Everything Opera

The Addams Family National Tour

2012-01-16T17:16:00.000-06:00

If I may dedicate this post to the often forgotten alternate topic of the listed subject matter of my blog, Broadway, I should like to discuss the national touring production of Broadway's late production of The Addams Family. This new musical makes its debut in Oklahoma City this evening, and I shall be witnessing it tomorrow evening at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City. The tour is welcomed and presented by Celebrity Attractions, which is responsible for much of the theatrical productions of high quality in my state. Through the generosity of the organization, and in conjunction with their desire to increase their social media identity, they hold a contest for their shows that allow their followers on Twitter to witness a performance in exchange for sharing their experience through the means of Twitter. Along with a few other grateful patrons, I won a pair of tickets on Friday to this Tuesday's performance. The only requirement for the tickets is that you tweet about the performance at least four times during the evening, which I shall readily do.

The people responsible for this show's creation are Andrew Lippa (John and Jen), who composed the music, Michael Brickman and Rick Elice (Jersey Boys), who wrote the book, Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys) choreographed the production, and Phelim McDermott, who is also the director of the Metropolitan Opera's new production of The Enchanted Island, and Julian Crouch directed and designed the staging. This production opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 8, 2010, and the show continued there until its close on New Year's Eve of 2011 for a total of 725 performances. In its original incarnation it starred Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth, Jackie Hoffman, Kevin Chamberlain, Carolee Carmello, Krysta Rodriguez, Wesley Taylor, Adam Riegler, and Zachary James. A notable and surprising cast change that occurred later was that of Brooke Shields replacing Neuwirth, and Shields stayed with the production until its closure. The national tour began on September 25, 2010, and it has finally made its way into my city, and its next stop is Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The musical based on the beloved characters from the stories by Charles Addams and the television series these spawned introduces an entirely maiden story to the collection in which Wednesday Addams, the family's daughter for those such as I who are unfamiliar with the background of the characters and their story, finds a boy, Lucas Beinike, she likes. However, a problem presents itself in the fact that this young man who has become the object of her affections is entirely normal. This "delightfully macabre" musical chronicles the journey of the family's adventures as they struggle to accept the thought of Wednesday's new beau and his and his family's being normal.

This production opens tomorrow evening, and it plays until Sunday, January 22, 2012, at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City, which is located at 201 North Walker Avenue in Downtown Oklahoma City.

Thank you for perusing my post, and I hope that the new year has remained kind and leisurely for all of you. May God pour His blessings upon you.

-Tyler.

Bass-Baritone Thomas Quasthoff Announces His Retirement from the Stage

2012-01-11T23:52:00.002-06:00

Much to the sorrow and surprise of many in the world of classical music, German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff released a press announcement through his representatives that he shall retire from public performance due to health reasons. He is fifty-two years of age, and these tidings came with an outpouring of sympathy and sentiment for the legendary performer from many renowned vocalists on the social media platform Twitter, and I expect that tomorrow will bring even greater coverage of the happening. I am not familiar with the ailments that plague this revered performer, but I am certain that he shall be sorely missed by his colleagues. He shall continue to teach at the Hans Eisler School of Music in Berlin, Germany, and he assures his audience that he shall explore another portion of life, the vast area of politics and current events. I recall a blog post from Joyce DiDonato in reference to this singer. Her particular post that I recall documented a day of rehearsal for a gala in honor of Marilyn Horne. Quasthoff was rehearsing with astute and serenely gifted accompanist Martin Katz at the piano, and Joyce was simply overwhelmed by the intimacy of his performance of Wie bist du, meine Konigin. Though the concert hall was bereft of the usual audience it accommodates, Joyce reports that Quasthoff sang with perfection, and it was so endearingly exquisite that it brought her to tears. Indeed, I can imagine that those tears of regret of which she spoke shall readily flow again once she hears of the news.

Thomas Quasthoff is best known as one of the most skilled and erudite interpreters of Lieder. Though he has some reputation in the world of opera, he never sought to tax himself in this art form, and we possess few memories of his work on the stage; however, his operatic endeavors were held as triumphs, and he was respected all the more for those efforts. I am not as familiar with Quasthoff's contribution to the recorded legacy of German art song, which I must confess is a great travesty; moreover, I do not maintain any capacious knowledge upon the subject of lieder in general, but I do possess a disc of Quasthoff's that was released under Deutsche Grammophon in which he was accompanied by pianist Justus Zeyen. I am blessed to have it, and I shall have to hear it now to acquaint myself with the surreal elegance of his voice of which I have heard so much. He has won numerous awards and accolades during his career that has spanned almost forty years. including the Herbert von Karajan Music Prize, three Grammy Awards, and an Echo Klassik Award.

From his press release that was manifested today, he had this to say.

“After almost 40 years, I have decided to retire from concert life. My
health no longer allows me to live up to the high standard that I have always set for my art
and myself. I owe a lot to this wonderful profession and leave without a trace of bitterness.
On the contrary, I am looking forward to the new challenges that will now enter my life. I
would like to thank all my fellow musicians and colleagues, with whom I stood together on
stage, all the organizers, and my audience for their loyalty.”

This announcement and the happening it foretells reminds me of why I seek to capture every moment I may to make the most of its opportunity in life to help another person or to improve their life in any means that they shall allow. Furthermore, it also brings the painful truth to my attention that there are yet chances that I must miss to experience the best of life. As a prospective, hopeful opera singer, I currently witness the world of opera from without the confines of the professional or even amateur branches of the industry, and I hear and see singers with whom I should desire immensely to perform, with whom I wish to endeavor to recreate the sublime environment that certain performances manufacture. Nevertheless, as I grow older, these singers that arrest my attention and humble, sincere hope that I may be granted to perform with them in the future also gain in age, and this naturally precludes me from ever knowing any of them in a professional capacity. As much as I may wish to sing with Renee Fleming in an opera or upon the concert stage, the thought resides in the dim space of my mind that the possibility of this desire becoming an actual occurrence is truly minute. My spirit weeps that I can make no effort to preserve these dreams in myself or others without this logical conclusion's intrusion upon the hopes of those who possess such dreams.

I pray that I find you in excellent spirits for the coming year, and I hope that God grants you every blessing. Thomas Quasthoff shall leave a tremendous void in the world of classical music, but I look to the next generation of followers in the art to make every attempt to fill it. I proffer my gratitude to all of you for continuing to read my musings.

-Tyler.

Danielle de Niese Releases Beauty of the Baroque Today

2012-01-10T13:20:00.000-06:00

For those of us who have been patiently waiting in expectation for a new release from soprano Danielle de Niese, our want is now finally relieved today, for her latest album, Beauty of the Baroque, is released today. I first consciously listened to this soprano in a video on YouTube in which she sang Handel's famous aria Lascia ch'io pianga, and I have faithfully listened to her since then at any time I am given the chance. Her voice is quite clear, which makes her a natural choice for the Baroque repertoire.While it is interesting to note that she has recorded a pleasant variety of music on her solo offerings, I am glad to see that she has returned to this period. Personally, I am enamored with Baroque music, which is the primary cause of my elation at this release, but we may also rejoice at the quality of collaboration that her two forays into this specialist's field of music have brought to our ears. To my enduring delight, her debut recital of works for recorded media featured the formidable and revered Les Arts Florissants under the direction of their distinguished and renowned founder, William Christie. In my opinion, which I shall admit is a trifle biased, such an early forging of relations between such a performer and and almost peerless ensemble is a definite indication of the sort of talent that de Niese possesses.

   In this new release, we are promised much of the same magic that exists in such a pairing as the one I have just described, for her new collaborators are Harry Bickett, the esteemed Handel specialist, and The English Concert. Judging from Bickett's recent triumph at the Metropolitan Opera, where he conducted Rodelinda with Renee Fleming, Iestyn Davies, and Andreas Scholl, this promises to be a sumptuous and elegant program. Indeed, the album itself seems to exude this latter quality in every aspect of its being, for one can see such a trait in the title of the release and the artwork that has been utilized. The music itself lends itself to this description, and we begin to notice a hint of regalia that has been imbued into the album. After having released a disc of Handel arias, de Niese does not shy from including that famed composer in this new recording, and we find her singing arias that exhibits her in a more mature light than we have previously noticed her because of the roles she presently sings. The track list is as follows.

John Dowland (1563–1626)
1. Come again, sweet love doth now invite [2:42]
2. What if I never speed? [2:31]
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
3. Aria “Ombra mai fu” (Serse) [2:54]
from Serse, Act I
Libretto: anon., after Niccolò Minato & Silvio Stampiglia
4. Air “Let the bright Seraphim” (Israelitish Woman) [5:34]
from Samson, Act III
Libretto: Newburgh Hamilton
Henry Purcell (1659–1695)
5. “Thy hand, Belinda – When I am laid in earth” (Dido) [5:07]
(Dido’s Lament)
from Dido and Aeneas, Act III
Libretto: Nahum Tate
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
6. Air “Heart, the seat of soft delight” (Galatea) [4:10]
from Acis and Galatea
Libretto: John Gay and others
Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
7. Duet “Pur ti miro” (Poppea, Nerone)* [4:35]
from L’incoronazione di Poppea, Act III
Libretto: Giovanni Francesco Busenello
8. Quel sguardo sdegnosetto 3:01
from Scherzi musicali
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
9. Duet “Io t’abbraccio” (Rodelinda, Bertarido) [6:53]
from Rodelinda, Act II
Libretto: Nicola Francesco Haym
10. “Guardian angels” (Beauty) [5:59]
from The Triumph of Time and Truth, Act III
Libretto: Thomas Morell
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710–1736)
11. Duet “Stabat Mater dolorosa” [3:56]
from Stabat Mater
Libretto: attrib. to Jacopone da Todi
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
12. Aria “Sich üben im lieben” [4:38]
from the Cantata Weichet nur, betrübte Schatten, BWV 202
13. Aria “Schafe können sicher weiden” [4:46]
from the Cantata Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre Jagd, BWV 208

   I am fairly certain that I know what I shall be purchasing with my available Amazon gift cards today. I neglected to previously mention that countertenor Andreas Scholl joins de Niese on three of the tracks on this disc, which is a welcome occurrence, and I maintain high hopes for this release. Depending upon what other recordings are released this year, this may well be one of my favorites. Danielle DeNiese is performing a concert at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City on January 23, 2012, to coincide with the debut of this album, and the event will be streamed live from (Le) Poisson Rouge's website.

   I express my immense ingratiation to all of you who continue to peruse my posts concerning opera, and I pray that all of you are extraordinarily blessed as the new year greets us with all of the possibilities and happenings that may occur. You are quite at liberty to post a comment on any of my posts, and you may also subscribe if you are so inclined.

-Tyler.

Music and Feeling it: Patricia Petibon's Melancolia

2011-12-31T02:20:00.000-06:00

When one thinks of Spanish music, the mind is instantly overrun with a variety of textures, thoughts, and words to describe the flair and tradition of Spanish music. What makes music identifiable as Spanish, French Italian, or anything else? In the case of the music from the Iberian peninsula or inspired by that genre, it is filled with passion. We feel intense amounts of emotion when we perform this music, but it is a rare, extraordinary discovery to feel these rapturous feelings when we hear this music, and I am pleased to announce that soprano Patricia Petibon delivers this often neglected aspect with her various interpretations. Her new release from last November 2011 is titled Melancolia, and she is joined by the Orquestra Nacional de Espana under the baton of conductor Josep Pons.

I think of Spanish music as more exotic than most western music I hear, and I imagine that my association with the mysterious parts of life that we as humans label as unknown and all at once beckoning to us comes from the influences that helped to shape this form of music as we see it in its current state of evolution today. In precisely the same context as Spanish cuisine, art, and architecture have been influenced by the Moors of northern Africa, their music was not immune to such an injection of ideas from their southern neighbors and enemies. Until the time of the Renaissance and the Crusades, music in Europe was written for a cappella arrangements. However, after the Crusades, soldiers returned to their native lands with stringed instruments which were precursors to the lute and the guitar, two prominent makers of music in Spain.

In the flow of years that came afterward to Europe, a new variety of music exploded on the continent. Spain, being the gateway into the east from the west, attracted some of the most diverse styles in music. In those early days of music's largest achievement in Europe, I cannot think that there must have been much difference or variation between the music of Europe and the music of the Easterners, for the former was in it's infancy, but it has developed into what we have today from those humble beginnings. As we consider Spanish music, we conjure thoughts of spice, warmth, and emotion. It is with the final category that soprano Petibon has sought to identify herself with this release, but she endeavors to open our senses to the area of <i>melancolia</i>, the melancholy, that inhabits much of the musical language of Spain.

For much of this refreshing album, she achieves her goal. The repertoire she has chosen might easily be classified as mere Spanish art songs, which does not adequately describe the material for my want of precise categorization of the work. To settle for that summation alone, one would be guilty of an inferior classification for a grouping of songs that display many unique qualities that make each of them memorable. In the album's booklet, which is published in four different languages for the benefit of an international audience, Petibon informs how she approached the material to include on this disc.

"I spent a long time thinking about the programme for this disc, creating a mixture of music, and finally I settled on one unifying idea: the feeling of melancholy, which is a reflection of Spain itself," she says. "The disc is a journey through different styles, but through folk music as well, which has a strong presence on the disc. The theatrical element is very important, too, and at the centre is the character of Salud in Falla's La vida breve. She embodies the melancholy of the title, the loss of hope. Melancholy is a balance in life, a sadness that binds us to death. Salud represents the darkest side of melancholy that tends toward tragedy. But this sort of melancholy can also depict the radiance of childhood, of joy and laughter. What I wanted to explore through this disc was the journey between these two poles."

Indeed, as she iterates, melancholy can be used to illustrate a current situation, or the feeling may serve to recall a time of illumination when life was more enjoyable or simpler to our minds. I think the selection that best illustrates the latter definition of melancholy on this disc is Heitor Villa-Lobos' famous Aria (Cantilena). It has often been recorded by many a popular music artist, Hayley Westenra being a more recent notable one, but Petibon breathes new life into this song. No longer is it simply a progression of notes in her voice's ample range; with her interpretative gifts that I admire so much, she transforms this otherwise common piece that might otherwise suffer from too much exposure at the hands of others into a mournful ballad in which one can find a reference to a time of previous joy that was known. One of the distinct qualities of her voice that I find almost unique to her is her ability to take a piece of music and to convey any sort of emotion in it. I like it best when she throws caution and what many musicologists and musicians might call rigid structure to the wind and sings with an almost reckless abandon. It is then that she shines tremendously, for she places the music and herself in such a vulnerable state. In those instances when she feels the music demands it, she lets every typical convention depart, and she simply lets the music and its sentiments carry her with them. It is a brilliant device, and I wish more singers would take these sorts of urgent chances.

Our first glimpse of this bold, delicious flavoring from her voice comes from the melodies of Joaquin Nin y Castellanos. In El Vito's musical orchestration and the intuitive flair with which she creates her phrases, we catch a promising view of the folk elements of this disc. While it is certainly not a cause for operatic purists to lament, for Petibon does not fully remove herself from her instinct as a classical vocalist quite yet, as the piece progresses through the solo interlude of the guitar, and the percussion is added, the soprano allows the music to envelop her voice, and we gleefully notice that the ingredients of a truly scintillating performance are evident. The dance that the title indicates slowly forms beyond our broad expectation for such a title devoid of any real description, and the colors we hope to find in the experience of listening to this song initiate their definitions of themselves to our attentions. She never truly loses her classical style here, but we are given a pleasant preview of what is to come in later tracks.

Petibon addresses this facet of the recording in the booklet accompanying the release. She says, "...In terms of sound, I was just as keen to find different vocal colours as instrumental ones. I didn't want to use an operatic voice all the time - sometimes you must forget your training to be able to return to the roots and use your instinct as an interpreter. [...]" She certainly accomplishes this goal admirably on this release, and Spanish music lends itself quite well to this endeavor. Cantares, which is composed by Joaquin Turina, reveals more clearly these intentions and takes the reckless abandon that we hope to find to an almost complete culmination in Petibon's exclamations of "Ay!" They are produced with little attention to classical training beyond the necessary support from the abdominal area of the body, and they contain the desired effect of sufficiently pulling us into the music. Even if a listener does not comprehend the Spanish lyrics, it is impossible to be ignorant of the fact that this is an exuberant, rousing, joyous song. Indeed, if you heard this song without any context from the album, you might be tempted to wonder how it deals with the theme of melancholy. The subject of the song is dealing with the sadness that comes from leaving a happy relationship.

For all of this disc's merit, which is considerable and quite a nice departure from the standard classical vocal fare, there are two tracks that immediately dampen the tone of the album for my liking. Xavier Montsalvatage's two contributions to the music both sound like pieces from the Romantic era, and one could well mistake the Cancion de cuna for a composition by a contemporary of Puccini's. The Canto negra that is featured in this programme shows some of his predilection for the avant-garde in music at the time, but it generally sounds like it comes from the middle of the previous century, which is not a particularly innovative time in music. Much of it sounds very similar to everything else, and most of the composers outside of Germany and England seemed content to refrain from much experimentation in their creations. These two selections almost seem out of place on this album; indeed, one might expect to find them from a Spanish film of the lately aforementioned period.

For my review of this disc, I have elected to save one of the most exciting elements of this project for the latter portion of my excursion into the musical landscape of this territory. The final four tracks on the release are a world premiere recording of four songs written for Patricia Petibon. New commissions of music do not usually capture my adoration, nor am I altogether certain that this one shall do so entirely, but composer Nicolas Bacri gives Petibon a cycle of songs entitled Melodias de la melancolia. These songs begin with A la mar. It deals with a person who goes to the sea to sing her sad song so that she does not have to endure the tears that would otherwise reveal themselves if she were forced to confront her sadness alone. Petibon does not allow the opportunity for dramatic or emotional effect to pass her with this inception that is shrouded in mystery. Her voice perfectly connotes the unknown cause of sadness that plagues the protagonist of this episode, and we are left to only imagine what misfortune has befallen this woman. The chords that are formed by the orchestra produce an eerie, anxious atmosphere that only serves to heighten our agitation for this character. What is to become of her? Will this be the final time she visits the sea because she decides that she may find more comfort in allowing it to swallow her than to return to her existence? We are left to ponder this as the agony is slightly revealed in the vocal line.

The second song is called Silencio mi nino. In this lyrical episode, a mother implores her child to sleep and forget the wrongs of the day as the night visits them. She assures her son that she will not leave him and that she will comfort him in his sorrow. The swells in the orchestra paint a scene of a peaceful night beginning to show itself to the world and help to urge the child to do as his mother bids him and go to sleep.

Musically, the third piece takes quite a departure from our previous two. The score here sounds much more agitated and discontent than it has previously done, which is the perfect pairing for the text it ushers. In this piece, which has quite a high sustained range that Petibon delivers exquisitely, the narrator expresses disappointment and perhaps even disdain for love. It is clear that love has become a meaningless part of life that is bereft of happiness. This song seems to adopt a true melancholy for its driving force, for sadness is not an appropriate attribution of what this person is feeling.

The final piece of music is entitled simply Solo, and it is a lonely expression of what qualities a state of melancholy lacks. The music accompanying the voice here betrays no sense of hope for a future improvement of life to a more jovial state. Instead of any wish for happiness in the coming days, it exhibits only the sorrow of life in a state of melancholy, and all that remains is "the sweet and secret melody of my melancholy."

Throughout this recording's endearing aural pleasures, we are consistently reminded of Petibon's emotional connection to this music through her voice. She intones every phrase with some purpose to illustrate the song with some sense of the theme of melancholy, and it serves to unify the entire disc's material. I am immensely proud of this effort from this soprano, and I think she is often underrated. I maintain every hope that she will be engaged for a recital tour of the United States in the near future, and I would dare to add to that hope that I might attend one of those performances. My immense ingratiation is proffered to Decca Classics and Deutsche Grammophon for sending me this new release, and I privileged to be able to hear such wonderful artists as this one certainly is.

I hope that all of you shall enjoy this remarkable new release to the fullest extent, for I certainly think it to be one of the most promising I have heard from this year, and I hope that God continues to bless all of you as this present year vanishes from our lives, and we are greeted with the numerous pleasures that the new year shall bestow upon us. Please accept my humble gratitude for enduring my post, and I hasten to remind everyone of The Metropolitan Opera's pastiche of Baroque works, The Enchanted Island, starring Danielle de Niese, Joyce DiDonato, Placido Domingo, and David Daniels among others. It is being streamed from the Met's website on New Year's Eve!

--Tyler.

Lucia di Lammermoor at Washington National Opera

2011-11-17T09:49:00.001-06:00

In the examination of my traffic statistics for my blog, I notice that my most popular post lately is one that describes a small portion of Sarah Coburn's career. If the events of the world of opera have any bearing upon the amount of visitors that are brought to my individual posts, it might well be stated that the present production of Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at the Washington National Opera. Soprano Sarah Coburn is Donizetti's mad heroine, and the remainder of the cast includes Michael Chioldi, and Saimir Pirgu. I have heard many praises of this production on Twitter from many sources, and it appears that Coburn is making quite an impression on the audiences who attend.

Philip Kennicot gives us a review of the production. Since I have not seen the production, I must rely on the written narration of another to clarify the production's idiosyncrasies and nuances that are exclusive to it. He mentions the shortcomings of the set design, which reveals itself probably most prominently in the fact that there are no doors within the walls of the flats, and this impedes the action onstage, for the chorus is rumored to find it necessary to climb through the windows. Obviously, there is some dramatic effect that is sought to be obtained in this direction and design, but Kennicot finds it more distracting than thought provoking, which seems only natural to me. While there may be some missed interpretation to be considered in that particular scene change, it is completely wasted on one who cannot focus on the important actions of the principals that inhabit the stage while they fear for safety of chorus members who might suddenly tumble through a window or who is unsuccessful in blocking the exiguous noise from the vital music that is being heard. Though the production has its flaws, this critic still appropriates acceptable marks to it for the effectiveness of its lighting and the difference of interpretation that it may inspire in opposition or dissidence to another production that a viewer may have previously witnessed. This mounting of Lucia di Lammermoor puts Lucia in a far more innocent state of being than we usually encounter in the operatic world, and it is becoming far more popular for the heroines of new productions to be envisioned as teen-aged adolescents. I have some qualms with this approach, one of which is that I think it leads to a sweeping generalization of the diverse characters that are present in opera, but this seems to create a more validated and acceptable transition for an audience into Lucia's insanity that she eventually acquires.

As for the cast's abilities, Kennicot calls the cast he saw, which featured Sarah Coburn, "compelling." He further elucidates regarding her that her voice has genuine character and all of the clarity and speed for which one could hope. I am most elated to hear such praise for this soprano, for she used to attend my university, and she was the first opera singer that I have ever seen perform. The tenor Saimir Pirgu received words of praise from our critic, as well, and he was reported to complement Coburn quite well. It would appear that there is no flaw in the vocal aspect of this piece. One piece of information that was not conveyed, which I should have been very glad to know, was whether or not the original glass harmonica orchestration was employed for the mad scene. One of the opera companies whom I follow on Twitter mentioned that they were running the production with the original orchestration, but I cannot recall if it was the Washington National Opera or otherwise. I much prefer the glass harmonica to be included by the orchestra, for it adds a new dimension to the haunting, eerie quality of the madness that we discover in Lucia.

I express my immense ingratiation to all of you for continuing to peruse my posts, and I hope that all of you are extraordinarily blessed in life. I wish everyone an Happy Thanksgiving despite your nationality, for a day of feasting in honor of giving thanks for God's providence is a commendable course no matter what nation claims your heritage.

-Tyler.

An Exciting New Release

2011-11-15T20:49:00.001-06:00

Deutsche Grammophon announced via Twitter this evening that soprano Patricia Petibon's new album of Spanish songs and arias, which is entitled Melancolia: Spanish Arias and Songs, is to be released in the United States on November 21, 2011. I have high hopes for this album after becoming enthralled by Petibon's previous release of Rosso: Italian Baroque Arias. Though this recording is not quite so specialized as Rosso was, I expect all of the flavor that Spanish music would immediately conjure in the minds of anyone who is remotely familiar with music would hope to find. Indeed, that was one of the main reasons for my infatuation with Rosso, for her performances were breathed with fresh, vivacious life, and they did not sound like a plain reading of text in the least amount. Every track from that album was imbued with a passion that I have rarely found matched in other performances of Baroque music, in which many artists are concerned with what is thought to be the most strict of styles. Her renditions almost left caution to the wind, and the effect was rapturous for my ears. Without any question Baroque music should be performed to that degree of expression every time it is proffered in a program.

The track list for this new disc is as follows.

Enrique Granados

La maja dolorosa II: Ay majo de mi vida
Tornadillas No.2
Cancion de Cuna
Cinco canciones negras No. 4
Canto negro
Cinco Canciones negras No. 5

Joaquin Nin y Castellanos
El vito
Veinte cantos populares espanoles II No. 8

Heitor Villa-Lobos
Aria (Cantilena)
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5

Joaquin Turina
Cantares
Poema en forma de canciones No. 3

Geronimo Gimenez
La tarantula e un bicho mu malo (Zapateado)
from La tempranica

Rafael Calleja Gomez/ Tomas Barrera Saavedra
Adios, Granada
from Emigrantes

Manuel de Falla
Vivan los que rien!
from La Vida breve, Act 1

Federico Moreno Torroba
Petenera
from La Marchenera

Enrique Granados
El mirar de la mija
Tornadillas No. 7

Jose Serrano Simeon
Marinela, Marinela
from La cancion del olvido
Ogunde uarere

Nicolas Bacri

Melodias de la melancolia, Op. 119
for Patricia Petibon, World Premiere Recording
1. A la mar
2. Silencio mi nino
3. Hay quien dice
4. Solo

As my readers can easily gather from this diverse choice of material, this promises to be replete with life and fervor for the music. Most of these compositions are plucked from the Romantic era of music, which lasts approximately between 1850 to 1900, which indicates lush orchestrations and greater emphasis on the music over the voice, but I am anxious to discover how Petibon shall make these selections entirely her own.

For those who are unfamiliar with Patricia Petibon, she is best known as a skilled interpreter of the baroque repertoire, but last season brought a bold departure from that music with her run of performances as Berg's Lulu in Salzburg over the summer. Opera News also had a review of this new territory for Petibon, and she was the cover subject for the August 2010 issue.

On this newest release under Deutsche Grammophon label, the soprano is joined in collaboration by the Orquestra Nacional de Espana under the baton of Josep Pons, and, if Petibon's previous artistry is to be of any indication to our minds is hope for this recording, we can safely dare to hope for superlative results from this latest offering. I look forward to hearing this recording with excellent anticipation of exquisite musicology and interpretation.

Please accept my ingratiation for reading my continued blog posts, and I hope that all of my readers are immensely blessed of late. I pray God's continued providence upon all of you.
-Tyler.

Does Artistic License End in Artistic Difference?

2011-10-31T22:31:00.000-05:00

It was this morning that I opened my complimentary copy of the New York Times to the section of the serial publication that is devoted to the arts, and I found more than enough of a story in the classical music sphere to sate my thirst for a compelling story. As many of my readers may be aware, pianist Hélène Grimaud released a new recording today internationally, and it contains Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K. 459, Ch'io mi scordi di te?, Non temer amato bene, K 505, which are sung by soprano Mojca Erdmann, and his Piano Concerto in A major, K. 488. This recording is being billed as two firsts for Grimaud, which are her first live recording for her label Deutsche Grammophon and her first recording of Mozart concerti. As the New York Times showed us, this was not originally slated to be a live recording. That was almost purely accidental, which is quite surprising.

According to Daniel J. Wakin, who wrote the article for the day of the scheduled international release, Maestro Claudio Abbado was originally scheduled to conduct Grimaud and his Orchestra Mozart in May for the release of these concerti and the two arias. Based upon the scholastic musicality of previous interpreters, one of which was Vladimir Horowitz, Grimaud wanted to employ a cadenza that was composed by Ferruccio Busoni over the original one that Mozart composed for the Concerto in A major. Mozart's cadenza for the piece is considered inferior to Busoni's by many erudite musicians, but Abbado wanted to include it over the Busoni inclusion. Though Grimaud was reluctant, and she had not looked at Mozart's cadenza, she, nevertheless, included it for the original recording at Abbado's behest after they had recorded Busoni's piece in context of the concerto. Therefore, the option seemed to be left that either one could be chosen for the recording. Hélène was adamant that she would not consider Mozart's ornamentation for the actual recording, but Abbado continued to push for the inclusion of it on the release.

