Ariodante at Carnegie Hall

View from row G slight right, 3rd balcony, Carnegie Hall

I will start the report with the photo of our view, to give the reader an idea how far up we were, because most of what I discuss will be entirely dependent on it. I once wrote about my experience listening to Bach Matthäuspassion in the large Boston Symphony Hall, and I think much of it is applicable here. I think for Händel music (baroque, early) it is crucial to hear the voice well because these singers are known for their descriptive singing. Thus to assess it as “i can hear her” is not sufficient and would be a dis-service. Based on this, I think the 3rd Balcony in the Carnegie Hall is too far for this type of intimate music, and relately, I think the acoustic is also not the best. Either that or the orchestra needs to be much more quiet if one can hope to hear the singer’s piano lines (can you?) . You can hear the singers quite well, yes. But at the descriptive level befitting their attention/effort, I am not sure.

Carnegie Hall, 30/Apr/2017
Händel Ariodante
The English Concert, Harry Bicket
Ariodante: Joyce DiDonato
Ginevra: Christiane Karg
Polinesso: Sonia Prina
Dalinda: Mary Bevan
King of Scotland: Matthew Brook
Lurcanio: David Portillo
Odoardo: Tyson Miller

So, with that much pretext, let us have a go at my first ever live Prina-extravaganza and 2nd live JDD (1st was Barber of Seville in LA opera waaaay back in 2008(?) when i didn’t know who she was or what I want). This is also my first experience hearing Christiane Karg live, along with the rest of them. The first Act was a little bit “mild” as heard from waaaay above. It’s as if everyone was testing out the sound of the hall and didn’t want to overdo it? The orchestra was soft (as it should be, for a smaller hall) and detailed. Karg started out with a veeeeeerry nice and warm voice! I really love it! I have been more used to hearing sopranos with quite a bit more “ping” (piercing sound) in this role, which might have worked better this far up? She was singing while looking down into the music sheet quite a bit, which somewhat limited the sound projection. From up there, you can hear the significant difference when a singer is not singing into the music sheet.

To my surprise, Sonia Prina voice came up very well and detailed. I think it’s primarily because she did not look into the music sheet but was “acting” and projecting her voice into the hall. Also her voice has quite a bit of (just the right kind of to make it up) heft. If one is not aware of how well she can be descriptive in her recit, this will convert one on the spot! I’m a biiiiiig fan. But i have been a big fan for a while now, thanks to Agathe and Dehggi who “converted” me. The “conversion” part was really just me hearing more from her, and additionally getting used to her way of doing the coloratura. That and the fact that she is fully 3-D, not just always singing and acting the “same” way. She does it, though with her particular flamboyant way, but completely appropriate (of course 😉 ) to the musical content and not for showing off. And one has to appreciate her approach of doing things without “worrying” about social pressure to behave certain ways. Interestingly, one of my friends said she had a hard time hearing Prina because she (Prina) was “turning away from the mic at times”!! To which i was astonished and reiterated that there were NO amplification!! (to my friend’s complete surprise ?!) And that “fading in and out” is not fading! it is dynamical variation of a phrase instead of shouting at the same intensity. Through more talking I realized my friends are used to seeing things at the MET where LOUD is the prerequisite I believe (?).

Onto Joyce DiDonato! And I have a confession as well: one of my very favorite sections is Ariodante’s melancholy entrance. It highlights very well the singer’s ability to phrase the line to convey the emotion.

Quì d’amor nel suo linguaggio parla il rio, l’erbetta, e’l faggio al mio core innamorato.

One can spot an (subjectively) exceptional Ariodante right at this entrance. If (s)he stops you on track , perks up your ears, draws in your dreamy wide-eyes, you’re set for the next 3 hours! And to confess up until now I have always been very drawn to V. Kasarova’s entrance. And Joyce, she gave the same response: breathing halted, the toothpick (if it were there) falling off the (open) mouth. Ahhhh, I love that entrance ❤ .

“Con l'ali di costanza" came, with the orchestra going at about 50\% volume (which is also nice, i love that light touch), and Joyce going at somewhat also quite under-control volume. The good news is that thanks to the soft orchestra one can hear Joyce's expressions very well up there, though it was going at quite fast speed and I'd say she spent quite a bit of time looking down to the music sheets. This, and Karg's Ginevra's aria just before that, "Volate, amori, di due bei cori“, judging by how fast they were and how much both of them were looking down the music sheets, I was curious if it’s necessary because Bicket was behind their back instead of in front and thus they had to make sure to keep together with the band? In any case, I also got curious if this was Joyce’s dynamical range (quite mild in volume range) and wondered if I have been having a mis-informed opinion about her ff (more later). On the subject of volume, Mary Bevan’s sound came out the the most rounded and apt for this hall 3rd balcony. I’d even put her at a bit on the larger voice side and just a tad less flexible than Karg’s ? Though she had no issues with Dalinda’s arias (and yes, she was at all time under the attention of the Duke 😉 ).

Speaking of attention, the first act, it appeared as if only S.Prina was acting (and abandoning the sheets) while everyone else was gluing to their positions. I became wishful if they could just abandon that approach in favor of a more “semi-staging” take. Pleasantly so, starting with act II :-). Ah right, but before Act II, the tenor’s voice came up just fine. I’m always more picky about the bass for this role, because most of the time I find the voice (all of them to my ears) muddy (blurry). The best King of Scotts so far for me was the one with the clan in Aix.

