»Un ballo in maschera«, Melodramma in tre atti von Giuseppe Verdi, am Samstag, den 21. November, um 19.30 Uhr im Großen Haus in Lübeck mit freiem Verkauf.

20.11.09 Hört ihr gerne die Quartette von Joseph Haydn? Und wo?

18.11.09 Um 20 Uhr am Dienstag, den 18. August, sowohl deutsche Romantik und deutsche Moderne und auch Liebe und Intrigen. Im ersten Fall bei NDR – Rolf-Liebermann-Studio – in Hamburg für 28 Euro und im zweiten Fall in der Marineschule Mürwik in Flensburg von 19 bis 35 Euro. Im ersten Fall sind Stella Doufexis, Dietrich Henschel und Axel Bauni die Spieler oder Sänger und im zweiten Fall Nina Hoger und Florian Uhlig die Spieler.

17.08.09 Am Montag, den 17. August, ist das das Programm vom Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. Um 20 Uhr Romantik im Hof Bissenbrook von Großenaspe von 10 bis 39 Euro mit Sabine und Mischa Meyer und Caspar Frantz.

14.08.09 Was könnt ihr beim Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival am Freitag, dem 14. August, sehen? Um 20 Uhr in der Petruskirche in Kiel spielt Bruno Ganz „An die Gottesmutter“ mit der Sängerin Christiane Iven und der Pianistin Liese Klahn. Die Rezitation von diesem sehr guten italienichen Spieler könnte sehr interessant sein und die Karten kosten von 10 bis 35 Euro.

Bordesholm. Auch um 20 Uhr in der Klosterkirche von Bordesholm die Ars Choralis Coeln singt die „Bordesholmer Marienklage“ unter die Leitung von Maria Jonas. Die Karten kosten von 10 bis 45 Euro.

Hamburg. Das Festkonzert für die 20 Jahre von der Paul Hindemith-Preis und die Preisverleihung finden in Hamburg bei der Rolf-Liebermann-Studio von NDR um 20 Uhr statt. Mit der Ensemble Modern und dem Dirigent François-Xavier Roth…. Wieviele Euro? 18…

Plön. Auch die Nikolaikirche von Plön nimmt mit „Sommernachtsträume“ um 20 Uhr teil. Die Spieler gehören der „armonia-Bläserensemble des Gewandhausorchesters Leipzig“. Die Karten kosten von 10 bis 39 Euro.

Samstag, den 15. August, in Emkendorf und Scheune. Am Samstag, den 15. August, feiern Emkendorf und Scheune die Musikfeste auf dem Lande um 13 Uhr für 32 Euro und mit »Talentscheune« (Claudius Müller Horn und Agneta Sieweke, Klarinette, und Ulrike Payer, Klavier) für 18 Euro. Um 18 Uhr noch die Musikfeste mit dem Armida Quartett und dem Cuarteto SolTango für 18 Euro.

Ein Stück von Johann Sebastian Bach und andere Stücke von der Familie finden in Halle – Süderbrarup, team AG – um 16 Uhr statt. Das Familienkonzert hat als Protagonisten Christoph Ullrich Klavier (Cembalo), Therese Glaubitz, Sängerin, Kaspar Kleinhenz (Cembalo) und Tobias Grosch (Flöte) für 10 Euro.

Hamburg. Um 20 Uhr singen die Sopran Petra Lang und der Bassbariton Juha Uusitalo den „Feuerzauber“ bei der Laeiszhalle in Hamburg. Mit der Budapest Festival Orchestra und dem Dirigent Iván Fischer von 10 bis 78 Euro…

Sonntag in Scheune und Emkendorf. Zeit für Musik auch am Sonntag, den 16. August, in Scheune und Emkendorf um 11 Uhr. Was? Die „Musikfeste auf dem Lande“ mit der »Talentscheune« für 32 Euro…  Auch um 11 Uhr in Emkendorf und Scheune das Duo Richard und Valentin Humburger am Klavier für 18 Euro und um 16 Uhr das Duo Inter Pares, Sophie Heinrich (Violine), Jaques Ammon (Klavier) und dem sonic.art Saxophonquartett für 18 Euro.

Timmendorfer Strand und Neumünster. Um 16 Uhr noch Bach beim Maritim Seehotel an der Timmendorfer Strand für 10 Euro und um 19 Uhr bei der Holstenhalle von Neumünster Lang Lang am Klavier, das Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchester und der Dirigent Christoph Eschenbach in einem Konzert, das von 10 bis 72 Euro kostet.