There was then an impasse between them, for Maestro Abbado, who, at 78 years of age, is considered one of the foremost conductors of the world, continued to lobby for the inclusion of the Mozart cadenza to complement the composer's concerto, and he hinted that he would decide that the piece be played with it in their scheduled performances of the work in Lucerne, Switzerland, and elsewhere in Europe. However, Grimaud would have none of it, so, after the initial recording was made, she ordered the production of it to be stalled and withheld from public release. Because of this Claudio Abbado canceled several performances together, and replacements had to be found in both London and Lucerne for them. According to Michael Haefliger, the Lucerne Festival's Artistic and Executive Director, Ms. Grimaud was paid her fees though her concerts were cancelled with them and substitutes found. It is reported by those who were close to the matter that Abbado, who declined to be interviewed for the feature, has said that he would not continue to make music with someone whom he felt was not being a good partner in reference to Ms. Grimaud.

All of this comes to the ultimate conclusion that there is an album released, but one might ask how this could be if the conductor withdrew his name from the affair and if Grimaud would not release the recording as he desired it. As it turns out, there was a live recording of the concerti from a couple of months earlier with which Grimaud felt deeply satisfied. She conducted the Bavarian Radio Symphony from the bench of her instrument, and it is this live performance that finds its way to the actual release of the recording.

This begs the question of who holds the final authority when deciding the artistic direction of a recording. Is it the conductor, or does a solo artist hold the decision in their hands? In my limited experience with these sort of episodes, it has mostly been the responsibility of the conductor to make the final decision because it is more often than not that they are better informed to make such a choice in the context of a performance or recording. It has only been in recent times that artists would dare openly dissent with a conductor. If these were the days of Herbert von Karajan or Georg Solti, it would be unthinkable to hear of such a thing. Any disagreement with a conductor or the artistic management usually resulted in an artist departing in disgrace or at odds with the remainder of the classical music world. As recent as the fiasco with Kathleen Battle and Joseph Volpe, artists would be grateful if they could find work again. Battle certainly never did to any sort of consequence thereafter, and there are many cases of artists finding a reduced state of popularity after a disagreement with a conductor.

I ask my readers who should hold the final authority?

Thank you all for reading, and I hope that everyone is blessed lately. I hope that you have all found this subject to be interesting!
-Tyler.

My Favorite Productions of the 2011-2012 Metropolitan Opera Season

2011-10-31T13:51:00.002-05:00

It has been a couple of weeks since that I was rewarded with receiving the Metropolitan Opera's 2011-2012 Radio Broadcast and Live in HD guide for the upcoming season, and I was elated to find it among the items in my mailbox. Naturally, I immediately began to scan the pages that were contained between the covers, and the front of the brochure was clearly designed and utilized to cater to the widest possible audience, for it featured soprano Anna Netrebko in a production photograph for the season's new production of Jules Massenet's Manon. I could spend some appreciable time on why I think it is an odd move for Netrebko to add the role of Manon to her repertory at this precise moment, but I shall abstain for the nonce.

My favorite production for which I possess the most excitement in the current season has to be Handel's Rodelinda, which stars Renee Fleming and Andreas Scholl, the latter of whom recently gave a critically lauded recital at Carnegie Hall. This was the opera that was my maiden voyage into this beautiful art form, and Renee Fleming had portrayed the heroine in that Metropolitan Opera broadcast responsible for my new passion. This sort of brings my journey in the world of opera to the point of its origin. In that light one could make the case that I am embarking on a new stage of my journey in opera, which is certainly veritable as I begin to make this my career. The production is by director Stephen Wadsworth, and it is a safe, traditional one, which keeps me glad. I cannot wait to at least hear this glorious performance.

~~My second~~-- That is to say, my other production for which I am elated is the new baroque pastiche with music from Vivaldi, Handel, and Rameau among others and featuring a new libretto by Jeremy Sams that is entitled The Enchanted Island. The plot of this new work is centered around the characters from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, but this episode has them shipwrecked on the island from another of Shakespeare's plays, The Tempest. The cast is exciting, for it includes a star-studded roster of excellent vocalists, some of whom you would expect in baroque repertoire, and there are others whom you would not. The cast comprises the talents of Placido Domingo, whom I should not expect to find singing baroque music, Lisette Oropesa, whom I shall be glad to have the pleasure of hearing again, Joyce DiDonato, who has become the premier mezzo-soprano in the Rossini and baroque repertoire outside of the renowned Cecilia Bartoli, David Daniels, Luca Pisaroni, and Danielle de Niese, who is one of my favorite sopranos to hear.

I am certain that my readers will notice the emphasis I took to say that The Enchanted Island is my other favorite production of the season, and there is due cause for this. Twitter is responsible for this wording, and there is a rather humorous anecdote involved with the fact. When I am not writing blog posts or studying, I can often be found scanning the tweets of my hallowed list of people that I follow on Twitter to obtain more news of the happenings in the operatic and theatrical worlds, and I also am given the liberty of mentioning things that I am anxious to do or see. It is in this part of the story that it would be nice to say that Danielle (yes, this Danielle) and I "go way back" as the expression is, but, unfortunately, we do not. However, we mutually and reciprocally follow each other on Twitter, and she responds to things I post considerably often when one thinks of who she is and what she does. Well, as it happened, I casually mentioned that my favorite production in anticipation of the Met's current season was Rodelinda as I have mentioned here, and, having more than one, I followed that remark with,

My second choice of a production to witness at @MetOpera would have to be 'The Enchanted Island' with @Danielledeniese and @JoyceDiDonato.

Much to my surprise, I received this reply from Ms. de Niese in good humor:

@TylerBarton27 @metopera @joycedidonato second? ..... <louder and with longer vowels> SEEECOOOND? :-)

Thus, my later choice of wording for all of eternity became "other" at her direction, for she replied when I said that I could have used a different word,

@TylerBarton27 @metopera @joycedidonato yes.... "Other" or...... "first" :-)))))))))

Well, it did not go quite so high as first, though it could well tie for that title, but I have employed greater discretion thereafter using the alternate wording, and divas the world over are the happier for it, I am pleased to announce.

Returning to my other productions for which I am excited, one of them has revealed itself to me on short notice, and it is to be streamed live this Halloween evening. Mozart's Don Giovanni, which is a perennial favorite at the Met as a showcase for both established stars and the new talent that presents itself to the world of opera. I am most anxious to hear soprano Mojca Erdmann , who had a feature in Opera News' October issue, and Mariusz Kwiecien after his surgery on his back. Barbara Fritolli and Ramon Vargas complement these artists in the production, and I am certain that they shall be in excellent vocal form this evening. This may well be my activity for the evening, so it would be nice if some kind patron would leave a container of chocolates upon my doorstep since I shall be unable to go begging for it from other houses in my neighborhood.

We also have exciting new heirs to the La Fille du Regiment star vehicle this year in tenor Lawrence Brownlee and Nino Machaidze. Kiri Te Kanawa returns as the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Having witnessed Brownlee perform in person, his ability is solid, but his acting leaves a void with the audience. He is more of the "stand in one place and sing" type of singer presently, but I expect that will change with time. Of course, with his voice, who would complain about that fact?

Another Donizetti opera receives a stellar cast pairing this season, and it is quite unexpected for me. Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Florez are the two lovers in L'Elisir d'Amore, and they join forces with Kwiecien and Alessandro Corbelli. This promises to be a memorable run of performances, and, from the standpoint of the singers alone, it may well raise the performance standard for this opera to an exponential degree. I am excited for this!

A new thing that I want to hear is Leos Janacek's The Makropulos Case starring skilled Janacek interpreter Karita Mattila. Janacek's music has intrigued me ever since I heard Renee Fleming's recording of selections from Jenufa, and I was impressed by the melodies in From the House of the Dead when it made its premiere at the Met a few years since. Janacek is composer that I would feel ready to hear in a new, untried context, so I look forward to this outing to have the chance.

Natalie Dessay brings the Met her interpretation of Verdi's doomed heroine in La Traviata after her touring of the role in Europe over the summer festival season. The best story of one of these runs came from the Aix en Provence festival with Dessay in the role of Violetta under the baton of Louis Langree with the assistance of the London Symphony Orchestra. Maxine Kwok-Adams, who is one of the principle violinists with that revered ensemble, and who is another person I follow on Twitter, tweeted that she screamed in the orchestra pit as a fox ran amongst the musicians during a performance! The festival is an outdoor one, so I suppose occurrences such as that one will happen occasionally. Nevertheless, the New York Times did not give it a very nice review, and they did mention that Langree could not seem to keep absolute hold of the orchestra. One now wonders why... As for her Alfredo, I am most dissatisfied, for they have chosen Matthew Polenzani. His Alfredo from 2007 opposite Renee Fleming was a weak one in my opinion, but I shall listen again to see if he has improved since then.

Patricia Racette returns to us in Puccini's Tosca, and Roberto Alagna and Aleksandrs Antonenko share the role of Cavaradossi while James Morris and George Gagnidze alternate as Scarpia this season.

Of course, there are also the two new installments of Wagner's Ring cycle for us to herald with Deborah Voigt and Bryn Terfel. James Hunter Morris debuted as Seigfried recently replacing the indisposed tenor who preceded him, and he was phenomenal by all accounts. I cannot wait to hear him continue in the role.

That list completes my greatest anxieties for expectation for the Metropolitan Opera's 2011-2012 season, and it promises to be an exquisite one. The broadcast season will soon be upon us, and my Saturdays shall be claimed by being employed in the practice of listening to the world's best opera house delivering us the grandest performances in the present world.

I pray that my readers are all exceptionally blessed in their lives currently, and I intimate my utmost ingratiation to all of you for allowing me this pleasure of including myself in your lives. I pray that God continues to bless all of you immensely!
-Tyler.

The Result of My Contribution to Literature on the Arts

2011-10-14T23:14:00.000-05:00

For any of you who were interested, I was given my grade for my profile of conductor James Levine this morning, and I am pleased to report that I received a 92% A- for The Wave of the Wand. For the most part I was pleased with my marks, but I did exert a good deal of effort, and I think that my original draft, had I completed it as I intended to do, should have received a better overall grade. After I claimed my essay, I was given my English Composition midterm examination, and I was completely unprepared for what I saw. Our professor had told all of us students that there would be ten or twelve multiple choice questions combined with an essay question on the test, and we discovered that we should translate this in the future to mean that there shall be eighteen questions requiring a definition with the multiple choices residing in one's brain for extraction and utilization in the specific answer.

As for the essay portion of the exam, I felt that it was a reasonable thing to find, but I have never known an excellent essay to be born of an author's abilities in half an hour or less. It is, therefore, needless to say that my essay was not my best. Indeed, it was unfinished when our allotted time was expended. I can only hope that I make a C on this midterm exam. I think my essays will give me a low A or a high B for the course itself if I continue to receive A's for my required essays in the class.

If I may depart from the subject of academia, I should like to focus on the operatic world at present. The Metropolitan Opera's season recently began with Anna Bolena. I have yet to hear the work and how the performers interpreted it, but there have been critical reviews of the production's opening by several arts journalists. However, though I take ample license in saying so without having experienced the quality of it prior to perusing her article, Anne Midgette's telling of events seems rather harsh. To begin the article, she compares Anna Netrebko, who plays our heroine in the production, to Maria Callas. She notes,

"This year, the star soprano Anna Netrebko has taken on the role herself, first in Vienna in April and now at the Metropolitan Opera, where she opened the season in the company’s first-ever production of the work on Monday night. Yet Netrebko’s “Anna Bolena” showed little of the care that made Callas’s so memorable. Monday’s performance was littered with missed intonations, smeared runs and a good deal of running about the stage with clasped hands, which evidently qualifies as operatic acting."

Of course, I am quite prepared to concede that the acting may have been less than desirable from Netrebko, but Callas's acting was rarely something of praise, especially as her vocal talent began to decline. Later, Midgette mentions that Netrebko breaks character to acknowledge the adoration of an audience, but it is also necessary to intimate that Callas was known to do the exact same thing, and this is evidenced by a recent Opera News feature by Eric Myers.

"Ira Siff, stage director, Met broadcast commentator and creator of drag diva Mme. Vera Galupe-Borszkh, singles out a moment in Act III of that performance that was formative for him. It was the high-lying phrase "Io quella lama" that ends Tosca's narrative of how she killed Scarpia. "By 1965, Callas's high C was not a thing of beauty," he says, "and when she lunged at it in that phrase, the sound elicited a loud gasp from the audience. Callas, entirely in character and a brilliant Tosca all evening, broke it for a split second to glare in the direction of the public, those huge eyes darting toward us for just one terrifying moment. After that, we behaved.'"

It also bears to be mentioned that Midgette seems to have become rather hostile towards performances lately, especially the high profile ones. My specific reference is to an episode that occurred recently in which she accused Placido Domingo of "sabotage" during a performance of Tosca that he conducted at Washington National Opera. She claimed that the performance was so ill at times that Domingo must have been the culprit, and then she used the word sabotage to describe his action. Now, it begs to be said that Domingo is a world renowned musician of appreciable ability in conducting, and there are times in which he is not his best, which usually come when he has had little time to rehearse, but for Midgette to employ such a remark in all of its scathing connotation is rather much for my taste.

In the light of all of this, I begin to wonder what credibility arts journalists possess. If they are so expertly knowledgeable about music and how it should be performed, why are they not performing it? Are they more erudite than those on whose livelihood this is based? The question of whether the critic uses their publication as a means to print exaggerated reviews against someone or a production for their gain of notoriety yet remains, and I am curious to know what others think on the subject. As for myself, I try not to judge a performance or a piece until I have heard it. I can honestly admit that I can only think of one piece of music for which I could write a review of its reprehensible vices, and that would be Saariajo's L'amour de Loin. Even though Dawn Upshaw, who is one of my favorite sopranos, is the star of the production, I do not appreciate the monotonous music to any degree. I may elucidate further on this in the future, but I shall leave it at that.

Finally, thank you for your kind perusal of my post, and I pray that God continues to bless your existence. -Tyler.

An Essay on the Magic of Conducting an Orchestra Revisited

2011-10-13T17:07:00.000-05:00

When I submitted my rough draft of my previously mentioned essay, I was confident in its merits as an astute contribution to the world of literature. Moreover, I was certain that it would be well received by my professor, but, when I received it with his critique of my profile of the subject, it carried the simple, but potent instruction of 'Simplify' emblazoned across the top of my title page.

Reading this piece of advice from my professor, I decided it would be prudent to inquire of him what course of action I might pursue to better my essay in his opinion, and he promptly rewarded my curiosity with the following statement. I paraphrase, of course, but the expressed sentiments are the same.

"You are at least two years ahead of this class," he assured me, "But, you need to bring your ability down to the level of the rest of the class so that we do not get ahead, or I will have to adjust your grade."

I translated that to mean that I would have to rewrite my essay in sixth-grade language, or my alternative was that my grade on the piece would suffer. When I completed it, I did not feel that it was quite as eloquent or insightful as my previous telling of the events and facts, but we shall have to see what my actual grade shall depict. Nevertheless, for the consideration of my readers, I present my revised essay, and all of you are at liberty to submit your opinions on which you enjoy better and which is better suited to the subject I have elected to illustrate.

The Wave of the Wand

As you sit confined to your seat, your gaze is transfixed upon the woman before you. She is an object of captivating beauty, and she is clothed in a red gown of costly fabric and elegant design. If the scene before you were not so tense, you could notice all of these things, but the only visible thing to your mind is the dagger that this woman holds. Her weapon is a delicate one. It has a slender blade of steel coupled with a hilt of gold, which is crowned with small rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. She carries it with an exact intent. There can be no denying her motive as she stares unflinchingly at the large man who is merely a yard away from her. As she lunges for him, any defense that this muscular man may make in the face of this attack is powerless. Our heroine buries the double-edged blade into the villain’s throat, and blood oozes from the wound. He sinks to his knees as the life escapes his veins, and the woman slowly withdraws the weapon from his neck. A moment of silence ensues, and, for a brief space of time, one is left to ponder the grotesque image.

The woman glares at the man even still, and we begin to glimpse a transformation of her character. She is no longer desperately hopeful for another end to this episode; indeed, her demeanor has been replaced with a commanding persona that people often assume when they

gain mastery of a situation. The silence lingers just long enough for the spectator to ponder all of these things, and then it is suddenly broken by a collection of instruments, an orchestra. Ordering this interruption to our contemplation of the affair, there is a man dressed in formal attire standing in a dimly lit space that is just below our vision. In reality there is a massive, capacious stage before an audience, and the scene that I have described is from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Tosca. With a deliberate motion, this imposing figure compels the members of the orchestra to play the music that underscores the mood, and we are reminded that we are watching a performance. This man’s name is James Levine, and he is the conductor for the evening, the one responsible for controlling the sounds of the orchestra. Under his precise direction of them, the orchestra players must combine to form a cohesive unit, and every tone must be synchronized. He adeptly ensures that such is the case.

Levine holds a baton in his hand. Based upon the movement of this small, carved piece of wood, he can create luscious melodies to inspire any sort of emotion known to human beings. In a sense, then, it is almost believable that he possesses a magic wand. If he wills it, music is created, and he can mute any sound with the slightest gesture of the wispy rod. I ask the reader: is this not a power that is most surreal? I would adore such ability!

James Levine is the Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera House of New York. According to Martin Mayer, author of The Met: One Hundred Years of Grand Opera, Levine was engaged as principal conductor for the 1972-1973 season in 1971 by the General Manager elect of the Metropolitan Opera for the 1972 season, Gorean Gentele, after a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Luisa Miller. He had been a mere spectator at Lincoln Center that Saturday afternoon, and he was amazed at the brilliance of the young conductor in the orchestra pit, for

Levine was a mere twenty-eight at the time. Gentele thought it would be a sound move to hire an American as the principal conductor for America’s leading opera company (Mayer). As we learn from Paul Jackson, PhD., in his volume Start-Up at the New Met: The Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts 1966-1976, Levine’s substitution for the deceased Fausto Cleva was nothing short of superb.

“Levine’s shepherding of the early Verdi work is both masterly and masterful,” Jackson praises in regards to the performance given on October 15, 1971 (Jackson).

To illustrate the magic that he possesses, Jackson continues, “And what an invigorating ride it is. The first measures of the overture put us on alert. The reading is notable both for its structural coherence and pointing of detail. Verdi’s little chords, nestled under the opening theme, are rhythmically alive and propel the thematic line onward; integration between melody and accompaniment is complete. When the clarinet takes over the theme, Levine allows it to sing – the change is slight, but the intent is clear.” (Jackson)

From this vivid description of Levine’s marshaling of his orchestral forces, we can see that his ability to work magic from the pages of orchestral scores is a trait that he has never lacked from his beginning as a conductor. Because he worked as an assistant to maestro George Szell, he learned his trade well, and his attention to detail is evident. Jackson writes of this, as well.

“The Met had long lacked a conductor of the Italian repertory who combined an impeccable ear for detail with the ability to shape formal structures, small and large, for maximum musical and dramaturgical effect. Mr. [Rudolph] Bing had found one in Levine,” Jackson assures us. (Jackson)

What ensued after Gentele’s appointment of Levine was a thirty-nine year career as the ultimate musical figure at the Metropolitan Opera. He began as the principal conductor. Previously, it was the custom of general managers to hire conductors who had worked with them before since they knew that those conductors would deliver excellent results. Giulio Gatti-Casazza, another general manager of the Metropolitan Opera during the 1930’s, is a prime example of this when he imported the famous Arturo Toscanini to New York as he was scheduled to take over the company. Throughout his ongoing career, Levine has seen the succession of five General Managers, and his contract is set to last through the 2011-2012 season. Over the years he has risen in the ranks of the company. While he certainly began with a prestigious position, be became the de facto Music director of the Met in 1974 after the unexpected departure of Rafael Kubelik early in the year, but he gained that title officially in 1976. Ten years later, in 1986, he became the Artistic Director of the organization, which was a title he was the first to acquire in the company’s history. (Mayer)

In the spring of 2004, his health became a concern for the management of the house because of tremors in his left arm that sometimes impaired his abilities on the podium; nevertheless, the Met extended his contract, but these past few years have been marked with uncertainty for the future of the Met’s Music Director.

Recently, in a story for The New York Times, Daniel J. Wakin reported, “Mr. Levine, who has suffered a series of physical ailments, needed emergency surgery after falling while on vacation in Vermont and will be out until at least January, the Met said.” (Wakin) This posed a question in my mind.

“What happens when a conductor finds it necessary to take an absence? Does a performance get cancelled, or do they find a replacement for him,” I wondered.

In Mr. Levine’s case a replacement has been found, and this new conductor is Fabio Luisi, who had already been the principal guest conductor at the Metropolitan Opera this season. However, there have also been several cancellations that Luisi has had to make in the light of this promotion. Several performances in Europe have either been cancelled, or they have found alternative conductors to fulfill the maestro’s former engagements. Many of these were scheduled with his orchestra, the Vienna Symphony, where he holds the title of chief conductor. Luisi’s absence strikes a chord of dissonance between him, the Met, and Mr. Thomas Angyan. Angyan is the artistic and executive director of the Musikverein, which is often the orchestra’s home for performances. Regarding Luisi’s appointment at the Met, Angyan says that the cancellation was not done quite professionally. He maintains that Luisi did not even contact him about his required cancellations directly. (Wakin)

“I’m astonished that he forgot my e-mail address or telephone number,” Mr. Angyan said. Though he asserts that he has immense respect for Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera’s current General Manager, he was rather displeased at Gelb’s alleged treatment of him during a telephone conversation with him discussing the situation.

“Saying ‘I have to have your approval in ten seconds’ is not the nicest way,” he said. I would agree with Mr. Angyan, but the magic that a specific conductor’s wand can weave is priceless, and I can hardly blame one of the world’s foremost opera companies for wanting it. I believe that it should be an exquisite season for the Metropolitan Opera House of New York this year, and I am excited to hear how Fabio Luisi compares to James Levine while Luisi

substitutes for him. Let us hope that we may describe his ability in such superlative terms as we depict Levine’s.

Works Cited:

Jackson, Paul. "Start-Up at the New Met: The Metropoilitan Opera Broadcasts, 1966-1976." Newark: Amadeus Press, 2006. 262.

Mayer, Martin. "The Met: One Hundred Years of Grand Opera." New York: Simon and Schuster; The Metropolitan Opera Guild, 1983. 324.

Wakin, Daniel J. "Maestro's Injury Ignites Game of Musical Chairs." The New York Times 22 September 2011: 1;5.

I am most ingratiated to all of my readers, and I hope that God continues to bless you in your lives. As a reminder to anyone who is interested, the commencement of the Metropolitan Opera's Live in HD season comes this Saturday, October 15, 2011, with Gaetano Donizetti's Anna Bolena, and it stars Anna Netrebko, Ekaterina Gubanova, Stephen Costello, Tamara Mumford, and Ildar Abdrazakov. I may attend my local cinema's showing of it, but I am not yet sure. Thank you for perusing my humble musings.

A Wave of the Wand

2011-09-26T17:55:00.000-05:00

In order to marry a little portion of my life in university to my passion for opera, I elected to write an essay on conductors and their often overlooked role in the production of an opera. Many people I have come to know, especially fellow aficionados of opera who are local to me, are rather ignorant of the masters of the performances. It has been my finding that some of my colleagues concern themselves with merely the principal singers of a production, and it is in this that they greatly neglect the most important facet of the performance, for it is the conductor who commands the evening's entertainment. He is the one who creates every melodic line and delivers every nuance in the score to a superb climax. It is his further duty to develop such rapport with the singer that he may alter his reading ever so slightly without disrupting the delicate balance between the orchestral and vocal music. Without his involvement the performance would shortly crumble, yet too few of my acquaintances with whom I study or converse realize the importance of having any specific conductor; indeed, in their eyes, once a certain quality is attained, there can be no greater degree of mastery achieved. To them it does not matter if Riccardo Muti conducts Verdi or if Marco Armiliato does it, nor do they make a distinction.

Therefore, when I was requested to compose a profile essay for my English Composition class, I elected to juxtapose two of my great passions, which are opera and writing. Our profiles were encouraged to be comprised of gory, grotesque images to make them all the more enthralling to the reader, who is none other than our professor, and this gave me some trouble for a considerable length of time. However, I finally had an idea of how to make my profile fall within the parameters of my professor's desires, so I chose James Levine as my specific subject, and I opened my essay with the scene from Puccini's Tosca in which the heroine plunges her knife into Baron Scarpia's throat. If I do not bore my readers too much with such an offering, I hereby present my unfinished, initial draft of my essay as I confided it to the eye of my professor this morning. He specified that they should be at least three to five pages, but I am inclined to think that my essay will encompass at least seven pages to say all that I wish it to intimate. As it was this morning, it was just longer than four pages.

The Wave of the Wand
As one sits confined to their seat, their gaze is transfixed upon the woman before them, who is an object of captivating beauty. She is clothed in a red gown that is made of costly fabric and is of an elegant design. If the scene before their eyes was not so tense, one could notice all of these things, but the sole feature that is obvious to the eyes is the dagger that this woman holds. Her weapon is a delicate one, for it is comprised of a slender blade of steel that is coupled with a hilt of gold, which is crowned with various small jewels, and she carries it with an exact intent. There can be no denying her motive as she stares unflinchingly at the large man who is a mere yard away from her present stance, and she lunges for him. As she does so, any defense that this muscular man may contrive is powerless in the face of this attack, and our heroine buries the double-edged blade into the man’s throat, which issues forth blood from the wound that is now inflicted. This powerful man sinks to his knees as the life escapes his veins, and the woman slowly withdraws the weapon from his neck. A moment of silence ensues, and one is left to ponder the grotesque image for a brief space of time.
The woman glares at the man even still, and we begin to glimpse a transformation of her character. It is no longer that she is desperately hopeful for another end to this episode, for this countenance has been replaced with a commanding presence that is often assumed when
one gains mastery over a situation. The silence lingers just long enough for the spectator to ponder all of these things, but it is suddenly broken by a collection of instruments, an orchestra. Ordering this interruption to a chain of thought and the consideration born of it, there is a man dressed in formal attire standing in a dimly lit space that is just below our field of vision. Indeed, there is a massive, capacious stage before an audience, and this scene that I have just depicted is the catalyst of the action in Giacomo Puccini’s opera Tosca. With a wave of his baton, this imposing figure, who is just obscured from our view, compels the members of his orchestra to play the music that underscores the mood, and we are reminded that we witness a performance. This man’s name is James Levine, and he is the conductor for the evening. It is he who is responsible for making the group of individual musicians to deliver sounds as a cohesive unit. Every tone must be precisely synchronized with the other members of the orchestra, and he ensures that such is the case.
In his hand he holds a baton. Based upon the movement of this small, carved piece of wood, he can create luscious melodies and inspire any sort of emotion known to human beings; therefore, if one exercises his imagination, it is almost believable that he possesses a magic wand. If he wills it, music is created, and he can mute any sound with the slightest gesture of the wispy rod. I ask the reader: is this not a power that is most surreal? I would adore such ability!
James Levine is the Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera House of New York. According to Martin Mayer, author of The Met, Levine was engaged as principal conductor for the 1972-1973 season in 1971 by the General Manager elect of the Metropolitan Opera for the
1972 season, Goeran Gentele, after a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Luisa Miller. He had been a mere spectator in the house at Lincoln Center that afternoon, but the brilliance of the conductor, who was a mere twenty-eight years of age then, arrested his interest, and he thought it would be a sound move to hire an American as the principal conductor of America’s leading opera company (1). As we learn from the telling of Paul Jackson in his volume Start-Up at the New Met: The Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts 1966-1976, Levine’s substitution for the deceased Fausto Cleva was nothing short of superb.
“Levine’s shepherding of the early Verdi work is both masterly and masterful,” Jackson praises in regards to the performance given on October 15, 1971.
To illustrate the magic that he possesses, Jackson continues, “And what an invigorating ride it is. The first measures of the overture put us on alert. The reading is notable both for its structural coherence and pointing of detail. Verdi’s little chords, nestled under the opening theme, are rhythmically alive and propel the thematic line onward; integration between melody and accompaniment is complete. When the clarinet takes over the theme, Levine allows it to sing – the change is slight, but the intent is clear.”
From this vivid description of Levine’s marshaling of his orchestral components, we can see that his ability to work magic from the pages of musical scores has been a trait that he has never lacked from his beginning as a conductor. Having worked as an assistant conductor to maestro George Szell, he learned his trade well, and his attention to detail became evident. Jackson writes of this, as well.
“The Met had long lacked a conductor of the Italian repertory who combined an impeccable ear for detail with the ability to shape formal structures, small and large, for maximum musical and dramaturgical effect. Mr. [Rudolph] Bing had found one in Levine,” Jackson assures us.
What ensued after Gentele’s appointment of Levine was a thirty-nine year career as the ultimate music figure at the Metropolitan Opera. He began as the principal conductor. Previously, it was the custom to engage whatever high profile conductor a manager could locate, and they were prone to hire conductors with whom they had worked in years past whom they knew would deliver excellent results. Giulio Gatti-Casazza, another General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera during the 1930’s, is a prime example when he imported the famous Arturo Toscanini when he was scheduled to assume authority of the company. Levine has seen the succession of five General Managers over the course of his tenure, and his contract is set to last for the 2011-2012 season. Over the course of the years, he has risen through the ranks of the company. While he did begin with a prestigious position, he was promoted to the de facto appointment of Music Director in 1974 after the unexpected departure of Rafael Kubelik early in the year, but he did not gain that title officially until 1976, and he became the Artistic Director, which was a title that he was the first to bear with the company, in 1986.
In the spring of 2004, his health became a concern to the management of the house, for there were tremors in his left arm that sometimes impaired his abilities on the podium;
nevertheless, the Met extended his contract, but these past few years have been marked by worry for the future of the Met’s Music Director.
…

As my readers can apparently observe, there is some discrepancy in the format of my essay as it is transcribed here as opposed to its original structure. It is supposed to be perfectly double spaced and indented, but, alas, it has not shown itself that way in this medium, and I am too lethargic presently to alter it, so you must bear this ghastly sight for the present. When I complete the essay, I shall include that portion here as well, and, finally, I shall record my grade that I receive on it for any who are inquisitive enough to want to know such a thing.

