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.

LA TRAVIATA

Third Act

Check out the 1st. ACT  &  2nd. ACT

1^st. Couple

2^nd. Couple

Lady

El Area Joven  de la Municipalidad de Reconquista, con la coordinación en esta ocasión del evento de Julia Lotero, junto con la  Cátedra Abierta sobre Derechos Humanos del Instituto Superior de Profesorado Nº 4 “Angel Cárcano”,  presentaron en Reconquista el Movimiento Teatro por la Identidad, brazo artístico de las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo.

CORO EN TEATRO- FESTIVAL 2009

El miércoles 4 de noviembre  actuaron en el Teatro Español, y por la tarde lo hicieron en las instalaciones de la Escuela Nº 634 “Yapeyú”. Cabe consignar que dicho proyecto, impulsado por la Cátedra sobre DDHH del ISP Nº 4 y el Area Joven del municipio local fue declarado “de interés municipal” por el Honorable Concejo Deliberante de Reconquista, y “de interés legislativo” por la Cámara de Diputados de la provincia de Santa Fe.

CORO EN TEATRO- FESTIVAL 2009 RECONQUISTA

El jueves 5 se  presentó en el Teatro Español , ante una sala colmada con un público sorprendido, en una función libre y gratuita.

Las obras que se presentaron fueron tres:
- “Manos Grandes”, de Mariana Pérez, dirigida por Mónica Scandizo . Monologo de  Andrea Villamayor.
- “Vic y Vic” (teatro documental), de Erika Halvorsen, con la actuación de Paula López y Lucía Maciel.
- “El señor Martín”, de Gastón Cerana, con dirección de Cristian Sabaz y actuación de Cristian Sabaz y Leopoldo Barbieri.

Cabe destacar la brillante actuación de los actores, en especial del actor y director Cristian Sabaz, quien brilló en el escenario del Teatro Español, demostrando una calidad Escénica formidable.

El viernes 6 de noviembre se presentaron en el TEATRO ESPAÑOL, de Reconquista,

Solistas del Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón de Buenos Aires y becarios de la Fundación Accentus de Santa Fe, presentándose  junto al

Coro Polifónico Municipal “ Dionisio Cantero “  de Reconquista.

La compañía interpretá arias, dúos, cuartetos y coros de las ópera más conocidas y bellas de compositores románticos: L’ELISIR D’AMORE (de Gaetano Donizetti),

LOS CUENTOS DE HOFFMANN ( de Jacques Offenbach)

TOSCA Y LA BOHÈME (De Giacomo Puccini)

CARMEN (de Georges Bizet) y

AIDA Y LA TRAVIATA (de Giuseppe Verdi).

Se estrenaron además números de la opereta cómica EL MURCIÉLAGO (de Johann Strauss) con ambientación del argumento y montaje escénico (música , luces, actuación, )

colaboracion: Silvina Bonastre – Reconquista

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!

Sabato 24 ottobre: inaugurazione della Stagione Lirica 2009/10 al Teatro Superga. Per una coincidenza lo stesso titolo che ha aperto la stagione del Regio e che è ancora in corso di rappresentazione: La Traviata di Giuseppe Verdi. Sicché Domenica 25 nella conurbazione torinese si poteva scegliere tra due edizioni della stessa opera. Direi comunque che non si trattava di edizioni in concorrenza: al Teatro Superga non ci sono ambizioni di innovare la lirica con allestimenti che vorrebbero fornire nuove prospettive di lettura dell’opera rappresentata. Insomma tutto avviene secondo libretto e tradizione e gli spettatori non vengono costretti a decodificare proposte spesso criptiche. Devo dire che fa bene vedere una Violetta che non corre come una assatanata da un capo all’altro del palcoscenico (Salzburg) o fa contorsionismi su una tavola (Parma) o su un’alcova è intenta a prendere gli onorari delle sue prestazioni durante il preludio (Venezia); muore nella sua camera da letto e non in una corsia d’ospedale o in un androne condominiale o vicino a un trabattello durante la ristrutturazione in corso del suo alloggio. Inoltre non si insiste a sottolineare ed enfatizzare gli aspetti inevitabilmente squallidi della sua attività professionale: insomma non c’è alcun bisogno che gli spettatori vengano edotti con scene ad hoc sul fatto che in casa di Violetta e di Flora gli invitati non andassero a recitare il rosario o le novene, già il titolo è lapidario, non lascia dubbi e tanto basti. Quindi nessuna sorpresa, tutto come ai vecchi tempi e ci si può ancora commuovere di fronte alla vicenda di Violetta. E’ vero che poi gli spettatori all’uscita non fanno a gara a chi ha capito di più l’allestimento del regista e si limitano a commentare la bravura dei cantanti o l’inevitabile emozione che dà puntalmente il capolavoro verdiano, ma forse l’opera lirica continua a vivere proprio in questa sua capacità di coinvolgimento emotivo senza cui rischia di defungere.

