carmen sung by Isabel Leonard [Why has she never sung this role?  Or she did and I didn't notice.]

“En medio a mis colores” (Canzonetta spagnuola) By Gioachino Rossini sung by Isabel Leonard

“Me llaman la primorosa” From Giménez’s El Barbero de Sevilla sung by Nadine Sierra.  [Fun]

“Estrellita” By Manuel Ponce sung by Ailyn Pérez.

Ailyn brings on the guitarist and music stands appear.  This entire recital is overflowing with love.  Thank you my dears. They all take off their shoes.

“Bésame Mucho” By Consuelo Velázquez sung by all three in harmony.

“Cielito Lindo” By Quirino Mendoza y Cortés sung by all three in harmony.

So much love.  Wonderful.

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Lise Davidsen at la Scala

 


Lise Davidsen successfully made her La Scala debut last night in a concert with her as the featured soloist.  These days Lise starts everything at the top.  The above film shows the orchestra on the floor with the audience in the boxes above. Riccardo Chailly conducted.  I remember him primarily as the conductor of Cecilia Bartoli's La Cenerentola recording.

Program

Giuseppe Verdi

From Macbeth  "Patria oppressa"  [chorus]

Henry Purcell

From Dido and Aeneas  "When I am laid in earth" with Lise 



Richard Wagner From Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg  Vorspiel (Prelude)
Richard Strauss From Ariadne auf Naxos  "Es gibt ein Reich, wo alles rein ist" with Lise
Giuseppe Verdi

 From La forza del destino Sinfonia

"Pace, pace mio Dio"  with Lise

Richard Wagner

From Tannhäuser Ouvertüre
"Dich, Teure halle"  with Lise

Giuseppe Verdi From Nabucco  "Va’, pensiero" [chorus] 

Only "When I am laid in earth" was something I had not heard Lise sing before.  It was good but unspectacular compared to the other things.  She wore black in the first half and looked radiant.  These songs are basically all tragic, so black was ok.  For the second half she wore a beautiful pastel outfit which brightened the mood.  Her hair is enhanced with an extension down to her waist. 

The two pieces in German are Lise's signature pieces, both of which I love dearly in her voice.  The most spectacularly sung of all was the Verdi "Pace, pace mio Dio".  It would not do for her to omit the Italian language.  All of her languages were beautiful.

I was intrigued by the interplay between Chailly and Davidsen.  He seemed to be looking to her for expressive cues.  This is something singers long for.  I felt it allowed Lise to feel secure and give her utmost.  As a result she made the greatest impression in the great Italian aria "Pace, pace mio Dio."  They were a magical pair.  This is La Scala after all.

I found this to be one of the most intense and spectacular vocal concerts I've ever seen.  The audience stood up a lot.  It's out there.

Monday, May 10, 2021

International Opera Awards


CHORUS
Metropolitan Opera
 
CONDUCTOR
Kirill Petrenko
 
DESIGNER
Małgorzata Szczęśniak
 
DIRECTOR
Robert Carsen
 
EDUCATION & OUTREACH
Birmingham Opera Company
 
FEMALE SINGER
Lise Davidsen
 
FESTIVAL
Salzburg Festival
 
LEADERSHIP
(sponsored by the Good Governance Institute)
David Pountney
 
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Bernard Haitink
 
MALE SINGER
Javier Camarena
 
NEW PRODUCTION
Tale of Tsar Saltan
(Tcherniakov, La Monnaie De Munt)
 
NEWCOMER
Alpesh Chauhan
 
OPERA COMPANY
Teatro Real, Madrid
 
OPERA FOR PEACE PRIZE
Denyce Graves
 
OPERA ORCHESTRA
Bayerisches Staatsorchester / Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich
 
PHILANTHROPY
Martina Arroyo Foundation
 
RECORDING (SOLO RECITAL)
Jakub Józef Orliński: Facce d’amore (Erato)

RECORDING (COMPLETE OPERA)
Thomas: Hamlet (Naxos) [DVD]

OPERA MAGAZINE READERS’ AWARD
Jamie Barton

REDISCOVERED WORK
Moniuszko: Paria (Teatr Wielki, Poznań)
 
WORLD PREMIERE
Glanert: Oceane (Deutsche Oper, Berlin)
 
YOUNG SINGER sponsored by Mazars
Xabier Anduaga
Vasilisa Berzhanskaya