Finally, I hope that you have found this article and a glimpse into my life engaged in the university to be most entertaining and pleasant to read, and I pray that you are all exceptionally blessed. I am ingratiated that you have chosen to read my humble musings, and I wish every blessing from God upon all of you.

-Tyler.

News of the Welcome and Ecstatic Variety

2011-09-15T21:25:00.000-05:00

I am well aware that I have grossly neglected my blog posts over the course of much of this year, and for this I must make every apology to my dear readers who have patiently waited to hear of the next chapter of my sojourn earlier in the year in New York City or who expected me to enlighten them concerning happenings in opera or musical theatre or to those who merely wished to hear of the circumstances that comprise my life. Therefore, I promise that I am making a return to this medium of communication to endeavor to revisit the community that I have formerly known from my love of the arts and literary composition.

Though I maintain that I shall post more often shortly, it is something of a necessity to make my readers aware of the development that I am finally an university student. My alma mater is Oklahoma City University, and I am an undeclared major until I audition for the music department here. With this transition in life, I am no longer adjoined to the world of the arts in any professional sense, which makes me rather sad for more than a few reasons, and I have bidden farewell to many close friends in that process, but I am returning to those things in life that once brought me personal enjoyment beyond anything else, one of which has been to write and give voice to thoughts or sentiments that other people wish to read.

As I adjust to this schedule, I leave you by intimating that I hope that you enjoy what you read, and I am grateful that anyone should extend me the courtesy to read what I should like to say. may God continue to bless all of you as He has consistently done for me.

-Tyler.

A Perfect Respite from Ordinary Life

2011-03-15T18:34:00.000-05:00

This post is the first in a series that shall encompass my sojourn in New York City that took place between February 16-21, 2011. To be quite honest, it proved to be even more enjoyable and surreal than I could have ever imagined, and I learned an immense amount of things about myself and who I aspire to become. My gratitude to Jay Prock is without end for accompanying me on this vacation.

Having been devoted to opera in varying degrees for the past six years, I had naturally developed a great longing to visit the Metropolitan Opera in all of its splendor where it is situated in Lincoln Center Plaza. After a few years ago, I vowed that I would never visit New York City during a time in which the Met was dark, and I waited most patiently for an opportunity to present itself to afford me such a pleasure. As the years progressed, I began to think that I should never get my chance to see the Metropolitan Opera at all, but SarahB never let me accept that as an answer. Finally, there came a time about a year since when I thought a pilgrimage to that shrine of hallowed opera might be feasible. As I began to think about how this all might be executed, I called in a favor from a dear friend of mine, who is none other than the esteemed Jay Prock, and asked him to accompany me there. He is ever searching for an excuse to return to this city where he once made his residence, and it does not have to be a good one to make him go there. At the risk of releasing my dramatic effect from this tale, it is actually the case that Jay told me that I could not go there upon my first time without him, for he wanted to see my face when I arrived at Lincoln Center, and he received his wish, but I proceed before it is appropriate.

There were quite a few factors that were considered as I scheduled a time for our vacation. Jay wanted to remain there for a considerable amount of time so that we could have enough time to experience the city in various capacities. We knew from that piece of criteria that we would stay there for almost a week, and it was left to me to decide a possible block of time to visit to coordinate with a production at the Met. I had naturally elected that I should most wish to see Renee Fleming perform there first, so I proposed dates that would accommodate her run in either Armida or Richard Strauss's Capriccio. The latter proved to be out of the question for us for the problem that it conflicted with the production schedule of another production at the community theatre for which I am employed, and the first week I recommended for Armida could not be accepted for much the same reason. Therefore, we settled for the dates I have previously mentioned.

We booked our tickets some time in advance, and I put the thought of it out of my mind for a good while. The time passed, and it came to the day that was a week away from our date of departure, which was when I began to become enthusiastically excited about the next week's prospects. At that stage of the proceedings, I knew we had tickets to Armida and The Importance of Being Earnest at the American Airlines Theatre, but the rest of my stay there was completely free to living in the city in whatever fashion we might contrive. I was quite content with this arrangement, but my journey and stay in New York City proved to be so much more enjoyable than I expected it to be with all of the additional things that occurred there that I was afforded the opportunity of witnessing.

The inception of our journey required us to wake at four o'clock in the morning to catch our flight out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Memphis, Tennessee, which was our first stop on the trip. This was my first time to utilize transportation by means of an airplane, so I was naturally nervous, for I did not know what to expect. However, I found that flying does not bother me in the least inconvenient manner, but the security measures are most incommodious to us. With my belt, watch, iPod, and shoes removed from my person, and my laptop taken from its case, I walked through the scanner, and it took me a fair amount of time to clothe myself and replace my items again. Reviewing the event in my mind, it seems it would be more efficient if people would merely arrive at the airport ready to shower and let the TSA agents watch you attire yourself. Then, they could still check your bags while you were occuppied with preparing for the day.

We finally boarded the airplane, and we were on our way. After a relatively brief stop in Memphis, Tennessee, it finally became real to me that I was actually going to live in New York City for almost a week. I was intrigued at flying over the clouds. I have never seen clouds from such a perspective. To anyone who has never flown to travel anywhere, it is, indeed, a beautiful sight to behold. It reminded me of a rolling sea, but the sea that it depicted was a calm one. It did not seem a teribly long time to get there, but in reality we were flying for nearly eight hours. I was far too ecstatic to sleep on the flight, so I listened to music on my iPod while I looked out of the window at many peaceful images of the earth below us, and I edited a devotional document for Jay. That was my first experience with the iPad, and I have determined that I do not like tablet devices in general. The only device of its class that I would consider would be the ASUS Eee Slate, for it is more of a computer than merely a tablet.

Just when I thought the flight was seeming rather long, and that we must surely be over Pennsylvania by that time, I learned that we were flying over New York, and I saw the Statue of Liberty from the air shortly thereafter. I knew that I had embarked upon the adventure of a lifetime at that moment.

A friend of Jay's retrived us from LaGuardia airport, and we were treated to an afternoon of amiable conversation in their apartment in Harlem. Their building was nice, but it was, as most buildings in the city later proved to appear, old. This, of course, also meant that it was filled with character, but one could tell that it had known better years. If I were a better student of the history of this revered and entertaining city, I might know more about the transformation of some of these apartment buildings. I may be gravely mistaken, but this particular one appears to have been a grand place at one time, for the floor in the foyer is covered in marble, and their is a marble fireplace in the wall. That suggests to me that this entrance was once a room of some kind that entertained visitors in a more auspicious manner than to see them onto the elevator or up the stairs to their floor.

Their apartment is a considerable size, but it was cramped for my taste. We waited and talked until the children arrived from school. After we made our presence known to them, we visited for a brief while, and we left to visit Times Square and see the spectacle that is kept in that most famous district. It should here be mentioned that our itenerary called for us to reside in two places over the duration of our stay. First, we took lodgings in Astoria with Jay's brother and sister-in-law for two days, and we remained with our family of friends who had been so kind to remove us from the airport for the remainder of our vacation there.

We went to that central tourist location, and, in order for us to arrive there, we were required to take the subway. Oklahoma City's method of public transportation would lie either in the bus or a taxi cab, and such conveniences are almost nonexistent here because of such little demand for them in comparison to that teeming metropolis. After some difficulty in mastering the art of swiping the Metro card, I made my way onto the train, and gripped the pole with white knuckles. The jolt at the onset was still foreign to me, but I stayed standing.

As we emerged from our exit, I was awed by the sight. I had seen Times Square on television and in pictures, but those images did not compare to actually being there. It was rather strange of me, but I never felt out of place there, nor was I scared of becoming lost or separated from Jay, who was leading this excursion for the present. After we ambled about aimlessly for some time so that I could see those famous sights in the square, which to my surprise was a group of blocks rather than merely a square, we located the building in which one of Jay's relatives worked so that we could leave our bags with them and explore with more freedom than that which our luggage allowed. His sister-in-law worked in an office complex that was in one of the adjoining thoroughfares to Times Square, and it was most conveninet for us to find.

After we wandered for a while, the question was put to me as to how I should like to spend my first evening in this new and exciting place, and I did not quite know how to respond. Could it be that I was given a choice to freely spend an evening in this place that had inhabited my dreams in any way that I wished? I had little to consider, for I knew that I wanted to see opera performed at the Met most of all, and this had been my precise reason for visiting. I knew that Iphigenie en Tauride, starring Susan Graham, Placido Domingo, and Paul Groves, was being performed that evening, so I asked if that might be agreeable to everyone, and Jay said that such an arrangement would be fine. We met with Jay's sister-in-law again after she was finished working for the day, and we made our way to Lincoln Center with the aid of the subway.

We emerged from our exit, and we were right outside the limits of Lincoln Center. As we walked down the block, we saw all of the posters for the new productions and engagements for the group of performance companies that inhabit Lincoln Center Plaza, and we were walking right past Juilliard! When we rounded the corner of that building, I stopped and just gazed in astonishment. I was standing in front of the world's greatest opera house, and I just wanted to look at it from that distance. It was close enough to be real, but it was removed from me enough to still be picturesque. I could not say anything, but I was overjoyed. I had called the box office earlier that afternoon, and I even knew their number without having to search for it, so I knew that tickets for the evening's performance were still available. We went to the box office, and I asked for a Family Circle seat, but I was met with the pleasant fact that some of Agnes Varis's Rush Tickets yet remained, so I upgraded my point of vantage for less of a cost. We went to the Opera Shop from there, which I thought lacked a little from the expectations I had made in my mind for it, but I was delighted to find their selection of recordings to be very thorough for any aficionado of opera to peruse. Placido Domingo selesctions were playing in the store, and I had a look about the place to think about something to buy on my next visit. Having some time before the performance was to begin, and since I had not yet eaten dinner, my companions and I walked in the vicinity to locate a restaurant that would lend itself to the healthy balance of delectable food and a reasonable price, and, after traveling a few blocks, we found a small eatery on a corner that met both criteria, but I unfortunately cannot recall the name of it, nor could I locate it on Google Maps. My meal which consisted of a hamburger and French fries with pink lemonade for the accompanying beverage, and it only cost twelve dollars and ninety-five cents, which is comparable to prices in my native city.

After my dinner, which was most pleasant, I walked back to the Met alone, for my friends had left me once I had been seated in the restaurant, and I entered and once again soaked in the ambient elegance of the inside of the building. I made my way to the orchestra section, and I was greeted by a kind usher who directed me to my seat, and I entered the auditorium. This storied venue was every bit of palacial in its decoration and the accommodations that it provides for its audiences, and I soon became lost in glancing at every minute detail of the hall.The orchestra section was relatively full, and I had arrived about half an hour prior to the curtain, so I devoted myself to reading my Playbill for the evening's performance. While I was thus engaged, I began to hear murmurs from audience members in close proximity, and they were whispering that Susan Graham was not going to perform this evening. I looked in my program for some insert that would inform me of this and the name of her replacement, but I did not find one. These rumors did prove to be correct, however, for a man came on the stage to announce that Graham had canceled her appearance that evening due to not feeling well, and he also said that Mr. Domingo was not feeling his best that evening either, at which half of the patrons voiced an audible sigh of disappointment, and I was sure that we should lose half of our company in the audience, but, after the sigh and what must have been the rush of at least 1,500 people standing in their rows, the announcer informed us that Domingo would yet perform, and they all resumed their seats.

Patrick Summers entered the orchestra pit, and we all clapped modestly. Summers does not exactly maintain the best of control over an orchestra, and this night would not prove to be anything spectacular in his career, but the overture came and set the mood, and the curtain rose on a scene that looked appreciably like a scene from the days of Ancient Greece. The costumes appeared rather generic to me, but my eye is one of the amateur, so I am not qualified to say. Though I would not learn it until later in the performance, the role of Iphigenie was portrayed by Elizabeth Bishop. Bishop's interpretation was well done musically, but the character was wanting considerably in its display.

This story happens without any changes in the set at all. There are but two rooms on the stage, one of which is the great hall, and the other is the dungeon. It seemed sometimes as if the performers moved between them as one might the living room and the kitchen, but this is not the most simple piece to stage.The few effects were done well, and the singing was excellent. If you did not previously know the story, I can imagine that it would be difficult to follow, but the Met Titles revealed enough of the action. Domingo sang well, and I could not discern that he was ill in any way. I was overjoyed that my first performance to see at the Metropolitan Opera had starred Placido Domingo. There are obvious signs of wear in his voice, but the sheer fact that he is still singing so well is phenomenal to me. Paul Groves was in resplendent voice as well, and one could assuredly feel the generations of tenor on the stage. Overall, the production was an excellent maiden experience for me, and the only other thing for which I could have hoped was for Susan Graham to have performed that evening.

The opera ended at about 10:40 P.M., and I stood outside in the Licoln Center Plaza, and I turned to view the facade of the Met. There was a banner hanging in the window for the new production of Rossini's Le Comte Ory, and I suddenly knew that I was here. I had just been afforded an opportunity that would change my life. This is where I want to be. It is my desire to have the chance to sing on that stage, and I have now been thoroughly introduced to that piece of life. I waited for my friends to come retrieve me, and, as we rode the subway to return to their apartment, life instantly seemed magical and surreal.

Those were the events of my first day in New York City, and I hope that I have not bored all of you in the telling of this tale. Indeed, there shall be a continuation of it soon, but let this first chapter of the chronicle sufficiently whet your curiosity to learn of the most entertaining vacation I had while in this famous locale. I thank all of you for reading, and I pray that God blesses all of you amply.

-Tyler.

What Is on My iPod?

2011-01-15T02:15:00.000-06:00

Before I address the exact subject of the title of this post, it is first helpful to reveal to my various readers that I am something of an experienced person with technology, which is merely to say that I am usually ultimately successful in getting a computer to do what I want it to do despite its operating system, and I have repaired them with hardware substitutions in my time, so I am considered by many of the people with whom I associate to be rather knowledgeable about technology and electronic devices.

All of that information culminates to reveal that I am one of those people who researches a product before he buys it to ensure that I will be completely pleased with it when I obtain it. An MP3 player was no exception to this rule, and, while many of my friends were buying iPods in various models, which were mostly Nano and Touch variants, I had been looking at an almost unknown little gadget, at least to them, for myself to enhance my collection of opera recordings.

It would seem that I had found the perfect device, for I learned that Sandisk's line of Sansa players, the best of which may have been the E200 series, featured an FM radio recording function, and, naturally my mind began to calculate all of the enjoyment I could receive from listening to broadcast gems from the Metropolitan Opera by recording their performances on Saturday afternoons during their season. However, the E200 series was discontinued and replaced with the View, and, more recently, the Fuze. I had asked the kind employees at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and other places on numerous occasions whether either of these replacements had the recording feature built into them, but they told me that they did not. I was downcast for a while until I walked into Radio Shack on an afternoon, and the knowledgeable salesman reintroduced me to the Sansa line of products. In his pitch he explained that one of the features it had over, say, the iPod, was that it could record from FM radio. I could not believe my ears, and I asked him if he was absolutely sure, to which he replied that he was, and I quickly bought their tiny, two gigabyte model Clip+ for a rather great amount when you consider that these players are now sold at almost half of what I paid for mine.

I have received much pleasure from this device, and I am most proud to say that it has recorded an appreciable amount of Metropolitan Opera broadcasts for my benefit, but my main qualm with it was its capacity, or, rather, its lack thereof.

Less than a week ago, I found myself in a pawn shop, and I recalled my dilemma with the Met's next broadcast of Verdi's "La Traviata" starring Marina Poplavskaya, Matthew Polenzani, Andrezej Dobber, and conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, so I went to see if there were any bargains to be found in the portable music devices. As I looked, I saw several iPods of various generations, but my eye was drawn to two or three Zunes and a Sansa View. I looked at the View first, and I was pleased to see that it was a thirty-two gigabyte model, which would be a considerable improvement over my current device, but the price was rather more than I was willing to pay for this used and arguably almost obsolete item. I looked at other capacious players, and it seemed that storage came with a price. I was almost ready to give up entirely and settle for what I had when i noticed that the collection of iPods was rather varied and larger than the rest. I began to look, and I saw a white thirty gigabyte model, but it was being sold for more than the Sansa View, and it was certainly not the newest model. I then saw a black one, and, when I analyzed it, I found that it was an eighty gigabyte model iPod Classic, and it was the same price as the white thirty gigabyte one had been. I quickly bought it as it was a very good purchase for the capacious storage that it could support. On my way home after I purchased it, i could not cease thinking about how my operatic recordings would all be able to be consolidated onto this one device, for at present my library consumes about forty gigabytes, and I thought of all of the expanding of my selections I could now afford to accomplish as well.

After some difficulty in transferring my music from a Windows 7 based personal computer to a laptop equipped with Mac OS X, neither of which are terrible machines, I have finally captured some four gigabytes of music onto my new iPod, and I must say that I am most excited to be able to listen to any of my recordings whenever I should have the whim or desire.

Therefore, to disclose the contents of my music library to you as it appears on my device and to treat this post in the proper fashion with the article corresponding to the title in obedience, I shall commence.

La Traviata-Met-2010: Valenti, Gheorghiu, Hampson; Armiliato
Music For A While-Anne Sofie von Otter
Anne Sofie von Otter's Performance at the Verbier Festival 2010; Marc Minkowski
The Legend of St. Nocholas-Anonymous 4
A Little Night Music-Original Broadway Cast Recording
A Little Night Music-Broadway Revival Cast Recording
La Sonnambula-Cecilia Bartoli, Juan Diego Florez, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo; Alessandro Marchi
Celtic Thunder-Celtic Thunder
Anam-Clannad
Sacred Handel Catatas-Emma Kirkby
Ah, mio cor: Handel Arias-Danielle DeNiese
The Mozart Album-Danielle DeNiese
Henryk Gorecki: Symphony No. 3, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs-Dawn Upshaw; David Zinman, London Sinfonietta Orchestra
2009 Recital, Barcelona, Spain-Diana Damrau
La Fille du Regiment-Met-2010-Diana Damrau, Juan Diego Florez, Kiri Te Kanawa
BBC Prom 74-2010-Dorothea Roschmann; Gianandrea Noseda
Amarantine: Special Christmas Edition-Enya
Odyssey-Hayley Westenra
L'Elisir d'Amore-Toulouse-2007-Inva Mula, Giuseppe Filianotti
2005 Recital, Paris, France-Magdalena Kozena, David Daniels; Paul Goodwin
Lulu-Met-2010-Marlis Petersen, Anne Sofie von Otter, James Morris
Recital-Leo Nucci, Patrizia Ciofi
13-Original Broadway Cast Recording
Rosso: Italian Baroque Arias-Patricia Petibon
Recital-Ramon Vargas
A Night of Love-Verbier Festival 2010-Renee Fleming
Lucrezia Borgia-WNO-2009-Renee Fleming, Vittorio Grigolo
Giulio Cesare-Met-2007-Ruth Ann Swenson, David Daniels, Patricia Bardon
The Dawn of Grace-Sixpence None the Richer
The Fatherless and the Widow-Sixpence None the Richer
My Dear Machine EP-Sixpence None the Richer
Into the Woods-Original Broadway Cast Recording
I Capuletti e i Montecchi-Minnesota Opera-2001-Sumi Jo, Vivica Genaux; Will Crutchfield
In the Kingdom-Whitecross
Several Various Singles from Albums

Thank you for your enthusiasm as to what are the contents of my music library, and this is not even the whole of it. Perhaps I should devote a whole page to my music in my possession. I do know that I shall enjoy having it all with me without having to choose what I want to hear because of a lack of space. May God bless all of you immensely, and thank you for reading.

-Tyler.

OPERA NEWS - The New Masterpieces

2011-01-04T01:07:00.000-06:00

I am quite willing to say that I am an ignorant critic, but my feeling after hearing Saariaho's L'amour de Loin was that it was one of the worst compositions I had ever heard. I lisetned a live recording from the 2000 Salzburg festival with Dawn Upshaw, but, as much as I adore her voice and its versatility, I simply could not overcome the sense that all of the music sounded much the same and quite mundane. Read what these people think, listen to recordings, and tell me your opinions. Sarah, if you are reading, I was a little surprised to notice that Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy was left out of the reckoning of the top ten in the issue with all of the excitement that I remember about it at the time.

OPERA NEWS - The New Masterpieces

The Metropolitan Opera premiere of John Adams's Doctor Atomic, 2008, with Sasha Cooke (Kitty), Gerald Finley (Oppenheimer), Richard Paul Fink (Teller) and Eric Owens (General Groves)
© Beth Bergman 2011

Twenty-five years ago, brand new operas were few and far between. Today, we find them everywhere. I've seen eighty-three world and U.S. premieres of new operas since the beginning of 2000 — a remarkable number, considering that, with one exception, they were all seen in the U.S., and I don't include the two dozen or so revivals of recent, pre-2000 works. What is more, I'd be interested in seeing about half of them again.

Which ones are the best? I asked a sampling of knowledgeable operagoers to choose. Some could base their opinion on only a small number of pieces; others had seen many. The only restriction was that they not include any opera in which they had been personally involved. Will these be the works that stand the test of time? Only if someone puts them on again — and again.

Michael John LaChiusa
Composer, librettist, lyricist

Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar [heard on recording] has to top everything. It's spectacular in so many ways — rich, beautiful and exciting. I love it! It's romantic and filled with passion. I like the experimental harmonies, and the rhythms are always surprising. It's all about texture and layering — a thrill ride from beginning to end. And Dawn Upshaw is splendid on the recording.

Runner-up: Ricky Ian Gordon's Orpheus and Euridice, if we can count that as an opera. He captured the soulfulness of the characters, and it was playful, too, with a great deal of humor, which is hard to do in music.

James Robinson
Artistic Director, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Unsuk Chin's Alice in Wonderland. I remember how vividly it's orchestrated, and it was a haunting production [by Achim Freyer]. It was not at all what I expected, and I found that refreshing. It had some fantastic choral writing, as well, and it was very original in its approach to the story. Curiously, I don't think it's been done in the U.S.

Runner-up: I admired much of Doctor Atomic but found the world-premiere version a bit congested with an overwrought, sometimes tedious libretto. While I didn't care for the Met production, I thought the revisions made for a better overall experience. I admired the orchestrations, and the vocal writing was very good.

Speight Jenkins
General Director, Seattle Opera

Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking is a flawed work but the most engrossing of the new ones I've seen. It does what an opera has to do — it takes a good text and expands it, makes simple words have greater meaning and creates some powerful characters. I would have put Doctor Atomic first, except for the fact that the singers are amplified, and I am utterly opposed to that. I was completely swept away by Doctor Atomic. The orchestration was marvelous, and as a Wagnerian, I felt that the musico-poetic-dramatic synthesis absolutely worked. But I was shocked when I found out that the voices were amplified, and that eliminates it for me.

Greg Sandow
Critic, composer

Bang on a Can's Lost Objects. I love those three composers [Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe] individually, and their collaboration with each other, and with a big-time period-instrument orchestra [Concerto Köln], was musically fascinating. And what was happening onstage, using a mix of different art forms, was ravishing. It had an idea line, or a feeling line, rather than a story line, and the music was the bedrock of that. It's a meditation on lost objects in life and what they mean. The music makes the intangible connections. It serves as a model of how you can do that with projected words, film, lighting and movement.

Runner-up: Conrad Cummings's The Golden Gate. I saw a DVD of a semi-staged performance with piano that knocked me out. It was really honest and full of feeling. I was caught up in the story and the people, as if I were watching a movie.

The world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's The Grapes of Wrath at Minnesota Opera, 2007
© Michal Daniel 2011

John Kander
Composer

My favorite is Ricky Ian Gordon's Grapes of Wrath, which I heard on recording. I liked that it was extremely theatrical and heartfelt. I respond to his writing a lot — he's wonderfully talented! I'm anxious to go back and discover more in it. I'm eager to hear whatever William Bolcom writes next. I loved A View from the Bridge [world premiere in 1999, just outside the decade]. It's odd that in New York, being the center that it is, we don't get the opportunity to see that many new operas. The regional houses commission operas, but they don't go anywhere else.

Thomas Adès's The Tempest at Santa Fe Opera, 2006, with Gwynne Howell (Gonzalo), Keith Phares (Sebastian), Rodney Gilfry (Prospero), Chris Merritt (Alonso) and William Ferguson (Caliban)
© Ken Howard 2011

Peter Carwell
Executive Director, Richard Tucker Music Foundation

The Tempest, by Thomas Adès, which I saw in Santa Fe. It achieved what it was supposed to — it was musically interesting and theatrically viable. I don't go out of my way to see new pieces. When I do see them, I like the cutting-edge ones. Most of them are too bland. Adès writes in an interesting new medium, and he does it effectively. I'd like to see what else he does, and that's not always the case.

Mark Swed
Critic

Louis Andriessen's La Commedia. Written as Louis's wife, Jeanette, lay dying, Commedia is a divine-less comedy that is about death in the here and now and the only paradise we can know. I think what struck me the most is the extremes of expression — from utter hopelessness to the sweetest children's chorus imaginable that lifts the blackened spirits without a trace of nostalgia.

I can't come up with one runner-up and will have to list three — Kaija Saariaho's L'Amour de Loin, Unsuk Chin's Alice in Wonderland and John Adams's Doctor Atomic. I was at the premieres of all of them. And I can't leave off Philip Glass's Waiting for the Barbarians or Lou Harrison's Young Caesar either.

Dona D. Vaughn
Artistic Director of Opera Programs, Manhattan School of Music

Thomas Adès's The Tempest. From the moment I heard the overture, I bought it. The overture just lifted me up, and I thought, we're on a roll here! Usually, it's text that draws me to new operas, but while I was fascinated by the text of The Tempest and how different the characters are from the Shakespeare play, it was the music that got me. I had a big grin on my face the whole time, especially when Ariel sang "Five fathoms deep."

Robert Marx
Vice President, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation

Saariaho's L'Amour de Loin. I saw the Salzburg production in Paris. As Martin Pakledinaz, the costume designer, said to me at the time, we all talk about things being beautiful in the theater, and for once, it really is! The music is sensuous and beautiful, the librettist (Amin Maalouf) and director (Peter Sellars) shaped it theatrically, and Gerald Finley and Dawn Upshaw were just remarkable in creating this very mysterious, medieval, failed love story. The floating towers looked as though the entire Islamic collection of the Metropolitan Museum had been boiled down to two exquisitely beautiful stage elements, and with the entire Châtelet theater illuminated by the light reflected off the water, the glass boat crossing the stage and the sound of the male chorus floating down from the upper balcony, it was very potent.

Laura Aikin
Soprano

The most memorable piece I've seen in recent years was K at the Bastille with Susan Anthony. It was a fantastic, rich composition and a great story. I love intellectual exercise, but when it comes to opera, I must say I get much more involved emotionally if there is a great story and fleshed-out characters. K had heaps of that! I wanted to jump onstage and start singing it!

Alex Ross
Critic

John Adams's Doctor Atomic, which I heard at its world premiere at San Francisco Opera, in 2005, has come in for considerable criticism from listeners who were dissatisfied with aspects of the score and/or the libretto. I found it transfixing from beginning to end. No modern opera has had such an acute impact on me, to the point where I was sweating while I watched it. While it may not be a flawless work, it contains some of Adams's most forcefully eloquent music. Telling the story of the first atomic test with Wagnerian breadth, it is beautiful and frightening all at once.

Runners-up: Kaija Saariaho's L'Amour de Loin, Thomas Adès's The Tempest.

