Opera Chic

Anthem In A Minor Key: It's Almost As Cool As Terme di Caracalla For The 1990 World Cup, Almost

Placido Domingo sings the national anthem before the 2007 Major League Soccer Cup, Houston Dynamo vs New England Revolution in DC  (Layton/Getty/AFP)

Martha Nussbaum: Saariaho + Louise Glück + Dawn Upshaw = TEH AWESOME

If you could choose any three University professors and give them a one-year sabbatical together to solve a problem, develop a theory or make a discovery, who would they be and what task would you assign them?

I would like to see composer Kaija Saariaho compose a setting of poet Louise Glück's amazing recent cycle Averno for performance by Dawn Upshaw. Glück has a university appointment at Yale and Upshaw at Bard; I can't find evidence of a university appointment for Saariaho, so if you won't accept her, I will substitute Osvaldo Golijov, who is appointed at Holy Cross. But I actually think Saariaho's style suits the poems better.

Also sprach Martha Nussbaum, the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law & Ethics in the Law School, Philosophy and the Divinity School of the University of Chicago.

Somebody name Professor Nussbaum general manager of some major opera house like, NOW

Cecilia Bartoli, "unarguably the most exciting and original classical singer in the world today"

Rupert Christiansen, that smartypants, cranks out a weirdly sweet Valentine to La Ceci in the Daily Telegraph.

(Obviously he sometimes wants, and we quote, "to smack her", because he never went shoe shopping with her, and that makes him angry).

Anyway, we join him in a triple yay for La Ceci.

*****update*****

Blogger gtl torn t, who rulZ all the things Liceu, flew to Berlin to warship Cecilia Bartoli

The Gr8 Nureyev -- In More Ways Than 1

We recently revisited this iconic Richard Avedon 1961 portrait of Rudolf Nureyev, in Paris, posing with nothing but two loaves of smiling bread.

ok, well, we had to alter the image to make it safe for those browsing OC from work. Or university. Or whatever puritanical prison of censorship you happen to work in. p('_')p

Tempting, isn't it...to make clicky-click? ok, enough: you serious internet business guys have been duly warned. Click link below for the NSFW [NOT SAFE FOR WORK*] (or prudes) version of Nureyev in all his glory. NSFW link here.

*webpage contains loads of gorgeous male nudity...yay for that.

Today's Trivia: It's Verdicentric

Exactly 168 years ago today, Maestro Giuseppe Verdi unleashed his very first opera to the world, Oberto conte di San Bonifacio, a drama in two acts with libretto by Solera. With that intrepid, inaugural foray into the world, his opera premiered at La Scala, on November 17, 1839, and was enough of a success that he was further commissioned by Bartolomeo Merelli, l'impresario della scala, to write three more.

We now tip our hats to Maestro Verdi, and thank him for his contribution to opera. //ok, now its time to put our hats back on. 

La Scala's Second Milan Strike Victim: Così Ban Tutte

The axe falls again, and another La Scala performance gets flayed from the itinerary, (technically this is the third performance to get cancelled, although, only the second one to get cancelled at Teatro alla Scala -- the second performance was the Requiem @ Parma), confusing tourists and angering music fans who may have traveled from afar to visit the famed Milan opera house.

Two silver linings in the face of such annoyances? This production of Così is pretty weak, so it’s not like anyone is really missing out on a stellar event at the theater. Secondly, this time, La Scala was at least considerate enough to supply the cancellation announcement in English, to the relief of non-Italian speakers everywhere. In case you missed it, here was the confusing scene at the November 9, 2007 cancellation of Verdi's Requiem. NOW WAS THAT SO HARD??!! Here is a close-up of the English language explaination:

"The Management of the theatre regrets to announce that due to a strike organised by the SLC-CGIL, FISTEL-CISL, UILCOM-UIL and FIALS Trade Unions, the performance of Cosi fan tutte due to take place that day is cancelled."

David McVicar's Giulio Cesare Comes, Sees And Conquers Chicago

The genius production of Giulio Cesare that the genius of David McVicar has dreamt up in 2005 at Glyndebourne (and its DVD plays on heavy rotation at Casa Opera Chic in the glory of operatic plasma, together with McVicar's Nozze, his darkly shimmering Zauberfloete, his Engels-is-my-homeboy industrial-revolution Rigoletto) is now enjoying a well-deserved triumph in Chicago at the Lyric Opera.

