Bear Notes: Partenope on the Radio

Another chance to hear Theater an der Wien's production of Partenope - apparently it was on the radio last weekend which I foolishly missed. Anyway I have been given a reprieve and I can get to hear it online at Radio 4 in the Netherlands at 7 p.m tomorrow - March 7th. The cast is dazzling with Christine Schäfer as Partenope, the great countertenor David Daniels as Arsace, Kurt Streit as Emilio and Patricia Bardon reprising her role of Rosmira. What is more it is conducted by Christophe Rousset - more joy for the baroque lover. Theater An der Wien have released this promotion video to give us all a taste of the production. Enjoy!

Bear Notes: L’Incoronazione di Poppea in Barcelona

If you have internet connection you can hear Monteverdi's L’Incoronazione di Poppea live from Barcelona today. Featuring Sarah Connelly as Nerone and Miah Persson as Poppea and conducted by Harry Bicket we are in for a treat... cannot wait.

Check it out on Radio Clasica RNE at 8.00 pm.

Speaking of live and direct.... On Monday 23rd February Lucrezia Borgia is broadcast on Bayern 4 Klassik featuring Edita Gruberova as Lucrezia Borgia and Alice Coote as Maffio Orsini... It starts at 6.30 pm (GMT + 1?).

Joan Sutherland as Lucrezia Borgia - screen capture

Bear At The Concert: Anna Caterina Antonacci and The English Concert

It is always gives me a thrill to see a couple of theorbos and an harpsichord - you just know that the music is going to be sublime and affecting. The English Concert with the extraordinary soprano/mezzo-soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci lived up to my high expectations and widely sailed over. The set brought old favourites like Monteverdi together with some new names to me; Castello, Marini and Farina.

The Castello (early 17th century) and the Marini (1594-1663) set the scene for the Barbara Strozzi (1619-c1677) 'Lagrime mie' sung by the illustrious Anna Caterina Antonacci.... having her wonderful recording I was waiting tremulously... oh what an exquisite rendition... the recording is tortured bliss but watching Anna Caterina Antonacci you are plunged headlong into this morass of tragic lamentation. From the opening middle eastern tones of 'Lagrime mie' (yes, 17th century Venice was huge cultural melting pot) to the aching lament of 'E voi, lumi dolente, not piangete' (And you, o aching eyes, aren't you going to cry') manages to wrench every emotion out. Antonacci with clenched fists pushed, pulled, no, bodily heaved the whole audience through Strozzi's changes of mood.

To save us from emotional breakdown from Strozzi's sorrow-filled tale the English Concert tucked in Carlo Farina's (c1600-1640) Capriccio stravagante... and what a difference. Farina threw in everything but the kitchen sink into this piece.... the strings imitate the fife, hens cackling, cats fighting and dogs barking. The audience were suitably amused with violins sounding like cocks crowing and cats fighting. An erratic, fun and playful piece. Truly weird. Looks like it is a favourite of the English Concert but will probably swiftly become 'what the audience talked about most'.

Back from the interval we are plied with more Castello to ease us into a blistering 'Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda' by Monteverdi. A tale of mistaken identity, battle and war... you can hear to the clashing of swords and the striking of blows in the music and Antonacci's rapid pronounciation of 'L'onta irrita lo sdegno a la vendetta, E las vendetta poi l'onta rinova...' (Pride excites rage and vengence, and vengence refuels pride) describing the battle which falls away to the aftermath where both warriors are weary and out of breath... Antonacci pants 'E dopo lungo faticar respira' (and after a long pause, regain their breath) and you just have that scene in your head.... I was open-mouthed through most of this, awe-struck by Antonacci's mastery and exciting, beautiful tone.


After a thunderous applause the unexpected encore was an impassioned 'Addio, Roma!' from Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. This was probably the best rendition that I have heard of Ottavia's famous aria. Antonacci sung of real anguish in having to leave your homeland.... such a plea of woe... I was impressed... one could not fault her passionate singing whilst still managing to be technically brilliant.

I wanted more.... maybe I will just come back Thursday when she sings again at the Wigmore.

Harry Bicket and Anna Caterina Antonacci

Il Combattimento - Monday 26th January 2009

Anna Caterina Antonacci Soprano
Harry Bicket Director/Harpsichord/Organ
Nadja Zwiener Violin
Walter Reiter Violin
Alfonso Leal del Ojo Viola
Joseph Crouch Bass Violin
Peter McCarthy Basso di viola
Elizabeth Kenny Theorbo
David Miller Theorbo
Frances Kelly Harp

Castello Sonata 16 a 4 stromenti
Marini Sonata a 4, Passacaglia op.22
Strozzi 'Lagrime Mie'
Farina Capriccio stravagante

interval

Castello Sonata 15
Monteverdi I combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda

Encore

Monteverdi Addio, Roma! from L'incoronazione di Poppea

Bear At The Movies: Orfeo ed Euridice

I had such high expectations for this production - it is one of my favourites; a perfect marriage of music to singing, Gluck trying to make the music as important to the singing. This should be achingly beautiful and tragic. This production only managed to be beautiful I think.
Mark Morris' (self-professed 'opera queen' wrapped in a pink pashmina) direction was adequate. For a dance choreographer the dancing element was lacking. The focus was out. Trying to mesh singers and dancers together did not work.... and really since in previous Morris productions the singers were even banished from the stage I was disappointed with the lack of ambition in the direction....
James Levine's obvious love for this piece was born through in his conducting which was suitably dramatic.... perhaps it was the singing the made me deflated with the overall piece. Now, I had heard rave reviews of Stephanie Blythe's Orfeo - great range, and impassioned in parts but she left me cold.... Yes, her voice is beautiful, yes, she does have a good tone but there was no tie in with the words; there was no notion of the real tragedy. I know that she had missed a performance due to illness and I wondered if this was the reason for the sometimes lack of emotive force. Was she concentrating on controlling her voice particularly in the higher registers?
Heidi Grant Murphy's Amor in a pink polo shirt and chinos brought a little more baroque feel to the piece - cheeky but every so charming. The surprise for me was Danielle De Niese as Eurydice - the best I have heard her... An extraordinary impassioned performance - she still overacts but she did manage to raise the emotional charge of the piece and encourage a little more passion from Stephanie Blythe.
A note about the set..... when Eurydice is re-united with Orfeo the whole scene looks like it set on a staircase made of glistening coal.... The set was definitely the star in this scene.
Overall this was a rather disappointing production. Morris could have made more of the dancers and for me this was a missed opportunity. I did so want this to be a great production but then may be I just had too high expectations.

Bear Notes: Anna Caterina Antonacci

I have to admit that I was not exactly bowled over when I saw Anna Caterina Antonacci at first in a cinema broadcast of Carmen from the Royal Opera House.... she was a very traditional Carmen and perhaps that just what swayed me from truly appreciating her talent...

That all radically changed when I heard her only recording (surprisingly) 'Era La Notte' - a beautiful collection of Baroque classics from the likes of Monteverdi, Giramo and Strozzi. I was completely entranced - at one point her voice had such beauty but then in the next sentence be so vicious and steely.I was joyous that she should have recorded such rare gems (Monteverdi I adored and Strozzi was to become my new love - more on Strozzi in a later post). In Strozzi's Lamento 'Lagrime mie' when Antonacci sings 'E voi, lumi dolenti, non piangete?' (And you, my afflicted eyes, do you not weep?) I had that familiar piercing of the heart, the same shock that great voices bring.

Luckily she is bringing her rare vocal talents to London and the Wigmore this month (Monday 26th and Thursday 29th January) showcasing some of the pieces from her album... Monteverdi's 'Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda' and joy - Strozzi's 'Lagrime mie'. I just hope that the concert will, at least, be half as good as the recording....

Read more about Anna Caterina Antonacci in the Times... an interesting article about this 'cult' diva.

Bear Notes

As befits the 250th anniversary of Handel's death Radio 3 have a host of programming for our delection. This week he is composer of the week.... check out on http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/ - everyday this week at 12:00-13:00 and 22:00-23:00.

Bear Necessities

On Bear's Listening Post....


'Luonnotar' - Sibelius - from Sibelius Tone Poems - Songs
'Piante ombrose' - Cavalli - La Calisto - Sally Matthews
'Oh Thou Bright Sun' - Handel - Theodora - Dawn Upshaw from the Glyndebourne Peter Sellers Production
'True Love Will Find You In The End' - Headless Heroes (with Alela Diane)
'The Green French One (Original Mix)' - Dinamoe - from Body Language Vol. 7 - Mixed By Matthew Dear

Bear At The Opera: Riders To The Sea

Leigh Melrose, Kate Valentine, Patricia Bardon, Edward Gardner, Susan Gritton, Claire Booth

"It's a play about nothing happening. It's a play about women waiting. It's a little jewel, in that it's very short, it's about 45 minutes long. It's half the length of a Greek tragedy but it really has the essence of a Greek tragedy in it."
Fiona Shaw (from the ENO podcast)

Having always loved Vaughan Williams I was thrilled to discover this opera; however short. With the extra bonus of the great actress Fiona Shaw directing, and the mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon in the leading role of the mother, Maurya. It seems an odd play that the intensely English composer chose this tale by the Irish playwright J.M Synge about life and death on the barren Aran Islands.. but it strangely works. The opera's short length - about 50 minutes - might at first glance appear a problem but Fiona Shaw's decision to couple the opera with the Sibelius tone poem 'Luonnotar' which in itself lasts about 10 minutes was a stroke of genius. It sets Riders up in the context of the mythical world of the sea, land and heavens telling of Luonnotar, an air spirit, and the creation of the heavens, moon and stars..... Shaw only discovered later that Williams greatly admired Sibelius and indeed dedicated his fifth symphony to him; a fortuitous choice indeed.