Poul Ruders's The Handmaid's Tale at English National Opera, 2003
© Clive Barda/ArenaPAL 2011

George Loomis
Critic

Poul Ruders's The Handmaid's Tale. This operatic version of Margaret Atwood's futuristic novel, including its sex and violence, was really powerful onstage. Paul Bentley's libretto mixed scenes depicting the grim reality of the prevailing "theocratic dictatorship" with scenes showing a happier past. It was especially effective to have this contrast reinforced by having different singers portray the principal female character. Ruders's music was especially poignant and lyrical when the voices of the two combined, but it also contributed strongly to the atmospheric tension overall. I was rapt for almost the entire opera.

Runner-up: Giorgio Battistelli's Richard III. I find it astonishing that, as far as I know, no opera company in an English-speaking country has taken it up. Battistelli's tense modernistic score was a perfect match for the Shakespeare-based story (with an English text). And Robert Carsen's production was excellent too.

Susan Narucki
Soprano

Many of the pieces that stick in my mind from the last decade were interesting new productions of older works. But the one that still stays with me is George Benjamin's Into the Little Hill, which I saw at Lincoln Center. The production values were very simple, but the piece and the performance were arresting. The story — a version of the Pied Piper of Hamelin — was terrifying and beautiful at once. The score was intricate and fascinating, so finely crafted but still with an extraordinary sense of span and dramatic weight. And the soloists — Anu Komsi and Hilary Summers — were stunning.

Marc A. Scorca
President and CEO, OPERA America

I am reluctant to name recent works, since I don't want to show favorites among composers and opera companies. However, there are older pieces that have been revised and produced again to what I consider great success. Marvin David Levy's 1967 Mourning Becomes Electra, which I saw in Chicago (1998) and at New York City Opera (2004). Also, Dominick Argento's Miss Havisham's Fire (1979). Opera Theatre of Saint Louis gave the revised version in 2001. With some revision and perspective enriched by the passage of time, existing works can emerge as real gems of American opera.

The world premiere of Jake Heggie's Moby-Dick at Dallas Opera, 2010, with Ben Heppner (Ahab), Talise Trevigne (Pip) and Robert Orth (Stubb)
© Karen Almond, Dallas Opera 2011

Anne Midgette
Critic

The new opera I saw in the last ten years that most excited me at the time was Jake Heggie's Moby-Dick. I never thought I'd say that. But it was certainly the most exciting and satisfying premiere I experienced personally in that time period, and one of the very rare cases I've seen of an opera connecting with an audience and hitting a lot of artistic sweet spots. It was a very smart adaptation, it featured one of the best all-round opera casts I've heard in years, it had a bang-up production — and all of this helped, a lot.

Runner-up: Ned Rorem's Our Town, which I thought was conceived in the spirit of the play and had a touching sweetness.

Heidi Waleson

My own pick? I was enchanted by L'Amour de Loin and moved by Daron Hagen's wonderful Amelia, but I'll put Ruders's The Handmaid's Tale first. This chilling opera took its source material to a new level with music, humanizing the novel's main character and precisely evoking the horror of her dystopian environment. With a suitably grim production in Minnesota, the opera made the book's feminist subject — tyranny over women — immediate and immensely powerful.

HEIDI WALESON is the opera critic for the Wall Street Journal.

Progressions to Something of Enjoyment and, Hopefully, Distances Shortened Toward a Common Goal

2010-12-22T16:37:00.001-06:00

As I promised in my previous post, I shall explain exactly what I meant by not being excited about the broadcast of Rossini's Armida next year. When I said that, I am sure a few readers were shocked due to my shameless adoration for Renee Fleming's voice, for how could such a devoted audience member deprive himself of elation and ecstasy for one of her broadcasts? First, I must say that I am not completely mad, for I shall probably hear it, but I shall also see this production on its opening night in person at the Metropolitan Opera, where I will be sitting in the Dress Circle to witness such a spectacle, on the eighteenth day of February. A dear friend of mine and I are spending the days between February sixteenth and the twenty-first in New York City, and our airplane tickets have been in hand since the middle of October, and our Met tickets were bought this past Friday! I am exceptionally overjoyed at what I shall experience, and I am quite sure that I shall never be the same afterwards. Sarah, I may never want to resign to living in Oklahoma after I visit your locale! We, which is to say my friend and I, are staying with friends while we are there, whose company I anticipate with great enthusiasm, but I hope to meet many new people during our visit.

On December 11th, which was a very cold and blustery day in Oklahoma, and which happened to be the day of Poteet Theatre's final performance of Guys and Dolls, I awoke very early, and I took the ACT for the first time in my academic career. While I am yet waiting to see my results, I expect that my score will reside in the low twenties median, for there were certain portions of the test in mathematics that proved difficult for me, and I did not employ a calculator during my examination, so I hope that my score is not lower than a twenty-two. Moreover, I elected to receive the writing test as well in some effort to endeavor to improve my overall score, and I hope to receive a three on it. Despite what may be considered a poor effort on my part, I was pleased with my maiden attempt on the examination, and I was relieved to find that it was not so strenuous or rigorous as I had been made to expect. With any providence from God, I shall be attending Oklahoma City University in the autumn of next year.

At the risk of inundating my readers with too much information concerning me and my trivial successes in life recently, I shall, nevertheless, include a summary of what I have been learning in my voice lessons. Before I began to receive lessons, I was worried that my voice was not of a caliber great enough to be considered classical and, therefore, fit to pursue that profession academically, but my teacher insists that my voice is excellent, and my raw talent is quite good. She praises my diction and my natural ability to almost repeat music in the way it should be sung, and she says that my breath and support techniques provide me with a firm foundation for the remainder of my training. In conclusion, she tells me that I should not have any difficulty in being accepted to my university of choice with the potential my voice has, and, what is most rewarding to me to hear, I am, in fact, an operatic tenor. I cannot describe how marvelous it is to finally know that one fact. I have hoped for that to be true, but there have been so many times that I have questioned my supposition's veracity; however, now I have heard it from someone else who is a professional in this field and a respected singer by many other performers. My voice is large, and I can reach an A above the staff quite easily on most days, and there are times that she will give me the excercise of climbing to a Bb to work on acquiring that range without effort as my voice continues to develop to its ripened state. I am pleased to inform you and myself that we have excellent rapport, and she is most encouraging to me. I hope that our collaboration is a lengthy one, and I am immensely grateful to her for her courtesy and grace to me.

That is all that I shall report for the present, and I am ingratiated that all of you continue to peruse my posts. I promise to devote a post to Christmas before the holiday arrives, and I pray that God continues to keep all of you within His grace.
-Tyler

The Metropolitan Opera's 80th Boradcast Season

2010-12-21T17:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the inception of the Metropolitan Opera's eightieth consecutive season of live radio broadcasts, and they began their season with Verdi's Don Carlo starring Marina Poplavskaya, Ferrucio Furlanetto, Anna Smirnova, Yonghoon Lee, Simon Keenlyside, and Eric Halfvarson, and it was conducted by the admirable Yannick Nezet-Seguin, the young Canadian who conducted last season's electrifying Carmen broadcast. I, unfortunately, missed this promising offering, but I cannot lament such an happening since I was at a dear friend's wedding while this broadcast was heard by many opera aficionados. I was anxious to hear Nezet-Seguin conduct this opera to see what passion and emotion he would imbue into his orchestra, but this wedding was much more enjoyable for me to attend.

Christmas Day brings us the historic broadcast of this season, which is the rarely performed work of Smetana entitled The Bartered Bride. It being the fortieth anniversary of James Levine's career with the Metropolitan Opera as their Music Director, this broadcast is from December 2, 1978, and he leads the forces of his orchestra and Teresa Stratas, Nicolai Gedda, and Jon Vickers in this offering. I am sure that it will be something to remember with admiration, for I have generally found Gedda to be a tenor of excellent voice. Some of his readings are not to my individual liking, but his voice was in marvelous condition, and I have never heard it said that he took too many liberties or risks with it. I hope that this broadcast is in the original Czech instead of English.

On New Year's Day, we are treated to Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande starring Magdalena Kozena, who I enjoy with greater pleasure each time I hear her, Felicity Palmer, Stephane Degout, Willard White, and Gerald Finley. I heard this opera the last time the Met broadcast it, and I recall that I was engrossed more by the drama than the music ans singing, for the plot was my main attraction to opera in that time, and I remember feeling so much sympathy for Melisande and the tragic circumstances in which she found herself. I do expect that I shall pay better attention to the other aspects of the performance this time, for Debussy's music is most interesting to me. I am ecstatic to hear Sir Simon Rattle in his debut conducting at the Met, for you can download his maiden foray at the Met here. I hope to listen to it prior to the broadcast in the interest of knowing if anything changed in his reading or command of the orchestra during the interim between the two performances.

If I may digress for a moment, I should very much like to alight upon my appreciation for Kozena and her voice. Looking at her appreciable discography, one is immediately made aware of her versatility with her voice. I happen to prefer her performances of Baroque music best, for I think the long, languid lines of the music that Handel, Vivaldi, and other composers of the era devoted to sorrow yield themselves well to her voice's unique timbre. Though it shall be known at once that she is not a native of the English language when she sings Handel or Purcell, for the idiosyncratic pronunciations of some syllables do present themselves from time to time as they shall from those who are used to the Slavic tongues, her diction is good, and her voice captures and exhibits sad emotion marvelously well. I adore her voice, and I wish that she had a greater career here in the United States. I won her recent recording of Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn under Pierre Boulez with the Cleveland Orchestra, which is reviewed in the January issue of Opera News, from Deutsche Grammophon on Twitter, and I was quite impressed with her interpretation of Mahler. Her and Christian Gerhaher's performances make me want to explore more of Mahler's work, which I have an opportunity to do with another recording I won from Twitter, which was Rattle's Grammy-winning recording of Mahler's Tenth Symphony with the Berliner Philharmoniker.

To return to the subject at hand, however, please allow me to mention some of my greatest expectations from the remainder of the broadcast season. After Debussy's opera I shall look forward to hearing Puccini's La Fanciulla del West, for I recently discovered that it is one of my friend's favorite operas, so I want to hear it and know why they like it best. I should like to know if there is an archive recording of the world premiere of this opera with Caruso and Destinn available anywhere. It would be marvelous to hear it. Aside from that fact, my other reason to hear it is to hear Deborah Voigt opposite Marcello Giordani, who sings so many diverse Italian pieces. I think his voice is as near to the opulent tenor as we shall see for a long time hence. Jonas Kaufmann is another such artist, and I think that he shall be the next Placido Domingo, for he yet sings dramatic German repertoire and Italian and French operas for the lighter voices almost without us knowing the difference.

La Traviata, which I have often heard and, therefore, know well, looks promising from the perspective of the cast, and I think the production even has its merits, for Marina Poplavskaya is quite the soprano to watch according to Opera News, but Matthew Polenzani's Alfredo from 2007 opposite Renee Fleming was not as refined as I had hoped he would be, so I am praying that he is in better voice these years later in this broadcast. His opening of the second act was a little weak, and his support was wavering by the end of his aria, but I think that he shall have remedied that by now. Gianandrea Noseda, who we heard quite often with the BBC Proms this summer, conducts this opera, and I expect it shall be an admirable interpretation.

January 22, 2011, brings us the acclaimed Rigoletto production of Otto Schenk with Joseph Calleja's acclaimed Duke in the cast. Nino Machaidze is Gilda. I have heard her in this role before, and she does a fine performance. Fred Plotkin names this the ideal stater opera, so anyone who is unfamiliar with this art form should definitely visit this offering by Verdi.

Puccini's Tosca is presented on January 29th, and I am greatly anticipating Sondra Radvanovsky's portrayal of the heroine. She is presently the foremost Verdi heroine our decade knows, so it will be interesting to see how this transfers to Puccini's masterpiece. Marcelo Alvarez and Paul Plishka round the cast, and Marco Armiliato, who is a vibrant, exuberant conductor, leads the orchestra.

The broadcast of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra has what could be considered a perfect cast in Barbara Fritolli, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Ramon Vargas, and Ferrucio Furlanetto. These artists are solid in every exhibition of their trade, and it will be a joy to hear them collaborate. It almost has the nostalgia of an historic broadcast to it! James Levine provides us with his interpretation of the score in his fortieth season with the Met.

Don Pasquale will be a pleasant respite from the dramatic offerings of the previous two weeks, and I hope to hear the comedy [and the slap] in this performance from Anna Netrebko, Matthew Polenzani, John Del Carlo, and Mariusz Kwiecien.

It is a rare thing to be able to compare a performance of a work with the exact principles two years apart from each other, but on February 26th, that is exactly what we may do with Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride, which stars Placido Domingo, Susan Graham, and Paul Groves. Patrick Summers, who is the principal conductor at the Houston Grand Opera, leads this performance.

I shall not be anxious to hear Rossini's Armida, for I shall have yet seen it in person, but, if I may insert a careful amount of mystery into my ramblings, you shall have to read my next post to learn the details of that statement. Renee Fleming and Lawrence Brownlee have excellent chemistry.

I do not usually place as much emphasis on Russian repertoire, which is probably due to the fact that I do not understand a word of the lexicon, but Valery Gergiev heads a performance of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov that boasts a fine cast with Ekaterina Semenchuk, Aleksandrs Antonenko, and Rene Pape among others. This promises to be a strong performance.

I must confess that I greatly relish Natalie Dessay's portrayal of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, and I am pleased to say that we shall be hearing it with Joseph Calleja as her fiance under the baton of Summers.

We are gifted to hear the controversial new production of Wagner's Ring on April 2nd, and I must say that this looks like a rather weak Wagner cast. Nevertheless, thinking about the great use of technology in the production, one finds great respect for the work and its performers.

In what may be the most welcomed production and performance of the season, Rossini's Le Comte Ory makes it debut at the Met with a stellar cast of Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, and Juan Diego Florez, and the production is designed by Bartlett Sher. This appears to be a gem of the season which will be remembered with great fondness hereafter. These singers are all electrifying in every performance they give, so I am excited to hear this one.

I could speak volumes about Renee Fleming in Strauss's Capriccio. Her portrayal of the Countess in Robert Carsen's production, which is immortalized in the 2004 DVD release from the Paris National Opera and TDK, was simply exquisite. The final scene is divinely gorgeous, and it is little wonder that she chose it to close her performance in the Metropolitan Opera's Opening Night Gala in 2008. I shall not be available on April twenty-third, for I shall be satisfying my craving for Renee Fleming's sublime voice. Her cast members include Sarah Connolly, Joseph Kaiser, and Russell Braun, and Andrew Davis conducts her performance.

April 30, 2011, sees the return of Sondra Radvanovsky to her usual Verdi territory in Verdi's Il Trovatore, which she does sing with some regularity. Marcelo Alvarez, who sang opposite her in the Tosca broadcast, sings the role of Manrico, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, who is moving into Verdi with great force, and Dolora Zajick, who is a versatile mezzo-soprano to say the least, are also in the cast.

I have heard Ariadne auf Naxos more than a few times, and it is not one of my particularly favorite operas, but he cast of this performance does excite me, for we are scheduled to hear Violetta Urmana, Joyce DiDonato, the mesmerizing Kathleen Kim, Robert Dean Smith, and Thomas Allen. Fabio Luisi conducts, which makes me a little nervous, for I do not really consider him an interpreter of Strauss, but this cast shall shape a fine performance.

The final broadcast of the season is Wagner's Die Walkure with Deborah Voigt, who assays her first Brunnhilde, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Stephanie Blythe, Jonas Kaufmann, and Bryn Terfel. This assembly of Wagnerians, who are supported by James Levine, promises to be rather better than that in the first of Wagner's epic cycle earlier this season, and I have great anticipations for it.

That concludes the season of broadcasts, and I hope that my humble additions of description to them made them come alive to your minds and ears. Thank you for perusing my posts, and I have greatly enjoyed these two years that I have been blogging. If I do not say so prior to the event, I wish all of my readers a merry Christmas, and I hope that they are splendidly blessed with their families over the holiday.

-Tyler.

Life's Happenings

2010-10-26T19:35:00.000-05:00

To sate the curiosity of my readers until I can write a proper, full post, let it suffice for the present for them to know that I have three things for which I am most excited at present. These three blessings are that I am receiving voice lessons form an excellent teacher, who also happens to be an adjunct professor of voice at Oklahoma City University, I have an extremely good chance of attending university there next fall majoring in vocal performance, and I am going to see Renee Fleming in "Armida" in February at the Met! I am exceedingly blessed!

Thank you for reading!
-Tyler

The Day After a Marvelous Evening

2010-09-28T14:12:00.000-05:00

Upon this last evening, the Metropolitan Opera opened its exciting, glamorous 2010-2011 season with their new production of Richard Wagner's Das Rheingold. While necessity dictated that I could not hear it in its entirety, I heard much of it, and I had forgotten how much I enjoy Wagner's luscious music. The Germanic and Slavic music of the latter half of the nineteenth century is especially resplendent, and the rich harmonies are as refreshing as water to the spirit and the ear. The cast, which included Bryn Terfel, Wendy Bryn Harmer, Stephanie Blythe, Gerhard Siegel, Eric Owens, Patricia Bardon, Richard Croft, Franz-Josef Selig, and Hans-Peter Konig, proved to be in excellent form, and maestro James Levine, who is a noted Wagnerian conductor, led the orchestra exceedingly well. The warm timbres of the brass and the woodwinds blended excellently with the strings, and there seemed to be real cohesion between all of the various groups of instruments. I have heard the complete Ring cycle on other occasions, but this beginning makes me excited for the rest of it, and it solidifies the reasons why I enjoy it so much when I hear it within my mind. This new production was designed by Robert Lepage, and after I viewed the images of the performance on the Met's website, I was most impressed with the technological magic that happened on that stage. There are so many lighting and projection effects that make the actions on stage appear to be so much more realistic in the audience's perception of them, and it makes you wish that every opera was produced with such realism infused into it. The one thing that did disappoint me was an apparent lack of any set pieces. I think that this production could have been even that much better with forest trees and different rocks and things of that nature. I am waiting to see a waterfall on the Met's stage! To give us some idea of the technical demands of this production, there appears to be forty-three computer monitors in the Met's auditorium during rehearsal in a photograph of the sight. To reflect upon the whole, we can safely say that this marvelous production, which makes us wonder as to the actual technical limits of the Metropolitan Opera, is a resounding success.

Tonight we are treated to the joys of Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann as the second performance of the Metropolitan Opera's newly commenced season, and it stars the delightful Kate Lindsey, Giuseppe Filianotti, whose voice is better suited to the leading role than Joseph Calleja's in my opinion, for this role requires a tenor who has a light voice, Anna Christy, and Ildar Abdrazakov. When I watched this production on my local PBS station last year, I was immediately struck by the details within the production, and I thought that Kate Lindsey was excellent as Nicklausse and the Muse. Her character was ever present, which gave the three episodes continuity and it provided a greater depth to her characters. The surprise of last year's cast was the beautiful voice of Kathleen Kim. Her voice was exceedingly clear, and she has one of those sopranos that you desire to hear again and again. If I listen to John Adams' Nixon in China for no other reason, it will be to hear her sing the role of Chian Ch'ing. Tonight promises to be an excellent performance, and it will be broadcast live on the Metropolitan Opera's SiriusXM channel at eight o'clock this evening in the Eastern time zone.

As for the personal nature of my blog, if I may share some of the things that have been happening to me of late, I was given my first supporting role in a musical, and I am scheduled to perform as Lieutenant Brannigan in Loesser's Guys and Dolls in November near the Thanksgiving holiday. I have also been asked to assist the production team of a church's children's Christmas musical, and I hope it turns out better than performances of that variety usually do.

I was approached yesterday by an adjunct professor of voice from Oklahoma City University, which is an university you should know for the reason that it is the alma mater of Broadway stars Kristen Chenoweth and Kelli O'Hara and opera soprano Sarah Coburn, and this professor, whom I have come to know rather well, very graciously offered to provide free voice lessons to me since she and my employer are good friends and colleagues, and after I voiced my obvious reservations and apprehensions to such an arrangement, we came to the mutual agreement that I should take them at her continued behest. I am scheduled to meet with her next week to converse upon my specific goals and fundamental knowledge, and I am immensely excited to have been presented with this wonderful opportunity.

To mention something of opera before I should finish this post, I was most enthralled by the BBC Proms over the summer months, and they are an exceptional comfort when the opera season in the United States is taking a leave of absence to prepare for the next season. There were so many extraordinary singers who displayed themselves in so many diverse works, and I enjoyed every concert I heard from the world's largest classical music festival. I must say that I have yet to hear Dorothea Roschmann's recital from the festival, but I have it waiting for the next convenient opportunity, so I have high expectations for this lauded performance.

As many of you now are aware, I have discovered an excellent place to hold recourse and learn about opera through Twitter. There are many star singers who have accounts with this social media outlet, and they update them with some regularity. Many of the organizations that present their talents to us also have accounts, and these are most informative places from which to receive information. Broadway shows even have Twitter accounts, and they have contests to win souvenirs from the shows sometimes. I won an autographed poster from the cast of A Little Night Music recently, and I cannot wait to see it on my wall! Yes, the last part was boastful on my part, but that is just one of my vices that my readers must accept.

Thank you for continuing to peruse my humble posts, and I pray that God continues to bless you in every facet of your lives.

-Tyler.

Medici TV

2010-08-23T09:18:00.000-05:00

Because of my late fascination with Twitter and using it at as a means to learn more about opera, I discovered an incredible find in a website called Medici TV. Medici TV is an online subscription service that specializes in providing classical music and opera performances for their members to watch. Their catalogue includes quite an exhaustive amount of selections of performances from the Verbier festival, and I watched Renee Fleming's recital with the Berlin Philharmoniker Orchestra, which was conducted by Maestro Ion Marin, and I was thoroughly impressed with the repertoire of the concert. Any devoted aficionado of Renee Fleming's will enjoy this performance, which can be streamed for free, because it displays so much of her recorded work. She sings the Final Scene from Richard Strauss's Capriccio, Marietta's Lied from Erich Korngold's Die tote Stadt, all three of the La Boheme selections by Puccini and Leoncavallo from her Verismo album, and O mio babbino, caro. The program is entitled A Night of Love, and I enthusiastically enjoyed the performance. The venue for the performance was an outdoor ampithteatre, and it looked exceptionally inviting. Looking at the audience who experienced this performance personally, I was deeply envious because you could see that many patrons had brought picnic meals along with them to enjoy the evening, and most of them appeared to be having a marvelous time. One of the things which irked me, however, was that, when the camera focused on them, some people in the audience looked as if they would rather be anywhere else but there.

The vidoe stream is about two hours, but it is well worth it. Ion Marin does an admirable job of leading the Berlin Philharmoniker Orchestra, and Fleming sounds just as excellent as she usually does. O mio babbino caro sounds almost exactly as it does on her self-titled album, and I thought she provided something for every audience member to enjoy in her selections. Her attire was also gorgeous. Capriccio's final scene did not seem quite so long as I remembered it, and I found myself drifting into the music rather more easily this time than when I watched her DVD performance of the opera from Paris. I always anticipate the Korngold selection with elation, but I wish she would sing Ich ging zu ihm more often, for that music is exceptionally beautiful.

Finally, one might wish to view other concerts from the Verbier Festival, and I know I am looking forward to seeing one by Angelika Kirschlager, so feel free to visit MediciTV's website to enjoy opera to its fullest extent. I thank all of you for reading my humble posts, and may God continue to bless us.

-Tyler.

Renee Fleming in Armida on PBS, and Opera on Twitter

2010-08-15T01:40:00.001-05:00

Concerning the first part of my post's title, Mary Zimmerman's latest production for the Metropolitan Opera, Gioacchino Rossini's Armida, will be aired on PBS later this month. My local station is scheduled to air it on the twenty-eighth, and I am immensely excited to see this again after being one of the nearly two hundred thousand audience members who saw it in May as part of the Met's Live in HD season. The cast included the radiant Renee Fleming as Armida, who is supposed to be a sorceress, the incomparable Lawrence Brownlee as Rinaldo, who falls in love with Armida, the surprisingly talented John Osborne, and a former cast member to Renee in Handel's Rodelinda when it was last presented at the Metropolitan Opera, Kobie van Rensburg. Because I immensely enjoyed this performance, when I discovered that the Met was scheduled to revive this production for the 2010-11 season with much of the same cast including Fleming, I elected to choose it as the anchor of my entertainment for my maiden visit to New York City next year.

The production itself was rather lacking in developing and advancing the chronicle of events, and I did not think that it gave enough emphasis to the magic potential of the production, since this was a critical point of the Met's marketing of this production, and, for evidence of this, I refer to the line that I constantly read which regularly mentioned Fleming starring as "Rossini's sorceress". I wish Zimmerman would think in such visionary spectrums as Robert Lepage or in such wonderfully revitalizing terms as Bartlett Sher. Beyond the failings of the production, I must say that the singing was most enjoyable, and the tenors performed exceptionally well. I was impressed by the varying vocal tones of the different tenors, who are all respected as opulent performers of the Bel Canto repertoire. Lawrence Brownlee's high notes sounded almost effortless, and I must admit that I was extraordinarily envious of his marvelous voice. I would appreciate seeing him perform in other Rossini operas that are rarely performed, so I would be anxious to see him Guillame Tell somewhere.

As for the second portion of my title, it may have come to some of my readers' attention that I have included a Twitter widget to my blog's sidebar, which implies that I have a Twitter account. I have found a wealth of information through both Chelsea and SarahB, and I would like to think that I have become a better acquaintance to both of them in the process. Chelsea and SarahB, I proffer my immense gratitude to you both for so readily accepting my presence on Twitter and through following your respective blogs, and I have exuberantly enjoyed learning so much from the both of your collective knowledge of opera. I have also discovered that opera has an enormous presence on Twitter. I follow sixty-nine people or organizations, most of which are related to opera or the arts, which is a considerable amount of entities when one considers the limited amount of time that I have spent using Twitter. It turns out that almost any piece of relevant news to opera that can be expressed in one hundred forty characters or less can be found on this rather unique social networking website. Danielle De Niese, Renee Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, Thomas Hampson, the Metropolitan Opera, and most of the other major opera houses of the nation, and, indeed, the world, have Twitter feeds, and I have collected all of the ones of which I am aware into a list, which is what I display in my Twitter widget as a feed. The amount of information one can receive from these short communiques is most definitely immense, and it is not difficult to hold conversations on a given subject between a group of people, for Chelsea, SarahB, and I discussed American opera and Tobias Pickers's An American Tragedy recently. I hope that this new medium of communication affords us as great an opportunity at discovering new things about opera as any of its predecessors, and I am pleased to think that I am an humble part of it. I currently possess five followers to my tweets, as they are colloquially known by account holders to the service, and among this group of individuals is Carnegie Hall's Twitter account. I am most exuberant about this, and, while my cause for rejoice may be slight in the minds of some, I am honored that I am referenced by such a revered establishment as it is among our world of entertainment venues.

I thank all of youfor continuing to peruse my posts, and I continue to pray for God's blessings to each of you.

-Tyler.

The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's 2010-11 Engagements

2010-08-12T15:50:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

While the European ones are entirely another matter, I do not usually follow the recitals and concerts of orchestras throughout the United States. In the case of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, however, I have made a notable exception, for I understand that Renee Fleming is scheduled to perform with them on Saturday, October 2, 2010. Usually, I look into all of my favorite singers' European schedules to see where they are performing with orchestras for the chance to see if the recital will be broadcast, but those in the United States are rarely broadcast. The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra has made a contract with KWMU for that public radio station to play most of their Saturday evening concerts on the air, and I am of the opinion that such is the case regarding Renee Fleming's recital! The gala event begins at seven o'clock P.M., but the airing does not start until an hour later; of course, this could be a delay in the broadcast or something, which I greatly hope it to be, and I hope to record it with Audacity.

When I learned of Renee Fleming's appearance with the orchestra, I elected to learn what other soloists they would present this season, and I was surprised to find the following list of performers that I shall relate. This season promises concerts by Louis Langree conducting Anne Akiko Meyers in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3, K 216, Joshua Bell playing Tchaikovsky, pianist Orli Shaham performs Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Andre Watts lends his talents to the Piano Concerto by Edvard Grieg, Emanuel Ax offers Brahams' Piano Concerto, No. 1, Semyon Bychkov conducts an evening highlighting Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, and he returns to conduct Mahler's Sixth Symphony, Chris Botti has an engagement to fulfill with them, Christine Brewer is the soprano soloist in Mahler's Second Symphony, Yefim Bronfman plays some of Tchaikovsky's piano melodies, and Cyndia Sieden and Richard Troxell lend their voices to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. That appears to be a most exceptional season for claasical music, and this is not even the New York Philharmonic or the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the best part remains that most of these performances shall be broadcast on Missouri's public radio station KWMU. That is a most exciting piece of news for those of us who like to preserve recordings of recitals and performances for our listening pleasure.

