Opera News articles from January 1999

Opera News archives from January 1999

LETTERS.
January 1, 1999... ON COLLECTIBLES I'd like to add two points to Patrick Giles' fine article "Magnificent Obsession" (Oct.). First, while collectors encompass "all races, ages and genders," the overwhelming majority of them are men. Second, the leading...

OPERA WATCH.(schedule of upcoming opera-related events)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... January promises: A new Lucia at the Met, Rouse songs for Dawn Upshaw, the return of Beowulf ELIZABETH FUTRAL, fresh from her triumph onstage in San Francisco (Oct.) and on national television (Dec. 30) as Stella in the world premiere of...

ON THE BEAT.(Martina Arroyo honored)(includes related articles)
January 1, 1999... Martina Arroyo is honored in New York; Comden and Green take on Fledermaus Opera Index is an admirable volunteer organization that has provided much-needed financial support to young singers for many years. Every fall, it sponsors a...

Bo's Stratagem.(baritone Bo Skovhus)(Interview)
January 1, 1999... WHETHER HE'S SINGING OPERA OR LIEDER, DANISH BARITONE BO SKOVHUS GIVES THE WRITTEN WORDS ITS DUE Bo Skovhus first made his mark internationally with his suave, elegantly phrased Danilo on DG's 1995 recording of The Merry Widow, conducted...

PARTY CRASHERS.(history of hijinks in 'Die Fledermaus')
January 1, 1999... REBECCA PALLER LOOKS AT THE TRADITION OF GUEST STARS IN DIE FLEDERMAUS What operetta has featured a) the Vienna Choir Boys, b) Cary Grant and c) cooking lessons? Die Fledermaus, of course. In the 125 years since the work's premiere,...

Ruth Ann Rising.(interview with Ruth Ann Swenson)(Interview)
January 1, 1999... ONCE A TECHNICALLY POLISHED BUT BLAND "INA" SINGER, RUTH ANN SWENSON IS GROWING INTO A NEW ARTISTIC MATURITY. NOW SHE TAKES ON THE MET'S NEW LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR. HOW WILL SHE COMPARE TO THE ROLE'S GREAT INTERPRETERS OF THE PAST? On warm...

The Trill is gone ...(singing technique)
January 1, 1999... ... but it may be coming back When Verdi's Falstaff drags himself out of the river Thames and warms himself up with some hot wine, he begins to feel comforting vibrations, and the instruments of the orchestra trill all around him in...

Carlo Con Brio.(conductor Carlo Rizzi)(Interview)
January 1, 1999... Bel canto master Rizzi takes life at a brisk tempo On the outdoor terrace of a hillside restaurant looking down over Pesaro, Italy, conductor Carlo Rizzi relaxes after a glorious performance of La Cenerentola at the Rossini Festival. In it,...

Storm Warning.(origins of Kata Kabanova)
January 1, 1999... JANACEK'S SOURCE FOR KATA KABANOVA WAS ALEKSANDR OSTROVSKY'S PLAY, THE STORM, ONE OF THE MAJOR WORKS OF RUSSIAN DRAMA Just as the English theater underwent a long barren stretch from Sheridan and Goldsmith to Shaw and Wilde, there was...

DARKENING WERTHER.(second version of Werther written by Massenet for baritone )
January 1, 1999... This month, the Met presents Thomas Hampson in the rarely performed baritone version of Massenet's masterpiece Jules Massenet's Werther is one of the best known, and most popular, of French operas. So it is shocking -- no other word will do...

MUSIC FOR LOVERS.(evolution of 'Ballymore')(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... A BRIAN FRIEL PLAY INSPIRED RICHARD WARGO'S NEW OPERA, BALLYMORE Theatergoers are well acquainted with the work of Irish playwright Brian Friel: Philadelphia, Here I Come/and Dancing at Lughnasa have become modern classics. Less famous is...

DIE FLEDERMAUS.(opera)
January 1, 1999... THE CAST (in order of vocal appearance) Dr. Fledermaus bar., EARLE PATRIARCO Rosalinde soprano, CAROL VANESS Gabriel von Eisenstein bar., BO SKOVHUS Alfred ...

KATA KABANOVA.(opera)
January 1, 1999... THE CAST (in order of vocal appearance) Vana ten., PAUL CHARLES CLARKE Glasa mezzo, CATHERINE COOK Dikoj bass, SERGEI KOPTCHAK...

