Opera Chic

Elaine Alvarez, Why So Sirius(XM)?

When she was in her late-twenties,Cuban-American soprano Elaine Alvarez was rolling mad deep across international opera stages in high-profile gigs and opening nights (the Chicago Tribune described her voice as "a big, vibrant lyric soprano the color of deep burgundy" -- check out her Vissi d'arte below) but after years of deep arts funding cuts + worldwide recession + economic crisis + condensed opera seasons, it meant regrouping and getting more skills (you know, like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills).

Between daily vocal coachings and auditions, Alvarez is at the recording studio singing duets with powerful leads, but not like how you're imagining it. As the assistant to the SVP of the Howard Stern Channels at SiriusXM Radio it means impromptu, live, on-air duets with Howard Stern, which is exactly what happened a few days ago at 8am when she was summoned by the shock jock to sing Ave Maria (clip above).

Radio aside, the hawt Latina soprano is back from a Roman (working) Holiday under the wings of la Renata Scotto and she's got gigs lined-up for the 2012/13 season (a recital with the Orchestra Miami, a guest engagement with the New World Symphony and a leading role with Gotham Chamber Opera, to name a few).

Elaine Alvarez Steps in for Harteros (who stepped in for Gheorghiu) @ the Bayerische Staatsoper

(Photo: Kristin Hoebermann)

American soprano Elaine Alvarez saves the day, yet again and again. This time, she'll be the relief Violetta at the Bayerische Staatsoper for tomorrow night's performance of La Traviata. Opera Chic was in Munich on Tuesday night to see Angela's Violetta, but now it's Elaine's turn to sizzle with Jonas Kaufmann's Alfredo.

Anja Harteros was originally called in to replace Angela Gheorghiu (Opera Chic reported on it here), although both divas pulled out, citing health issues. Alvarez is familiar with replacing Gheorghiu, as in September 2007 for LOC's La Bohème, she stepped-in last minute for the freshly-canned Angela.

Bohemian Like Her: Elaine Alvarez Replaces @ Last Minute Cristina Gallardo Domâs In Teatro Carlo Felice's Bohème (With Audio UPDATE)

Live on Radiotre, Italian listeners have been treated earlier tonight to a live broadcast of the premiere of La Bohéme from Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova. Cristina Gallardo Domâs was supposed to be Mimì, only she fell ill a few hours before the show was supposed to start. Alerted in the late afternoon, young American soprano Elaine Alvarez -- who only fourteen months ago had never sung in a major opera company -- as Cristina's understudy came to the rescue the way she did when Angela Gheorghiu was fired from Chicago's Bohème last year and Elaine A., her understudy, stepped in and made critics swoon.

La Alvarez barged ahead with her trademark warm colors, displaying her blooming powerful soprano and -- judging by the audience's reactions, since we obvs had no visuals -- her knack for raw, emotional acting that made her Chicago Mimi such a treat.

After coming in from the wings to pwn first Gheorghiu, then Gallardo Domâs, we have only a piece of advice to sopranos she'll end up in the same production of Bohéme with: worry.

^^^update^^^

Audio update: download the first act of last night Bohème by clicking here

It's a free Mediafire link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=068976bd7ecefebed2db6fb9a8902bda

(photo above courtesy Kristin Hoebermann/CAMI)

Ask Figaro

As we all know, just like bad sex even a bad Nozze di Figaro is better than no Nozze di Figaro; and if you have the chance to grill, for free, the cast of the opera asking them anything you feel like, the night can indeed can get pretty memorable.

The cast of Opera Cleveland's upcoming production of Nozze fields questions at 7 tonight @ Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Legacy Village, 24519 Cedar Road, Lyndhurst.

If, like Opera Chic, you're not in Cleveland (OC is in St. Paul, MN, where she might actually be offered the nomination for VP if they drop the moose lady, but don't tell anyone) you can read interviews with the cast here.