Big raves for hawt hawt hawt Danielle de Niese, who's being described by the papers as "a Cleopatra so sex-kitten-seductive  that no red-blooded Roman general could possibly resist her" (a Cleopatra on MySpace, tasty!)

The Tribune editors, sadly, couldn't resist the century-old handle-Handel thing, but we're all for dumb humor, so more powah to them, etc.

No mention of a McVicar staging is complete without a quote of one of the great man's greatest moments (the following paragraphs are painted in Chanel Black Satin -- limited edition, by0tches!!! --  on OC's walk-in closet's door)

Anyway, what's wrong with a little elitism from an art form that can be difficult to grasp? Opera often explores painful things like brutal sex, murder and suicide and you leave the theatre with your soul shredded. But that's the point of great art.

Some people find hip hop completely inaccessible but nobody calls it elitist. No one says Barbra Streisand is inaccessible but it costs just as much to see her than to go to Covent Garden

u can say that again mang!

7 For All Mankind's L.A. Opening (Sadly, Without OC)

 

(Photo credit: Chris Weeks)

With part of last summer’s vacation passed in Los Angeles, OC couldn’t get enough of the street style that is so unique to the USA’s West Coast. We loved checking out the coolest LA designers, boutiques, and labels, and went everywhere from Scout to American Rag to the giant Paul Smith warehouse (yes, it's rilly heaven on earth).

While slapping my vintage Gucci white patent leather flats across the concrete of trendy Robertson Boulevard, I almost went flailing across the street @ seeing a 7 For All Mankind storefront, a reigning producer of American-made denim products, the quality & cuts almost too painfully gorgeous and comfortable to be classified as jeans. But when OC got closer, she saw the storefront was merely a large placard placeholder, announcing that 7 For All Mankind store was coming in Fall 2007. For now we would have to be sated by Robertson’s denim neighbor Adriano Goldschmied.

(This is what greeted OC when she visited L.A.'s Robertson Boulevard this past July...a 7 For All Mankind teaser.)

Frankly, we’ve had our fill of J Brand and Rock & Republic and Rag & Bone, while 7s always rise to the top, and were dismayed that we would have to wait until our next L.A. vacation to visit the store. However, following the Hollywood celebrity scene, we noticed that the Robertson store had opened shortly ago -- this past Thursday, November 15 to be exact. We graciously contacted e-friend, the awesome photographer Chris Weeks (you can visit both his site and his blog), and he generously and kindly forwarded us some photographs of the festivities.

The store rang in its birth Thursday night with various scensters and denim-junkies, including style-renovator to the stars, Rachel Zoe, the affable party girl Cory Kennedy, while host Aaron Battista representing 7, welcomed all. We wish we could have been rocking our 7s and Chanel platforms @ the opening night, but will make it our mission to stock-up in L.A. the next time we’re out. Or 7 For All Mankind could kindly open a store in Milan!

(Above: Opening night of 7 For All Mankind denim on Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles)

(Above: Retail space of the 7 For All Mankind Roberston Boulevard store, braeking my <3)

(Above: From L --> R: 7 For All Mankind mang, Aaron Battista, Alex Sum, and Rachel Zoe)

(Above: Pretty lady Cory Kennedy @ the 7 For All Mankind Robertson opening)

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Update: Speaking of this weekend's openings, OC would be very envious of her NYC-based readers if not for the fact we already have two here in Milan. What it is what it is? It's Muji! Formerly, USAers could only find a smattering of the Japanese-based Muji products @ the MoMA gift shop...that alluring display of shiny, matte metal office supplies; tiny, clear bottles and travel containers; and compact, no-frills paper products. The first independent Muji shop just opened yesterday in SoHo, NYC, and if you've never been, it's beyond worth checking out.

One Day To Go: Tomorrow Night Orlando (Mit Hells Angels) Goes Bananies In Vienna

Kurt Streit performs on stage for the dress rehearsal of Joseph Haydn's "Orlando Paladino", @ Vienna's Theater an der Wien. Premieres tomorrow night. Love the toy gun.

Eva Mei and Bernard Richter as Angelica and Medoro

Juliane Banse, Bernhard Berchtold and Jonathan Lemalu as Eurilla, Licone and Rodomonte

eeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwww!

