Reply With QuoteTonight was Romeo et Juillette with the bodacious and superbly talented Nino Machaidze and the ... energetic Rolando Villazon. We watched the first half with a nice merlot and will do part two tomorrow
I struggle to comprehend the music in the aria CDs. There are so many singers that I can't get enough of but I have not bought the CDs as I know I will just get lost...Originally Posted by Soave_Fanciulla
Tonight was Romeo et Juillette with the bodacious and superbly talented Nino Machaidze and the ... energetic Rolando Villazon. We watched the first half with a nice merlot and will do part two tomorrow
I am very excited about receiving the Minkowski Giulio Cesare recording. I would wish to advance one week in time so that I could listen to it straight away, if it were not for the fact that I would suddenly be a week older with nothing otherwise gained.
In the meantime I go back to the brilliant, brilliant Curtis recording for this morning.
Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Giulio Cesare), Karina Gauvin (Cleopatra), Romina Basso (Cornelia), Emoke Barath (Sesto), Filippo Mineccia (Tolomeo), Johannes Weisser (Achilla), Milena Storti (Nireno), Gianluca Buratto (Curio)
Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis
Recorded November 2011 Lonigo, Italy
I love the cover design. This piece is from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, gigantic in more than one sense. If I had realized that before, I would have like to have seen it if it was on display when I was last there.
This was my introduction to Nino what a great performance and very good production to showcase her talents, vocally she reminds me of Netrebko with the big warm amber toned voice. Have not heard much from her lately, most recently saw her in excellent Rigoletto video from Tutto Verdi series
To me, both are the best of the available performances. I am surprised that the boardmeister has not latched onto Machaidze, though. His oft stated appreciation for the extra musical attributes of Anna should have him glued to the screen when Juliet bounces about.
I, myself, tend to ignore such things. For me, it's all about the music.
(yeah ...right ... )
Well, yes, I have paid some attention to Ms. Machaidze's cough cough assets cough cough, but I haven't had the pleasure of meeting her in person or interviewing her... or even just watching her live. I'm sure this situation will be corrected at some point in the future.
Due to an exceptionally busy period in my day job with some administrative duties that are finally over, I took a big break from my Opera Lively journalistic duties (didn't do anything after Isabel Leonard and I'm badly behind in releasing the two next Opera Lively books - volume 2 of the interviews series, and volume 2 of the Guides series which will be about contemporary opera Written on Skin).
I've been procrastinating... but I'm slowly getting back to it, now that finally I passed the baton of the administrative part of my day job. My next goals regarding these exceptional ladies with great voices and some other cough cough assets cough cough, are Elina Garanca and Kristine Opolais. I'll soon send out interview requests since I'll be seeing them live at the Met. One never knows if the requests will be accepted (although lately most of them have been) so let's cross our fingers. Once this next batch is done, then I'll see what I can do about Ms. Machaidze.
PS - I posted the above before even clicking on DA's video clip. Now I did and... oh my! Where is my hypertension medication? No, seriously, not only Nino is extremely beautiful, but this performance, no kidding, qualifies as the best "Je veux vivre" I've ever heard. What incredible power and precise modulation! She doesn't lose power in any region of her register. This is outstanding.
And yes, even though I joke endlessly about the cough cough assets cough cough, the voice is still the main point and hers is simply sublime!
Last edited by Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva); August 16th, 2014 at 02:33 PM.
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
Yep! That's why I love OperaLively, it's so great to be able to share my enthusiasm with like minded people.
"Every theatre is an insane asylum, but an opera theatre is the ward for the incurables."
FRANZ SCHALK, attributed, Losing the Plot in Opera: Myths and Secrets of the World's Great Operas
Continuing the Verdi journey with my second favourite pirate story
Gardelli once again on top form
"Every theatre is an insane asylum, but an opera theatre is the ward for the incurables."
FRANZ SCHALK, attributed, Losing the Plot in Opera: Myths and Secrets of the World's Great Operas
Another one. Beautiful timbre.
According to her website, next she'll be in La Traviata for LA Opera on September 13, and also 17, 23, 26, 28. Too far for me. I kind of have some sort of prejudice against LA. I don't like to visit LA.
She skips October, then she is doing the title role in Luisa Miller in late November / early December in Hamburg, then La Comtessa di Folleville in Il Viaggio a Reims in January in Amsterdam. Again, she skips February, and works in March in Il Turco in Italia in Torino.
Yes, weird, she doesn't seem to be very busy. I wonder why. She alternates a performance with a whole month off. Most likely she wants time with family or something.
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
Interesting. I tend to enjoy concerts almost as much as full operas, especially because in a concert you often have a very good singer showcasing a number of outstanding arias while in full operas you're subject to uneven cast. Still, I agree with you that when the whole cast is great and the staging is well done, a full opera is of course the ultimate pleasure. Yes, Winterreise with der Jonas, live, must be a spectacular experience.And in honour of der boy I went to see last week:
You know it's funny, I'm quite happy with a series of arias from different operas on disc, but I found the experience of listening to them in a concert hall rather unsatisfying. It brought home to me that for me opera is most definitely NOT pure music; I need the context of the dramatic development and the characters and libretto to get the full emotional impact. Even der Jonas with his unparalleled story-telling abilities couldn't quite move me, except for his aria from La Forza del Destino and that's really only because I had been watching the production with him and Harteros the previous night.
If there ever is a next time I sincerely hope he does a lieder cycle. Winterreise would be perfect.
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
What are you listening to?!
"Every theatre is an insane asylum, but an opera theatre is the ward for the incurables."
FRANZ SCHALK, attributed, Losing the Plot in Opera: Myths and Secrets of the World's Great Operas
Aw, that's sweet, Annie. We love you too!
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
Yes, a bit off-topic, but after these clips, I think I'll go and buy one of her DVDs so I can come back here and say that's what I'm listening to. Incredible, but I don't have anything with Nino; no DVDs, no CDs. At least I don't think so (I kind of lost track of my unwatched pile and lately I ran out of space for more DVDs and they are in drawers or just in a pile on the floor, no kidding. I've been behind in everything).What are you listening to?!
OK, I just bought the one copy left of the blu-ray of Nino's Roméo et Juliette, on Amazon. A bargain, 60% of the price of the DVD of the same performance, go figure!
Last edited by Luiz Gazzola (Almaviva); August 16th, 2014 at 03:31 PM.
"J'ai dit qu'il ne suffisait pas d'entendre la musique, mais qu'il fallait encore la voir" (Stravinsky)
Was only teasing!
I saw Nino sing Adina in L'elisir d'amore in Munich. She was superb.
"Every theatre is an insane asylum, but an opera theatre is the ward for the incurables."
FRANZ SCHALK, attributed, Losing the Plot in Opera: Myths and Secrets of the World's Great Operas
Caro dottore, when interviewing the ladies, it is best to maintain eye to eye contact. I understand from reading and talking to others that there appears to be a temptation to let the eyes .. drop a bit (or a lot, depending).
But I am diverting funds from the DVD account to get your interviews book. From the ones I have read, you do an outstanding job.
If I were more mobile, I'd cheerfully volunteer for either a Garanca or Machaidze interview, because of my professional ability to question folks objectively, as well as my well trained eye control.
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