Classical Music & Opera Forums

mogliettina · by **mogliettina** on 04 Nov 2009, 07:42

dementeddavo wrote:As Mogs can attest, my opinion of Mr. Spence's writing is low. As someone who has written musical criticism professionally, I cannot believe anyone can follow his twisted and obfuscated syntax! Maybe I'm just dense and he is the Joyce or e.e. cummings of operatic cyberspace.

No tootsie. You got it right the first time.

kashania · by **kashania** on 04 Nov 2009, 11:06

Cal: That sounds like a great Lohengrin cast. Who's singing the swan knight?

calvert · by **calvert** on 04 Nov 2009, 12:40

dementeddavo wrote:As Mogs can attest, my opinion of Mr. Spence's writing is low. As someone who has written musical criticism professionally, I cannot believe anyone can follow his twisted and obfuscated syntax! Maybe I'm just dense and he is the Joyce or e.e. cummings of operatic cyberspace.

I have known David Spence for 23 years. He converses like he writes. I try and avoid him as much as possible.

calvert · by **calvert** on 04 Nov 2009, 12:54

kashania wrote:Cal: That sounds like a great Lohengrin cast. Who's singing the swan knight?

Simon O'Neill (a New Zealander). I have not heard the Lohengrin yet - I am going to the matinee on Sunday - but the reports I have heard have been positive. Here is a clip of him singing Florestan's aria.

kashania · by **kashania** on 04 Nov 2009, 15:33

calvert wrote:
kashania wrote:Cal: That sounds like a great Lohengrin cast. Who's singing the swan knight?

Simon O'Neill (a New Zealander). I have not heard the Lohengrin yet - I am going to the matinee on Sunday - but the reports I have heard have been positive. Here is a clip of him singing Florestan's aria.

Thanks. Nice voice. Hopefully, you'll give us a report.

uffeviking · by **uffeviking** on 04 Nov 2009, 21:13

Not being a fan of Messiaen, I ignored the premier of his opera Saint François d’Assise but when one of my favourite directors Pierre Audidid his version in Amsterdam, I bought the 3 disc DVD. The other attraction was the special talented conductor Ingo Metzmacher. Also my curiosity wanted to see and hear the singer of the title role Ron Gilfry, who I have seen last as Graf Danilo in Lehar’s Die Lustige Witwe. Quite a difference in character is Tom Randle, the Franciscan Frère Massée, who I know from John Adams’s Klinghofer opera as the patriotic Palestinian Mahmoud.

This is a very impressive production, a friend who has seen both, prefers Pierre Audi’s inspirational format; the center stage area cluttered with massed, simple natural wood crosses, a bare smaller platform in front where most of the action occurs. The outstanding chorus most of the time gathering around the crosses. Audi likes to move the orchestra and he did a superb job this time by placing the musicians in the back of the action, occasionally giving a glimpse of Metzmacher conducting.

The singing, acting, music, production, everything combined, does make me look for more of Messiaen’s Catholicism inspired works. It won’t make me an ardent Catholic, but will make me listen to my beloved wild bird back yard popuation with different ears.

http://www.hbdirect.com/album_detail.php?pid=3003458

maestrob · by **maestrob** on 05 Nov 2009, 10:45

Amplification at NYCO a Thing of the Past

Note that I am not making predictions about the overall acoustics of the renovated theater. Only after City Opera’s season gets under way this weekend — with a reconstituted production of Hugo Weisgall’s “Esther,” given its premiere by the company in 1993, and a new production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” — will audiences be able to form their opinions.

But for the first time in a decade the music making at the theater will be guaranteed to have no electronic filtering, no amplified boost. Whatever the acoustical results, the sound will at least be true.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/arts/music/05sound.html?ref=arts

mogliettina · by **mogliettina** on 05 Nov 2009, 11:53

maestrob wrote:Amplification at NYCO a Thing of the Past

Note that I am not making predictions about the overall acoustics of the renovated theater. Only after City Opera’s season gets under way this weekend — with a reconstituted production of Hugo Weisgall’s “Esther,” given its premiere by the company in 1993, and a new production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” — will audiences be able to form their opinions.