Quindi nulla da aggiungere sull’allestimento, curato dal regista Guido Zamara: tradizionale, essenziale e decoroso. La sorpresa della serata è stata la protagonista, il soprano Sandra Balducci, chiamata a sostituire in extremis la titolare indisposta. Giovanissima e di bella figura rendeva già scenicamente il personaggio interpretato. Soprano lirico di coloratura (come viene definita) è l’ideale per essere Violetta, che nei tre atti passa dalla coloratura del primo atto, al lirico e drammatico degli altri due. La Balducci ha già convinto il pubblico durante il primo atto (d’altronde nel suo repertorio c’è persino la Regina della Notte!), ma li ha poi letteralmente conquistati nel secondo e nel terzo. In “Dite alla giovine..”, “Alfredo, Alfredo”, “Addio del passato”, con una voce che sembrava giungere dal profondo dell’anima è riuscita a siglare un’interpretazione intensa e coinvolgente, da artista matura, quasi in contraddizione con la sua giovanissima età.

Sandra Balducci

Accanto a lei nel ruolo di Alfredo una conoscenza del Teatro Superga, Enrico Nenci, che nella scorsa stagione era già stato applaudito come Mario nella Tosca e soprattutto come Pollione (uno dei più convincenti da me ascoltati sulle scene negli ultimi anni) nella Norma. Un Alfredo generoso e ricco di slancio come ha da essere. Sergio Bologna, già applaudito lo scorso anno come Scarpia, si è confermato un ottimo baritono nel ruolo di Germont. Bella voce e linea di canto sempre corretta, senza eccessi e forzature, riesce a rendere persin meno antipatico del solito il personaggio di Germont padre. Buoni i comprimari da M.Vittoria Paba (nel doppio ruolo di Annina e Flora) a Silvano Paolillo (Gastone) a Valerio Garzo (il Barone), a Carlo Provengano (il Marchese) a Antonio Marani, già ascoltato in Tosca, nel breve ruolo del Dottore. Fondamentale il ruolo del Coro “Puccini” diretto da Gianluca Fasano e del Corpo di ballo “Studio Danza Narcisa”. Ho lasciato per ultimo il direttore, Claudio Maria Micheli, che per quanto giovane vanta già un buon curriculum e un vasto repertorio lirico e sinfonico corale. E’ riuscito nell’ardua impresa di equilibrare orchestra e palcoscenico in un teatro privo di buca e non nato espressamente per la lirica.

Claudio Maria Micheli

L’orchestra composta da giovanissimi aveva il nome “Orchestra del Teatro Superga”. Non saprei se sarà un complesso stabile o se si è trattato solo di un nome scelto per l’occasione. In ogni caso giovani valorosi che meritano ogni plauso.

Doveroso un encomio finale al Comune di Nichelino e ai suoi amministratori che in periodo di innegabile crisi, anziché piangere miseria e battere cassa proseguono costanti nella loro opera di elevazione culturale dei propri cittadini. Non solo la stagione si fa con i consueti otto spettacoli, ma il Teatro è stato parzialmente ristrutturato per renderlo più agibile e confortevole. Tutti vorremmo avere amministratori così.

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

Dopo la “Puccini collection” dello scorso inverno ecco la Verdi DVD Collection, in edicola allegata ai settimanali del gruppo Mondadori. Si parte con Aida, cui seguiranno Traviata, Rigoletto, Trovatore… ecc. fino a tutto gennaio, salvo ripensamenti editoriali.

Quindi primo numero Aida, in una edizione ripresa all’Arena di Verona circa 30 anni fa. Maggiore attrattiva la presenza di Maria Chiara, soprano che nel ruolo di Aida eccelleva in modo particolare, e di Fiorenza Cossotto nel ruolo di Amneris. Radames è Nicola Martinucci. A dirigere Anton Guadagno, direttore siciliano, scomparso nel 2002,  attivo soprattutto all’estero. Aveva una predilezione per Aida e spesso era chiamato a dirigerla. Un estratto dall’edizione: il duetto tra Aida e Amneris.

Come già avevo annunciato, il secondo numero è La Traviata. Si tratta della celeberrima edizione diretta da Georg Solti con Angela Gheorghiu nel ruolo di Violetta. Edizione già distribuita più volte in edicola in altre collane sia in VHS che in DVD. Scelta comunque sempre azzeccata, in quanto è forse la migliore edizione in video dell’opera. Spettacolo del Covent Garden del dicembre 1994 fu un successo strepitoso al punto che la BBC cambiò la programmazione tv per trasmetterla in diretta. La Decca ne fece immediatamente CD e video. Merito di Solti, che alla veneranda età di 82 anni debuttava in quest’opera e scelse per il ruolo principale la Gheorghiu, curandone in modo capillare la interpretazione. Accanto alla Gheorghiu l’ottimo Germont padre di Leo Nucci. Meno riuscita la scelta di Frank Lopardo come Alfredo. Comprimari che cantano in itanglese, come di solito alla ROH, almeno in passato. Allestimento tradizionale di ottimo gusto di Richard Eyre.

