La Rondine

👍🏻
Conductor...............Marco Armiliato
Production..............Nicolas Joël

Magda...................Angela Gheorghiu
Ruggero.................Roberto Alagna
Lisette.................Lisette Oropesa
Prunier.................Marius Brenciu
Rambaldo................Samuel Ramey

The daily rerun from the Metropolitan Opera is Puccini's La Rondine with Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna.  Now I know that the maid Lisette is played by Lisette Oropesa who is far more famous today.  It is lovely to see her.

Wonderful things in Act I:  Angela's lightness and enthusiasm, Roberto's youthfulness, the gorgeous art nouveau set, the aria, Lisette's charm.  Not so wonderful is the sharp decline in the voice of Sam Ramey from earlier years.  At his peak I loved him madly, but here not so much.  Prunier the poet says he wants Salome or Berenice, larger than life women.  Magda is a kept woman, but sneaks out of the house looking for love.

In Act II Magda has gone to a place with small round tables and bentwood chairs where there is dancing.  She happens on Ruggero whom she did not notice in Act I.  Magda and Ruggero dance.  Then couples come out and do what I would call Apache dancing where the men throw the women around.  Roberto is rather incredibly adorable.  I realize that I can't remember the ending.

Lisette and Prunier also come to entertain themselves in this student hangout.  Both Magda and Prunier think they will not see anyone they know, and when they do see someone they know they pretend not to know them.  Lisette is not sophisticated.  Magda asks Prunier, "Is she Salome or Berenice?"  No longer pretending.  Love music is followed by the arrival of Rambaldo, the man who is keeping her.  She tells him she's leaving him for true love.  He is rather nice about it.  "I hope you don't regret it."

In Act III Magda is still with Ruggero, this time in another gorgeous art nouveau set.  They are still in love.  The ending is not happy.

This is not like any other Puccini opera.  I suppose it is nearest to Fanciulla in plot, but the music here is much sweeter.  It started its life as an operetta and was later turned into an opera.  So this is more like Lehar than Puccini.  It never quite feels like Puccini, but one might still love it, especially this one. 

Don Carlo

Conductor-Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Production-Nicholas Hytner

Don Carlo-Roberto Alagna
Elizabeth of Valois-Marina Poplavskaya
Princess Eboli-Anna Smirnova
Rodrigo-Simon Keenlyside
King Philip II-Ferruccio Furlanetto
Grand Inquisitor-Eric Halfvarson

The Metropolitan Opera is treating us in our hibernation to some streams of marvelous past performances.  It is interesting to see these films again.  I am having very different reactions, Don Carlo being no exception.  I feel no inclination to compare Marina Poplavskaya to anyone.  She had a brief but glorious career.  She crossed my path only between 2009 and 2011. I enjoy her today very much.  I think she became a real estate agent in Manhattan.

The peak of Ferruccio Furlanetto's career is the great scene here where he laments that his wife does not love him.  It is a great opera with a great cast.  They are mostly giving us traditional productions.

Smirnova isn't that interesting in the role of Eboli, but she gives a barn-burning "O don fatale."  Each character has a wonderful scene.

This is the era of the Inquisition, and Spain was at its center.  They ruled over a protestant land and killed many people.  As political operas go, this one is at the top of the heap, with glorious music, great characters, and here a beautiful performance.

Samson et Dalila in HD

👍🏻
Conductor................Mark Elder
Production...............Darko Tresnjak

Samson..................Roberto Alagna
Dalila.....................Elina Garanca
High Priest.............Laurent Naouri
Abimélech..............Elchin Azizov

Today was the HD broadcast of Camille Saint-Saëns' opera Samson et Dalila.  There was a lot of complaining about this very flashy production, but except for the rather perverse ballet I loved it.  I can't help wondering if the Philistines would have dressed so colorfully and the Israelites in contrast so drably.  One imagines really more similarity.  The production handled well the task I normally assign to it--explaining the plot.  Each transition of the story is well demonstrated.

Guns

Anna Netrebko in “Il Trovatore” by Verdi at the Vienna state Opera 

Singer List -- Those who have Thrilled me most 👍🏻

Lists are the order of the day.  This singer selection is based on certain specific performances experienced in about the last four years, and not on a generic idea of who is best.  I am strongly influenced by theatrical performance in addition to great singing. 

