Monday, March 25, 2013

Listen LIVE Renee Fleming, Streetcar Named Desire

Listen LIVE Renee Fleming, Streetcar Named Desire in Chicago

Live on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, 7:15 pm Central Time at WFMT

A Streetcar Named Desire, Andre Previn

BLANCHE DUBOIS - Renée Fleming
STELLA KOWALSKI - Susanna Phillips
STANLEY KOWALSKI - Teddy Tahu Rhodes*
HAROLD MITCHELL (MITCH) - Anthony Dean Griffey
Also Featuring
Domenic Armstrong*, Jane Bunnell, Andrew Bidlack*
Conductor - Evan Rogister
Director - Brad Dalton*

Renee Fleming in Chicago

Renee Fleming makes the case for ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ opera
BY KYLE MACMILLAN
March 21, 2013 8:26PM ‘
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE’
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Friday and April 3; 2 p.m. April 6
Where: Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker
Updated: March 24, 2013 9:08PM

‘I want magic!” declares Blanche DuBois, Tennessee Williams’ tragic heroine, in the operatic adaptation of “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The read the rest of the article "Renee Fleming makes the case for A Streetcar Named Desire" opera

Saturday, March 23, 2013

A Streetcar Named Desire

Renée Fleming in ‘Streetcar Named Desire,’ at Carnegie Hall
 By ANTHONY TOMMASINI
Published New York Times: March 15, 2013 
Even with her star power, the soprano Renée Fleming has never been able to entice the Metropolitan Opera into mounting the work that André Previn wrote especially for her, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” adapted from the Tennessee Williams play, with a libretto by Philip Littell. The San Francisco Opera presented the premiere in 1998, and though audiences over all were excited, the critical reaction was decidedly mixed. There have been subsequent productions at international companies. But nothing in New York.
 Full New York Times Article "Blanche Meets Stanley Anew, Reintroduced as Opera"  

Key Arias  
A Streetcar Named Desire - "I can smell the sea air" - Renee Fleming
   
Renee Fleming's "Magic"

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Placido Domingo in 'Il Postino" LA Opera, September 2010. Selected Reviews

Naked ambition in world premiere of new Placido Domingo opera
September 24, 2010

But the biggest visual talker is probably the unexpected sighting early in the first act that can be deduced by looking at the adjacent, fit-for-print photo. Especially riveting was that this moment unfolded slowly, and quite literally, in the hands of the world’s most celebrated living tenor.

First, a couple notes:

The nudity is contextual, and drawn from Plácido Domingo’s role as Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. He sings a passage to his on-stage wife that taps into a famous Neruda love poem called "Sonnet XXVII," that begins “Naked, you are as simple as one of your hands…”
Tickets and schedule information at:
Il Postino, L.A. Opera, September 2010

Domingo's tenor lifts respectable, but too literal, 'Il Postino' by Daniel Catán
Washington Post
It's certainly a rewarding role for Domingo. The 69-year-old multitasker is always on the lookout for appropriate roles in between his duties as head of the Los Angeles Opera (where this is his fourth mainstage commission) and the Washington National Opera (where his sole new commission was for the young-artist program). The exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, in the opera as in Michael Radford's 1994 movie, is an aging but still-sexy artist pondering life and art and his legacy. He is world-renowned and has magnetic charisma. Sound familiar?

Opera review: L.A. Opera premieres 'Il Postino'
San Francisco Chronicle

But Catán's great success here is his conception of the character of Neruda, and how perfectly it suits Domingo's artistic personality at this stage in his career. Like Domingo himself, Neruda embodies a fascinating combination of youthful romanticism and the canniness and authority of middle age.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Placido Domingo, Simon Boccanegra, Verdi, New York

Simon Boccanegra
Approximate running time 3 hrs. 19 min.
Five decades into a legendary Met career, Plácido Domingo makes history singing the baritone title role. With James Levine on the podium, Adrianne Pieczonka, Marcello Giordani, and James Morris star in Verdi’s gripping political thriller.