Lübeck, Kiel und Reinbek. Um 19 Uhr bei der Musik- und Kongresshalle von Lübeck noch der „Feuerzauber“ und die Theaterkarten kosten von 16 bis 78 Euro. Auch um 19 Uhr im Schloss Reinbek ein Meisterkurskonzert von den Teilnehmern des Meisterkurses von Rudolf Piernay und die Zuschauer werden 23 oder 28 Euro bezahlen. Endlich auch eine Pianistische Fülle mit Ulrike Payer am Klavier um 19 Uhr bei der Förde Sparkasse am Lorentzendamm in Kiel. Viel Spass mit 27 oder 35 Euro…

Pavarotti. Ein Tod, der Italien und die Welt erschüttert hat und von dem man noch in Italien redet. Leid, das in den Herzen von den Freunden und Kollegen vom Toten bleibt, während Alltagsleben trotz des Verlustes wieder anfängt. Noch vor wenigen Tagen hat die wichtigste Landestagesschau ein Bericht über einen speziellen Italiener vorbereitet, der Berühmtheit in der Welt hatte. Er ist der berühmte Lyriker Luciano Pavarotti, der auch für seine Duette mit den Star von der Popmusik und für seine Stimme erinnert ist, mit der er einen sehr bemerkenswerten Erfolg hatte und sehr viel verdient hat. Aber er wird auch – aber man handelt von Einzelheiten – für die Liebeverhältnissen früher mit seiner Frau Adua Veroni und nächstens mit seiner ex Sekretärin Nicoletta Mantovani erinnert, die seine zweite Frau geworden ist. Eine Größe, die in Italien auch für die Problemen mit dem italienischen Fiskus erinnert wird, die andere Tat, für die die Italiener von Pavarotti ein bisschen geredet haben – aber nur ein bisschen. Tat die vor allem vor den Fernsehkameras, den Photoapparaten und dem Finanzminister von damals gelöst war.
Die Familie. Luciano Pavarotti ist vor letzten Donnerstag mit 71 Jahren für ein Bauchspeicheldrüsenkrebs gestorben. Er hat die Frau, Nicoletta Mantovani, und vier Geschwister zurückgelassen – drei, die nach der ersten Ehe geboren sind und heute reif sind, und eine, Alice, die seine zweite Frau bekommen hat. Als Bäckersohn ist Pavarotti das klassische Beispiel von einem Self-Made-Mensch, der diese Generation bezeichnet.
Er hatte 36 Jahre mit Frau Veroni zusammengelebt. Die Liebe zwischen ihnen hat längst gedauert und die Beziehung schien wichtig für sie. Dann ein kupplerisches Bild auf dem er eine Frau – seine ex Sekretärin Frau Mantovani – küsste. Die Krise war mit seiner Ehefrau sofortig und ein neues Leben mit Nicoletta anfing. Er verheiratete sie später. In ihrem Paarsleben passierte auch ein negatives Ereignis, das teilweise durch einem zeitgenössischen positiven Ereignis gemildert worden war. Und zwar passierte vor der Geburt von ihren Tochter der Tod von einem anderen Kind, das die Frau erwartete und das der aus dem Künstler sehr gewünschten Sohn sein sollte.
Jetzt scheint die wirtschaftliche Zukunft für die vier Kinder von Big Luciano und die andere Erben ganz gut zu sein. Man weiß nicht, wieviel der Tenor testamentarisch vermacht hat, aber man denkt über eine hohe Ziffer, die vielleicht zirka 200 Millionen Euro sein könnte. Die Ziffer ist auf jeden Weise durch die Trennung von 1996 aus Adua beleichtet, nach der eine teure Scheidung folgte.

Probleme mit dem Fiskus. Mehr oder weniger sowie heute Valentino Rossi, der junger, reicher und berühmter Motorradfahrer hat auch Luciano Pavarotti über sich für Unannehmlichkeiten mit dem italienischen Fiskus reden lassen. Die Staatsanwaltschaft von Modena, der Heimatstadt vom Lyrikersänger in Emilie, hatte ihn angeklagt, fiktiv am Fürstentum Monaco, einem Steuerparadies, seinen ständigen Wohnort aufgeschlagen zu haben.
Denn folgte am 28. Juli 2000 das, was jeder Steuerzahler in der Tat nicht tun könnte. Er gab ein Scheck direkt dem Finanzminister von der Zeit vor den Apparaten von den Fotografen und den Medienleuten – jede von ihnen auch mit Videoapparaten. Das Ereignis – die Show – beendete das Prozess auf keiner Weise. Der Sänger war sowohl in 2001 als auch in 2004 in Berufung freigesprochen. „Heute fühle ich mich in der Seele erleichtet, und nicht nur da“ hatte Pavarotti an diesem 28. Juli 2000 gesagt. Und er hatte in der Tat ein Nummer auf dem Scheck geschrieben, die jedermann nicht schreiben würde, und zwar 25 Milliarden Lire, ungefähr 12,5 Millionen Euro.