These have been my favorite soprano performances.  The order is alphabetical

Sopranos

• Anja Harteros for her Arabella from Munich.
• Anna Netrebko for Il Trovatore at the Met.
• Barbara Hannigan for Lulu. 
• Eva-Maria Westbroek for Tannhäuser at the Met.
• Karita Mattila for Jenůfa in San Francisco.
• Nina Stemme for Elektra at the Met and La Fanciulla del West in Vienna.
• Sondra Radvanovsky for Roberto Devereux at the Met.

These are towering performances with a strong drift toward dramatic sopranos.

Mezzos

• Cecilia Bartoli for her Norma at Salzburg.
• Elina Garanča for La Clemenza di Tito at the Met.
• Isabel Leonard for Le Nozze di Figaro at the Met.
• Joyce DiDonato for La Donna del Lago at the Met.
• Susan Graham for Les Troyens, especially in San Francisco.

These are all complete performances where the mezzo leads the way.

Tenors

• Bryan Hymel for Les Troyens at the Met and San Francisco.
• Johan Botha for Tannhäuser at the Met.
• Jonas Kaufmann for Werther at the Met and La Fanciulla del West in Vienna.
• Marcelo Álvarez for Un Ballo in Maschera at the Met.
• Roberto Alagna for Manon Lescaut at the Met.
• Vittorio Grigolo for The Tales of Hoffmann at the Met.

We trend in the direction of ham actors, but it can't be helped.

Baritones and basses.

• Ambrogio Maestri for Falstaff at the Met and in Florence.
• Dmitri Hvorostovsky for Il Trovatore at the Met.
• Ildar Abdrazakov for Faust from Salzburg.
• Paulo Szot for The Nose from the Met.
• Željko Lučić for Macbeth at the Met.

The list comes out a little different this way.  If you want on this list, wow me in something.  I apologize if your favorite is missing.  Finley was outside the time frame.

Last scene of Carmen

 Carmen: Final Scene (Elīna Garanča, Roberto Alagna) 

This may be the best scene from an opera ever filmed.  Both are so spectacularly good you simply cannot believe it.

News

Here is the letter from Jonas Kaufmann:

"I'm sorry that my cancellations have been the source of much disappointment and frustration in recent weeks.
Of course, I can understand the irritation of all those who organized expensive trips to come and listen. Unfortunately, the performance of a singer's voice can not be guaranteed and sometimes a singer is confronted with events that require it to take a long rest.
When I noticed that something was not right with my voice, I thought at first a beginning of infection. The medical examination has however given another result: side effects of a drug have broken a small vein on my vocal cords.
So I have to stop singing until the hematoma has completely absorbed to prevent irreversible damage. So it is with a heavy heart that I have to cancel my performances Tales of Hoffmann in Paris.
I want to thank here all those who have sent me their well wishes via Facebook and email."

In additional news Roberto Alagna is having sinus surgery at the end of November.

Manon Lescaut in HD

Conductor...............Fabio Luisi
Production..............Richard Eyre

Manon...................Kristine Opolais (soprano)
Des Grieux............Roberto Alagna (tenor)
Lescaut.................Massimo Cavalletti (baritone)
Geronte.................Brindley Sherratt (bass)

I missed the live simulcast of Puccini's Manon Lescaut from the Metropolitan Opera but saw the repeat last night.  Our old movie theater is gone, and we are required to drive a much longer distance.

There were a lot of complaints in the reviews about the look of the production.  I know people who only go to the opera if the costumes look like this:

And hate that it now looks like this:

But if I apply my usual criterion, I must say that for explaining the action, you could not beat this.  Every line of dialog in the complex second act was enacted vividly, clearly and understandably. The bombed out church is a "wasteland" idea is iffy, I admit, but the action in that act is not complex.  She complains that she is lost and abandoned, and she dies.  The actors complained about all the stairs.

It is somewhat shocking that Roberto Alagna has never sung this opera before.  He could not be more perfect.  He projected youthfulness incredibly well and sang up a storm.  Both vocally and dramatically Kristine is more in tune with Jonas, but I must say I loved Alagna and Opolais together.  This pairing will repeat for Madama Butterfly.

The Met will be sorry to lose Fabio Luisi.