$20 Million Pays for a Concert Hall of 875 Seats?!

2010-08-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I do not know anything about the current level of inflation to the American Dollar, or perhaps I am merely naive about these sorts of things, but I did think that such an expense for so relatively small a performance space was rather extravagant.

In Edmond, Oklahoma, the Armstrong Auditorium is scheduled to open on September 5, 2010, with a performance of Felix Medelsohn's Elijah, which will be performed by the Herbert W. Armstrong College Choral Union, and the soloists are David Grogan (baritone), Paula Malone (soprano), Pamela Williams (mezzo-soprano), and James Doing (tenor). The building itself is most beautifully adorned and appointed with luxurious accents; in fact, the first word that my city's major newspaper, The Oklahoman, employed when describing it was palatial.

When one approaches the structure, one must cross the plaza in the foreground, which is made of travertine stone imported from Turkey. As one can barely see in this photo, there is also a 40,000 gallon reflecting pool in front of the main facade, and inside of the pool is the sculpture Swans in Flight by British sculptor David Wynne. The lobby is encased by glass on three sides, and the roof is supported by twelve forty-eight feet tall columns, which do remind one of the Ancient Greeks and their structures in Athens and Corinth. The lobby boasts at least three Swarovski-Strass crystal chandeliers weighing up to two tons and holding between 15,000 and 21,000 pices of crystal each suspended over a carpet of royal purple. Other decorations that adorns the room are Baccarat crsytal candelabra used by the Shah of Iran to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary of the Empire of Persia, panels of caramel colored onyx mined in Azerbijan and polished in Viareggio, Italy, and American Cherry wood panels extend from floor to ceiling with matching grains.

While all of this is most opulent for the eye to behold, one cannot help but to think that twenty million dollars could have provided at least over a thousand seats. Nevertheless, I am most elated at the prospects for this new venue, and I hope that it serves to bring many excellent artists to perform in our metropolis area. The inaugural season is scheduled to showcase The 5 Browns, the Eroica Trio, The Vienna Boys' Choir, the Academy of St. Martin's in the Fields Orchestra, a performance of Swan Lake by the Russian National Ballet Theatre, Andre Watts, Anderson-Roe Concert Piano Duo, and Opole: National Philharmonic of Poland.

The 5 Browns Go To Hollywood

2010-08-02T17:35:00.000-05:00

Musical phenomenon The 5 Browns have released a new album, and it promises to expand their audience to an even wider demographic. Many might balk at the idea, but their renditions of classic film scores are imaginative and refreshing. Their website features a new blog from the siblings, which I hope lasts longer than their previous one, and their website has been completely redesigned. They are scheduled to perform in Edmond, Oklahoma, on November 4, 2010, and I shall do all in my power to attend that concert.

Cecilia Bartoli Wins The Echo Klassik Award 2010

2010-07-28T21:33:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Cecilia Bartoli has won the Echo Klassik award this year for her newest recording, which is entitled Sacrificium. Bartoli, who is an incredible interpretor of Baroque music, used this album to help tell the story of the castrati singers in Italy. I have yet to hear the selections from this disc, but it features several world premiere recordings of arias by some rather obscure composers of the Baroque period of opera. Joining her on this project is the reknowned period instrument ensemble Il Giardino Armonico under the capable direction of Giovanni Antonini, who also served as her accompaniment during her recording of The Vivaldi Album. Of course, Fillipa Giordano was also awarded the Echo Klassik in 2001, and she had the worst crossover album that I have ever heard. If I were wanting a pop interpretation of Casta diva and O mio babbino caro, I might appreciate her renditions of them, but I am not quite in the mood for such a thing, and, to be quite honest, nor do I think I ever shall be after hearing Renee Fleming's interpretations of the works.
In other news concerning opera, soprano Patricia Petibon is the featured singer in August's issue of Opera News magazine, and it is interesting to note that she is carving a new nche for herself outside of the Baroque realm where she is known so well. Her current project is Berg's Lulu, which is rather a brave and bold departure for a Baroque specialist. I am anxious to hear reviews and ba broadcast of this, for I am ever interested in new artistic directions taken by singers so that I can either marvel at it or learn something from it.

This is all that I have to say for the present, so I thank you for your continued reading of my posts, and I pray for God to continue to bless you in all things. Oh, if anyone knows how to upload a background image for their blog page, I should like to learn the correct way to do this. I have followed the directions outlined by Google on their site, but this has been to no avail. I also do not appreciate the obscene amounts of spam that I have received over the past few weeks, and I have implemented every defense against this, so I would be elated to receive some actual comments from readers to take my mind from the subject.

-Tyler.

Changes

2010-07-19T09:05:00.001-05:00

If you notice some rather odd changes to my blog page in the coming weeks, it is because I am trying to edit the look of my page, and right now I am not having much luck with it. I am going to make this a beuatiful page, even if I have to learn everything about HTML and CSS code in the process!

Thank you for indulging my levels of inner creativity, and thank you for your continued reading.

-Tyler.

Over the Summer

2010-07-18T18:24:00.000-05:00

As most of my regular readers can probably deduce for themselves without my recognizing the fact, summer is not the best time of year for me to blog. There are two reasons for this, and the first one is that I am usually involved in some theatrical pursuit, and, therefore have little or no time to post anything of relevance. Second, I have learned that there is not much to report on opera during the summer, which is something of a blessing considering the other reason for my lack of regular posts during this hectic time of the year.

Be that as it may, I have some time to myself at present, and I have a few things to say about opera, so this is the perfect time for a post, which may turn into something of a long affair, but I beseech your indulgence in advance, and you are forewarned.

First, I must admit that I am not enjoying High School Musical as much as I have enjoyed other productions of which I have been an humble part, and I am anxiously anticipating our production og Guys and Dolls in November. For those who have been blessed enough not to have seen the Disney movie of our show, let me just reassure you that all of those comments you have heard about High School Musical and its unbelievable amounts of cheese or fluff, whichever you care to insert, are not exaggerating in any way. The music for this musical is such that you wonder that it required so many people to compose it and write it. There are at least ten different names credited to the creation of this show, and they somehow managed to create this. We have a cast of fifty-five or so, and we are a talented group of performers, but we can only do so much with this show until we become disengaged from it.

As for opera, which I have longed to discuss with someone who has a love for the subject for a while now, I heard what may be the best contemporary broadcast of Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro that we have ever had. It came to me over the radio courtesy of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the cast was assembled of an almost superstar roster including Danielle De Niese as Susanna, Nicole Cabell as the Countess, Joyce DiDonato as Cherubino, Mariusz Kwiecien as the Count, Keith Jameson as Basilio, and Kyle Ketelsen as Figaro. The performance was from the Lyric Opera of Chicago's last season, and it was conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. This broadcast sounded very nearly flawless, and I was grateful for the wonderful afternoon I had because of it. I was surprised at how much of the opera I remebered from my previous encounters with it; neverthelss, there were several new gems that I gleamed from the broadcast. One of these was noticing that the tenor does actually have a decent amount to sing, which I had somehow overlooked in my other forays into this opera. Nicole Cabell sounded very much like Renee Fleming in the role of the countess, a fact for which I was most ingratiated, and I should very much like to find a broadcast of one of Renee's performance of the Countess. It is still difficult for me to think that Danielle De Niese has been singing at the Met for ten years, for her voice yet sounds so young and fresh, and she plays all of the Mozart roles such as Susanna and Despina. On that afternoon I thought that I enjoyed Mozart almost as much as Kim does. I am of the opinion that it is one of the definitive broadcasts of the opera, especially for the modern aficionado.

In other areas of opera, it should be mentioned that the summer festivals are well under way in Europe, and Renee Fleming recently finished what she considers to be her final run of Verdi's La Traviata. On her Twitter feed she had this to say after the last performance:

"Champagne afterwards with Tom Hampson and friends… Very happy to celebrate six wonderful years with Violetta."
3:47 PM Jul 6th via web

"Now it’s for another generation to put their stamp on Violetta…"
3:45 PM Jul 6th via web

"I tried to enable the audience to forget that I’m singing, and ultimately express the words and the story."
3:45 PM Jul 6th via web

"Which is why this opera is so popular. It is most definitely for three different voices -- three different temperaments and sensibilities."
3:44 PM Jul 6th via web

"An extraordinarily challenging role, but worth the effort; grateful. People are moved by the story and Violetta's plight..."
3:43 PM Jul 6th via web

I must confess that I was rather saddened to hear her say as much because I consider her 2004 Metropolitan Opera broadcast of the opera with Ramon Vargas and Dmitri Hvorostovsky conducted by Valery Gergiev to be among the best broadcasts of the opera one could ever hear. The broadcast of the 2007 run of performances on Sirius conducted by Marco Armiliato pair her with Thomas Hampson, who needs no introduction and Matthew Polenzani, who won the first Beverly Sills Award, does not sound quite so good as the formerly mentioned one, but it is acceptable. Polenzani does sound young and vibrant, but he lacks the musical maturity of Ramon Vargas, and, when Polenzani opens act two with his aria, he sounds rather less than secure when he goes for the high note at the end, which is something Vargas refrains from doing; however, Vargas's tone is beautiful, and it flows smoothly. One does not want to hear anything else when he is singing, and Vargas and Fleming's voices sound perfect together. In the 2004 broadcast Fleming's rendition of Sempre Libera is full of energy and life, and she is on top of every note controlling every rhythm, but in the 2007 broadcast on Sirius, where Margaret Juntwait announces that this is probably Fleming's last appointment with Violetta for the Met, some of the tempi seem to slip away from her, which can be attributed to a lesser rapport with Marco Armiliato than she had with Maestro Valery Gergiev.

These are a few of the things that I have been doing over the summer months, and I almost wish that I have done more so that I might tell you something of greater relevance, but I have been consumed by so much that it has been difficult to maintain my following of opera.

Of late I have tried to learn some new compositions for piano, and I have succeeded in acquiring Enya's To Go Beyond to my repertoire of selections to provide at gatherings. I should very much like to add other selections to my knowledge of pieces, but I do not have the time at present. I desire to learn Howard Shore's score to The Lord of the Rings, and I think that is a goal that is easily attained for me. I need to sit down to my keyboard at home and learn some of my beloved music by Liz Story and Enya's gorgeous Amarantine, which I believe to be her best album thus far.

Thank you for continuing to peruse my posts, and I pray that God continues to bless you.

-Tyler.

A Few Randomly Collected Thoughts

2010-07-01T11:45:00.001-05:00

I am elated at the thought of my vacation in New York next year, and the reason for this is the fact that I received the Met's performance schedule in the mail a few days since, and I see that I also have the choice of seeing La Boheme and Lucia di Lammermoor in addition to Renee Fleming in Rossini's Armida. Puccini's masterpiece promises a refreshing cast, and Natalie Dessay sings the role of Lucia in Mary Zimmerman's production, which is probably her best for the Met thus far. I do not know wheter or not the friend who is accompanying me there has ever been to the Met to see an opera, though he has been to NYCO to see La Boheme, but I think this is an admirable set of performances with which to begin my attendance of opera performances, which I hope shall one day become frequent. I am not one to take pictures without reason, but I may perhaps lay that rule aside and capture everything with an image to commemorate my experience.

For the present I am occuppied with rehearsals for High School Musical, and I must say that they have proven difficult at times, but I begin to see the rewards of our demanding rehearsal schedule. We are performing for four weekends, which is rather unusal to those of us who have performed here at Poteet for very long since we are accustomed to only three.

Henry Purcell's aria When I am Laid in Earth has been voted as Great Britain's favorite opera aria through a poll on BBC Radio 3. Their eleven favorite arias are as follows: 1. When I am laid in earth (Dido and Aeneas, Purcell)

2. Dove sono (Marriage of Figaro, Mozart)

3. Liebestod (Tristan and Isolde, Wagner)

4. E lucevan le stelle (Tosca, Puccini)

5. Casta diva (Norma, Bellini)

6. Song to the Moon (Rusalka, Dvorak)

7. Che faro senza Euridice? (Orfeo ed Euridice, Gluck)

8. Der holle Rache (Magic Flute, Mozart)

9. Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben (Zaide, Mozart)

10. Gluck das mir verblieb (Die tote Stadt, Korngold)

11. Mon coeur s'oeuvre a ta voix (Samson and Dalila, Saint-Saens)

I cannot help but to hope that these people were considering the interpretation of Rusalka's Song to the Moon by Renee Fleming when they chose it as number 6. Voters were probably recalling either Diana Damrau or Natalie Dessay when they elected Der holle Rache to the list since these two performers are most often associated with this aria.

That is all for the present as the demands of time pull me elsewhere, but thank you all for continuing to read my posts.

-Tyler.

Sarah Coburn's Recital- The Three B's: Baroque, Bel Canto, and Beyond

2010-06-05T17:04:00.000-05:00

I was immensely blessed to be in attendance for the previously mentioned event, which was the final concert of the Canterbury Choral Society's 2009-10 season, and I wish it had never ended. My primary reson for going was to see soprano Sarah Coburn, and you can imagine my dismay when I read in my local newspaper that she was only performing during the Bel Canto section of the perofrmance. I am pleased to say that I am now better informed of their misinformation, and I was greatly surprised to learn that Coburn would perform for much more than just the Bel Canto section of the recital.

Before I procedd with my narrative of the evening itself, let me say something concerning the venue for this auspicious occasion. The Civic Center Music Hall was the location of the concert, and, it being divided into five separate performance spaces, this recital was held in the Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre, which is the place's largest single hall to my knowledge. I have been told that it seats some three thousand, five hundred occupants, but I am unsure of the veracity of this claim. I purchased a seat in the Upper Orchestra level, and my seat was situated well enough so that I could notice that the proscenium lacked paint towards the bottom of the structure, and I thought this was particularly idiotic since this is supposed to be our state's premiere performance venue for theatre and classical music. Despite that fact it is a rather elegant performance hall, and I have heard rumors that there is another plan to soon upgrade it, but that is something of a sore subject with taxpayers, so I shall not mention it further. The seating arrangements did not make me feel detached from the performers or the stage, but this may have been due to the fact that I was so greatly anticipating what an excellent performance I was about to witness that I could not help but to feel a connection with the performers.

The orchestra, which was advertised to be the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, was rather small, which would explain something of my reluctance to believe it to be the orchestra that was claimed, and the conductor was Dr. Randi Von Ellefson. The orchestra reminded me of rather a large ensemble, but I found it hard to imagine it as a full orchestra, but I suppose that the Met has made everything in the world of opera and classical music seem grand to me.

The program included George Frederick Handel's Let The Bright Seraphim. Sarah Coburn sang this aria well, and the cadenzas she added made up for the breath one could hear in the selection. She seemed to breathe rather often here, and this was not long after the start of the recital; this may be attributed to the fact that she had a baby last summer, which was something she spoke about in an interview in our newspaper, or it could be a number of other variables. The trumpet player did well with his solos, and he followed the voice admirably. I was impressed by the cadenzas from Coburn, for, while I prefer simplicity in Baroque music, it is also nice to hear it performed with engaging new elements.

The chorus was featured without the soprano for a few selections, and I noticed that their diction was rather poor. It was evident that they do not make many forays into Italian opera. A dear acquaintance of mine is the president of Canterbury Choral Societym and he said as much when I conversed with him on the concert prior to the event; he even ventured to say that the arias sort of sounded the the same, which I discounted. In summation the chorus sounded as if they were from Oklahoma.

Another selection of Sarah's was Mozart's Martern aller arten, which it seems nobody could pronounce, for everyone, even the Choral Society's Artistic Director in addressing the audience before the start of the performance, referred to it as "the Mozart piece." Coburn's rendition was excellent, and it made me recall the Met's broadcast of this opera from a couple of years since starring Diana Damrau. I thought that it was a marvelous way to finish the first half.

During the intermission, I was pleased to recognize an acquaintance of mine who was also in attendance, and he very cordially approached me and held some small discourse upon the recital and what a marvelous one it was. I sat in my seat for some time listening to the other patrons discuss the performance with their neighbors or friends, and then I went to get a bottle of water, which I shall admit was rather expensive for my customs. While I was thus engaged, I heard two young men and a woman conversing near me, and it was then that I learned that half of the people in the audience around me were voice students, most of whom were from OCU. The woman was rather rude to her two conversationalists, for she was detached from their topic, which was one's progress in becoming an opera singer, and she did not seem to mean it when she said, "Keep me informed because you know that I just love your voice."

When I returned to the concert hall, I noticed that the couple who had been sitting two seats to my right did not come to their seats for the second half, which means they probably "upgraded" their view. As I was siiting there, an usher came towards me, and he began to talk to me about the evening. Naturally, he began his inquiry with '"Isn't she amazing?"' This was a middle-aged gentleman, and he apparently adores opera. I was glad of the ensuing conversation we held, for it is not often that I am afforded the luxury of conversing upon a subject so delightful as opera, and I replied by expressing my immense enjoyment of the affair. I mentioned that I greatly desired to hear Coburn's rendition of Ah, non credea mirarti, and he mentioned that he saw the Met's new production of Bellini's La Sonnambula starring Juan Diego Florez and Natalie Dessay when it opened. I asked him what he thought of the production, and he told me that he did not think much of the production, but, and I quote, '"...that Juan Diego Florez is young and sensuous and good-looking , so he and Natalie Dessay wrapped up the whole... thing."' I then attempted to compare Dessay's voice to Coburn's, and I said that I thought her voice was a little darker than our soprano's, especially after her two surgeries on her vocal cords, to which he said, '"Yeah, I think that her voice is a little lower, too."' I did not take the time to explain what I meant by darker after that. I could tell he was from Oklahoma when he pronounced La Sonnambula, for he said La Son-AM-BULL-ah, which I thought was hideous. He inquired what other operas I had seen, and I told him that I had never seen one live except through the Met's Live in HD series, and I informed him that my most recent screening was Renee Fleming in Rossini's Armida. He had a reason for not going to see that, and it was because he could not find any excerpts of it on YouTube. I think he missed a mesmerizing performance.

The next half was as thrilling as the first, and it was here that we were to hear the aforementioned aria and, indeed, the entire ensuing scene and the Libiamo from Verdi's La Traviata. The Bellini aria was as beautiful as any recording I have ever heard, and she infused the aria with the exact amount of emotion in the first syllable in much the way Cecilia Bartoli does on her recent recording of the opera with Juan Diego Florez. Since the program did not mention the Non, non piu reggo or the Ah non giunge as additions to the aria, I was not expecting them when they came, and this led to a nice surprise. With the exception of an encore, Sarah chose to end her evening with this, and I think it was most appropriate. The tenor, whose name escapes me and who holds a Master's degree in Vocal Performance from OCU, was acceptable, but he has some way to go before he approaches international acclaim.

The Brindisi, which was called the Drinking Chorus in the program proved to be rather muddy in the choral passages. Indeed, one might have well though it was the Drunken Chorus from some of the measures of uncertainty. The orchestra was rather overwhelming at times, especially in the deep brass section of the tubas, and I fear that I must say that this quickly turned into Verdi's Polka. Whether this was through the fault of the conductor, who did seem rather energetic for some selections, and who may have taken Ricardo Muti's advice on the Met's intermission for Attila rather too seriously, or the instrumentalists, I cannot say, but I did not like this new artistic license.

Thank you all for reading, and may God continue to bless all of you!
-Tyler.

Opera In Cinema Compared With The Met: Live in HD

2010-05-10T10:43:00.000-05:00

I personally enjoy the Met's Live in HD series far better than the Opera in Cinema franchise, and until recently my main point of debate with those who have asked me to go to their cinema events over the Met's was that the Met's casts were infinitely better than Opera in Cinema's. While this is yet veritable, and it should remain a sufficient factor of decision for those choosing one over the other, there are a few other points I have lately discovered concerning Opera in Cinema.

Most importantly it should be understood that Opera in Cinema, which is cordially referenced as the other solicitor of high-definition opera transmissions into movie theaters, shows performances that employ body microphones to gather sound, a fact that was evident in their broadcast of Verdi's Il Trovatore from the Gran Teatre del Liceu de Barcelona, which starred Fiorenza Cedolins, who was wearing the microphone when it began to malfunction. This piece of news, which I read in a New York Times article, caused me to wonder why they were employing body microphones, which naturally leads one to think of sound-enhancement systems. I make no implications, but it does give one pause to inquire. I do not know the Met's practices on such things, though I do understand that they use stage microphones for the purpose of broadcasting, but I hope that we are not going to uncover a secret in the world of opera that most opera companies no longer rely on accoustics to relay the human voice throughout an entire hall.

Another thing I dislike about the Opera in Cinema simulcasts is that they are not performed live; however, they are taped performances that are shown worldwide on a lter date, and this leads to speculations regarding editing and other things which can make a performance better or worse.

One thing I admire about the Opera in Cinema series is that they provide performances from the Salzburg Festival, and I am of the opinion that such coverage of European summer festivals is something that the world of opera presently lacks, for I should like to see some radio station or Opera in Cinema make a better effort to offer such performances to the general public.

If I may offer some advice to Opera in Cinema, I am of the opinion that they are in a most advantageous position in their offering of European performances, and they should capitalize on the fact that some star artists, such as Cecilia Bartoli for one, are almost exclusively European performers, and I think that they could make up for their wants in other areas by offering performances by Bartoli and others.

I now leave it to you to decide which series you enjoy most, and I hope that I have not bored you too much in relating my preferences on the matter. May God bless all of you.
-Tyler.

If I Were In Europe This Summer,...

2010-05-10T09:55:00.000-05:00

... I would attend the festival that receives the pleasure of hearing what shall probably be the last Violetta that Renee Fleming will ever sing. I am not sure, but I believe that Zurich is the European city to host this performance, and she also sings a Strauss opera there later this summer; moreover, if anyone could record this, I would be elated to peuse such a recording. The other continental festivals look rather enticing also, and for example I inform my readers that Diana Damrau, Joyce DiDonato, and Anne Sofie von Otter are all scheduled to sing in Europe over the summer months. Reading about all of this in the latest issue of Opera News has made me wish that I had some sort of festival near me such as the ones in Europe to which we all long to make our pilgrimage.

In other news Diana Damrau has withdrawn herself from performances of Ades's Hamlet because of pregnancy. Naturally, one wonders if she will be singing this role at the Met soon, for I read a comment on YouTube about how Diana Damrau forever seems to sing a role the year after Natalie Dessay is given it. It would be nice to see Damrau get to perform it first for once.

Philip Langridge, who is perhaps most recently known as the biennial Witch Regina Lickspittle in the Met's abridged, English language production of Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel, died on March the 5th. This is a veritable shock to anyone who heard his vibrant performances as the Witch, for they were so recent to us this season. Langridge was an artist of incredible longevity, and he ought to be a model for all future singers who aspire to perform professionally, for at seventy-one he was yet performing with great constancy and vigor. Having sung several world premiere works and been a noted interpreter of Benjamin Britten, he was scheduled to give yet another world premiere in 2011. He won an Olivier Award for his performances, and he was in the world premiere of Ades's The Tempest. I am sure that he shall be sorely missed by opera audiences.

When I listened to the Met's broadcast of La Traviata, I must admit that I was rather disappointed. My greatest loss of faith in the performance came form Angela Gheorghiu during her rendition of Sempre Libera. At the end of the aria, she let the orchestra preced her, and she missed a phrase; however, the mortifying part was that the audience seemed to applaud as if nothing had happened. Gheorghiu's singing that afternoon was full of problems for me, and there were times when she sounded as if she was marking, for there were instances in which she sounded very quiet in the first act and the second scene of the second act. Despite the prima donna's failings, Jmes Valenti sounded excellent in his Metropolitan Opera debut, and Thomas Hampson provided depth and intelligent insight to the character of Germont.

On the first of May, which turnoed out to be a most splendid afternoon insofar as the weather is concerned, I was blessed to go to my local cinema to see the Met's Live in HD simulcast of Rossini's Armida starring Renee Fleming and Lawrence Brownlee. Though I thought Mary Zimmerman might have utilized the full potential of the Met's extensive technical resources a little better, I must say that I was pleased with the outcome of the production. Renee Fleming amazed me to the fullest extent with her singing for the afternoon, and her acting, which I have heard criticized by some people I know, left little to be desired, for I thought she provided an excellent interpretaion of her character. Lawrence Brownlee, whom I had never heard before this broadcast, proved to be every bit as marvelous a singer as I had heard him lauded to be by so many. His colleagues, sopranos Fleming and Sarah Coburn not least among them, praise his instrument when they work with him, and I look forward to hearing more from him in the future. His high notes did indeed sound effortless, and when one considers that he is yet a relatively young singer, it sets the imagination to dreaming about his future performances. Fleming and Brownlee, however, were not the only stars of the afternoon; the cast also included Kobie van Rensburg, Barry Banks, and John Osborn, and I must confess that I heard so many high notes that I was unsure if I would ever be considered an opera singer. I thought that it was rather hilarious that Mary Jo Heath claimed that there must not be any other Bel canto operas being performed that Saturday because of the fact that the Bel Canto tenors seemed to all be in the cast of Armida. John Osborn quickly pointed out that Joyce DiDonato was singing a Rossini opera in Europe that day. I am anxious to see this production next season at the Met. As an aside, does anyone have any idea as to what that Bel Canto opera was that Renee Fleming referenced when she promised that she was going to sing another one in a couple of years?

Thank you for continuing to read my posts, and I pray that my readers are all well and that God continues to grant you the desires of your heart.
-Tyler.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2010-11 Season

2010-04-07T13:51:00.000-05:00

Since I heard about it a few weeks ago, I have been pleased with most of the Met's upcoming season; indeed, I told a friend one day recently, "Except in the case of the premiere of John Adams's Nixon in China, there is not a bad production to be shown at the Met in terms of the cast and the opera." My prejudice against American opera was nakedly present in that remark, but, from the small amount of experience that I have had over the years with this genre, I have gained the knowledge that I dislike most American opera. Of course, there are the new productions, which one must ever anticipate with the mixed emotions of excitement and regret, especially in the retirement of Franco Zeffirelli's gorgeous production of La Traviata, of which we are uncertain, but their casts may make up for whatever the theatricality lacks.

Some of the events for which I am elated are as follows. William Christie, best known as the conductor of Les Arts Florissants, being a skilled conductor of the Baroque repertoire, makes his Met debut conducting Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, the cast of which includes Danielle de Niese, Isabel Leonard, Miah Persson, and Nathan Gunn. While Mozart is not very far removed from the Baroque period, and one can hear some of its influence in his music, I could not help but to wonder if this might have been a good time to revive or premiere one of Handel's magnificent operas. I should like to see them assemble a cast of Handelians to rival their 2004-05 production of Rodelinda, and, yes, I am quite aware that Renee Fleming is not considered an Handelian, but one only has to listen to her Handel album to know that she sounds divine singing his music.

Sir Simon Rattle also makes his Met debut next season, and he lends his baton to performances of Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande. He recently married mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena, and she is starring in this opera alongside Stephane Degout and Gerald Finley. If my interpretation of the surnames White and Palmer are correct, then we should also be seeing Felicity Palmer and Wendy White in this opera as well. Kozena is a singer with whom I have only recently acquainted myself, but I first heard of her from a Met broadcast, the title of which I do not recall, for it was rather long ago. I came to know her better through the release of her Ah mio, cor disc of Handel arias, and it was through that release that I heard her sing Lascia chi'o pianga, and I immediately adored her ornamentation of the aria. Her voice seemed so light, yet it was not weak, and she clearly seemed to perform on the level of Cecilia Bartoli, with whom I was then infatuated through her Vivaldi album, in that aria. Ever since I have wanted to hear her again at the Met, and next season I am granted my wish.

Renee Fleming is scheduled to reprise her role as Rossini's enchantress in Armida in February 2011, and what makes this even more impressive is that I shall be there to see it! I have longed to see my favorite soprano perform live in an Italian opera for so long, and if nothing happens to make her cancel the run, I will finally have that opportunity. She is also singing Strauss's Capriccio, which promises to be most memorable if the 2005 TDK DVD release from the Opera National de Paris is to be of any indication in this case. The fact that I will see an opera performed on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera of New York starring my favorite soprano makes the possibility of anything going wrong seem fantastic, and I cannot wait until I am at the entrance of the Met taking in all of the excitement, anxiety, and sheer magnificence of that moment, which will endure for some three hours and continue in my memory for the remainder of my life.