- Dein Lieblingssong – Abstimmen

- Eure beste Reiseziele? – Abstimmen

- Cocoba Nuss-Nougatcreme, Equita Schokoaufstrich, Cocoba Crème Nuss-Nougat-Brotaufstrich, Coop Max Havelaar Haselnuss-Brotaufstrich

Opera, ein europäischer Browser, und Mozilla, Linux und Apple

12. September 2007

verändert am 21. November 2009

calogeromira.wordpress.com – e-mail

Vielleicht Watt/Stunden speichern

Opera Maghiară de Stat. joi, 12 noiembrie. ora 18.30

Traviata, de Giuseppe Verdi

operă în trei acte.spectacol în limba italiană

• regia: Gy. Tatár Éva
• dirijor: Horváth József

în distribuţie: Hary Judit (Violetta Valery), Veress Orsolya (Flora Bervoix), Mányoki Mária (Annina), Pataki Adorján (Alfred Germont), Fülöp Márton (Georges Germont), Szakács Levente (vicomte Gaston),  Naphegyi Béla (baronul Douphol), Sziklavári Szilárd (marquis D’Obigny), Szilágyi János (Grenvil), Rigmányi István (Joseph)

• scenografia: Nagy Endre inv.
• costume: Witlinger Margit

Opera Maghiară de Stat. duminică, 8 noiembrie. ora 11.00

Bal mascat – spectacol lecţie, de Giuseppe Verdi

operă în trei acte. spectacol în limba italiană

• regia: Ascher Tamás inv.
• dirijor: Selmeczi György

în distribuţie: Pataki Adorján (Riccardo), Fülöp Márton (Renato), Kele Brigitta (Amelia), Molnár Mária (Ulrica), Vigh Ibolya (Oscar), Naphegyi Béla (Silvano), Sándor Árpád (Samuel), Szilágyi János (Tom)

• scenografia: Khell Zsolt inv.
• asistent scenograf: Venczel Attila
• costume: Bozóki Mara inv.
• asistent designer costume: Starmüller Katalin
• asistent regie: Szabó Emese

Giuseppe Verdi

Otello

…

Duminică 8 Noiembrie

Opera Naţională Română, orele 18.30

…

Spectacol interpretat în limba italiană

• Horváth József              – Dirijor
• Mihai Măniuţiu              – Regia Artistică
• Mihaela Bogdan             – Asistent Regia Artistică
• Valentin Codoiu            – Scenograf
• Vladimir Popean           – Maestru De Cor
• Corneliu Felecan           – Asistent maestru de cor

• Marius Vlad Budoiu      – Otello, Maur, General Al Armatei Veneţiene
• Oleg Ionese                      – Jago, Stegar
• Irina Săndulescu Bălan  – Desdemona, Soţia Lui Otello
• Sorin Lupu                        – Cassio, Şeful Gărzii
• Florin Pop                          – Roderigo, Gentilom Veneţian
• Mircea Moisa                    – Lodovico, Ambasador Al Republicii Veneţiene
• Simonfi Sandor                 – Montàno, Predecesorul Lui Otello, Ex – Guvernator Al  Insulei Cipru
• Alin Anca                             – Un Herald
• Liliana Neciu                      – Emilia, soţia lui Jago

Un grup de balerini din Ansamblul de Balet al Operei: Marius Toda, Daniel Moga, Valentin Mihăilă, Popa Marc Octavian, Romulus Petruş, Augustin Gribincea – Soldaţi, garda lui Otello

Spectacolul se termină la ora 21.45

Bal Mascat de Giuseppe Verdi

…

Miercuri, 4 noiembrie

Opera Naţională Română

orele 18.30

…

Spectacol interpretat în limba italiană.

• Dirijor: Adrian Morar
• Regia artistică: Rodica Popescu Moisa
• Coregrafia: Adrian Mureşan
• Maestru de cor: Vladimir Popean

Actori: Viorel Săplăcan (Riccardo, conte de Warwich, guvernatorul Bostonului), Geani Brad (Renato, secretarul său), Veronica Tudosa Fizeşan (Amelia, soţia lui)

Invitate:

• mezzosoprana Maria Molnar de la Opera Maghiară
• soprana Daniela Tricu (debut).

Masterful Execution of a Verdi Unknown

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents

Ernani

At the Civic Opera House
By Giuseppe Verdi
Based on Victor Hugo’s tragedy Hernani
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
Conducted by Renato Palumbo
Stage directed by Jose Maria Condemi
Thru November 23rd (buy tickets)

Reviewed by Katy Walsh

The Lyric Opera presents Ernani, an opera written by Giuseppe Verdi and first performed in 1844. The Italian opera with projected English subtitles tells the tale of Elvira’s suitors, all fighting for her love: Ernani, Don Carlo-King of Spain and Don Ruy Gomez de Silva. The outlaw, Ernani storms Silva’s castle to abduct Elvira. He runs into the King and an Elvira abduction already in progress. Silva enters furious that his fiancé is being double-abducted in his own home. In love with Ernani, Elvira escapes her marriage to Silva by becoming a hostage of the King’s. Because Silva keeps him from being arrested, Ernani pledges his life to him. In Ernani terms, this promise means Silva gets to decide when Ernani will die. So, after the King pardons everyone and orders Elvira to marry Ernani, who shows up as the wedding crasher? Silva appears and asks Ernani, “poison or dagger?” Ernani chooses a dagger, stabs himself and dies in Elvira’s arms.