Sexiest Hall of Fame

Since my first sexiest opera singers post in 2005, I notice that certain singers continue to make the list. I have decided to honor my top ten with entry into my very own Sexiest Hall of Fame. Their names are listed alphabetically by first name, and the list is balanced half men, half women.

Angela Gheorghiu

Anna Netrebko

Cecilia Bartoli (both as herself and in drag)

Dmitri Hvorostovsky

Jonas Kaufmann

Juan Diego Florez

Maria Ewing

Placido Domingo

Renée Fleming

Roberto Alagna

In future we will try to concentrate on the younger singers with no intention to slight any of these top ten.  I wanted to be sure to use new pictures for everyone with no repeats from previous posts.  Only CB has a repeat photo.  I just like it.  Remember, to be included in any of my lists the singer must perform to world class standards.

Tosca in HD

Conductor: Riccardo Frizza
Production: Luc Bondy

Angelotti: Richard Bernstein
Sacristan: John Del Carlo
Cavaradossi: Roberto Alagna
Tosca: Patricia Racette
Scarpia: George Gagnidze
Spoletta: Eduardo Valdes
Sciarrone: James Courtney
Shepherd: Seth Ewing-Crystal
Jailer: Ryan Speedo Green


Saturday was Tosca live from the Metropolitan Opera.  The Met is into stunt doubles these days.  For instance, this famous scene from Das Rheingold is done by two stunt doubles:

One of the biggest criticisms of this production of Tosca the first time around was the scene at the end where Tosca jumps.  It looked like they threw a large rag doll out the window.  It's a bit of a leap for a soprano, quite a bit higher than Senta's leap in Flying Dutchman in San Francisco.  So this time they used a stunt double.  She looked fabulous.  There was also a stunt double at the beginning to stand in for Angelotti when he climbs down the wall in the church.  This one was very smooth.

There is still a lot more to criticize here.  I defy you to find a church that drab anywhere in Rome.  Even the Protestant church is fancier than that.  But this is all old news.

I especially liked Roberto here.  He looks and sounds very good right now and was only occasionally off the pitch, never seriously.  Racette is always a good singer and a marvelous, multidimensional actress.   We enjoyed the enthusiasm when she stabbed Scarpia.  This is her year.

We were interested in Scarpia sung by George Gagnidze.  He had a translator in his interview, and we couldn't tell what language he was speaking.  He is from Georgia and received a rousing boo when he appeared for his bow.  This is supposed to be good, but I wasn't sure he understood that.  He made an excellent villain.

Interview with Angela Gheorghiu

Translated from Munich Abendzeitung

Staging, jokes and Wagner - Angela Gheorghiu, the last diva, talks straight about Jonas Kaufmann
Christa Sigg, 04.11.2013 16:29 Photos? Please do not! As good as they already are of Angela Gheorghiu. Photo: Cosmin Gogu / EMI

Don't worry, Angela Gheorghiu remains loyal to Verdi, Donizetti and his cohorts. She also sings their arias on Thursday at the Philharmonie

On the table are fruit kebabs. A fabulous figure wants to be cared for, especially if you put it into skin-tight dresses like Angela Gheorghiu. She did photos in the late afternoon but now has no more desire. After umpteen interviews she should also stop talking. In spite of that the capricious singer gave a spirited conversation.

AZ: Ms. Gheorghiu, your life provides enough material for an exciting opera. 

GHEORGHIU ANGELA:  But the most interesting thing you still do not even know. That I'm saving for later.  [She has a secret but does not reveal it.]

You really don't want to say anything? What was the craziest thing in your life? 

To marry Roberto! But I should have known; all have told me not to do it.

After all, much has been written about you, which is also PR. 

Negative. About cancellations that were due to Roberto [Alagna], such as Zeffirelli's "Traviata".  But that will now all come out gradually. There were moments in my life that gave people a completely wrong idea of me. Now I want to give the real Angela.

And sing with other tenors, like Jonas Kaufmann. 

When I heard him several years ago for the first time, I was immediately impressed and wanted to sing with him. The fact that he was not well known didn't matter.  I completely trusted this voice, pushed him properly. Then came the "Butterfly" CD.  And everything he tackled was good. Now I am very proud that I trusted him.

