tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.comments2023-09-12T11:16:57.372-04:00Likely ImpossibilitiesMicaelahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17424063023952527613noreply@blogger.comBlogger1716125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-45899107513571941542016-05-22T10:09:06.024-04:002016-05-22T10:09:06.024-04:00Heard both Botha and Hepner onstage in this produc...Heard both Botha and Hepner onstage in this production. Botha had a very fine couple of performances and was much less labored than the Canadian, who barely made it through the big aria. However on the last performance he managed to get through without cracking on the high note, which was what was used for the DVD.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-12128298639065186502016-04-18T02:32:54.702-04:002016-04-18T02:32:54.702-04:00I'm really confused by Mattila's Kostelnic...I'm really confused by Mattila's Kostelnicka. This is, all too frequently, a mezzo role. Dramatic sopranos only do it toward the end of their careers. The last I knew Mattila was still singing soprano. Did something happen suddenly to her voice? Or did I miss when she stopped singing spinto soprano roles?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-40079045216992638352016-04-09T16:31:03.582-04:002016-04-09T16:31:03.582-04:00Re Jenufa, as with other interesting theatrical an...Re Jenufa, as with other interesting theatrical and operatic characters, multiple interpretations are possible. <br /><br />Racette was great, and perhaps you'll be able to see her another time. But at this point, it's more than 8 years since I saw Mattila and 14 since I saw Racette, so I am not going to be able to get too specific about the different impressions they made. Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-86869872184480838312016-04-02T22:26:50.315-04:002016-04-02T22:26:50.315-04:00Haha Roberto Alagna too funny. Can't wait for ...Haha Roberto Alagna too funny. Can't wait for a fresh batch of McVicar Tudor queens––a dozen or so a season is all anybody wants.Gurnemanznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-1885765197189406182016-04-01T12:10:56.592-04:002016-04-01T12:10:56.592-04:00Very good!Very good!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-52116284760522347452016-02-26T01:44:01.330-05:002016-02-26T01:44:01.330-05:00I heard his Lohengrin twice live on stage :-)))) g...I heard his Lohengrin twice live on stage :-)))) gorgeous !!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-83948426277511166582016-02-23T19:46:44.934-05:002016-02-23T19:46:44.934-05:00I saw Mattila sing Jenufa opposite Silja at the me...I saw Mattila sing Jenufa opposite Silja at the met in 2007 and thought she was epic. Beautifully sung and just devastating dramatically. Personally I don't understand the notion that Jenufa is innocent or idealistic. If anything she seems to be the most grounded, practical person in the entire opera. Mattila showed me a woman bucking against the notions of how a peasant girl was supposed to behave. She was clearly turned onto the more glamorous Steva over Laca because he clearly brought out (for better or worse) the independent streak in her. I'll never forget her response to finding out her baby was dead. It was as though a light had gone out inside of her. Her whole gait and bearing were completely changed and she seemed almost resigned to bearing that pain for the rest of her life, even with the semi-happy ending at the end. I like Racette but have a hard time believing she could match that. Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-2093486845791276282016-02-22T18:41:19.910-05:002016-02-22T18:41:19.910-05:00I saw Mattila as Jenufa, in LA, in the same Tombos...I saw Mattila as Jenufa, in LA, in the same Tombosi production that the Met used and that SFO will have this year. I did not find her quite convincing; she was not sufficiently innocent and idealistic. She will be a great Kostelnicka, I expect. I did love Patricia Racette's Jenufa in the Zambello production, though.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-72472705578400598012016-02-21T09:33:02.553-05:002016-02-21T09:33:02.553-05:00Thanks for all your comments! I've written abo...Thanks for all your comments! I've written about KFV as Lohengrin--see the link to his name above for my review.<br /><br />#3, I really enjoyed Pappano's conducting of Tell as well. But he and the Met apparently don't get on at all.