A brief announcement at the beginning of Act II informs the audience that Salvatore Licitra (Ernani) begs forgiveness at his inability to sing at his optimal level. Because of the faulty microphone, it’s unclear what the issue is. The person next to me asks, “did he say tracheotomy?” I’m certain it is a trace of bronchitis or another ailment. No matter what Licitra’s struggle is, his performance is stellar. Only in duets with the powerful soprano performance of Sondra Radvanovsky (Elvira) did it occur to me that Licitra might be in a challenging match. Along with the King (Boaz Daniel) and Silva (Giacomo Prestia), the opera is sung magnificently. Adding to the grandeur of the performance, set and costume designer Scott Marr uses the huge cast adorned in finery or cloaked in black to contrast a wedding from the catacombs. With multiple wardrobe and set changes, the dynamic production is eye candy to the audience. Elvira’s costumes, designed by Donna Langman, are particularly exquisite.

Ernani is a must see for its magnificent performances, beautiful costumes, and elaborate sets. The actual opera? Not so much. Verdi wrote Ernani early in his career at age 31. It doesn’t have the memorable arias of his later works, like; La Traviata, Aida, Rigoletto and Falstaff. The story is clunky. In Act II, Elvira tells Ernani she decided to marry Silva when she heard he was dead. What? I want Ernani to ask, or rather sing, “what happened during the intermission that made you think I was dead?” It’s also unclear why these three men all want Elvira when it’s obvious she only wants Ernani. Is it because she dresses nice? I don’t get it. And because it’s an opera, I’m ready for a tragic ending to a love story. Possible alternative endings after Ernani and Elvira’s wedding: Silva kills Ernani, the king kills Ernani, Elvira chokes on a piece of cake and because Ernani thinks she’s dead, he kills himself, she spits out cake realizes he’s dead and kills herself. But Ernani’s suicide because he promised Silva, his nemesis, that he would? Elvira totes around a dagger threatening to kill herself throughout the show but ultimately doesn’t as Ernani dies in her arms. Unsatisfying, Verdi!

Rating: «««

More: Watch the Ernani video trailer.     |     Listen to Ernani scene commentary.

View Full Album

Pictures by Dan Rest

Stars of Ernani

Salvatore Licitra

Elvira

Sondra Radvanovsky

Carlo

Boaz Daniel

Silva

Giacomo Prestia

WAITING FOR THE SHOW

Preshow, we head to Nick’s Fish Market (51 S. Clark Street) to partake in their “happy hour light bites” as described and priced on the internet. We opt for the bar and grill on the main floor and score the last table. Hints of discounted appetizers from 4pm to 8pm are nowhere to be found on the menu presented by the server. Upon request, the server begrudgingly brings the “special menu.” We make a feast of five cheese puffs ($2), trio of mini crab cakes ($5) and a tuna spring roll ($5). Accompanied by a glass of petit syrah, it’s the perfect pre-opera nosh.

During the show, we realize the running time is approximately three hours with two intermissions. Knowing it’s a school night, we have our post show drink during the 2^nd intermission. The best scenario is to avoid waiting in line during intermission by pre-paying (with a nice tip) at the end of the first intermission or preshow.

For newbies to the grandeur and majesty of the Lyric Opera, here are other suggestions for an optimal experience. Be on time!! The curtain always goes up on schedule and there is no late seating. Latecomers are banished downstairs to view monitors until the end of the first act. Don’t clap every time there is a pause in the singing. It’s an opera, a musical without spoken dialogue. Sporadic applause disrupts the flow and annoys the regulars. Applause is reserved for the end of an act or a particularly magnificent aria and can be accompanied with a “bravo.” Don’t feel bad if you can only afford a seat on the fifth floor. Some music aficionados believe the higher level acoustics provide the best listening vantage. But even if your seats are higher up, scurry down to the mezzanine or main level during breaks. People watching during the pre-show and intermissions is almost as excitingly dramatic as the staged performance. No one does a magnificent theatre experience like the Lyric Opera! Bravo!

Opera Naţională Română

MIERCURI, 28 OCTOMBRIE orele 18.30

GIUSEPPE VERDI

TRAVIATA

(LA TRAVIATA)

…

Invitată soprana LUCIA BULUCZ de la Academia de Muzică „Gheorghe Dima” Cluj-Napoca

Spectacol interpretat în limba italiană

ADRIAN MORAR                             – Dirijor

EMIL STRUGARU                           – Regia artistică

CRISTINA ALBU                             – Asistent regia artistică

WITLINGER MARGIT                     – Scenograf

ADRIAN MUREŞAN                       – Coregrafia

VLADIMIR POPEAN                       – Maestru de cor

CORNELIU FELECAN                   – Asistent maestru de cor

LUCIA BULUCZ (invitată) – Violetta Valéry, curtezană

SORIN LUPU                                     – Alfredo Germont

OLEG IONESE                                             – Giorgio Germont

ŞTEFANIA BARZ     – Flora Bervoix

CORINA PĂŞTEANU                                   – Annina

PETRU GHILEA – Gastone, Viconte de Letorières

MIRCEA MOISA                                           – Baronul Douphol

SIMONFI SANDOR                          – Marchizul d’Obigny

PETRE BURCĂ                                            – Doctorul Grenvil

IOAN DAVID                                                  – Giuseppe şi Servitorul Florei

ALIN ANCA                                                   – Un comisionar

Spectacolul se termină la ora 21.30

Turbūt dar neprasinešiau, kad esu jau nebe Londone, o Corke (Airija). Taip, paviešėjęs savaitėlę UK, atvykau čionai, ale čia liksiu ilgėliau..

