What opera have you been watching lately?

[Clayton]

"...only the man that controls his emotions will be worthy of eternal glory..."

well I'm &u££ered on that front then


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I was aiming for the Jacobs L'orfeo but came back here (courtesy of Medici)



Monteverdi: L'Orfeo
Recorded live at La Teatro alla Scala 21st & 23rd December 2009
Georg Nigl (Orfeo), Roberta Invernizzi (Euridice), Sara Mingardo (Messaggera), Sara Mingardo (Speranza), Luigi De Donato (Caronte), Raffaella Milanesi (Proserpina), Giovanni Battista Parodi (Plutone), Roberta Invernezzi (Eco), Furio Zanasi (Apollo) & Nicola Strada (Solo Dancer)
Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala & Concerto Italiano (Basso continuo), Rinaldo Alessandrini (conductor) & Robert Wilson (director)

I am still not keen on the camera work
BUT
Alessandrini and Concerto Italiano are superb, master of Monteverdi. The singing by all the cast is beautiful but Nigl is really something special. His love of/for Euridice is divine and expressed so in his voice.
Added to that is the choreography, stagework, costumes, make up and lighting which works so well, it is magical, encapturing, drawing you in to this fantasy/myth as opposed to bringing the work to you.
If the camera work was to my liking, I would not only buy the blu-ray but an entire home cinema system and a Ben de Lisi ball gown to wear on the occasion. As it is, 9.684/10 and DVD on the wish list for sometime in the future when I get a proper DVD player.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

"...only the man that controls his emotions will be worthy of eternal glory..."

well I'm &u££ered on that front then


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


I was aiming for the Jacobs L'orfeo but came back here (courtesy of Medici)



Monteverdi: L'Orfeo
Recorded live at La Teatro alla Scala 21st & 23rd December 2009
Georg Nigl (Orfeo), Roberta Invernizzi (Euridice), Sara Mingardo (Messaggera), Sara Mingardo (Speranza), Luigi De Donato (Caronte), Raffaella Milanesi (Proserpina), Giovanni Battista Parodi (Plutone), Roberta Invernezzi (Eco), Furio Zanasi (Apollo) & Nicola Strada (Solo Dancer)
Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala & Concerto Italiano (Basso continuo), Rinaldo Alessandrini (conductor) & Robert Wilson (director)

I am still not keen on the camera work
BUT
Alessandrini and Concerto Italiano are superb, master of Monteverdi. The singing by all the cast is beautiful but Nigl is really something special. His love of/for Euridice is divine and expressed so in his voice.
Added to that is the choreography, stagework, costumes, make up and lighting which works so well, it is magical, encapturing, drawing you in to this fantasy/myth as opposed to bringing the work to you.
If the camera work was to my liking, I would not only buy the blu-ray but an entire home cinema system and a Ben de Lisi ball gown to wear on the occasion. As it is, 9.684/10 and DVD on the wish list for sometime in the future when I get a proper DVD player.

You can always tell a Robert Wilson production just by looking at it. Two other goodies to investigate are the Pelléas et Mélisande and the Madama Butterfly that he directed. The Pelléas is on Medici.

[Clayton]

You can always tell a Robert Wilson production just by looking at it. Two other goodies to investigate are the Pelléas et Mélisande and the Madama Butterfly that he directed. The Pelléas is on Medici.

I am a fan just based on this one work. I saw that the Madame Butterfly was available but I did not notice the Pelléas et Mélisande. They are both now on the to watch list.

I have not watched Pelléas et Mélisande since Abbado at Covent Garden. Seems a long time ago. The old Covent Garden, with the standby tickets sold next to the cloak room next to the old Floral Hall. Ahh... memories... I think I sat in the fifth row of the orchestra stalls for sixteen pounds.

[Soave_Fanciulla]

While at violin camp I rewatched the 2012 Lohengrin from La Scala with Der Jonas in super-twitchy neurotic mode, Annette Dasch who einsprang at 24 hours' notice and made it seem as though she owned the production, Evelyn Herzilius, René Pape and Željko Lučić as luxury casting for the herald. I'm not sure the ideas in the production worked 100%, but it was interesting. And then, well, der Jonas, you know.



