Opera Chic

The Pavarotti Estate: It's A Deal, Says Nicoletta Mantovani's Lawyer

Finally:

A lawyer for Luciano Pavarottìs widow says his family has reached a friendly agreement on dividing up his estate.  Pavarotti had drafted two wills near the end of his yearlong battle with cancer. One divided his assets by Italian law, giving half to his wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, and half to his four daughters. The second left the tenor's U.S. holdings to Mantovani. 
Pavarotti died last September. He had three adult daughters from his 35-year marriage to Adua Veroni as well as a young daughter with Mantovani. They married in 2003.  Mantovanìs lawyer Giorgio Bernini declined Monday to provide details about her agreement with Pavarotti's three eldest daughters. He says a judge is expected to confirm the deal by the end of July.

Salonen's (Half) Century: Esa-Pekka Turns 50

The envy of middle aged men worldwide, the hawtness that is Esa-Pekka Salonen, today incredibly turns 50.

Tim Mangan pays his respects and links a delicious Gate of Kiev led by E-Pek; the Los Angeles Times links a weird Swedish tribute to the greatest Finn since Sibelius.

I Only Enjoy Mozart When There's Nudity: Don Giovanni Thong Flap @ Sydney Opera House

Controversy is brewing over an upcoming production of Mozart's Don Giovanni for the Sydney Opera House. German director Elk Neidhardt has updated the Don, to be sung by 34-year-old Hungarian bass Gábor Bretz [pictured above], as "a playboy who parties and beds women and takes drugs". This will include a scene of Bretz exiting from an on-stage shower, wearing nothing but a flesh-colored G-string. And padding?? This opera could make you lose your virginity.

Neidhardt spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald and denied that Opera Australia asked her to censor the nudity, further reiterating, "People who expect full-frontal nudity will be disappointed. In Germany, no one would raise an eyebrow at nudity. The English National Opera featured a penis being cut off and thrown across the stage." Flying p3nix in the name of art! I <3 opera!

Here's a screen-shot of the warning carried on the SOH website:

"Il Papa non veste Prada ma Cristo": "The Pope Doesn't Wear Prada, He Wears Christ", Dammit!

"The Pope doesn't wear Prada; He wears Christ".

At first everyone thought it was a prank. Earlier this week, one of the official newspaper of the Vatican, L'Osservatore Romano, made a statement addressing the rapidly-spreading rumor that Pope Benedict XVI wears vestments and shoes designed by Miuccia Prada's house.

Representatives from the Holy See absolutely denied that the pope's distinctive red shoes were made by Prada, apparently an urban legend that had spread like wildfire since Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States last April. They are peeved that such misappropriations are floating around, and are p^ssed that the Pope is surrounded by such claims.

The Pope's trademark red shoes are actually made by a Novarese artisan, Adriano Stefanelli, who has been making shoes for both Benedict XVI and the late Pope John Paul II from his boutique in Novara. The Pope's shoes are made from sheep leather in the summer, and baby calf or baby goat in the winter. omg that kinda makes me sad, but at least those baby barn animals died doing what they loved: being slaughtered to encase the Pope's feet.

We can't help but wonder how Frengo Zeffirelli is taking the news, since he's so tapped into the Pope's style. The Vatican has yet to deny the other circulating rumor that the Pope is a huge fan of Emporio Armani's mens underwear. Ew. TMI.

PS In the photo above, check out the insane 3-wheel moped, the Ape ("Bee", in Italian) that Piaggio has donated to the Pontiff for the Lord knows what -- we somehow cannot imagine the heavily-guarded Pope Ratzinger joyriding the streets of Rome late at night, blasting some Haydn on the moped's stereo system and going for those famous Roman slurpees at his favorite grattacheccaro.

La Fenice's Pyromaniac Is Free To Set Big Stuff on Fire Again

Enrico Carella, the Italian electrician from Venice, who in 1996 burnt down La Fenice to the ground, has been released from prison after serving 16 months. He was released earlier this week, and although he is out of jail, he's limited to remaining in one town for work (Comune di Castello di Godego), and is on house arrest at night.