O atvykęs sužinojau, kad savaitgalį bus opera, kurioje pagrindiniame vaidmenyje lietuvė – Violeta Urmanavičiūtė-Urmana. Operoje dar nesu buvęs, tad norėjosi sužinoti ar mėgstu ją ar ne..

Bet praėjus kelioms dienoms nuo bilietų pirkimo, sužinojom, jog tai bus operos tiesioginė transliacija iš New York’o (nepastebėjom šito perkant bilietus)… Štai kodėl bilietai buvo įtartinai pigūs.. Kaip sužinojom pačioje operoje – transliacija vyko visame pasaulyje (net ir Lietuvoje).

Aš iš pradžių truputį nusivyliau, kad teks eit teliko žiūrėt..

Na, bet sulaukus šeštadienio (10.24) beveik nevėluojant atėjus į Cork Opera House prasidėjo transliacija (bent jau HD ).

Veiksmas vyko senovės Egipte, o opera – meilės istorija tarp Etiopijos princesės Aidos, jos konkurentės Amneri ir Egipto armijos vado Radamès.

Apie pirmąją dalį dar nežinojau ką galvoti, na juk keista pirmą kart būti operoje, o dar tiksliau jos transliacijoje.

(Mr Snrub nuotrauka)

Po pirmos dalies korespondentė ėmė interviu iš pagrindinių solistų. Tame tarpe ir Violetos, kuri interviu pabaigoje, truputį pakalbėjo lietuviškai (tikslios citatos nepamenu, bet maždaug sakė taip: “Aš labai džiaugiuosi, kad ir jūs galite išgirsti ir pamatyti mane kino teatruose”).

15 minučių pertrauka, o po jos antroji dalis.

Va čia tai man jau patiko belekaip. Dekoracijų dydis bei grožis, kostiumai, balsai, šokiai, žirgai scenoje – visa tai buvo įspūdingesni už patį įspūdingąjį Ramūną.. Rimtai.

(Morris Tsai nuotrauka)

(Tere B. nuotraukos)

Per antrą pertrauką nusipirkome balto vyno ir su malonumu ėjome žiūrėti trečiosios bei ketvirtosios dalies, po kurių supratau, kad jei mane sužavėjo operos transliacija, tai kaip būtų tikroje operoje..? N kartų įdomiau turbūt…

Trumpa ištrauka youtube:

Tik kažin ar tikroje operoje irgi būna ekranai kokie su subtitrais, ar jau reikia mokėti italų (ar kitą) kalbą, norint suprasti operą? Gal kas žino?  Bo transliacijoje, tai buvo angliški subtitrai.

Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel. Photo taken by Chantal Thomine-Desmazures, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Sometimes it snows in April.

But in Seattle last weekend, the onset of the October rains were brightened by two spectacular shooting stars: Verdi’s legendary Violetta, and of course, Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel.

Two heroines born of the 19th century, who became icons of femininity of the 20th.

The Seattle openings could not have been better synchronized.  At the Harvard Exit last weekend, my friends and I joked that we had our own “box,” as the only seats we could find together in the upstairs theater were behind a railing.  We weren’t disappointed.  What we saw over the course of the next 110 minutes wasn’t a biopic.  It was an opera.

With very little singing, but still.

Coco Before Chanel (Coco Avant Chanel) fails as a biopic because the chronology of the storyline is grossly inaccurate at worst, and highly debatable at best. Fontaine bases her screenplay on Edmonde Charles-Roux’s book, Chanel and Her World. The primary inaccuracy was the portrayal of Chanel’s

Tangoville sur Mer, caricature of Coco Chanel 1883-1971 dancing with Arthur Boy Capel, 1913, a painting by Georges Goursat

relationship with the love of her life, Arthur “Boy” Capel, as illicit from start to finish. At first, Boy lures Coco away from a man who takes her for granted, sometime around 1909.  This by all accounts is true.  By the end of their relationship, Boy marries an English lady instead of his love, Coco. Also true.  However, for the better part of a decade, Coco and Boy lived together in Paris. They were openly recognized as an item, inspiring an editorial cartoon of them together during Chanel’s rise as an avant garde millener and designer of women’s sportswear.  Capel finally married Diana Wyndham in 1918. Coco Before Chanel sets the marriage just before Chanel opened her first shop in Paris in 1913, years before Wyndam’s first husband died. This remix of events distracts the die-hard Chanel fan and erases some of the nuance of the solid, supportive devotion between Coco and Boy.  It also puts a young Chanel in the position of being satisfied as a mistress, which she wasn’t, at least not until Capel had died and she was no longer searching for her homme de la vie.