Tim Page In The Washington Post: "Elaine Alvarez, From Stand-In to Star"

The wonderful Tim Page -- who's about to leave the WP for his California sabbatical, lucky!, and we'll be stuck here without his insights for goodness knows how long --  joins the Elaine Alvarez Fan Club (Opera Chic has the card no. 3 -- no. 2 is Chicago Lyric Opera GM William Mason and no. 1 is, rightfully, her mom).

Here's signor Page's review of La Alvarez's DC debut:

 

It's one of the legendary American success stories: The star of a production falls ill, walks out or gets fired, and a hungry, untested newcomer steps in to save the day. Sixty-four years ago, Leonard Bernstein made his reputation when he took over a national radio broadcast of the New York Philharmonic for an ailing Bruno Walter; in 2002, the tenor Salvatore Licitra won his Metropolitan Opera debut when Luciano Pavarotti (who died in September) bowed out of some scheduled performances of "Tosca."

Something along these lines happened to the young Cuban American soprano Elaine Alvarez, who was serving as the understudy for Angela Gheorghiu in a production of "La Boh¿me" in Chicago last month. The Lyric Opera management, understandably miffed after Gheorghiu missed six out of 10 rehearsals, told the Romanian diva to take a hike and Alvarez found herself singing the role of Mimi on short notice, to public and critical acclaim.

(...)

That said, Alvarez is a charming artist -- with a delightfully warm stage presence and a healthy, hearty and agile voice that is still coming into flower -- and it does not surprise me that she made a terrific Mimi. She was quite wonderful in a closing set of Spanish and Cuban songs by Fernando Obradors and Eduardo Sanchez de Fuentes, in which she stepped out of what had sometimes seemed an interpretive corset and relaxed as though the hall were filled with old friends, which, by the end of the evening, seemed to be the case.

As Maestro Puccini himself (and OC neighbor) recently said, u go girl

In the photo above, Elaine Alvarez rehearsing with her fellow young phenomenon Leonard Bernstein & friends.

Elaine Supernova: La Alvarez Takes Washington, DC

We're happy to report the unstoppable state of unholy domination that has been rapidly reached by Elaine Alvarez, the young soprano who came, saw, and won La Bohéme at Chicago Lyric Opera after a General Manager not to be messed with had rightly fired Angela Gheorghiu's capricious a$$: less than a month after her Chicago triumph, La Alvarez will replace this coming Tuesday, at Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, ailing Anne Schwanewilms in a recital. La Alvarez will lay down teh ownage on songs by Stenhammar, Sibelius, Liszt, Strauss and Bo Linde.

Thomas Bagwell will rawk the piano keys.

Recap for our Eastern Seaboard readers:

Vocal Arts Society Recital Series at the Kennedy Center
Tuesday October 30th, 2007 at 7:30pm
Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center

Tkts here.

Be there or be noticeably unhip.

La Alvarez & Opera Chic In The Chicago Tribune, BFF&E

Elaine Alvarez, Mimì and Violetta of the next 30 years & friend of Opera Chic, spakes to the Chicago Tribune (she granted us an interview last week, alas), and there's a very nice OC shout out from the august paper, and we're very grateful for it:

Indeed, after a sound bite with Alvarez appeared on the Web site Opera Chic last weekend, one admirer posted this note: "What a sweet young lady -- a lesson in professionalism to Gheorghiu."

Now the question is, who's up for a road trip to Leipzig in December, when La Alvarez is going to appear as Violetta (and, already the consummate pro, she's asking lots of questions to la signora Scotto, her director at the Lyric, to make her future Violetta even more affecting)?

*checks Lufthansa.com*

Chicago Tribune: "Conveying lyric pathos seems to come as naturally to Alvarez as breathing"

The papers join the cheering, and how couldn't they:

Lyric finds a real diva in the wings -- Chicago Tribune

Into the breach went her understudy, young soprano Elaine Alvarez, who had never before sung with a major American opera company. She looked and sounded fully prepared to take on this touchstone Puccini role.