The fire that ripped through Venice's Teatro la Fenice was ignited on January 29, 1996 at 9pm, and by midnight, the theater was destroyed. Enrico Carella and his cousin, Massimiliano Marchetti, had been hired as subcontractors during the renovation of the opera house. They set the fire to cover-up the fact that they were severely behind with their work, and therefore faced hefty fines which would have bankrupt them (20 million lire).

In 2001, Carella was sentenced seven years in prison, while his cousin Marchetti was given six. Marchetti began serving in July 2003, but Carella fled the country. Interpol, with cooperation from the Venice police, finally caught him at the Mexico-Belize border four years later, in February 2007.

Sixteen months? Really? OC is pretty liberal, but dang. Maybe in Italian jail they have to wear polyester bell-bottoms and Birkenstocks, and the only food they're given is kimchi and everyone just farts on each other and they have to watch Battlefield Earth and Glitter everyday and listen to Celine Dion ad nausea. But srsly: 16 months?

Italian Advertisments: Because U Know U <3 Them.

ok serious business guys...it's the weekend, which means it's time to kick back, loosen the tie, and take opera down a few pegs. Opera Lite.

The first ad below we found when we went last April to Teatro Comunale di Bologna to hear Daniela Dessì and Fabio Armiliato in Norma. La Scuola dell'Opera Italiana, based in Bologna, put out this edgy advertisement, resplendent with suggestive nudity and tattoos. You receive the same tattoo upon graduation. They won us over with their anti-establishment rebellion.

The ad below looks normal enough, but seriously annoying, like o hai just me & my clarinet in the tub how random. Upon closer inspection, the bathing genius is magically playing the clarinet backwards, with the headpiece screwed on the wrong way. Look below for a close-up...

FAIL! GIANT FAIL!

Even this 6-year-old kid knows how to play it right...

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(Above: omg pervy panty-sniffer. New Bold formula: The most irresistible smell on earth.)

(Above: this was found in a French sports magazine [not Italian]. omg wtf omg wtf. How did this one ever get past the censors? KKK humor FTW! F-wording F!)

Just When You Thought Another Day Dawned, More Schönbrunn Fun!

O.C., like a flash of lightning striking down your computer *zoom zoom* has more media! After liveblogging the Schloss Schönbrunn concert from last night with the trifecta of *~opera superstars~* -- Rolando Villazón, Plácido Domingo, and Anna Netrebko -- O.C. made you a flickr stream of 73 images captured from her plasma television. Go here for the spoils of last night. I curated some of my favorites below:

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Netrebko, We Saw What You Did There!!

ok ok, fine whatevs....she's like 11 months pregnant and it's the ~summer~. We've *been* there (minus that whole weird "with fetus" part). But we discovered that our favorite pregnant Russian soprano pulled an unforgivable sartorial faux-pas! *gasps*

Digging through recent photos, we came across pictures of Trebs just _one week ago_ at the June 21, 2008 Gala Ball for Valery Gergiev's White Nights Festival of the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theatre. There she was, in St. Petersburg @ the Catherine Palace, wearing the same exact dress that she wore for last night's outdoor concert gala @ Vienna's Schloss Schönbrunn (with the same headband/hairstyle, too). C4urselvs teh horrar:

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Just to refresh your memory, here was Netrebko last night in Vienna...hmmmm:

Anna, honey, c'mon. we seened it all on teh intarwebz. You're in J.Lo league...you could buy $700 cashmere blankets for your baby and $300 suede play-mats if you want. And gawd knows this isn't gonna be your first pregnancy. Don't pull a Kathy Battle!

Also in attendance @ Catherine Palace was, obvs, Gergiev. But a treat was Rene Pape, who posed with Russian soprano Anastasia Kalagina, a soloist at the theatre since 2007, who won this year's "Montblanc New Voices Award".

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Gergiev on his tiny phone...it's smaller than his ear! Can u hear me??

Villazón, Rolando vs. Denver, John: "Perhaps Love" Battle of the YouTubers

Plácido Domingo & Rolando Villazón sing John Denver's "Perhaps Love" on Friday, June 27, 2008 at Vienna's Schloss Schönbrunn.

Now how about Plácido Domingo and the main man himself, John Denver, in a 1983 duet? I dunno...this song sounds like the cheesy accompaniment to super-soft pr0n from the 1970s or something.