New Scala Strike Kills Second Requiem For Toscanini

Another strike of the Scala orchestra has canceled the second Verdi Requiem in memory of Arturo Toscanini (they should have appeared in Parma's marvelous cathedral next Saturday, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, soloists Adriana Damato, Marina Domashenko, Marcelo Álvarez, Kwangchul Youn). The even wasn't just a commemoration of Toscanini's death in 1957, it also marked the return of la Scala in Parma. The last time la Scala played there had been, with Verdi's Requiem, on 4/4/1980: soloists Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni, Elena Obratzsova and Ruggero Raimondi, cond. Claudio Abbado.

OC hears that, if anything, this new  slap in the face has made the Scala management less likely to cave in to the unions requests. La prima of Dec. 7 (Tristan Und Isolde, directed by Chéreau, conducted by Barenboim) may very well be canceled.

Florida Grand Opera's Plan B, Now With Moar Style

"I believe the world of high fashion and grand opera go together." -- Florida Grand Opera Board President, Jane Robinson.

If there's one thing I know about those words above, it's that I like the way it sounds. At the impetus of the FGO Board President, this upcoming Saturday evening, November 17 (which opens with Mozart's Cosi fan tutte), will bring about a new, fashionable paradigm for the annual Opening Night Gala. For this year's 67th anniversary of the FGO, in addition to the requisite champagne/dinner/dancing post-opera gala, high fashion will reign as the evening's concurrent success. The FGO has their Eres panties in a twist because this season's sets and costumes of Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles have been designed by British fashion icon Zandra Rhodes

For the event's theme, "Celebrating the Fusion of High Fashion and Opera", five prominent fashion designers local to the Miami area had been invited to create original evening gowns inspired by one of the five 2007-08 season productions, which will be clipped to models and paraded around the gala @ the Carnival Center's Ziff Ballet Opera House. The Gala closes with a fundraiser, and the gowns will be auctioned-off to benefit the opera organization.
 
OC hopes that the Gala is a winner, as we experienced the FGO last February with Renata Scotto-directed, Richard Bonynge-conducted Bellini's La Sonnambula, and can attest that the beach mentality influenced the frock-less masses that streamed into the opera house.

Here below are the divaish offerings from the five local women designers, and we're happy to report that all five would have no problem sheathing our leading ladies of opera. All images were taken from the Miami Herald multimedia slideshow (credits to John VanBeekum & Suzanne K. Mast Lee) found here [with music], but OC condensed it for you below because i <3s u all.   

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BELOW -- Julian Chang's Les pêcheurs de perles gown: A $3,400 halter gown with ruffles, made of 2-ply silk. Artist's statement: "I love romantic stories. This dress has a little bit of ethnicity. There's a lot of gold. It's something that's a little more structured but has flow.'' 

BELOW -- Mayda Cisneros's Cosi fan tutte gown: A $3,800 purple silk taffeta with ruffles. Artist's statement: "This opera has to do with two brothers who are out to prove that women forget who is whom. I really wanted to use ruffles to show flirtiness and flightiness because ruffles to me are the ultimate expression of that. I made them big and bold. Women can be flirty and flighty and strong at the same time."

BELOW -- Victoria Lopez Castro's Tosca gown: A $4,000 ivory silk chiffon, hand-beaded, with ostrich feathers and overcoat in silk velour. Artist's statement: "Tosca was a very vivacious opera singer, and this was the era of Josephine and Napoleon. So I designed something that was wearable -- a scene-stealer effect but very clean."

BELOW -- Ivonne de la Vega's La Bohème gown: A taffeta dress for $5,000 and an asymmetrical silk velvet cape for $2,500. Artist's statement: "It was quite challenging because when I started the research I realized [the lead character] is very poor and dies. It's very dark and gloomy. So I used a dark fabric from the Netherlands and since there are a lot of capes in the opera, I said, 'OK, we have to glam this up a bit.'"

BELOW - Silvia Tcherassi's Julius Caesar gown: A sequin and silk gown for $4,000. Artist's statement: "The dress is a stylish and contemporary version of a roman gown, the blue color represents the color of the Mediterranean ocean at night. It is a dress that without a doubt Cleopatra would have used to seduce Caesar.''

So Opera Chic readers, which one is your favorite? Victoria Lopez Castro's Tosca gown is our preferred...for its clean lines and simplicity. We roundly applaud all the local designers for their hard work and lovely gowns...although in all honesty we'd swap them in an instant for Balenciaga's or M. Bardelli's.