Due estratti dall’edizione:

Terzo numero: Rigoletto. Come avevo già scritto, edizione del Metropolitan di New York, direttore James Levine. Ripresa il 7 novembre 1977 è un esempio di che cosa era il Met nell’era Levine. Spettacoli molto tradizionali, non sempre belli e spesso vetusti; cast che accanto a vecchie glorie del teatro vedevano star del momento e comprimari di buon livello; direzione d’orchestra di Levine, spesso criticata per mancanza di idee originali, ma sempre fortemente teatrale, di passo incalzante, mai noiosa. In questo Rigoletto nel ruolo eponimo c’è una vecchia gloria del Met: Cornell Mac Neil che a 55 anni riesce ancora a essere un convincente Rigoletto. Accanto a lui due star: Placido Domingo e Ileana Cotrubas, allora presente in molti teatri e incisioni. I due saranno protagonisti della incisione dell’opera diretta da Giulini un paio di anni dopo. Justino Diaz è Sparafucile Isola Jones Maddalena. La regia di John Dexter è quanto di più tradizionale si possa immaginare, ma forse meglio così: si va sul sicuro. La ripresa tv di Kirk Browning è secondo gli standard del tempo e oggi potrebbe sembrare superata. Però si tenga presente che gli USA e il Met in questo campo erano circa 20 anni avanti a noi nel tempo.

Un estratto dall’edizione:

Quarto numero: Il Trovatore. Anche in questo caso edizione del Met. Conosciutissima e già distribuita in edicola in varie collane sia in VHS che in DVD. Trasmessa anche in tv lo scorso anno dalla rete Iris nel digitale terrestre free to air in un ciclo di opere in prima serata che purtroppo non ha avuto lunga vita. I pregi maggiori di tale edizione sono la presenza di Luciano Pavarotti e la direzione di James Levine. Il resto non è, a mio avviso, sullo stesso alto livello. Sherril Milnes nel 1988 cominciava a dar segni di stanchezza, Eva Marton ha voce potente, ma non mi sembra adatta al personaggio di Leonora,  Dolora Zajick canta bene, ma ha una dizione italiana che ne compromette in parte l’interpretazione, Jeffrey Wells è un Ferrando forse da dimenticare. Lo spettacolo ha la regia di Fabrizio Melano con le scene di Ezio Frigerio e i costumi della Squarciapino: nulla di memorabile, più che altro sembra il riciclaggio di altri allestimenti già visti all’epoca. Buona la ripresa tv a cura di Brian Large.

Ecco l’immancabile pira:

e un momento che vede insieme i tre protagonisti:

Quinto numero: Otello. Di nuovo Metropolitan, nuovamente James Levine. Nel ruolo eponimo Placido Domingo, che nel 1995 (anno della registrazione dello spettacolo) ne era forse il miglior interprete. Al suo fianco la Desdemona di Renée Fleming e lo Jago di James Morris. La regia dello spettacolo, molto tradizionale, è di Elijah Moshinskij e proviene dal Covent Garden. Se devo esser sincero non ho mai particolarmente apprezzato questa edizione: forse il tentativo del regista e del direttore di depurare l’esecuzione dell’opera di ogni possibile eccesso ha finito col produrre uno spettacolo corretto, ben cantato, ma tutto sommato un po’ carente di pathos. Comunque, al di là dei miei gusti individuali, è una produzione di buon livello, con momenti anche molto riusciti: fra tutti il finale del terzo atto, dove finalmente si riescono ad ascoltare (e anche vedere) le trame che nel concertato generale Jago continua a tessere.

Sesto numero: Nabucco. Un’edizione per certi versi storica. Teatro alla Scala 1986: spettacolo inaugurale. Segnò l’inizio dell’era Muti (se così posso definirla) e presenta il Maestro in un momento particolarmente felice . Muti è in luna di miele con la Scala e con il pubblico milanese e dà il meglio di sé in questo Nabucco. A mo’ di esempio questo video in cui un pubblico osannante chiede il bis del Va’ pensiero e Muti con “soddisfatta rassegnazione” lo concede.