Now, a quick note about Ariodante in general. This is a very challenging opera for non-Händelian (non early music) fans I have always thought. It’s got this two solid hours of *very* slow music in the middle. Sort of like a symphony with the *very* slow 2nd movement that can cause audience falling by the wayside. Without knowing the music or having some singers to focus on, I think it is too much to ask of anyone’s attention span. As you know, I often bring people to the operas with me, and already had a feeling they were going to drift. Several people left after the 2nd intermissions in fact, with more laments nearby of it being “too long”. One thing i can say though: if we were sitting in a smaller hall, you’d feel much more connected with the singers and can hear well their characters’ anguish, and perhaps can stay connected. At our distance, it’s like hearing someone a mile away lamenting on and on and on: First Ariodante, then more Ariodante, then the king, then Ginevra, then Dalinda, then Ginevra, then the tenor, then the king, then more Ginevra…

In my case, I knew what was coming! So was fully prepared. Sadly, allergy and the AC in Carnegie Hall had robbed me of my nose in the most inopportune moments, namely “scherza infida” and “Il mio crudel martoro” such that I could not hear much except for the constant struggle to breath. Such a shame. I was so hoping to hear these, judging by the receptions from the audience. In any case, the bits that i heard was that goooooorgeous B-section in “Tu preparati a morire” duo with Polinesso (ohhhhh, what a sight!!! aaaaaahhhhhhh, i wish there were more of these throughout the opera… here, have some very blurry short curtain call instead, of their wonderful friendship)

Se la bella m’ha ingannato, disperato io morirò.

aaah the floating notes and long lines Joyce carried… It was also clear that Joyce raised up a notch in volume (and hence dynamical range) starting with the 2nd Act, before letting it ripped in the 3rd. For a voice to be expressive one must allow for these occasions!

Right, let us talked a little bit more about Polinesso! Actually, what is there to talk about except dropping the jaw and enjoying the Sonia Prina live experience? I don’t know what else I could say. She set the stage on fire with her angle-of-sight. The acting was intense and spot on, along with vocal description. She really was the prime example of vocal acting as well as physical (ahem). You know this ABA format? She provides you with so much details nothing is a repeat. In fact I would go as far as saying the contrast between what she and the tenor did was quite clear: in one case you don’t want her to stop 🙂 , in the other, you realize there’s another A-section coming. Again, this is perhaps due to us being so far away as to not seeing / hearing any finer details, so whatever it is needed to transmit the distance was lost, and you do/don’t realize the repeat is coming based on what is presented to you.. I was quite heart-broken the fighting scene was criminally short and instead of being escorted to the chair Prina was removed from the stage (nooooooo). Musically, perhaps she made so much sense of Polinesso there’s not much to discuss because it just works! (and I take it for granted. In fact, sometimes i go on and on only because i can’t wrap my head around it..)

It’s also worth noting that the males carried on celebrating (ohhhhh ja, i was tapping feet majorily in the 3rd Act to Dopo Notte) without anyone bothering to inform Ginevra they have forgiven her for the sh*tty death-warranted crime they accused her of. Thus even after Dopo Notte we still get a bit more lamentation from Ginevra (which I enjoyed, she has such a warm voice!!) This is all before the King performed a memory-erasing moment so that the finale duet can take place. AAAAAHHHHHHH i looooove that duet!! Ariodante and Ginevra voices were sooo wonderfully intertwined to such an addictive tune. Again, the small occasions when Joyce sang low the orchestra covered her. But what music. It would have been nice if Karg was somehow not so “shy”.. she repeatedly thwarted any of Joyce’s come-hither attempt. (in fact she reminded me of myself treating water and warning people to stay clear just so I MYSELF don’t drown, or ice skating just so I myself don’t fall and take them all down..) Then the music to the finale chorus, my ring tone of course. Please call me, i want to hear this tune day and night. It is also my alarm tone for waking up.

So, that summarizes the experience. Hard to go into details about individual voices, or music analyses. A bit more the overall picture. I did occasionally paid attention to the really wonderful and detailed orchestra. Those horns are fabulous! and the occasions when the woodwinds perked up your ears. I also promise myself next time for these kinds of works I’d only go with people who know the music and sit closer (Stray! we would have had great fun! I also spotted several white-shirters in the crowd who knew how to appreciate Händel 😉 ). So, that’s a quick write up. I now have the replay (thanks Brigitte!) to listen to for comparison, as well as reading up on Dehggi’s latest blog post via the Medici.tv experience (and now just saw Anik’s latest screencap extravaganza; while there, also check out our international liveblog of the event). Signing off to let the nose recover, and until the next adventure. I still owe the reader a post on Juditha Triumphans in New York, as well as a Torino’s impression (blending in with 2nd Dario) experience.

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Alcina at Boston Conservatory, round 2

Last Saturday, I returned for another round of Alcina (here’s the program), this time with four friends, three of whom had never seen an opera live before. (not sure if they had sat through a taped version either…) During dinner time, we discussed when to nap in case of needs ;-). The evening verdict: everyone was awake and greatly enjoyed the show, with two asking for more future excursions! I’m aware that taking newbies to operas can be a hit or miss, especially in repertoire that is so non-mainstream. But I think it depends on one’s judgement. For example, for me, Händel’s Alcina is a GREAT opera to get started (so is Agrippina..), especially if you have a good orchestra (conductor) and engaging staging. I can’t say if good singing helps unless it is absolutely earth shattering, because, according to friends they can’t tell at all… (more later!) In any case, in addition to them, I also had a really great time, and would have come for the 3rd round if i was still in town. On all front it was a superb night of music and with effective staging to engage both newbies and old-bies. And I realize it’s always a great performance when you start asking questions about the actual meaning of the tempo and phrasing choices to check-mark the long list of puzzles you’ve pocketed, and to be able to compare them rather than worrying about the various issues such as dragging and being disengaged due to dusty + stuffy interpretations.

Oberto, Oronte, Morgana, conductor, Alcina, Ruggiero, Bradamante, Melisso

On that note, below is then a short report of my impressions with more detailed questions on choice of phrasing/tempo, as well as how to bring in new audience.

First up, the singing. The cast was entirely new compared to Friday night’s. And after experiencing various Alcinas, I have it now *almost* figured out! Remember I questioned the effectiveness of the B-section in “Ah, mio cor” and the aria “Ma quando tornerai” on Friday? Isabelle Zeledón completely solved it! First, she has the gaze: very immobile in the body, but the air along line of sight is sizzling and steaming! And she solved the long split-dress and how to move well in it. The singing bit: for these, along with “Ombre pallide”, there needs to be some level of “anger”, “rage”, “disappointment”, just about anything but “coolness” I believe, and Zeledón excelled in that. The recitative leading up to “Ombre pallide” was absolutely riveting! Actually anytime she showed up at the edge of the scene, one could feel the lid is about to come off.. In this staging, “Alcina” can be viewed as somewhat unpredictable, which is also great! why not. But, back to the rest of “Ah mio cor” a little bit (as well as in “Sì, son quella”): here, i thought she could make use of much more piano (she rarely used it, everything was almost in the volume range 5-11 on the 0-10 scale). There were 2 things that occasionally disrupts the flow (in my brain): singing/ascending to ff at times when I don’t quite understand why, and non-shaping at the end of the phrase where the (music) line was simply dropped rather than giving it “shaping”. Overall, for the arias/sections that require soft singing, it would work wonderfully if there’s a merge between how Bizhou Chang employed in the previous night and Zeledón’s approach this night. Oh, i should also mention, both her voice and Bizhou Chang’s, i’d put them on the heavier side, which works great for me! But I had the idea perhaps it’s a conscious choice of casting to go with this type of voice for Alcina, and a much lighter version for Morgana.