Juan Diego Flórez's Spoken [Not Sung] Interview @ L'università Cattolica, Milan

(Milan's l’università Cattolica del sacro Cuore pictured above)

(**note: This post is a continuation from the Juan Diego Flórez Milan recital/interview from the night of Monday, November 12, 2007, which you can find here.)

For someone as hardcore & bangin as Juan Diego Flórez, we lovingly describe him to non-operatic friends in the same terms we use when listening to freestyle -- like how we feel before the razor sharp rhyming finesse of Wu-Tang’s Inspectah Deck (and speaking of Wu-Tang, let’s all tip a 40 for our fallen rhyme slayer Ol’ Dirty Ba$tard [aka Big Baby Jesus, aka Dirt McGirt, aka Osirus], who shed his external, mortal [granted, filthy] coil exactly 3 years ago).

Flórez blasts them all away with his lamby-throated power, straight-up and raw, slaying every contender with his 20-sided-die invincibility & 454 big block punch. Last night’s recital and interview @ l’università Cattolica del sacro Cuore di Milano was no exception to that flawless Flórez package, who, by guessing at his nicely-tailored suit, has been spending his free time in Milan @ the via Manzoni Armani store (aka That Big-A$$ Armani Mall), using his stage cred to get some sweet discounts.

Super emcee on the mic, Enrico Girardi (musicologist, music critic for Corriere della Sera, and a professor @ l’università Cattolica del sacro Cuore), did an awesome job as host last night, and adequately praised and flattered the Peruvian tenor with a humble, yet spirited approach. After singing six gorgeous arias, Flórez sat down with Girardi and spoke extensively about his past & current career highlighs, and who superhumanly, didn't seem to break a sweat all evening.

First, Flórez spoke at length about his beginning years in Lima at the Conservatorio, his three years spent in Philadelphia, and how he found fellow Peruvian tenor, Ernesto Palacio, now his current mentor/agent. He spoke of his first encounter with Palacio, and admitted that when he auditioned, Palacio didn't seem very impressed. Ha ha teh GAMBLER! U gotta know when 2 hold em, know when 2 fold em.

Flórez then went on to speak about the great tenors of the past that had the most impact on him throughout his career, and of course, he greatly praised Maestro Pavarotti. Flórez also mentioned Alfredo Kraus, which made the audience fly into a spontaneous applause. He then lightheartedly relayed his first impressions of Italy, which happened to be via his first experiences in the South, contrasted it with his impressions of Milan and the North, and then went on to extensively recap his breakthrough at Pesaro at such a young age.

(Flórez during his final bows as seen on the screen projection, after the faculty handed him a sunflower bouquet.)

He spoke of how lucky he feels to be living in this zoom zoom internet era where there is so much recorded media available to voice students and professional singers alike, and how wonderful it is to just pick-up a DVD or CD of any performance, and then stressed how learning from the past greats has been an invaluable tool.

Then Girardi asked him which conductor he had learned the most from, and Flórez answered, that above all, it was Maestro Muti that taught him the most, via his performances at La Scala (Falstaff, Armide, etc.), especially during practices. We all know that Muti took Flórez under his supervision, but the Peruvian tenor divulged that Muti was so effective and so nurturing because he would accompany him on the piano during practices, which Florez said was invaluable, and lamented that conductors just don’t make the effort anymore. He then said that he learned also from Riccardo Chailly, Roberto Abbado, and is regretful that he can't work with the ailing Claudio Abbado anymore.

He then said that one of his big frustrations in his career as an opera singer are directors who don't pay attention to the libretti, and therefore stage their own modern productions, which are ignorant to the inherent action that has been written. omg we're soooo with you on that one, Flórez.

He closed the interview speaking about being an Inter fan [YAY], his old house in Bergamo omg dueling composers [he previously lived on the corner of via Gioacchino Rossini & via Giacomo Puccini], his new house that is being built in Pesaro on the hills of San Bartolo, and the great historic Italian singers that hail from the region.

After speaking with Girardi for such a long span, and remember, he spoke in a foreign language (Italian) the entire duration, Flórez effortlessly concluded the performance with three encores [which you can find in the post here]. He was given a large bouquet of sunflowers, reminiscent of the ones that covered Maestro Pavarotti's casket September in Modena, to which Flórez kept his hand over his heart.

