Giovanni Pacini’s 1827 opera, revived for the first time since the 19th century.
Broadcast live from Munich with a number of members of the cast who will appear in the impending Met presentation of this piece.
Alex Esposito and Lisette Oropesa star at the Teatro Real de Madrid.
“Gabriela Lena Frank‘s score for Frida y Diego was nothing short of extraordinary, at times recalling Béla Bartók (in her treatment for climaxes) or Giacomo Puccini (in her handling of choruses), but the musical idioms were certainly her own. I particularly mesmerized by many instrumental solos peppered throughout the score (most particularly the bassoon and violin solos), and Frank used such device to define the characters, almost in a way of leitmotif.”
Tonight’s chat is late (10:00 PM EDT / 7:00 PM PDT) and based on a pay-per-view event, but….
“I’ve never laughed so much nor been so moved by a Zauberflöte until Simon McBurney’s where even its Busby Berkeley-flavored finale brought tears to my eyes.”
Tomasz Konieczny stars as the accursed Dutchman in Wagner’s haunting ghost story.
“Following her sublime Met debut two weeks ago leading Don Giovanni, Nathalie Stutzmann once again led a fleet and transparent reading full of ravishing detail.”
The troubled run of Verdi’s opera at the Met this season is almost over.
“One consistent feature was a tendency across the cast to tip from recitative into aria with no pause for breath or thought. The effect was almost naturalistic—if such a thing were possible in opera—and was just one example of the many ways in which the night’s music felt fresh, even urgent.”
Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Singspiel in three acts, as broadcast from Bonn Opera.
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Puccini’s timeless tragedy for the first time at the Met, leading a cast that stars Eleonora Buratto and Stephen Costello.
Stephen Costello and Eleonora Buratto lead the bohemian pack this time around.