Far from displaying any obvious nerves, Alvarez looked and sounded like a poised veteran. As the consumptive seamstress Mimi, Alvarez on Monday revealed an appealingly natural stage presence and a big, vibrant lyric soprano the color of deep burgundy. The voice bloomed under pressure the way you want a Puccini voice to bloom, yet kept its warm tonal finish when she floated the high pianissimos opera lovers wait for in rapt anticipation. Conveying lyric pathos seems to come as naturally to Alvarez as breathing.

   

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Impressive 'La Boheme' debut for Mimi understudy -- Daily Herald

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Associate Conductor of the San Francisco Opera, il maestro Donato Cabrera, kindly shares on Opera Chic his enthusiasm for La Elaine:

I first worked with Elaine when I was the Assistant Conductor at the Music Academy of the West in 2003. She was, even then, a consummate professional with an extraordinary voice/talent. She's a wonderful person, as well, and deserves all of attention she has and will continue to receive. Brava Elaine!

 

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Time Out Chicago's Marc Geelhoed:

Major debut at Lyric

And I'm Feelin' So Bohemian Like You: Angela Gets Trucked, La Elaine Soars

download Elaine Alvarez, Che Gelida Manina; Chicago Lyric Opera, Oct. 1, 2007

Bohéme, Elaine Alvarez, Roberto Aronica, Andrew Davis cond. -- download Act I
Alternate link for download here

Download Act II

Act III is here

And finally Act IV is downloadable here

All links are 100% free and expire in one week.

***update***

New links to download act III and to Act IV

Party on The Radio! Elaine Alvarez's La Bohème Premiere @ Lyric Opera of Chicago

*~*If you are looking for the Opera Chic exclusive interview with Gheorghiu-replacement Elaine Alvarez, go here.*~*

Many thanks to Chicago's classical music station, 98.7 WFMT, who dutifully provide a live stream -- 24-hours a day, 7-days a week -- from anywhere in the world, accessible with an internet connection (and a computer) (and electricity) (and/or ears).

Anyone in Chicago who can’t make it to the theater (and those of us outside of the Windy City) can listen to the highly-anticipated, post-Gheorghiu-fallout Lyric Opera of Chicago’s la prima of La Bohème of October 1, with the soon-to-be-opera-supah-stah soprano Elaine Alvarez.

You can listen to the live 98.7 WFMT stream via links to WinAmp, Windows Media Player, iTunes, or RealPlayer. However, first-time listeners must sign-up for a free account to access the streams. To do that, GO HERE, click on the media playa of your choice -- which will direct first time users to a sign-in page, where they can quickly/easily register an account.

You can bet that OC will be listening to The Bucksbaum Family Lyric Opera Broadcast live from the Civic Opera House, on Monday, October 1, 2007 at 7:15 pm (Chicago time!!) -- //Which means 8:15 pm New York City time, and tragically, 2:15 am Milan time. A quick apology to all my Milan friends, but get ur rest, i'll SoundForge it, k? 

Opera Chic Exclusive: Elaine Alvarez, Angela Gheorghiu's Replacement, Speaks to OC Before La Bohéme's Prima In Chicago

Opera Chic extends her most heartfelt thanks to Elaine Alvarez, the young soprano who'll replace Angela Gheorghiu -- who was fired by the Lyric Opera of Chicago -- for taking the time late last night to grant Opera Chic an exclusive interview about this most exciting moment in her professional life. Mad props to Columbia Artists Management, Inc. (CAMI) as well.

Below is the interview. Please credit quotes to operachic.typepad.com

(Above: the gorgeous Ms. Elaine Alvarez, Cuban-American soprano).

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Opera Chic: "What are your feelings over this weekend before la Prima of Bohéme? Is the excitement stronger than anything else? Mirella Freni says that she kept having 'butterflies in the stomach' right before going on stage even after decades in opera."