More Information at Met Opera

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Top 5 Placido Domingo's Youtube Videos - All Time

The following are the most watched (all time)Placido Domingo's videos on Youtube up to December 9, 2009

1. Perhaps Love - John Denver & Placido Domingo. 1,094,661 views




2. Nessun Dorma - Placido Domingo. 1,023,018 views




3. Placido Domingo Directing Sarah Chang, Massenet - Meditation from Thais. Berliner Philharmoniker. 580,820 views




4. LA TRAVIATA - Brindisi from Act I of La Traviata. 566,445 views




5. Nessun Dorma Three Tenors 1994 Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti. 351,951 views

Monday, December 7, 2009

Plácido Domingo, 40th Anniversary Gala, Teatro alla Scala, Milan, December 9 2009

Updated December 12, 2009
They stood and clapped...for 20 minutes

Even La Scala's notoriously particular audience held their boos as Domingo said goodbye to Milan
By Michael Day in Milan
Saturday, 12 December 2009
EPA / LA SCALA

Placido Domingo acknowledges a rapturous ovation on the 40th anniversary of his debut at La Scala in Milan. One critic said he still had a voice 'stronger than most 30-somethings'

It finished fittingly, with La Scala's audience on its feet, clapping and cheering deliriously for 20 minutes as its favourite tenor tearfully acknowledged the applause and flowers rained down on him.


Full article from The Independent


Updated December 10, 2009
Gala Plácido Domingo - Scala - Applausi finali



Teatro alla Scala Orchestra
Plácido Domingo Gala

For the 40th anniversary of
Plácido Domingo's debut at La Scala
December 2009: 09 (20:00)

News Reports on Placido Domingo 40th Anniversary Gala:

IL GRAN GALÀ PER PLACIDO DOMINGO ALLA "SCALA"
Il tenore spagnolo, il 9 dicembre, festeggerà 40 anni di carriera sulle note di Richard Wagner
Al Teatro alla Scala il 9 dicembre un concerto straordinario per celebrare i 40 anni dal debutto di Placido Domingo sullo storico palcoscenico milanese.
Source: Milano Web


Domingo: «I miei primi 40 anni»
Gran Galà alla Scala per festeggiare il tenore, che canta il primo atto della wagneriana «Die Walküre»
Source: Corriere della Sera > milano > Concerti e locali > Domingo: «I miei primi 40 anni»

You can view a selection of Placido Domingo performaces alla Scala on Youtube at:Placido Domingo performaces at Scala

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Placido Domingo Honors Juan Diego Florez, Los Angeles, December 2009

Placido Domingo Awards Dinner Honors Juan Diego Florez

From the LA Times"
Digressing from his prepared remarks, Domingo said he has been singing opera for 50 years, beginning as Borsa in "Rigoletto" at the National Opera in Mexico City. "You can imagine how many singers I have heard," he said, before launching into praise for Flórez for "the beauty of his voice, the ability of his coloratura, his great personality and the amazing height of the high notes."


Source: Placido Domingo Awards Dinner Honors Juan Diego Florez

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Juan Diego Florez, 'Barber of Seville', Rossini, Los Angeles, December 2009

First reviews for Barber of Seville at LA Opera are in:

  • From the LA Times

  • "The big draw is Juan Diego Flórez (he of the high Cs), making his debut in an L.A. Opera production. As the Count, who disguises himself in order to win the ward of an overbearing lecherous old doctor, the Peruvian tenor goes through his many escapades tossing off vocal flourishes left and right as he athletically covers the stage and hops on tables. His sensationally versatile voice is on the slender side for the Chandler, but his arias brought down the house."

    Source: Opera Review: 'Barber of Seville' at L.A. Opera


  • From Concerto Net

  • Making his Los Angeles Opera debut is Peruvian Juan Diego Flórez as the dashing and mischievous Count Almaviva. He has it all: good looks, incredible acting, and, most of all, a buttery tenor voice. His meticulousness is sung in every note, and it is executed with such rapid clarity, most clearly demonstrated in the oft omitted aria in Act II, “Cessa di più resistere”. It is no wonder that Juan Diego Flórez is justifiably today’s “king” of bel canto.

    Source: A Stunning Blockbuster: Barber of Seville at LA Opera

    For more information, visit The Barber of Seville at LA Opera

    A clip of The Barber of Seville at LA Opera:

    Friday, November 27, 2009

    Placido Domingo, Los Angeles, Tamerlano, Handel, November 2009

    href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/11/opera-review-tamerlano-at-la-opera.html" target="_blank">Opera review: 'Tamerlano' at L.A. Opera
    Los Angeles Times
    November 22, 2009 3:10 pm

    For all the work’s virtues, the main reason that Los Angeles Opera has mounted a production of Handel’s “Tamerlano” is that tenor Plácido Domingo recently added the role of Bajazet to his repertory.

    Bajazet is not the title character, but he may be opera’s first truly heroic tenor. The role provides a wide range of emotion that Domingo exploited with compelling power at the opera's opening Saturday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

    A preview of Placido Domingo's Role as Bajazet is available in youtube
    Placido Domingo, Tamerlano, Madrid May 2009.