THE CASTS:.(opera stars in Die Fledermaus and Kata Kabonova)
January 1, 1999... Carol Vaness (Rosalinde) spent November as San Francisco's Norma before coming to the Met, where she bowed in 1984 as Armida in Rinaldo. The soprano from San Diego next sings Violetta in L.A. Opera's La Traviata, then takes the title role in...

LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR.(opera plot)
January 1, 1999... THE CAST (in order of vocal appearance) Normano tenor, RONALD NALDI Enrico bar., ANTHONY MICHAELS-MOORE Raimondo bass., ALASTAIR MILES Lucia sop., RUTH ANN SWENSON Alisa ...

WERTHER.(opera)
January 1, 1999... THE CAST (in order of vocal appearance) Bailiff baritone, MICHEL TREMPONT Johann bass-bar., JAMES COURTNEY Schmidt tenor, BERNARD FITCH...

WHAT TO READ AND HEAR.(recordings and resources for the operas Kata Kabanova, Werther, and Lucia di Lammermoor)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR William Ashbrook's Donizetti and His Operas (Cambridge University Press) is still the finest guide to this composer's works, but also try The Bel Canto Operas of Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini, by Charles Osborne...

BLACK ROSES.(Review)
January 1, 1999... SOLVEIG KRINGELBORN "BLACK ROSES" Songs by Grieg, Nielsen, Rangstrom and Sibelius. Martineau, piano. Texts & translations. Virgin Classics 5 45273 2 6 This is an enchanting recital, a perfect combination of singer, songs and accompanist....

OPERA DVORAK: Rusalka.(Review)
January 1, 1999... [] Fleming, Urbanova, Zajick; Heppner, Hawlata; Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Mackerras. Text & translations. London 289 460 568-2 (3) This exceptionally rich, impassioned opera, the penultimate of Antonin Dvorak's ten works in the genre,...

DELIBES: Lakme.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Dessay, Haidan, Antoine; Kunde, van Dam, Leguerinel, Burles; Choeur et Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Plasson. Text & translations. EMI 5 56569 (2) Leo Delibes' Lakme, which had its premiere a few months after Wagner's death, is...

PUCCINI: Turandot.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Casolla, Frittoli; Larin, Colombara; Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra and Chorus, Mehta. Text & translation. RCA Red Seal 74321 60617-2 Zubin Mehta's electrifying first recording of Turandot, made for London/Deccain 1972, attracted...

SAEGUSA: Chushingura.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Sato, Kamahora, Akiba, Sakamoto; Kobayashi, Nishikiori, Kurata, Naono, Katsube, Fukushima; Nikikai Chorus & Tokyo Opera Singers, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Otomo. English text only. Sony S3K 60233 (3) Recorded from performances in Tokyo in...

MENOTTI: The Consul.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Thiele, Golden, Castle; Cheek, Chioldi; Berkshire Opera Company, Camerata New York Orchestra, Revzen. Text. Newport Classic NPD 85645/2. Back in 1950, when Broadway producers still dared to mount operas on the Great White Way, Gian Carlo...

RAMEAU: Castor et Pollux.(Review)
January 1, 1999... (chamber version of 1754) Gerstenhaber, Vinson; Einhorn, Correas, Cantor; XVIII-21 Musique des Lumieres, Frisch. Astree E-8624 (2 CDs). (Harmonia Mundi, dist.) Castor et Pollux, Jean-Philippe Rameau's second tragedie lyrique, was not a...

SHOSTAKOVICH: The Nose and The Gamblers.(Review)
January 1, 1999... The Nose: Sasulova, Sapegina; Lomonosov, Tarkhov, Akimov, Belykh; Moscow Chamber Theatre, Rozhdestvensky (1975). The Gamblers: Tarkhov, Rybasenko, Belykh; Leningrad Philharmonic, Rozhdestvensky (1978). No texts. Melodiya 74321 60319 (2) ...

WALTON: Belshazzar's Feast; Symphony No. 1 in B Flat Minor.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Hampson; City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus; City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Rattle. 1990, 1997. Text & translations. EMI 7243-5-56592-2-4 In this performance of William Walton's choral masterpiece...

R. STRAUSS: The Donkey's Shadow (Des Essels Schatten).(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... Arnesen, Ejsing; Buechner, Bieber, Hillebrand, Schmeckenbecher, Kohn, Lukas; Ustinov, narr.; Berlin Radio Choir, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rickenbacher. 1996-97. No text; English translation only Koch 3-6548-2 Inspired by a request...

