Curiouser and curiouser
Sempiternal soprano Gwyneth Jones creates a role in a world premiere later today! The veteran singing actress performs the role of the Queen of Hearts in Unsuk Chin‘s opera Alice in Wonderland, to an English-language libretto by David Henry Hwang after the novel by Lewis Carroll.
The production, conducted by Kent Nagano, will be broadcast live from the Bayerische Staatsoper at 1:30 p.m. New York time today over RealPlayer and Windows Media. (As always, La Cieca gets her latest scoops on all things internet radio from the indispensable OperaCast.)
NYCOQ-
This is the statement that RAS’s publicist issued: “We are all grateful that Ruth Ann is in excellent health. However, she has recently been advised by her doctors that the next, and expected, phase of her recovery will require a longer recuperation period than anticipated. Unfortunately, this will prevent her from joining rehearsals in enough time for her to be physically prepared and able to give the level of performance both she and the New York City Opera expect. While she is deeply disappointed that these circumstances have led to her having to withdraw from this particular engagement, she fully expects to meet all future commitments.”
Miricou is a wonderful singer — very special in the bel canto rep — who is very much in the twilight of her career.
Made a rush into Utube to find out what La Jenkins Has that makes people retch or buy tickets to bond with her. She is pretty and was a disaster doing Music of the Night with a Bayreuth-size orchestra behind her that sounded like your worst nightmares of Ormandy or Montavani, and her voice is so sincere and ladylike.
NYCOQ:
Just to reassure you about Ruth Ann Swenson: she sang a stunning Marguerite for Cincinnati Opera. The Jewel Song glorious and the final scene stopped me cold–there she was in her post-chemo hair, very much a deranged imprisoned woman singing like the angels she implores. I had the opportunity to meet her afterward and she was warm, gracious and upbeat. If she’s doing what she has to do, that means more for us to anticipate. Brava!