http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/story/0,,1715741,00.html
Month: February 2006
La Forza del Destino at the Met ó Four Reviews
METROPOLITAN OPERA: “Commissioned for St Petersburg (the premiere was in 1862), La Forza del Destino was based on a play by the Duke of Rivas, and was at first only a moderate success. Although Verdi revised it for Milan in 1869, it took a long time for audiences to come to appreciate the sprawling drama; several years take place between the first and last scenes, and the number of coincidences in the plot stretches credulity to the limit. But the overture, the arias for Leonora (including ìPace!î), and the duets for tenor and baritone have ensured that the opera remains popular whenever it is revived.” Here are four reviews.
VIVALDI: Concerti con molti strumenti, vol. 2
Vivaldi was very impressed with the sound and performances of the Dresden court orchestra when they visited Venice in 1716.
Soprano Bullock Smashes Piano Ahead of Cutthroat ROH Debut
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000088&sid=alYdgKL7NeEs&refer=culture#
Pauline Viardot: The forgotten diva
http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/features/article346810.ece
Dmitri Hvorostovsky ó Barbican, London
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/story/0,,1714841,00.html
In Tiny Quarters, Pomp and a Grandness of Spirit
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/22/arts/music/22amat.html
SCH‹TZ: Symphoniae Sacrae III
The tragic ravages of the Thirty Yearsí War explicitly shaped the musical output of Heinrich Sch¸tz.
Difficult Verdi Opera Gets Rare Revival
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OPERA_FORZA?SITE=NYSAR&SECTION=ENTERTAINMENT&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-02-21-15-18-57
ARIOSTI: ìThe Flowering and Fading of Loveî
Musicologists should be eager to welcome the ìfirst modern recordingsî of any work; surely having the opportunity to hear a long-lost musical treasure, rather than having it stare off the page in black-and-white, is something to be celebrated.