FALLA: La Vida Breve.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Egido, Perelstein; Ordonez, Baquerizo; Coro de Valencia & Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Pons. Text & translation. Harmonia Mundi HMC 901657 Though just over an hour in length, La Vida Breve betrays an amalgam of varied musical influences,...

"LIVE IN ITALY".(Review)
January 1, 1999... Cecilia Bartoli "LIVE IN ITALY" Songs and arias by Caccini, Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Schubert, Viardot, Berlioz, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Giordani, Montsalvatge, Bizet. Thibaudet (piano), Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca. Texts &...

"ENDLESS PLEASURE".(Review)
January 1, 1999... Ruth Ann Swenson "ENDLESS PLEASURE" Arias by Handel and Mozart. Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Mackerras. Texts & translations. EMI 7243 5 56672 2 Ruth Ann Swenson's disc of Handel and Mozart arias is an impressive document of...

"VERDI PER DUE".(Review)
January 1, 1999... Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna "VERDI PER DUE" Duets from Verdi operas. Berlin Philharmonic, C. Abbado. Texts & translations. EMI 7243 5 56656 2 The Alagnas tackle ten different Verdi love duos, several of them (Otello and...

"IF EVER I WOULD LEAVE YOU".(Review)
January 1, 1999... Bryn Terfel "IF EVER I WOULD LEAVE YOU" Songs with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. English Northern Philharmonia, Daniel. Texts. DG 289 457 628-2 Bryn Terfel's affable, unaffected presence and first-class voice would seem to make him a...

"ANHELO".(Review)
January 1, 1999... Jose Cura "ANHELO" Argentinian songs by Guastavino, Ginastera, Piazzola, Cura et al. Delgado (piano), Bitetti (guitar) and orchestra, Cura. Texts & translations. Erato 3984-23138-2 With a hauntingly inviting orchestral prelude of his...

Schubert: Winterreise.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Thomas Quasthoff Schubert: Winterreise. Spencer (piano). Text & translations. RCA Red Seal 09026 63147 2. When I heard Thomas Quasthoff's first BMG recording a few years ago, I felt that, although he was obviously a good singer, he was...

Britten: Our Hunting Fathers, Quatre Chansons Francaises.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Ian Bostridge Britten: Our Hunting Fathers, Chansons Francaises, Folksongs, Sinfonietta. Britten Sinfonia, Harding. Texts & translations. EMI 556534 2 An excellent 1995 recital disc, The Red Cockatoo, has already demonstrated lan...

A. Scarlatti: Cantatas, Volume II.(Review)
January 1, 1999... David Daniels A. Scarlatti: Cantatas, Volume II. Arcadian Academy McGegan. Texts & translations. Conifer 75605 51319 2 Countertenor David Daniels is in dazzling form, bringing acute dramatic instincts and a well-stocked arsenal of...

"CANZONI".(Review)
January 1, 1999... "CANZONI" Italian & Mexican songs. Negri (piano). No texts or translations. LaserLight 14 307 Ramon Vargas begins his recital, recorded live in 1995 in Guanajuato, Mexico, with an energetic (if heavy-handed) reading of Scarlatti's "Cia il...

"LA PROMESA".(Review)
January 1, 1999... Sumi Jo "LA PROMESA" Italian songs by Rossini, Bellini, Giordano, Handel et al. Scalera (piano). Texts and translations. Erato 3984-23300-2 Sumi Jo presents a soothing mix of canzoni that have become voice-studio staples, beloved...

"MOZART: OPERA AND CONCERT ARIAS".(Review)
January 1, 1999... Barbara Hendricks "MOZART: OPERA AND CONCERT ARIAS" English Chamber Orchestra, Marin Texts & translations. EMI 7243-5-56568-27 Sumi Jo presents a soothing mix of canzoni that have become voice-studio staples, beloved Baroque arias and...

"TWILIGHT AND INNOCENCE".(Review)
January 1, 1999... Heidi Grant Murphy "TWILIGHT AND INNOCENCE" Songs by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, Copland, et al. K. Murphy (piano). Texts & translations. Arabesque Recordings Z6716 Soprano Heidi Grant Murphy and her husband, pianist Kevin...

Douce Beaute: Pierre Guedron et l'Air de Cour.
January 1, 1999... Azema; Hite, Wilkinson, Guttry; Boston Camerata, Cohen. Texts & translations. Erato 3984-21656-2 Joel Cohen and his Boston Camerata treat us to a diversity of charming early-seventeenth-century miniatures with fanciful, erotic texts, plus...

