Opera News articles from October 2001

Opera News archives from October 2001

RECORD GROWTH.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... A recently-released study by the RAND Corporation contains a number of conclusions about the performing arts that will interest anyone who cares much about opera. The study, The Performing Arts in a New Era, was paid for by the Pew Charitable...

OPERA WATCH.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... 1. The poster for LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO's radio fundraiser, Operathon 2001, features a pair of familiar faces: Lyric subscriber JOHN MAHONEY and his Frasier co-star, "Eddie." Operathon 2001 will be carried by Chicago's WFMT and 200 other FM...

A New Voice.(mezzo-soprano Jan Curtis deals with stroke to return to singing)
October 1, 2001... From the time she began her career, in Boston in the late 1960s, mezzo-soprano Jan Curtis was considered an artist of deep communicative power, with a voice of dark, lustrous beauty. Curtis's work in opera was particularly impressive, and her...

Growing Season.(Tulsa Opera perfrorms Tannhauser)
October 1, 2001... "Sprawling" is probably the adjective most frequently applied to the city of Tulsa. At one point, it was thought to cover more area than any other city in the U.S., and this may account for the sense of dislocation a visitor feels when making...

High Profile.(tenor Roberto Alagna)(Critical Essay)
October 1, 2001... Less than ten years ago, Roberto Alagna hit the top of his profession overnight. Will he stay there? BROOKS PETERS looks for the tenor behind the hype When was the last time an opera singer received such a barrage of media attention, or...

New from the Studios.(upcoming recordings)(Critical Essay)
October 1, 2001... A look at the upcoming season's CD releases The classical-recording industry seems be taking its cue from Hollywood, with the independents emerging as a force to be reckoned with. These days, the major record labels are releasing fewer...

rare Bird.(soprano Sumi Jo)
October 1, 2001... She's conquered crossover as well as coloratura, but soprano SUMI JO isn't about to rest on her laurels "You never relax, never," says Sumi Jo, summing up the divas life. An earnest tone breaks suddenly into her customarily lilting...

Throuqh a Speaker, Darkly.(opera recordings)
October 1, 2001... Recently, I heard a "live" monaural CD of Madama Butterfly, featuring Victoria de Los Angeles. Despite low-fi sound and orchestral work that might charitably be described as scrappy, it was revelatory. The soprano's tender involvement and...

TRADITION OF QUALITY.(conductor Colin Davis)(Interview)
October 1, 2001... CILIN DAVIS, STILL FLOURISHING AFTER MORE THAT FORTY YEARS AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP CONDUCTORS, DISCUSSES THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC-MAKING WITH GEORGE HALL No other British conductor has enjoyed as wide a range of top-rank international...

Life Begins at Twenty.(anniversary of compact disc)
October 1, 2001... The compact disc celebrates a birthday Late in 1981, I was among a group of technical reporters who had been invited to Japan, but I was given no due about the purpose of the trip. As we trudged through Sony's laboratories in the Shinagawa...

The Metropolitan Opera Guild Annual Report.
October 1, 2001... At the end of the millennium, the Metropolitan Opera Guild reached its sixty-fifth anniversary. With new leadership in place both at the Guild and at the Metropolitan Opera Association, we felt it was a good time to take stock of our past...

DREAMS & FABLES.(Review)
October 1, 2001... Cecilia Bartoli [] "DREAMS & FABLES" Italian arias by Gluck. Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin. Texts and translations. Decca 467 248-2 Gluck's operas, his Italian ones in particular, have not yet had the consistent modern revivals that...

BOLCOM: A View from the Bridge.(Review)
October 1, 2001... BOLCOM: A View from the Bridge [] Malfitano, Rambaldi; Josephson, Turay, Nolen, McCrory; Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra and Chorus, Davies. Text. New World 80588-2 With the possible exception of John Harbison's Met-commissioned The Great...

EYERLY: The House of the Seven Gables.(Review)
October 1, 2001... EYERLY:The House of the Seven Gables [] Smith, Rushton; Schaffner, Aquilino, Johmon; Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater and Orchestra, Gilbert. Text. Albany Records TROY 447 (2) Scott Eyerly's opera adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's...

