Opera Chic

Learning From Alfred Brendel (The Hard Way)

How about a nice masterclass with Alfred Brendel?

Paul Lewis tells all about learning from the great man:

Four years after that, he moved to London to study at the Guildhall School in London, and it was there that he had his fateful meeting with Alfred Brendel. “We met at a master class, and then he invited me round to his house. Really, that was such an incredible experience. We spent five hours on Liszt’s Dante sonata, analysing every bar, and at the end of it I couldn’t play a note.”

But then, once Opera Chic found herself seated at la Scala a few seats away from Maestro Brendel and simply being near him in an opera house full of people was intimidating enough.

Fricsay's Haffner: Intense, Quicksilver, Transparent

“If you watch him,” offers conductor Antonio Pappano, “you see everything is keen, controlling every detail and gesture and how it tells a story. . . .His gypsy downbeat is so quick, it growls. Everything is raised up, intense, quicksilver, transparent. When he senses something is not alive, his radar hones in--it’s frightening.”.

You can't say it any better than that,really.

Freyer's "Ring" In The Red; Donations Needed

 

"Los Angeles Opera leaders concede that ticket income will fall $1 million to $1.5 million short of targets" and that donations are needed to save Achim Freyer's "Ring" from a small (Pacific) ocean of red ink, the LA Times reports. Even hardcore Wagnerians seem to have doubts about Achim Freyer's staging:

The nine days "is too long for everybody," said Kiyomi Lueck, treasurer of the Wagner Society of Hawaii, echoing officers from several other Wagner Societies around the country. And most of those Wagnerians say that Achim Freyer's abstract, symbolic, decidedly nontraditional approach to the "Ring" appeals to some but infuriates many, and may weigh into decisions not to set aside so much time and money.

"A lot of our members find the production a little too wacky," said Della Geffen, president of the Boston Wagner Society, where none of the 130 members signed up for a group offer for the L.A. "Ring." "People kind of scoff at it."

And prices are in the process of being slashed:

In response to lagging sales, L.A. Opera has offered deep discounts and far more flexibility. Until late March, buyers of non-obstructed seats had to purchase a full cycle for $350 to $2,200, which comes to $87.50 to $550 per show. Now, seats can be had for $50 to $275 per show, and you can choose a single performance instead of four.

Poor Achim!

Cheesy Wally

Opera Chic -- a Cilea fan -- has always found Catalani's work to be amazingly cheesy, La Wally a perfect example of the composer's banality (yes, Toscanini loved his stuff: even the masters have lapses of taste sometimes). It doesn't really matter who's singing Catalani's music, not even Maria or Renata can save him from his lowbrow self.

This beery commercial only validates OC's admitted bias.

OAE's Gaffer Tape Freestyle Chic

(Above: The OAE's cellist Vladimir Waltham)

Not like they had to seduce us already -- that happened last summer when we heard them play with Robin Ticciati at NYC's Mostly Mozart Summer concert -- but the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's blog really rawks. For the past couple weeks, we've been following the concept art for their forthcoming 2010/11 season brochure as they've been releasing photos. After last year's Southern Gothic program, they've gone in a more playful direction -- outsider art meets Home Depot, spawned by designer Chris Harrison.

(Above: Sally Jackson, OAE bassoonist)

(Above: Nick Logie, Viola and Anthony Bailey, Clarinet)

(Above: Lisa Beznosiuk, flute)

 OAE's blog has the rest of the photos...

Well-Read Netrebko's a Reader

 

OC puts down her copy of Peter Brunette's book on Michael Haneke, Thomas D. Saler's bio of Carlo Maria Giulini "Living Genius", and Steven Watson's "Prepare for Saints" as Anna Netrebko tells the WSJ what's on her reading list this summer:

I'm reading Georgian writer Boris Akunin's series of 11 mystery novels focusing on the character Erast Fandorin. Fandorin is a fictional 19th-century Russian detective—like Sherlock Holmes but more interesting. The books are well-written, entertaining, and not overly intellectual, which makes them perfect summer reading. I am reading them in their native Russian, but English translations are available.

Dang! We wonder where the Russian superstar even finds time to practice singing...

