Opera News articles from June 2001

Opera News archives from June 2001

LANDSCAPE OF THE FUTURE.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The last weekend in March, the Met hosted two events that should gladden the hearts of everyone who cares about the future of opera. The first was the final round of Texaco's Quiz Kids, which featured three students -- from Seattle, Houston and...

LETTERS.(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2001... OPEN EARS * Contrary to Bill Zakariasen's letter [February], there are many great singers today who do not sound at all like each other. How could anyone mistake Jane Eaglen for Renee Fleming? Or Thomas Hampson for Bryn Terfel? Or Roberto...

CORRECTIONS.(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2001... Cesare Bardelli [March obituaries, page 101] was born in 1910, not 1911. Alexander Platt, not Brian Dickie, has been appointed resident conductor and music adviser to Chicago Opera Theater. Dickie is the company's new general director...

OPERA WATCH.(News Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... 1. CHRISTINE GOERKE has been named the recipient of the 2001 RICHARD TUCKER AWARD by the Richard Tucker Music Foundation. An alumna of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Goerke was previously honored by the...

ON THE BEAT.
June 1, 2001... This month, tenor FRANK LOPARDO makes his Santa Fe Opera debut in THOR STEINGRABER's new production of Lucia di Lammermoor. No, that's not a misprint. Even though he's been on the opera scene for quite some time, it really is Lopardo's debut...

And the Runners-up Are ...(Jennifer Darius, Dana Elizabeth Fripp)
June 1, 2001... One of the sobering facts about voice competitions is that the most compelling entrants are often the ones who just miss taking home the prize. Sometimes it's a matter not of talent but of falling a fraction short of the mark in polish,...

BARNSTORMING.(Longborough Festival Opera)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... JEANNIE WILLIAMS LISTENS TO WAGNER IN A BARN AT ENGLAND'S LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA So you've nibbled a salmon sandwich while lolling on the grassy sward at Glyndebourne -- or stayed at delightful inns or castles while visiting Welsh...

Letter from London.
June 1, 2001... On April 2, a new executive director arrived at the Royal Opera House. Tony Hall, age forty-nine, succeeds Michael Kaiser, who departed at the end of last year to take up a new position as president of the Kennedy Center in Washington. ...

Florence Nightingale.
June 1, 2001... BROOKS PETERS tells the story of the legendary Florence Foster Jenkins, a soprano without peer In the pantheon of unforgettable divas, there never has been a soprano to rival the legendary Florence Foster Jenkins. She stands alone, a true...

BLYTHE IN BLOOM.(Stephanie Blythe)
June 1, 2001... STEPHANIE BLYTHE WILL SPEND THIS SUMMER IN VALHALLA, COURTESY OF SEATTLE OPERA'S RING CYCLE. WAGNER, HANDEL, IRVING BERLIN: IS THERE ANYTHING THIS YOUNG AMERICAN MEZZO CAN'T SING? Sunday, January 21, 2001. The Theresa L. Kaufmann Concert...

REKINDLING MISS HAVISHAM'S FIRE.(Dominick Argento revises his opera)
June 1, 2001... When Dominick Argento set about writing a new opera for Beverly Sills, she was at the absolute peak of her fame. Her belated Metropolitan Opera debut had been front-page news, and she was about to assume directorship of New York City Opera,...

THE RULES OF THE ROAD.(opera singer Carol Vaness)(Interview)
June 1, 2001... CAROL VANESS HAS LEARNED A LOT IN THE COURSE OF HER CAREER ABOUT WHAT TO DO -- AND WHAT NOT TO DO. NOW SHE LOVES BEING THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE FOR YOUNG SINGERS Carol Vaness is funny, candid and hip -- the ideal diva for the new...

Poetic License.(Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney translates Leos Janacek's 'Diary of One Who Vanished')(Interview)
June 1, 2001... Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney's new translation of Diary of One Who Vanished comes to New York Twentieth-century writers of art songs turned to sources that would have been unimaginable to nineteenth-century composers. Darius...

SUMMER LANDSCAPE.(guide to top U.S. summer opera festivals)
June 1, 2001... AN OPERA NEWS GUIDE TO THE TOP U.S. SUMMER FESTIVALS ARKANSAS * OPERA IN THE OZARKS AT INSPIRATION POINT Inspiration Pt. Th., Eureka Springs, 501-253-8595; www.opera.org June 22 Madama Butterfly. Also 24, 26, 28 (Walden Arts...