ROSSINI: Otello.(Review)
October 1, 2001... ROSSINI: Otello [] Ratiani, Ciofi, Vivian; Edwards, Bonfatti, Kang; Bratislava Chamber Choir, Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia, Arrivabeni. Text and translation. Dynamic CDS 369/1-3 (3) (Qualiton, dist.) In the nineteenth century,...

BOESMANS: Wintermarchen.(Review)
October 1, 2001... BOESMANS: Wintermarchen [] Chilcott, Kallisch; Rolfe Johnson, Zednik, Duesing Dane, Selig; Aka Moon, Orchestre Symphonique et Choeurs de la Monnaie, Pappano. Text and translations. Deutsche Grammophon 469 559-2 (2) Deutsche Grammophon...

TRAETTA: Antigona.(Review)
October 1, 2001... TRAETTA: Antigona [] Bayo, Panzarella, Polverelli; Allemano, Ragon; Choeur de Chambre Accentus, Equilbey; Les Talens Lyriques, Rousset. Text and translations. Decca 460 204-2 Even as tragedies go, Sophocles's Antigone is notably cruel,...

GLUCK: Iphigenie en Tauride.(Review)
October 1, 2001... GLUCK: Iphigenie en Tauride [] Delunsch, Cousin; Keenlyside, Beuron, Naouri; Les Musiciens du Louvre, Minkowski. DG Archiv 471 133-2 (2) Fans of Gluck's operas have enjoyed a recent feast of stage performances and recordings of Iphigenie...

MONTEVERDI: L'Incoronazione di Poppea.(Review)
October 1, 2001... MONTEVERDI: L'Incoronazione di Poppea [] Laurens, Galli, Banditelli, Fernandez, Borges, Fedi, Lanza; Oliver, Schofrin, Garcia, Oro, Cecchetti, Jaroussky, Zanasi, Vargetto, Caccamo, Ferrari; Ensemble Elyma, Garrido. Text and translations. K617...

HASSE: Il Cantico de'Tre Fanciulli.(Review)
October 1, 2001... HASSE: Il Cantico de'Tre Fanciulli [] Bossa, Donzelli, Sandivari; Doro, Ewing; Gruppo Corale Ars Cantica, Ensemble Musica Rara, Bosman. Notes, text and translation. Bongiovanni GB 2283/84-2 (Qualiton, dist.) Il Cantico de'Tre Fanciulli...

RACHMANINOFF: The Bells/TANEYEV: John of Damascus.(Review)
October 1, 2001... RACHMANINOFF: The Bells/TANEYEV: John of Damascus [] Mescheriakova; Larin, Chernov; Moscow State Chamber Choir, Russian National Orchestra, Pletnev. Transliterated texts and translations. DG 289 471 029-2 Though Rachmaninoff's lush,...

HANDEL: Gloria; Dixit Dominus.(Review)
October 1, 2001... HANDEL: Gloria; Dixit Dominus [] Kirkby, Martinpelto, von Otter; Royal Academy of Music Baroque Orchestra, Cummings; Stockholm Bach Choir, Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble, Ohrwall. 2001, 1986. Text and translation. BIS-CD-1235 The main...

"HANDEL: THE OCCASIONAL SONGS".(Review)
October 1, 2001... Emma Kirkby, Charles Daniels [] "HANDEL: THE OCCASIONAL SONGS" Nicholson, director/harpsichord; Miller, archlute, theorbo; Sharman, cello. Text and translation. Somm CD 226 The main attraction on this BIS disc is the world-premiere...

"WHEN THE MOON".(Review)
October 1, 2001... IVES: Sets for Small Orchestra; Songs [] "WHEN THE MOON" Narucki; Sylvan; Feinberg, piano; Music Projects, Bernas. English texts. Decca 289 466 841-2 This collection is a terrific idea -- it highlights the relationship between a number of...

"HANDEL/J.S. BACH ARIAS".(Review)
October 1, 2001... Stephanie Blythe [] "HANDEL/J.S. BACH ARIAS" Arias from Giulio Cesare, Serse, Semele, Hercules, St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion, Mass in B minor. Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Nelson. Virgin Classics 45475 Once in a blue moon, there...

"THE VOICE".(Review)
October 1, 2001... Russell Watson [] "THE VOICE" Arias and songs by Giordano, Franck, De Curtis, Verdi, Puccini et al. Various orchestras, various conductors. Texts and translations. Decca 289 468 695-2 Calling this CD "The Voice" is utter fraud. With its...