Jonas Kaufmann is often heard here, which cannot be said of you. 

You have here such crazy productions. If you asked me to sing in "Trovatore" - thank you, never with Angela!  We cannot make jokes with the opera.  Please just stop it!

There is currently in Munich no new production in which you want to sing?

I have a few ideas. The Director's my fan! I adore Nikolaus Bachler, and he adores me. All over the world he has seen me.  He knows me very well. We'll find something, because I love this opera house! It is so wonderful, the acoustics are great. And I also like your food.

Are you sure? 

But yes, it is close to the Romanian food: pork, desserts - wonderful!

Many young singers come from your homeland, Russia, the former Soviet bloc. Is the training there better? 

No, everywhere there are good singers, it's like pearls. You just never know where to find them.

But in the top league at the present time many come from the East. 

Sure, because they are not that expensive. At least at first.

What are you going to sing on Thursday? 

A little bit of everything.

Specifically? 

We'll see.

Have you ever fancied a bit of Wagner, at least in the year of Wagner? 

If Wagner were alive today, I would ask him to write something for my voice. Or even a voice! Wagner wrote such beautiful phrases, but as a singer you pay dearly for it. Actually, I would ask Jonas to finish this and only sing Verdi and Puccini.

[As a person of ambiguity towards Wagner, I cannot but laugh at this last paragraph.  I'm good with Jonas singing Wagner, at least so far.  He mixes it up a lot, which seems very good to me.  ]

News

There's so much opera news right now it is hard to keep up with it.

Montserrat Caballé is now persona non grata in Azerbaijan for visiting the Armenian separatist enclave.

Elīna Garanča is pregnant and has withdrawn from Werther at the Met.  Sophie Koch will replace her.

Anna Netrebko continues to be hounded for being personally acquainted with Vladimir Putin, as though knowing someone made you responsible for the entire government.  I remember the Austrians didn't like it that she campaigned for Putin because they expected her to act like an Austrian.  An Austrian does not campaign in Russia.  I prefer the idea of taking action against Putin for things Putin does.  Picket him.  Throw him out of things.  How about if every time we invaded someone, they threw our American singers out of their performances? 

For me music isn't about politics.  Alle Menschen werden Brueder.  That's our politics.

It was recently announced that Roberto Alagna is now with the Polish soprano Alexandra Kurzak and they are expecting a baby.

The great mezzo-soprano Regina Resnik has died.

Nuit D'Ivresse

This is difficult to choose.

Susan Graham and Gregory Kunde seem very much in tune with each other.



But when they're on, no one makes music together better than Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna.



The classic version is this one with Tatiana Troyanos and Placido Domingo.  They sing big.  This was my introduction to Berlioz' Les Troyens. This film is a shortened version.



So I offer this one with Verrett and Gedda. Perhaps you have a favorite.

Divorce is back on

Intermezzo has discovered the announcement that Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna will divorce after all.

Aida in HD

This broadcast of Aida was the second opera in the 6 years of simulcasts from the Metropolitan Opera that is a repeat of the same production with a new cast.  The other one was Lucia.

Renée Fleming was back as host.  She interviewed the horses who were very well behaved.  She gave them each a treat.  Their trainer explained how to select and train horses for the opera.  Apparently they recognize their musical cue and get in character.

Roberto Alagna was Radames.  I prefer him to Botha, probably because he looks heroic in his costumes.  This was the role he was booed off the stage for at La Scala 6 years ago.  This time around he took the high note sotto voce.  Perhaps it is time to forget the incident at La Scala.  Pardonez-moi. I admit, though, there was some grousing in my audience.  For some reason I always enjoy Roberto.

Amneris was sung by Olga Borodina.  I enjoyed her very much in this role.  She sings to the legato rather than to the rhythm.  She isn't nearly so sinister as Zajick.

Liudmyla Monastyrska was our Aida.  She sings big, but not so heavy as Violetta Urmana.  She is a new star on the scene, and has only recently been heard outside her native Ukraine.  This means that her voice and technique grew to maturity before she began an international career.  I am ignoring the secondary cast.

The best thing about this outing was the direction for television.  This set is imposing and magnificent, but that effect only rarely comes off in filming.  This version was excellent.

