Opera News articles from July 1999

Opera News archives from July 1999

OPERA WATCH.
July 1, 1999... South Pacific turns fifty; Vickers, onstage for melodrama; Midsummer movie aglow with arias PAUL M. MONTRONE was elected president and chief executive officer of the METROPOLITAN OPERA ASSOCIATION at its annual meeting in May. He succeeds...

ON THE BEAT.(opera news)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... Gian Carlo Menotti brings War and Peace to Spoleto; Andrei Serban tackles the Ring Prokofiev's War and Peace is the big opera event of Spoleto's Festival of Two Worlds, and the reason for programming it is simpler than you might think. "I...

METROPOLITAN OPERA GUILD SIXTY-FOURTH ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP LUNCHEON.
July 1, 1999... HONORING PLACIDO DOMINGO The Metropolitan Opera Guild's sixty-fourth Annual Membership Luncheon was held on Tuesday, March 23, 1999, at the Waldorf Astoria. This year's honoree was Placido Domingo, who this past season celebrated the...

The Forgotten Word.(training young opera singers)
July 1, 1999... IN THE TRAINING OF YOUNG SINGERS, TEXTUAL ANALYSIS ALMOST ALWAYS TAKES A BACK SEAT TO MUSICAL PREPARATION Jennifer Aylmer is browsing the stacks of the New York Public Library, searching for a kiss. Not the romantic German or bittersweet...

A Mirror of Sound.(vocal techniques for opera singers)
July 1, 1999... Franco Corelli reflects on the current state of teaching vocal technique During a holiday visit to New York last December, Franco Corelli seemed in rare form -- relaxed, expansive, happy to be back in the city he first took by storm with...

Inside La Scala: TEMPLE OF MUSIC or TEMPLE OF DOOM?
July 1, 1999... There was a time when La Scala figured crucially in the careers of most major opera singers. Now, however, it is regarded by many as a mismanaged circus. Albert Innaurato recently went to Milan to get the real story. Riccardo Muti saved me...

Watch on the Rhein.
July 1, 1999... IN POST-REUNIFICATION GERMANY, DO AMERICAN SINGERS HAVE THE SAME CHANCE TO BUILD CAREERS THAT THEY ONCE DID? ANNE MIDGETTE TRAVELS TO DUSSELDORF AND GETS SOME ANSWERS FOR OPERA SINGERS, AUDITIONING IN GERMANY USED TO BE LIKE PLAYING THE...

Central Park Views.
July 1, 1999... Glimmerglass Opera's new trilogy puts three composer-playwright teams in a New York state of mind "Prima la musica, o prima le parole," runs the oldest question in opera. From the first efforts of the Florentine Camarata, composers,...

Going to the opera with Ada Louise Huxtable.(architecture critic)(Interview)
July 1, 1999... ada Louise Huxtable puts down her napkin and settles back in her chair. "Well, the opera had better be as good as this dinner was. That was superb." The chef at the Cafe des Artistes may not know it, but he's just won a rave from one of the...

MOZART: Cosi Fan Tutte.(Review)
July 1, 1999... MOZART: Cosi Fan Tutte Gens, Fink, Oddone; Gura, Boone, Spagnoli; Concerto Koln, R. Jacobs. Text, translations and CD-ROM. Harmonia Mundi 951663.65 (3) Much of the hard-core opera public regards with alarm the recent encroachment by...

LIGETI: Le Grand Macabre (1997 version).(Review)
July 1, 1999... LIGETI: Le Grand Macabre (1997 version) [] Ehlert, Claycomb, Hellekant; Van Nes, Ragin, Clark, Cole, Suart, White, Olsen. London Sinfonietta Voices, Philharmonia Orchestra, Salonen. English text and German translation. Sony Classical S2K 62312...

WAGNER: Die Feen.(Review)
July 1, 1999... WAGNER: Die Feen [] Patchell, Schellenberger, B. Beer; Sirkia, Korn, Holecek, Korhonen; Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Comunale di Cagliari, Otvos. Text and translation. Dynamic CDS 2171/1-3 (3) (Qualiton, dist.) Wagner's earliest...

SUTERMEISTER: Die Schwarze Spinne.(Review)
July 1, 1999... SUTERMEISTER: Die Schwarze Spinne [] Zurcher, Zelenka; Widmaier, U. Studer; Orpheus Chor Bern, Berner Symphonie-Orchester, Garst. 1997. German text only. MGB, CD 6147 (Qualiton, dist.) The Swiss-born Heinrich Sutermeister (1910-95) lived...

GLUCK: Armide.(Review)
July 1, 1999... GLUCK: Armide [] Delunsch, Podles, Masset, Heaston; Workman, Naouri; Les Musiciens du Louvre, Minkowski. Text and translations. DGG Archiv 459 616-2 (2) It was an extraordinarily daring decision for Gluck to compose his Armide using the...

LISZT: Faust Symphony.(Review)
July 1, 1999... LISZT: Faust Symphony [] Domingo; Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, Barenboim. Text, no translation. Teldec 3984-22948-2 Franz Liszt's Faust Symphony is one of the most significant yet (in our time) least...

