Opera News articles from December 2004

Opera News archives from December 2004

The voices of the future.(Viewpoint)
December 1, 2004... Metropolitan Opera broadcast audiences first heard the singular voice of countertenor David Daniels in April 1999, when his ardent Sesto--in tandem with the majestic Cornelia of Stephanie Blythe--kicked Handel's Giulio Cesare into high gear...

On October 1, Marilyn Horne was awarded an honorary degree from The University Of Pittsburgh.(Opera Watch)
December 1, 2004... 1. On October 1, MARILYN HORNE was awarded an honorary degree from THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH. Home, a native of Bradford, PA, was at the university's Bradford campus to help dedicate the university's new fine arts and communication arts...

Joyce Castle kept herself busy at Lincoln Center this past autumn by rehearsing Belle Epoque during the day at Lincoln Center Theater while singing Madame de Croissy in Dialogues Of The Carmelites at New York City Opera during the evenings.(Opera Watch)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... 2. JOYCE CASTLE kept herself busy at Lincoln Center this past autumn by rehearsing BELLE EPOQUE during the day at LINCOLN CENTER THEATER while singing Madame de Croissy in DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES at NEW YORK CITY OPERA during the evenings....

Actor-director Kenneth Branagh will direct (and possibly star in) a new film of Die Zauberflote, set to begin rehearsals early in 2005.(Opera Watch)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... 3. Actor-director KENNETH BRANAGH will direct (and possibly star in) a new film of DIE ZAUBERFLOTE, set to begin rehearsals early in 2005. The dialogue for Branagh's film, which is being funded by British philanthropist SIR PETER MOORES, will...

On December 2, baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes, whose Don Giovanni stole hearts this past summer at Cincinnati Opera, joins his fellow New Zealander.(Opera Watch)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... 4. On December 2, baritone TEDDY TAHU RHODES, whose Don Giovanni stole hearts this past summer at Cincinnati Opera, joins his fellow New Zealander, crossover "phenom" HAYLEY WESTENRA, on PBS for HAYLEY WESTENRA: LIVE FROM NEW ZEALAND, a...

Fort Worth Opera has commissioned an opera from composer Thomas Pasatieri.(Opera Watch)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... FORT WORTH OPERA has commissioned an opera from composer THOMAS PASATIERI. The new work, FRAU MARGOT, with a libretto by director FRANK CORSARO, is set in 1938 Amsterdam. Billed as Pasatieri's first opera in twenty years, FRAU MARGOT will have...

On January 18, from 6 to 7:30 P.M., veteran broadcaster George Jellinek will be interviewed by Martin Bernheimer at Manhattan's Museum of Television and Radio.(Opera Watch)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... 5. On January 18, from 6 to 7:30 P.M., veteran broadcaster GEORGE JELLINEK will be interviewed by MARTIN BERNHEIMER at Manhattan's Museum of Television and Radio. Jellinek, whose long-running WQXR program The Vocal Scene will air for the final...

Claudia Mahnke, who scored a hit as Dorabella in San Francisco Opera's Cosi Fan Tutte this past fall, has returned to her home theater at the Stuttgart Opera, where the mezzo's assignments this season will include the Rheingold Fricka, Simplicius in Simplicius Simplicissimus and Oberto in Alcina.(Opera Watch)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... 6. CLAUDIA MAHNKE, who scored a hit as Dorabella in San Francisco Opera's Cosi Fan Tutte this past fall, has returned to her home theater at the Stuttgart Opera, where the mezzo's assignments this season will include the Rheingold Fricka,...

Yale University Press has published The Opera Lover's Companion, an informal guide to 175 operas by sixty-three composers, written by critic and lecturer Charles Osborne.(Opera Watch)(Book Review)
December 1, 2004... 7. Yale University Press has published THE OPERA LOVER'S COMPANION, an informal guide to 175 operas by sixty-three composers, written by critic and lecturer CHARLES OSBORNE. In addition to background information and brief plot synopses, Osborne...

Sondra Radvanovsky.(On the Beat)
December 1, 2004... SONDRA RADVANOVSKY returns to the Met this month in an all-too-rare revival of I Vespri Siciliani, and she isn't afraid to admit that it's a daunting assignment. "A lot of the Verdi girls that I sing, you come in and start off with an aria. The...

Jodi Kantor.(On the Beat)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Those paying close attention to the New York Times Sunday Arts & Leisure section this fall no doubt noticed a glaring omission: the usual comprehensive listing of the upcoming week's performing-arts events. (The Friday Times's The Listings,...

James Conlon.(On the Beat)(appointment)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... JAMES CONLON has been named music director of Los Angeles Opera, commencing in 2006. As someone who has missed Conlon as a regular presence in New York, I applaud this appointment--further indication that Los Angeles has, for the moment at...

Kobie van Rensburg.(Sound Bites)(performs in Rodelinda)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... Kobie van Rensburg first captivated Paris audiences last June with his fine performance in Traetta's Antigona, with Christophe Rousset at the Chatelet. That first glimpse served notice that this was no white-toned, thin-voiced early-music...

Johanna Meier.(Reunion)(Biography)
December 1, 2004... A mainstay of both New York City Opera and the Met in the 1970s and '80s, Johanna Meier made her name in America and went on to a hugely successful international career. "She was an extraordinary artist, both musically and dramatically,"...

Higher and higher: David Daniels is the rarest of breeds--a countertenor who has made it to full-fledged stardom.(Biography)
December 1, 2004... Stagehands may be known as some of the savviest people in show business, but even they can miss the mark. In 1984, at Manhattan's 92nd Street Y, conductor Gerard Schwarz was hearing a round of singer auditions. Backstage, the crew members were...

Music of champions: Hendel lovers have always regarded Rodelinda as one of the composer's greatest achievements. Now, met audiences get to rediscover this masterpiece in a new production with "A-list" credits.(Critical Essay)
December 1, 2004... Handel operas are no rarity today: they figure regularly in the repertory of companies great and small. It is strange to think that for nearly two centuries the great works went unheard--indeed, were almost unknown! The "Handel Opera Revival"...

In the Parisan style: why are Verdi's first two operas for Paris--Les Vepres Siciliennes and Don Carlos--so seldom performed in the original French? On the occasion of the Met's first revival of Vespri Siciliani in twenty-two years, William R. Braun searches for answers.(Critical Essay)
December 1, 2004... Opera singers want to be pop stars, but pop stars are not happy unless they can appear in David Mamet plays. Verdi was nothing less than a national hero in Italy, but for thirty years he was driven by the desire for a successful premiere at the...

The argument over correct Handel performance practice bores conductor Harry Bicket. He just wants to make the music sing.
December 1, 2004... This month, British conductor and harpsichordist Harry Bicket makes his Met debut, leading the company's first-ever production of Handel's Rodelinda, a masterwork seldom heard until recently. Bicket's first step into the Met is the culmination...

Texas gold: a giant milestone for the Lone Star State: the fiftieth-anniversary season of the pioneering Houston Grand Opera.(Company Profile)
December 1, 2004... Nothing keeps Houston down: not heat or hurricanes, not the freeways or mosquitoes the size of roasting hens. This is a city where people hop out of bed wondering what limits they'll push today, whether drilling deep into the earth or vaulting...

A new voice: this month, Margaret Juntwait begins her first season as the host of the Met's Saturday afternoon broadcasts.(Interview)
December 1, 2004... Margaret Junwait was narrating a school fashion-show when she was told by her eighth-grade teacher that she had the perfect radio voice. Juntwait has now reached far greater heights than the announcing career that was hinted at with "Here comes...

I Vespri Siciliani.(Metropolitan Opera)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... BROADCAST OF DECEMBER 11, 2004, 1:30 P.M. THE METROPOLITAN OPERA INTERNATIONAL RADIO NETWORK THE 2004-05 METROPOLITAN OPERA BROADCAST SEASON IS MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS GRANTS FROM THE ANNENBERG FOUNDATION AND THE VINCENT A. STABILE...

Tannhauser.(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... BROADCAST OF DECEMBER 18, 2004, 1:00 P.M. THE METROPOLITAN OPERA INTERNATIONAL RADIO NETWORK THE 2004-05 METROPOLITAN OPERA BROADCAST SEASON IS MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS GRANTS FROM THE ANNENBERG FOUNDATION AND THE VINCENT A. STABILE...

The casts.(opera singers' roles in the past year)
December 1, 2004... BROADCAST SPOTLIGHT: Sondra Radvanovsky (Elena) bowed with Berlin's Deutsche Oper last fall, as Leonora in Il Trovatore, a role she repeats in Houston next month and at the Bregenz Festival in July. In between, the Berwyn, Illinois-born...

Kata Kabanova.(Metropolitan Opera)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... BROADCAST OF DECEMBER 25, 2004, 1:30 P.M. THE METROPOLITAN OPERA INTERNATIONAL RADIO NETWORK THE 2004-05 METROPOLITAN OPERA BROADCAST SEASON IS MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS GRANTS FROM THE ANNENBERG FOUNDATION AND THE VINCENT A. STABILE...

Rodelinda.(Metropolitan Opera)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... BROADCAST OF JANUARY 1, 2005, 1:00 P.M. THE METROPOLITAN OPERA INTERNATIONAL RADIO NETWORK THE 2004-05 METROPOLITAN OPERA BROADCAST SEASON IS MADE POSSIBLE BY GENEROUS GRANTS FROM THE ANNENBERG FOUNDATION AND THE VINCENT A. STABILE...

Annual gift guide, v3.0.(Sight and Sound)
December 1, 2004... Opera lovers are admittedly an analog bunch. But when an "upgrade" comes in the form of a new ceramic record needle or replacing the polyurethane buggies that you keep old playbills in, perhaps it's time to take the plunge into the increasingly...

Chicago.(North America)(review of Don Giovanni as performed by Bryn Terfel)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... Lyric Opera of Chicago burst into life in 1954 with a "calling card" performance of Don Giovanni featuring such legends as Nicola Rossi-Lemeni and Eleanor Steber. The company inaugurated its golden-anniversary season with an elegant new...

New York City.(North America)(reviw of Otello)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... The Met's 2004-05 season opened on September 20 with Otello--a canny choice if ever there was one. The great work calls for the full resources of the opera house, and on this occasion they were working at their peak. The very first measures of...

Washington, D.C.(North America)(review of Andrea Chenier performed by Salvatore Licitra)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... Anyone inclined to dismiss Andrea Chenier as the equivalent of a B picture would probably undergo a rapid attitude adjustment if confronted with Mariusz Trelinski's illuminating, provocative treatment of the piece. The Polish director, known...

Los Angeles.(North America)(review of Idomeneo)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... Perhaps the best way to enjoy Los Angeles Opera's 2004-05 season-opening Idomeneo was with eyes closed and ears wide open. In its September 10 performance, Mozart's opera seria soared musically on the strength of sterling singing and...

San Francisco.(North America)(review of Cosi Fan Tutte)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... It just doesn't do to make Cosi Fan Tutte either exclusively comic or excessively dark: striking a balance is key to a successful production of Mozart's dramma giocoso, and director John Cox did so, with splendid results, in San Francisco...

London.(International)(review of Werther)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... It is a curious fact that in the various performances of Massenet's Werther given at Covent Garden since 1894, the title role has never been sung by a native French tenor. The latest to take on the star challenge of the doomed poet was...

Zurich.(International)(review of Stiffelio)(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... Having been impressed by Stiffelio ever since I first encountered it in its Aroldo guise, in a Hamburg performance exactly fifty years ago, I don't remember having ever been so gripped by a performance of the opera as by that given on Zurich's...

December online edition of opera news.(Calendar)
December 1, 2004... NORTH AMERICA: Met opening-week revivals of Carmen, Walkure and Butterfly; Chicago mines Rheingold; La Traviata at NYCO and in San Francisco; a new Nozze in San Jose; Washington's Billy Budd; A View from the Bridge in Pittsburgh; La Cenerentola...

A touch of class: Juan Diego Florez brings charm, finesse and good old-fashioned razzle-dazzle to a program of tenor favorites.(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... Juan Diego Florez "GREAT TENOR ARIAS" by Gluck, Cimarosa, Rossini, Donizetti, Halevy, Verdi, Puccini Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Rizzi. Texts and translations. Decca B0003136 Sprinting and scampering through the...

Rossini: Zelmira.(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... Futral, Custer; Ford, Siragusa, Palazzi, M. Vinco; Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Chorus, Benini. Text and translation. Opera Rata ORC 27 Zelmira was the last of nine operas that Rossini composed for the Court Theatre of Naples; the title...

Handel: Lotario.(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... Kermes, Mingardo, H. Summers, Prina; Davislim, Priante; Il Complesso Barocco, Curtis. Text and translation. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 82876-58797-2 (2) Now that Lotario has received its first recording (with minuscule cuts), there are only a...

Janacek: Jenufa.(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... J. Watson, Barstow, Vaughan; N. Robson, Wedd, N. Davies; Chorus and Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera, Mackerras. Chandos CHAN 3106 (2) Preeminent Janacek specialist Charles Mackerras's estimable new Jenufa, like his 1982 Czech-language...

A. Scarlatti: La Santissima Trinita.(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... Invernizzi, Gens. Genaux; Agnew, Abbondanza; Ensemble Europa Galante, Biondi. Texts and translations. Virgin Classics 45666 Those who relish philosophical explorations in works of art will enjoy this early specimen. Alessandro Scarlatti's...

Natalie Dessay.(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... "AMOR" Arias and scenes from Ariadne auf Naxos, Arabella and Der Rosenkavalier; Brentano Lieder. With Lott, Kirchschlager, Koch, Allen; Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Pappano. Virgin Classics 457052 This new venture...

Stephanie Blythe.(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... "BRAHMS, WAGNER, MAHLER" Ensemble a sei voci, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Nelson. Texts and translations. Virgin Classics 45702 Wagner's Wesendock-Lieder are rarely performed in their original version for high voice and piano; most...

