Gratuitous Friday – Juan Diego Flórez as Orphée

It's been a little while since I’ve spent time with Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice/Orfeo ed Euridice. I am a major mezzo fan, but I always love to hear a tenor Orphée! Juan Diego Flórez recorded this opera commercially a few years ago, and it's great to hear how his interpretation has matured. (I still love Richard Croft best in this role and Daniel Behle does a nice job with this aria, but JDF is doing just fine, thank you very much!)

Opera Stars Sing Christmas Music on Ö1 Radio

World opera stars from Enrico Caruso to Renee Fleming are included in this little Christmas music program on Austria's Radio Ö1. Not just the familiar carols, but also a bit of Bach and some opera excerpts from Rimsky-Korsakov's Christmas Eve and (of course) Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel. The program also includes selections from Juan Diego Florez, Mado Robin, Paul Robeson, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Thomas Quasthoff, and others.

I haven’t posted as much in 2014 as in past years (oddly, it was easier to keep up when I had a steady job), but I hope to get back to more regular presence here on the blog pages in 2015. So for now, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my readers! And to carry us through the 12 days of Christmas, here are some Regie or Not Regie Christmas posts from seasons past. 

Merry Christmas from RnR!

I hope you all enjoy this lovely Christmas medley from the 2008 Christmas in Vienna concert. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Gratuitous Friday-Plus – La Donna del Lago with JDD & JDF!

Look what I found at YT: It's probably for a limited time only, and it has no subtitles, but it's a great way to tide us over till the DVD (please, please, please) comes out. 

I haven't been able to track down a (free) English translation, but here is a synopsis, and the Italian libretto, which should help in keeping track of what's going on. At least now I know how I'll be spending part of my weekend. 

Rossini: La Donna del Lago on BBC Radio 3

I highly recommend heading over to BBC Radio 3 some time within the next six days to listen to a complete performance of Rossini's La Donna del Lago from the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

Before you do, take a look at this preview. The featured singers (Joyce DiDonato, Juan Diego Florez, to name two) offer an overview of the plot, and you get to see some behind the scenes rehearsal footage. What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon (or Tuesday evening, or whatever)!

Cool, huh? But wait, there’s more. Here’s JDF singing O fiamma soave: