More Must-See Medici.TV (Mozart and Beethoven)

Tristan and Luca

Luca Pisaroni as the Count in Le Nozze di Figaro. Do I really need to say more? 

The performances are quite good, and I really dig the Upstairs/
Downstairs theme (and set.) Having the Count, Countess, Figaro and Susanna all about the same age also makes sense. I am not sure I like seeing Luca as a bad guy. I mean he does it well, playing a textbook abusive husband, alternately loving and threatening. But, well...Luca's such a nice guy, I think he should always be the hero! The whole cast is pretty impressive*, including Zurich stalwart Martina Janková as Susanna, and Anett Fritsch (a cool Donna Elvira last season), and Adam Plachetka as Figaro. ...and the rest! Anyway, watch it while you can. 

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro – Dan Ettinger, Sven-Eric Bechtolf – Salzburg Festival on medici.tv.

*including a furry cameo by Luca's doxy Tristan as, appropriately, the Count's Dog. I am still waiting to see Lenny get a juicy opera role. 

While you're hanging out at medici.tv, be sure to watch the new Claus Guth production of Fidelio with Jonas Kaufmann and Adrianne Pieczonka. I’ve seen only a brief excerpt so far. But it looks pretty good. I mean, it's Claus Guth...and of course, there's JK and AP! (It also has dancer Paul Lorenger, and sign language artist Nadia Kichler who both appeared in Guth’s amazing staging of Handel’s Messiah.)

Fidelio: Beethoven – Claus Guth, Franz Welser­-Möst – Salzburg Festival – With Jonas Kaufmann on medici.tv.

Having missed all but Act 1 of Carmen, and barely catching the Bayerische Staatsoper Lulu** before it went off the web***, I am pledging to myself to re-watch Nozze and watch Fidelio from beginning to end before they disappear!!

**Marlis Peterson is amazing as Lulu. I thought Tcherniakov’s production was illuminating—in Acts 1 and 2. Act 3 seems to be a stumbling block for many directors. But MP is amazing—really the whole cast is impressive. If it turns up—ahem—elsewhere, do take time to watch it. I am looking forward to hearing MP in the new Met production. Speaking of Lulu at the Met, there is a really good article/appreciation of this opera in the latest issue of Opera News. Lulu (like Wozzeck, I guess, but I am not as big a fan) provides new insights (to the music and to the characters) with multiple hearings. 

***I left the browser window open for the past few days, and still was able to watch Act 3 today, even though technically it was no longer available.

Salzburg 2013 Cosi Finally on Ö1 Radio. Hooray!

© Michael Pöhn

Guess why Ferrando and Guglielmo are jumping for joy? 

Tonight, Austria's Ö1 Radio is finally broadcasting the Salzburg Festival Cosi Fan Tutte! The broadcast is at 19:30 (which is about 1:30 PM Eastern Time), and it should stay in the archive for about a week on (the amazing and handy) 7 Tage Ö1 (A week of radio when you want it!)

The performances did not garner glowing reviews (the Maestro seems to have been lackluster at best). But the singing must be at least semi-stellar. I mean, look at this cast list:

Malin Hartelius – Fiordiligi

Marie-Claude Chappuis – Dorabella

Martina Janková – Despina

Martin Mitterrutzner – Ferrando

Luca Pisaroni – Guglielmo

Gerald Finley – Don Alfonso

Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor

Wiener Philharmoniker

Christoph Eschenbach

Recorded in the Haus für Mozart in August as part of the Salzburger Festspiele 2013

2012 Lieder Recitals from Schwetzingen Still Available

So, I was over at Dorothea Röschmann – an appreciation, checking out a notice about the Berlin Philharmonic's November 2013 concert of Schumann’s scenes from Faust*. The rest of the vocal cast is compelling too, and includes Martina Janková, Werner Güra, Christian Gerhaher, and Luca Pisaroni. 

On that same page, there is a link to the (still active) archive recording of DR’s wonderful 2012 Schwetzingen SWR Festspiele Lieder recital. (Earwormopera published the sung texts) In fact, most all of the 2012 Schwetzingen programs are still available from Südwestrundfunk SW2. The site says the recordings are available for a year, which means they’ll be disappearing soon (to be replaced by the 2013 programs, no doubt.)

Don Giovanni – Zurich 2006 (Part 2: Never Put Your Hand Inside a Singing Statue)

Simon Keenlyside
as Don Giovanni
as Leporello

As I noted yesterday, I didn't like this Don Giovanni much the first time I watched it. But reading the Earworm's recent reviews encouraged me to revisit the performance. The mirrors and drapes and other nice touches in the production emphasize the ambiguity that one often feels about this opera. Donna Anna sings her Act 2 aria (Non mi dir) supposedly to Ottavio, but she is wearing Giovanni's red velvet jacket, and holding the hand of her dead father (or the hand of a representation of her dead father.) Her heart belongs to Daddy, and she feels obligated to Ottavio, but I think she wants Giovanni. As Ottavio moves towards her, she steps downstage, waves her hand to bring down a curtain behind her, blocking Ottavio. She sings the bravura ending of her aria "in one", downstage in front of the curtain.

Don Giovanni – Zurich 2006 (Part 1: The Music and The Mirror)

After reading the Earworm's recent review(s) of this performance, I decided watch it again. The first time (seems like ages ago, but was only a few months), I had trouble finding a way into the director's concept. I just didn't care that much. It's still not a top favorite Don Giovanni, but I like it better and I understand more of it now.