Liveblogging Domingo, Netrebko & Villazon @ Schloss Schönbrunn

**OC is watching live on ZDF the concert as broadcast via satellite. Scroll down for the half-time teaser pictures.

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Liveblogging the outdoor concert gala that is going on right now in Vienna's Schloss Schönbrunn with Vienna's Radio Symphony Orchestra and appearances by Rolando Villazón, Plácido Domingo, and Anna Netrebko. Program here!

Plácido Domingo sang first Jules Massenet's Le Cid - "O souverain, ô juge, ô père". Then Rolando Villazón sang Amilcare Ponchielli's Il figliuol prodigo - "Il padre!...Tenda natal". He's crazy sweaty.

omg omg it's Trebs. She's in a headband with gold and red accents, bright red lipstick, crazy preg. Wearing a floaty gigantic silk chiffon dress, bright red. She's singing Emmerich Kálmán's Die Csárdásfürstin - "Heia in den Bergen". Voice is deep and rich. She's dancing all over the stage and twirling in like a whole whirling dance. The dress hides her whole belly. She's not breaking a sweat. Her voice is so dark and creamy. She's done. Huge long black extensions for hair.

Back to Viallzon. His hair is big and fluffy. He's wearing a black shirt, black pants, and a black jacket with a Neru collar, and a gold braid on the collar. He's singing Francesco Paolo Tosti's "Ideale". Good control.

The concert is outdoors in the grand courtyard of Schloss Schönbrunn. It's closed to the public, with chairs set up for all the VIPS that snagged tickets to this hyped event. This is Netrebko's last performance before she takes a temporary hiatus for TEH BEBBE. The weather is clear and gorgeous, and the sun is just setting.

The Dominger is back. He's in a black tuxedo suit jacket with black satin accents. He just sang Richard Wagner's Die Walküre - "Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond". Fine. 

La Trebs is back. She's in gigantic stiletto heels with that red dress. She's playing with her super-long extensions. She's singing Luigi Arditi's "Il bacio". Hanging dangling gold earrings. The cut of her dress makes her hips look srsly wide. The dress is an empire-waist with a srsly low cut decollete top. She's having a lot of fun. Someone just threw her a huge bouquet of long-stem red&white roses from the audience, and she caught it!

Plácido Domingo & Rolando Villazón are together on stage singing Giuseppe Verdi's Don Carlo - "E lui! Desso!...Dio, che nell'alma infondere". It's a little, um, chaotic. It must be said that Rolando is wearing a crap load of foundation on his face. Maybe that's why he was sweating. They're all miked-up, obvs, but they sound good. THey're really getting into it, and Rolando's feelin' it. The Domigus is reading from music off a stand. They hugged at the end of the duet.

Now it's a pause. I can't wait for John Denver in the second half!! c u l8r! Ok make sure you scroll down for the first batch of teaser pictures...

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Back from the first break, and Domnigio hasn't changed his outfit. Boo. We were hoping for something sparkly. He's singing Franz Lehár's "Gern hab ich die Frau'n geküsst". He's holding his belly. The sun has completely set, so there are some electric blue light effects all over the structure he's singing under. Bertrand De Billy is conducting.

"VIVA WIEN!" Shouted Villazon to the audience when he came back out for the second break. He's acknowledging a few stray cat calls in the audience. Cute. He's clearly pleased. He's changed his jacket into a bright white one with a satin white-on-white floral pattern. He's singing Franz Lehár's Das Land des Lächelns - "Dein ist mein ganzes Herz". Someone threw him a boquet of orange flowers, which he barely caught, and some random old lady tried to slip him an envelope, but he couldn't get it.

LA ANNA! She's changed her dress into a black, full-length, tiered, ruffled number. It's black glittery layers, strapless. She's singing Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov "The Rose and the Nightingale". Still the same Xtina Aguilera red lipstick. She's wearing a large, intricate necklace of blingy cristals or something. It's all diamonds with some really cheesy pink balls. She's taken the headband out of her hair, but it's still that half up-half down style. 

Now it's a duet between Anna and Domingus. Franz Lehár's Die lustige Witwe - "Lippen schweigen". It's um, sweet. No podium for Domingo this time. That necklace just isn't working. It's all stiff and tight around her neck. She's rubbing on Domingo's arm. She got a nice ring from Schrott. omg they're waltzing together and the audience is applauding. Huge applause at the end for that gratuitous waltz.

Now it's time for Radio Symphonieorchester Wien's solo of Johann Strauß jr.'s Unter Donner und Blitz op. 324 - Polka schnell. omg so corny. where's the dancing bear?

Next is Domingo & Villazón singing John Denver's "Perhaps Love". Somewhere in Muppet heaven Kermit the frog is wetting himself. Karaoke. "Some say dey don't know" heh. Who's idea was that? ok, that was actually really sweet.

Netrebko is back out singing Léo Delibes's "Les filles de Cadix". Those extensions are too long, getting caught under her armpits. But she's singing lovely. This one she's having lots of fun. I swear she has some red lipstick on her teeth, but I could be wrong. Let's wait for the final shots. Okay, now a duet between Anna and Rolando? omg everyone's twitching.It's ¡Sí, torero quiero ser!. ok, show stopper trio, Rudolf Sieczynski's "Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume" Anna Netrebko, Plácido Domingo & Rolando Villazón on stage all together. Anna is reading off a stand, and she needs it...because she almost came in full force a dozen measures before she was supposed to. She's lost on this one. OM G THEY'RE FORGETTING THE WORDS!! The camera pulled away for a long shot, and then when it came back, Rolando had pulled the music off the stand. This is a trainwreck. They didn't practice this one. This is a mess.

Big applause. Long stemmed roses for Anna. The Dominger is taking a bis: Federico Torroba's "Amor, Vida De Mi Vida". We <3 u Domingus! I'd still throw my Eres at his feet!

Now it's Rolando's turn! His bis is a zarzuela, Alberto Arrabal La del soto del parral "Ya mis horas felices". He screamed VIVA at the crowd again. omg. Huge applause at the end.

Now it's Anna's turn: Strauss's Cacilie. It sounds weird. Ew. Let's pray she doesn't forget the words. Nope. Short and sweet.

Now all three are on stage, and they've been handed beautiful bouquets each. Villazon is fondling his flowers. They walk off the stage. Is it over? Nope, they're back out.

Another encore for the three! Libiamo from La Traviata. Predictable crowd pleasure, and the audience is peeing themselves. That sounded horrible. It was a parody of Verdi. That was embarrassing. It was like Medieval Times or something. The crowd sang along at one point. It's pretty much over. 

ITS OVER!!! We've got a Youtube upload coming of that John Denver song, and loads more screen shots.

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It's All Going Down in Santa Fe

(photo via)

Santa Fe Opera's grand opening weekend of Season 2008 kicked off yesterday with a black tie Opera Ball, clearing the way for tonight's premiere of Verdi's Falstaff (Laurent Naouri singing the lead). The season will close almost two months later on August 23rd, 2008 with a final performance of Falstaff. Also in rotation for 2008 is Mozart's Marriage of Figaro (conducted by Kenneth Montgomery), Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd (with everyone's favorite shirtless singer, Teddy Tahu Rhodes as the lead), Haendel's Radamisto, and Kaija Saariaho's Adriana Mater (in the American premiere with Peter Sellar's direction and Kenneth Branagh's favorite tenor, Joseph Kaiser, as Jonas).

Personally, and as our last post about the Santa Fe Opera demonstrates, we're more psyched for next season, which boasts Natalie Dessay's first Traviata Violetta, along with Tom Ford's costumière-y for the Moravec/Teachout opera, The Letter.

Bolle's Ferragamo Ads Are Ehhhhhh

As announced last February, primo ballerino Roberto Bolle was drafted into the Salvatore Ferragamo camp as the new face behind the lux design house. Fashion photographer of the gorgeous and glamorous, Mario Testino, built the new Ferragamo ad campaign around German supermodel Claudia Schiffer and Bolle. The motivation? Schiffer, in a retro era evocative of glamor, invites herself backstage to meet étoile Roberto Bolle. They were all shot in Naples' Teatro San Carlo with Bolle modeling Ferragamo in various states of dress & undress.

There are seven adverts in the whole series which will run in the Fall season of fashion magazines. Below are the first three that have already exited in newspapers and magazines. We regret to announce that sadly, they are safe for work. We were looking forward to some Beckham/Armani/Mert&Marcus type of tractor exhaust pipe ads. We can wait...

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BREAKING: ALAGNA BACK @ LA SCALA!!! It's The Same Old Song / But With A Different Meaning Since You Been Gone...

As the poet once wrote,

You're sweet as a honey bee
But like a honey bee stings
You've gone and left my heart in pain
All you left is our favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
It used to bring sweet memories
Of a tender love that used to be

Now it's the same old song
But with a different meaning
Since you been gone

Roberto Alagna and la Scala have buried the hatchet after his infamous walk-off in December 2006 in the middle of Aida. All is forgiven! Roburto come home!!!

"I expected the call but not so soon", he told the Spanish paper El Paìs.

He'll appear in Carmen; and Simon Boccanegra alongside Placido Domingo!!! They'll close down the loggione just for you or something Roburto!!! We'll be there!

(In the image above, another famous Return of the Prodigal Son)

Di Provenza il mar... Aix-En-Provence Festival Will Attack You Like A Snake

Festival d'Aix-en-Provence starts tomorrow night, July 27! This year marks the 60th anniversary.

The opera lineup is sweet, with Mozart's Zaide & Cosi fan tutte, Wagner's Siegfried, Pascal Dusapin's Passion, Haendel's Belshazzar (which ends the two-month festival on Wednesday 23 July 2008), and a Karita Mattila recital. For concerts, William Christie will conduct Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen, Sir Simon Rattle will conduct the Berliner with pianist András Schiff, and various concert halls will breathe life into the music of Smetana and Stockhausen.

Below is a sneak preview of Siegfried and Zaide.

(Above: Ben Heppner and Burkhard Ulrich in Siegfried, directed by Stephane Braunschweig.)

(Above: soprano Ekaterina Lekhina and Russell Thomas in Zaide, directed by Peter Sellars.)

Claudio Abbado: 75 Years Of Awesome. Buon Compleanno!!!

As we write, it is already June 26 here in Europe, hence we want to be first in wishing maestro Claudio Abbado, who turns 75 today, the greatest of Happy Birthdays. We were discussing recently with a bunch of friends how, if you think of the three greatest conductors working today, it's really a matter of whom you choose to join Abbado in the top 3 -- it's always him and two other dudes, depending on your taste.

Whether he's conducting Mozart or Berg or his beloved Beethoven or Mahler or Verdi -- the definitive Boccanegra is Abbado's, period, we might as well retire the work at this point -- he's just in the stratosphere, someone whom you cannot really compare to most of his colleagues of today but who you mostly have to compare to the greatest ever, the legends, Nikisch and Von Bulow and Furtwaengler and De Sabata -- that's how high up he flies, circling the earth like Superman.

And the fact that the accidents of life have made him more scarce on the podium, these last few years, only made his presence even more precious.

We bow our head in gratitude for his accomplishment, and wish him the biggest Buon Compleanno -- party party!!!

The Duke of Mantua Gets His Filth On: Screenshots from Dresden Rigoletto

If you've ever fantasized about a mulleted Juan Diego Flórez fondling (fondueing) the bewbs of a topless young lady who happens to be naked aside from black spandex bottoms and a giant eagle head, you've come to the right place. Thanks to the 8-bottles-of-Robotussin-induced direction for the Staatsoper Dresden's Rigoletto, Nikolaus Lehnhoff begins Verdi's timeless masterpiece with a Hieronymus Bosch bang, which by Scene II, dies back down to a barely audible LeRoy Neiman fizz.

~*OC*~ made two flickr sets of plasma screen shots from the ARTE "live" broadcast of the June 21, 2008 Rigoletto at Staatsoper Dresden to satisfy all your Flórez needs.

 

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Go here for the Safe For Work set of 50ish images from the opera.

Go here for the Not Safe For Work set...JDF cupping Act I bewbs.