Opera, by George!(Lake George Opera celebrates fortieth summer season)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Lake George Opera Festival, which rings in its fortieth summer season in 2001, began life in 1962 at Diamond Point, a popular vacation spot on picturesque Lake George in upstate New York. Under the guidance of Fred Patrick, a local...

YOU'RE SURROUNDED!(Denon AVR-4800, Arcam AVR-100, B&K AVR-307, and Marantz SR-5000 stereo receivers)(Brief Article)(Evaluation)
June 1, 2001... You and your current stereo are making beautiful music together. So why should you seek a new relationship? Because when it comes to home entertainment, six channels are better than two! During the past several years, home theater has...

CHICAGO ON THE AIR.
June 1, 2001... More than 500 radio outlets in North America are slated to carry the WFMT Fine Arts Network's rebroadcasts of Lyric Opera of Chicago's 2000-01 first nights through June 23, 2001, Produced by Norman Pellegrini and Lois Baum (with Chris Willis,...

R. STRAUSS: Die Liebe der Danae.(Review)
June 1, 2001... R. STRAUSS: Die Liebe der Danae [] Flanigan, Safer, Mesic, Jennings, Phillips, Canis; Coleman-Wright, H. Smith, W. Lewis, Hendrick; American Symphony Orchestra and Concert Chorale of New lark, Botstein. Notes, libretto and translation. Telarc...

PROKOFIEV: Love for Three Oranges.(Review)
June 1, 2001... PROKOFIEV: Love for Three Oranges [] Netrebko, Shevchenko, Diadkova, Bulycheva, Shevtsova, Korzhenskaya; Akimov, Pluzhnikov, Gerello, Kit, Morozov, Vaneev, Kuznetsov, Karasev, Zhikalov; Kirov Chorus and Orchestra, Gergiev. 1997-98....

ROLLE: Thirza und ihre Sohne.(Review)
June 1, 2001... ROLLE: Thirza und ihre Sohne [] Schmithusen, Wohlgemuth; Wessel, Schafer, Mammel, Abele; Rheinische Kantorei, Das Kleine Konzert, Max. 2000. Text, no translation. Capriccio 10 868/69 (2) This world-premiere recording of Johann Heinrich...

GNECCHI: Cassandra.(Review)
June 1, 2001... GNECCHI: Cassandra [] Mazzola-Gavazzeni, Demurishvili; Cupido, Kocharyan, Mijailovic, Lebon; Orchestre National de Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon, Lawian Radio Chorus, Diemecke. Notes and Italian libretto. Agora AG 260.2 (2) (Qualiton, dist.)...

TCHAIKOVSKY: Cherevichki.(Review)
June 1, 2001... TCHAIKOVSKY: Cherevichki [] Morosova, Schemtchuk; Popov, Schagidullin, Ognovenko; Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Rozhdestvensky. Text and translations. Dynamic CDS 287/1-3 (Qualiton, dist.) Tchaikovsky considered...

HANDEL: Theodora.(Review)
June 1, 2001... HANDEL: Theodora [] Zomer, Rasker; Buwalda, Schoch, Sol; Kolner Kammerchor, Collegium Cartusianum, Neumann. English and German text. MDG 3321019-2 (3) (Koch, dist.) Although Theodora was Handel's favorite oratorio, he had little hope for...

FIOCCHI: Piramo e Tisbe.(Review)
June 1, 2001... FIOCCHI: Piramo e Tisbe [] Belfiore; Facini; La Magnifica Comunita, Correa. Text and translation. Bongiovanni GB 5105-2 (Qualiton, dist.) Vincenzo Fiocchi (1767-1843) is not an important opera composer. While he spent the last fifty years...

"FRENCH ARIAS".(Review)
June 1, 2001... Roberto Alagna [] "FRENCH ARIAS" Opera arias by Massenet, Cherubini, Halevy, Meyerbeer, Berlioz, Gluck, Bizet et al. Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, de Billy. Texts and translations. EMI 5570122 Now that Roberto Alagna...

"FOR THE STARS".(Review)
June 1, 2001... Anne Sofie von Otter and Elvis Costello [] "FOR THE STARS" Songs by Costello et al. Costello, Fleshquartet, the Ensemble. No texts. Deutsche Grammophon 469 530 2 This combined effort from Anne Sofie yon Otter and pop singer/songwriter...