Don Carlo Encore

Verdi's gift--among others--was to find the personal in the political. The political plot of Don Carlo is about the power of the Inquisition over the King in sixteenth century Spain. We see the Inquisition burn people at the stake, and we hear of misery and mayhem in Flanders where Philip also rules.

But it is the personal that wins our hearts. My sense of this opera is that it does not work at all without the Fontainebleau scene at the beginning. In order to understand the characters we need to see Carlo and Elisabeth fall in love, to be young and impulsive, before we can grasp what happens to them. Hearing about it isn't enough.

The amazing thing about this opera is how every character is fully realized, with individual hopes and fears.

We see the power of Philip II, but we also see his sadness that his wife does not love him. We see Elisabeth torn between her love and her duty. We see Rodrigo's friendship with Carlo while he defends the king against him. We see Eboli's plot to destroy the queen and her later regret. Finally we see Carlo trying to rise above his fatal love.

All this detail also makes it Verdi's longest opera. Don Carlo exists in the largest number of versions of any Verdi opera. It was written for Paris where the audience has to be out in time to make the train home. Having once missed the last train in Paris, I know well what grief this can cause. So things are put in and then taken back out. Then it was translated into Italian, and the whole process started over.

It is a long, somber and ultimately very beautiful opera that grows on me with repeated viewings. Perhaps it is the wonderful performances in this Met production that win my heart.

The only interview that survived the encore cuts was the one with Roberto Alagna as Carlo. His only aria is in the often cut Fontainebleau scene, but he has many wonderful duets with Eboli, Rodrigo and Elisabeth. Would we want to miss where Roberto says duets are like making love, and host Deborah Voigt looks at the camera as if to say "He went there?" Priceless. Whatever he's doing works for me.

Marina Poplavskaya's Elisabeth is warm and inward. We see her impulsively fall for Carlo while remaining true to the unloved Philip.

Ferruccio Furlanetto's Philip remains a magnificent triumph. Keenlyside wins for acting, but Anna Smirnova not so much.

Many hold Don Carlo to be Verdi's greatest opera. It lacks a certain flash that we normally associate with Verdi, but it wears very well.

The last scene was accompanied by the 10 pm fireworks at the nearby State Fair.

Ten who didn't make the cut

These are ten excellent singers who didn't make the list of 14 for one reason or another. In the previous list all, with the exception of Cecilia, emphasize opera over all other styles of performance. Cecilia has invented an entirely different style of career from anyone we've seen before. She pretty much does whatever she wants and attracts audiences by virtue of her powerful musical personality. It was appropriate that Limelight chose her face for the cover.

• Roberto Alagna is really strictly an opera singer and never ventures out into other repertoire (this means other classical repertoire). He is that rare thing, a French tenor very much immersed in the Italian style. His career is enjoying a resurgence because he appears to be exactly what Peter Gelb is looking for as his leading man for French operas such as Carmen and Romeo et Juliette. He looks good in closeups but falls out of the top group because he occasionally sings out of tune.

• It is hard to understand why the tenor Marcello Giordani isn't more famous. After all, he is a true Italian tenor. We've seen him in Simon Boccanegra, Turandot, La damnation de Faust and Ernani where he has brought us fine performances, but our heart has not skipped any beats. His voice and his style are first class, but he misses only the divine inspiration. Perhaps he should try the Bjoerling trick where he pretends to be about to lose it, adding the element of danger.

• I'm quite fond of the dramatic soprano Maria Guleghina who is famous for performing the impossible roles of Turandot, Abigaille, and Lady Macbeth. Someone has to do it, and she manages this extremely heavy repertoire without showing any vocal stress. For me she delivers where others fail, but her style of heavy soprano is not in favor now.

• The coloratura mezzo Vivica Genaux is gorgeous and charming, has wonderful technique, looks good on the stage, but has no madness.  If one simply is not mad, where is one to find it?

• Matthias Goerne is a marvelous German baritone who has made his name in Lieder.  If he wishes to rise any further, he would need to excel in some opera repertoire.  I fall in and out of love with him.  Perhaps this is as far as he will rise.

• Susan Graham is wonderful but similarly lacking in madness. 

• Véronique Gens is a French soprano of the very French lyrical sort.  This can absolutely not be viewed as a criticism, but French singers are always at a disadvantage. 