The soprano Susan Gritton sung the Sibelius piece exquisitely, perched high-up in a suspended boat above the stage. This was a wild, electric piece to start with and set the tone for the upcoming opera.... The set and video projections by the artist Dorothy Cross and and designer Tom Pye complimented the two works and added another dimension. Behind the Sibelius work a video projection of an underwater scene of a woman swimming wih jellyfish formed a mesmerizing backdrop. Indeed you can find an excerpt on the Frith Street Gallery website - click on the video Jellyfish Lake.

In fact this production had the most intelligent and interesting sets I have seen so far in London... none of the traditional sets that you normally get at Covent Garden... this had some thought put into it. The backdrop to Riders was a rocky coastline... a trace of a house etched into the stone - apparently based on the real life rock formation in Ireland, Poll na bPéist or the Wormhole... a perfectly symmetrical rectangle cut into the coastline. Find a picture and an excellent article on Fiona Shaw and Riders in the Guardian. Boats hang above the stage and a single suspended figure of a man hangs in mid air. In the background a video of a man slowly falling into the sea like one of those Bill Viola video projections... this is telling the tale with the set.

And what of Riders... this tale of women waiting... a story of loss... well this has been the only live performance of an opera to make me cry and truly that was down to the wonderful Williams score and the emotional keening of Patricia Bardon as Maurya.... she sings 'My heart is broken as from this day' having a premonition of her son's death.... and you are bowled away by her grief. The rest of the cast was a restless mass of grief (perhaps too restless) with Kate Valentine as Cathleen putting a particularly competent performance. There are such lines in this opera that plough into your heart... it is evocative and insanely sad. In the score there are no big arias but only floating, repeating motifs; haunting and vibrant. Indeed it reminds me Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande.

Leigh Melrose, Kate Valentine, Patricia Bardon

Truly a great opera; short, intense and beautifully tragic. Fiona Shaw describes it as a little jewel - well it is even more primal than that - it is a little pearl perfectly formed in the depths of the ocean; polished and rugged, smooth and pungent.

Riders To The Sea - Nov 28th 2008

Sibelius: Luonnotar

Soprano Susan Gritton

Vaughan Williams: Riders To The Sea

Maurya Patricia Bardon
Bartley Leigh Melrose
Cathleen Kate Valentine
Nora Claire Booth
A woman Madeleine Shaw

Conductor Edward Gardner
Director Fiona Shaw

Designers Dorothy Cross/Tom Pye


Notes

Fiona Shaw writes brilliantly on the opera and it's inception in the Guardian....

Bear At The Movies: La Damnation de Faust

This is the second instalment of the Bear at the Movies.... predominately looking at the MET's live simulcasts of their productions. Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust directed by Robert Lapage definitely ticks all the boxes of opera production in terms of stars and production values what with Susan Graham and Marcello Giordani, Robert Lapage's intricate conception and James Levine conducting; so why was I left underwhelmed.

Well it was not John Relyea's Méphistophéles, he was suitably devilish and raffish in his role though perhaps with less gravitas than previous productions I have seen. Susan Graham's Marguerite was truly emotional; great vocal acting but not quite as impressive as a production with Vesselina Kasarova I have seen. Still she shone out this night with her emotionally intense singing. I was disappointed with Marcello Giordani's static Faust with his beautiful but almost unemotional rendering.

It was the staging that took centre stage with it's acrobats (demons crawling up and down the extensive set), the exquisite video projections (a flock of birds in flight or Marguerite's image in flames), the intense choreography (soldiers walking backwards in slow motion).... This opera does need these sort of production values but they somehow took over to the detriment of the acting.... Visually it was stunning... with the set almost film like in it's grid set up. The video projections which reacted to the singers' voices was technically marvellous... and perhaps that was the problem; all pyrotechnics and no true emotion.

Again the live film direction was flawed... such an epic production with events occurring all over the stage should have meant a wider angle of the whole stage. Unfortunately we had more close-ups than wide shots.

All in all an epic production which was clearly defined, and dazzling but lacklustre apart from Susan Graham's impassioned performance....

La Damnation de Faust - Saturday Nov 22nd 2008

Faust Marcello Giordani
Méphistophéles John Relyea
Brander Patrick Carfizzi
Marguerite Susan Graham

Director Robert Lepage
Conductor James Levine

Future Productions at Covent Garden

Thanks to Intermezzo for providing links to the 'lost' pages on the ROH website that provide news of future productions and when booking starts. This has given Bear an insight into possible exciting productions in the future.

The Spring season includes Dido and Aeneas and Acis and Galatea both with dance accompaniment... After seeing on DVD Ramaeau's 'Les Indes Galantes' recently, dance and opera together feels like a natural pairing and I wish there was more of it. 'Dido and Aeneas' includes the great mezzo Sarah Connelly and my personal favourite at the moment the counter-tenor Iestyn Davies. Meanwhile 'Acis and Galatea' include the sparkling Danielle Di Niese and Paul Agnew (French haute countre). Netrebko reprises her Juliet in Bellini's 'I Capuleti e i Montecchi' but unfortunately without Joyce DiDonato - instead we get Elina Garanca.... a great replacement I am sure but it will not draw me..... there is something about Garanca's tone that really does not set me a fire.... I am sure it will be great but just not for me.