He is unstoppable, a half tenor/half robot machine. Five minutes after the conclusion of the recital, as the audience filed-out of the hall, he appeared once again to greet his fans and sign autographs. That settles it: Im getting myself a JDF tattoo this weekend. Ok wait, i'm a giant pu$$y when it comes to commitment...maybe just a facebook group instead called, “JDF teh super bada$$ tenor robot club”.

JDF and his mob of adoring fans (above & below)

New York Public Library Presents The Opera Photos of Graziella Vigo

Graziella Vigo -- the Milanese fashion photographer who has supplied her gorgeous images to numerous Italian magazines and a recognized La Scala photographer -- will be showing 130 of her staged Verdi photographs in NYC at the Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery @ the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, 40 Lincoln Center, UWS.

Opening November 19 and running through the end of February 2008, "Verdi on Stage: Photographs by Graziella Vigo" exhibits her large, hand-printed photographs on canvas, images taken from all Verdi productions (Aida, La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, Un Ballo in Maschera, Macbeth, etc.) that were taken @ La Scala, Teatro Regio di Parma, and Tokyo's Bunka Kaikan in the last decade. It was during general rehearsals and performances that she would shoot the sumptuous photos, documenting lights, costumes, and staging.

The project was originally released to the public as a photo catalog from Mondadori in 2004 titled, "In Scena. Verdi, Muti, La Scala" [see above], and was under the collaboration of Maestro Riccardo Muti for the celebration of the 2000/01 La Scala season, which marked the 100 year passing of Verdi.

NYC opera fans, how often comes around an exhibit focusing mainly on your passions? GO [UPPER] WEST [SIDE], YOUNG MAN!

OC & Juandi: "Ecco ridente in cielo" with Juan Diego Flórez in Milan

Get with it or get lost in it. Opera Chic is lounging in bed, about to drift off to sleep, with memories of tonight's special recital/interview with Juan Diego Flórez, which was given to mark the 60 year celebration of the Facoltà di Economia @ l’università Cattolica del sacro Cuore di Milano, in downtown Milan.

Everyone's favorite Peruvian tenor, JD Flórez, gave earlier tonight a free recital (although reservations were required prior to the event). With pianist Vincent Scalera, Flórez's program titled, "Ecco ridente in cielo" [pdf file] included some arias from our bel canto ancestors, and a few South American songs. Between the singing, Flórez spoke at length with Microphone Checka Enrico Girardi about his career highlights and impressions. Because the event was expected to be off the hook and packed to the britches, a video feed was made available in an adjacent room for those who weren't lucky enough to get inside the recital hall. Of course, OC was there to represent for all'y'all.

In an intimate hall -- reminiscent of a small renaissance chapel, with gorgeous wood paneling that rose 12 feet high, topped with frescoed walls that vaulted above -- Flórez stood elegantly in a dark grey pinstriped suit. Main mang Ernesto Palacio watched-on from the front row, with the remainder of the hall packed. Girardi guided the entire night, with lengthy introductions to the works, along with a substantial interview between the singer and himself that revealed many insights into the mind of the flawless, untouchable tenor. Accompanied on a shallow stage at a baby grand, Flórez began the evening with Cessa di più resistere from Il barbiere di Siviglia to thunderous applause, and then launched into Una furtiva lagrima from L’elisir d’amore. Other highlights included a zarzuela sampling, Por el humo se sabe from Doña Francisquita & La maîtresse du roi from Donizetti's La Favorite.

His bis(es), however, brought down the house, and a standing ovation:

First, Flórez sang La donna è mobile from Verdi's Rigoletto, filled with spots of such gorgeous coloratura...you couldn't even believe how he packed in those notes in such breathless bel canto style.

Second, Flórez sang from La fille du régiment his crowd-pleaser, "Ah mes amis". However, he sang the slightly altered version in *Italian*! "Ah mes amis" became "Gli amici miei". Absolutely brilliant, catching everyone off-guard.

Third, classic 1930s latin song, Agustín Lara's Granada. heh. It was sweeeeeeet! Latin lingo, baby!

After the two-and-a-half hour performance, Flórez poked his head out for his adoring fans and signed a whole mess of autographs [foto below].