A vederlo piange davvero il cuore a pensare al divorzio insanabile tra il Teatro milanese e Muti dopo un connubio di 19 anni. Renato Bruson è Nabucodonosor ed è veramente esemplare. Ghena Dimitrova (Abigaille) e Paata Burchuladze (Zaccaria) erano tra le presenze abituali della Scala di quegli anni. Voci torrenziali, tenute comunque a freno da Muti. Lo spettacolo ebbe la diretta tv Rai il 7 dicembre, la ripresa tv è di quel mago della regia televisiva che risponde al nome di Brian Large. Insomma un’altra Scala, un’altra Rai, un’altra Italia…. Migliori? Fate un po’ voi…

Hey there, Email She Wrote fans! We’re back and in dramatic fashion, if you’ll pardon a deliberate pun! Aspiring impresario, Sinéad McMahon, is fishing for high-powered backing for her highly-punctuated musical.

Hello,

Firstly, I would like to say that I am a MASSIVE fan of all your work Mr. Weinberger, I think you sing very well (I particularly enjoyed your drunken {ironically} version at that karaoke bar of ‘The Drinking Song’ from ‘La Traviata’ {do you remember that night? [I don't, because I was drunk]})! One could say I admire you. And for that I thank you.

In some ways I envy you, Mr. Weinberger.

Secondly I was THRILLED to imagine that you are keen to promote and publicise ‘MONIKER!!!: The Sinead McMahon Story…’ my self-written bitchingly-awesome musical. My singing teacher, Mr. Thraxby, said that it’s “mediocre at best” and after this affirmation I am VERY excited! Can’t wait to start working with you. The run begins on Tuesday and I am delighted that you have agreed to put your name to the project.

Given the inevitable success of the production, I have already gone ahead and affixed your logo on the 30,000 posters which I have plastered around Dublin (AND BEYOND!) and also the quote, “THIS IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE BEST MUSICAL I HAVE EVER SEEN! YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT SINEAD!” – Josef Weinberger, and “SHIT! THAT’S GOOD!” – The entire staff of Josef Weinberger Ltd. Thank you for your support! I’ll send you a DVD.

The run begins in my front room (mum said I could) from Tuesday and is on for the foreseeable future, every day at about half four. It’s going to be very (VERY) good! It can seat, at capacity, about 672 (I tried it the other day).

Needless to say, I’m really exciting!

And excited!

Bye bye

Sinead x

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)

Welcome back to the Opera!!

LA TRAVIATA 

(again)

First Couple

Second Couple

Lady 

Copyright Window Displays pictures© 2009 Gifitting (All rights reserved) Contact: gifitting@hotmail.com

First blog post… please bare with me!  

It’s a busy time of year in the theatre world, with the build up to Panto season, and a new programme of events recently commenced, it is all go!

This week we have the brilliant WNO in residence. They are currently setting up for the first performance, La traviata, as I type. La traviata starts tomorrow night and continues on Friday, with Madam Butterfly comfortably wedged in the middle on Thursday night.  

Monday 28th September, Castle Square in Swansea was taken over by the lastest promotional advenutre for Cappuccino Girls (Mal Pope’s new musical, 24th – 28th Nov in the Grand). The flashmob involved over 160 youngsters, including Britain’s Got Talent stars Shaheen Jafargholi and Greg Pritchard, and Mal Pope dressed as a builder! With a promotional video playing in the background on the big screen, they drew quite a crowd and brought Swansea’s City Centre to life – Smile, you’re in Swansea!

Tomorrow begins the actual count down to this year’s Panto Sleeping Beauty, when the cast arrive for the official Press Launch.

But more about that later in the week (hopefully with photos!).

La Traviata. Pacific Opera Victoria, Oct 6, 2009.
I am an opera virgin. I am not a listener of opera (until now), but I have always wanted to experience it. (Guess I should have put it on my list).
So I’m going. Tuesday. With Roger and Jim (sitting in the orchestra pit practically) and with Scott (in nosebleed section with me), who has also never been to a live opera but whose mother was an amateur opera singer.
I think I’m ready to make full benefit of glorious opera opportunity:

• Gist of storyline: check.
• Appreciation of music: double check! I downloaded the Pavarotti/Sutherland performance to my iPhone.
• Love of Italian language: kept me in relationship with Italian guy for 5 months even though I knew deep down it was doomed from the first two weeks: check.
• Floor-length gown: check.
• Long gloves: borrowed from Catherine. Check.
• Pretty shoes: er, uncheck. Feet to be covered by floor-length gown.
• Handsome men to accompany me: how lucky can I be? I have THREE! (see above): Check.
• Opera glasses, or, if possible, monocle. Well, a nice-to-have but not a must-have: doubtful.

So I’m all set! Watch my Twitter feed for post-opera gushings of awe and amazement.