The summer season looks interesting with the challenging 'Lulu' by Berg.... probably worth it for Jennifer Lamore playing Countess Geshwitz and Philip Langridge being part of the production. A 'Traviata' with Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson seems a solid production and 'the Barber of Seville' looks like being a hot ticket with J-Flo, Simon Keenlyside and Joyce DiDonato. The 'Tosca' looks intriguing with Bryn Terfel as Scarpia along with Debra Voigt as Tosca and Marcello Giordini as Cavadossi.

All in all quite a good year.. the Dido and Aeneas and Acis and Galatea look the most interesting to me and if I feel brave enough I am sure to take in the Lulu (and prepare for aching trauma).

Bear Necessities

On Bear's Listening Post

'Come dolci signor' Act 1 Scene 10 - Monteverdi- L'Incoronazione Di Poppea - Royal Albert Hall - 31st July 2008 - Danielle de Niese and Alice Coote
'St. Apollonia' - Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
'Tancas serradas a muru' - Golijov - Ayre - Dawn Upshaw & The Andalucian Dogs
'Pues Mi Dios Ha Nacido a Penar' - Adams - El Nino - Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
'A Ou Ni Sou' - Rokia Traoré - Tchamantché

Bear Politics

Respect, respect to Alex Ross for finding this wonderful video of Sarah Palin with a fantastic musical accompaniment by the pianist is Henry Hey. Hey there is jazz (or Steve Reich) in every speech... so in honour of the upcoming Election night; Sarah Palin (the satirist dream) and Henry Hey.

Bear, of course, likes to stay away from gun-wielding hockey mums like SP. Opera Bear would not make a nice rug!

Bear At The Opera: Matilde di Shabran

The cast of Matilde Di Shabran

Well Bear managed to get one of those hot, hot tickets for Covent Garden's production of Matilde di Shabran with the hottest of tenors today Juan Diego Flórez.

This production has been getting rave reviews but I just don't get it. I do not know Rossini operas at all.... but are they all pantomimes! I know, I know it is a comedy but the comedy is in thick, thick crayon. Don't get me wrong there are some great moments in the opera; some beautiful arias, duets and choruses but it was not for me. It appeared as if everyone of the performers was hamming it up.... excluding Vesselina Kasarova playing Edoardo ... she appeared in the more serious parts of the opera and there really was not anything to 'ham up'. Sure it provided lots of entertainment and was funny (in a preposterous way I thought) but panto!

And that overture - eurgh! I thought when was this ridiculous piece of music going to end. It was like a day out to your local bandstand with some strings thrown in. I heard mutterings about the overture during the interval and was glad that others thought that this should have been cut. It almost made me think twice about getting tickets for the Barber of Seville in the summer season....

Thankfully the rest of the opera did not reach quite that low again.

Essentially this is the story of a blood-thirsty lord, Corradino, violent and vengeful who is changed into a love-sick and forgiving man by the feminine wiles of Matilde. Throw in a sub-plot of the imprisoned Edoardo who escapes his chains and a scheming Contessa determined to undermine Matilde and win the love of Corradino and you get this inconsequential but fairly entertaining opera.

Marco Vinco as Aliprando the doctor gave a solid performance. Alfonso Antoniozzi's Isidoro, the wandering poet/minstrel, was marvellously comic and what was a loss vocally was more than made up for by the witty and charming acting particularly at the start of Act 2 where he fabricates a story of how he alone won the battle... gradually building up the amount of foe he had killed in much the same way as a Shakespearean Falstaff. Of course we had all come here for J-Flo (Juan Diego Florez's nickname, courtesy of OperaNow podcast), playing Corradino.... personally I disliked his performance... too much flopping around being enraged or lovesick or grief-stricken or smitten... the emotions were just writ large. (Maybe I am being harsh as this is Rossini - this is a comedy). Saying that I was impressed by the aria towards the end which was achingly beautiful.

Vesselina Kasarova's Edoardo brought the only serious twist to the story but these moments only served as being strangely dark interludes between the pantomime. I felt she was holding back a little on the first aria but this soon changed in Act 2 with a keening aria after he escapes... in fact it was the only time I was touched by anything in this opera. But this was sadly marred by an odd trombone solo in the middle. Ugly, ugly, ugly. It is an odd role in this opera and this role seemed strangely detached from the rest of the piece. I imagine it is there to contradict the almost slap-stick of the rest of the opera but for me it did not work and I got the impression that maybe even Kasarova thought so as well.

Alfonso Antoniozzi, Aleksandra Kursak, Juan Diego Florez, Vesselina Kasarova,Marco Vinco

The night I think went to Aleksandra Kurzak's Mathilde with a great portrayal of a woman determined to woo Corradino through her womanly wiles. I would have preferred a more Les Liaisons Dangereuses style but it was well played. Whilst Kurzak started off a little shrill she definitely settled down and indeed surpassed J-Flo's performance. Starry.... When Matilde returns from the dead to sing 'Do you love at last?' we are given the performance of the night. Singing 'the proud trumpet falls silent' her voice truly sounds like a trilling trumpet. If you had come to here the mercurial Juan Diego Florez you would have been sure to have left with the sweet tones of Kurzak ringing in your ears.

Aleksandra Kursak

Juan Diego Florez

Juan Diego Florez, Vesselina Kasarova,Marco Vinco, Enkelejda Shkosa

Here is a little taster of Vesselina Kasarova performance.

Matilde de Shabran at Covent Garden - 31st Oct 2008

Aliprando Marco Vinco
Isidoro Alfonso Antoniozzi
Corradino Juan Diego Florez
Edoardo Vesselina Kasarova
Matilde di Shabran Aleksandra Kursak
Contessa d'Arco Enkelejda Shkosa

Conductor Carlo Rizzi
Director Mario Martone


Note: Having acquired the ticket in the Amphitheatre whilst waiting in the returns queue.... definitely lots of horse-trading going on.... I thought I was getting a great seat. Sure the sound and the view of the stage was magnificent but ROH do pack you in. I was uncomfortable throughout.... so if you do get tickets for the Amphitheatre go with some close friends so you can 'huggle' up together. Oh and a word of advice from some fellow opera-goers.... be prepared for bad sound quality in the Amphitheatre if you are beyond the arch way... which is probably the 6th to 8th row back. The archway deadens the sound apparently.... maybe something else ROH should look at to improve the place along with getting rid of those irritating pub lighting sconces.

Bear At The Opera: Partenope

From l to r: Iestyn Davies, Patricia Bardon, Rosemary Joshua, Christine Rice, John Mark Ainsley, James Gower

I was strangely won over by Christopher Alden's production of Partenope by Handel. His concept of updating the action to the 1920s Parisian art world did seem to work even with the talk of war.... it was an intelligent, and sophisticated re-working of the opera. Even the fact that it was in English (a radical translation by Amanda Holden) did not detract from this charming comic opera - I might just change my opinion of operas in translation on the basis of this production.

The story of political upheaval in ancient Naples with a Queen who rules by toying with her subjects and risking the invasion of her city lends itself to salon world of Paris with it's Man Ray and Nancy Cunard figures and it's surreal and mercurial elements. The action can be easily transposed to this heady world with only a slight eschewing of the story.

Throughout the opera one is constantly reminded of photographs by Man Ray or Lee Miller, the surrealists like Andre Breton and Dali and that heady salon world. Indeed each scene was like a tableau of that world; at the start of the opera Emilio enters and takes a photograph of the audience - obviously our Man Ray character or a scene where our protagonists are playing cards with gas masks á la Lee Miller. I loved these little knowing touches, these nods to the surrealist life.

The story reads like some complex relationship puzzle. Partenope presides over her court/salon. She loves Arsace. Armindo loves Partenope in secret. Arsace's former love, Rosmira , arrives disguised as a man, Eurimene. Arsace recognises Rosmira but agrees to keep secret her identity. Armindo confides in Eurimene about his love for Partenope and Eurimene hatches a plan to make Arsace suffer, driven by her love, hate and rage at her abandonment. Emilio's marriage proposal to Partenope is rejected and he threatens war. Emilio's forces attack and he himself is captured by Arsace though Eurimene takes the credit. When Emilio refutes this claim Eurimene challenges Arsace to a dual. Armindo declares his love to Partenope but she still loves Arsace. Eurimene is forced to let 'his' true identity known when Arsace challenges Eurimene to dual bare-chested (made all the more interesting in the fact that is Christine Rice who plays Arsace that makes this challange). Arsace and Rosmira reunite and Partenope takes Armindo. Phew!

Rosemary Joshua's Partenope struck a Nancy Cunard note.... bangles and all.. wonderfully played. Perhaps a little weak at the start but by the second act her quality soprano rang true.

Rosemary Joshua, Christine Rice, John Mark Ainsley, James Gower

Patricia Bardon's Rosmira/Eurimene was wilfully playful, confused and enraged... she is determined to make Arsace suffer and keep him guessing... alternating between her love and rage. Outstanding performance and a joy to watch.

Patricia Bardon

Hats off for another great performance by the counter-tenor Iestyn Davies; the character of Armindo is so tense and unsure of himself - a real neurotic. Davies played it to great comic effect and I loved the aria where he talks about his love for Partenope - 'I'm her spaniel and her slave' (just shows that the translation can work remarkable well). Perhaps not such a strong vocal performance as his Otho in L'incoronazione Di Poppea but entertaining nonetheless.

Iestyn Davies

John Mark Ainsley's Emilio truly was the cornerstone for the production. I got the impression that the director tried to have JMA on stage as much as possible cutting a very believable Man Ray character. Each time this tenor sung I longed for more... pity Emilio did not have more arias to sing. I was deeply impressed and long to see JMA in other productions....