Alcina

Next up is Ruggiero, sung by Abigail Dock. Overall, i really like her color! It’s on the bright side, but with enough heft, and a “ping” to it to carry above in any kind of duet/trio, as well as being warmer and less thin than CT’s Giron the night before. On phrasing, my favorite was “Col celarvi a chi v’ama un momento” to start Act 2. She suddenly got very soulful and reallly brought out the uncertainty in this “recitative” part, even my newbie friends noticed it. “Mi lusinga il dolce affetto” was quite heart breaking, though it felt there were too much movements at times. Indeed it was insightful to see the contrast between her movements and Giron’s the night before. Prior to this aria, Bradamante was frustrated with Ruggiero’s blindness in not even recognizing his own fiancé and launched into “Vorrei vendicarmi”. Scenically, Bradamante had picked up all the hunting arrows, symbolically plunging them (as a group) into her chest, then dumped all except the last one which she broke in half and sent down at Ruggiero’s feet while stomping out. This left Ruggiero hurt and confused.. and the opening music set in, and one (audience) is already feeling teary. Ruggiero then kneeled down, flanked by Alcina’s toy-girls and boys, picking up slowly the broken arrow, trying to put it back together, before handing it off in waves into the air (during “che m’inganni, amando ancor”). I interpreted the flying away of the single arrow as carrying hope. Here I find the picking of the arrows from the ground to be quite distracting: we can see the symbolic gesture with just one of two attempts to patch up the arrows instead of 20 times: this is a very slow and soul-searching aria, and too much motion takes away that effect/focus (and even the focus on phrasing). In contrast, Giron did just the opposite: he picked up the arrows only twice or so, and in simple gestures we understood what he wanted to do, and the rest of the time was spend caressing the phrase, to a higher level of effectiveness (at least for me).

Ruggiero

This same level of movements also seems to work better (for me) with Giron following Bradamante’s footstep and raising the sword during “Sta nell’ircana”, as opposed to “playfully” imitating the sword level in Dock’s case. I get it that the staging is asking them to do X and Y, but I think the small details on how one carries out the movements play into how the character is portrayed. And for Sta nell’ircana, I would assume Ruggiero should be flexing a bit rather than pulling out the marbles and running behind Bradamante playfully. Overall, this set of Ruggiero/Bradamante seemed to be doing a bit more play-acting than facing with the real danger, which the cast from the previous night displayed.

On the same note of comparison, the first Act, Dock was more effective because she actually moved and phrased “Di te mi rido semplice stolto” and “la bocca vaga” much more. I still am very puzzled by the chosen tempo for “Di te mi rido”. Enough that I ended up searching through the tube for some 8 versions as well as reading up on the translation. Here’s Vivica Genaux’ take as I continue to type, with recit for the flow:

The only one that approached the tempo and phrasing here was with S.Graham, (she has something that i believe is even smoother in the recording with W.Christie), which I must admit somehow gave me the feeling Ruggiero is taking a stroll in the park … The other samples have faster tempo as well as being delivered with an “edge”: Ruggiero is edgy at this point afterall, so I anticipate to see him mocking + being a bit irritated rather than taking a light nap in the hammock while sending out words (that’s how it felt the 1st night, the 2nd night was an improvement but still way too smooth in singing and slow and “jolly” in tempo). In any case, after being bugged for 1,5day, i’m satisfied now with my (perhaps biased) findings. (for disclosure, i listened to: M.Beaumont, V.Kasarova 2004, V.Kasarova 2010 (she’s approaching heckling level, jeah!), A.Hallenberg, V.Genaux (see above), T.Berganza, and J.Larmore).

Bradamante

Next up: Bradamante! sung by Ann Fogler. She was great! Technically I would even say she has the most flexible voice of the entire 2 casts, as well as very warm and pleasantly dark color (similar in color to Wolz from the night before). Stance-wise I’d take them both, which implies it was good directing in combination with good acting. For “E gelosia”, i particularly like her acting and the soft singing of the B-section. It’s actually the first time i realized soft singing for Bradamante is effective here instead of needing to send off all sorts of fireworks. As both Bradamante carried so well the pose and the acting, it made me wonder whether it is the director’s choice to contrast them as strongly to Ruggiero’s more “internalized” (the night before) or “light-feet”. Ah, also another important note: Because of the cut in Alcina’s arias (B+A gone in “Sì, son quella” and “Ma quando tornerai”, and complete stripping of her last aria, Alcina the character became much less developed and we had Bradamante on equal footing in stage-time and even stronger than all in strength.

Morgana was sung by Jennifer Soloway. I really have a feeling they (the casting) were aiming for “near identical” voice types in the 2 sets! Even the vibrato was similar, though I’d put Soloway in the lesser polished phrasing compared to N.Logan. She has a rather large voice, I was even thinking whether her focus was more 19th century but was simply casted for this “lighter” role. There were (quite often) times she went fff and masked out the solo instruments that accompanied during “Ama sospira”. However, it was an absolute delight to hear the sensitive phrasing in “Credete al mio dolore”. Her extra “grunt” after discovering Ruggiero and Bradamante walking hand in hand was priceless!! In fact it seems Morgana was given more room to build as a character compared to the “strong, powerful” but not well developed Alcina (due to cuts). The switch from ditching Oronte to suddenly being extremely soulful in “Credete al mio dolore” was a bit too sharp though and left the audience (me) not quite understanding if Morgana being so-quick-to-switch-to-deep-emotion is a true trait or a tear show (in the staging).

