The Ten Percent Solution
NYCO’s George Steel has “…a vision of gradually increasing productions, arriving at 10, with 40 performances…. the company would reach the 10-production benchmark by 2025…. Only about 10 percent of revenue this season is predicted to come from the box office, with the rest mainly provided by donors. The ratio does not change much over the phased growth plan, meaning that only $1 or $1.50 out of $10 will come from ticket purchases.” [New York Times]
Where is Betsy_Ann Boblincka’s Friday night list?
What will the youngsters do tomorrow if they are left without her guidance??
Yes, well, as far as George Steel’s “vision” is concerned, someone get him a new set of glasses.
What will tomorrow bring?
The pundits query.
Will it be cheery!
Will It be sad!
Will it be birds in spring
Or hara-kiri?
Don’t worry, dearie.
Don’t worry, lad.
Hey, folks, I’m really sorry, but if you will look on OperaCast (my basic source) you will see that it is virtually empty. I’ve been to all the individual station websites and have been able to pick up very little information there either.
There’s a LUCIA out of Houston, a FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER on the Beeb, and Gruberova’s LUCREZIA BORGIA on CBC TWO. Plus a few scattered repeats. If anyone can navigate in Finnish, Czech, Hungarian, Dutch, or Norwegian, please assist and maybe we can share.
I know this. I enjoy Chat Room on Saturday so I will be there no matter what I’m listening to. I’m staying up until maybe 3:00 or 4:00 this morning to see if anything materializes, and will make a last check in the morning between 10:00 and 11:00 for last minute postings, but that won’t leave me much time to get the news out to all you hungry folk. And even then it will be nothing more than a bare bones listing, such as anyone can get.
Whoever runs OperaCast deserves our praise (and generous contributions) for the back-breaking work he/she puts in every day of the year to gather all this information. I’m exhausted after just a couple hours.
BAB
Betsy_Ann, I’ve got to turn in now so I can’t stay up with you. Sorry to not be able to help you with above languages–maybe Buster dear can help you with Dutch.
Big kiss and nitey-nite and don’t let the bedbugs bite!!
Love, Camille
The Schwanewilms/Herlitzius/Lenneke Ruiten (what a Konstanze!)/Schuster Frau is on at NTR Opera Live. 19:00 CET.
And Sinterklaas arrives today!
Babs, it looks as though the OperaCast guy or gal – who deserves oceans of gold stars anyhow – is maybe down with the collywobbles or something, because checking the link to Deutschlandradio Kultur I found a Coq d’Or from the Bolshoi at 1:05 EST, and on the link to DR P2 Klassisk in Denmark I found a Gioconda with Westbroek, Dintino and Gavanelli at 1:20 EST. I’m cross-eyed myself after a long day so can’t focus enough to find more. But looks like things are out there for those who have the strength to dig.
Having wobbled a few collies myself over the past month, my sympathy goes out to the illustrious moderator of OperaCast. And I get a sudden cold chill — whatever would we do without it?
Glad you’re feeling better Bobolish.
Here’s another suggestion for today at 2:00pm NY time: Oedipe from La Monnaie, in the Fura del Baus production. It can be seen and listened to here
http://www.lamonnaie.be/fr/mymm/related/event/145/media/1059/Œdipe%20-%20George%20Enescu/
Shameless self promotion, how do you sleep at night.
I don’t! I am afflicted with the Oedipus Complex!!!
Yep: Steel obviously has a bridge for sale, and he’s equally obviously going to make his opera company buy the damn thing.
2025? And we thought the Commies Five Year Plans were ridiculous.
My first thought was “Is this guy out of his mind?”
Ten productions by 2025? Oh, please, let’s not be hasty.
So the season opens on Thursday with a concert then an opera in February. Christmas comes but once a year, so when will AGMA prevent the opera from opening? Why are they taking so long to announce the end of whatever relationship there was with City Opera? Maybe there will be a Christmas miracle. Why are the good people on the Board of NYCO wasting their time with George Steel’s folly?
OT: Lovely Bellini: Lauri-Volpi’s A te o, cara
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMInWqym9xA
while the answer may be apparent from a fuller review of financial statements, knowing how much higher ticket prices overall are this year (compared to prior seasons), i am compelled to wonder how the box office is only covering 10% of revenue …
To my great relief and joy, OperaCast is up and running again. Enough is available to provide fodder for a lively Chat Room.
In the interests of time, I’m going to take my cue from Camille who called this my list of recommendations, and just list the operas as such.
