“That concept is insane!”
“Director Manfred Schweigkofler conceives a new production that pits the Capulets and Montagues against one another as dueling fashion houses. Against a backdrop of models, paparazzi and high style, Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other unfolds to its deadly conclusion.” [Opera Company of Philadelphia]
Paris is burning – the Opera!
nothing new here unless they are in swimwear
That wouldn’t be new for OCP. Obviously you missed their Cenerentola of a few years ago, in which the evil stepsisters appeared in swimwear, I forget if there was a reason but I doubt it. That production also featured an annoying remote-controlled vacuum cleaner, a headache-inducing color scheme, pointless animated projections, and some excellent singing from Lawrence Brownlee.
I have my doubts about this Romeo, at least on the production end of things.
Wow, I didn’t recognize Our Stephen in the pic on the Philly opera’s web site, without all the product in his hair.
And can I just say… William Burden, woof!
Well, unless it has Morgan Fairchild and Bo Derek bitchslapping each other, it’s not really about fashion.
Off topic, I’m finally doing something I’ve dreamed about for about 25 years. I’m singing a recital in New York. May 15th at St John’s in the West Village, it will be all American music of the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Toi toi!
In bocca al lupo, Mr. Sanford.
Usually OCP presents 4-5 works at the Academy of Music but I guess they had to cut the season because of financial difficulties. It still looks like a great season though.
Philly changed the season makeup last year. Now it’s three relatively mainstream operas at the Academy and two lesser-known (at least to the Philadelphia public) works at the Perelman. They’re doing “Antony & Cleopatra” (with the Curtis kids and in honor of their alum, Barber) and Gluck’s “Orphee et Eurydice” (in French!) this year.
tomorrow night di giacomo is giving a recital in NY. and ales marc is this sat.
Just googled the DiGiacomo concert for more info…
6 o’clock!?!? Damn, damn, damn. 8 o’clock I’d have been there. Instead I’m going to see NYU’s Cosi at 8. Unless there’s something else out there…
—-
Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 6:00 PM
The Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center
New York, NY
Soprano Julianna DiGiacomo sings her favorite arias and chats with Ira Siff about her recent debut at La Scala as “Lucrezia Contarini”, in Verdi’s I Due Foscari, the role she also debuted with Opera Orchestra in December of 2007.
http://www.operaorchestrany.org/season_4.html
I believe that this is a good set for OCP. I do worry about the Remeo and Juliet though. I tend to get nervous when OCP does new productions. Some work, some just does not work at all! Such as the Cinderella. I saw their Tosca and it was very nice, but yet somewhat dull. But I have high hopes for the company. I’m glad they are bring more new artist from outside their old list of artist. It gets old very quickly. I have high hopes.
A plague on both your houses!
To crib from La Cieca – gay, gay, gay, gay, gay…
I haven’t lived in Philly for a few years, but OCP was always so unpredictable. Sometimes they were musically polished, sometimes they sounded barely rehearsed. Some of the casting was really good, some totally bewildering. Some of the productions good, some dull, and some dreadful. When something worked, I always wondered if it was just by chance. It does look like they’ve been shaking things up a bit recently, though.
Since they’ve signed Corrado Rovaris as music director, things have become a lot more consistent (on the good side).
Off topic, but since there seem to be a few Charlotte Margiono fans out here: she sang her last opera performance yesterday evening in this part:
Sad to see her go. In her speech she said she wanted to get out before the ‘but you should have heard her in her prime’ remarks. Makes sense.
“Mo one ever heard Caniglia when she was not Caniglia.”
Nor Moffo. nor Behrens, nor Cossotto… :{
And Kathy Battle’s giving a Carnegie recital on Monday.
Thanks Buster. I love that woman and hope she’ll devote time to Lieder perhaps? Just bought her 2002 Mozart recital, most of it exquisite. A perfect Non piu di fiori and a lovely, perilously slow Per pieta. Consonants have been slightly smoothed out, it happens with age sometimes (ref. Julia Varady) but the line is gorgeous.
Still think her “Ah! perfido” is the best I’ve ever heard.
Thanks CerquettiFarrell! Yes, fortunately a handful of lieder recitals has been announced. She will sing the world premiere of six rediscovered Korgold songs in March, and later Nuits d’éte and the Rückert Lieder.
Do you have her Strauss “Lieder Aus Der Jugendzeit”? – interesting stuff, I kept singing “John Anderson” under the shower for quite a while after hearing that record.
NO, unfortunately. Would love to hear that! Her 4 Letztes are very individual and warm. It’s basically a question of whether this or that timbre gets you or doesn’t, and I find hers personally extremely appealing. But there’s more to it, the generosity, warmth and individuality. Also verbal / musical intelligence. A unique artistic personality in an monochrome age.
It’s interesting to hear all this about Margiono. I’ve found a lot stuff- the Cosi and Fidelio with Harnoncourt, for example, to be correct and pleasant without ever tipping into anything particularly interesting or beautiful. What am I missing?
I think the Fidelio is pretty idiomatic when you consider that Beethoven had chamber orchestral forces and performed in a smallish theatre. The Perfido is super great and the Donna Elvira for Gardiner is very classy, very touching, Mi tradi done in a proper allegretto tempo (much slower than usual) and very intimate.
Sample her at the reprise of “Per pieta non dirmi addio” for wonderful pianissimo and sheer Innigkeit in the best german tradition.
Or this:
Great interview:
http://www.opusklassiek.nl/interviews/margiono_interview.htm
ArmerJacquino: try her “Si promette facilmente” I think you might like that a lot.