Teh Bebbe Jesus & Norman Bates: Bernard Herrmann's Psycho Suite @ Chiesa di San Marco

O O what a feelin'. OC took a break from the fashion shows & shook it over last night to Milan's Basilica di San Marco for a symphony concert blasted by l'Orchestra da Camera di Milano. Six on the set list and two bis, OC freely admits that she went for the novelty of hearing Bernard Herrmann's Psycho Suite, as promised on the program. Live. In a church. LIAC. The same church right next to which a young Amadeus Mozart lived for three months in 1770; the same church that held the world premiere of Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem (on May 22, 1874 to honor the one year anniversary of Manzoni's death), chorus piled-up to the ceiling. No offense to the great Bernard Herrmann, the late American composed of over forty film scores (Citizen Kane, Taxi Driver, North by Northwest), who worked with cinematic luminaries such as Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, François Truffaut, and Martin Scorsese. Herrmann was bf4e with OC's much-admired Glorious John Barbirolli, and was chief conductor of the CBS Symphony.

In addition to the awesome Psycho Suite, Barber's Adagio ranked as a sublime addition to the mix, Henry Cowell's Hymn and Fuguing Tune Number 10 was perky, and Copland's Slowly and Expressively was carefully executed, especially via clarinet soloist Dimitri Ashkenazy's liquid money moves. Maestro Amedeo Monetti was full of big, nervous movements almost as big as his white coif, but led L'Orchestra proficiently.

omg can we just talk about Bernard Herrmann's Psycho Suite? Well known to the world (aside from cinefiles) by Busta Rhymes's grimy remix of "Gimmie Some Mo", Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 thriller is memorable for so many things -- Janet Leigh in a bra getting all nasty with her boyfriend in a hotel room, Tony Perkins in drag going all stabby on the great Martin Balsam, the shower thing, yes, but also the famous and instantly recognizable score.

Now here’s a little video of the chaos...yes yes y’all & u don’t stop. Fast forward to 5:15 for the famous stabby part...

TOM FORD disses Frida Giannini, Opens Milan Store, Parties All Night, Cranks Up The Awesome

It's been nonstop event partyparty in Milan since Saturday night, the inception of Milan Fashion Week Menswear Spring/Summer 2009 kicked off with a party at the Versace mansion on via del Gesù -- but as of now we're having trouble recovering from the Mortal Kombat between Tom Ford and Frida Giannini, the "usurper" who took over the House of gucci when Ford and Domenico De Sole left in 2004.

Last night saw two party going on simultaneously, Gucci's and Tom Ford's, and Tom made a point of dissing Frida in front of everybody saying, "Her invitation must have been lost in the mail". At the Gucci party, la Giannini coolly explained "I haven't invited him, he hasn't invited me". And we like Frida well enough -- especially because she just gave a shoutout to our dear "Magnum PI", whom we see as the perfect blueprint for a kicka$$ Elisir d'Amore as we wrote last year -- as source of inspiration for her new men's collection -- and we really have no bYotch in this dogfight, but we have to admit that Opera Chic does have a weakness for Ford's brashly pansexual appeal -- so visiting his new 5-level store in Via Verri (the former Zegna store) was a special treat -- lots of marble and crazy animal skins and vintage theater seats (from Franco Zeffirelli's collection), with a "privé" and open bar and a beautiful garden upstairs for VIP clients of his bespoke line -- it's all very 1960s swinger millionaire bachelor, a cool vaguely creepy vibe that's salvaged in the end by Ford's obvious skills at making skeevy look smart (just check out Terry Richardson's crazy X-rated fotos for his new campaign, more images in a link NOT SAFE FOR WORK, go here). During our visit we were also very impressed by Stefano Gabbana's more&more ripped state, and by his really rawking glistening blood-red earrings. 

Also, Tom -- who lived here for five years during the Gucci era -- chose as his personal Milan headquarters the Hotel Bulgari (round the corner from his via Borgonuovo showroom), and that's pretty cool (we still like the Duomo Park Hyatt a lot, but all the cool kids seem to be staying at the Bulgari as of late). Tom Ford party at 9 via Mozart was indeed rawking -- as, we are told, was Frida's gigantosaurus party at the Hotel Diana, but we weren't there sorry Frida! -- not to mention we had the chance to hang out, among others, with Friend Of Tom Janet Jackson who, had she chosen to become a opera singer instead, would have singlehandedly raise the profile of the entire business (I mean think of a Traviata CD with this NSFW Janet cover).