DONIZETTI: La Favorite.(Opera Cornique Orchestra)(Brief Article)(Review)
January 1, 1999... Lapeyrette; Lassalle, Albers; Ruhlmann, Opera Comique Orchestra and Chorus. No texts. Marston 52010-2 (2) It may surprise many to learn that the 1912 Pathe La Favorite remains the sole studio recording of the opera as Donizetti conceived...

MOZART: Cosi Fan Tutte (sung in English).(Review)
January 1, 1999... Steber, Peters, Thebom; Tucker, Guarrera, Alvary; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Stiedry English language libretto only Sony Masterworks Heritage MH2K 60652 (2) This 1952 Columbia set, like all the best Cosi recordings, was based...

"COLORATURA ASSOLUTA".(Pons, Lily)(Columbia Symphony Orchestra)(Cimara)(Koselanetz, Andre)(Abravanel)(Brief Article)(Review)
January 1, 1999... Lily Pons "COLORATURA ASSOLUTA" Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Cimara; Andre Kostelanetz and his orchestra; Abravanel. 1941-50. No texts or translations. Sony Classical MH2K-60655 (2) Listening to Lily Pons sing is like watching Sonja...

FINN: A New Brain.(Starobin, Michael)(Finn, William)(Brief Article)(Review)
January 1, 1999... Fuller, Larsen, Testa, Chenoweth; Gets, Lewis, Zien, Mandell, Jellison, Kirk; Lincoln Center Theater, Sperling. 1998 Text. BMG 09026-63298-2 Lincoln Center Theater's lineup from the summer of 1998 has yielded two new recordings. A New...

TESORI: Twelfth Night.(Tesori, Jeanine)(Brief Article)(Review)
January 1, 1999... Coid, Kelly; Lincoln Center Theater, Grigsby. 1998. No texts. Resmiranda Res-8036 Lincoln Center Theater's lineup from the summer of 1998 has yielded two new recordings. A New Brain, with music by William Finn and book by Finn and James...

ADAMS: I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky.(Adams, John)(Brief Article)(Review)
January 1, 1999... Mazzie, McDonald, Teek; de Haas, Muenz, Yang; Adams. Nonesuch 79473 When poet June Jordan, composer John Adams and director Peter Sellars began developing a musical-theater piece in 1995, expectations were high. The resulting collaboration,...

"HISTORIC GERSHWIN RECORDINGS".(Brief Article)(Review)
January 1, 1999... "HISTORIC GERSHWIN RECORDINGS" Songs and orchestral selections by George Gershwin. Jepson; Tibbett; Gershwin, Gould (piano); various conductors, orchestras. RCA Victor 63276. George Gershwin's centennial year brought a bushelful of...

"GEMS FROM GERSHWIN".(Brief Article)(Review)
January 1, 1999... "GEMS FROM GERSHWIN": RCA Magic Key Program Memorial Broadcast of July 10, 1938. Froman, Knight, Schuyler; The Victor Salon Group, Shilkret. RCA Victor 63275. George Gershwin's centennial year brought a bushelful of recorded tributes, none...

"FASCINATING RHYTHM".(Brief Article)(Review)
January 1, 1999... "FASCINATING RHYTHM" The Broadway Gershwin 1919-33. Various soloists, orchestras. RCA Victor 63294 George Gershwin's centennial year brought a bushelful of recorded tributes, none more engaging than this trio of brilliantly remastered...