<br /><br />And no, I didn't see Mattila as Jenufa; my Jenufas have been Denoke (auf Deutsch, because Wiener Staatsoper) and Janice Watson. The only Janacek I've seen with Mattila is Makropulos--which was something!Micaelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424063023952527613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-81910376007683201372016-02-19T17:48:02.997-05:002016-02-19T17:48:02.997-05:00I have the DVD of the Rat Lohengrin and was just a...I have the DVD of the Rat Lohengrin and was just astounded by his singing--esp. in the third act. While Florestan may not be the ideal role for him I will crawl through glass on my hands and knees to hear him in it. BryanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-26842073312997566552016-02-19T13:59:25.281-05:002016-02-19T13:59:25.281-05:00Vogt was an unbelievably great Lohengrin in Bayreu...Vogt was an unbelievably great Lohengrin in Bayreuth last year; absolutely perfect match of singer and role, fantastic production, etc. It was rumored at some point that the Met would revive the Wilson <i>Lohengrin</i>, which, boy howdy, I would love to see.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-39236663490948918622016-02-19T13:24:53.362-05:002016-02-19T13:24:53.362-05:00btw. did you see the stream from Vienna? you still...btw. did you see the stream from Vienna? you still can. Rusalka. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-61986301426743919822016-02-19T13:24:13.781-05:002016-02-19T13:24:13.781-05:00Such a pity they dont show Lohengrin, Klaus Floria...Such a pity they dont show Lohengrin, Klaus Florian has much experience with Lohengrin. And it is a pity, Fidelio isnt among the HD streams. Cant fly to NY :((((Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-81682551108591326532016-02-18T23:08:22.300-05:002016-02-18T23:08:22.300-05:00Finley created Jaufre in L'Amour de Loin and i...Finley created Jaufre in <i>L'Amour de Loin</i> and is on the DVD with Salonen conducting.Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-31350931577917600212016-02-18T08:42:03.723-05:002016-02-18T08:42:03.723-05:00Tristan and Tell are must sees. I'm sure Luisi...Tristan and Tell are must sees. I'm sure Luisi will do a fine job with Tell but Noseda practically set Carnegie on fire when he did it a while back. Would normally be very excited about L'amour and Rusalka but OY! the directors. Also think Owens is strange casting for L'amour--the role I believe was created by Dwayne Croft and has been sung a lot by Finley. Couldn't care less about Romeo. As much as I love many of Strauss' operas I've never really warmed up to Rosenkavalier so I will probably wait for when it is on PBS. Am really looking forward to Salome (Operaramblings is very big on Debus). Why Fidelio has been gone for so long is a mystery to me. I would go see it with just about any cast but the return of KFV makes it a must. Jenfua is also a must for Mattila (not mention what a great opera). YNS conducting Wagner with what looks like an interesting cast makes up for trotting out another production that should have been retired years ago. Domingo conducting DG has a certain stopping to look at a train wreck appeal. BTW why a HD broadcast of this awful production of DG and not Tell? I am going to see Manon Lescaut tonight so will probably skip it with Anna next season unless I like the production a lot more than everyone else who has seen it. BryanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-88217906788292068172016-02-18T00:27:07.062-05:002016-02-18T00:27:07.062-05:00You may have seen the pathetic 2016-17 season we h...You may have seen the pathetic 2016-17 season we have out here in SF: Aida, Don Pasquale, Andrea Chenier, La Boheme, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, Madame Butterfly (making its tenth appearance in 20 years!), Makropoulos Case, and Dream of the Red Chamber: 7 operas in Italian, one Czech, one English-language premiere....with an all-Asian cast.<br /><br />So the Met's season looks like heaven!<br /><br />We do get Karita's Kostenicka this June, though, in a season that also includes Bieito's Carmen and a strongly-cast Don Carlo (four-act Italian version).Lisa Hirschhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14014924958428072675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-90245147632357511292016-02-17T23:54:44.374-05:002016-02-17T23:54:44.374-05:00Did you see mattila as jenufa?Did you see mattila as jenufa?