La Clemenza di Tito from Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on Arte (soon)

Arte TV live-streamed the new production of La Clemenza di Tito from Théâtre des Champs-Élysées today. It should be ready for archival viewing in a day or so. At left we see Kurt Streit as Tito, Kate Lindsey as Sesto, and Robert Gleadow as Publio. 

While we cool our heels waiting to see/hear the performance, we can whet our appetites with a few brief videos, as found on the Theatre’s YouTube channel. I have shared a few that include singing (yay singing!) Other clips include interviews with the artists. Sadly (for those of us who are French comprehension-impaired), without subtitles. 

Can there ever be enough La Clemenza di Tito? I don't think so!

More Handel: Theodora from Carnegie Hall – This Sunday at 7

         The English Concert Plays Handel's Theodora

From the WQXR website:

Last month, early-music specialist Harry Bicket came to Carnegie Hall with the English Concert for the latest installment in their Handel project—the rarely heard oratorio Theodora.

Tune in Sunday at 7 pm to hear that performance featuring an all-star lineup of soloists: soprano Dorothea Röschmann, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, countertenor David Daniels, tenor Kurt Streit and bass-baritone Neal Davies.

On choral duties is the Choir of Trinity Wall Street led by Julian Wachner.

Theodora was "Handel's biggest flop and the piece he was most proud of," according to Bicket. But then one could look at other works that "perhaps didn't have such a great reception the first time around and we now appreciate as the masterpieces that they are." Bicket called it a social-political story, influenced by Thomas Paine, among other thinkers, and also an introspective work.

Performers

• The English Concert
  Harry Bicket, Artistic Director and Conductor
• Dorothea Röschmann, Soprano (Theodora)
• Sarah Connolly, Mezzo-Soprano (Irene)
• David Daniels, Countertenor (Didymus)
• Kurt Streit, Tenor (Septimius)
• Neal Davies, Bass-Baritone (Valens)
• The Choir of Trinity Wall Street
  Julian Wachner, Director of Music and the Arts

Update 3/17/2014: It's down there in the comments, but in case you don't make it that far, I wanted to call your attention to the following information from a blog buddy who shared the link to the WQXR archive of this broadcast: 

stray March 17, 2014 at 6:40 PM Wouldn't it be great if some radio station archived it online? Absolutely!

La Clemenza di Tito (Part 2: Personal Drama Played Out in Public)

Act 2 Finale

In some productions, Sesto is on the verge of a nervous breakdown (same for Vitellia and Tito, too, in other productions.) I think this Sesto is just a wimp. Anna Bonitatibus sings and acts gorgeously, but all I want to do is slap Sesto and sign him up some self-esteem classes. 

Kurt Streit portrays the Tito’s stress and exasperation, but sounds strained. (Actually most tenors do. It must be true that Mozart hated tenors. The slow rising of standard concert pitch over the years can’t take total blame for the awkward tessitura of Mozart’s tenor roles.)

La Clemenza at La Monnaie

Check out this new production of La Clemenza di Tito online at La Monnaie's website for a limited time (through Nov. 30*). Kurt Streit is Tito, Veronique Gens is Vitellia and Anna Bonitatibus is Sesto. 

I've only seen the first two scenes. The set is a big bedroom/office (maybe a hotel room?) There's a big video screen over center stage that shares intriguing and/or significant closeups (often of someone who is not singing, but usually reacting to whomever is singing). Both Sesto and Annio look and move convincingly like guys, and Tito is on stage at a desk stage left from the start. I haven't gotten far enough in to find out how that's going to play out. 

Sometimes videos from La Monnaie appear elsewhere later. Sometimes not. So watch it now!

*Update 11/10/13 My original intelligence said Nov. 21, but I just noticed on the La Monnaie site it says the 30th. (Also, I now have a crush on Swedish mezzo Anna Grevelius as Annio, but I am not sure if I have a crush on her, or on him.)

Related Posts:
Servillia and Annio (Review, Part 1)
Personal Drama... (Review, Part 2)