John Mark Ainsley

But truly the night belonged to Christine Rice playing Arsace. Each aria was keenly sung with her strong and sweet mezzo voice. True, she was gifted with some great arias that perhaps some of the other parts lacked but with each aria I was just bowled away by her beautiful quality of tone.

Christine Rice

Partenope - 18th October

Emilio John Mark Ainsley
Partenope Rosemary Joshua
Arsace Christine Rice
Armindo Iestyn Davies
Rosmira/Eurimene Patricia Bardon
Ormonte James Gower

Conductor Christian Curnyn
Director Christopher Alden

Bear At The Movies: Salome

Well, I couldn't very well miss the first live MET opera performance in the season straight to our cinema screens.... Richard Strauss' Salome, a revival of the 2004 MET production.

The MET have truly revolutionized the watching of opera. You feel very much as if this was some sporting event.... limbering up before going on stage... wishing everyone good luck... it did lead to some anticipation. What wasn't so successful was the wince provoking skit when Deborah Viogt accosts Karita Mattila as she exits her dressing room which ends with Mattila saying 'Let's go and kick ass'... great Mattila! And really the rest of the filming of the opera was no better....the filming was just too intimate. I just don't want to see saliva in the midst of an important scene. Furthermore, the camera crew had got a little too excited in anticipation about the 'Dance of the Seven Veils' I feel and we were left with some unfocused shots.

I have to freely admit that Strauss is not one of my opera favourites and Salome is certainly difficult to like. It is an ugly story with ugly characters. Where the lead character performs a striptease for her step-father and rolls around on stage with a severed head you know that this is not a happy story. But of course it is intensely dramatic, the orchestration drips with lushness and the libretto can be achingly beautiful.

Mattila's performance was insanely intense and if the camera had not been shoved in her face all the time I might have been able to believe Mattila's portrayal of a young Salome; teasing and coquettish. Mattila's 'Dance of the Seven Veils' was fine.... an interesting take on this famous of stripteases; Marlene Dietrich like Mattila teased off her suit until the final unveiling where we see Herod's reaction rather than breasts. I preferred it that way... at least for film. Thankfully there was no embarrassing flitting about in floaty things. The final 'severed head' scene was truly disturbing and beautifully sung; I could not reconcile the sight of the severed head and the words from the libretto.

"If you had seen me you would have loved me. I am thirsty for you beauty. I am hungry for your body. Not wine nor apples can appease my desire."

Beautiful and disturbing or silly and salacious. I still cannot decide.

Salome - October 11th 2008

Salome Karita Mattila
Herodias Ildiko Komlosi
Herod Kim Begley
Narroboth Joseph Kaiser
Jochanaan Juha Uusitalo

Conductor Patrick Summers
Production Jurgen Flimm

Bear At The Concert: Sally Matthews and the LSO

Boulez, Messiaen and Bruckner at the Barbican- 8th October 2008

Boulez - Livres pour cordes (1948-49 arr 1968, rev 1989)
Messiaen - Poemes pour Mi (1936)
Bruckner - Symphony No 4 in E flat major (1874)

Obviously the 20th century works of Boulez and Messiaen did not appeal to the audience at the Barbican. The hall had many empty seats and some did not come back for the Bruckner after the interval (or maybe they were just 20th century music lovers - one could only hope)...

The evening started with the edgy Livre pour cordes by Pierre Boulez.... the piece reminded me of an interview with Alex Ross (the writer of The Rest is Noise) who describes much 20th century music as being known as 'horror movie' music.... and this piece would certainly fit into that niche.... perhaps because of its mercurial changes in textures and patterns; it certainly unnerves you but also enlivens. Exciting.

Now to the highlight of the evening and why I was here; to hear the wonderful soprano Sally Matthews (recently seen in Cavalli's La Calisto). And what a joy to hear this musical love letter that Messiaen wrote for his wife (the 'Mi' in 'Poemes pour Mi'). Daniel Harding, the conductor, describes this song cycle as Catholic jazz and certainly you can hear the spirituality intensely in this music. It is reverential, voluptuous, sensual and ecstatically beautiful. It reminded me of a Chagall painting... the one where he is flying over the city with his wife in a tender embrace.

This is a small extract from 'Poemes pour Mi' at it's most sensuous... 'The Necklace'.



Even though Sally Matthews was sometimes lost in the lush orchestration (though only rarely) this was an impassioned rendering of the text... with every word the meaning was torn out... no more like teased out. This was the most wonderful testament to marriage I have ever heard.

The night ended with Anton Bruckner's Symphony No 4 in E Flat Major which Bruckner himself named the 'Romantic' symphony. It brings to mind fairytale landscapes of crystalline mountains, dark forests and swift running rivers; indeed they were intensely romantic soundscapes. Perhaps a little too romantic for me. I prefer the edgier, personal work of the 20th century composers.

Catch this whilst you can on Performance on 3 on Radio 3 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f124v but not for very much longer.