MAHLER: Eight Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn; Symphony No. 3.(Review)
July 1, 1999... MAHLER: Eight Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn; Symphony No. 3. [] B. Remmert, Keenlyside. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Rattle. Texts and translations. EMI Classics 7243-5-56657-2 British baritone Simon Keenlyside first attracted...

ELIAS:The Prayer Cycle.(Review)
July 1, 1999... ELIAS:The Prayer Cycle [] Morissette, Ronstadt; Provenzano, Taylor, Keita et al.; The American Boychoir; The English Chamber Orchestra and Chorus, Schwartz. English translations only Sony Classical 60569 Jonathan Elias' self-described...

SCHUBERT: Nachtgesang.(Review)
July 1, 1999... SCHUBERT: Nachtgesang [] Remmert; Gura; Mayers (piano). Scharoun Ensemble, RIAS-Kammerchor, Creed. Texts and translations. Harmonia Mundi 901669 The night has many faces, nowhere more abundant than in this stunning array of Schubert...

"ROSSINI ARIAS & DUETS".(Review)
July 1, 1999... Vesselina Kasarova [] "ROSSINI ARIAS & DUETS" with Juan Diego Florez, tenor. Bavarian Radio Choir, Munich Radio Orchestra, Fagen. Text and translation. RCA Red Seal 74321-57131-2 Vesselina Kasarova makes a much better showing here than on...

"BEETHOVEN SONGS".(Review)
July 1, 1999... Stephan Genz []"BEETHOVEN SONGS" Vignoles (piano). Texts and translations. Hyperion CDA 67055 (Harmonia Mundi, dist.) A young German singer from whom fine things can be expected, Stephan Genz might at the moment be termed a Papageno. He is...

"STRAUSS: FOUR LAST SONGS".(Review)
July 1, 1999... Barbara Bonney [] "STRAUSS: FOUR LAST SONGS" with Acht Lieder, Op. 10, and other Strauss lieder. Martineau (piano). Texts and translations. London/Decca 289 460 812-2 In Barbara Bonney's excellent all-Strauss recital, the usual suspects in...

"ROGUES AND VILLAINS".(Review)
July 1, 1999... William Powers [] "ROGUES AND VILLAINS" Arias and opera scenes. No texts. Centaur CRC-2388 (Qualiton, dist.) After an active career of three decades, William Powers may not be a household name, but he's a lively, engaging interpreter of...

"ENGLISH ORCHESTRAL SONGS".(Review)
July 1, 1999... Christopher Maltman [] "ENGLISH ORCHESTRAL SONGS" by Parry, Stanford, Finzi and Gurney BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Brabbins. Texts. Hyperion CDA67065 (Harmonia Mundi, dist.) These English orchestral songs, many of which began their...

"REICHARDT: LIEDER & SONATEN".(Review)
July 1, 1999... Isabelle Poulenard [] "REICHARDT: LIEDER & SONATEN" Spadano (violin), Stewart (clavecin), Schoonderwoerd (piano). Texts and translations. Astree E8595 (Harmonia Mundi, dist.) As the first composer to set texts by Goethe, Johann Friedrich...

"PUCCINI ARIAS AND FAVOURITE BALLADS".(Review)
July 1, 1999... Charles Craig [] "PUCCINI ARIAS AND FAVOURITE BALLADS" by Moore, Herbert, Bishop et al. Orchestra, Collins. 1959, 1962. No texts or translations. Testament SBT 1151 Overshadowed in his own era by flashier international stars, Charles Craig...

"OPERATIC ARIAS AND ITALIAN SONGS".(Review)
July 1, 1999... Charles Craig [] "OPERATIC ARIAS AND ITALIAN SONGS" by Verdi, Donizetti, Tosti, Pergolesi et al. Orchestra, Collins. 1959, 1962. No texts or translations. Testament SBT 1152 Overshadowed in his own era by flashier international stars,...

"OPERA ARIAS AND DUETS".(Review)
July 1, 1999... Charles Craig and Joan Hammond [] "OPERA ARIAS AND DUETS" by Puccini, Gounod and Verdi, sung in English. Griffith (baritone); Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Tausky (1961); Philharmonia Orchestra, Curiel (1956); Sadler's Wells Opera Orchestra,...