Sunday night was a huge Prada party (la Miuccia gets big props for playing classical music at her latest show the other day) to celebrate their new perfume, which was overshadowed by Franca Sozzani's party at palazzo Litta for the Uomo Vogue 40th Anniversary Celebration (founded in 1968 by Flavio Lucchini), with all the fashion reps like the Etro family, Cavalli, Armani, the missonis', Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton.

Q&A with Roberto Bolle

The current edition of Io Donna carries a variation of the Proust questionnaire asked to the bollovely Bolle. Dare you enter the mind of Bolle? DARE U?

(Above: click for bigger.)

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~Your favorite virtue: Determination.   
~Your favorite qualities in a man: Loyalty.   
~Your favorite qualities in a woman: A sense of humor.
~What are your defects: Stubbornness.
~What is your dream of happiness: I am currently achieving that, living in a manner that is rather extraordinary.
~What is your regret: I’m too young to have any.
~When is the last time cried: A few months ago when my aunt passed away.
~What is the encounter that changed your life: The time with Nureyev in 1990. I was only 15. He had given me the role of Tadzio in “Death in Venice”.
~Reoccurring dream: A nightmare! To be onstage and forget my steps.
~The happiest day in your life: When I was named primo ballerino. I was 20.
~The unhappiest day in your life: When I got injured at 19. I was preparing for my first important part.
~If you had millions of euros: I would make so many people happy.
~What would be the greatest catastrophe for you: To be an invalid.
~Favorite city: Paris.
~Favorite drink: Water.
~Your favorite dish: Risotto alla zucca..
~Your all-time favorite book: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
~Your favorite book of right now: Roberto Saviano’s Gomorra. We were together for the commission for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Italian independence.
~Favorite novelists: Dostoyevsky, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Kundera
~Favorite poets: Emily Dickinson and Baudelaire
~Favorite singer: I don't know.
~Your hero: Muhammad Yunus, the banker of the poor.
~Favorite painters: Caravaggio and Renoir.
~Favorite movie: Blow-Up by Antonioni. 
~Favorite actor: Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro.
~Favorite actress: Meryl Streep.
~The song you whistle while in the shower: Usually the melodies of the ballet that I am rehearsing.
~If you could change something in your appearance: I accept myself the way I am.
~What is it you hate the most: Unnecessary cruelty.
~If you hadn't been a ballerino, you would be a: Swimmer.
~The gift you'd like to have: Ubiquity.
~How do you want to die?: Without realizing it.
~Current state of mind: I am exalted.
~The sins that you are most ready to forgive: Sins that are committed for love.
~Your motto: Always chase your dreams.

Too Much Love Will Kill You: Diana Damrau Shows You How It's Done

Ignore that silly baby blue house of dolls the director has trapped her in; nevermind those zany ninjas waiting to kidnap her. Just listen to her phrasing, witness her colors come alive. And watch her fall asleep, safe in the arms in love. To steal the show from the greatest tenore di grazia of this age on the night of his first big Duke of Mantua, you need a voice like this, and this kind of dramatic truth. Opera Chic is awed by the brilliance of Diana Damrau's star, even in that darkest night of Regietheater.

The Duke Of Mantua Is A Chubby Chaser: JDF in Dresden, "Bella Figlia Dell'Amore"

**** La Donna E' Mobile, Hells Yeah:

Live Aus Dresden: Juan Diego Florez's Duke Of Mantua, Finally -- On Arte TV

Just a teaser because it's late; and until tomorrow, enjoy the photos and just a few words -- tonight at 7PM Juan Diego Florez debuted in Europe his Duke of Mantua, his first big Verdi role (unitl now he had steered clear of all Verdi except for his delicious Fenton) that he had introduced to the world in Peru two months ago.

At 9PM -- just the time to crudely edit out all intermissions and the big ovations after the big arias -- Arte Tv has broadcast the entire show via satellite. Here are some images from the insanely bad production -- whose director thought a good idea to burden JDF with a terrifying mullet, a tragic ponytail in Act II, 1970s dinner jackets, leather trench coats, leather vests (revealing not-so-toned upper arms -- el mejor tenor del mundo needs to hit the gym a bit because, for once, we'd like our opera legends of today and tomorrow and of the day after tomorrow to be ripped, if at all possible) -- the Duke of Mantua in the Dresden production was in fact the Duke of Star Trek, presiding over a court of devils, lizards, crows, space aliens with grey metallic skin, topless girls with giant pigeon heads.