That said, the film succeeds in taking the life of Gabrielle Chanel and interpreting it so that the viewer sees a truth within that object that she’s never before perceived. This is why it makes for an operatic experience, complete with grand sets, extravagant costumes, and epic love story, and a great heroine gazing across her empire, dwelling on her losses along the way.

Through this lens it makes sense that Coco would color her entire relationship with Boy Capel with the lingering knowledge that he would ultimately belong to another woman.  Perhaps the Chanel we see discussing the marriage with Capel on screen represents the meaning she will make of the relationship later in life, in retrospect.  This journey through operatic, (e.g. Traviatic) torment and delight adds piquancy to the highs of the relationship.

In fact, Anne Fontaine offers us the best sex scene I have ever seen on film, right smack dab in the middle of a PG-13 movie.  No need to spoil it, but trust me that Alessandro Nivola hits all the right notes as Boy Capel.  He is self-possessed, maybe even a little selfish, but at the same time, so incredibly loving, passionate, head-over-heels and above all, protective of the little girl in Gabrielle who yearns for family.  Between Nivola’s careful performance and Fontaine’s photography, there is no question.  Boy is the one.

Audrey Tautou is a natural Chanel. We should all be glad that the need for this role came about in her lifetime. I would love to see her reprise Coco 25 years, just to find out where she’d head with her at that point. For now, she and Fontaine work beautifully together to show off the cynical, Charlie Chaplinish Tomboy within this glamourous figure.  Tautou reveals how only someone treated as an outsider could take a fresh look at the excess known as conventional femininity, releasing the female body to be sexy and active on its own terms.  Thank Coco for being able to undress with a lover in less than 30 minutes, get up in the morning and go to work. Through Tautou, Coco winks at us 21st century femmes.

I confess that after seeing Coco Before Chanel, I dreaded seeing La Traviata at Seattle Opera. Fontaine’s movie brought up my own loneliness in the wake of lost love to the extent that I didn’t much feel like going solo to McCaw Hall.

A scene from Act I of Seattle Opera's 2009 production of La Traviata, with Nuccia Focile as Violetta, center. Copyright Rozarii Lynch photo.

Donning a little black dress, and downing a flute of Champagne, I made my approach.

Little did I know I’d never be the same.

Arguably Giuseppe Verdi’s most famous opera, the storyline of La Traviata is based Alexandre Dumas’ 1848 novel La Dame aux camélias, about the fictional courtesan Marguerite Gautier who’s game is up once she finds true love. The novel was famously adapted for the stage, and was first performed in 1852.  The following year, Verdi’s opera premiered, with the protagonist renamed Violetta Valéry.  The character of Violetta/Marguerite has captivated audiences ever since she first appeared, and continues to draw the grand dames of the stage.  They say that every soprano wants to perform Violetta.  Variations on her story continue to appear, most recently in the form of Nicole Kidman’s Sautine in Moulin Rouge.

Verdi’s interpretation of the story is damningly personal. At the time he wrote this opera, his family had all but disowned him for cohabitating with Giuseppina Strepponi.  Like Violetta, he was forced to choose between keeping his extended family happy and pursuing a chance at love.  Verdi chose love, and eventually married Strepponi in 1859. Violetta chooses to sacrifice her happiness for that of her lover’s family, providing two delicious outcomes for Giuseppe Verdi:  the opportunity to explore the torment and delight of forbidden love through a masterful work of art, and the chance to outline the consequences of the other choice he could have made, in the end, proving himself right.

Seattle Opera’s production (which runs through October 31, 2009), is brilliantly staged.  This is important. Opera composers and librettists work hard to create a space where a human being on stage can expound on the deep, subconscious nuance of the human experience for fifteen minutes straight and have it not just make sense, but make love to a thousand people a night.  A trained athlete, disciplined artist, and sentient musical instrument, the opera singer performs musical acrobatics for up to three hours a night while giving an acting performance and inevitably being compared to other masters. These folks deserve good staging, and it’s downright sad when an opera company can’t rise to the task of staging a piece so that the audience and performers can get a foothold toward meeting each other halfway.

Seattle opera more than succeeds on this front.  The production, albeit imported, takes us through the spring of new love, to Violetta and Alfredo’s summer of passion in the rose garden, to their “fall” at a masquerade party staged in the colors of autumn leaves, and finally to the prickly winter of Violetta’s isolation.

One standout moment early in the piece comes a the end of the first act, when Violetta, realizing that she has feelings for Alfredo even though she keeps turning him down, wanders out to the balcony where they had their most recent conversation.  Nuccia Focile, who is splendidly sweet and generous as Violetta, simply drifts there as if in a dream, trying to work out what just happened.  In a moment, Alfredo is there, as if their feelings for each other united just before their physical bodies could.

There are notes here and there that echo the love of Chanel and Capel.  Who is being taken for granted?  Is our love enough in a world where we can’t get married?  Is our happiness valid?