"QUARTETS BY PETER SCULTHORPE.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Brodsky Quartet and Anne Sofie von Otter [] "QUARTETS BY PETER SCULTHORPE" Partial text, translations. Challenge Classics CC 72007 This combined effort from Anne Sofie yon Otter and pop singer/songwriter Elvis Costello is astonishingly...

"QUARTETS BY RESPIGHI".(Review)
June 1, 2001... Brodsky Quartet and Anne Sofie von Otter [] "QUARTETS BY RESPIGHI" Partial translation only. Challenge Classics CC 72008 This combined effort from Anne Sofie yon Otter and pop singer/songwriter Elvis Costello is astonishingly good. Of the...

"HANDEL: ITALIAN CANTATAS".(Review)
June 1, 2001... Magdalena Kozena [] "HANDEL: ITALIAN CANTATAS" Les Musiciens du Louvre, Minkowski. Texts and translations. DG Archiv 289 469 065-2 It's always a pleasure to hear Marc Minkowski's Musiciens du Louvre at their best. After their uneasy,...

"CHOPIN AND PADEREWSKI SONGS".(Review)
June 1, 2001... Teresa Zylis-Gara [] "CHOPIN AND PADEREWSKI SONGS" With W. Malicki, piano. Texts and translations. Dux 0138 (Qualiton, dist.) Chopin's polonaises and mazurkas may be derived from native dances, but nowhere does Chopin's music sound so...

VERDI: Otello.(Review)
June 1, 2001... VERDI: Otello [] Rigal; Del Monaco, Guichandut; Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Votto. No texts or translations. MYTO 004. H051 (Qualiton, dist.) WAGNER: Die Walkure In the middle decades of the past century, the Teatro...

WAGNER: Die Walkure.(Review)
June 1, 2001... WAGNER: Die Walkure [] M. Lawrence, Jessner, Stevens; Maison, Janssen, List; Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro Colon, E. Kleiber. No texts or translations. Gebhardt JGCD 0028-3 (Qualiton, dist.) In the middle decades of the past century, the...

LEHAR: Das Land des Lachelns.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... LEHAR: Das Land des Lachelns [] Dietrich, Rothenberger; Andeers, Dolz, Therkatz, Pilgram; Cologne Radio Orchestra and Chorus, Marszalek. 1950. German libretto only. MYTO 004. H049 (Qualiton, dat.) Possessor of one of the most glorious tenor...

"THE UNPUBLISHED EMI RECORDINGS 1955-64".(Review)
June 1, 2001... Elisabeth Schwarzkopf [] "THE UNPUBLISHED EMI RECORDINGS 1955-64" Songs by Schubert, Brahms, Wolf, Strauss, Mozart et al. With Gieseking, Moore, piano. Texts and translations. Testament SBT 1206 Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and her...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: NEW YORK CITY.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Forty years after its only previous Met incarnation, Verdi's Nabucco took the stage again On March 8, this time designed by John Napier (house debut) and staged by Elijah Moshinsky. Nabucco isn't a well-known opera in the U.S., and the old...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: LOS ANGELES.(Review)
June 1, 2001... It has been approximately thirty-five years since Handel's Giulio Cesare was last seen at the Los Angeles Music Center. That occasion, long before the creation of Los Angeles Opera, was a visit of New York City Opera with the Tito Capobianco...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: MUNICH.
June 1, 2001... The world premiere of Richard Strauss's Arabella took place in Dresden on July 1, 1933. On November 23 of that year, the opera came to Munich's Nationaltheater. The work has seen a total of seven new stagings at the Bavarian Staatsoper, four of...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: LONDON.
June 1, 2001... Two Royal Opera revivals brought major cast changes to familiar productions. Taking over from Bryn Terfel in the first reprise of the Graham Vick staging of Falstaff that reopened Covent Garden in December 1999 was Paolo Gavanelli, whose...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: MIAMI.(Review)
June 1, 2001... It took sixty years for Florida Grand Opera to make its belated first attempt at a work by a Czech composer, but the company's production of Leos Janacek's Kata Kabanova proved its first notable success in a rather wayward season. The...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: ZURICH.(Review)
June 1, 2001... On February 25, four years after its premiere at the Vienna Festival, Franz Schubert's Alfonso und Estrella arrived in Zurich, the opera house that co-produced this staging. Zurich offered the same team: Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor; Jurgen...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: PARIS.(Review)
June 1, 2001... The Paris Opera's first commission of the century, K... by Philippe Manoury, was one of the finest new shows the theater has produced in recent times. Pre-performance press and interviews with the composer were daunting, however. A post-Second...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: MONTPELLIER, FRANCE.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Baroque opera has flourished at Montpellier Opera during Henry Maier's sixteen years as general director. He leaves after the current season for the opera in Leipzig but departs true to form, with a genuine rarity, Tommaso Traetta's Ippolito ed...