This year's annual offering of La Boheme stars Maija Kovalevska, Krassimira Stoyanova, Piotr Beclaza, Peter Mattei, Ramon Vargas, and Joseph Calleja. This production is timeless, and I hope that the Met does not intend to retire it anytime soon. It would be wonderful to see Franco Zeffirelli either refresh one of his earlier productions or design a completely new production for the Met. It would be magnificent, and I am sure it would sell out quickly. I am glad that the Met offers La Boheme so very often. With so many distinguished casts presenting it, it has become a learning experience for me every year.

Bartlett Sher, who has won a warm place in the opera aficionado's heart for his recent productions of Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Les Contes d' Hoffmann, returns with what promises to be another hit new production in the 2010-11 season. Turning his talents towards the music of Rossini, he is heading Le Comte Ory, and the cast is incredible; it includes Juan Diego Florez, Diana Damrau,and Joyce DiDonato. Maurizio Benini conducts this run of performances. Who could ask for a better cast for a Rossini opera? I immensely enjoyed Damrau and Florez in this season's broadcast of La Fille du Regiment, so I cannot wait to see what Joyce DiDonato adds to this pair's fabulous vocal display.

Nicholas Hytner makes his debut directing a new production of Verdi's Don Carlo next season. This production has already been shown in London, so it is probably one that has plenty of merit, but here is another production that the Met might have retained. I did not ever see this production, but the costumes alone from the photographs I have seen are enough to make me want to keep the production. Marina Poplavskaya and Roberto Alagna head the cast for this opera. An interesting, engaging young conductor from Canada, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, who may be remebered for conducting this season's Carmen, returns to the Met podium with this Verdi masterpiece. I look forward to how the orchestra sounds under him in this opera.

Since I am likely to ramble at length about the remainder of the season, let it suffice for me to merely provide a few remaining highlights from the rest of the repertoire presented. Natalie Dessay returns to her portrayal of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor next season. Julie Taymor's abridgement of The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote) is again presented as their Christmas offering, and Nathan Gunn and Erika Miklosa reprise their roles of Papageno and The Queen of the Night, respectively. Miklosa's Queen of the Night is breathtaking, and in a few years I should like to hear Kathleen Kim sing this role. Nevertheless, i would like to hear more of Miklosa at the Met. I recall that new production of Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride from a couple of seasons ago with great pleasure, and Susan Graham, Placido Domingo, and Paul Groves are scheduled to reprise their individual roles in this opera next season. It will be interesting to compare this run with the prior one, for it is not often that one is granted such an opportunity as this to hear the exact singers sing a performance again two years later. Despite the demerits of the production, David Daniels, Kate Royal, and Lisette Oropesa join forces to present Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. I am thrilled to see a countertenor return to the Met, and to hear him in this rolewill be most entertaining. I have wanted to hear Kate Royal ever since her Midsummer Night album received such an impressive review in Opera News, and it seems the Met has catered to my taste or desire yet again.

If I may digress from the subject of my title, it bears reference that I shall see the Met's Live in HD presentation of the new production of Rossini's Armida, starring Renee Fleming, Lawrence Brownlee, Barry Banks, and Kobie van Rensburg on May 1st, and I am naturally elated at the prospect. Two weeks from thence I am scheduled to see soprano Sarah Coburn perform with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and I am even more excited to attend that performance. It promises to be an auspicious, formal evening, and Coburn will be singing selections from the Baroque, Bel Canto, and later periods during this recital. While I am speaking of her, I must admit that I wish that she would sing at the Met again soon. While they are not detrimental to her career, I would much prefer to hear her singing Verdi or Donizetti over these world-premiere American operas that continue coming her way.

I thank all of you for reading this long post, and may God continue to bless you. I greatly enjoy thinking that there are people who enjoy reading my opinions on opera, and I am blessed to have such a great amount of them.
-Tyler.

Hopefully In The Near Future

2010-03-24T16:38:00.000-05:00

Though I do not have much time to post something of relevance at the present, I thought my readers might like to know of some of the things I have planned for the near future. To begin I am considering changing the layout of my blog page if the new customize features are all that Blogger In Draft has said that they are, and I think that I should like to enroll in the Amazon Associates program by which one can earn commissions on all of the products they reference and link in their posts that people buy. If I actually do this, I would provide links to opera CD's, DVD's, and books that my readership might enjoy, and the wonderful part is that, if you purchase items through my links, I would receive a fifteen percent commission from every product that they procure through my links. Of course, if I have any fellow bloggers who have products in which I should be interested linked in their posts, I should be inclined to help them earn revenue in reciprocation.

In the world of opera, I have learned a few exciting things, which I shall presently divulge to you. First, I must say that I am anxious to hear Marlis Petersen in the role of Ophelie in Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet from the Met this Saturday. I have heard it said that she will do as fine of a portrayal as Natalie Dessay should have done, but since I have never heard her sing before, I shall wait to hear her prior to making an assessment. Related to Hamlet is the interview with Simon Keenlyside, who portrays the protagonist in the broadcast, in this month's issue of Opera News where he recalls an anecdote about one of the original cast members inquiring as to whether or not it would be possible for Mr. Thomas to lower an aria an half step. Mr. Thomas allegedly replied that he would not do it because everyone else could sing it if he did.

It also turns out that Renee Fleming is going to present her portrayal of Rossini's Armida at the Met next season in addition to this one. I am pleasantly surprised by that revelation, and I am making plans to visit New York City during that run of performances to see it and to visit with some acquaintances of mine who reside there. Because she is such an excellent singer and loves to please her audiences, she is also singing Richard Strauss's Capriccio next season at the Met, and this promises to be a most memorable run of performances. If it is half as good as the 2005 production on DVD from the Opera National de Paris, then I will thoroughly enjoy it.

Frederica von Stade is retiring this year, and this is rather a sad thing to report, for she is such an enjoyable performer to hear and observe, and to many her performances of Cherubino are the standard by which others are measured. I had the chance to see her perform a couple of years ago, but I went to see a performance of the national touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera instead, and, given the circumstances, it was just as well, for had I chosen to see Frederica von Stade, it would have turned out that I should not have been able to do so. I adore her voice, which I think is best presented in her Mozart and Haydn recordings.

Finally, I must tell my readers that I am auditioning for Poteet's production of High School Musical, which shall be staged for four weekends this summer. I hope to apprehend a role instead of being placed in the chorus, but this is not exactly my type of musical. I am actually doing it because I am aching to perform again, and the director, who happens to be my employer and a very good friend of mine, has told me that I must do it because he requires male adolescents who have strong voices, so naturally he asks me to do it, which is not a conceited remark to exhibit my unproven singing abilities. As of now, and the auditions are April 10, 2010, I merely hope that I am paired with people with whom I have developed a good rapport. I am looking forward to it.

Thank you for continuing to peruse my posts, and I pray that God continues to bless all of you immensely.
-Tyler.

The World Through My Eyes

2010-03-10T17:04:00.000-06:00

First, I must apologize that I have neglected to post something for so long as I have without any explanation for my action, but since I finished Children of Eden, life has been hectic. To provide some example of this fact so that it is not discredited as hearsay, I submit that I am even now, so soon after my last theatrical outing, involved with the technical side of Little Women, the Musical, and it has devoured my spare time of late. Naturally, my work also invades my private life, and there has been more expected of me at the church where I am employed, so I have barely been given the opportunity of listening to the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts which I adore. Add to this the fact that I am presently without the luxury of the Internet at home, I think it is plain to see why I have not posted something in the space of a month. Of course, I could just relenquish posting for the sacred season of Lent, but I have never before observed it, so why should I now choose to begin that tradition?

Thanks to SarahB, I have been coaxed to cease with this period of inactivity, and I am posting. The aforementioned Met broadcasts that I have heard in the interim since my last post, which was in February, have been excellent for the most part. I relished every minute of Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment, which starred Diana Damrau, Juan Diego Florez, both of whom had colds that day, and Kiri te Kanawa in a cameo performance. Damrau's French diction was perfect, for I did not hear any sign of her native German tongue in its pronunciation, and her singing was flawless even with that infection. I do not know of many singers who have either the resolve or the stamina to sing as well as she and Florez did with such ailments, and I point to Sondra Radvanovsky and Angela Gheorghiu during the last season and the one prior as evidence of that fact. Florez even hit his nine high C's in Ah, mes amis on a cold, and I would love to see the singer who can perform such a feat, for it is highly impressive to sing them in the most regular of circumstances, but I have never heard them sung with a cold, and if I had not heard that these two singers had succumbed to the virus during the intermission feature, I should never had believed it. If I may utter a final accolade for this broadcast, Dame Kiri te Kanawa sang in this run of performances! Everyone I heard who spoke of this broadcast thought that she would, and she did not disappoint us.

Another broadcast I found that I enjoyed was Barber's Vanessa, and this was rather surprising since I usually loathe American opera, and this was an archival broadcast from the 50's with Eleanor Steber, Nicolai Gedda, Rosalind Elias, and Regina Resnik. Nicolai Gedda is one of my favorite tenors from his era because of his clear diction and his full, rich voice; however, I despise his recording of Bizet's Je crois entendre encore, for it sounds like it is sung without any resonance, and one can automatically detect the change from full voice to head voice, which at times sounds like a countertenor is singing. While I am not a great fan of his, I recommend Rolando Villazon's recording on his Opera Recital album of 2005. If I may return to Gedda, who was the best singer of this broadcast, his diction actually is better than that of most Americans, at least of the ones i have had the opportunity of hearing, and, no, just because I am from Oklahoma that does not mean that I have no idea as to the correct way to speak, and we do not speak with the accent that is typically associated with people from my state.

I also had the immense pleasure of hearing the broadcast of Bizet's Carmen, and it starred Roberto Alagna, Barbara Frittoli, whom I had not heard for far too long a time, and Elina Garanca, who replaced Angela Gheorghiu, who withdrew from the production around the time that her divorce from Alagna was made public knowledge. While the singers performed admirably, the thing that I most joyfully recall from that broadcast was the conducting of Yannick Nezet-Seguin and his philosophy for it. For such a seemingly young conductor, he has an innate knowledge of music and how it should sound, and he did not disappoint the sold-out house or the radio audience. Garanca performed the Habanera with her usual ease, and it was pleasing to hear it done so well.

Verdi's Simon Boccanegra was a performance I shall not soon forget, for I recall that the singers, among them Placido Domingo, Marcello Giordani, Adrienne Pieczonka, and James Morris, did an excellent job of marrying the synopsis to the music. I could hear every emotion of the worried father in Placido Domingo's voice, and Marcello Giordani was the heroic tenor in love with Amelia who would do anything for her, and his voice is a favorite of mine even though he has few recordings to my knowledge.

I would have to admit that my greatest surprise of the season thus far came from Verdi's Attila. I did not expect the story, the music, or the singing to be quite so good as I found them to be. Violetta Urmana, whom I had never before heard, proved to be an excellent voice for the role of Odabella, which is one of the most idiotic names I have ever heard, in opera or otherwise, and I should like to hear her again. One could hear either strain or holding back in her voice when she came to the lyrical passages in the first act, but her aria in the prologue was beautifully sung. Ramon Vargas, whom I had forgotten was to be a part of this broadcast, did not fail to make me wish all the greater to become an operatic tenor, for his is the voice to which I most align mine in description, and he sang with an ease that made his role seem almost effortless. Ildar Abdrazakov did an excellent job in the title role of Atilla the Hun, and Samuel Ramey, who is still singing at the Met after all of these years, had his memorable moments during this broadcast.

As I incessantly do, I enjoyed the broadcast of Puccini's La Boheme. The only regret that I have in hearing it was the cast that I heard, particularly Nicole Cabell. I have no qualm with her as a singer, and she sang Musetta with the abandon with which her voice is characterized, but I should have much preferred to hear Ruth Ann Swenson instead. Anna Netrebko is not my image of an ideal Mimi, but she was in good voice, so I cannot complain too much. Piotr Beczala's Rodolfo was forever marked upon my memory as an excellent portrayor of that role. Marco Armiliato, who is one of my favorite conductors, led the orchestra very well.

In conclusion, if I may say something about myself, I had a most enlightening conversation with a local music director after a rehearsal of Little Women one evening. In a way I caused the discourse we held, but it was not my intention, for I merely asked him if he was aware that Renee Fleming had just won her third Grammy award because I knew that he should be interested to hear such tidings, and he replied that he had not. He then continued our exchange by asking my opinion of Renee's acting, her vocal abilities, and the recent Live in HD presentation of Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. I articulated my opinion that I thought it was excellently done, but I was rather disappointed with the second act, particularly the presentation of the Rose between Susan Graham and Christine Schafer. He, desirous to know my reasons for my opinion, for he had heard much the same lament from others he knew who had seen it, asked my me why I said as much, and I said that I had seen another performance of this scene from the 2002 Salzburg Festival with Sophie Koch and Miah Persson where there appeared to be far more chemistry between them. I simply just did not believe that Octavian and Sofie were in love during the presentation of the Rose or the ensuing scene. I thought that Kristinn Sigmundsson carried that act with his comic presence. We digressed to other things, and this eventually turned to his inquiring after my voice, and in the end he encouraged me to persevere and that my voice was developing quite nicely.

I am afraid that this is as much as I can relate for now, but I hope to post again soon. May God continue to bless all of you, and thank youfor reading.

-Tyler.

Renee Fleming Wins And Other New Discoveries

2010-02-02T15:08:00.000-06:00

Renee Fleming won a Grammy Award for her latest solo recording, entitled Verismo. After being nominated for the award several times, she has a total of three of the prestigious accolades. I am elated that she finally received one after all of her nominations in the years after her previous wins. Her album won over Anne Sofie von Otter's recent release Bach, the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's Recital at Ravini, Susan Graham's Un Frisson Francais, and Juan Diego Florez's Bel Canto Spectacular. Unfortunately, the world is more interested in Beyonce and Lady Gaga, so classical performers are not invited to perform at the Grammy's, but perhaps that is for the best lest we have more classical performers like Filippa Giordani.

Over the weekend, we had a snowstorm in our state; naturally, I had an immense amount of time to do absolutely nothing, and, being onthe internet, I discovered Dawn Upshaw's recording of Gorecki's Symphony No. 3, Op. 36, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, and I thought that it was one of the most beautiful pieces of music I had ever heard in my entire life. It is filled with so many layers in the orchestra, and the music is enchanting.

Speaking of music, I also recently discovered Sumi Jo's Baroque Journey recording, and she does a fine interpretation of Purcell, Handel, Vivaldi, and Bach's best compositions. Her diction is fairly good, but one can yet hear some of her Asian accent , especially when she sings in English. My favorite tracks from this album are Handel's I Know That My Redeemer Liveth, his Where'er You Walk, Bach's Coffee Cantata, and Purcell's Music for Awhile, which I think Dawn Upshaw sings better, and his Fairest Isle. I adore Jo's vocal timbre, for it is so clear and full. I think she should perform more often, specifically at the Met. She studied at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia di Roma with Cecilia Bartoli, and they were good friends for many years. Sumi Jo thinks that Bartoli has more or less settled into one repertory, that of the Baroque, and that she should expand branch out into other genres. I think that Cecilia Bartoli has been wise to remain associated with Mozart and the Baroque, for she sings it so well, but it would be interesting to see her perform in other works, such as Berlioz's La Damnation de Faust, and I think that she has done so with her recordings of Maria and Bellini's La Sonnambula.

That is all for the present, and I thank all of you for reading my posts.
-Tyler.

One of the Best Weekends of My Life

2010-01-11T21:24:00.001-06:00

The title of my post is rather exclusive, and, thus, my readers shall probably expect something truly grand that I have to relate, and this is a correct assumption depending upon one's definition of the adjective 'grand'.

To commence quickly, for a perceived brevity is most attractive among authors, I was afforded the pleasurable opportunity of going to a local cinema to view the Metropolitan Opera's Live in HD presentation of Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. I had desired to see it ever since I learned of Renee Fleming and Susan Graham's collaboration on this production, and my anticipations for this performance were high. From earlier reviews, I knew that this Saturday matinee broadcast would be most excellent from Fleming and Graham's perspective, but I had nothing to fear in regards of the performances of Eric Cutler, Christine Schafer, and Kristinn Sigmundsson. Susan Graham's offstage personality, which I have had the prior pleasure of witnessing from her hosting of Great Performances: Live @ the Met on television, easily matches her onstage charisma, and I have rarely seen a performer who exudes such a personality and imbues their characters with such vivacity. Her portrayal of Octavian is energetic, comical, and amorous. Renee Fleming's Marschallin is such a pleasure to watch, for she tempers all of the role with a knowledge of the character and a little improvisation from her natural intuition. One of my favorite moments came from one of the intermission interviews when she spoke concerning her and Susan Graham's relation to each other in these opposing gender roles saying, and I paraphrase, "Susan and I had a joke for a long time that we were the only people we had kissed. That was during a sad time in life." I cannot wait to see Renee's interpretation of Rossini's Armida in May, and it is also presented Live in HD. The acting in this production was pretty good, and if you possess any preconceived notions about how opera singers act on stage, you ought to reward yourself to this production with Fleming and Graham. Yes, I know that I continue rambling about Fleming and Graham, but they were my introduction to opera, so I have a predilection towards them.

The other portion of my excellent weekend occurred Sunday evening with the commencement of the new season of Masterpiece Classic on PBS. They initiated the season with Return to Cranford, which is a Victorian-era tlae of life in the small, country village of Cranford, and it stars Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Lisa Dillon, and many other admirable actors. I viewed the first miniseries last year, and I was enthralled by the quality of the acting and the depths of the characters that the actors and actresses explored. My favorites were the portrayals of Miss Mary Smith by Lisa Dillon and Miss Matilda "Matty" Jenkyns by Judi Dench. Except in the case of David Suchet's turn as Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot last year on Masterpiece Mystery!, I cannot say that I have ever been more elated by the continuance of a story produced for television. If you are afforded the opportunity of seeing this excellent narrative of the elegance of Victorian England at its very best, for I cannot see it being better provided for an audience's pleasure elsewhere than in this series and perhaps in Masterpiece Classic's retelling of Jane Austen's Emma later this season, I would highly recommend that you exploit it.

In other news concerning opera, It should be mentioned that this Saturday we are granted another Metropolitan Opera Live in HD presentation, and it is Bizet's Carmen. The cast promises to amaze us since it is made up of Elina Garanca, Barbara Frittoli, and Roberto Alagna. I shall not go see it in the theater because I must work, but I shall hear it and record it on my mp3 player. My employers cannot deprive me of all of my enjoyment on a Saturday afternoon.

I should mention that I received two gifts for Christmas that are worthy of note here for their relation to my content within this blog. I was given the Metropolitan Opera 2010 wall calendar and The 5 Browns's autobiography, entitled Life Between the Keys: The (Mis)Adventures of The 5 Browns. I anticipate filling my calendar full of dates, and I shall never miss a Met broadcast in 2010 because they are all marked on the specific days that they occur. Of course, it is also filled with many important dates of debuts of singers and such things, which makes it ideal for the opera aficionado. In their surprisingly entertaining autobiography, which also includes a CD of The 5 Browns's 'hits', the virtuoso siblings, who made history by attending Juilliard simultaneously, reveal anecdotal and moving episodes from their lives of childhood, through their years at Juilliard, to the present. One would never believe that Gregory was such a comical writer. Ryan, as might be expected from his personality and his absence from their blog on their website, contibutes the least to the volume, but being a busy concert pianist is probably taxing. The best revelation in the book came when I learned that Desirae Brown not only knows who Renee Fleming is, but she aspires to be the kind of performer that Fleming is known to be, which is amicable and respectful towards the audience. How could life be any better?

To those who noticed, and I certainly did, I have another follower of my blog. Whoever you are "c-ireland", thank you for evidencing your interest in my writings, and I hope you enjoy what you read. Feel free to comment often, and that goes for everyone!

With that I leave you, and I pray that God continues to bless all of you beyond measure, and I hope that you are all well. Thank you for reading!
-Tyler.

Now I Am 20, or At the End of the Day

2010-01-03T19:51:00.002-06:00

I am sure that it is to the delight of all of my readers that I have attained twenty years of age since my last post to you. My birthday was upon the twenty-seventh of December, and I spent it with my family celebrating Christmas Eve, for our original schedule for this event was altered due to a blizzard that presented itself to us on Christmas Eve afternoon. I am rather nervous about growing older, for it seems that life does pass me by in so many ways, but I remain content lest my readers should consider me an ungrateful wretch.

I do not wish to bore my readers with news of myself when I have so much that I could say in other matters, so I shall not, and I will proceed. In the world of opera, I must say that I greatly anticipate the Met's Live in HD presentation of Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, and I hope to be in attendance of it at my local cinema. Renee Fleming and Susan Graham are my two greatest reasons for seeing it, but the whole cast make this a performance not to be missed. How did I ever become so obsessed with opera? I could think of many other obsessions that would be less fortunate for me to possess, so I continue with my adoration of such an elegant form of art. This production exposes such elegance splendidly.

I understand from Opera News magazine's website that tenor Rolando Villazon will be performing again in March. He is scheduled to perform in Vienna in a staging of Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, which offers us an excellent opportunity to see if he still retains his voice. If he does, and why should he venture a return to opera if he did not, do my readers think that he and Anna Netrebko will reunite as stage partners and opera's preferred stage couple again populate the stages of Europe? I wonder what the Met has scheduled for him in the near future.

Yesterday I unfortunately found another insult to the classification of classical vocal music, and the name of this newfound perpetrator is Filippa Giordano. I listened to her rendition of O mio babbino caro, and I was appalled at the aria. She ruined it. I need say no more than that, for I have sufficient faith in my opinion of this singer at least, and I offer my additional critique of her sound as a merit of my knowledge of this subject. Giordano sounds much like Sarah Brightman upon one's first acquaintance with her, but one quickly removes this first opinion when one delves deeper into the recording. At some points she belts the phrases for dramatic emphasis, and these sound more like screams than anything else, and at other times her voice sounds filled with too much air. If we are to treat her voice as that of a classical opera singer, which is a delineation that she has not refused to embrace, we must also include that her voice lacks body, and the orchestral arrangements that accompany her selections are infused with elements of popular music. Her setting of the Habanera from Bizet's Carmen easily comes to mind at the mention of this, and it is most despicable, but I dwell on this for far too great a length of time, and I shall remove myself from it.

Finally, I wish all of my readers a belated Happy New Year, and I pray that God blesses them with all of the desires of their hearts. I thank all of you for reading and for making my first year of blogging a memorable one!
-Tyler.

Merry Christmas, Readers!

2009-12-24T15:54:00.003-06:00

First, today is Christmas Eve, and in Oklahoma we have snow. Six to eight inches of snow has fallen today, and there is no sign of it ceasing. Unfortunately, snow in Oklahoma invariably means that ice shall be present on the streets after the snow has melted, which will not happen for a while yet.

On Christmas Eve it is my family's tradition to drive to my aunt and uncle's residence and have a Christmas feast, but because of the inclement weather, which is worse this year than my father ever recalls it having been previously in his lifetime, we have reappointed our celebration, and we have scheduled it for my birthday, which is this Sunday. This is an interesting fact since my birthday has not fallen on a Sunday in many years, if ever, because of the saving grace of the modern Gregorian calendar, that being the concept of the leap year, which affects my birthday's chances of happening on a Sunday. I shall be twenty then, and I shall be afforded the excellent opportunity of celebrating Christmas with my family upon my birthday. Is there truly a better gift to receive than such that I have just described?

I anxiously anticipate tomorrow morning, for I long to see our family express their love to each other by presenting gifts to each other in commemoration of Christ's birth and His divine gift of salvation for mankind. I am grateful for the blessings that God has most graciously bestowed upon me, and I thank Him for all that he has done to provide for my family this year. His exceptional providence towards us has been monumental, and it is difficult to imagine my life and continued existence without it.

I also am ingratiated to the people with whom it has been my pleasure to acquaint myself through the various means I have at my disposal. In this first year of blogging I have found people who have given a part of themselves to me without reservation. I have met Chelsea, Kim, Leah, SarahB, Rae-Mae, and Samantha, who have all opened themselves and their lives to my scrutiny and inquiry, and in the process of this, they have become acquaintances who have developed interest in my personality, and they have taught me so many new things about opera, broadway, and, most importantly, life. I hope that I have given them something adequate in exchange for all of this that I have had the immense pleasure of receiving, and I pray that I have been a perfect gentleman toward all of them. When I first began blogging, I could not have hoped for better people with whom to fraternize. I pray that God may continue to bless them this Christmas, and I enjoy their blogs invariably.

In news concerning opera, the Met is considering reviving Franco Zeffirelli's [classic, flawless] production of Puccini's Tosca next season for reasons contrary to what may be assumed by those who have heard that critical acclaim is less than expected. Although they will not retire the new production, I hope the decide to revive Zeffirelli's production. I was able to see the new production on television recently, and while the singing was rather good, the production just did not seem to flow. It seemed that they were shorthanded on props, and the set seemed too large and devoid of details. I did not like the "jump" at the end, either. Their use of frozen motion at the finish seemed to leave something undone for my taste. I have not seen their former production of the opera, but it could not be any worse than I thought this one was.

In other news Julie Andrews, whom an adoring public, of which I am a part, thought could no longer sing, is giving a concert next year in London's o2 arena. I want to see footage of this event on YouTube, and if it is as good as I expect it to be, I hope she will release a new CD. I read this in my local newspaper recently, and I could not believe what I had just saw. Does anyone wish to speculate about the possibility of a tour? I would definitely like to attend that concert if it came my way. What do you think she will sing, and will it sound as good as we remember her voice had sounded before her debilitating throat surgery? I hope she sings some Broadway standards, and I have my reservations, but if only for the sake of memory, this will be an event to remember.

For your enjoyment I now offer some videos to help us celebrate the season in song.

I thank all of your for perusing my posts, and I wish all of you a Merry Christmas!
-Tyler.

The Met Broadcast Season Has Arrived!

2009-12-15T14:34:00.002-06:00

I am pleased to say that last Saturday I was able to hear the Met's broadcast of Puccini's Il Trittico starring Patricia Racette as all three heroines, no less, who is only the third soprano in the Met's history to essay such an endeavor, Salvatore Licitra, Heidi Grant Murphy, Stephanie Blythe, Saimir Pirgu, Alessandro Corbelli, and Zeljko Lucic. Though Licitra was suffering from a cold, it was a memorable performance, for all of the singing was done well, and the orchestra played with all of the emotion Puccini intended.

Neverthelss, despite such a preview of the coming season, I am looking forward to next week's offering of Jacques Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, which boasts a cast of Joseph Calleja, Anna Netrebko, Kathleen Kim, Ekaterina Gubanova, Kate Lindsey, and Alan Held. My expected favorites are Kathleen Kim, Joseph Calleja, and Kate Lindsey. Hoffmann is also a new production by Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher, and it is presented Live in HD.

Der Rosenkavalier is the beginning of my prospective highlights of the season. The cast, which is nearly one that I would wish for only in fantasy, is Renee Fleming, Susan Graham, Christine Schafer, Eric Cutler, Thomas Allen, and Kristinn Sigmundsson. It is broadcast as a part of the regular radio broadcast season, and it is presented as a piece of the Met's celebrated Live in HD series on January 9, 2010, and I shall do all in my power to see it in my local movie theater. How could I have chosen a better cast to commence my Live in HD experience? I also wish to see Rossini's Armida at the theater since it also offered in the Met's Live in HD lineup this year, but we shall have to see about it closer to its presentation.

In conclusion I am thankful that I have a way to experience world class opera from the convenience of my home, and I hope the Met broadcast season never leaves us. Thank you for reading my posts, and I hope that God blesse you all with peace and joy this Christmas.
-Tyler.

A Random Conversation...

2009-12-01T13:19:00.003-06:00

While I was working at the church where I am employed, it became necessary for me to speak to the music director concerning the arrangement of chairs in the sanctuary for the upcoming Christmas concert, and I, in an attempt to create conversation, asked him about his musical preferences, particularly whether or not he knew of the female quartet Anonymous4. He replied that he did, and, moreover, he enjoys their music immensely. It turns out that he also listens to the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts on the radio, and he was elated to learn that Anonymous4 is scheduled to perform in concert in Tulsa next year. We continued to speak, and I learned that he also has a predilection towards Renee Fleming, so I informed him that January 6, 2010, is the date for the Met's Live in HD broadcast of Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier with Renee Fleming, Susan Graham, and Miah Persson. I should very much like to hear Ramon Vargas in the role of the Italian Singer, but I am sure that Barry Banks shall perform excellently, but I digress.

The Music Director, who is the church's principal organist besides the music director, also related to me that he once accompanied soprano Leona Mitchell in a recital, to which I replied that I recalled an article in a recent issue of Opera News that divulged that she was desirous to perform at the Met again, and she would prefer to do so as Bellini's Norma. He also told me of a time not very long since that he saw Chanticleer perform live in San Francisco. They presented a concert here in Oklahoma City, and he said that they did not sound nearly as exceptional as he remembered them.