"COMPLETE VICTOR RECORDINGS (1922-25)".(Review)
July 1, 1999... Tito Schipa [] "COMPLETE VICTOR RECORDINGS (1922-25)" 23 songs, 12 arias, 7 duets with Bori. No texts. Romophone 82014 (Harmonia Mundi, dist.) For a tenor without singular high or low notes, in fact without a great deal in between, Schipa...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: MILWAUKEE.(Review)
July 1, 1999... The Picture of Dorian Gray was given a strong performance, with the Milwaukee Symphony under the expert guidance of Steuart Bedford. On February 5, Florentine Opera presented the U.S. premiere of Lowell Liebermann's first opera, The Picture...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL.(Review)
July 1, 1999... The American premiere of Einojuhani Rautavaara's opera Aleksis Kivi (1997) was one of those events that make one proud of the musical life in the Twin Cities and hugely tolerant of shortcomings. The composer was present at the University of...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: BERKELEY, CA.(Review)
July 1, 1999... The American premiere (March 5) of the Peter Sellars version of Peony Pavilion (introduced last year at the Vienna Festival) took place over a weekend devoted to intercultural studies at the University of California. As an educational project,...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: WASHINGTON, D.C.(Review)
July 1, 1999... The unlikely vehicle for the return of tenor Jose Carreras to the American opera stage was Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's 1927 opera Sly, given by Washington Opera on March 10. Listening to Carreras' voice today is like watching a technicolor movie in...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: SARASOTA.(Review)
July 1, 1999... For Carmen (seen March 12), Sarasota Opera chose something close to the original Opera Comique version, with (shortened) spoken dialogue. This suited the intimacy of the theater, but designer Gary Eckhart couldn't resist the temptation to take...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: PHILADELPHIA.(Review)
July 1, 1999... At the Academy of Vocal Arts and Curtis Institute of Music, two intimate views of Pelleas et Melisande were presented, in contrasting productions. While the AVA opted for Debussy's full-length opera, Curtis presented the American premiere of...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: GENEVA.(Review)
July 1, 1999... Last things first: a director who cuts the end off an opera can expect to be booed. Matthias Langhoff's production of Don Giovanni, given its premiere in Geneva in the 1990-91 season and revived this year (seen Feb. 2), omits the opera's final...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: ZURICH.(Review)
July 1, 1999... On February 21, Zurich presented Don Giovanni as the second installment of its new Mozart cycle, led by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, directed by Jurgen Flimm, designed by Erich Wonder (sets) and Florence von Gerkan (costumes), with Rodney Gilfry as...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: SYDNEY.(Review)
July 1, 1999... For years, singers have used Australia to try out new roles. Bryn Terfel's natural talents fit Verdi's Sir John Falstaff so completely that his eighth performance of the part (March 5) might as well have been his hundredth. Every moment was...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: GENOA.(Review)
July 1, 1999... In spite of the traditional cuts (including the Cours la Reine) and the accented French of much of the cast and chorus, the March 21 performance of Massenet's Manon at the Teatro Carlo Felice proved vibrant and involving. Daniel Oren conducted...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: MILAN.(Review)
July 1, 1999... Lev Dodin's production of Tchaikovsky's Mazeppa (seen March 25), the first one ever at La Scala, presented a decidedly bleak vision of this strange work. No concessions were made to the romance of the eighteenth-century Ukrainian setting (so...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: TURIN.(Review)
July 1, 1999... In its second twentieth-century revival of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda (seen March 16), the Teatro Regio fielded a middling cast whose brightest element was Juan Diego Florez as Leicester, a high-tessitura role with no solo arias but plenty of...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: NEW YORK CITY.(Review)
July 1, 1999... David Daniels possesses a ravishing countertenor, as his April 27 Avery Fisher Hall recital demonstrated. He is a revelation for audiences unfamiliar with countertenors. His voice -- beautiful, steady, true, elegant -- carries fluidly in opera...

LETTER FROM ADELAIDE.(Review)
July 1, 1999... There was a great deal of skepticism hen State Opera of South Austrlia announced it would give the first-ever German-language performances of Wagner's complete Ring cycle in Australia, during November and December 1998 at the Festival Theatre...

OBITUARIES.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
July 1, 1999... GARSON KANIN, Rochester, New York, November 24, 1912 -- New York City, March 13, 1999 Kanin died last March in his Manhattan home. He was well known as a playwright (Born Yesterday, A Girl of Time), screen-writer (A Double Life and the...

AMERICAN ARIA: from Farm Boy to Opera Star.(Review)
July 1, 1999... AMERICAN ARIA: from Farm Boy to Opera Star by Sherrill Milnes, with contributions by Dennis McGovern Schirmer, 288pp. $30 During the 1970s, Sherrill Milnes was among the household names of the opera world, widely hailed as the supreme Verdi...

PREPARE FOR SAINTS.(Review)
July 1, 1999... PREPARE FOR SAINTS by Steven Watson Random House, 356pp. $35 Near the end of his life, Virgil Thomson, when asked what he thought of a recent production of his opera Four Saints in Three Acts, quoted his great aunt: "Everybody went to a lot...

MEETING LUCIANO.(Review)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... MEETING LUCIANO by Anna Esaki-Smith Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 243 pp. $18.95 Every opera fanatic fantasizes about befriending a favorite singer -- not just hanging around the stage door or getting a personalized autograph at a CD...

WAGNER: Tristan und Isolde.(Review)
July 1, 1999... WAGNER: Tristan und Isolde [] Knie, Forrester; Vickers, Braun, Wilderman, Calvert; Decker, 1976. VAI VHS 69413 Jon Vickers sang lamentably few performances of Tristan in his career, offering it only twice at the Met. Like all his great...

CRUISING WITH DIVAS.(operas on cruise ships)(Brief Article)
July 1, 1999... If your only image of opera at sea is the stateroom scene in A Night at the Opera, then you have never taken an opera cruise. A week or two at sea with opera singers can be memorable. Divas more than hold their own against such competition as...