"DVORAK SONGS".(Review)
October 1, 2001... Dagmar Peckova [] "DVORAK SONGS" With Gage, piano. Texts and translations. Supraphon SU 3437-2 231 (Qualiton, dist.) Perhaps because of linguistic barriers, Dvorak's straightforward, melodious songs have missed the popularity of his purely...

"ALMA DE ESPANA".(Review)
October 1, 2001... Teresa Berganza [] "ALMA DE ESPANA" Songs of Granados and Guridi; Falla-Arizcuren: El Amor Brujo. Cello Octet Conjunto Iberico, Arizcuren. Texts and translations. Ambroisie AMB 9908 In the mid-1970s, when the artistry of mezzo-soprano...

Beethoven: FIDELIO.(Review)
October 1, 2001... Beethoven: FIDELIO [] Jurinac, Stader; Peerce, Neidlinger, Ernster, Dickie, Paskuda, Neuner; Chorus and Orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera, Knappertsbusch. 1961. Text and translation. Westminster 289 471 204-2 Westminster's historic...

Mozart: REQUIEM.(Review)
October 1, 2001... Mozart: REQUIEM [] Jurinac, West; Loeffler, Guthrie; Vienna Academy Chamber Choir, Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Scherchen. 1958. No text. Westminster 289 471 201-2 Westminster's historic Fidelio recording wasn't exactly definitive in...

VERDI: Falstaff.(Review)
October 1, 2001... VERDI: Falstaff [] Noni, Tebaldi, Canali, Elmo; Stabile, Silveri, Valletti, Nessi, Maionica, M. Caruso; La Scala, de Sabata. 1951. No libretto. Urania 22.176 (2) (Qualiton, dist.) This Falstaff, taken from a broadcast stage performance at...

BIZET: Carmen.(Review)
October 1, 2001... BIZET: Carmen [] Verrett, Te Kanawa, Cahill, Pashley; Domingo, van Dam, Van Allan, Allen; Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Solti. French libretto only. 1973. MYTO MCD 012.242 (3) (Qualiton, dist.) These days, we have a...

LEONCAVALLO: Pagliacci.(Review)
October 1, 2001... LEONCAVALLO: Pagliacci [] Petrella; di Stefano, Protti, Alva, Sordello; Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala, Milan, Sanzogno. 1956. Notes, Italian text. MYTO MCD 012.244 This performance was captured on April 24, 1956, during what is...

"INAUGURAL CONCERT OF THE RECONSTRUCTED LA SCALA, MAY 11, 1946".(Review)
October 1, 2001... Arturo Toscanini et al. [] "INAUGURAL CONCERT OF THE RECONSTRUCTED LA SCALA, MAY 11, 1946" Excerpts from La Gazza Ladra, Guglielmo Tell, Mose Nabucco, I Vespri Siciliani, Manon Lescaut, Mefistofele; Verdi Te Deum. With Favero, Tebaldi, Gardino;...