La temporada 1973-1974 va ser una temporada molt intensa al Liceu en part gràcies a dos sèries de representacions memorables de la Caballé al Liceu: al novembre la temporada es va iniciar amb l’estrena absoluta al teatre de la Caterina Cornaro de Donizetti, amb Caballé, Aragall i Bruson en els papers protagonistes, mentres que per final d’any s’iniciaren les històriques representacions d’Aida, amb el Domingo, la Berini i Mastromei. Entre mig d’aquestes dues, a inicis de desembre, la soprano tenia programades 4 funcions de La Traviata, amb Josep Carreras i el Vicens Sardinero, que juntament amb les altres dues van ser les tres produccions en que la soprano va participar aquella temporada.

Cal dir que La Traviata va ser un paper dels més importants per la nostra soprano en els seus primers anys d’esclat com a diva de fama mundial, i que va escollir-lo moltes vegades com a carta de presentació en molts teatres on debutava, a més de ser el segon papar que va gravar en disc per la RCA, allà per l’any 1966. Ara ja havien passat els anys, i Caballé cada vegada s’anava ficant en papers més spintos o amb més càrrega dramàtica, és a dir, més Amelies, Aides (que debutà al Liceu uns dies després), Adrianes, Normes, Manons puccinianes… i menys Leonores, Mimis,….. El cas es que el paper de Violetta cada vegada va quedar més arraconat, i després d’aquesta funció (perquè només va fer una, la resta les va cancel·lar) a la seva Violetta li quedaven molt poques representacions.

Segons el que la soprano explica en la seva biografia d’aquella funció, es trobava lleugerament refredada per el que no estava al 100%, cosa que podria explicar els dos incidents que va sofrir en el primer i darrer acte, però al mateix temps també ens reconeix que aquella funció és troba entre les millors que ha fet del personatge. Nomès siigui per aquest motiu, que ja val la pena prestar atenció al que va succeir aquella nit.

Escoltant la funció un retroba totes les virtuts en la veu i el cant habituals de la soprano. Comença a demostrar la seva vàlua en un impressionant soliloqui “Ah, forse è lui ” d’irrefutable bellesa i intenció dramàtica, després de passar amb nota per les coloratures del duo amb Alfredo. Però és en els dos re bemolls de “Giore” on trobem el primer incident de la nit, ja que el primer no arriba a ser emès, amb una hàbil correcció in extremis de la soprano, mentre que en el da capo es produeix un fet insòlit fins aquell moment, amb el primer gall de la soprano al Liceu (cal matissar que és un gall molt petit, però és). Independentment d’això el públic la rep amb entusiasme al finalitzar l’acte, però la soprano no va sortir a saludar sola, ja que, com ella confessa, sentia que no s’ho mereixia.

En el segon acte està espectacularment bé, amb un duo amb Sardinero (Germont pare) on es poden entendre perfectament a partir del cant tots els canvis d’ànim del personatge i on, com sempre, en el “Dite alla giovine” crea aquells moments màgics de cant eteri que posen la pell de gallina. Poc després té les memorables frases “Amami, Alfredo” on està punyent i molt intensa, i ja en la següent escena ens regala un “Alfredo, Alfredo” commovedor.

En l’últim acte es troba un altre dels moments memorables de la partitura: el “Addio, del passato” on la Caballé canta amb autèntic sentiment, però vet aquí que al final de l’ària en l’última nota aquesta se li talla, no podent recuperar-la amb la perfecció amb que la soprano acostumava a emetre aquests sons. En “Parigi, o cara” continua molt capficada, com també en les últimes frases, on un pot dir que la soprano a assolit completament el personatge.

A la Caballé l’acompanyaven el Josep Carreras (a punt d’esclatar de manera definitiva) i el recordat Vicens Sardinero.

Carreras està molt ardent com al jove Alfredo. El seu fraseig i el seu cant ja són el que han sigut durant els seus millors anys: veu amb un centre de color bellíssim i cant supercomunicatiu i donant-ho tot. La seva prestació és excel·lent, amb una versió memorable de la seva ària al començament del segon acte (amb cabaletta inclosa i agut). Al final del segon acte és un amant ferit molt convincent, per passar al penediment més contingut amb un molt bon ús de la mitja veu. Al “Parigi, o cara” la veu perd una mica d’impostura en les notes del pas, però això només es tradueix en una pèrdua de la bellesa del so.

Sardinero, per la seva part està en molt bona forma, amb un duo amb Caballé magnífic, amb la veu sonant autoritària i poderosa, amb un color de baríton autèntic, i un cant molt ajustat. És una llàstima que la gravació es talli just en el moment de la famosíssima “Di Provenza” (si algú té aquesta gravació completa hi vol fer-la arribar que no ho dubti).

La resta es defensa amb dignitat, amb un Dr Grenvil d’un jove Joan Pons encara exercint de baix.

La gravació prové de la retransmissió radiofònica de RNE on les veus sonen adequadament, mentre el so de l’orquestra, dirigida pel mestre Masini, queda més pobre.