Armerjaquino!!! How wonderful to see sense amidst much — well I am too sweet tempered to characterize the nonsense about the mediocre Margiono and the sheer idiocy ventured about poor Madame Tebaldi by the same people — living in a fools paradise of doctored CD’s and unreliably recorded You Tube Snippets in their provincial baby paradises.
May we meet? I will come to London tomorrow and wait for you at Waterloo Station dressed in unmissable fashion as The Widder Claggart. Oh, and please bring Prince Harry Windsor having secured a chambre separee — underwear not required, unless of military issue. (You may of course wear underwear, I will have on my corset not that it helps).
Mrs John! Nonsense, idiocy, provincial baby paradise. Wow!
Last time I checked (age 5) my IQ was something around 110. Maybe have to check it again. It might have come down a bit.
This is definitely NOT a fair argument. I’m entitled to my own taste and preferences, backed by many hours of listening to dead music, yes, but also experiencing some great live music making in my provincial Tel Aviv and even abroad.
Sorry for not having heard ‘the greats’, sorry that I was born in 1973. I really am sorry, what can I do. Sorry for not having been born in New York, or Vienna or London or Milano or Paris. That’s what I have, these are my preferences and I always try to listen with my ears wide open and a clear mind. That’s fair.
Since I am much more interested in musicianship rather than circus acts of vocal display, and yes I don’t mind small, fragile voices, I think all the talk about high Cs and magnificent volume doesn’t impress me anyway.
I’ll keep to my own idiotic fancies, if you don’t mind. I think by now I have gathered a rather impressive understanding of the art of music-making and my preferences are pretty well grounded. I also love baroque and HIP informed singing and playing. A total infidel. Brrr!
Will the utmost respect.
CF
Mrs JC- Alas, the greater Waterloo area is too painful for me to venture into, ever since a sneaky fellow-shopper at Gramex swooped on the last remaining CD copy of the famous Mildmay/Cuenod/Souzay Tosca. Shame, would’ve been fun.
CF- ALL the best people were born in 1973.
Damn! I was born too late for the Golden Age and too early for the best year of 1973. Typical.
Me, I was born too late for both. And on top of that, not even in a capital, however provincial. I think I’ll never forgive it to my parents.
Well, shoot, Liana. *I* would never hold that against you.
Dear, dear Liana –
Stara mi?o?? nie rdzewieje
I meant (no special characters here)
Stara milosc nie rdzewieje
Cruz, thanks
.
. But what “old love” are you are you actually talking about???
Yeah, got that one CF. After all, I can recognize a popular saying in my own language, when I see one, even with gaps
Well, I am old, for one
(in gay years, that is! )
Amerjaquino you break an old lady’s small heart! Well, I have met my Waterloo many a time already so I suppose I may as well miss one. By the way you must have been distracted. The Tosca I believe you are referring to (French EMI 870008-D) is Bertin/Cuenod/Jansen, c. Sebastien. I think you have it mixed up with HMV 19033578 with Mildmay (she got from her death bed to make that record), Pears and John Case, at his earliest and best. The conductor is Eddy Downes suffering a temporary hearing loss. CerrquettiFarrel would have paid dearly for them, the frasseggi ed accenti of Bertin and Mildway is truly echt and artistic, wonderfully informed, and of course the tinny voice is the best kind (it records best). Isn’t C/F’s best seller called “The Tinny Voice”? A training manual of great value. But what about my destined brief encounter with Prince Harry Windsor? You are not to be a conduit? I wonder if Henry Holland could be persuaded?
Come on, CF, in Parterre years, you’re a baby
. I thought maybe we should found some kind of “Parterre kindergarten”?
Yes, Mrs. John, tinny voices work best when you try to assess on record the various merits of a masterpiece, with the score handy, hence my ‘brilliant’ defence on behalf of DG. You really DO change your tune when the tiniest (tinniest) detail doesn’t suit your sensibilities, do you? I much prefer you in your Marschallin mode, so I will abstain from continuing in this vein. Having read your attacks here, I verily fear your Klytemnestra mood. My ‘provincial’ upbringing has interred in me the principle of never attacking a person ad-hominem, even if you don’t like his opinions. So such behaviour is completely incomprehensible to me (if sadly, not unprecedented). I always try to be civilized, gentle and balanced in everything I write here. So I don’t really like Tebaldi, and adore Margiono. So what? I think most people can live with it or at least discuss this in a civilised way. I see you prefer to continue your current strain of attack, though I believe I did nothing to deserve it. So be it. A sad ending to a nice day.
Yes, Liana, and there we can safely discuss recording of singers which shamefully we have never heard in the flesh!
CF, until the adults come and tell us tu shut up
(another Polish saying, in translation: “Children and Fish don’t have a voice”). But look at the bright side of things: if we live long enough, in some 40 years WE will be telling the kids to shut up and not to try to discuss great singers of yesteryear, like Dessay or Netrebko, whom THEY never heard in flesh…
Very true, Liana. A right well-earned!
It’s getting pretty late even for me, and my beauty sleep is waning…
Will put on some Bach cantatas to ease my mind before closing my eyes. Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit!
Besides, I have to gather strength before reading tomorrow the ongoing and utter demise of my poor self, and moreover, reading it with a smile and a cheer!
All the best. CF
Don’t worry CF. Just like the poem:
our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
Cheers.
Maybe Mizrahi should apprentice on this production to warm up for his ALNM in St. Louie…
Prêt-à-chanter, anyone?
Prêt-à-chanter – did you just think that up, or is it in circulation? What a fabulous remark – may we “borrow” it?
Footnote required (MLA acceptable, but I prefer Turabian).