La Traviata sweeps across its listener.  It’s a musical massage.  It gets deep into the patient and releases hidden aches and pains while filling the senses with delicious sensations.

My heart has gone through something this week.

-Margaretta Lantz

DUMINICĂ, 25 OCTOMBRIE

orele 18.30

Opera Naţională Română

…

GIUSEPPE VERDI

AIDA

Spectacol interpretat în limba italiană

…

SPECTACOL DEDICAT BASULUI MIRCEA MOISA CU PRILEJUL IMPLINIRII A 50 DE ANI DE ACTIVITATE ARTISTICĂ

HORVÁTH JÓZSEF – Dirijor

ANGHEL I. ARBORE                      – Regia artistică

MIHELA BOGDAN                          – Asistent regia artistică

SILVIU BOGDAN                            – Scenograf

GABRIELA TAUB DARVAŞ         – Coregrafia

VLADIMIR POPEAN                       – Maestrul corului

CORNELIU FELECAN                   – Asistent maestru de cor

MARIUS CHIOREAN - Regele Egiptului

LILIANA NECIU                                                 - Amneris

CARMEN GURBAN                                         - Aida, sclavă

MARIUS VLAD BUDOIU                                 - Radames

MIRCEA MOISA                                              - Ramfis, Marele Preot

OLEG IONESE                                                 – Amonasro

FLORIN POP                                         - Un mesager

ŞTEFANIA BARZ                                             - Marea Preoteasă

Spectacolul se termina la ora  21.40

Stagiune 90 Aniversară

1919-2009

…

Luni

19 octombrie

orele 19.30

…

“Rigoletto”, de Giuseppe Verdi

Dirijor: Adrian Morar, Regia artistică, Scenografia: Emil Strugaru.

În rolurile principale: Sorin Lupu (Ducele De Mantua), Oleg Ionese (Rigoletto, Bufonul Ducelui), Mihaela Maxim (Gilda, fiica lui), Petre Burcă (Sparafucile, Un Asasin)

Spectacol interpretat în limba italiană

Dies Irae (“Día de la ira”) es un famoso himno latino del siglo XIII atribuido al franciscano Tomás de Celano (1200-1260), amigo y biógrafo de San Francisco de Asís. Suele considerarse el mejor poema escrito en latín medieval y difiere del latín clásico tanto por su acentuación (no cuantitativa) como por sus líneas en rima, siendo su metro trocaico.

El poema describe el día del juicio, con la última trompeta llamando a los muertos ante el trono divino, donde los elegidos se salvarán y los condenados serán arrojados a las llamas eternas. Este himno se usó como secuencia en la Misa de Réquiem católico-romana hasta la revisión del Misal Romano de 1970.

En casi todos los réquiem, a excepción del de Gabriel Fauré, aparece también musicada esta secuencia de la Misa de difuntos. En el vídeo, escuchamos a la Filarmónica de Berlín dirigida por Karajan e interpretando el Dies Irae del Requiem de Verdi (1813-1901), compuesto por el músico italiano en 1874 tras el éxito de la ópera Aida.

Dies iræ, dies illa,

Solvet sæclum in favilla,

Teste David cum Sibylla !

Quantus tremor est futurus,

quando judex est venturus,

cuncta stricte discussurus !

Tuba mirum spargens sonum

per sepulcra regionum,

coget omnes ante thronum.

La Traviata, 4 ottobre 2009, Teatro Donizetti (Bergamo)

Dell’invito trascorsa e’ gia’ l’ora
Voi tardaste 

Giocammo da Flora.
E giocando quell’ore volar. 

Flora, amici, la notte che resta
D’altre gioie qui fate brillar
Fra le tazze e’ piu’ viva la festa
 
E goder voi potrete?
 
Lo voglio;
Al piacere m’affido, ed io soglio
Col tal farmaco i mali sopir.
 
Si’, la vita s’addoppia al gioir!

(La Traviata, Atto I – Scena I)

Stagiune 90 Aniversară 1919-2009

Duminică

11 octombrie

orele 18.30

Deschiderea stagiunii

2009 – 2010

“Forţa Destinului (La Forza Del Destino)”, de Giuseppe Verdi

Dirijor: Horváth József, Regia artistică: Rareş Trifan, Scenografia: Valentin Codoiu, Pregătirea muzicală: Ovidiu Moldovan, cu Orchestra şi Corul Operei Naţionale Române

În rolurile principale: Marchizul de Calatrava: Marius Chiorean; Donna Leonora, fiica sa: Carmen Gurban şi Veronica Tudosa Fizeşan; Don Carlo di Vargas, fiul său: Fülöp Martin şi Geani Brad.

Operă în 4 acte. (Libretul: Francesco Maria Piave). Spectacol interpretat în limba italiană.

…

Miercuri 14 octombrie, orele 18.30

Seara de balet. “Carmen”, de Prosper Mérimée

Muzica: Georges Bizet, adaptare: Rodion Scedrin. Scenariul de balet: Emil Strugaru. Coregrafia: Adrian Mureşan.