Such was the highlight of my day yesterday, and I was left wondering how many people with whom I am personally acquainted who have such stories to disclose? Ordinary life can often surprise one who does look for the most in it. I hope that I have sufficiently learned that moral.

Thank you for reading my posts, and may God continue to bless you in all things.
-Tyler.

Things For Which I Am Thankful

2009-11-24T19:12:00.005-06:00

The national holiday of Thanksgiving, being native to the United States of America, given to us by our ancestors who sailed on the Mayflower from Holland to seek the religious freedom that the incorporation of an independent government might bestow upon them and their progeny, has given me ample reason to think of some of the various things for which I should be eternally grateful. Since I have not written a post in a while, being otherwise occupied with rehearsals and performances of Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden and my vocation, I thought that it would be acceptable for me to devote this one to such a divinely manifested subject as this one appears to be. Therefore, I devote the immediate portion of this post to a list of such things. I must caution my readers that this may seem most mundane and boring to my readers, but, nevertheless, I shall endeavor to present these items for the interested parties.

I am thankful for my relationship with God and his continued providence and grace for me.

I possess much gratitude for my gracious acquaintances and friends who have been kind enough to profess interest in my life and my predilections. They have proven themselves to be excellently indulgent to me, and they constantly encourage me in all things.

I am also grateful for my loving family who have ever remained by my side in whatever circumstances in which I have found myself. It is they who have had the greatest impact upon my life, and they are supportive of all of my endeavors.

I should be greatly remiss if I neglected to declare something concerning my thanks for all of the freedom we, the populace of the United States, are providently granted, and my equal thanks for those of us who protect it from within our territories as well as without them.

What sort of wretch should I be labeled if I were to forget to mention my appreciation of the possessions I am afforded the gracious opportunity to maintain? I adore my rather expansive collection of classical music and my precious library of literature. They are these two things along with my attire that I should find it difficult to relinquish.

To all of those who have contributed to my education in whatever means, I am immensely indebted and thankful, for who am I without it?

I have lately realized what a beautiful thing it is to live in Oklahoma, and I am greatly thankful to my parents for choosing to reside in the metropolis that is our capitol city of the state. I must also thank all of the excellent classical music artists who perform here in this state from time to time, for they are more than I at first thought, and I could easily be deprived of this luxury. One luminary ensemble to whom I am anxiously looking forward to seeing perform live is Anonymous4. If you ever listen to this quartet, you may never wish to hear any other music besides theirs.
I am thankful for the vocal talent that God has chosen to bestow upon me. I pray that I forever praise Him with that endowment.

I am exceedingly grateful for Metropolitan Opera broadcasts and Opera News magazine.

I retain much gratitude for my health and vivacity of life; moreover, I cannot lose this virtuous quality of thanks since I was born with a shadow over my probable future, something I may choose to share later in my continuing blog, and I pray that I may never take it for granted.

Although I could easily name many other things for which my spirit contains gratitude, I have elected to shorten this post by proceeding to another topic of interest.

Opera News' December 2009 issue, the first of its broadcast issues for the upcoming Metropolitan Opera broadcast season, employs Joseph Calleja as its cover subject. Tenor Calleja, who is scheduled to star as Hoffmann in Bartlett Sher's new production of Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann for an ailing Rolando Villazon who is suffering from a cyst on his vocal cords, iterates some very interesting perspectives on his interpretation of how to sing and to maintain one's instrument; however, these aforementioned perspectives all seem to be excellent recommendations and prudent for all singers. If only he applied such reasoning to his driving habits, of which we are informed by the author of the interview, we might have finally found a true Renaissance man. It also begs reference that Cecilia Bartoli's latest release, which is entitled Sacrificium, made the Editor's Pick in the section reserved for reviews of new recordings. I had hoped that this release would attain such an accolade for itself, especially after Renee Fleming's Verismo did not, and, insofar as those who style themselves critics are concerned, I was elated to have finally chosen a good recording.

Finally, I thank all of you for reading my post, and I pray that you attain the enjoyment of an excellent Thanksgiving Day complete with your family and loved ones and a feast evident of the bounty with which God has blessed us.

-Tyler.

Richard Tucker Gala

2009-11-01T17:27:00.005-06:00

The upcoming Richard Tucker Gala looks to be another impressive evening of music sung by an enticing roster of singers. This year's concert, which some may consider to be a hallmark of the operatic season, especially for those of us who adore special gatherings of star singers who might never otherwise sing together without such an event, is not without its share of expectations, either. The singers who have been tapped to perform for the Richard Tucker Award Gala are Stephanie Blythe, Jospeh Calleja, Elina Garanca, Susan Graham, Anna Netrebko, Hei-Kyung Hong, Maria Guleghina, Zeljko Lucic, James Morris, Matthew Polenzani, Samuel Ramey, and the winner of the 2009 Richard Tucker Award, Stephen Costello. I merely hope that it is broadcast on PBS or on some radio station so that those of us who are not so fortunate as others to have tickets to the performance may at least hear it, but I recall reading in Opera News some years ago that there is a lack of funding to present the Richard Tucker Gala over the air, which makes it all the more pleasing that we were given the enormous benevolence of seeing the 2007 concert last year on PBS. Do I even have to mention the memorable episodes from the artists of that recital? There was Renee Fleming beautifully blending her voice with Joyce DiDonato in Ah, guarda sorella from Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, Diana Damrau and DiDonato singing the duet accompanying the presentation of the rose from Der Rosenkavalier, DiDonato providing her signature aria of recent times, Una voce poco fa from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Damrau offering a spirited and comedic interpretation of Glitter and be Gay from Bernstein's Candide, to mention most of what I recall from that evening.

If thes performances are to be of any indication as to what the upcoming Richard Tucker Gala shall offer musically, I would remind all of you to mark your calendars for November 22, 2009, to be present at the recital, which begins, I believe, at 6 P.M.

On November 19, 2009, the fifth annual Opera News Awards are to be presented to Martina Arroyo, Joyce DiDonato, who, if I am not very much mistaken, has co-hosted this event before, Gerald Finley, Phillip Glass, and Shirley Verret at Gotham Hall at six o'clock, P.M. The evening is hosted by Susan Graham and Thomas Hampson, who have definitley hosted this event before, and the awards shall be given by Stephanie Blythe, Audra McDonald, Deborah Voigt, Paul Simon, and Danielle De Niese. If only the recipients were singing at the event, it would be a most perfect occasion, but even as it is, it sounds most enjoyable.

I have decided to add a new feature to my posts. If I remember to do it, and if I write at least one post per week, I shall include my favorite performance for the current week from the Met's offerings. This is not to say that I shall have listened to them because I make no promise as to that until the Met's broadcast season begins, but it will provide my readers with some knowledge concerning my tastes in opera. In this first week's choice, I am required to choose two performances, and these are Puccini's Turandot starring Maria Guleghina, Marcello Giordani, Maria Poplavskaya, and Samuel Ramey and Rosinni's Il Barbiere di Siviglia starring Joyce DiDonato, Barry Banks, Franco Vassallo, John Del Carlo, and Roberto Scandiuzzi. Both of these operas run throughout the week, but one can see them both this Saturday, November 7, 2009, with Puccini in the afternoon and Rossini in the evening. Opera rarely gives you anything better that this. Also, remember that Puccini's Turandot is part of the Live in HD series, so go to your local movie theater that offers these glorious spectacles and see it wherever you are in the country.

Thank you for reading this post, and may God continually belss you.
-Tyler.

A Gift From the Opera National de Paris

2009-10-31T19:37:00.005-05:00

Those who follow the articles of my blog may recall that Poteet Theatre recently went to Germany to present their award-winning production of John and Jen. The crew of the show as well as the administrative officers of our theatre had a marvelous time in the Rheinland, and when they departed from thence they allowed themselves the additonal luxury of vacationing in Paris, France, for some time. Asking my opinion of which was the best opera house in Paris, I told my dear friend Mr. Prock that I thought the best was the Paris National Opera, so he made it a priority to visit the Palais Garnier to procure some token for me. When he saw this magnificent edifice that serves to glorify opera, he told me that his first emotion was to weep because it was so incredibly beautiful. He also related that he thought the Met was the most gorgeous opera house that he had ever had the pleasure to see, but he said that Opera National de Paris "blew the Met out of the water," if I may quote his phrase. In beauty of their respective venues, I should agree with him, but I must assert that the Met has the luxury of the better casts in its advantage.

The gift he gave me was a program of Charles Gounod's Mireille, which apparently had its premeire run at the company earlier this season. I was overjoyed at the thickness of the program, for this indicates that there is more to peruse and discover, but I was rather taken aback by the advertisement that appeared on the inside cover of the booklet which depicts a model presenting some perfume only lacking an essential part of her raiment. Mr. Prock assured me that his stay in France was pervaded by much of the same imagery, which, I suppose, reveals something as to their lax state of morals in the region around the Loire. Mr. Prock, though he did pay homage to the aforementioned opera house, the Eiffel Tower, and several restaurants, would not visit the Louvre museum, the Musee de l'homme, made forever infamous by the international incident concerning orthodontist Jack Cuozzo of which few know, the Bibliotheque National de France, the Champs Elysees, and other places that I should have visited on such a journey as he had. Another disappointment that I had with the party was that the only food of which they partook was crepes. I should have liked to hear them tell of all of the fabulous French cuisine they tried while they were there and could enjoy it within the best location for that variety of comestible. I think that all of you know by now that I watch far too many travel programs and would invariably add great unecessary expense to my budget in departing to another locale.

In other news in opera, Opera News' website reveals that tenor Roberto Alagna and soprano Angela Gheorghiu are attempting to obtain a divorce. The breaking news alert also indicates that the couple, who have long been billed as opera's dream couple, have been separated from each other for these past two years, which means that during the run of Puccini's La Rondine at the Met last season they must have already assumed that state, but they were still agreeable with each other then. It is alleged that their impending divorce is the reason that Gheorghiu has withdrawn from most of her performances in the Met's current season's new production of Bizet's Carmen for the fact that Alagna is singing Don Jose. Is this actually the case, or is the media making more of this than they ought? I am leaning towards the latter opinion.

Thank you all for your continued visit of my posts.

-Tyler.

Something New from Cecilia Bartoli

2009-10-21T15:25:00.004-05:00

Cecilia Bartoli released her latest offering on Tuesday, the twentieth of October, entitled Sacrificium. As with the latest three albums she has released, those being Maria, La Sonnambula, and Opera Proibita, this disc has a premise behind it, which is the story of the lives of the castrati. Personally, I do not have any desire, not even a remote one, to explore that legacy, but I will probably buy the album just to hear the eleven world-premiere recordings of arias on it.

Bartoli is returning to what many believe suits her best, and that is the music of the Baroque period. Of course, knowing her delivery of coloratura to be what it is, one cannot help but to assume that the operas of the Bel Canto style are better presented for her involvement, a fact proven by her and Juan Diego Florez's Decca release of La Sonnambula last year. Indeed, I should have liked to see a company capitalize on that recording and turn it into a vehicle for the two singers, and I beleive it could have been done in Europe quite easily, for, though American companies are skeptical to make that sort of dramatic shift in a work, European ones are not averse to such idiosyncracies.

It also bears mentioning that my younger brother, whom I have not mentioned prior to now, is going to see the Star Wars: Live in Concert arena spectacular tonight at our local arena. I read an article in our local newspaper about it, and it promises to be a memorable occasion for the devoted follower of the saga.

I shall also mention that I heard a broadcast of Verdi's La Traviata, which some may call my favorite opera, and I must admit that I much prefer the Met's 2004 broadcast of it with Renee Fleming, Ramon Vargas, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Rosalind Elias, which I possess, to this one. This broadcast was from the San Francisco Opera, and it starred Anna Netrebko amongst other people whose names presently escape me. The tenor was not someone with whom I am familiar, but I do recall his name from the Met's season brochure, so I know he is beyond the regional level of performers. Netrebko did not sound terrible, but, as I may have before related to you, I am just not a great fan of Netrebko's. For those who inquire as to my right to have a bias, I proclaim that I own her Sempre Libera recording, and I do return to its music on occasion, but her run in Verdi's jewel from his canon of operas is not one of her best roles in my opinion. My particular reason for distaste of her performance of this role is that her voice simply does not seem to have any volume, any body to it. I am looking forward to her performance in Les Contes d'Hoffmann later in the present Met season to see if I enjoy it, and I think that I shall.

It also begs reference that I bought a Sansa Clip mp3 player, but the reason that I purchased it was that it records directly from FM radio, so I can record all of the Met's broadcasts and transfer them to CD-R's. Speaking of the Met's broadcasts, my readers may find it interesting to learn that both Rossini's Armida and Berg's Lulu, starring Renee Fleming and Anne Sofie von Otter, respectively, will be broadcast this season. We are also offered a classic broadcast starring Eleanor Steber. I long to hear these classic broadcasts to compare my opinions to those contained in Mr. Paul Jackson's volume entitled Start-Up at the New Met: The Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts 1964-1974. I like to think that I can hear all of the subtleties he describes, and sometimes I do.

Thank you for reading my posts, and may God continue to bless you.
-Tyler.

Is This A Joke?

2009-10-08T11:52:00.005-05:00

I read on the Opera Tattler blog that Los Angeles Opera and San Francisco Opera are both holding sales of costumes from their costume shops in anticipation of the Halloween season. Those of us who want to dress up for our parties as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto now have the opportunity to do so because they are liquidating 2,500 costumes from their collection. Is it safe to assume that both of these institutions are attempting to earn some extra revenue when it is in short supply for arts companies? Common sense dictates that my answer be yes since the only logical alternative response is that the companies are benevolent to commoners and have an excess of costumes, and that is not a very plausible explanation. The costumes available are mainly things worn by chorus members, but for the collector who has extra capital to spend since these will likely sell for a good amount considering the information I am about to provide, there are also costumes worn by sopranos Carol Vaness and Karita Mattila, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore, who is the most recorded mezzo-soprano of all time, and tenor Placido Domingo. In addition to all of the complete costumes, they are also selling individual accesory pieces such as hats, shoes, and scarves.

According to the press release of the Los Angeles Opera, all of these costumes are of the most excellent quality since the costume shop employs dozens of master crafters in every field related to creating costumes. Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention that prospective customers need not worry about finding something that will fit them because they have costumes made to fit everyone from "robust Wagnerians to petite Mozartians." Apparently they are helping to advance stereotypes of singers. I wonder if there shall be any horned helmets and spears for sale? Next time around they may start auctioning James Conlon's batons and singers' scores. I think that such would be a more practical sale.

Thank you for reading this post, and I hope that you found this as anecdotal as I did.

-Tyler.

If I May Direct Your Attention To The Upper Right of Your Screen...

2009-10-06T13:20:00.002-05:00

If you have not noticed this, I have added a poll to my blog. This first one is designed to offer me some ideas for future posts, which is not to say that I do not have a great amount of these already in my brain, but I wish to wriote things that will be construed as interesting by my readers. If you would like to see new things in posts, then please vote from the four options I have provided. Other polls in the future will contain questions dealing with one's personal instincts concerning a new production or performance, but for now, you are all doing me a favor.

My First Visit to Borders

2009-09-30T07:53:00.003-05:00

People who know me, at least those who also know of my predisposition towards opera, would probably assume that I have been to Borders, a national chain of bookstores who also happen to offer classical music as merchandise, quite a number of times, but in doing so they should be quite mistaken. In fact, this last Saturday was my first time to ever peruse the store. This primary visit of what I hope to be many others in the future yielded an excellent result, but I am beginning to hastily discover the climax of the episode to you without first delivering the rest of the interesting event to your knowledge, and this is most undesirable in an author. Therefore, beseeching your gracious indulgence, please allow me to proceed in a more logical order of events.

On the Saturday in question, my friend Jay had my sister and me at Poteet to assist him in some cleaning of our costume facilities, and we naturally obliged his request of us. Since we were available to him at his discretion to serve in whatever capacity it should be most beneficial to him to have us employed, we mutually decided that we could also travel the short distance to his abode and further aid him with his urgent necessity of renovating his house, a task which he and his charming wife have lately attempted. Having had the opportunity to do so prior to this occasion, we knew the prospect would again be pleasant.

Since we had finished our first project of the costume shop at around noon, we went to lunch, which was a casual affair of informal setting and attire, at a local restaurant which specializes in Mexican cuisine. The duration of our luncheon was rather longer than I expected and to which I am accustomed, but the victuals were delicious, and the discourse we held was exuberant and at times stimulating to the intellectual mind. After this, which relinquished us of at least an hour and a half to my knowledge, Jay decided to go to Borders, whose situation in relation to our position in the metropolis was not far removed from us, in hopes of finding a prop for our forthcoming production of Children of Eden, of which I am grateful to say that I am a cast member, but I venture away from the present narrative. I was rather excited about my first expedition into the retail outlet, and Jay, who knows of my ardent enjoyment of opera, was surprised that I had never been here before this, yet he was also joyous that he could introduce me to this momentous experience. We scanned the front displays of volumes arranged for the prospective customer and saw several noteworthy and ridiculous books therein contained, one of which on the meritorious side of the equation was Glen Beck's newest book, which is enticingly entitled Arguing with Idiots, that happens to be a best-seller at present. Knowing this store by reputation, for I am not completely ignorant, it occurred to me that this place also sells classical music as if it were just as popular as its modern counterparts ("You mean that opera falls short in sales of some new release by Brittany Spears?!" Unfortunately the answer to that is yes; I expect that one of these days they will cease to offer Grammy awards for this part of the music industry.), and further recalling that Renee Fleming's Verismo had just been released not very long since, I decided that if I should see it for sale there, I should get it despite whatever price should be on the label. Not wanting to waste a moment of time, I hastily took my leave of my present company and departed for the section of the store which was devoted to music. I quickly found the classical section of fare, for I do not think that popular music employs the marketing device of women in evening gowns holding antique Stradivarius violins on the covers of their CD's, and I eqaully quickly found the small niche devoted to Renee Fleming's recordings; however, much to my chagrin and dismay, Verismo was not to be found among her offerings. My mind quickly developed a theory as to why this might be, and one possible explanation was that loyal Renee Fleming fans had obviously came and bought all of the probably few copies the store had obtained; moreover, hearing tales of this elsewhere and most frequently in other music genres, it might yet be possible, if not altogether plausible now that I look at the situation again, that admirers of her artistry, she being "America's favorite soprano," might have even camped before the establishment the night before the album's release date to capture them all for themselves. Feeling slightly desparate, I searched their catalog computer for the item, and it informed me that the product was likely in the store, so I, my spirits infused with new hope that I might have overlooked the disc in the sadly unorganized area of music, inquired of a sales associate whether or not the absence of a product on the shelf was an indication of its existence in the store, and she said that this was not necessarily the case. She asked me to search for my preference on the catalog computer a second time, and upon my so doing, she remarked that CD's containing the music of various composers was often placed upon the shelf at odd locations, and then she noticed that Renee Fleming was on the cover. I was determined to like this store whether I was able to attain my prize or not since I could finally venture there and say that I wanted something by Renee Fleming without someone not knowing who that is. We journeyed back to the shelf for another look, and when she did not find it, she suggested that I peruse the area of the store which showed the recent releases, and we were just about to go there when Jay and my sister Blaze walked toward me and said that they had something for me. They handed me a copy of Verismo telling me they had found this toward the front of the place, which was exactly where I was going to examine next with the help of an excellent and knowledgeable sales person, but by God's enduring providence, He saw that my want was delivered to me by some of my favorite people in the world. I was thinking all of this when I became aware of the sale price of $13.99 for it instead of its regular price it would receive some time later.

I am overjoyed at the grace of God. Before I terminate this post, for the constaints of time do press upon me, I pray that all of my readers see God's infinite love for us every day and that He will grant you the desires of your heart also just as He has done many of mine. Thank you for your continued perusal of my blog. I am immensely blessed to possess this group of people who condescend to read my humble lines of words. Hopefully in my next post I shall be able to address something of a review of my latest purchase related to opera.

Do Not Ask Me Why, But I Auditioned For "Children of Eden"

2009-08-31T13:14:00.003-05:00

Yes, as the title of my post blatantly displays, I auditioned for Steven Schwartz's musical Children of Eden. I only did it because... I wanted to be in another production this year. There, I said it. In other words, I did not think I could make it into Little Women singing a song that was perfect for my voice that I had only learned that day. It turns out that the other two people who sang the song Take A Chance On Me had to look at the words the whole time they were singing it, and this was not a demerit towards their abilities in the eyes of the directors and audition panelists.

As for Children of Eden, I understand from the director that it is extremely difficult musically. I have personally seen the fact illuminated in one song where the chorus splits into nine parts! If that is not treacherous, I do not know what is. I was invited for call-backs on September 12th, and I intend to be cast. There is a minor difficulty that could possibly arise in all of my best laid plans, and this is that one of our performances is a benefit for people who have no money at Christmas, which takes place on Thanksgiving Day; my mother has expressly forbidden us to perform on that day since we have our own feast with our family which takes ample preparation, but my director has promised to speak to her on the matter because he really wants me to be a part of this production. He says that he requires excellent vocalists for this production, and he claims that he naturally needs me to provide my voice to this endeavor. That is one of the most flattering compliments to my voice that I have ever received.

Better suited to my tastes, the church for which I am employed is desirous to expand its choir's membership. They consist of some forty singers at least, but, nevertheless, they wish to acquire more. Most of the members are women, and to be quite honest, I should be more than happy to add my humble talents to their ensemble since they perform Handel's Messiah, Bach's Magnificat, St. John's Passion, and St. Matthew's Passion, Verdi's Mesa da Requiem, and Mendelsohn's oratorio Elijah oftentimes in their original languages. However, be that as it may, I do not think my family should look favorably upon this endeavor, and it would be to my dishonor to ask my parents to ferry me to and from rehearsals and services every week. When I begin to drive, I may inquire as to that prospect with other members of the choir itself, but I shall not do so before then.

In the world of opera, or very nearly in that realm, I am renewing my subscription to Opera News, and I am so thankful that there is a publication such as this one to keep those of us who reside in remote areas in pertinance to opera abreast of developments in the art form we adore. I also cannot wait for the Met's Live in HD season to begin. I hope that I may be allowed to see the new production of Puccini's Tosca starring Karita Mattila and Marcelo Alvarez. I personally think that Marcelo Giordani, who takes over from Jonas Kaufmann later in this production's run, would have made a better pairing for Mattila, but one cannot have everything they want in a Met season. My friend who makes excursions to New York annually has said that he is thinking about going in the spring, and if he should, he might take me if I am allowed to go. I genuinely hope that his friend receives that role on Broadway for their mutual benefit and for my proposed one. I also greatly anticipate the arrival of the Met's broadcast season as well. I immensely hope that we are allowed to hear both Rossini's Armida and Berg's Lulu simply because of the casting of Renee Fleming and Anne Sofie von Otter, respectively. I know how much everyone, and I do mean everyone, awaits Der Rosenkavalier starring Renee Fleming and Susan Graham with all of the expectations accompanying it, so I shall say nothing except that I wish we could hear Ramon Vargas in the role of the Italian Singer. Apparently, if I ran the Met, I do not think that I would be open to substitute singers halfway through a run in quite a few cases. I generally like them except when I think about how we shall not hear a singer I particularly enjoy in a role or when I think that a certain cast would sound better to me.

In summation, thank you all for reading and may God thoroughly bless all of you with the desires of your hearts.

-Tyler.

Renee Fleming's "Verismo" Releases Septmeber 7, 2009

2009-08-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

I have anticipated the release of Verismo ever since I heard it was made, courtesy of Opera News' interview with Renee feautured in their September 2008 issue. This is the repertoire I have longed to hear her sing for so long just to hear how she would sing it. For those of us who are ardent followers of Renee's career and who own more than a few of her recordings, we were given a sampling of this genre with her self-titled album where she included O mio babbino caro, Un bel di vedremo, and Casta Diva among other gems. It was about these interpretations a certain reviewer on Amazon was speaking when they derided Renee as a second rate singer who holds notes longer and sings higher than other singers simply because she can. This, of course, had no effect upon me other than to discredit this person as ignorant, but, then, it may be said that I am biased in Renee's favor. We would be remiss to neglect to mention her beautiful rendition of Vissi d'arte on her Homage release. I listened to that track so much that I now hear "clicks" in the background. Another of my favorite tracks on that disc, Erich Korngold's Ich ging zu ihm also begins to reveal excessive enjoyment; nevertheless, I think that I may be forgiven for the facts that this was the first classical CD I bought from a retail outlet, this was my first Renee Fleming CD, and it was one of my only operatic CD's for the longest time, that is until I became acquainted with eBay.

I must say that I do not think that there is a dull track on this disc. I love how Renee always says that she could never sing this sort of repertoire. Despite what she maintains, one must wonder whether she actually could or not. My readers will invariably ask how I could even think such a thing; in reply I direct their attention to Renee's autobiography The Inner Voice. In it she tells of her collaboration with the famed Hungarian-British conductor Sir Georg Solti, and the maestro, who compared her voice to Renata Tebaldi's in saying they were the two greatest sopranos he had ever met in his life, told her that she should sing either Isolde or Brunnhilde, I cannot recall which. Renee, of course, said that she did not think he actually thought she could sing it, only that he wanted to hear a voice like hers sing it. Nevertheless, one does not become a record holder of the most Grammy awards (yes, Sir Georg Solti possessed 38 Grammy's in his lifetime) by making bad recordings or by not knowing something about music; we shall never know if he knew something we do not about singing. Perhaps Renee could have learned to sing these heavier roles with little or no change to her voice. In any case I am pleased and ecstatic that she is releasing this recital. I cannot wait to hear it; if only the classical music radio stations worked like their contemporary counterparts, we would not be in such a state of waiting!

Well, if I do not buy this disc when it is released, I think all of my readers know what will be at the top of my list for things that I want for my birthday. Marco Armiliato conducts this excellent recording. I could speak volumes about this man. If I ever do become an opera singer, he is a conductor with whom I would long to collaborate.

Thank you all for continuing to peruse my humble posts, and I hope that I have piqued your interest in this new release.
-Tyler.

Anonymity Aside, I Present Random Trivia Definitive to My Personality

2009-08-24T14:25:00.000-05:00

In a recent post, I promised to deliver a future post listing several things that I thought my readers might like to know about me, which is to say that I am presenting myself in a way some might consider to be a vulgar disregard for one's private life, but it is my privacy that I threaten to violate and no one else's, so I think that the evidence supports my belief that it is within my power to ultimately form my own conviction on the matter regarding myself. Having said as much and formed the aforementioned opinion, I offer this compilation of information, which has no practical employment to the intelectual problems that remain unsolved in our time.

I have only recently discovered approximately how long I have listened to Christian music. What is more relevant to this piece of information is that I enjoy Christian music that is about ten years old. I knew my collection of Wow discs would have some use to me someday. Some of the groups and artists from this genre that I like are: Sixpence None The Richer, LaRue, DC Talk, Fernando Ortega, Whitecross, Stryper, Petra, Plus One, Tait, Plumb, Maire Brennan, etc.

Though this may not be true today since I have grown older as the years have passed, I have or had, whichever my readers prefer to insert and, therefore, believe, a precocious predilection towards classic literature. In example of this fact, I read Homer's Odyssey at the age of fourteen without any prompting from anyone and simply due to my own desire to become literate and educated. However, I remain dissatisfied with my pursuit of literature today; I often feel inadequate and bereft of knowledge when I am with other people for the mere reason that they have read something that I feel I ought to read and have not. I can easily say that it is this constant reminder that drives me in addition to my natural human curiosity to persevere in my education. Truly, one's love and passion for learning and knowledge should never decline, for this is one of God's most precious gifts to humanity, and I do not wish to waste it.

My favorite television shows include: Walker, Texas Ranger, Doc, The Wild, Wild West, Dragnet, Masterpiece Mystery!, Great Performances (of course!), Ancient Almanac, Survivorman, Man vs. Wild, Mantracker, and Steves' Europe.

Should I really include a section about opera singers? I think it would be best if I skip that, for I must retain something for later posts. Instead I shall list some of my favorite operas: La Traviata, Cosi fan tutte, La Boheme, Il Pirata, Rodelinda, Tosca, Lucia di Lammermoor, Otello, Le Nozze di Figaro, etc.

Favorite movies: The Sound of Music, Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, Vertigo, The Birds, Rear Window, My Fair Lady, Wait Until Dark, Charade, The Great Escape, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, etc.

I was home-educated for ten years.

I have lived in Oklahoma City for all of my life.

I was involved in Royal Rangers.

When I was about thirteen years of age, I wanted to become an FBI Special Agent or else a forensic scientist, and I must say that this desire precipitated that vocation's recent popularity.