How was his Duke, ignoring the visual horror of the production? Juan Diego created a nervous, capricious monster of egotism with a hidden romantic, sweet streak -- whose lighter tenor voice cannot obviously match the greatest, thuggish Dukes of the past, but whose beautiful phrasing, warmth and clarity -- oh the sheer beauty of Florez's voice -- can make us understand not the Duke, but Gilda better.

Because it makes us understand how is it even possible to die for his lies -- even his "dear name", of course, is as phony as everything else about him. The fact that Gilda was Diana Damrau -- not simply the queen of the night but one of the very few queens of nowadays opera, really at the top of the game -- only made the night more special. And it was difficult not to swoon for the Staatskapelle's sound, thanks to Fabio Luisi's intelligent reading of the score -- a dark, burnished hearbeat pulsing through the night, with a wonderful transparency of sound, rich of German depth and Italianate warmth.

Of course, with a different, saner director in Niki Lehnhoff's place and Leo Nucci as Rigoletto we'd be able to call tonight's Rigoletto "the Dresden Rigoletto" the same way we say, fer example, "the Lisbon Traviata". But since the only true giant of this impossible role, il maestro Leo Nucci, wasn't part of the cast, we can only say that, yes, Zeljko Lucic's Rigoletto was vocally correct, if dramatically inert. Much more, of course, tomorrow.

Friday in the Park with Gheorg(hiu)

The first shots are coming in from last night's Metropolitan Opera concert at Brooklyn's Prospect Park, where Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna entertained (ironically) Brooklyn hipsters, curious tourists, and whoever else cared to boogie down to BK in a free outdoor concert. Follow up from here. All images via via via via via.

 

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^^^^Update^^^^: Here's coverage with 3 videos from The Gothamist. And 85 photos here! (including the one below)

Here's the first ut00b footage, but save yourself the annoyance and start the video at 1:12 minutes in.

Peter Gelb Will Let You Watch Violetta Grow Pale

I wanted to be in the room while it was happening. I wanted to watch Violetta grow pale.

And then Peter Gelb got the job of general manager at the Met.

Former "Seventeen" magazine writer Ann (or "Anne" if you believe the WSJ's own caption) Patchett's loving, throbbing, belated Valentine Day card to Mr. Keri-Lynn Wilson, in today's Wall Street Journal.

The Might of MITO SettembreMusica 2008

As of 8'o clock this morning, tickets for the MITO SettembreMusica 2008 Festival went on sale to the public, and OC snatched up hers like a caffeinated bunny! We blogged about it last month when the details were released, but are even more impressed leafing through the official program (which is here, a pdf file, in both English and Italian).

MITO 2008, in its second year, is held in September as a month-long classical (and a bit of jazz) music festival of over 200 concerts held mainly in Torino and Milan, but also appearing in smaller cities such as Bergamo, Cremona, and Pavia. The festival kicks off September 1st @ La Scala with the Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons (for Debussy's La mer, Mussorgsky's Ravel-arrangement of Pictures at an Exhibition, and Messiaen's Hymn to the Holy Sacrament) and ends September 25th in a fiery bukkake of events. Throughout the month, we'll see the likes of Sir Colin Davis, Valerij Gergiev, Franz Welser-Most conducting classic and rare works, such as Ockeghem's Requiem (in memory of Karlheinz Stockhausen). We also have Jacopo Per's Euridice, Harrison Birtwistle's The Last Supper, and George Benjamin's Into the Little Hill. Personally, we're looking forward to the Cecilia Bartoli recital on September 23rd in Torino...and as of a few hours ago, there were still a few precious tickets. We can't miss Jansons, of course, who's solidly in Opera Chic's chart of the Top 5 conductors working today, and our main man Ollie Knussen will be bustin' some serious Stockhausen, and we've got to be there -- thankfully, prices are amazingly cheap, with loads of free performances held in various venues of churches, exhibition spaces, and theaters. What's left of tickets can be found at vivaticket or the MITO website. Of course, OC will be there -- you won't -- and she'll bring you the best of it all, with firsthand accounts, starting with Jansons at la Scala.