• Lyric soprano Christine Schaefer is not lacking in madness.  I will make the wild guess that she is exactly where she wishes to be, admired for her creativity and musicianship and not for her ability to seem just like everyone else.  She has the most wide ranging career of any singer active today.

• Baritone Erwin Schrott is continuing to rise.  It is too soon to predict how far he will go.

• Dramatic soprano Nina Stemme has only just begun her rise.  Her Walküre Brünnhilde was marvelous, and there is no reason she will not become the outstanding Wagnerian of her generation.  She approaches Wagner from a new direction, a direction for our times, and will make him her own.
  

There are probably a lot of people who could go into a list like this, people whom we love to hear, but do not love quite enough.

Don Carlo in HD

Today's simulcast of Verdi's Don Carlo didn't sound anything like this:



Marina Poplavskaya sings it like this:



Rather astoundingly different.


Don Carlo-Roberto Alagna
Elizabeth of Valois-Marina Poplavskaya
Princess Eboli-Anna Smirnova
Rodrigo-Simon Keenlyside
King Philip II-Ferruccio Furlanetto
Grand Inquisitor-Eric Halfvarson

Conductor-Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Production-Nicholas Hytner

The version is all five acts.

Act I. a wonderful black and white abstraction of the forest at Fontainebleau where Elisabeth de Valois and Don Carlo fall in love begins the opera. Then it is announced that as part of the treaty with Spain Elisabeth is to marry King Philip II of Spain, not his son Carlo, destroying their hopes for a beautiful life. I swear I have never seen it with this scene included. It is utterly charming and for me completely changes the character of the opera. The beauty of opera lies in the personal.

There is very little color throughout the opera. Most of the costumes are black or white. Red and gold are the only other colors. Each setting emphasized the meaning of each scene. This made the drama very vivid and easy to follow.

Ferruccio Furlanetto played the King in LA, too. He's still quite wonderful. Simon Keenlyside was up to the lyricism of Rodrigo, though I continue to have doubts about him as a Verdi singer.

But perhaps the Met is trying something different here. Except for our wild Inquisitor, and perhaps Eboli, the entire cast is exhibiting a sweeter, more lyrical approach to Verdi. I thought it worked. One grows tired of being punched all the time. And perhaps the sweet tempered French Canadian conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin helped to lead the production in this direction.

Roberto Alagna was very strong in this part. If the other characters don't overwhelm him, then Carlo becomes truly the center of his opera. His singing was strong and sensitive throughout. I loved him.

One of the high points was when the host, Deborah Voigt, was interviewing her tenor for Fanciulla, Marcello Giordani, and asked him what was his favorite part of the opera? He responded by kissing her. Very funny. Maybe I would like Fanciulla more as a comedy.

Roberto Alagna

I'm starting a series (if I am undisciplined in the pursuit of this series, it will just have to be forgiven) about singers who did not make the 14, and first is Roberto Alagna.



Roberto is really strictly an opera singer and never ventures out into other repertoire. He is that rare thing, a French tenor very much immersed in the Italian style. His career is enjoying a resurgence because he appears to be exactly what Peter Gelb is looking for as his leading man for French operas such as Carmen and Romeo et Juliette.

I adore Roberto and have chosen this example of him because it is completely over the top. If you occasionally feel constricted by the passionate but nevertheless controlled Germanness of Herr Kaufmann, then Roberto is the perfect antidote.

He looks good in closeups but falls out of the top group because he occasionally sings out of tune. We are torn. More discipline will mean less passion. Oh dear.

Silly

I have been reading myself and find that I am silly. Perhaps I have always been silly, and perhaps I am acquiring silliness as I go along. I don't mind it, but perhaps some do.

Perhaps it is silly to worry about things like how to pronounce French, for instance. The French language does not include the concept of an unstressed vowel. The answer to the question, "Which syllable of Debussy do I stress?" is all of them.

Usually one bases ones decisions on the spoken language. One objective of pronunciation in singing is to make the words understandable. But what is one to do with vowels that are not spoken at all? So perhaps they are thinking of "je" and the E in "carte" as the same. Or at least the people coaching singers are thinking this. Perish the thought that you should do something different from what the coaches want, regardless of what Roberto Alagna and Regine Crespin do.