BEST OF THE YEAR.(operas)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
January 1, 1999... COMPLETE OPERAS: The must-haves are Bluebeard's Castle, as filled with fresh air by Pierre Boulez (DG 289 460 568-2); Tobias Picker's Emmeline, the best new opera recorded this year (Troy 284/5); L'Italiana in Algeri, sparked by Jennifer...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: PARIS.(Review)
January 1, 1999... It may seem strange to put on Don Carlo in Paris and not use the original (French) version Verdi wrote for the city. The new production, which opened at Opera Bastille in September (seen Oct. 9), played safe by staying with the shorter,...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: WEXFORD, IRELAND.(Wexford Festival Opera, 1998)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... The Wexford Festival Opera, inaugurated in 1951 with Michael Balfe's The Rose of Castile, quickly developed a specialty of mounting works that couldn't be seen or heard anywhere else. Since 1960, when the theater (a former music hall, later a...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: JESI, ITALY.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Filippo Marchetti's once popular Ruy Blas, given its premiere at La Scala in 1869, was staged for the first time in Italy since 1931 at the Teatro Pergolesi as part of the theater's bicentennial celebrations. Carlo D'Ormeville's four-act...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: SEVILLE, SPAIN.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Those hoping for a hidden Donizetti masterpiece will have to wait a little longer. Still, there were enough beautiful moments in Alahor in Granata, revived in October at Seville's Teatro de la Maestranza after 168 years in obscurity, to...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: OSLO.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Antonio Bibalo's The Glass Menagerie, first heard in Germany in 1996 and here restored to its original English libretto, was given an ideal joint production by the avant-garde Ultima Contemporary Music Festival and the usually conservative...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: NEW YORK CITY.(Review)
January 1, 1999... The October 30 performance of Bizet's Carmen at the Met was brightened up by the entrance of Micaela, sung by Sondra Radvanovsky, whose voice soared through the house in her duet with Don Jose, making everyone sit up and listen. The soprano's...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: ATLANTA.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Massenet's Manon was given a flavorful new production by Whitfield Lloyd at Atlanta Opera (seen Sept. 20). Surrounded by Peter Dean Beck's atmospheric, Fragonard-inspired sets (except for a stark last scene), the entire ensemble contributed...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: FORT WORTH.(Review)
January 1, 1999... This season's opener, Turandot, together with last June's fine La Boheme, quashed any speculation about the new Bass Performance Hall's acoustics. The sound is splendid, with both voices and orchestra carrying strong and true to every location...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: RICHMOND, VA.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Virginia Opera general/artistic director Peter Mark conducted an uneven Romeo et Juliette on October 21. He approached the prologue with Wagnerian intensity, over-energizing the orchestra in the opening bars, so that the lyrical entrance of the...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: BOSTON.(Jordan Hall, Boston, Massachusetts)(Review)
January 1, 1999... Any new Mozart discovery rates media space, and this minor one hit the front page of The New York Times. Dug out by musicologist David J. Buch in Hamburg, the discovery consists of the likely Mozart authorship of a duet and parts of the Act II...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: NEW YORK CITY.(contralto Ewa Podles performs at the Alice Tully Hall )(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... Very little great classical music can be sung from a posture of camp, cynicism or irony. These dominant artistic attitudes of our day are the principal reason (more than funding, training or pop music) that contemporary classical performers...

"The Great Singers of Russia:" Vol. 1, From Chaliapin to Reizen.(Review)
January 1, 1999... [] VAI VHS 69501 The medium is sometimes the message in the scrappy two-volume anthology "The Great Singers of Russia." We watch Russian singers gradually emerge from the shadows of poor camera work and wretched sets and lighting, in...

Vol. 2, From Petrov to Kazarnovskaya.(Review)
January 1, 1999... [] VAI VHS 69502 The medium is sometimes the message in the scrappy two-volume anthology "The Great Singers of Russia." We watch Russian singers gradually emerge from the shadows of poor camera work and wretched sets and lighting, in...

"Gypsy Love": Ljuba Kazarnovskaya in Recital.(Review)
January 1, 1999... [] Mark Morash, piano (1998). VAI VHS 69503 The medium is sometimes the message in the scrappy two-volume anthology "The Great Singers of Russia." We watch Russian singers gradually emerge from the shadows of poor camera work and wretched...

OBITUARIES.(GLADYS KUCHTA and Joseph Machlis)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 1, 1999... GLADYS KUCHTA, Chicopee, Massachusetts, June 16, 1923 -- Hamburg, Germany, October 7, 1998 The American soprano attended Juilliard and Mannes School of Music before being awarded a Fulbright grant to study in Italy, making her debut in...

Hollywood Diva: A Biography of Jeanette MacDonald.(Review)
January 1, 1999... Hollywood Diva: A Biography of Jeanette MacDonald by Edward Baron Turk University of California, 450 pp. $35 Like many Americans born at the tail end of the Baby Boom, I first heard Jeanette MacDonald sing in That's Entertainment, the...

BOX SEAT.(opera prompters - anecdotes)(Brief Article)
January 1, 1999... "If you look into the kennel of the prompter you are reminded of medieval inquisition," Stanislavsky wrote. "The prompter in the theater is sentenced to torture that makes one fear for his life. Half of his body is beneath the floor of the...