First is a group of operas which have been offered before and are available from House Of Bobolink:
FIDELIO from Munich (11:00-2:00 LRT KLASIKA) Kaufmann/Kampe are not as powerful as Kaufmann/Stemme from the Swiss but Kaufmann is Kaufmann
LE COUR DE CELIMENE (12:00-4:00 ESPACE MUSIQUE and 2:00-5:00 SLOVENIA TRETJE) More an operetta than an opera, it’s light-hearted and a lot of fun.
LA GIOCONDA 12:00-4:30 DR P2) Westbroeck is the big name but Luciana d’Intino steals the show.
LUCREZIA BORGIA (1:00-5:00 CBC TWO) Self-recommending for Gruberova fans, but I’ll take either of the crooning Renees.
LE COQ D’OR (1:00-3:30 DEUTSCHLANDRADIO) I like the opera, but this performance doesn’t really ezcite me.
DIE WALKURE (1:00-5:00 KBYU) Gang-busters performance from San Francisco.
LA DONNA DEL LAGO 1:00-5:00 RADIO CLASICA DE ESPANA) A “Golden Age” performance with Di Donato and Florez.
DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN (1:00-5:00 RADIO 4 NETHERLANDS) Last Summer’s Salzburg performance. Great orchestra but I have some quibbles about the voices. Schuster’s good.
DEAD MAN WALKING (1:00-4:00 VPR, WCLV, WFMT) Highly recommended.
TAMERLANO (1:00-4:30 WETA) Not bad for a Domingo ego-trip. Daniels shines.
ARIADNE AUF NAXOS (1:00-4:00 WQXR) from Houston. Excellent, but not quite first-rank.
LA TRAVIATA (NPR World of Opera, various times and stations) I enjoyed it, but it’s going to depend on your Dessay-tolerance levels.
THE RAPE OF LUCRECE (1:00-5:00 FRANCE MUSIQUE) Kirschlager, Bostridge make this just about as good as this opera’s going to get.
A Domingo Gala (1:30-5:00 NRK P2) Uncle Plassy as tenor and baritone in last acts from three operas. Whatthehell — it’s his party; he can fly if he wants to.
DRISTAN UND INSULTA (1:30-6:00 RADIO OESTERREICH) Stig Anderson and Irene Theorin strive mightily but only just make it.
TANNHAUSER (2:00-7:00 LYRIC FM) I’m giving up on ever hearing this opera performed competently again.
WERTHER (2:00-6:00 RADIO TRE) Villazon doesn’t crash and burn, but you keep thinking he’s going to.
Second category — commercial releases which are NOT available from House of Bobolink
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR (12:00-3:00 YLE KLASSINEN) Callas and Gobbi in a classic recording
FIDELIO (1:00-5:00 RTP ANTENA 2) Nilsson and Vickers in what is going to be a classic.
OBERON (1:30-4:00 BARTOK RADIO) John Eliot Gardiner tries to convince us he believes in this work.
EUGENE ONEGIN (2:00-5:00 RADIO STEPHANSDOM) Don’t be put off by the fact that you’ve never heard of these people before; it’s quite good.
I’ve not heard these yet. I hope to have all of them available within the next week.
LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR from Houston (WFMT Network, various times.
DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER from Covent Garden (BBC 1:30-5:00)
DIE ENTFUHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL (1:00-5:00 DWOJKE POLSKIE)
THE DAMNATION OF FAUST
Posted before I was done.
DAMNATION OF FAUST is on LATVIA RADIO KLASIKA from 2:00 to 6:00
Verdi’s REQUIEM (3:00-5:00 AUDITORIUM)
DIE ZAUBERFLOTE (1:30-4:30 SVERIGES P2) Wixell as Papageno? Archival broadcast.
Now I’m done.
No, I’m not. Forgot to mention something which really confuses me, the Rusiian opera on KLARA from 2:00-6:00. Says it’s by Tchaikovsky but the title indicates Rimsky-Korsakov. Something to be sorted out later.
Now I’m done.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Enchantress_(opera)
Thank you so much from all your children, Betsy_Ann.
You’re the tops.
Amen, to Betsy. And as that lovely man Dan Savage likes to say “It gets better.”
Relying on ticket sales to cover only 10% of the budget with donations to cover most of the rest can be seen in two ways.
On the one hand, if Steel has lined up some big donations that will basically bankroll the season, then good for him. In this scenario, he is not counting much on ticket sales so if the box office does better than expected, it will be gravy.
On the other hand, if he doesn’t have the majority of those donations already lined up, then it becomes a budget based on wishful thinking. “Yes, we know that ticket sales will be weak but we hope that generous donors will come to our rescue”.
Perhaps I’m being overly optimistic, but I’m going to guess that, during the NYCO’s long silence over the last few months, Steel has been rolling up his sleeves and raising some big dough. We shall see.
Maybe Mr. Steele secretly knows that the CRAP he’s planning on serving up WON’T SELL at the box office.