Oronte is sung by Quinn Bernegger. I quite like his approach more than the version from the previous night! The direction seems to be: be brute at the beginning, scheming during “Semplicetto! A donna credi?”, and soulful during “un momento di contento..” . I don’t know whether it was a choice or simply a general approach, but Bernegger’s more passive approach made Oronte appeared more thoughtful as he search for “what is right”, “when is right”, “who should i trust”, “how should I approach”. In particular, he delivered a *very* soft “un momento di contento…” . While i wonder if in a bigger theater he could be heard if that’s the way he sings, here it really worked as almost a self-assuring therapy (and I always have Marc Minkowski’s voice in head : “give it hope”) . Oberto was sung by Brianna Meese. It depends on how you want to develop this character perhaps? Anik just linked a post to Josy Santos who sang Oberto this month in Stuttgart, where you can see from a different angle Oberto’s mindset. The version staged here was of a very young Oberto, I’d say around 8-10 year old and still playing with his toy boat. As such I think a level of “lightness” in the voice to carry the “innocence” is welcomed, and both Meese and especially Peng from the night before kept it light. Any anguish he has, however, was cut short with a trimmed “Chi mi insegna il caro padre”. For his joyous aria, i’d have loved to hear the extended version, simply because it is such pleasure to the ears, one can tap the feet the whole night.

So, that’s quite a bit of rambling. But onto to some notes on the staging! As two of my friends (newbies) mentioned: they really enjoyed because it’s engaging and modern. To that, I’d also add it had an arc rooted in deep thinking on how to bring out the characters’ mindset and fit to the flow/storyline. The power Bradamante is provided for example, or the soulful thoughts of Ruggiero as (s)he sat on the column during “Col celarvi a chi v’ama un momento”, or the reflection during “verdi prati”, or the sending up of hope in the shape of the arrows in “mi lusinga..” . The comedy was built in naturally to the flow rather than forced. The tension in Alcina is again built in with clear movements or positions on stage. Even the extras were well used to illustrate the support Alcina had and lost through time, or the heart-beat to start “Ah mio cor”. The use of the opaque (symbolic) mirror is a nice touch, though I’d like to read up a little more on its meaning as well as the meaning of the mirror-holder who repeated after Alcina in “Ah mio cor”. An ambiguity which I quite like is the reversal of the music at the end (at least when comparing to Vienna): First the curse was dispelled, the finale choir rejoined. THEN, the instrument line (this line here, the first part) is played out as Alcina sat in her chair, with Morgana holding a broken mirror as her sole company as the light dimmed on an empty island. Ah, and during the chorus, we also saw a hint that Ruggiero was standing close to Alcina. With Giron I had the feeling Ruggiero was really still torn from leaving Alcina.. whereas with Dock, one had the thought (as my friend said: I thought she was going to be killed!). And we left the theater with “what happened to Alcina?” by one of the newbies. Which is a really good indication that the staging is so engaging they are now talking about the storyline! And that, in addition to all my questions and self-answers on phrasing and characters, really highlight this excellent production. My friends asked how many times I’ve seen “Alcina” live, and were surprised to hear that including this evening it was only “7”. This is to show how rare we get to see it here in the US (the other 5 were of course of the same staging spanning 6 years apart in Wien…). I would mention also that it was engaging because we sat in row F of a very intimate 325-seat theater. This of course is one of the great ways to bring in new audience, and why I chose Händel as the intro to this group of friends in this theater.

One final thought then. This past month, seeing Alcina 4 times live really gave me a great exposure to “phrasing” and how to bring out the emotion in the music. And I will end the post with Myrtò Papatanasiu’s “Ah mio cor” again. I heard her live just 3 weeks ago and was very captivated by her delivery, though perhaps at that time not knowing exactly why. One always wonders if one has a “fixated” way of thinking/hearing how a particular aria “must” be delivered in order to make sense. But my recent experience has confirmed that no, it’s not the case (at least not 95\% of the time). Sitting through “Ah mio cor” in particular, I realized there is no limit to how one can phrase it since you have to repeat the lines quite a few times and it is all within your reach to express it the way you intend! Thus, however subjective it can be, the only thing is to “make sense” of the emotion. Here, “make sense” or not is a case of whether when a line is delivered, be it the actual written music or the theme-and-variation type, the only reference we have is whether a “loud” or “soft” or “arc” reflects an intended emotion instead of being simply done for the decorative effect. I’d say this is why I can easily “switch” quickly between hearing different singers, and that the only time i start questioning is when the music is “not quite” making sense. On that note, a toast to great music and Händel, and to the great production from the Boston Conservatory. They have made 4 new fans of operas!

a highly enjoyable “Alcina” at Boston Conservatory

This is a brief write-up of the performance on Friday night with cast #2. On Saturday i’m coming back with a group of friends/new-comers to operas for cast #1, with a mezzo Ruggiero. First, a link to Sta nell’ircana to listen along as I continue to type:

Having just come back from the Alcina in Wien, the first 10-20 minutes were a little bit of adjustments in the head to the difference between full professional and a *very good* student-based production. That being said, I’m most happy to report the orchestra, under the direction of Andrew Altenbach (musical director of Opera for the Boston Conservatory), was superb! For such a production one could say the conductor is the most important person: his precise direction in the orchestra as well as care for the singers were a great joy to listen/watch. Several of the tempo choices, I wonder, were perhaps adapted to put the singers in the best situations to shine. For about 3/5 of the arias, part B & A-repeat were omitted. I think this is justified considering the (a) duration, (b) high level + focus on singing, and (c) non full-professional acting. The staging is minimal and made sense, and almost reminded me of the Carsen’s Alcina in several scenes. I will write more about the staging perhaps after tomorrow. Here is more a focus on the singing.