Elaine Alvarez: "It's strange. We had our final dress rehearsal today and everyone kept coming to my dressing room, telling me to 'stay calm...don't let nerves get the best of you.' But in all honesty, there wasn't a moment today in which I felt nervous (well maybe just before I knocked on the door! hehehehe)."

"Quite the contrary...what I felt today was peace. This career is full of so much hardship and sacrifice. Especially as a young singer, you find yourself constantly wondering if what you love is, in fact, what you SHOULD make your living at."

"Every once in a while, something happens that shows you that you are exactly where you were meant to be...all the steps you took were leading to this one moment."

"Am I excited? I am beside myself. My face hurts from smiling so much! More than anything I just feel really blessed. This company is fantastic. From the moment I came in the door they have been nothing but gracious and kind. And for them to trust me with this role is a tremendous honor I will remember for the rest of my life. My heart is very full tonight..."

Opera Chic: "What do you think of the role of Mimi?"

Elaine Alvarez: "I absolutely love this opera, and this character. For me, Boheme is the best of what opera can be...it is literally emotion translated into sound. From the moment I began studying this character, I knew it was a fit for me. Mimi has this sincerity about her, conveyed not only in her text, but in the musical lines, that is so endearing,-- you cannot help but love her! I always think of her as being someone who is quietly ablaze. She doesn't wear her emotions on her sleeve, as Musetta or even Rodolfo do, she is much to shy for that. But that isn't to say that her feelings are any less deep. If anything, her reserve makes the revealing of those feelings so much weightier."

"She's been waiting her whole life to feel what she finds in Rodolfo and when she comes to him in Act IV, it's because she can't leave this life without saying what she came to say: 'I have so much I wish to say. Or perhaps just one thing, but large like the ocean: You are my love and all of my life. You are my love and all of my life.' For me, that is the crux of Boheme. Despite the brevity of her life, she loved fully and so she lived fully."

Opera Chic: "I see you have a great majority of roles in the Italian repertoire: how did the choice come to you, was it always a dream to sing that kind Italian roles?"

Elaine Alvarez: "I think this was one of those instances where physiology and taste happily combine! My mother is a music teacher, and so I grew up attending the opera and listening to it at home. From the beginning, it was Puccini and Verdi that I gravitated towards. As I grew up and began my vocal studies, my natural sound seemed to be inherently Italianate. I'm not sure if its because that was the sound I had in my ear or if that's what God intended but thankfully, its been a great fit!"

Opera Chic: "What did Ms. Scotto tell you during rehearsals, what were her suggestions given her amazing experience?"

Elaine Alvarez: "Signora Scotto has been a dream to work with. Not only because she is an icon in this business and one of the greatest sopranos in the history of opera, but because she is so gracious and generous with everyone, it is impossible not to learn from her!"

"From the very beginning, she offered me advice on the character...how to walk, how to carry my upper body...how to truly convey the physical life of the character. As the rehearsal period continued and we got to know each other, she was kind enough to coach me on the entire role."

"I would say her biggest piece of advise was not to try to create expression in the voice, not be affected...to simply say the words and mean them and that the voice would naturally color the notes accordingly. She's not a fan of excessive portamenti. For her, what Puccini put in is exactly enough. If you start adding portamenti here and there for dramatic purposes, the portamenti that he actually indicated lose their significance."

"She also spoke to me about singing Mimi simply. Puccini is word painting a lot of the time in this score, and the delivery of her lines need to convey the simplicity of what she is saying. In the same way that Act III's Mimi/Marcello duet reflects the complexity of what's happening to her internally. Signora Scotto has just been amazing. She is so supportive and so dedicated to creating something special and beautiful. Its truly an honor to be working with her."

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Let's all wish la signorina Alvarez the greatest in bocca al lupo!