This season the Metropolitan Opera presents Tchaikovsky’s infrequently performed opera, Mazeppa. Acording to the Met, “[a]lthough Tchaikovsky is best known for Eugene Onegin and several great ballet scores, he wrote many other wonderful operas including Mazeppa, which receives its premiere at The Met this season. Premiered in Moscow in 1884, it was first seen in St Petersburg just three days later, and has remained in the repertoire of The Mariinsky Theatre from that time. Based on a poem by Pushkin, it tells the story of a 17th century Ukrainian separatist, who falls in love with a friendís daughter. The opera is full of tuneful episodes (similar to those in The Queen of Spades) and this is a very rare chance to see the opera in New York.” Here are three reviews.
Category: Reviews
HILLIARD ENSEMBLE: Thy Kiss of a Divine Nature ó The Contemporary Perotin
The richness of the Ars Antiqua flourishing in Paris in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries marks the time as one of high cultural achievement, drawing nurture from the contemporaneous rise of the Cathedral of Notre Dame and the University of Paris.
MOZART: The Magic Flute
It would be presumptuous of me to go through the entire plot of The Magic Flute, given its historical and popular significance with all classical music devotees.
GALLO: Opera ó The Basics
Is it possible to say something new and fresh about opera? While many books have been written about the artform, it is rare to find an introductory text that serves its subject well.
Les Violons du Roy and Magdalena Koûen· at Carnegie Hall
On Sunday, 28 February 2006, Carnegie Hall presented Les Violons du Roy, Bernard Labadie, Music Director and Conductor, with Magdalena Koûen·, Mezzo-Soprano, featuring works by Rameau and Gluck. Here are two reviews.
BACH: Works for Trumpet
This recording is a grouping of various compositions by J.S. Bach, which are not solely dedicated to the trumpet, but provide some of the most demanding repertoire for the instrument prior to the nineteenth century.
Ewa Podles in New York ó Two Reviews
On 26 February, Constantine Orbelian led the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, marking its 50th anniversary this season, in works by Haydn, Prokofiev, Rossini, Shostakovich, and Mussorgsky, with the renowned contralto Ewa PodlÈs. Here are two reviews.
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.
SCH‹TZ: Symphoniae Sacrae III
The tragic ravages of the Thirty Yearsí War explicitly shaped the musical output of Heinrich Sch¸tz.