Rhine Road Trip with Stephen Fry

From Bayreuth to Nuremberg, watch as Stephen Fry traveled through Germany in search of Wagner (with an excellent BBC blog post here "My journey with Stephen Fry and Wagner").

Part 2

Part 3

Click the link below for parts 4, 5, and 6!

Placido Domingo's Golden Rule: Not A Day Less

Placido Domingo spoke to the Wall Street Journal about a bunch of things, his (not so future) retirement among them:

The tenor's stock response to questions about his departure from the stage finds him insisting that he will not sing a day beyond what his voice can bear, but also not a day less. The question, of course, is who determines that day. "Obviously I know myself very well," said Mr. Domingo. "I know which state my voice is in, but this is only one factor. I wouldn't be insisting on one more day at the Metropolitan Opera if I didn't think I could fill the house."

Opera Chic's take: she's just sorry Baz Luhrmann didn't say yes to the Ring.

Jafar's Smile

 
Jafar Panahi, the Iranian film director arrested in March for allegedly trying to make a movie about last year's contested Iranian elections, has been released on bail by Iranian authorities. Abbas Kiarostami and Juliette Binoche, among others, last week from the Cannes film festival had spoken out in favor of his release.

No Lucia @ Scala For Netrebko: 'Don Giovanni' with Schrott, Barenboim, Carsen

The big 2011-2012 season opener at la Scala, the classic "prima" of December 7, 2011, was supposed to be Lucia di Lammermoor with Anna Netrebko, directed by Robert Carsen -- Scala GM Stephane Lissner had indicated last year in a newspaper interview that the rumor was true.

But there has been a slight change: Netrebko will indeed appear at la Scala, but she'll be Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, directed by Carsen, with Erwin Schrott as the Don.

Real Men Don't Cry: Mourinho's Farewell Broke Materazzi's Heart

After leading Internazionale FC to a historic treble, Portuguese coach Jose' Mourinho immediately resigned from the team and joined Real Madrid: right before leaving the Bernabeu stadium, where Internazionale had just defeated 2-0 Bayern Munchen in the Champions League final, Mourinho instructed his driver to stop so that he could go hug Marco Materazzi (yeah, the Zidane-headbutt dude): many tears ensued. To see 6'5" tall, tattooed, bada$$ Materazzi (nicknamed "Matrix" by Inter fans due to his penchant for various kung-fu style tackles) cry like a little baby, hugging his friend and coach, makes one reevaluate one's ideas about soccer, machismo, and men behaving badly.

If Opera Chic were a Brown or, say, Bennington student, she'd totally write a long paper about this video.

Nathan Gunn's On Music-Making As Story-Telling

Sarah B.'s quote of the day:

“[Gunn] believes that musical theater performers can learn from opera singers about being more attentive to the 'musical requests' of a composer. But he also believes the opera world can take a page from musicals. Musical theatre people, he says, 'don’t really care so much if you have to change a note or transpose something or get rid of a couple of measures. the point is to tell the story. Period. And I think opera can learn from that – that that is the point of all this music-making.'"

Squeezeboxing Bach

LOL what is this? Bach on the accordion! France's millions of elevators will soon have a new anthem, thanks to French accordionist Richard Galliano's "first classical album ever".  2010, I dare you to get any better. Bach for the accordion. Next up? Scarlatti for the triangle.  

Teatro Colon Comes Back To Life In All Its Glory

 
Argentina's Teatro Colon, one of the world's great opera houses, was officially reopened last night in Buenos Aires after extensive renovation. The 2,700-seat wonder was built in 1908, modeled after Milan's La Scala. Unlike Scala, its acoustics don't suck.

Bringing Down The House: Anna Netrebko's Vienna Apartment Might Collapse, Building Evacuated

Just don't be mean and blame the baby weight OK?

Hundreds of residents were evacuated in Vienna yesterday (Sun) over fears their apartment building might collapse.

Officials said the renters of the 100-odd apartments in Machstraße will be kept from returning until at least tomorrow.

Experts feared the 50-year-old eight-storey building might come down due to activities on a nearby construction site and massive permanent rainfall. They decided to clear the house after noticing its subsoil becoming unsteady.

