This Is Not The End Of The World
The Met's Braodcast Season, the primary way through which I am able to experience the luxury of opera, ends in two weeks. I have missed half of the Ring cycle for various reasons, but I am still looking forward to listening to the last half. I hear from the Associated Press, who's knowledge of how opera ought to be performed is questionable to me, that the Met's replacement for soprano Christine Brewer in the role of Brunnhilde, Irene Theorin, is not doing well in her debut role. I want to hear Theorin for myself before I form an opinion. Anyone who has heard Theorin in this run at the Met could inform me as to what I should expect.
However, despite the Met's Broadcast Season ending in two weeks, there are still some excellent performances left in their season. Last evening at 8:00 P.M., they offered Verdi's Rigoletto starring Joseph Calleja and Diana Damrau. I would have loved to hear this cast earlier in the season. I heard Calleja's Duke last season on the broadcast, and his tenor is a beautiful lyric one. As for Damrau, little is required for me to say in her honor. I love hearing every performance of hers that I can. Let us hope that we are allowed to hear her next season as Marie in La Fille du Regiment in the broadcast season.
Easter Sunday went well for me. My family, including two extended branches of it, were camping together. As you may have heard, our state of Oklahoma received great amounts of rain. We were able to dodge the rain that drenched our state by coming home a day early. However, we did not do anything to observe the sacred holiday except to watch a Biblical movie. If the decision had been put to me, I should have elected that we had went to a service somewhere and sung a Liturgic Mass, and that preferrably in Latin in accordance with the old customs (Before you all frown in disdain, I may remind you that I am a singer with a healthy curiosity for a broad range of classical vocal music.).
The Audition, a film that follows and documents the Met's National Council Grand Finals Concert, specifically the performers of that event, from, I believe, 2007 is going to be released in four days! I hope that I may go see it, but my record of seeing anything, especially anything related to opera, at the cinema is not very laudable. Let us hope and pray that I break this cursed cycle. This documentary, which I call a recital by young performers, should be exciting if only for the performance of Ah, mes amis by one of the tenors. If everyone else is terrible, and I highly doubt that, and that tenor nails his aria to the wall, the entire two hours will be worth it. After the movie, I understand that Renee Fleming hosts a panel discussion with Thomas Hampson and Susan Graham about what it is like to be involved in an audition of this importance. I really want to see this part.
Tonight, in a rare occurence, my local PBS station is showing Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor from the Met's Live in HD series. My mother tells me I may be allowed to watch it depending upon what the other members of the family desire to view. I shall have to inform you as to how that goes.
Lest my readers forget, we still have one more Live in HD event scheduled for this season. On May 9th (write that down!) we get to see Elina Garanca and Lawrence Brownlee in Rossini's La Cenerentola. This promises to be an excellent performance.
Well at least we know that the end of my world has been delayed for a month.
-Tyler.
However, despite the Met's Broadcast Season ending in two weeks, there are still some excellent performances left in their season. Last evening at 8:00 P.M., they offered Verdi's Rigoletto starring Joseph Calleja and Diana Damrau. I would have loved to hear this cast earlier in the season. I heard Calleja's Duke last season on the broadcast, and his tenor is a beautiful lyric one. As for Damrau, little is required for me to say in her honor. I love hearing every performance of hers that I can. Let us hope that we are allowed to hear her next season as Marie in La Fille du Regiment in the broadcast season.
Easter Sunday went well for me. My family, including two extended branches of it, were camping together. As you may have heard, our state of Oklahoma received great amounts of rain. We were able to dodge the rain that drenched our state by coming home a day early. However, we did not do anything to observe the sacred holiday except to watch a Biblical movie. If the decision had been put to me, I should have elected that we had went to a service somewhere and sung a Liturgic Mass, and that preferrably in Latin in accordance with the old customs (Before you all frown in disdain, I may remind you that I am a singer with a healthy curiosity for a broad range of classical vocal music.).
The Audition, a film that follows and documents the Met's National Council Grand Finals Concert, specifically the performers of that event, from, I believe, 2007 is going to be released in four days! I hope that I may go see it, but my record of seeing anything, especially anything related to opera, at the cinema is not very laudable. Let us hope and pray that I break this cursed cycle. This documentary, which I call a recital by young performers, should be exciting if only for the performance of Ah, mes amis by one of the tenors. If everyone else is terrible, and I highly doubt that, and that tenor nails his aria to the wall, the entire two hours will be worth it. After the movie, I understand that Renee Fleming hosts a panel discussion with Thomas Hampson and Susan Graham about what it is like to be involved in an audition of this importance. I really want to see this part.
Tonight, in a rare occurence, my local PBS station is showing Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor from the Met's Live in HD series. My mother tells me I may be allowed to watch it depending upon what the other members of the family desire to view. I shall have to inform you as to how that goes.
Lest my readers forget, we still have one more Live in HD event scheduled for this season. On May 9th (write that down!) we get to see Elina Garanca and Lawrence Brownlee in Rossini's La Cenerentola. This promises to be an excellent performance.
Well at least we know that the end of my world has been delayed for a month.
-Tyler.
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