In productions since her wonderful performance in Giulio Cesare, I've always found Dani a bit self-consciously winsome for my taste (Enchanted Island, Don Pasquale). But she was really excellent in this. And Bejun Mehta and Malena Ermann too.



Funnily enough I quite liked this rather abstract production. This version of the age-old story is all about two young people caught in a situation beyond their control, and their attempt to break out from the politics and war that work to keep them apart. And this leads to a succession of misunderstanding and strains in their relationship. And the singing, wow.

[Clayton]

While at violin camp...

I know it's completely off topic but I need to know...

it's been poking at my rhinocampus (my brain is different from others) since you first mentioned it. What happens here?

I've had funny pictures of the big violin saying to the little violin "hey, want to go get some resin?"

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I know it's completely off topic but I need to know...

it's been poking at my rhinocampus (my brain is different from others) since you first mentioned it. What happens here?

I've had funny pictures of the big violin saying to the little violin "hey, want to go get some resin?"

The kids play violin together. A lot of violin. Some better than others.



In the afternoon they go screaming off down hydroslides and into rivers.



The parents hang around and try and make sure the kids have a good time.

The kids then play more violin.

At about 9pm the exhausted parents gather in the hot springs pool and wish there was a handy waiter around bearing margaritas.

[Clayton]

...In the afternoon they go screaming off down hydroslides and into rivers...

Violin 1 says to Violin 2, You're not allowed to play beyond that bridge...

[Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva)]

Well, I'll admit to the fact that these girls by now are looking fairly well nourished. I see that my drone food drops have been working. Good for them!

[Hoffmann]

While at violin camp I rewatched the 2012 Lohengrin from La Scala with Der Jonas in super-twitchy neurotic mode, Annette Dasch who einsprang at 24 hours' notice and made it seem as though she owned the production, Evelyn Herzilius, René Pape and Željko Lučić as luxury casting for the herald. I'm not sure the ideas in the production worked 100%, but it was interesting. And then, well, der Jonas, you know.



In productions since her wonderful performance in Giulio Cesare, I've always found Dani a bit self-consciously winsome for my taste (Enchanted Island, Don Pasquale). But she was really excellent in this. And Bejun Mehta and Malena Ermann too.



Funnily enough I quite liked this rather abstract production. This version of the age-old story is all about two young people caught in a situation beyond their control, and their attempt to break out from the politics and war that work to keep them apart. And this leads to a succession of misunderstanding and strains in their relationship. And the singing, wow.

I am vaguely aware that you are not, generally, much of a bel canto fan. Do I detect a weakening here, with your positive response to the the Capuleti/Montecchi?

[Amfortas]

The kids play violin together. A lot of violin. Some better than others.

In the afternoon they go screaming off down hydroslides and into rivers.

The most talented ones manage to combine the two.

[Clayton]

The most talented ones manage to combine the two...

no one should complain of this CD sounding like it was recorded at the bottom of a pool

[Soave_Fanciulla]

I am vaguely aware that you are not, generally, much of a bel canto fan. Do I detect a weakening here, with your positive response to the the Capuleti/Montecchi?

I think that Bellini has some very beautiful melodies. I think the problem might be that dramatically I don't find his operas interesting. The exception is Norma but I spend a lot of the time wanting to punch Pollione - he's on a par with Pinkerton in my book.

It's really Donizetti opera seria which leaves me a bit cold, apart from the cool scene in Maria Stuarda where she says "Vil bastarda di Bolena" to Elisabeth which is the most epic insult in opera.

[Clayton]

Boy violin to girl violin "I think your bow looks very pretty"

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Violin walks in to a bar and says to bartender "I think I'm too tightly strung"

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very sorry. I think I have violin camp out of my system now.

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Violin 1 to Violin 2: I think you should sit next to me

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Euh! That guy had his hands all over my neck!

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I'm done now

[Amfortas]

String him up.

[Clayton]

Nice violin "no jokes about the G string please"

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definitely time to call time out now