This comes after dozens of renters - including opera diva Anna Netrebko and fiancé bass-baritone Erwin Schrott - had to move in with family and friends or at hotels for several weeks after an old apartment house at the Vienna city centre’s Franziskaner Square was evacuated

Händel For UEFA's Champions

In honor of OC's (and Daniele Gatti's) beloved Internazionale, who on Saturday night won 2-0 over Bayern München to snag the 2010 UEFA Champions League trophy (which hadn't been done by nerazzurri in 45 years -- thanks in part to Diego Milito's insane MVP skills), here's the UEFA Champions League theme song. Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields chorus, it's an arrangement by Tony Britten of one of Händel's Coronation Anthems, Zadok the Priest.

We wonder if Tony's related to Benji? One hopes not.

Villazon's Post-Op Alfredo: The Video Evidence

Video evidence from the other night's Traviata in Zurich:

BREAKING NEWS: "EXHAUSTED" ABBADO HOSPITALIZED; CANCELS ALL JUNE ENGAGEMENTS INCLUDING SCALA

Claudio Abbado has been hospitalized in Germany for "exhaustion": the maestro has canceled all June engagements including his much-awaited Scala comeback concerts on June 4 and 6.

===update===

La Scala makes it official with a press release: Abbado needs "two or three weeks" of rest and medical care

=====update=====

Diego Matheuz will replace Abbado at the Ravenna Festival's opening concert on June 9.

Inter Are European Champions: Bayern Munchen 0 - Internazionale FC 2

"Diego Milito was overcome with emotion after his two goals handed Inter Milan their first European Cup win in 45 years with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich, and the striker's first continental trophy of a career that has blossomed in the past year".

Lord of the 'Ring': A Day in the Life of James Conlon

The Los Angeles Times followed James Conlon around during one of his busy days:

He likes to eat healthy — he often snacks on Balance Carb Well Bars and organic fruit — but he doesn't go the gym. "'Götterdämmerung' is my workout," he says.

Opera Chic's own interview with Conlon from earlier this year is here.

Villazon's Alfredo, Last Night In Zurich

The Rolando Villazon fan blog has photos, videos and more about Rolando Villazon's performance last night in Zurich as Alfredo (Leo Nucci, above with RV, was Germont and Eva Mei was Violetta).

La Scala's New Season: Bondy's Tosca, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Gergiev...

 
La Scala introduced today its 2010-2011 season. With the exception of the big season opener, Die Walkure, Metgoers will be familiar with a few productions and conductors -- Bondy's Tosca, Gergiev, Nezet-Seguin....

Saturday Night Is Alright For Fighting: Rinat Shaham's "Carmen" @ Baden Baden

Rinat Shaham during the final rehearsal for Carmen at the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, opening Saturday night, doing what she loves best: getting into catfights and smoking cigars with dudes in wife-beaters as Bizet's fiery man eater -- all with a shake of her hips and a toss of her hair. Nikolai Schukoff is Don Jose. Click the link below for a few more photos...

Gerry's Golden Parachute

 
NYCO paid Gerry Mortier a cool $400,000 for refusing to work as their general manager.

He flies first class.

Tony the Tiger's Last Stand for Santa Cecilia

 

The 2010/2011 symphony season for Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia was announced earlier today in Rome. The season opens on October 16, 2010 in a concert version of Rossini's last opera, Guillaume Tell. Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley sings the lead under Music Director Antonio Pappano's measures.

The season highlights are many and include works by Chopin and Schumann, both in their bicentenary birth years, to be performed by Lang Lang and Maurizio Pollini. The Orchestra di Santa Cecilia will play 28 concerts running through June 7, including a Christmas concert with Honegger's Christmas Cantatas and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. In January 2011, Pappano will conduct all of Mahler's symphonies on the double occasion of the Austrian composer's birth and death anniversaries. In March, a special program to honor Liszt will celebrate the bicentennial of his birth.

The season concludes with Brahms' German Requiem and a new commission by Ivan Fedele. It also ends the contract of Pappano, which had started in 2005. Music Director at the Royal Opera House, the 50-year-old Italian-American Brit recently told The Times vaguely that he'd be staying in London until 2013-14 season, but you never know which way the wind blows. 

For tons of details on the new season including instrumental and vocal soloists go here for the details.