But for the first time in a decade the music making at the theater will be guaranteed to have no electronic filtering, no amplified boost. Whatever the acoustical results, the sound will at least be true.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/arts/music/05sound.html?ref=arts

Thanks so much for this 24. A step in the right direction.

manh1948 · by **manh1948** on 05 Nov 2009, 12:50

Mogliettina and the Phillies- an operatic ode

Philadelphia has Chase and Cole
And a tenor named Mario
Though Merrill can't sing
Matsui can swing
And nobody gets a run offa Moe

mogliettina · by **mogliettina** on 05 Nov 2009, 13:03

manh1948 wrote:Mogliettina and the Phillies- an operatic ode

Philadelphia has Chase and Cole
And a tenor named Mario
Though Merrill can't sing
Matsui can swing
And nobody gets a run offa Moe

Pleae have a little heart. I am in a lot of pain right now. :cry:

But what's this about the glorious, spectacular "Merrill can't sing?" Maybe you mean "Merrill" Streep?

mogliettina · by **mogliettina** on 05 Nov 2009, 13:08

This fella -- ManH is his name,
Has shown he has really no shame.
When it comes to great singers,
He imports to throw zingers.
It's his poor taste that's really to blame.

manh1948 · by **manh1948** on 05 Nov 2009, 13:26

Mogliettina

Merrill is one of my favorite baritones. I meant he can't sing the national anthem anymore at the Yankee games 'cause he's dead. I just didn't know how else to phrase it in trying to make it scan.

mogliettina · by **mogliettina** on 05 Nov 2009, 13:45

manh1948 wrote:Mogliettina

Merrill is one of my favorite baritones. I meant he can't sing the national anthem anymore at the Yankee games 'cause he's dead. I just didn't know how else to phrase it in trying to make it scan.

(sigh!) You are absolved darlin'!

kashania · by **kashania** on 05 Nov 2009, 14:41

Besides, Meryl Streep can sing!

manh1948 · by **manh1948** on 05 Nov 2009, 14:42

Mogliettina

Let me clean it up:

Philadelphia has a Chase and a Cole
And a great tenor named Mario
Where Merrill did (gorgeously) sing
Matsui did swing
An no runs were scored offa Mo.

Either way, however, the Yankees won

mogliettina · by **mogliettina** on 05 Nov 2009, 20:46

kashania wrote:Besides, Meryl Streep can sing!

We all know Meryl Streep can sing but can Merrill Streep sing? :lol:

homo aestheticus · by **homo aestheticus** on 06 Nov 2009, 05:20

Ladies and gentleman, just out of curiosity:

How do you regard Schoenberg's Moses und Aron ? How often do you listen to it ? And do you deeply love it ?

I swear to God that if there were no Wagner and no Debussy it would get my vote as the most fascinating, most perfect and grandest of all operas... (via the Solti recording with Franz Mazura and Philip Langridge)

dementeddavo · by **dementeddavo** on 06 Nov 2009, 07:54

"Moses und Aaron" is not a warm and fuzzy opera, like "La Boheme," but it is fascinating. Certainly its musical idiom is more interesting to me than the minimalists, not to mention half of the works premiered at the MET during the Volpe years, which all sounded alike to me. "moses and Aaron" has real emotion and power - something that most new operas don't seem to accomplish. The newer works don't have any emotional highs and lows, they just meander around in a kind of Xanax daze.

homo aestheticus · by **homo aestheticus** on 06 Nov 2009, 08:17

dementeddavo wrote:The newer works don't have any emotional highs and lows, they just meander around in a kind of Xanax daze.

I agree.

Let's face it, Messiaen's Saint Francis of Assisi was the last truly interesting opera. I don't think we'll see any new great ones for a very long time.

mogliettina · by **mogliettina** on 06 Nov 2009, 09:35

" The newer works don't have any emotional highs and lows, they just meander around in a kind of Xanax daze."

That is so beautifully and aptly put DD. I shall hope to use it in the future. (all due credit of course)

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