Bizhou Chang sang a very convincing Alcina. Her voice is quite warm and large (Verdi?!) which allows her to vary quite a bit in intensity and even shades/colors, even during the recitative part! The only part that didn’t quite work for me was the B-section in “Ah mio cor”, where it was a bit too “smooth” (almost swinging) in the tempo! I’d have liked it a bit more “vicious” or “faster” and delivered with more emotion, which I think she could do, but for some reason the tempo was just a bit too much “in harmony”. Perhaps there is a point there, sarcastic?, which I might have missed.. “Mi restano le lagrime” was skipped! as well as the B+A part for “Ma quando tornerai”. Actually, for “Ma quando tornerai”, i think a certain amount of “shaking” in the body is a requisite! 🙂 . No, really, either that, or more vocal expressions are needed (in general, from any singers I’ve heard), otherwise it’s a bit too smooth and doesn’t quite express the mood. Having been listening a lot to Alcina lately, I have also now a theory for “Sì, son quella”: the most important work required for this aria is in the recitative leading up to it! otherwise it will not set the mood correctly, e.g., if Alcina rushes through the recit for example, or if the Ruggiero/Alcina dynamics are not set properly, and thus will result in a “jump” from rush to a sudden huge drop in emotion. I remember liking her “Sì, son quella” but enjoying also her “Di, cor mio”. This one, being an “interactive” aria of simultaneous acting between Alcina and Ruggiero (as it seems to be the case for many stagings?) and musical phrasing of Alcina, it works well if the acting is not “hindering” the phrasing. Here the only minor quibble I had was with Ruggiero’s (lack of) facial expression..

the chorus

Ruggiero was sung by counter-tenor Rudy Giron. I was quite puzzled by the tempo set for “Di te mi rido” , again being strangely “swingy” and “smooth” and on the slow side, enough for me to be confused about the flow and needing to read up the translation. On that same note, “la bocca vaga” was a bit “too nice”. Need stalking! After the first intermission, I moved up to row B (from row F, in a very intimate 325-seat theater and caught up with Giron’s facial expression. He seemed to finally expressed the torment in Ruggiero in his face and thus one can make connection to the phrasing. “Mi lusinga il dolce affetto” was quite beautifully delivered. And this is the first time *ever* i actually understand “verdi prati” !! the staging finally made sense for this, with a bit of “reflection” as Ruggiero stood in an empty spot looking at a small now-stripped flower-branch reminiscing his time with Alcina. I’ll make more notes and report next time… “Mio ben tesoro” was skipped.. and we were delighted to hear the horns to start Sta nell’ircana. His delivery of this aria was great! I particularly liked how he treated the coloratura run. And the voice somehow fits this aria very well: not light, not smooth, but with a nice texture + color. As we have discussed before, just like for Alcina, Ruggiero’s various arias call for a range of colors and flexibility and sensitivity, and some voices fit certain arias better than others. His acting, though on the minimal side, was actually a delight starting in Act 2, in that Ruggiero was not swaggering across (Bradamante took charge instead!) but was more on the internalizing of the conflict and guilt. He even spent some time by Alcina’s side after all was set and done.. and it was Bradamante who return during “Sta nell’ircana” with 2 swords in hand taking charge. Thus Ruggiero’s internal conflict was more on display and at times one forgets whether it was a male or female singer who was delivering. Regarding the clip above, I’m quite amazed to re-listen to Vivica Genaux and realizing how much “heft” and superb low-notes she has! (Side note: could we also have her as Ruggiero for one of Papatanasiu’s future Alcina?)

Oberto, Oronto, Morgana, Alcina, Ruggiero, Bradamante, Melisso

The best acting of the night went to Natalie Logan’s Morgana. Her timing for acting + phrasing is quite spot on. And the absolute best comedy moment as well: just before “Tornami a vagheggiar” when she flipped her magic to close the doors and trapped Bradamante in the room. This aria was very well delivered, and was the first time I noticed she started phrasing and using different colors. The rest of the evening follows with increasingly more delightful phrasing. She had the two highly sensitive arias with solo viola da gamba and violin, and W.O.W. the soloists in the pit!!! SUPERB phrasing (and conducting). Back to Logan, her voice is a bit on the “getting used to” for my ears.. not sure if i could ever get used to it, but she was right behind Alcina in vocal expression. The sisters ruled! (and they stick together at the end when everyone else abandoning the island!)

Bradamante was sung by Michaela Wolz. She might take over Ruggiero sometimes with the nice stance! Her acting contrasts quite nicely with Ruggiero’s sensitive version. It’s a bit hard to comment on Bradamante’s arias: they are fast and furious, and unless they set the theater on fire you will simply go with them as are.. I quite like the tempo for “All’alma fedel”, and in parallel with the acting, showing how Bradamante was the stabilizer of all relationships and possibly the only one with a head to think properly. In fact this might be the first staging I’ve seen (and perhaps having to do with Wolz’s acting) where Bradamante seems to fully take control, knowing what she wants and how to get it.

Oberto, Oronto, Morgana, conductor, Alcina, Ruggiero, Bradamante, Melisso

Of the minor roles, I quite enjoy the singing of Haichen Peng as Oberto. I must emphasize though the superb job Altenbach did in leading the orchestra to highlight the music, lead the story, and fully paying attention to all his singers. The acting took a bit to warm up but everything fell into places as the night went on, and with the superb music and Händel, it ended up a highly enjoyable evening! Fingers crossed the orchestra and conductor keeping up the high energy tomorrow; everything comes from the pit! and I’m ready for a mezzo Ruggiero!

video stream alert — sara mingardo

Now, Sunday, 13/Nov/2016, at 18CET, 12 East coast US time,
Händel’s Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno
Berlin Staatsoper
Disinganno: Sara Mingardo
Belezza: Hélène Le Corre
Piacere: Inga Kalna
Tempo: Charles Workman

Video Stream via Staatsoper-berlin.de/ (Many thanks to Anik for the alert.).

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Edit: Running commentary
– the capturing machine encountering some hiccups , grrr
– the sound is always damped while captured..
– ohhhh, i love her hair (S.Mingardo’s. and she’s got some quite nice boots, and smirks, and tie)
– here comes Disinggano’s first aria
– that bar counter is too tall! Disinganno is having trouble reaching 😀
– the pace is significantly less of a rush than the February version at La Scala (though i’ll need to rewatch because the capture machine always reduces sound to way too low)
– somehow it seems a bit too rehearsed. The singing is a bit too under-controlled? (might also be my faulty sound during capturing). But perhaps it’s the tempo, all very under-controlled and a bit regular.. Of course we don’t need a big rush leaving the singers behind like back in February…
– or perhaps it’s also the production? it’s got tons of actions. S.Mingardo is of quite familiar with it. I do like her phrasing a lot, and the finger pointing that goes with the phrase.
– ah i get it now, i think they (Disinganno and Tempo staged the dead drug user — putting on cross-like position) to guilt-trip Belezza.
– Who was it to first mentioned Kalka’s singing as “controlled” ? I think it was Eyes, on that Alcina trip to London..
– yes, i think that’s what it is, the tempo is “too regular” (and perhaps it’s the orchestra? we’re so used to hearing this with baroque bands, the last being E.Haïm’s Le Concert d’Astrée!)
– heheh, Disinganno was staring down her glasses and i thought (s)he was playing with the jphone.
– oh, interview at intermission with Inga Kalna (in German! she must have worked in Germany for a very long time? *very* clear pronunciation)