    Monday, August 31, 2009

    Who is Winning Domingo, Carreras, Florez, Villazon on Google Searches?

    Find below atrend chart on Google searches for each of the 4 tenors. Placido Domingo searches winning for the past 12 months. Also picking up substantially on his participation singing "Panis Angelicus" in Sen. Edward Keendy funeral mass.

    Saturday, August 29, 2009

    Placido Domingo, Boston, August 29 2009, Panis Angelicus

    FUNERAL DE EDWARD "TED" KENNEDY PARTE 9 PLACIDO DOMINGO

    Saturday, August 22, 2009

    Juan Diego Florez, Salzburg, Wien, Austria, August 24, 2009

    2009 Salzburg Festival
    August 24, 2009

    Lied Recital 6 • Aria Recital
    Juan Diego Flórez, Tenor
    Vincenzo Scalera, Piano

    Program of the Concert


    Bel Canto with Adrenaline

    It is not alone the virtuoso production of high notes that constitutes Flórez’ great bel canto art. “I want people to notice everything I sing in between as well,” he never ceases to point out. His opera performances are marked by an endless breath for legato phrases and a stage presence that transports great feelings. This was very apparent at the 2002 Salzburg Festival at concert performances of Rossini’s La donna del lago.

    Full article in Salzburg Festival's Daily

    Anna Netrebko, Salzburg, Wien, Austria, August 17, 2009

    Updated August 24, 2009

    For those fluent in german, here is a review of the concert from WALTER DOBNER (Die Presse)

    Salzburger Festspiele: Russische Lieder mit Netrebko

    Primadonnenprominenz und Pianistenglanz bei zwei Liederabenden: Anna Netrebko mit Daniel Barenboim, Magdalena Kozená mit Mitsuko Uchida

    Künstler wollen nicht nur geliebt, sondern auch geschätzt werden. Die Tendenz, künstlerische Ereignisse zu gesellschaftlichen Events umzudeuten, wenn nicht sogar umzufunktionieren, erfüllt einen also mit Sorge. Kaum war der Liederabend von Anna Netrebko angekündigt, haben es manche bereits taxfrei zum (Gesellschafts-)Ereignis dieser Salzburger Festspiele erhoben. Schließlich begann Netrebkos Karriere an der Salzach: 2002 als Donna Anna in „Don Giovanni“. Als Violetta in Verdis „La traviata“ hat sie 2005 diesen Erfolg noch überboten.




    Salzburg Festival
    August 17, 2009
    Lied Recital 4
    Anna Netrebko, Soprano
    Daniel Barenboim, Piano

    Program of the Concert

    Monday, August 17, 2009

    Natalie Dessay, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, July/August 2009

    Natalie Dessay is playing the role of Violeta on Verdi's Traviata at the Santa Fe Opera on the following dates:
    July 2009: 3, 8, 11, 17 & 24
    August 2009: 4, 11, 17, 22, 26 & 29

    Opera / Santa Fe, USA
    Verdi: La Traviata
    Role : Violetta
    Saimir Pirgu, Keith Jameson, Laurent Naouri, Anthony Michaels-Moore, Wayne Tigges, Harold Wilson
    Conductor: Frederic Chaslin
    Director: Laurent Pelly

    A review of 'La Traviata' by the Santa Fe New Mexican noted that:
    "Dessay has waited some years to sing Violetta, and it's our luck she decided to perform it here first. The role is famously difficult vocally, so taking it on outside the Chicago-New York-London-Paris circuit was perhaps a factor. On the other hand, SFO can offer the world-famous soprano the concentrated rehearsal time she prefers for every project, plus the kind of intelligent colleagues she demands.

    Not that there wasn't plenty of compelling singing. The fleet coloratura flourishes in the "Sempre libera" scene were as vital as Violetta's anguished, lyric sorrow later. Her dying wisps of sound in the last act seemed like they already came from another world. Even a few tiny breaks in the voice here and there, especially on soft high notes, were deftly incorporated into the character and the moment. It was an interpretation to remember and cherish.


    Source: "La Traviata Opens SFO Season with Power and Passion", Santa Fe New Mexican

    Friday, August 14, 2009

    Plácido Domingo, Pécs, Hungary, August 2009. Operalia Gála 2009

    Plácido Domingo & Alexey Kudrya - Au fond du Temple Saint, "Les Pêcheurs de perles" George Bizet - Pécs (Hungary) Operalia Gála 2009



    Video provided by Akire6220. At this Youtube channel you can find another, high quality, 8 videos of Operalia Gala 2009.