[FLAC, TRACKS, LOG, COVER]

Performers: Maria Caniglia, Soprano – Ebe Stignani, Mezzo-soprano
- Beniamino Gigli, Tenore – Ezio Pinza, Basso – Tullio Serafin, Direttore -
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma – Roma, 1939

Tracklist:

1. Requiem and Kyrie
2. Requiem and Kyrie 00:07:50
3.Dies irae 00:01:54
4.Tuba mirum 00:02:53
5.Liber scriptus 00:04:17
6.Quid sum miser 00:03:14
7.Rex tremendae majestatis 00:03:13
8.Recordare 00:04:28
9.Ingemisco 00:03:37
10.Confutatis 00:04:31
11.Lacrimosa 00:04:33
12.Offertorium
13.Domine Jesu Christe 00:04:11
14.Hostias 00:04:27
15. Sanctus
16.IV Sanctus 00:02:27
17.V Agnus Dei 00:04:26
18.VI Lux aeterna 00:04:40
19.Libera me 00:02:29
20.Dies Irae 00:01:53
21.Requiem aeternam 00:02:52
22.Libera me 00:04:54

LINK

http://uploading.com/files/dcdm7e2c/VerdiMessaDiRequiem.rar/

Yesterday I rooted out a very unexpected jewel from iTunes Store. I was looking for something unique and at last I found a set of unpublished works by Giuseppe Verdi!! 8-] I already knew the chich of ARTS label titles but that was a pleasant surprise. The edition gathers impressive works composed between 1835-1845, in which the influence of Bellini and Donizzetti is plain. By the way, most of all I appreciated the Andante from Introduzione, Andante e Tema for oboe and orchestra, even if all the tracks are attractive. This cd was a best-selling of the year 2003 and was recorded by italian performers two years before for the 100th anniversary of Verdi’s death. Highly recommended.

For this installment of “Great moments in opera” we turn to Verdi’s La Traviata.  This is one of the most popular operas in the repertoire, but I confess that I have not known much about it apart from a few of the big numbers.  This week I listened to it again, paying some attention to the plot.  (The performance I listened to was Maria Callas’ live performance made in Lisbon in 1958, in a newly-surfaced mastering discussed here.  It is terrific!)

I am told that “la traviata” means something like “the fallen woman”. The story is about a love affair between a gallant and wealthy young man and a poor woman with a checkered past.  (Was she a prostitute?  It wasn’t quite clear to me.)  His father disapproves, and they are made to separate.  She dies in the end.  (I’m not giving much away.  Such deaths are de rigeur in opera.)  It is actually a fairly comprehensible plot, as these things go, and there is a real attempt to convey the emotional and psychological difficulty of the situation — not always the case in Italian opera.

The first Act of La Traviata is a tour de force.  Verdi gives us one hit after another: a superb prelude, a rousing opening chorus, and a wonderful opening duet for our heroes (the drinking song “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici” [listen]).   The music goes from strength to strength, and the Act closes with one of the most famous of all soprano arias, “Sempre libera”.  At this point in the story our heroine, Violetta, is consumed with a kind of frantic madness, doomed, it seems to her, to a life of hedonism and fleeting pleasures, rather than a deep and abiding love.  Meanwhile Alfredo walks around off-stage singing of his love for her.

I found that the level of inspiration was not as high through the rest of the opera, with too much recitative.  This is almost unavoidable, since one has to tell a story, after all, and Verdi’s duller moments are not half so dull as, for instance, Wagner’s.  Things pick up again as the opera nears its completion, and there is a splendid final scene.

My favourite performance of “Sempre libera” is from an old recording made by Joan Sutherland.  I cannot find that audio online, but here is a good performance by Angela Gheorghiu, complete with subtitles.

Miercuri 25 noiembrie

Opera Naţională Română

orele 18.30

…

Giuseppe Verdi

Trubadurul

(Il Trovatore)

…

Invitaţi: mezzosopranei Andrada Naş de la Academia de Muzică „Gheorghe Dima” şi a baritonului Marian Pop

Spectacol interpretat în limba italiană

HORVÁTH JÓZSEF               – Dirijor

RODICA POPESCU MOISA – Regia artistică

MIHAELA BOGDAN             – Asistent regia artistică

ANDREI ŞCHIOPU                            – Scenografia

VLADIMIR POPEAN             – Maestru de cor

CORNELIU FELECAN                      – Asistent maestru de cor

MARIAN POP                                    – Contele de Luna

VERONICA TUDOSA FIZEŞAN      – Leonora, Contesă de Sargosto

ANDRADA NAŞ                                – Azucena, ţigancă bătrână

MARIUS VLAD BUDOIU                  – Manrico, un trubadur

ALEXANDRA HORDOAN                – Inés

PETRE BURCĂ                                 – Ferrando

VALERIU TURCU                              – Ruiz

ALIN ANCA                                       – Un ţigan bătrân

RADU PINTEA                                   – Un trimis

Spectacolul se termină la ora 21.20