alcina 2016, round 2

Back from my 21-hr journey and now have mixing in head a combination of jet-lag + too much caffein + fluid equations + alcina… I regretted not being able to stay until the last performance tomorrow due to a pressing conference.. Ideally I would like a sudden cancelation of conference now.. and a teleport machine to transfer me back to Vienna.. But as it is not the case, here we are, with a report from my 2nd attendance of Alcina, Wednesday, 26.Oct.2016. Please refer to Anik’s wonderful post of the same night’s experience here.

We are going to start with Alcina :-). Way back in 2010, someone gave me an Alcina book for this production, with a very nice interview with A.Harteros who discussed about singing this role, about the character, ornamentations, and the six arias (here’s the original text and translation, much much thanks to Smorgy; the post just after that is Minkowski’s interview and translation). Listening to Harteros at the time, then many other Alcinas with “lighter” voices through the years, and now with Papatanasiu over 2 nights, I’m really developing an appreciation for the wide range of heft, sustained emotion, tessitura, and agility these six arias demanded. Last Sunday I was trying to understand M.Papatanasiu’s “Ombre pallide” and “Ma quando tornerai”, and I have them now figured out! Her voice fits this role (and my brain) like a glove! with enough darkness in the tone and an edge to it. Especially the ones which requires long sustained lines and emotion, e.g., “Sì, son quella“, “Ah! mio cor“, and “Mi restano le lagrime” . For “Dì, cor mio” , I know why I’m having difficulty: there is a disconnection between the mood in the text/music and the abrupt physical movements on the stage. It was less abrupt during this night.. Putting the “legendary” (<– I believe this is the right word) take of this scene by Harteros with Kasarova as her stage partner aside and judging this night performance as an independent entity, perhaps *much* less action is needed, if one can not move without disrupting the flow of the music. Here I’m talking entirely of Ruggiero’s movements. Apology for going a bit overboard, but Ruggiero’s “touches” on Alcina reminded me of someone looking for a lost key in the dark.. Another way to say this: perhaps it would have worked better (for the digestion) if I had closed my eyes and let the imagination fills in Alcina’s musical lines. Thus, i have not yet sorted out if this aria truly works for me with MP singing it, and wished I could have a 3rd night to experience. On this night, MP also pushed quite a bit harder (more emotion), but at the expense of less piani and pianissimi. It worked out GREAT for “Ombre pallide” and “Ma quando tornerai” ! These two arias are at times fast and furious, and perhaps requiring a bit of “heft” and “rage” at the expense of control, and the way she did it simply worked! In “Ma quando tornerai”, I was curious how she would maneuver the fast coloratura with the more “weight” she put on: The shake is back! 🙂 . With Harteros, as a certain reader might have noticed, i discussed discretely her “shake” in tune with the coloratura: it actually works quite well in transmitting perhaps a certain level of “rage” and emotion (?). MP brought her shoulder shake to the table this time along with more emotion and heft, GREAT! I absolutely loved it! And for “Ombre pallide”, i regret not having made any keep of her wonderful navigation up and down the vocal range and into her chest register! It is an art in itself how she does it, so wonderful for the (my) ears (I should mention her ascending into high notes are *really* wonderful and reveals she’s a soprano, i was hoping she could cover both soprano and mezzo ranges :-D)! I first noticed it during “se viver non degg’io” and more prominently in Semiramide, but this is serious plunging to great effect. Of particular note is the “sorder da me” to end “Ombre pallide”, no short cut, no navigating away, no easy way out, simply a strong presence and punctuation. *love*. For “Mi restano le lagrime”, i missed the piani and quiet (very short) pauses between the phrases, which she brought out more prominently during the Sunday’s performance. This is an aria of reflection, and I think a more internalized take could fit better (?) . But what these two nights have highlighted for me is an artist who is not afraid to bring all she has to the table, to be true to the character, and to adapt night to night the way the emotion flows. On any given night, the portrayal can be different from the last, but the true character is present in full flesh. That is something I search for and truly appreciate / cherish. Alcina is truly hers. Please keep this role in the repertoire!!

Onto Ruggiero.. I read on Anik’s post’s comment section regarding voice type for this role, heavy versus light.. and through all of that, i think Rachel Frenkel is still on the extreme light side for this role. But then i caught myself thinking “hey, this could have been P.Jarrousky”, and that pretty much re-set the appreciation-o-meter (sorry, i insist a mezzo for Ruggiero!!). But it is true, on this night, her movements and actions are more with purposes, and that simply worked into the portrayal of the character. For “Mi lusinga il dolce affeto”, I’m still having difficulty: it still sounded somehow “too fast”. As I discussed with Anik, “fast” or “slow” is a relative perception: Even for identical tempo, if the singer can delve deeply into the emotional state, through the use of colors and intensity, we the audience almost pause in time to reflect with the character on the true meaning; however if you (the audience) don’t feel this reflection is happening but rather hearing an aria being sung, then it’s rushing by too fast. There, my analogy. Starting with “Verdi prati” i enjoyed her phrasing much more. This scene also has so much sincerity to it thanks to the now quite touching build-up of Ruggiero-Bradamante’s relationship, and I think she also took more time with the phrasing. And “sta nell’ircana” is a tour-de-force! Marc Minkowski and les Musiciens du Louvre marched along with her building up the tension, accentuate the “vocal swagger”, and put forth a highly charged take. Even her stage movements to start the aria are now more spontaneous: Ruggiero is now marching the stage ordering the troupe into form, the arm gestures are shorter but full of intention. As for her vocal heft, you’re welcome to have a glimpse with the trio “non e amor ne gelosia” , which is a good case to hear the contrast in voice heft because Alcina always makes the entrance in the long sustained line, with Ruggiero and Bradamante following suit. This year is the first time I heard Alcina’s line almost as “solo” and realized how much darker MP’s tone is compared to even Gritskova (and thus the reason I hear MP’s voice so well in general).

