johnrpierce.com Blog

December 28, 2010

December 28, 2010

Filed under: Juan Diego Florez — Administrator @ 4:07 pm

“Juan Diego Flórez, realizará un concierto en el parque arqueológico de Machu Picchu este 8 de abril, por el centenario del descubrimiento de la ciudadela inca, así lo señaló el ministro de Cultura, Juan Ossio Acuña.”–lamula.pe

Juan Diego Flórez will take part in a concert at the site of Machu Picchu in Peru on April 8, 2011, in connection with the centenary of its discovery, it has been reported.

UPDATE January 12, 2010: This report is untrue, says Juan Diego Flórez’s manager, reports an article in Spanish at elcomercio.pe.

December 25, 2010

Diva, Divo — Joyce DiDonato

Filed under: Joyce DiDonato — Administrator @ 9:24 pm

Joyce DiDonato’s new CD is scheduled for release in the United States on January 25, 2011.

Track Listings
1. Chérubin: Je suis gris! Je suis ivre!
2. Giunse alfin il omento… – Le Nozze di Figaro
3. Deh, vieni, non tardar- Le Nozze di Figaro
4. Se mai senti spirarti sul volto- La Clemenza di Tito
5. Ecco il punto, o Vitellia- La Clemenza di Tito
6. Non più di fiori- La Clemenza di Tito
7. Voi che sapete- Le Nozze di Figaro
8. Il barbiere di Siviglia: Contro un cor- Il Barbiere di Siviglia, ‘(The) Barber of Seville’
9. Faust: Faites-lui mes aveux
10. La Damnation de Faust: D’amour l’ardente flamme- La Damnation de Faust Op. 24
11. Roméo et Juliette: Premiers transports que nul n’oublie
12. I Capuleti e i Montecchi: Ascolta! Se Romeo t’uccise un figlio…- La tremenda ultrice spada
13. Cendrillon: Allez, laissez-moi seul…- Coeur sans amour, printemps sans roses
14. La Cenerentola: Nacqui all’affanno
15. Ariane: Ô frêle corps… Chère Cypris
16. Ariadne auf Naxos: Seien wir wieder gut!

Product description:

Joyce DiDonato’s capacity for characterization is as astounding as the range and flexibility of her voice. This new collection showcases DiDonato’s multi-faceted art, and the wealth of opportunities open to a mezzo-soprano by presenting her as different characters- both male and female- from the same opera story.

As DiDonato explains: “This recital celebrates the vast and fabulous world of the mezzo-soprano. Aside from the obvious Toscas or Cio-Cio Sans, I’ve never regretted the length of my vocal cords! I have the privilege and unmitigated joy of playing boys and young men, as well as girls and grown women …
It’s an exploration of the human palette of emotions.”

The program features several roles that DiDonato has sung on stage, such as Rossini’s Cenerentola, Bellini’s Romeo, and Mozart’s Cherubino. The ‘flip sides’ of those characters are roles that have not been featured in her repertoire: the Prince from Massenet’s Chérubin; the Nurse from Berlioz’s Roméo
et Juliette, and both Chérubin (from Massenet’s ‘sequel’ to Le nozze di Figaro) and Susanna. The Figaro connection continues with an excerpt from Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rosina, of course, later becomes Countess Almaviva), while the other operas on the program, include La clemenza di Tito (Sesto and
Vitellia), Faust, La Damnation de Faust, Mefistofele, Orphée et Eurydice, Orfeo, and Orphée aux Enfers.

Accompanying Joyce DiDonato in this tour de force is the Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Lyon under the company’s Principal Conductor Kazushi Ono, another artist who successfully embraces an extraordinary diversity of musical idioms.

amazon.com


Diva Divo / Joyce Didonato, CD, arkivmusic.com

CD, amazon.co.uk

MP3, amazon.fr

CD, amazon.de

December 25, 2010

Filed under: Peter Mattei — Administrator @ 7:10 pm

Peter Mattei sings O Helga Natt ( O Holy Night) in the Hedvig Eleonora Kyrkan, Stockholm Dec 19 2010

December 24, 2010

The Met’s Doctor Atomic on DVD

Filed under: Gerald Finley — Administrator @ 8:29 pm

Adams: Doctor Atomic

The Met’s Doctor Atomic is scheduled for release on DVD in the United States on January 25, 2011.