Marcelo Alvarez.(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... "THE TENOR'S PASSION" Arias by Puccini, Cilea, Giordano, Flotow, R. Strauss, Bellini, Meyerbeer, Lalo, Bizet. Staatskapelle Dresden, Viotti, Texts and translations. Sony SK 92937 At this juncture in his vocal development, lyric tenor...

Dawn Upshaw.(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... "VOICES OF LIGHT" Songs by Messiaen, Debussy, Golijov and Faure. Kalish, piano. Nonesuch 79821-2 This latest collection from the restlessly inquisitive Dawn Upshaw features songs that she describes as having, in one way or another,...

Magdalena Kozena.(Sound Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... SONGS by Ravel, Shostakovich, Respighi, Schulhoff, Britten. Martineau, piano, Henschel Quartett. Texts and translations. Deutsche Grammophon B0002124-02 Magdalena Kozena seems to be devouring repertoire--soprano roles, mezzo parts, Baroque...

Verdi: Requiem; Overture, La Forza del Destino.(Video Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... Ligabue, Bumbry; Konya, Arie: Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, Giulini. Text, notes. BBC Legends, BBCL 4144-2 This is Carlo Maria Giulini's third Verdi Requiem on disc, joining the landmark EMI/Angel studio set (with Schwarzkopf, Ludwig,...

Bizet: Carmen.(Video Recording Review)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Domashenko, Dashuk; Berti, Aceto; Arena di Verona, Lombard RAI Trade DVD DVUS-OPCAR1 OPCAR2 (Naxos, dist.), 150 mins. It's a Zeffirelli production and it's the Roman Arena in Verona that means it's big and handsome and (the listless tempos...

Verdi: Simon Boccanegra.(Opera Review)
December 1, 2004... Prokina; Pasquetto, Rendall, Sidhom, Miles, Borowski; London Philharmonic, Elder. Glyndebourne, 1998. Kultur DVD D2043, 143 mins. There is still not a clear-cut Boccanegra recommendation in video terms, but this release is good news on the...

Pergolesi: Lo Frate 'nnamorato.(Video Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... Focile, Felle, Manca di Nissa, d'Intino, Norberg-Schulz, Curiel; Corbelli, Di Cesare, B. De Simone; La Scala, Muti. Opus Arte DVD OA LS3005 D (Naxos, dist.), 175 mins. Lo Frate 'nnamorato, a full-length opera buffa by Pergolesi, a composer...

Orff: Carmina Burana Beethoven: Symphony No. 9.(Video Recording Review)
December 1, 2004... Battle; Lopardo, Allen; Shin-Yu Kai Chorus, Berlin Philharmonic, Ozawa (Orff). Schwanewilms, Dever; Groves, Hawlata; Tokyo Opera Singers, Saito Kinen Orchestra, Ozawa (Beethoven). Texts and translations. Philips DVD B0002504-09, 134 mins. ...

Vecchi: L'Amfiparnaso.(Book Review)
December 1, 2004... I Fagiolini, R. Hollingworth; with Simon Callow. Chandos Chaconne CH DVD5029 (Koch, dist.), 58 mins., extra features Fashioning an amusing theatrical entertainment out of a 400-year-old book of Italian madrigals might seem a tall order. The...

The Happiest Corpse I've Ever Seen.(Book Review)
December 1, 2004... by Ethan Mordden Palgrave Macmillan, 320pp. $ 26.95 Ethan Mordden, OPERA NEWS contributor and author of a multivolume series on the Broadway musical in the twentieth century, has just completed his ambitious survey of the genre's past...

Madama Butterfly 1904-2004.(Book Review)
December 1, 2004... Edited by Ilaria Narici; English and Italian texts Ricordi/BMG Publicatioras, 172pp. $50 Looking for a last-minute gift for the Puccini fiend in your life? Ricordi's handsome book celebrates the Butterfly centennial with a wealth of...

Dateline.(Calendar)
December 1, 2004... METROPOLITAN OPERA (Metropolitan Opera House, New York, 212-362-6000; www.metopera.org) Dec. 1 Aids (Verdi). Brown, Cornetti; Farina, Maestri, Youn, Gradus; Viotti, Frisell, Quaranta/Saligeri Dec. 2 Rodelinda (Handel). Fleming, Blythe;...

Saturday afternoon live.(Coda)(reminiscences of an operaphile)
December 1, 2004... On Saturday afternoon, December 28, 1946, five of us--all but one aspiring opera singers--gathered in my college roommate's apartment on West Eighty-first Street in Manhattan to listen to Swedish helden-tenor Set Svanhohn sing Radames in Aida....