FORM AROUND THE WORLD: ST. PAUL.
June 1, 2001... Two remarkably disparate works have highlighted the Minnesota Opera season to date: a brilliantly sung bel canto I Capuleti e i Montecchi followed by a sweaty, verismo-style Street Scene. Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi is a version of...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: VIENNA.(Review)
June 1, 2001... For its first-ever production of Britten's Billy Budd (premiere, Feb. 12), the Vienna Staatsoper chose the original four-act version from 1951, which gives more focus to the difficult character of Captain Vere. Using little more than scrubbed...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: MONTREAL.(Brief Article)(Review)
June 1, 2001... L'Opera de Montreal's new production of Mefistofele (seen March 12) is the last that departing artistic director Bernard Uzan will stage before he steps down in September. Conceived, designed and built in Montreal, this Mefistofele incorporates...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: BERLIN.(Brief Article)(Review)
June 1, 2001... As long as Jurgen Flimm limited himself to directing plays, the German press loved him. Ever since he turned to opera, critics from more serious newspapers and magazines have declared him one of the most overrated directors of our time. Flimm...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: TUCSON/PHOENIX.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Since David Speers succeeded Glynn Ross as general director, Arizona Opera has moved toward modernized production values and younger casts. This has rinsed away the dust and cheered rank-and-file operagoers in Tucson and Phoenix. But until...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: AUSTIN.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Central Texas is probably the last place one would expect to discover a wonderful production of Die Walkure, but Austin Lyric Opera managed to transform the Hill Country into an Americanized version of Bayreuth's "heilige Hugel" last March for...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: SEATTLE.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Seeing the original Covent Garden production of Billy Budd (in 1951-52), who would have guessed that, half a century later, this opera would qualify as a near-repertory work now in many international houses? One luxury of Billy Budd's current...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: VICTORIA, BC.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The small stage of the McPherson Playhouse was bursting with energy and color in Pacific Opera Victoria's production of Vittorio Giannini's The Taming of the Shrew. The work, by the Italian--American composer (also known as the brother of the...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: BOSTON.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Richard Strauss's Salome has to seduce and horrify its audience. Boston Lyric Opera's production managed that feat brilliantly. In the title role, Marquita Lister commanded the stage from her entrance to her final bizarre yet gorgeous aria. Her...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: NEW YORK CITY.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Greater love hath no man than this: mushing to Carnegie Hall through a snowstorm to hear Michael Tilson Thomas lead his San Francisco Symphony, chorus and four soloists, in the seldom-programmed first and last works of Gustav Mahler. The...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: CLEVELAND.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Bucking a disturbing national programming trend, Cleveland Orchestra frequently schedules repertory involving vocal soloists: not only concert opera (this year's Boulez Pelleas et Melisande will be followed by a May 2002 Siegfried led by...

Singers of the Century, Volume III.(Review)
June 1, 2001... Singers of the Century, Volume III by J. B. Steane Amadeus Press, 275 pp. $34.95 "The Century" is, of course, the one just ended, and as for singers, author John B. Steane has been hearing the great ones --in the flesh and on recordings --...

LA SCALA WEST: The Dallas Opera under Kelly and Rescigno.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... LA SCALA WEST: The Dallas Opera under Kelly and Rescigno by Ronald L. Davis Southern Methodist Univ. Press, 224 pp. $49.95 Cast out of Chicago by Carol Fox, their erstwhile partner, impresario Lawrence Kelly and conductor Nicola Rescigno...

Ballet and Opera in the Age of Giselle.(Review)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Ballet and Opera in the Age of Giselle by Marian Smith Princeton University Press, 288 pp. $39.95 As anyone who dips into the production books for, say, Verdi's operas soon discovers, nineteenth-century stagings of opera differed...

CHACUN A SON GOUT DOUTEUX.(opera)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... An attention to correctness -- academic, political, musical -- may be good for a culture. Even the opinions of the opera police may serve a useful purpose. Those who instruct us in musicianship and stagecraft certainly have the courage...