   

More coming tomorrow, including what Flórez spoke about during the interview. You don't want to miss his thoughts on: being an Internazionale fan, living in Italy, how to be a diplomat during rehearsals, and he divulged the maestro that has been most influential to him over the years (hint: it is one of OC's most favorite living conductors, and his name rhymes with "booty"), and a few more pictures.

Juan Diego Flórez is like the best tenor on the whole planet, type "dkfj90" if you agree tia. ok time 2 go 2 bed the 'tussin is starting to kcik in cu 2morrow & mebbee goodbye.

l8ly Some Music Ads

In the last round of media that Opera Chic digested, her musically-stimulated mind filtered-out a few particular ads.

Below, a model dresses in a bodysuit of piano keys. Am I the only one who sees this? *bats eyelashes* hay u sexy thang come here and tickle my ivories. I'm afraid to ask where middle C is!

Those are so piano keys. Play me a b-flat minor scale on mah moneymakers.

This is an ad for um, hmmm i dunno. Any1 down for practicing the skin flute l8r?

Here's a close-up of Wolfgang Mozzizi's Adagio 69 in F for the pink oboe.

Below is a sleek ad for Dimensione Danza, a dancer supply store in Milan. Granted, that patent-leather red stiletto you could only find at like the Hustler Hollywood store (not that OC would be familar with the stock), but the poster sparks inspiration.    

The ad makes OC want someone (Dior or Balenciaga or even Vivienne Westwood) to design a ballet shoe stiletto. Like a pink satin ballet slipper with a stiletto heel. Just like Sigerson Morrison revolutionized the flip-flop a few years ago by slapping-on a kitten heel...someone really needs to come along and make a stiletto-ballet-slipper-hybrid. All credits to OC, natch.

Oh wait, nevermind. Dior (sort of) already did it, but chose clunky platforms instead.

From this past July @ Chateau du Versailles for Paris Fashion Week, Dior haute couture Fall/Winter 2008 presented this musically-inspired gown, with Beethoven beadwork on the bodice:

I am your density: Crispin Glover’s Affinity for Smetana

Inarguably eccentric 43-year-old Hollyweird actor, Crispin Glover -- who won everyone's <3s as the awkwardly nerdy George McFly in the 1985 hit Back to the Future – was seen out and about in NYC recently to promote Beowulf, in which he voices Grendel, (and also to promote his own cinematic work called, "It Is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE").

Tuesday afternoon found him at the Met Museum browsing the collections. Glover has a passion for Czech castles, and apparently beds-down with his current girlfriend, Mara LaFontaine, in the former residence of late Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. WHUT? yes i live in smetana's old house, yes im a nerd, what of it, got a prob? The NYTimes Fashion & Style pages relays:

"[Crispin Glover] patrolled the museum’s sumptuous period rooms with Ms. LaFontaine, looking for decorating tips for his 15-bedroom castle in the Czech Republic. (“Bedrich Smetana wrote his last opera in the room I’m using as my den,” he said.)"

ha ha haha, smetana's 15-br castle? ok gimme a call when ur ready 2 spend some real $$$ & play iwth the big boys.

Classical Singer Magazine Gives Back

(image from here)

The awesomeness that is Classical Singer Magazine has made *temporarily* available, free of charge, their archives dating back from 1998 to non-subscribers. Filled with cover stories and special features, the archives bring the pain. The archives run the gamut of informative and entertaining articles, strategies, guides, tips, and invaluable anecdotes for anyone within the singing community, or those who enjoy listening by proxy. Like Teddy Tahu Rhodes’s abs, I could get lost in these for hours. This is like cookin up some campbells chicken n stars cuz it wwarrmss u from the inside when its chillay out.

The precious, ephemeral offer, which began at the beginning of this month, and runs only until December 31, 2007, is in recognition of Classical Singer Magazine's 20th anniversary. To continue the party, they are also offering a one-year subscription (for USA only) @ a bargain $40 USD, but the offer expires in conjunction with the free archive perusal on midnight, December 31, 2007.

To view the archives, you must first set-up a free Classical Singer account, which takes like, 2 minutes.

Lenny's Shabbat Night Fever!

Shake it dont braek it took ur mama 9 months to maek it

Inspired by this, taken from this.

Dessay's (Lucia) Killer Page Filler

Perusing the November 12 edition of Newsweek, OC came across lol omg lol a tiny little Q&A with Natalie Dessay called, "Quick Question: The Un-Diva". It's online as txt, too. So i'm not quoting dis.