VERDI-LA TRAVIATA (Part01, Part 02   s’ajunten amb HJsplit)

Violetta-Montserrat Caballé

Alfredo-José Carreras

Germont-Vicente Sardinero

Flora-dolores Cava

Gastone-José Manzaneda

Dr. Grenvil-Juan Pons

Orquestra i Cor del Gran Teatre del Liceu-Gianfranco Masini

Barcelona, 6-12-1973

———————————————

Enllaços relacionats:

http://rodiazsa.wordpress.com/2009/08/14/montserrat-caballe-al-liceu-maria-stuarda-de-gaetano-donizetti-gener-de-1979/

http://rodiazsa.wordpress.com/2009/05/18/montserrat-caballe-al-liceu-i-vespri-siciliani-de-giuseppe-verdi-28-12-1974/

http://rodiazsa.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/montserrat-caballe-al-liceu-luisa-miller-de-giuseppe-verdi-10-01-1972/

La Traviata 

Venue Cymru will be hosting the Welsh National Opera this Autumn.

They will be performing La Traviata, Madam Butterfly, and Wozzeck.

Madam Butterfly

They will be at Venue Cymru between 13- 17 October.

It has come to my attention that not everybody reads my posts all the way to the end or do not understand my sarcastic style. Please note that Jon Huber is a good person and that I was using Poetic Licence in my opening of this review.

Who Does Jon Huber Think He Is?

His business card says something like Director of Lifestyle Marketing. All I know is that the Dude won’t take my calls. When I DM him on Twitter, He tells me “I’m jammed, what cha  got?”

Now Pappy is not one to chase anyone. That’s the funny thing about Twitter, you throw up a screen name like @PappyFerrara, @sirpantsornot, @xjv, @shing999  or @caosmoker and no one knows who you are.

Now some might yell:  ”Do you know who my Father is?!! but I leave that for my kids to say. ‘Nuff said.

Let’s talk about the CAO LaTrviata Divino.

I heard @jcruz of StogieReview.com gushing over this cigar like my daughter goes on about the Jonas Brothers.  Calling it his “cigar of the year” especially at the price of around $5 per stick.

I respect Jerry and the rest of the StogieReview.com crew.

I saw him flaunting all his goodies (hat, ashtray and slick cigars) and talking about how nice the band was.  It made me want to try one but my local B&M, Cordova Cigars, did not have their order in yet.

I’m not one to beg for a cigar and @caosmoker  can back my up on this (wink) but I really wanted to try this one.

Next thing I know this package shows up on my doorstep with 4 LaTraviata Divinos and some sort of funky biking cap that only looks good if you wear it backwards. You know that Pappy is too old to be wearing a cap backwards.

The cigars do have a cool retro band but as I’ve said in the past you can’t smoke the band.  So what about the cigar.

Appearance and Construction: Densely packed with a beautiful EMS wrapper, thats an old skool term that sadly seems hardly used anymore .

No Flaws or soft spots,  it’s perfectly rolled.

Pre-Light scent: is sweet earthy manure with a mild scent of tobacco at the foot.

Pre-Light draw: it seemed a bit tight but upon lighting was nice with adequate flow giving it a medium body.

Flavor: It’s not a very complex blend but it is a real good one.  I pick up favors of coffee, spice and fresh baked Italian bread.  Pappy Likes fresh baked Italian bread.   Nice on the nose with great room aroma.

The burn line: is straight and the light gray to white ash, on 2 of the 4 sticks,  stayed on nearly down to the band.

Overall: This is a very good cigar and I could see it holding a place in my regular rotation. I could also see this cigar aging quite nicely.

So I guess Jon Huber knows who he is after-all . He’s that guy with a hot cigar at a good price, that’s going to be in big demand.

Els tres actes de La Traviata representen tres estats anímics diferents de la protagonista, Violetta: la frivolitat de la seva vida de cortesana al primer; l’angoixa per poder viure tranquil·lament amb Alfredo al segon i l’obligació d’abandonar-lo; i la certesa de l’amor i de la mort al tercer. L’ària de la setmana passada pertany al tercer acte, i avui torno enrere per posar una de les àries més conegudes del primer acte, «Follie, follie… Sempre libera», en la qual refusa la possibilitat de l’amor perquè ella necessita ser lliure per gaudir de la vida. La canta la soprano romanesa Angela Gheorghiu, famosa tant per la seva veu com pel seu divisme. La producció és la de la Royal Opera House Covent Garden —la mateixa que es programà al Liceu la temporada 2001-2002 amb un altre repartiment.

(vídeo pujat per umbrea)

Summer must be over: the students are returning to University next week;  the cricket season is just about to end; the football season is well under way; the Last Night of the Proms is all done and dusted. But at least it all means the Opera season has started again!

Last night I went to the Wales Millennium Centre to see Welsh National Opera’s production of La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi. Actually, to be precise, this was a co-production with Scottish Opera who supplied the sets scenery and costumes, it was directed by David McVicar and was first staged in Scotland before transferring to Wales for this run.

La Traviata is one of the most enduringly popular of all operas – and is one of the most frequently performed. It’s quite curious that its first performance in Venice was a complete disaster and it took several revisions before it became established as part of the operatic repertoire. A production like the one we saw last night, however, makes it abundantly clear why it is such an evergreen classic. Act I in particular is just one memorable tune after another.

The opera is based on the novel La Dame Aux Camélias which later became a play with the same name. It tells the story of Violetta, a glamorous courtesan and flamboyant darling of the Paris party scene. She meets a young chap called Alfredo at a spectacular do in her house in Act I and he tells her he’s completely in love with her. She laughs him off and he departs crestfallen. When the party’s over and  he’s gone, though, she finds herself thinking about him. The trouble with Violetta is that she is already seriously ill with consumption (tuberculosis) at the start. She knows that she is doomed to die and is torn between her desire to be free and her growing love for Alfredo.

Cut to Act II, Scene I, a few months later. Violetta and Alfredo are shacked up in a love nest away from Paris. While Alfredo is away paying off some of Violetta’s bills, Alfredo’s father Giorgio turns up and tries to convince Violetta to abandon her relationship with his son because its scandalous nature threatens their family’s prospects, particular his daughter’s (Alfredo’s sisters) plans to get married. Violetta eventually agrees to do a runner. Alfredo returns and meets his father who tries to convince him to return to his family in Provence. Alfredo is distraught to hear of Violetta’s departure, refuses to go with his father, and vows to find Violetta again.

Scene 2 is back in Paris, at the house of a lady called Flora. There’s a lot of singing and dancing and general riotousness.Alfredo turns up, slightly the worse for drink and proceeds to gamble (winning a huge amout of money). Violetta turns up and Alfredo insults her by throwing his winnings at her. He’s then overcome by remorse but the Baron Douphol, a wealthy friend of Violetta, is outraged and challenges Alfredo to a duel.

Act III is set a few months later in Violetta’s bedroom where she’s clearly dying. Alfredo has run off after wounding the Baron in a duel. The doctor gives Violetta just a few hours to live. Alfredo returns. The lovers forgive each other and embrace. Violetta dies.

In this performance Violetta was Greek soprano Myrtò Papatanasiu, a name that’s quite new to me. She’s tall, elegant and has a lovely voice. Violetta is quite a demanding role- there are several tricky coloratura passages to cope with – but her character is quite complicated too. Although we know she’s ill right from the start she’s not by any means a passive victim. She’s a courtesan who has clearly put it about a bit, but she’s also got a strong moral sense. She’s vulnerable, but also at times very strong. I thought Myrtò Papatanasiu was a wonderful Violetta who not only sang beautifully but had a mesmerising stage presence.

The other star of the show (for me) was Dario Solari as Alfredo’s father. His richly textured baritone voice was a revelation to me. He was quite limited as an actor but musically excellent.

Tenor Alfie Boe’s Alfredo was less convincing. His voice was not as powerful as the other principals and at times he sounded very strained. He’s quite small in stature as well as voice and I found it hard to imagine that this particular Violetta would fall so dramatically for him. However Alfredo is torn between the powerful personalities of Violetta and his father so in a strange way his relative weakness worked out pretty well in that mixture.

The  look of the opera – staging and costumes – was also stunning. The Paris parties were riots of colour and movement with just as much debauchery as desired.

All in all an excellent production which I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. It was so good, in fact, that even after seeing it many times, and knowing very well what was going to happen, the final scene of Violetta’s death was still deeply moving.

Finally, I should also mention that La Traviata has a wonderful overture. I’ll probably stop going to opera when I no longer get butterflies in my stomach during the overture. It’s childish but I still get excited like that sitting  in the theatre waiting for the performance to start. This overture certainly does that for me, and it also underlines the  underlying tragedy of the story. Opening with ghostly strings that presage Violetta’s inevitable death, it then bursts into one of the beautiful melodies that Verdi seemed to be able to produce at the drop of a hat. Genius.

Com vaig dir la setmana passada, s’han acabat Händel i Scholl (per uns dies, que em conec: avui he estat a punt de recaure!), i canviem de compositor (Verdi) i de veu (soprano), amb una ària de la que és (amb totes les cometes necessàries quan es fa una afirmació com aquesta) la meva òpera favorita: La traviata. Per si algú no la coneix, explica la història d’una senyoreta de vida alegre que comet l’error d’enamorar-se d’un senyoret burgès que també s’enamora d’ella i, contra el sentit comú imperant a l’època, ho abandonen tot per viure junts. Un escàndol en majúscula per la bona i benpensant burgesia que acaba, com no pot ser d’altra manera, amb la mort de la protagonista, Violeta Valéry. L’òpera es basa en la novel·la La dama de les camèlies d’Alexandre Dumas fill, que recollí una història real.