Gritskova turned in a very honest Bradamante’s portrayal. Everything was more spontaneous during this performance, and with that, we have Bradamante instead of a singer trying to portray Bradamante. You know Gritskova is fully embodying the character when she plowed over the chair without any concern (Anik mentioned this) or especially during “Verdi prati” when she “forgot” to (follow the routine to) take off her sword before lying down on the “grass” field listening to Ruggiero. Vocally I quite like her darker tone, which sounded natural to my ears. And even for the B-section in “Vorei vendicarmi” where it’s a bit low for her, there is such an honesty in the vocal details and delivery you can feel Bradamante’s pain. Another thing I really enjoyed was when she took off the Richardo’s “mask” in the form of changing into the dress: there’s a little expression of intial self “joy”, then a slight reaction to the surrounded crowd of “this is actually who i am”, then an uplifted subtle “delight” with the vocal delivery filling in the gap. These gestures and reactions are so small, and yet they yielded a wonderful effect that many of the “grand” postures and large gestures can not bring.

With these three singers leading the way, the night was much more rewarding than on Sunday where I thought Papatanasiu carried the show (she still did, but now with Ruggiero and Bradamante participating). I truly wished I could have stayed for the last performance to see how everything fits together once more..

Some very last notes then: Now that I have finally paid attention to the staging, I have a lot of questions. For example, why was there an old guy showing up during Oberto’s aria (can’t remember which one, when he was playing tickling with Alcina, that was a cute scene 🙂 ), which prompted Oberto to hide behind Alcina’s back and her given him a glare? Also, who exactly is Ruggiero in this case? The Dutchess’ lady friend? Was she longing for an excursion before reverting back to the norm?

Finally, an amusement.  As “Mi restano le lagrime” ended, I always needed a bit of time to recover. As a result, the sight of Papatanasiu with the javelin took a little bit of time to register! And as we joked the contrast of a “heavy-weight javelin” in Harteros case versus “feather-weight” for MP’s, I wanted to mention again how well she strikes the balance with the javelin. As none of us here are olympic athletes (?), being given a javelin (or sword..) can reveal our imbalance unfavorably.. and Papatanasiu really held it with such great balance you can feel a sense of threat / aim (and indeed it’s so in balance i initially thought it was the ballet dancer who was holding it). This really expanded to a more general case of her stage presence, where a movement or a look is never wasted but has a strong purpose, a case when someone glares at something with such intensity that causes the entire room full of people to trace the back-end of it, as an example. I know I have talked about her quite a bit in this post and the last, but I have come to realize it’s quite rare to find an artist with such high technical level of singing and acting commitment, and an intensed focus to bring truth to the character, and I am very glad to have discovered her.

With that, the Alcina 2016 excitement ended for me, but I will be camping over at Anik‘s for a report on tomorrow’s performance.  Below is the curtain call. please excuse the shaking. Also, some of the zoomings were outside my control (i swear)! As soon as people started moving in front the zoom suddenly took a life of its own…

alcina at the wiener staatsoper (2016)

…..

Almost exactly 6 years after the premiere, and after some unexpected (personal schedule) delay, Alcina has finally arrived. Unlike in the original run where I was alone at the queue and sending reports out, this round was extra special with Anik‘s accompaniment. To say we were a tad anxious was about perhaps not quite descriptive enough ;-). Already the night before at Armide I was searching up and down for (what i expected full-wall-sized) announcement of Alcina. We arrived rather early in the standing room ticket queue anxiously going through the various scenarios of bad dreams, Anik’s being “kicked to the back of the queue, show canceled, show replaced..” while mine was more a big paste over of the main singer’s name with a REPLACEMENT.. Thank goodness, nothing happened (yet) as we rushed up the stairs to another door, with tickets in hands, only to wait another half hour as Les Musiciens du Louvre (lMdL) tuned their instruments and ran through the first bit of the overture and finale chorus. Yes, dear readers, to say I have a photographic memory of this staging as well as an imprinted-in-head replay of every character’s music + aria (led by Minkowski and lMdL) is an understatement. Since my discovery of Händel in 2010, this has been _the_ Alcina for me, starting from the bell ringing to the opening overture. I have heard countless other Alcinas, however, if your first ever *three* live performances were that of the Alcina run in 2010, it is simply a part of your life 🙂 .

By the time we finished putting on the scarf to mark our spots, only meekly 15min remained to take care of any last minute needs. The anxious wait has ended. Here I was again, stehplatz parterre, just 3 spots to the left of where I was in 20.Nov.2010, looking into the pit with theorbo arriving. As the curtain raised to the familiar scene, the memory has come full circle. My reasons for coming to _this_ Alcina are very specific. I was trying to rank them, and through impossible as it is, it has to be: Alcina with Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre, AND Myrtò Papatanasiu as Alcina. Yes, I would say if it’s only the first two, I might not have gone completely out of my way to get here. And to put into perspective, these combinations, for example, would prompt me to immediately clear schedule: Harteros as Alcina, Antonacci (!!) as *any* character, Kasarova as Ruggiero, Sara Mingardo as Bradamante, Nathalie Stutzmann or E.Haïm or R.Jacobs and their orchestras in the pit, or Minkowski+lMdL+Papatanasiu. On the flight over I was debating a bit why I was quite drawn to Papatanasiu’s singing, especially because of all the singers I love listening to, her voice is the most difficult for me. Well, let’s proceed with Alcina shall we!

squealing (stealing photo from Anik’s)

Just as the overture start, Alcina is already on scene to greet her various friends and family. Yes, perhaps when we do enjoy seeing/hearing a performer, there is a certain level “obsession” as to why we can not take our eyes/ears off of them? But let us flip the question around: why does a certain singer/performer demand your attention? In general, and for Papatanasiu’s case, I have to mention her subtlety and intensity in body angle and gesture and foremost facial expression and eye angles: The key to “less is more”. The moment she’s on scene she demands our attention, and this is even before she sings a note.