Bear At The Concert: Opening of Kings Place

Kings Place

It is not everyday of the week that a completely new music venue opens in London. Kings Place is the new home to the LSO and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. This venue is designed to run with no public money involved... a bold step especially in these times of a credit crises. It will be great if this new venue does find commercial success. Certainly on the Saturday night
(4th October 2008) that I ventured up York Way, north east of Kings Cross the place appeared to be brimming with expectant customers; no doubt there to hear the eclectic night of concerts.

Kings Place Entrance/Meeting Area

The auditorium of Kings Place is certainly impressive; the veneer for the wood panelling inside the hall is made from just one tree, La Contessa, an oak tree from a German woodland and put to good use. And it sounds good as well - I happened to hear some musicians from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment playing a mixed baroque set; some Bach, Handel and Rameau including an arrangement from 'Les Indes Galante'.

Kings Place Auditorium

It's position up York Way might put some people off... it is a bit of a hike up from Kings Cross especially on a wet night. The actual auditorium and venue is buried amongst the office complex which in itself is not inspiring but a real effort has been made with the performance halls; a joyful sound. I look forward to catching some of the more contemporary works there in the future....

Bear At The Opera: La Calisto

Curtain Call - (l to r) - Giove (Umberto Chiummo), Calisto (Sally Matthews), Diana (Monica Bacelli), Giunone (Veronique Gens), Linfea (Guy de Mey)

This is a first outing for Francesco Cavalli at Covent Garden, and what an evening. This production first aired in Munich a year or so ago and hopefully will see a resurgence of interest in Cavalli. David Alden's direction certainly emboldens the spirit and brings out the more bawdy aspects - a very different interpretation than Raymond Leppard's back in 1971.

I heard this synopsis by Sally Matthews who plays Calisto on Tom Service's programme for Radio 3 - Music Matters - it was so succinct I just had to transcribe it.

I am a very chaste nymph. I'm one of Diana's followers and I am desperately in love with her. Giove comes down and takes advantage of me; dressed up as Diana, seduces me, gets me pregnant. I spend the rest of the opera pining for Diana because she spurns me because of course she never slept with me in the first place; it was Giove in disguise. The Giunone, Giove's wife, spurns me; turns me into a bear.

This has been promoted as a sexual comedy, not for sensationalism but because that is what it is - what with Gods and Goddesses messing with the lives of mortals - seducing, deceiving, and manipulating. It has all the hallmarks of a Shakespearean comedy - think 'A Midsummer's Night Dream' set to music and you would not be far off the mark. This was an immensely enjoyable, ribald and racy affair.

As befits a tale of Gods and mortals the set and costumes were particularly adventurous; fabulous beasts and outrageous decoration. The main set was a lurid striped affair which put me in mind of some 1930s Hollywood movie (you know the one - all singing and dancing, no plot and flocks of dancing, plumed women). There was even an Art Deco lift that brought the Gods down from the heavens. Unlike some other reviewers I loved the decadence of the set - after all this is theatre.

Now to the performances. Sally Matthews' Calisto was amazingly tragic as the seduced, and spurned nymph. Her real-life pregnancy did not effect her performance in any way (frankly I did not notice) and if anything it was more poignant. Umberto Chiummo's Giove was wonderfully treacherous - especially the seduction scene where he disguises himself as Diana (Chiummo mimes the vocal lines whilst the warm-toned Monica Bacelli sings the role in the orchestra pit). His disguise is later discovered and Giove is forced to sing a falsetto to great comic effect - a marvellous touch by the director David Alden.

Sally Matthews

Umberto Chiummo, Sally Matthews, Monica Bacelli

The highlight vocally was Lawrence Zazzo's Endiomone - another mortal whose live is torn apart by a Godess - this time by Monica Bacelli's richly voiced Diane. Tragic and beautiful. A great pairing.

Lawrence Zazzo

Dominique Vissi's raunchy goat Satirno and Guy de Mey's nymphomaniac follower of Diana, Linfea brought the majority of the comedic moments and the most lewd and ribald..... great entertainment.

Dominique Visse

This was a wonderfully spectacular night. Alden's direction was inventive and spirited and I certainly enjoyed every single minute. Chatting to a few people in the interval, everyone seemed to be enjoying the production.... sadly, the ROH was not sold out (even for a first night). More fool those who missed an amazing theatre experience. I hope that this does not stop Covent Garden from showing other operas by Cavalli; according to Ivor Bolton, the conductor, and David Alden there are about 10 other Cavalli operas worthy of attention. Maybe I am in the minority but I would love some more!

Hear this production of La Calisto on BBC Radio 3 on Saturday 25th October.

Umberto Chiummo

Conductor (Ivor Bolton)

La Calisto - Royal Opera House, London - 23rd September 2008

Calisto Sally Matthews
Satinino Dominique Visse
Eternity/ Giunone Veronique Gens
Destiny / Diana Monica Bacelli
Giove Umberto Chiummo
Linfea Guy de Mey
Endimione Lawrence Zazzo

Director David Alden
Conductor Ivor Bolton

Bear At The Opera: Joyce DiDonato In Conversation

I was lucky enough to attend one of the special events that Covent Garden have put on to compliment their season of opera. Having just seen Joyce DiDonato as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (see previous post) I was looking forward to hearing what this great mezzo-soprano had to say about her role and her career. For the last four months or so I have been following her career via her upbeat blog (http://yankeediva.blogspot.com); hearing about the challenging roles like Romeo in Bellini's Il Capuleti and her preparation for Don Giovanni......

Joyce DiDonato talked about singing techniques, American optimism and Frederica Von Stade amongst other things. I was struck by her humility in the light of such great success; she seems still like 'the girl next door'.... She touched on the role of Donna Elvira and her preparation. The role is normally sung by a soprano but Ms. DiDonato having scrutinized the score found that her voice could handle the range; especially when she found a transposed version of the last aria that Mozart himself had written. The transposition was only by half a step but this made all the difference and allowed her to sing the role comfortably. Indeed she noted that in the trios with Donna Anna and Zerlina or Donna Anna and Don Octavio a third voice of a different quality appeared to add extra colour. She had nothing but praise for the Maestro Sir Charles Mackerras who she thought was 'sunshine'; giving her the structure that she needed to prepare with limited rehearsal time and the flexibility to allow for some changes.

Asked about whether she thought there was a particular mid-western American style of singing (that is where she was brought up) she quickly diverted to expressing that there was an American optimism which often or not is coupled with an arrogance... her train of thought was sliding to the political which she tried to steer away from but not before vaguely bemoaning the intolerance of the Bible belt... I almost wish she had started to talk politics; she obviously had some strong views.

Joyce DiDonato just oozes humility and has none of the American arrogance she mentioned; she dislikes to hear her performances and visiably whinces through the extracts played from her numerous recordings. No wonder her favourite artist is Frederica Von Stade citing her generosity in performing; how Von Stade's work was all 'about giving'. Seeing her in Don Giovanni and during this talk you can tell that DiDonato shares this generosity of spirit.

This humility is highlighted when she talks about here training at Houston's young artist programme; she was brought down a peg or two by her singing teacher Steve Smith who said that if she kept singing like that she would have a very short career; she was was singing 'on youth and muscle'. She described how she spent a year or so 'learning how to sing'.

She still keeps her ties to Houston Grand Opera and will be back there later this month for a role debut in Béatrice and Bénédict. She has kept her ties with her singing teacher Steve Smith - expounding the virtues of technology by solving a tired voice over Skype with him (she is after all the blogger Yankee Diva).

On asked about her eclectic tastes of repertoire - take her Spanish repertoire or some of the obscure elements of her most recent Wigmore Hall appearance she acknowledges her curiosity. The Pasion recording with the pianist Julius Drake came about purely by chance whilst visiting Drake and perusing his record collection; they arranged the recording there and then.

The evening was finished off by a look at her performance in Handel's Hercules - 'Where shall I fly' - a little taster of her upcoming recording Furore, a collection of furious pieces indeed. Out in November in Europe and a definite buy I think.

Joyce DiDonato new recording - Furore - posted by emiclassics

Joyce DiDonato will be back in London come the spring as Rosina in the Barber of Seville with not so much angst and a whole lot of fun.

Bear At Home: El Niño

Screen capture from the El Niño DVD

One of the first of many reviews of DVDs and recordings of operas.... to enjoy in the comfort of your own cave.

John Adams El Niño is more of a 'scenic oratorio' than an opera (as described by the director and co-librettist Peter Sellers).... telling the story of the nativity it is a collection of texts from the King James Bible, Gnostic gospels, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz and poetry by 20th century Hispanic writers. That is the beauty of it.... it is that selection of texts set to exquisite music by John Adams that makes this a marvellous work.

And if that was not enough you have the trioof fabulous voices with the talents of Dawn Upshaw, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and Willard White. It is the juxtaposition of vocal talent, dance and film that make this 'scenic oratorio' a joy to watch. It is a sweet amalgamation.

Opening with the London Voice Choir with 'Mai, mai, maiden' the terseness of the libretto is a welcome relief from turgid, and often times unnecessary words. Having the three counter-tenors act as the messengers from God and the narrators is inspired. That counter-tenor vocal range lends itself well to spiritual music.

The dancers all lend dynamism to the piece both on stage with the singers and also on film. One particular point where the dancer Michael Schumacher as the angel Gabriel delivers his message to Mary is utterly transcendent. It is a perfect marriage of dance and vocal talent.

And if that were not enough we are treated to the most powerful piece of music - Lorraine Hunt Lieberson singing 'Pues Mi Dios Ha Nacido a Penar'.... but then all of LHL pieces are exquisite.

Dawn Upshaw and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson in El Niño - posted by hillevifan

Composer John Adams
Librettist John Adams/Peter Sellers

Cast

Dawn Upshaw Soprano
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Mezzo-soprano
Willard White Bass
Daniel Bubeck Counter-tenor
Brian Cummings Counter-tenor
Steven Richards Counter-tenor
The London Voices Choir

Daniela Graca Dancer
Nora Kimball Dancer
Michael Schumacher Dancer