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15419569282940443345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-86736459618536655422016-02-14T20:19:13.425-05:002016-02-14T20:19:13.425-05:00Re: the present tendency to update to the interwar...Re: the present tendency to update to the interwar period--I suspect it may be the influence of classic Hollywood film more than anything else, classic Hollywood film being a current language in the popular memory for relatively stylized melodrama without running the risk of being totally and shockingly contemporary.bgnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07110058388805605682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-18791072603708151462016-02-14T19:25:35.657-05:002016-02-14T19:25:35.657-05:00I didn't think it was Mattila's role at al...I didn't think it was Mattila's role at all (and she was in very poor voice during the run) but at least she was involving, which I couldn't say about Opolais opening night, who is less inherently charismatic imo. And I personally find Mattila's voice more intrinsically beautiful. Netrebko is rumored to be singing it next season and I'm immensely looking forward too it. She really is ideal in Verismo. <br />Here's Westbroek<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf9Q_ijieao<br />You can tell she's already beginning to lose some sheen and bloom but the timbre is warmer and sexier and I think she's considerably more sympathetic and detailed than Opolais is. Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-22912318402851375872016-02-14T13:19:45.635-05:002016-02-14T13:19:45.635-05:00Latonella, I hear you. Do you think this is an aes...Latonella, I hear you. Do you think this is an aesthetic choice? I wonder if it's just because people like the fashion and architecture of these eras--flappers, fascist chic, New Look, etc. Alexandra Wilson wrote an interesting article about the 1950s as a setting for Puccini: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954586713000062<br /><br />Peter, I remember having distinctly mixed feelings about Mattila's great enthusiasm, which I did not find very convincing. The main thing I remember from that performance was that it was one of Marcello Giordani's rare very, very good nights and that his Des Grieux was quite powerful.<br /><br />I would like to see Westbroek in this role! And Netrebko too, obviously.Micaelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424063023952527613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-88001849590640201432016-02-14T08:13:29.395-05:002016-02-14T08:13:29.395-05:00Is it weird if I say I kind of enjoyed mattila whe...Is it weird if I say I kind of enjoyed mattila when she sang this role? She was in pretty poor form and she went overboard with it, but I thought I was seeing the same women throughout the whole evening and how we over the top she may have been, it didn't seem like Schlick.<br /><br />I like opolais but everything seemed so artificial and calculated, like you said, and having seen both the ROH DVD and the Munich broadcast, I would say that a lot of the blame lies with her. Her act 4 is tremendous but IMO it didn't cohere in the slightest with the woman I had been watching. Even Westbroek, who was miscast like mattila, brought more to the role IMO, when she premiered the eyre production. Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-50153129696651539422016-02-14T07:30:17.334-05:002016-02-14T07:30:17.334-05:00Very good review, thank you! I am sick and tired o...Very good review, thank you! I am sick and tired of productions set in Nazi-occupated Europe. They think they're doing something "new", but they always move the action to Europe between 1920 and 1950. I wish I could see a Traviata set in ancient Greece or something, that would be new.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-7730820304828434032016-01-30T12:21:00.867-05:002016-01-30T12:21:00.867-05:00Best post!!!!!!!!you can bring a digital and/or di...Best post!!!!!!!!you can bring a digital and/or disposable camera. You are not allowed to bring a professional camera that is like $500+ unless you have a press pass, in which that case you need to call the venue and ask for permission.Thanks:) Sarikahttp://www.todoholland.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-39640903275044932332016-01-29T10:30:53.913-05:002016-01-29T10:30:53.913-05:00Fantastic piece! Your attention to detail makes th...Fantastic piece! Your attention to detail makes this text come alive! I am going to see Rigoletto this Sunday and I now feel prepared for it!<br />This is also by far the most helpful article I could find about the Standing Area in the Staatsoper. I tip my hat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8851616.post-40287218724379072722016-01-24T11:02:49.055-05:002016-01-24T11:02:49.055-05:00Thanks for this review!
Greeting!Thanks for this review!<br />Greeting!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17726851181500861600noreply@blogger.com