Intermission feature
Stay cool, cher public, as La Cieca (center) invites you all to comment on off-topic and general interest subjects during the week of July 1.
Stay cool, cher public, as La Cieca (center) invites you all to comment on off-topic and general interest subjects during the week of July 1.
Born on this day in 1910 soprano Dorothy Kirsten
Born on this day in 1919 tenor Ernst Haefliger
Born on this day in 1928 baritone Peter Glossop
What the F is going on at the Met!?!? One girl’s maddening journey through the red tape and ineptitude of the Metropolitan Opera.
http://schleppynabuccos.blogspot.com/2012/07/why-met-is-failing-and-it-aint-just.html
The K woman is here again -- and she brought over a friend! Poor Vivica trying hard not to laugh and somehow keep intonation above 432 or whereabouts…
and she actually sings ‘Viens, Vivica”!!!
Born on this day in 1860 composer Gustav Mahler
Born on this day in 1911 composer Gian Carlo Menotti
Happy 67th birthday bass Matti Salminen
That first clip of Jessye was just exquisite, on so many levels, too.
I thank you, cher kashania, for having shared it. Beautiful.
I think it has everything that a great performance of Mahler’s “Ulricht” should have. First off, you need a truly deep, contralto sound. She sounds like an organ when she begins. But you also need beauty of tone, legato and a command of line. Glad you enjoyed it, Camille chere!
To thank you again, kashania, I would like to post this version, with Maestro Bernstein conducting, of the end of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, a work with great significance to me on a personal level…it was one of the first concerts I ever attended with my husband, who dearly loves this work.
I can never fail to feel very deeply grateful to Maestro Bernstein for the great lengths, efforts, and pains he went to, to resurrect Mahler from his untimely grave, to make him live again and to shed his light and grace upon us. It is all somewhat superhuman.
Camille: Ages ago, I watched a documentary on Bernstein and I vividly remember this one scene when he was rehearsing Mahler with the Vienna Phil. They weren’t responding and he was very frustrated. He admonished them by saying “Mahler is YOUR composer just as much as Mozart. This is YOUR music!”.
Gals, this is AMAZING! Since today, Utube has a new button for direct download!!!! This marks the beginning of a new era, no more applications or plug-ins!
What’s more, clips can be downloaded as MA4 / AAC / MP3 / MP4 /FLV ….. no more sound ripping, changing formats etc, and it downloads in seconds !
You mean I can dump that crappy downloader app I have? That is a good thing.
armerjacquino, wherever you are, I thought you’d be pleased to know that Annette Dasch is due to give a recital at Wigmore Hall next July. You might want to rush and buy tickets.
Oh, what a shame. I’m recharging my phone next July.
Actually, the programme looks appealing: Mahler, Zemlinsky, Schoenber, Korngold. And there’s an awfully pretty picture of her in the brochure.
Who is reporting tonite from Babilonia in Caramoor?
Waiting on tenterhooks.
Reporting from caramoor at intermission. Ewa is on fire; the queens are showering her with love. As expected, the performance is ornamentastic, and the sparse subtitles (they are apparently going for a silent film aesthetic) are making this a definite stimm experience. Some old hag next to me spent every applause break yelling at her poor husband over her frustration that there were no constant subtitles. Michael spyres is singing very stylishly as baldassare. Will report more. Ciao
Grazie! I am so delighted to hear la Podles is doing so well and being appreciated for it!
Glad to hear about Michael Spyres, too, of whom I think so highly, and wish for his success in this difficult, rara avis repertory.
Now I cannot wait to hear it in August from Pesaro on the RAI.
Have to agree with La V: Podles was on fire and so were her fanboys (myself included). Someone please explain to me why this brilliant talent is. It appearing regularly in New York? I’m such a fan from YouTube but have never had the opportunity until now to see her live. What gives?!?
Orchestra was equally phenomenal. Second act violin solo was gorgeous, overture brilliant, and overall Churchfield was well paced and kept band and singers in synch. Is this his last Caramoor seas
Spyres was superlative, rara avis indeed. He scored the evening’s longest ovation for baldassare’s mad scene. A formidable artist he is, with some of the most impressive bel canto chops I’ve ever heard. And la podles cannot be put into words. No recording in the world can prepare you for that chest voice. All in all, a mesmerizing evening. Crutchfield’s ornaments were exciting and inspired. Thank heavens RAI will record this monumental production.
Have to agree with La V: Podles was on fire and so were her fanboys (myself included). Someone please explain to me why this brilliant talent is not appearing regularly in New York? I’m such a fan from YouTube but have never had the opportunity until now to see her live. What gives?!?
Orchestra was equally phenomenal. Second act violin solo was gorgeous, overture brilliant, and overall Churchfield was well paced and kept band and singers in synch. Is this his last Caramoor season, or is he sticking around beyond his principal conducting position with St Luke’s?
Note on the production: it was NOT worth sacrificing supertitles for the half-baked “silent movie” concept. Having seen 6 or 7 performances at Caramoor, all generally not staged, I would much prefer a concert version of an opera over a barely thought out semi-production.
Typing from the Caravan…appologies for typos or accidental double-posts.
Saw this lovable film again tonight..Cusack STEALS it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG what a night at Caramoor! Madame Podles was simply wonderful. Michael Spyres had such a tremendous evening. I almost didn’t go because of the heat -- what was I thinking?!
SuzyQ--I knew I could count on U!
Please tell us more tomorrow--all of you lucky people--I am so very happy to hear of their big sucess!!!!!!!
Thanks all!
Camille