We Guess the English Translator Was On Strike, Too

As reported earlier, La Scala closed its doors today due to a salary strike, cancelling tonight's Barenboim-conducted Verdi Requiem with Frittoli, Gubanova, Alvarez & Youn, in memory of Toscanini's 50th year of passing.

You can read the announcement on in Italian on the La Scala website, which was whittled-down to like a paltry 3 sentences in English.

However, arriving in person to the theater, no pretense was made at informing the non-Italian-speaking public what is going on, as the only effort to advertise the strike was a small text block, Italian-language only.

   

^^^^ here's how it looked from a bit futher away.

 

Rome's "Wozzeck" In Memory Of Rome's Victims Of The Shoah

On November 3, 1942, Alban Berg's Wozzeck, banned in Germany as degenerate art, had its Italian premiere at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (then Teatro Reale). Rome's opera house has gracefully chosen to dedicate their recent season premiere -- another Wozzeck, this time staged by Giancarlo Del Monaco and conducted by maestro Gianluigi Gelmetti -- to the memory of the 1,024 Roman Jewish citizen who in October 1943 were kidnapped by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz. Ticket prices for the performance had been heavily marked down to a very affordable 20-30 euros.

Corriere della Sera hailed the production's minimalist staging as a "genius" premise, Jean-Philippe Lafont's "impressive" "voice" and "charisma", Gelmetti's "natural" talent for conducting music written by very different composers; big props to Janice Baird's "musicalissima Marie", "most musical Marie".

(production photos courtesy of www.janicebaird.com)

Anna Netrebko Will Sing You A Few Arias And She Will Then Proceed To Eat You For Lunch

Anna Netrebko, stacked to the rafters in trannylicious makeup and peacock-feather dress, shows off a South Beach bottled tan and, hiding the fangs as much as she can, tries not to scare too much two sweet orphaned girls at the SOS-Kinderdorf charity gala in Vienna (Epa)

Strike @ La Scala Kills Barenboim's Requiem For Toscanini; La Prima Of Dec. 7 Much More At Risk Now

As previously reported by Opera Chic, tomorrow's strike at la Scala will cancel the performance of Verdi's Requiem conducted by Daniel Barenboim in memory of Arturo Toscanini (the great maestro and humanitarian who, besides his awesome musical achievements, gave in secret a monster donation -- several million euros in 2007 money -- to the theatre in 1945 in order to rebuild the bombed-out opera house).

The Scala workers are on strike because their unions are working out a new contract with Scala management and a deal seems to be very far at the time being.

The Dec. 7 season premiere, Tristan Und Isolde conducted by Barenboim and directed by Patric Chéreau, is much more at risk.

Personally we think that such a slap in Toscanini's face is much worse than a slap in Wagner's -- we'd have happily traded the Dec. 7 performance with tomorrow night's, because Toscanini, when you consider all he has done for la Scala, artistically and financially and in terms of PR, should be worshiped by anybody connected to the Milanese opera house the way Catholics worship their saints.

Instead.

***update***

Have you been so naive as to buy those very expensive tickets for the performance assuming that the concert would actually happen? If you bought your ticket online you need to mail them back to La Scala's Box Office, Galleria Del Sagrato, Piazza Del Duomo, Milan "by November 17", according to la Scala's instructions (good luck with that unreliable Italian post office by the way!). Your credit card will then -- hopefully! -- be refunded. If you've bought them in person at the box office, you have to go back there, give back your ticket(s), and you'll be refunded on the spot. If you cannot show up in person, mail them back and you'll receive in the mail (hopefully!) a check.

If you're a ticket holder and you need more info -- or just feel like expressing your opinion re: this cancellation -- la Scala's switchboard is (+39) 0288791

"Orlando Enraged"? We Understand Why

Nikolaus Harnoncourt (the scary one -- OK, the scary one on the right) and director Keith Warner exchange cruel humor @ Vienna's "Theater an der Wien" plan to go cruel & unusual on Haydn's "Orlando Paladino": the joke, as always, is on the audience.
(Reuters/Prammer)

John Foulds's "A World Requiem" After 81 Years Of Silence

Everything you have ever wanted to know about John "Eraserhead" Foulds that Jessica Duchen hadn't yet told you about