L’ària d’avui és «Addio del passato», en la qual Violeta, que ja sap que s’ha de morir, s’acomiada de la seva vida i del seu amor, Alfredo, i li desitja que sigui feliç. La canten Victòria dels Àngels al primer vídeo i Darina Takova al segon: la primera, perquè m’agrada (i ja perdonareu que el so no sigui gaire bo, però m’ha semblat més interessant aquest enregistrament en directe que el d’estudi que enllaço al final), i la segona perquè la primera Traviata que vaig veure la cantava ella. I ara em deixo de batalletes i us poso els vídeos.

(vídeo pujat per Klassizimsus)

(vídeo pujat per coloraturafan)

I la torna, un enregistrament de Victòria dels Àngels el 1959 de la mateixa ària.

I would would love to talk to Giuseppe Verdi.

He talked to me last night through his masterpiece, La Traviata, which was the opening act of Bangkok’s 11th International Festival of Dance and Music.

It was performed by Ekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theatre, Russia. Playing Violetta Valery was soprano Natalia Starkova, a gold medallist at the International Bellini Vocalists’ Competition. Alfredo was played by Dymtry Kuzmin, a soloist with the National Opera of Ukraine. The conductor was Mikhail Granovsky from Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow.

To say it from the outset: this was a fantastic performance. Of course the end of La Traviata is tragic but the joyous parts are equally beautiful. All the singers were just great and they harmonised so well.

For me as a vintner, the so called “Drinking Song” (well its’ actually about the beauty of love) is just wonderful.
Here are the lyrics:

Alfredo
Libiamo ne’ lieti calici,
che la bellezza infiora;
E la fuggevol ora
S’inebrii a voluttà.

Libiam ne’ dolci frementi
che suscita l’amore,
poichè quell’ occhio al core
omnipotente va.
Libiamo, amore, amor fra i calici
più caldi baci avrà.

Tutti
Ah! libiam, amor fra’ calici
più caldi baci avrà.

Violetta
Tra voi sapò dividere
Il tempo mio giocondo;
Tutto è follia nel mondo
Ciò che non è piacer.
Godiam, fugace e rapido
E il gaudio dell’amore;
E un fior che nasce e muore,
Nè più si può goder.
Godiam!
C’invita un fervido
Accento lusinghier.

Tutti
Ah! Godiamo!
La tazza e il cantico
La notte abbella e il riso,
In questo paradiso
ne scopra il nuovo dì.

Violetta
La vita è nel tripudio.

Alfredo
Quando non s’ami ancora..

Violetta
Nol dite a chi ‘ignora.

Alfredo
E il mio destin così.

Tutti
Ah! sì godiamo..
La tazza e il cantico
La notte abbella e il riso;
Godiamo, in questo paradiso
Ne sopra il nuovo dì.

I could not find Natalia and Dymtry on youtube singing this song. That’s the bad news. The good news is you can go and see her performing live.

But I will not let you go without the song: here it is. There are many versions of this song on the internet. By chance I selected this one.
Salute Giuseppe

Autriche – Une ville autrichienne célèbre pour abriter une pierre sur laquelle aurait uriné le compositeur Mozart, organise un festival pour commémorer l’évènement et rendre hommage au personnage.

Raschala a déjà fait installer une plaque sur la pierre sur laquelle le compositeur aurait uriné. Wolfang Amadeus Mozart aurait en effet traversé la ville en 1787 et aurait demandé au cavalier de sa voiture tractée de s’arrêter sur le bas côté de la route pour un besoin pressant avant de continuer vers Prague.

Beaucoup de visiteurs se sont déjà déplacés pour constater l’existence de cette pierre et c’est pourquoi la ville a décidé d’organiser un festival de musique en l’honneur du compositeur, et de rappeler qu’il est bien passé par Raschala au cours de sa vie. Le professeur d’architecture Helmut Leierer a ainsi déclaré : “Il est bien connu que Mozart a fait un court arrêt ici et y a laissé sa trace qui est maintenant définitivement signalée par notre plaque.

Néanmoins, nous demandons aux visiteurs de ne pas se soulager sur la pierre afin de respecter ce grand homme.” Il faut cependant savoir qu’il se murmure parfois que M. Leierer aurait inventé cette histoire concernant le compositeur alors qu’il faisait la fête avec ses amis en 1975. Trouvant que la ville n’avait pas suffisamment d’atouts touristiques, il aurait mis au point cette anecdote afin d’attirer les visiteurs. La pierre a apparement été érigée l’année suivante, en 1976. via zigonet.com

[end]