MERCADANTE: La vestale

It is now slightly over 40 years since the first recording of a complete opera by Saverio Mercadante (an Il Giuramento with Maria Vitale and Amedeo Berdini) was released on LP. I quickly fell in love with his music, and realized that, while not necessarily on the same level as Bellini and Donizetti, he was not far behind, and that more of his works would be extremely welcome.

KINDERMAN & SYER: A Companion to Wagner’s Parsifal

Some twenty years ago, a leading German musicologist remarked that the
music of Parsifal

BIZET: Carmen

On June 3, 1875, thirty-six year old Bizet died after having one, some say two, heart attacks preceded by other complications. Legend has it that the composer’s death was hastened by the failure of his latest work, Carmen.

The Diva Live ó Wilhelmenia Fernandez & Bruno Fontaine

In 1981 Wilhelminia Fernandez became somewhat of a cult figure when the French thriller ìDivaî appeared on the screens. For a time her ìEbben, ne andro lontanoî from La Wally almost became a hit and several commercials used a small part of the aria.

La Traviata, Royal Opera House, London ó Three Reviews

This season the Royal Opera House has recreated “Richard Eyre’s popular production of Verdi’s La Traviata, which draws on striking period designs by Bob Crowley to amplify the tensions and confrontations that make Violetta’s predicament so tragic and her portrayal so real.” Here are three reviews:

GERSHWIN: Porgy and Bess

So EMI has declared this 1988 Porgy and Bess to be one of the ìGreat Recordings of the Century.î That may settle the issue for many ñ but not all.

A NICE COUP: VILLAZ”N in his first ìWERTHERî

The French city of Nice has this past week been enjoying some wonderful weather and the aptly-named Cote díAzur has truly lived up to its name.

IT MUST NOT HAVE BEEN EASY BEING MOZART

It must not have been an easy life, being Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Perhaps even more so after the fact when scholars began to do their research and ìwanna besî began their intimations and psychoanalyzing. In the more seventy-five years of Mozart scholarship and its coming of age, one must ask: How much more is there to learn, to research?

STRAUSS: Capriccio

It is not uncommon for opera on DVD to have credits for two directors. In the case of this Paris Capriccio, a new production from June 2004, the credits list Robert Carsen as the stage director and Francois Roussillon as directing for TV and video.

Trinity Sunday at Westminster Abbey

Under the direction of James OíDonnell since January 2000, the Choir of Westminster Abbey has cultivated a robust singing style that well serves the music of this new recording and continues the Abbeyís position as one of the obvious standard bearers of the English cathedral tradition.