    Erwin Schrott, Wien, Austria, August 2009

    Don Giovanni
    Theater an der Wien
    Wien - Austria
    Dates: 01, 04, 06, 08, 11, & 14 Aug 2009

    In the article Sex and blood and Mozart Don Giovanni, review of Schrott performance:

    Much of the credit goes to Erwin Schrott, a.k.a. Mr. Anna Netrebko.

    Built like a god, and with a voice to match, Schrott's Don Giovanni captivated the sellout crowd in the sculpted and gilt theater on the banks of Vienna's huge farmer's market.

    Tuesday, August 11, 2009

    Juan Diego Florez, Pesaro, Italy, August 2009

    August 2009 Dates Dates 09, 12, 15, 18

    Updated: August 14, 2009

    From today's Telegraph, Rossini Opera Festival, review

    Returning to the place that propelled him to fame, Juan Diego Flórez delivers laser-like top notes as Zelmira's husband, Ilo.


    Posted: August 12, 2009
    Zelmira
    Pesaro, Italy
    Rossini Opera Festival

    Adriatic Arena
    Domenica 9 agosto, ore 20.00
    Mercoledì 12 agosto, ore 20.00
    Sabato 15 agosto, ore 20.00
    Martedì 18 agosto, ore 20.00
    ZELMIRA
    Dramma per musica in due atti di Andrea Leone Tottola Edizione critica della Fondazione Rossini, in collaborazione con Universal Music Publishing Ricordi,
    a cura di Helen Greenwald e Kathleen Kuzmick Hansell.
    Versione Parigi 1826
    Direttore ROBERTO ABBADO
    Regia GIORGIO BARBERIO CORSETTI
    Scene GIORGIO BARBERIO CORSETTI, CRISTIAN TARABORRELLI
    Costumi CRISTIAN TARABORRELLI, ANGELA BUSCEMI
    Progetto luci GIANLUCA CAPPELLETTI
    Interpreti
    Polidoro ALEX ESPOSITO
    Zelmira KATE ALDRICH
    Ilo JUAN DIEGO FLÓREZ
    Antenore GREGORY KUNDE
    Emma MARIANNA PIZZOLATO
    Leucippo MIRCO PALAZZI
    Eacide FRANCISCO BRITO
    Gran Sacerdote SÁVIO SPERANDIO
    ORCHESTRA E CORO DEL TEATRO COMUNALE DI BOLOGNA
    Maestro del Coro Paolo Vero
    Nuova produzione

    Friday, August 7, 2009

    Top 20 Tenors. 20th Century

    The Spanish newspaper La Nueva España publishes a methodology and list to select and rank the Top 20 Tenors of the 20th Century. The list is as follows:

    1) Benjamino Gigli (Italia, estuvo activo entre 1914 y 1955);
    2) Alfredo Kraus (España, 1956-1999);
    3) Enrico Caruso (Italia, 1895-1919);
    4) Tito Schipa (Italia, 1909-1960);
    5) Aureliano Pertile (Italia, 1916-1946);
    6) Miguel Fleta (España, 1919-1936);
    7) Franco Corelli (Italia, 1950-1976);
    8) Jussi Bjorling (Suecia, 1938-1960);
    9) Carlo Bergonzi (Italia, 1947-2000);
    10)Nicolai Gedda (Suecia, 1952-2003);
    11)Giacomo Lauri-Volpi (Italia, 1919-1975);
    12)Mario del Monaco (Italia, 1940-1975);
    13)Fritz Wunderlich (Alemania, 1956-1966);
    14)Lauritz Melchior (Dinamarca, 1913-1966);
    15)Luciano Pavarotti (Italia, 1966-2006);
    16)Giuseppe di Stefano (Italia, 1946-1960);
    17)Plácido Domingo (España, 1959-aún en activo);
    18)Helge Rosvaenge (Dinamarca, 1921-1959);
    19)Richard Tucker (Estados Unidos, 1941-1975), y
    20)Richard Tauber (Austria, 1932-1942).

    Saturday, August 1, 2009

    Placido Domingo, Mallorca, Spain, August 4 2009

    Palma de Mallorca, Spain
    August 4, 2009
    Palma Arena
    Concert with Ana Maria Martinez, Orquesta Classica de Mallorca
    Eugene Kohn, conductor

    Updated August 7, 2009

    Plácido Domingo, Granada, Agustín Lara




    Plácido Domingo, 50 años en el escenario