"THE SUBLIME VOICE".(Review)
October 1, 2001... Carlo Bergonzi [] "THE SUBLIME VOICE" Arias and ensembles by Puccini, Verdi, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, Ponchielli and Cilea. Decca 289 4467 023-2 Was Carlo Bergonzi's voice "sublime"? The great tenor certainly produced an appealing sound,...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: SAN FRANCISCO.(Review)
October 1, 2001... Verdi has always occupied a special place in the repertoire of San Francisco Opera, so it was appropriate that the company devoted its June 2001 season to celebrating the centenary of the composer's death. And a celebration it was, at least...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: CHARLESTON, S.C.(Spoleto Festival U.S.A. produces Dido and Aeneas and Manono Lescaut)(Review)
October 1, 2001... For twenty-five years, Spoleto Festival U.S.A. has taken pride in cutting-edge opera productions. Yet innovation is a double-bladed sword. This year, it sliced through the mustiness of old-fashioned Baroque performance styles to yield a tense,...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: NEW YORK CITY.(White Raven, Luci Mie Traditrici)(Review)
October 1, 2001... Partisans of Philip Glass's music -- and they are a large, ardent bunch -- refer to the "cumulative power" of his pieces, especially the works for stage. This phenomenon is particularly in evidence in the final scene of White Raven, Glass's...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: CHICAGO.(Lovers and Friends (Chautauqua Variations))(Review)
October 1, 2001... Michael John LaChiusa, as composer and librettist, already has accumulated some solid hits and shaky misses in his young career. His latest, Lovers and Friends (Chautauqua Variations), given its world premiere by Lyric Opera of Chicago's Center...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: VIENNA, VA.(The Impresario, Viva la Mamma!)(Review)
October 1, 2001... Since the backstage world of opera has been prone to bursts of intrigue, jealousy and general mayhem almost from the beginning, the art form understandably makes an ideal target for satire. Some of the best shots have been fired by opera...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY.(Il Re Pastore, Ariadne auf Naxos)(Review)
October 1, 2001... An early-summer pair of offerings proved well suited to the bucolic playground atmosphere of Lake George Opera's festival site in the Saratoga Spa State Park. The back-to-back scheduling of Il Re Pastore (seen July 6) and Ariadne auf Naxos...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: AIX-EN-PROVENCE.(Le Nozze di Figaro; Falstaff; The Turn of the Screw; The Diary of One Who Vanished)(Review)
October 1, 2001... Le Festival d'Aix-en-Provenee, France's first and foremost opera festival, has had a checkered history. Founded in 1948, it rapidly gained a reputation as one of the most attractive venues in which to see Mozart operas in summer. In the...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: GRANGE PARK.(Cosi Fan Tutte; I Capuleti e i Montecchi; Fortunio)(Review)
October 1, 2001... Now in its fourth season, England's latest country-house venture, Grange Park Opera, situated near the Hampshire cathedral city of Winchester, raised its standards this year, offering a clever, musically strong staging (by soprano Janis Kelly)...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: PARIS.(La Clemenza di Tito; Manon)(Review)
October 1, 2001... The revival of Willy Decker's 1997 production of Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito was a welcome evening of fine Mozart singing at the Palais Garnier. After years of being eclipsed by earlier works, Mozart's rapidly composed last opera is now...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: HALLE.(Rodrigo; Tamerlano; Cora)(Review)
October 1, 2001... The Handel Festival in Halle, once regarded as the upstart East German rival of the venerable Gottingen Handel Festival, is now fifty years old. It celebrated the occasion by pulling in as many leaders of the early-music movement as it could...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: RIO DE JANEIRO.(Tannhauser )(Review)
October 1, 2001... Werner Herzog's production of Wagner's Tannhauser was originally created for the Theatro Municipal in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where it would have had its premiere in 1996. The project was unceremoniously cancelled at an advanced stage of completion,...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: AMSTERDAM.(Review)
October 1, 2001... One of the main features in Willy Decker's production of Boris Godunov for Netherlands Opera is a gigantic chair. It looks like a simple kitchen chair covered with golden paint, but it serves Boris as throne, chariot, sedan chair, shelter and...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: KATONAH, NY.(Review)
October 1, 2001... Seven decades -- the heart of the nineteenth century -- separate Rossini's Otello of 1816 from Verdi's of 1887. The earlier work marks the start of Italian bel canto opera as a vehicle for serious Romantic tragedy; the later brings this style...

Letter from Boston.(Boston Early Music Festival.)
October 1, 2001... What did we tell you about vocalizing in the dressing room? It's too crowded in here, so cut it out!" Four sopranos glare at a fifth, who retreats to the hallway. Trying to find a place to warm up is virtually impossible at Boston's Copley...

Valery Gergiev and the Kirov: A Story of Survival.(Review)
October 1, 2001... Valery Gergiev and the Kirov: A Story of Survival by John Ardoin Foreword by Peter Ustinov Amadeus Press, 352pp. $34.95 The late John Ardoin, longtime music critic for the Dallas Morning News and writer of books about Maria Callas and...

The Operagoer's Guide: One Hundred Stories and Commentaries.(Review)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... The Operagoer's Guide: One Hundred Stories and Commentaries by M. Owen Lee Amadeus Press, 233 pp. $12.95 Father Owen Lee, familiar as a commentator on the Texaco--Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts, presents a compact guide to 100 operas,...

TEMP WORK.(opera singers)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2001... Back when I was naive enough to think I stood a chance at an opera career -- as a singer, that is -- I paid for voice lessons and bided my time before being "discovered" by waiting tables at a restaurant in New Haven. It was the first job I had...