ìA jewel box of a theaterî: that great clichÈ of the opera world comes to mind when viewing a production from the Schwetzinger Festspiele held at the Rokokotheater Schwetzingen.
Category: Reviews
Alice Coote Sings Mahler and Schubert
The British mezzo, Alice Coote, will make her Met Opera debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro later this month. On the first of April, she gave a recital of Mahler and Schubert lieder, accompanied by Julius Drake. Here are two reviews.
Nine German AriasóAn Urban Baroque Film
Itís always interesting when oneís own opinion about a work varies violently from othersí views, even if they are to date minimal in number. In this case, it is not the music per se that is under discussion but the way it is represented, or in my opinion, mis-represented by this film.
Don Pasquale at the Met
Don Pasquale is generally considered one of Donizetti’s greatest works. Yet, “[o]f the three Donizetti operas being performed at The Met this season, the comedy Don Pasquale has been out of the repertoire for the longest time.” This season the opera returns with bass Simone Alaimo (Don Pasquale), soprano Anna Netrebko (Norina) and tenor Juan Diego FlÛrez (Ernesto). Here are four reviews.
Gala Concertó50th Anniversary of the Reopening of the Vienna State Opera
Tuxes and gowns, a marathon of trotting on and offstage by renowned singers, a ritzy audience abusing their palms with ritual clappingóyes, EuroArts has another opera gala event available on DVD in this two-disc Vienna State Opera Gala concert.
RACHMANINOV: Piano concerti nos. 1 and 2
This is a wonderful, recent recording of these popular piano concertos by Rachmaninov. The Piano concerto no. 1 is a studio recording, while the Piano concerto no. 2 is a live version.
STRAUSS: Daphne
New recordings of complete operas lumber into view these days as the dinosaurs trod painfully into a dying sun in an animated depiction of their extinction.
OFFENBACH: La Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein
Los Angeles Opera opened the 2005-6 season with a staging of Offenbachís La Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein, directed by Hollywoodís Garry Marshall.
Jumalaa kiitt‰‰ sielunióHymns in Finnish
In 2001, Finland observed the 300th anniversary of the Finnish Hymnal. As a part of the celebration, YLE (the Finnish public broadcasting company) launched a project to record a substantial portion of the hymnal in performance by soloists or ensembles.
Darkling by American Opera Projects
The East Thirteenth Street Theatre is so unprepossessing that it would be easy to miss it altogether. From the street the entrance looks like an ice cream shop more so than a theatre. The crowded foyer has chairs around little tables and a food service counter.