Some three years after that, it was my desire to attend West Point United States Military Academy and becom a career military officer.

I play chess, and I am a rather good player when I have devoted myself to it.

When I was 17, the recent translation of James Ussher's The Anals of the World was at the top of the list of gifts that I hoped to receive for my birthday, and I received it from my loving, generous parents. If I had not been blessed with it, I can say without reservation that it would still possess that position on my list of wants.

When I was fourteen or thereabouts, I decided to learn all that I could concerning nuclear energy and the physics relative to it. It was because of this knowledge that I gained that I became interested in Albert Einstien's Unified Field Theory. To this day I still believe that it is a plausible hypothesis.

The mathematical proecess of algebra is difficult for me to grasp, but other facets of higher number theory are constant sources of pleasure for my brain due to an excellent presentation of the science of mathematics by John Hudson Tiner in his book Exploring the World of Mathematics. I would encourage everyone to peruse this volume as well as any other books by this remarkable author.

I play piano to a moderate degree, which is to say that I cannot sight read music, which is the enviable talent of reading the music from the page and playing it without delay. I am afraid that my lack of coordination does not allow me to possess this asset at the present.

I adore the music of Enya. I would probably list her albums Amarantine and The Celts as my favorite of her offerings. There are many times when I wish that she would return to her Celtic roots more often on her recordings, but I cannot imagine her work without her beautiful piano compositions.

In my opinion Phil Keaggy is the best guitarist in the world. There is also an urban legend that Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton also maintained this supposition on live television, but I would not believe it if I were you. Besides this, Phil Keaggy can get by well enough on his own merit without the recommendation of Hendrix or Clapton; anyone who can call their albums The Master and The Musician, which is an allusion to God and not himself, and Phantasmagorical: The Master and The Musician, Volume II fifteen years later must be playing above the average level.

I am involved with a local community theatre program, and I hope to expand my horizons into straight plays soon.

I have a rather massive CD collection. I have not kept up with technology and embraced the MP3 format yet because I put all of these that I possess onto CD-R. I did buy an MP3 player last year for the sole purpose of recording the Met's broadcasts, but it simply ceased to operate the very day after I could return it to the retailer if I found that I did not want it.

I am the closest thing that comes to a technophile in my immediate family.

For at least the past ten years, my family has been renovating both of the houses we have had the privelige of calling our abode. Naturally, I can almost do anything that is required in renovation. One thing I have learned from this experience is that everything takes longer than you think.

Even though I graduated from high shcool a year and a half since, I still love school.

I recently discovered that my blog is featured on a website listing theatre blogs. I hardly ever write anything about theatre or Broadway.

I have only been to two first rate performances in my life, the first being a recital by Sarah Coburn, and the second was a touring production of The Phantom of the Opera. I regularly attend performances given by my local community theatre.

I am not a picky eater. Most vegetables taste great to me, but I absolutely will not partake of the traditional German victual of sauer kraut. I had bad experiences with it as a child, and it has scarred me for life.

I could eat pasta for the rest of my days.

I can cook to a moderate degree.

I actually make my bed daily.

My part of the bedroom that I share with my 16 year old younger brother stays clean.

I wear business class attire when I attend family functions or other events.

Well, there are thirty things that I thought you might like to know about me. My original goal was to put down one hundred minute facts, but it is rather difficult to think of so many things about one's self that do not seem mundane, and even most of these that I have related seem so to me. For all of those bloggers out there who have populated lists reaching such a high number of interesting things about themselves, I offer my congratualtions to you. Allow me to devote the remainder of this post to videos.

Yes, this previous one is a Christian song, and it is clear back from the "old days" of 2000

Now, since you have all indulged me for so long with my sampling of musical interests, let me display some classical operatic gems. In case you have not noticed, I have some predilection towards video posting.

I thank all of you for reading. I hope that I have not bored you too much or usurped too much of your time.

-Tyler.

How is the World of Opera Perceived?

2009-08-18T13:25:00.006-05:00

Having previously bought opera recital CD's from Amazon, I receive e-mail alerts from the world's largest online retailer periodically so that they may try to solicit further business from me. Their latest alert, one of the few I actually viewed, included quite a few things of interest to me.

First, it is necessary to mention that Naxos and Amazon have joined forces to expand their respective companies' markets, and they are offering free MP3 samplers to customers. While it is performed by interpreters who are unknown to many of us, the music is of good quality, and it is refreshing to the ear. I chose one entitled Eternal Baroque, and I am quite pleased with the caliber of the recitals that are presented. The other, which I picked from the "Other Customers also liked..." box, was called The Best of Naxos Early Music, and I had no qualms with acquiring it since this is a genre I stay up late on Monday nights to hear during Harmonia with Angela Mariani. Besides all of this, they are free, so one has no risk or obligation in getting them, so if you have any predisposition to this music, you may as well try it, and the fact that both of these samplers have five star ratings by customers is an enticing elective to pursue them.

Amazon's recommendations could use more thought to what is truly worthy of mention with less regard to popularity and marketability and more forethought to the integrity of the product. Their Editor's Picks' do not suffer so much from this infliction since they offer for your selection Joyce DiDonato's Furore, which I have yet to hear completely, Anne Sofie von Otter's recent recording of Bach, which Opera News' reviewers thought rather less than excellent, though they mislabeled the artist as violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter instead of the famed mezzo-soprano, and Song of Songs by Stile Anticho, to name a few; however, their list of new and notable releases leaves something to be desired in the way of excellence. Firstly, they only list two albums of vocal music, one of Handel's Messiah and another of Bach Cantatas by soprano Elizabeth Futral, so it relies heavily on traditional classical music to fill its queue of recordings. Secondly, the artists they choose to present, except Evigny Kissin, are people of whom I have never heard prior to their mention of them. Why did they not choose to include Magdalena Kozena's new recording of Vivaldi arias, her equally enthralling Songs My Mother Taught Me, The Celtic Viol by Jordi Savall, or La Barcha D'Amore by Concert des Nations? We can have no such luck as that.

Concerning more immediately the title of this post, I have been wondering in recent days how the remainder of the population perceives those of us who entertain a favorable disposition towards opera. Is there really so much difference between us and fans of anything else? I should think not since the common denominator uniting all of us as audiences of any type of media is a matter of personal taste; therefore, the next time someone tells you that they cannot understand your liking of something so obviously archaic, antiquated, and unpopular as opera, after you chide them for their sarcastic disregard of polite manners towards your idea of entertainment, you may explain that you like it for the very reson they enjoy a different genre of music, a selection of sport, or a choice of hobby, and that is because it is merely a matter of taste. Of course, there is also the question as to why we who enjoy opera incessantly attempt to saturate the next generation of those whom we hope will possess some deference towards our beloved art with a modern portrayal of works. In my humble opinion the opera's necessary elements, which are the music and the libretto, should be adequate to maintain the popularity of any work. If this is not the case, then it can be surmised that the work will fall out of fashion with the new audience, and this will allow the creativity of new composers to flourish more easily since the public will look for new works to satisfy their expectations. However, there is a caveat with this system, and this is that opera as we currently know it, resting heavily upon its past achievements by the legendary composers, could possibly vanish. Could we really imagine opera without the works of Handel? Are any masterpieces actually safe? La Boheme might not fall victim to such an injustice since its story and music remain easily accesible to every new demographic that sees it, but in reply to the question itself, theoretically the answer is no.

Other things that I would like to iterate are as follows. I made a visit to a local library yesterday, and I was excited to see that my library system had procured some new opera and classical music recordings this year. Most of their acquisitions were unknown to me, but this is an ideal opportunity for me to learn new things about new works of which I know nothing. I may seize this wonderful allowance, but I digress. My readers who know anything of the Met's next, almost current season are anxious to see the prospect of Mary Zimmerman's new production of Gioacchino Rossini's Armida starring Renee Fleming. These informed people may also know that the plot of Armida, which I believe dates from classical antiquity, was also set to music by Haydn and, if my memory serves me well, Gluck. I was able to check out Hadyn's opera Armida, which the library only recently acquired, with Cecilia Bartoli and Patricia Pettibon. I have yet to make a foray into this piece, which promises to be one not soon forgotten, but I hope it is everything I expect it to be. If only my local library can get Bartoli and Juan Diego Florez's recent offering of Bellini's La Sonnambula, I shallbe almost content with their present selection of recordings that interest and inspire me.

For those of you who have any interest in Magdalena Kozena, three of her recordings, including Ah! mio cor, are available for download on Rapidshare. I use http://rapidlibrary.com to find things of interest on Rapidshare. The search engine is by no means complete, but it does a laudable job of finding what I want.

Thank you all for reading my posts.
-Tyler.

Magdalena Kozena Singing Vivaldi? Sounds Like a Winner To Me!

2009-08-11T19:11:00.005-05:00

BBC Music magazine has announced Magdalena Kozena's new recording of arias by Antonio Vivaldi to be their top pick of the new releases among the category of opera recordings for the month of September. Having heard her sing Lascia chi'o pianga from Handel's Rinaldo, which is featured on her disc entitled Ah, mio cor!, I should think that this recital should be excellently sung. If you are interested, you can listen to excerpts of it by clicking here. One may notice that Kozena's voice sounds a little lower in this sample than Cecilia Bartoli's if we may compare the two's Vivaldi recordings. Would you actually believe that some reviewers on Amazon said that Bartoli did grave injustices to Vivaldi's works? My opinion is that if he were here today, I do not think he should mind her recording even if the arias were misinterpreted, and I do not think they were. Bartoli has always struck me as a singer of innate musicality and very erudite in her research of music in historic context, but I digress. To return to Magdalena Kozena, the mezzo soprano from the Czech Republic is married to conductor Sir Simon Rattle, who is frequently performing with her in the concert hall and on disc. Rattle is supposed to conduct at the Met soon, so let us hope that Kozena is part of that engagement. I should like to see her in a Handel opera, at least something from the Baroque era, for that is where she is at her best in my mind.

If I may remove myself from the subject of opera for the present and alight on the topic of my personal life, I should like to mention that Poteet's production of Fiddler on the Roof ended much too soon for my liking; nevertheless, I have plans to be in Steven Schwartz's Children of Eden this November and December, and I am excited that I was asked to do it. From what I understand of it, it is a difficult show vocally since the ensemble has to split into nine vocal parts in one song in particular, but I am unacquainted with it otherwise. I also have aspirations for doing the musical version of Little Women in the spring, but I am not sure that I will be cast in it. Poteet is producing High School Musical next summer, and I do not think I want to do that show. I may be asked to do it since there are few young men who want to audition for it, but if I am not asked, I think I shall abstain.

Here it bears mentioning that after Fiddler on the Roof ended, I promptly shaved my beard off of my face and cut my hair, both of which were becoming increasingly annoying to me. On July 24th I had a wonderful surprise awaiting me when I went to a friend's birthday party. A dear friend of mine who moved to New York City more than a year since came back to Oklahoma City for a visit of all of her former haunts and acquaintances. Not knowing the proper rules of decency in such a situation, I approached her upon my recognition of her face after she had seen our show that evening. I greeted her in the kindest manner, and she eagerly returned my salutation with an embrace. When I arrived at the party, which was accomodated by a local restaurant, I was informed of her presence there, so I, unaware of the dictates of propiety concerning the matter, went to her respective table and inquired whether she would spare me some few moments in conversation before she departed if this were completely commodious and agreeable to her, to which she replied that she certainly would do so. Therefore, I was surprised when she visited my table some ten minutes later before she greeted anyone else and held discourse with me. As friends are wont to do, we spoke on all of the important developments that had taken place in our lives in the interim since we had last entertained the pleasure of seeing each other, which made for interesting dialogue between us.

I beg the gracious forgiveness of my readers if I have rambled incessantly without thought to the patience of the aforementioned audience, but I was desirous to include something in laud of God's providence, for even when we think that a desire of ours is beneath the care of God, who must mange all things in the universe, He never neglects the opportunity to show us that the opposite is true. I am immensely thankful to Him for maintaining my relationships with friends and acquaintances who have removed themselves from their former proximity to me. Thank you for perusing my posts.

-Tyler.

The Coming Season, Part Two

2009-08-11T15:56:00.003-05:00

Since my last post, I have learned of a few other interesting events in my state. At the risk of saturation, please indulge me to include them.

Celtic Woman is making a visit to to Oklahoma City at the Ford Center on November 11, 2009. Although I am not familiar with more than a few of their latest members, my sister would at least like Chloe Agnew. My premature opinion is that they were at their best when they were comprised of Orla, Lisa, Chloe, Hayley, and Mairead (?). Their musical selections can become repetitive, but I am willing to bear some of the pop influences for some of their more traditional pieces. Look them up on YouTube if you have never before experienced them.
The local universities are contributing to the world of opera with their respective productions of Die Fledermaus, Cosi fan tutte, and Don Giovanni. I would probably skip the Strauss comedy and devote myself to Mozart's operas since I understand that Die Fledermaus is annually presented by many universities. Without a suitable opera house within the hundred mile range, these universities offer me a chance of seeing Mozart performed live.
Kristen Chenoweth is scheduled to perform with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic in 2010. Though she will invariably endear herself to us with her performances of Broadway songs, I wonder if she will offer any operatic arias for a diverse musical palette? I see this concert easily selling out far in advance of its date.

Thank you for reading my post, and I hope that everyone is enjoying their last few days of summer!

-Tyler.

The Coming Season Brings Great Joy To My Ears (And Hopefully My Eyes)

2009-07-21T12:20:00.006-05:00

I have been browsing the Internet of late examining whether or not the upcoming classical music season was to be a memorable one for me, and it turns out that there is plenty to adore, even if you live in Oklahoma, over next season. Some events to whet your curiosity are:

Anonymous 4 is coming to Tulsa! They are presenting their program entitled A Medieval Ladymass on May 11, 2010, and it is needless to say that I am excited! I desperately wish to see the quartet perform live. If you have not acquainted yourself with their angelic melodies, then you simply must click here without a moment's delay. Their recital derives its material from their CD's entitled An English Ladymass and A Lammas Ladymass. They are scheduled to appear March 11, 2010, and I hope to be in attendance at this concert.
Soprano Sarah Coburn is also making a visit to Oklahoma City where she shall present a recital program entitled Baroque, Bel Canto, and Beyond, which sounds as if it shall have something for everyone in it. A particular specialty of hers is the bel canto repertoire, so that shall be a rare treat to us here in Oklahoma. This recital is offered by Canterbury Choral Society, and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic accompanies Ms. Coburn. I have seen her before when she sang a recital courtesy of Civic Music Association, and even with only a piano providing the music of the afternoon, I was mesmerized by her diverse program; it should be noted that this was the year before she starred opposite Placido Domingo in Tan Dun's The First Emperor at the Metropolitan Opera. This takes place May 15, 2010.
How could this list be complete without some mention of the Met's exciting upcoming season, and while last season may be said to surpass this one for Renee Fleming, I think Ms. Fleming's two operas billed this season are admirable followings for her previous three engagements, especially her turn as Rusalka. This season we have to our credit Renee Fleming in Der Rosenkavalier with Susan Graham as Oktavian and in Live in HD, and there is also the Met's premiere of Armida with Juan Diego Florez, Lawrence Brownlee, and Barry Banks along with three other tenors! This last opera is not on the broadcast roster, I do not believe, but it is in Live in HD.
If I might continue with the Met's season, I also anticipate Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Florez in La Fille du Regiment. I must say that I was not jovial about all of their new productions, especially the retirement of Zeffirelli's Tosca, but some of them look rather nice in the limited stages in which I have seen them.

I am sure there is much more I could say about the next season, but I regret that the constraints of time do not allow me to do so at this time. Thank you for reading this humble, meager post of mine. I hope it has entertained and informed you more about our mutual liking of opera, and I pray that I do not bore you with my incessant ramblings. May God continue to bless all of you every day.

-Tyler.

A Grand Return...

2009-07-20T14:45:00.003-05:00

My last post was a couple of weeks since, but the interim has seemed something nearer to a month. The reason that I have not posted anything in so short a time is that my computer crashed about a week and a half ago, so I have been unable to post anything.

I do not have very much to say in this post, but I want to include the news that Fiddler on the Roof opened on Friday, the 17th, to a full house, and we have made it through one whole weekend. While we are performing, I have only just recently learned that we have an aspiring opera singer in our cast portraying the character of Hodel. Despite the fact that she is rather older than me, I managed to pluck up the audacity to inquire as to her favorite singers one evening before we began our performance, and these are who she mentioned: Natalie Dessay is her favorite singer, but she has recently lost some respect for her since she learned that Ms. Dessay indulges in the pleasures of tobacco; other performers she admires are Dawn Upshaw singing German Lieder (I thought it odd that she did not mention Ms. Upshaw's English repertoire for my part), Kathleen Battle, although she is a diva, and she provided this last attribute to the soprano, and someone with a "funny name," if I may borrow her description, whom she could not recall. I have a feeling that these are not her only favorites, for how could they be with the art of opera possessing so many talented performers? She did not include Renee Fleming in her list, and I said nothing of her, either, for I did not desire to seem rude by making my preferences known without them first being solicited.

Thank you for reading. I plan to soon include a list of things that readers might like to know about me, so look forward to it in the near future, and feel free to remind me of things you would like to see on it.

-Tyler.

Something Worth Knowing

2009-07-06T14:05:00.002-05:00

My readers may remember that Poteet Theatre went to compete in Washington at the National AACT Festival in Tacoma in June. As we expected they would, they came back with some awards which amounted to our production being given third place out all of the nation's community theatre companies that participated in their local community theatre competitions. In Tacoma there were twelve companies that were invited to compete, and any military base can enter a production.

Poteet's production of John and Jen was invited to an international competition in Heidelberg, Germany, and if we raise enough money, we are going to present it there in October! Of course, being an opera aficionado, I would have to visit some opera house in close proximity to the festival besides immersing myself in the local culture. From thence it is 2 hours and 44 minutes to Bayreuth, which is the home of Richard Wagner's famed opera house. The Stuutgart Oper is even closer at 1 hour and 17 minutes away. Unfortunately, I do not think that they have anything showing in October, and besides this small disappointment, I do not think that I could even dare to venture to Europe since my parents just watched the movie Taken.

Thank you for perusing this post.
-Tyler.

Happy Independence Day

2009-07-06T13:34:00.002-05:00

Today, even though I am posting this later than the traditional holiday, I would like to remind my readers about their freedoms and how precious they are. We are blessed to live in such a country where we have such liberties as we are afforded and where we may represent ourselves in our government. There are many of us who believe that our government is trying to take these common rights from us, and whether they are or not, we must still defend them, for they are ours to possess. Indeed, there has been no other civilization to offer its citizens such liberty as as ours has been founded upon, and we must carefully guard our government against those who would say that our government should have complete control over us; moreover, let us recall that it is we, the American populace, who provide them with whatever power over us we wish them to exercise. This power should not be employed to protect us from ourselves, but rather to protect us from further tyrannization from either outside sources or own ambitious people. I thank all of those who attempt to accomplish this end. I also extend my gratitude to all of those who fight for our country to protect us from whatever foreign power who wishes our demise. If it were not for these dedicated individuals, it is certain that our country would have been long since seized by invaders who would force unthinkable conditions upon us. I pray for God's blessing upon all of you. May you all return safely home soon, and for those who do not, we all mourn greatly for our loss.

Thank you all for reading.
-Tyler.

Playing Catch Up

2009-06-26T22:04:00.005-05:00

For all of the followers and readers of my blog posts who peruse my blog with any frequency, you may have noticed that I have not posted with any regularity of late. This is for the simple reason that I have not had adequate time to devote to a worthy post. With rehearsals for Fiddler on the Roof, every spare minute that I have possess has either been reserved for that or else some industrious occupation.

I received my July issue of Opera News, and I was blessed to receive it since it concerns the topic of education as it relates to every aspect of opera. Naturally this also includes the education of opera singers, and I am glad to say that I read some advice that I hope to remember if God ever provides the means for me to become an opera singer. In addition to this wealth of information, Brian Kellow also included a review of soprano Kate Royal's newest release, Midsummer Night. In her lower register she sounds like Renee Fleming, and here it bears mention that she includes two of Renee's signature arias on this recording, those being Dvorak's Song to the Moon and Erich Korngold's "Marietta's Lied," but in her higher notes she has more of an edge to her timbre, which gives her a flexibility in genres.

Poteet competes in Tacoma, Washington, tomorrow for the national AACT festival. You may recall that I mentioned that the production had won top honors in its previous competitions at the state and regional levels with our mounting of John and Jen. The staff and cast of the show has been there since the beginning of this week, and from what I have heard, they have been enjoying their sojourn in our country's northwest. It is certain that they are delighted to be rid of the 100 degree temperatures we have had in Oklahoma for the past two weeks, but I have not been quite so blessed since much of my work of late has been in the outdoors.

I have been enjoying the "endless pleasures," if I may borrow the title from one of Handel's arias, of Baroque music. It never ceases to amaze me how new it seems to me each time I sample some jewel, particularly vocal music, from this period or from the beauty of ancient music. Cecilia Bartoli's Opera Proibita and The Vivaldi Album and Renee Fleming's Handel are three of my favorite recordings showcasing this music.

I was fortunate to see a little part of Puccini's Madama Butterfly from the Met's Live in HD series from this season on PBS with Patricia Racette and Marcello Giordani. I must confess that the Bunraku puppet of Trouble became annoying with the two operators of it on the stage at all times. The production itself was rather a good one. I have not seen a better one, but then I have not seen another one, so I cannot say that there is a better one. Unfortunately, I was not able to see even a majority of it because my siblings desired to watch something more suited to their tastes. This reminds me how excellent of a season this past one was for the Met and Renee Fleming fans. I can only imagine how she shall shine in Der Rosenkavalier and Armida. I also cannot wait for her new CD of verismo arias conducted by Marco Armiliato to be released. I have yet to get her latest offering of Strauss's Four Last Songs, but I was more excited when I heard that she was recording this new project with Maestro Armiliato.

Thank you all for reading.
-Tyler.

Other Music Genres And A Wonderful Surprise From The Met

2009-06-16T13:43:00.003-05:00

In reverse logical order, bear me the pardon to address the final subject of my title in the first portion of my post. My readers may recall to their immediate memories that a friend of mine, Jay, went to New York for vacation recently. He sent me a postcard featuring a view of New York harbor with the skyline of Manhattan in the background with a delightful communique on the back of it, but his thinking of me was not limited to that alone; while he was there visiting friends, seeing Broadway shows, and almost relaxing, he made a journey to the Met at Lincoln Center, and he visited their gift shop to buy me some souvenir of his sojourn in that famous metropolis. When I saw him a day after his return home, he presented me with, first, the Met's season book for this season, which absolutely made my day, and, moreover, to add considerably to his personal expense while there, he also bought me the Met's Celebrating 125 Years CD. It has glorious music on it. I have had the immense pleasure of hearing luminary artists from the Met's broadcast history who set the standards for their respective roles. I was so happy that Jay thought of me in such a way, and, of course, I thanked him for his generosity in reciprocal fashion.

As to the other subject of my post, I have been perusing other music genres of late, and I have realized that I have a great liking for early music, especially that which dates from the Medieval and Renaissance periods. If one visits the Alia Vox website, one will hear exceptional music from the latter epoch. Jordi Savall, founder of that label and a gifted strings player, has just released a new Celtic themed album, a preview of which may be heard on BBC Music Magazine's website. It definitely does sound Celtic unlike some of the modern music that claims to be so. Another genre that I have been enjoying is typical New Age piano music. Some of the harmonies, while oftentimes simple, are completely beautiful, and they are excellent at invoking a particular mood. Two selections I would suggest for one to hear are Enya's Drifting and Portrait. They will immediately calm you and make you feel better in generally any situation.

That is all for the present. I hope you are enjoying reading my posts.
-Tyler.

Rehearsals, Work; You Know How It Is

2009-06-01T12:44:00.003-05:00

My title describes the situation of my life exactly except that I neglected to include my academic pursuits, for which I have had little time of late, in it. To begin, then, my sister and I went to our first rehearsal for Fiddler on the Roof last evening, and I was ready for these to commence. We have a cast of about 55, which is a considerable decrease from our regular amount of performers in our summer musicals, but this smaller cast almost makes me think that our show will be even better than previous ones have been. Most of the principals in our show are perfect for their parts, but I am not sure about the others since I have never met them. I think our greatest difficulty shall be mastering our Russian accents. Some of our cast members have likened it to having a lazy tongue with a marble in the front of one's mouth (try saying that with a Russian accent), and it seems to be a comparable analogy for those of us with little experience with Russian. I have finally found a language in which I have no degree of proficiency that I must use. Usually, I can discern what I am saying in any of the Romance and many of the Teutonic languages, but Russian and Finnish are alleged to be two of the most difficult languages to grasp in the world; it is good, then, that I am learning the proper accent to use when speaking this lexicon. Perhaps I shall learn Russian in the future.

As for work, I had it pretty easy in the professional realm this week as my employer was on vacation in New York City seeing shows and visiting with friends. However, my parents decided to capitalize on this period of relaxation for me and remodel part of our kitchen while I was at home. For about the space of a week, the wall separating our kitchen from our bathroom was open, so every spare minute of mine has been devoted to manual or mental labor.

You may recall that I said something about my debut as an author in a recent post. I finished the short history of my local community theatre before the thirtieth of the preceding month. I am largely dissatisfied with the finished product, but there is little that can placate me since I discovered how truly little I knew of the history of the venue while I was writing it. Soon, I shall rewrite it after I interview several people who were influential in creating the history of the theatre, and I am confident that when I understand the facts from the sources, I shall write something worthy of our newly redesigned website, which brings me to my next piece of news. I am one of only three people who have actually seen the new design of our website, and, while it is not online yet, you shall have to take my word for it when I say that it is truly an excellent piece of work. It is such a graceful, elegant departure from what we currently have, and it rivals the sites of some of our more professional theatre companies in the state.

As for opera, a subject which is difficult to follow in the summer months, let me say that I wish that I could go and see Dawn Upshaw in recital in Virginia. There was an advertisement for it in the May issue of Opera News, I believe. Her voice is so pure, and her range is almost unbelievable. I wish she would sing in an opera at the Met. The role I would love to hear her sing is Ilia in Mozart's Idomeneo. I would also think that her voice would be ideal for the Handel repertoire. Listen to her in this video on YouTube of her singing With Darkness Deep from Theodora.

One hears and understands every syllable she sings, and usually sopranos have trouble with their diction in English, but Ms. Upshaw clearly does not. She is also an accomplished singer in the realm of Broadway's repertoire. She does not disappoint in this video from Carnegie Hall's Opening Night 2008 in celebration of Leonard Bernstein's 90th birthday. She sings with Christine Ebersole, Thomas Hampson, and (yes, really) conductor Micheal Tilson Thomas. Yo-yo Ma was also there, and he played an amazing cello solo.

I hope you have enjoyed this post, and thank you for reading.
-Tyler.

I Must Have Impeccable Musical Affinity And Some Talent

2009-05-23T21:01:00.004-05:00

I am sorry that I have been away for so long a time, but working for an average of thirteen hours a day for the past week is not exactly conducive to blogging, so I have not been able to post much of late.

In any event, in regards to my rather lengthy title, I have been playing music on a boom box where I work, and every time someone walks into the room where I am laboring, they ask to what I am listening. I am usually enjoying the pleasures of Renee Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, or Magdalena Kozena's beautiful singing, but I occasionally have other things playing, such as Trans-Siberian-Orchestra. They all seem to enjoy whatever I am offering. I think that I should start charging admission to hear my music and give pre-performance talks, and it would become a recital!

One of the other perks of my job is that I get to play a Steinway grand piano generally whenever I desire. I feel that my piano playing is improving with my continued practice. I am trying to learn Johannes Brahams' Intermezzo in A Major, Opus 43, one of my favorite piano pieces to hear. Melody Brown's interpretation of the work on The 5 Browns most recent CD Browns in Blue is simply gorgeous.

That is all for the present. Thank you for reading.
-Tyler.

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My Favorite Productions of the 2011-2012 Metropolitan Opera Season

The Result of My Contribution to Literature on the Arts

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A Perfect Respite from Ordinary Life

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OPERA NEWS - The New Masterpieces

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Sarah Coburn's Recital- The Three B's: Baroque, Bel Canto, and Beyond

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A Random Conversation...

Things For Which I Am Thankful

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The Coming Season, Part Two

The Coming Season Brings Great Joy To My Ears (And Hopefully My Eyes)

A Grand Return...

Something Worth Knowing

Happy Independence Day

Playing Catch Up

Other Music Genres And A Wonderful Surprise From The Met

Rehearsals, Work; You Know How It Is

I Must Have Impeccable Musical Affinity And Some Talent