Performers: Richard Paul Fink (Bass Baritone), Eric Owens (Baritone), Sasha Cooke (Mezzo Soprano),
Gerald Finley (Baritone), Thomas Glenn (Tenor)
Conductor: Alan Gilbert
Orchestra/Ensemble: Metropolitan Opera Chorus, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

DVD, amazon.com


Adams: Doctor Atomic / Gilbert, Finley, Cooke, Fink, Glenn, Metropolitan Opera, DVD, arkivmusic.com

December 24, 2010

Filed under: Peter Mattei — Administrator @ 4:49 pm

Broadway-Melodien / Mélodies de Broadway
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
16 December 2006

Peter Mattei (baritone)

Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano) and Alison Balsom (trumpet) perform Gershwin’s “They Can’t Take That Away from Me”, from the 1937 film Shall We Dance, in an arrangement by Barry Forgie commissioned by the BBC.

Broadway-Melodien / Mélodies de Broadway
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
16 December 2006

Peter Mattei (baritone)
Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo-soprano)

A 1989 DVD of Boito’s Mefistofele had quite the cast, at least according to amazon.co.uk: Walter Cronkite, Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, Nathan Lane, and Andrea Bocelli. And one of the customer reviews says there’s a lot of nudity!

December 23, 2010

December 23, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Administrator @ 11:28 am

Tim Pfaff of Bay Area Reporter lists the best classical releases of the year 2010.

Sony & the Metropolitan Opera

Filed under: Franco Corelli,Opera — Administrator @ 12:04 am

On January 25, 2011 (January 17 in Germany!), Sony will be issuing recordings of some Metropolitan Opera performances of the mid twentieth century. They will include:

Gounod: Roméo et Juliette. Performers: Jussi Björling (Tenor), Nicola Moscona (Bass), Bidu Sayao (Soprano),
Mimi Benzell (Voice), John Brownlee (Baritone), Claramae Turner (Alto),
Thomas Hayward (Tenor).
Conductor: Emil Cooper. Date: 02/01/1947

CD, amazon.com

CD, amazon.co.uk

CD, amazon.ca

CD, amazon.fr

CD, amazon.de


Gounod: Romeo Et Juliette / Bjorling, Sayao, Brownlee, Cooper, Metropolitan Opera, arkivmusic.com

Puccini: La Bohème. Performers: Clifford Harvuot (Baritone), Carlo Bergonzi (Tenor), Laurel Hurley (Soprano),
Norman Scott (Bass), Licia Albanese (Soprano), Mario Sereni (Baritone).
Conductor: Thomas Schippers. Date: 02/15/1958.

CD, amazon.com

CD, amazon.co.uk

CD, amazon.de


Puccini: La Boheme / Albanese, Bergonzi, Schippers, Metropolitan Opera, arkivmusic.com

Puccini: Tosca. Performers: Leontyne Price (Soprano), Franco Corelli (Tenor), Cornell MacNeil (Baritone).
Conductor: Kurt Adler. Date: 04/07/1962.

CD, amazon.com

CD, amazon.co.uk

CD, amazon.de


Puccini: Tosca / Price, Corelli, MacNeil, Adler, Metropolitan Opera, arkivmusic.com

Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Performers: Jerome Hines (Bass Baritone), Giuseppe Valdengo (Bass Baritone), Lily Pons (Soprano),
Salvatore Baccaloni (Bass), Giuseppe Di Stefano (Tenor).
Conductor: Alberto Erede. Date: 12/16/1950.

CD, amazon.com

CD, amazon.co.uk

CD, amazon.de


Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia / Pons, Di Stefano, Valdengo, Erede, Metropolitan Opera, arkivmusic.com

December 22, 2010

Yulia Lezhneva

Filed under: Uncategorized — Administrator @ 2:29 pm

I’m posting a video of Yulia Lezhneva, also known as Julia Lezhneva, since she is popular with visitors who come here via Google.

December 22, 2010

Filed under: Matthew Polenzani,Uncategorized — Administrator @ 12:47 pm

Dorothy Kirsten and The Young Americans sing “Joy to the World.” The Firestone Orchestra is conducted by Irwin Kostal. This is from the 1965 Firestone Christmas LP (volume 4).

This just in from the Met's press office: “Matthew Polenzani will sing the role of Alfredo in La Traviata for all performances this season. For the January 19, 22, 26 and 29 performances, Polenzani replaces Francesco Meli, who has withdrawn due to illness.”–parterre.com

December 21, 2010

December 21, 2010

Filed under: Iestyn Davies — Administrator @ 10:02 am

Iestyn “Davies scooped the pool in this year’s Royal Philharmonic Society awards after a string of brilliant operatic performances, and his voice is now acquiring a clarion quality. Looking like a thoroughly dissolute fallen angel, he sang here like one from heaven; his delivery of 'He shall feed his flock', over shuddering strings, was one of the evening's many magical moments.”–Michael Church reviewing the Early Opera Company’s The Messiah performance for the Independent, 5 stars

Gramophone magazine has listed the 20 best choirs.

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