At this point perhaps I should warn you, dear readers, that the post might get quite long and I might not get around to talk about any other singers :-). As I’m so used to hearing Minkowski’s take of the overture, it was simply time well-spent to enjoy the body gestures and movements on stage. We will come back to Bradamante and Morgana in a bit, but let’s start with the ballet! Even during my flight, while pondering if the main singer might need to cancel, I concluded I would still have a great time basking myself in the ballet music and dancing (more ballet music below). As much as I tried, there was inevitably always going to be some comparison to the 2010 run, namely the two main singers then and now. Perhaps on this coming Wednesday I’ll try to keep a more open mind, but the contrast of “slowly building of the momentum” and “sensual movements from the core” between Harteros and Kasarova and the sometimes rather abrupt movements between Papatanasiu and Frenkel were rather strong, and as my brain has always processed this aria in the sensual-approach, it took a bit of time to adjust to. Hearing live, vocally, Papatanasiu’s voice is quite bigger than I had expected, with none of the tightness I experienced hearing via recording (except when she has to sing very fast some recitative parts), but rather with an edge which I do enjoy very much. The voice is quite rich, expressive, and her phrasing really makes sense to my brain. Again, I have talked about this before, I have no idea how it works, but I would compare her phrasing to Antonacci’s phrasing when it comes to “making sense”. I do think there is a universal way humans communicate aurally to deliver the phrase. For lack of vocabulary, I’d categorize it as via the musical path and the shaping-of-the-language path (to my musically uneducated brain). And in this home-made language, I’d put Kasarova and Harteros in the intense shaping of music regardless of language, and Antonacci, Mingardo, and Papatanasiu in the accentuation of the phrase from the language vantage in parallel with the music.

(more ballet)

This is a long way of saying as soon as Papatanasiu started singing “Di cor mio”, i was thinking perhaps I should rearrange my flight to stay until the last performance next sunday. Right, then some stuff happening on stage, and Alcina made her return to the stopping-breathing “Si son quella”. Tear-inducing dear readers, such an honesty, raw emotion, combining with very subtle acting and movement. It is simply very hard (for me) to understand in this staging how this sympathetic Alcina can be a sorceress. But we already knew that from 2010 when I openly questioned how anyone can abandon Alcina. As she slowly drifted out of sight, I was left thinking again of the psychological build-up of Alcina. (Perhaps this is the right spot to mention Papatansiu is quite effective in portraying troubled powerful female character. She left me thinking for months about Semiramide!) Some more singing went on and finally “ah mio cor” was upon us. The recitative leading into both this and “Si son quella”…, riiiight, Please, dear Ms. Papatanasiu, if you ever chance upon reading this, please sing some Monteverdi!! Emotionally filled recitative, how I *ADORE* ❤ ❤ . While i was intensively drawn to the military drive from the pit (<– do click on the link), Alcina had collapsed to the floor, from which an internalized “ah! mio cor..” rose. For a brief moment, I was thinking perhaps she was pushing a bit too hard. But if there is a moment for an all-out, this is it: the wheels just came off Alcina’s wagon. And for every fff “traditore! t’amotanto“, she always pulled back to a piano “puoi lascarmi sola in pianto“. As detailed in Anik’s post of her take on Lungi da te, I would put this down as a very specific choice of how she wants to phrase the music to draw in internally this question in the text.

The contrast with Harteros' take is stark: Harteros' Alcina is an imposing figure raging the stage in the B-section claiming vengence and stood defiantly to the end. Papatanasiu's take is a devastating one, both in her phrasing and the physical portrayal: from the stumbling collapse, to slowly coming off the chair falling by the sideway. Even in her defiant moment grabbing the bystander by the collar as she abruptly declared "Ma! (che fà gemendo Alcina?)“, Alcina’s vulnerability is still fully on display. Unlike Harteros’, I am unsure if Papatanasiu’s Alcina is capable of being vindictive. This is not a statement that one is better than the other, but rather an analysis of how both are devastatingly effective. Slowly, Alcina rising to her feet, stars (and time) slowly coming down, train of (baroque) strings plunging into the abyss, curtain coming close.. and I (we), left frozen in space and time, drifted to the floor in exhaustion.

Given that I was unable to move for the next 10min dear readers, we settled on the spot to discuss “things”. There were questions to me regarding how I managed to block out the live performances I have experienced in 2010 when it comes to this new cast + take. To summarize, with Alcina, it worked for me from the start. Papatanasiu’s portrayal was simply real, raw, emotional, and much more importantly, musically intense, such that one does not need to revert to any previous experience for comparison. And i only mentioned Harteros often above to simply point out how the characters were portrayed and why they were so effective. (But to be very honest, I think it is much more difficult to cast Ruggiero, and yes, it’s a curse if your first ever Ruggiero is Kasarova and you are into that type of vocal expression…)

After intermission, I was wondering how one can recover from “ah mio cor”.. “ombre pallide” came a bit too soon. And again, i immensely enjoyed her recitative take before waving the magic wand. Let me listen once more on Wednesday before commenting on this, as I admit to being a bit distracted by the arms wand 😉 , as well as her lovely low notes. Yes, she did some lovely plunging into the chest register. Those low notes are quite distracting. “Ma quando tornerai” was taken *quite* faster than what I’m used to! Let me work again on Wednesday to sort out how it fits. By now, of course, Alcina has almost resigned to the fact Ruggiero is a goner, any last minute attempt to rekindle is long gone. The trio “non e amor e gelosia” was taken even faster than my brain could digest, really need a couple more days to sort out how this fits in. As the dust settle in the Lioness’ den, the dim light has returned to “mi restano le lagrime”, with Alcina reminiscing her good time with Ruggiero, a timid hand-hug, a polite bow, a soft smile.. heart break.. sniff… yes, that sitting in on the chair, candle flickering, pouring self a scotch. Poor poor Alcina. (side track: this scene somehow brings back memory of Kasarova’s soft smile in the tomb in Capuleti, sniff..)

(yes, even more ballet, to hope)

Dear readers, I think I might just end here, too heart broken to go on. There needs to be a radio recording of Papatanasiu singing this role, with a baroque specialist in the pit who cares for her phrasing and work together to make such music possible for us the audience to enjoy. We left rather slowly while recovering from the evening. But yes, we did attempt to swing by the stage door aftward. Similar to the lack of any kind of promotion posters for Alcina in the Metro, I was surprised to see not too many waiting there to talk to her. I guess that is the norm here at Wiener Staatsoper to only promote premiere and bury all others under some rugs. I’m unsure how aware Papatanasiu is of her more expanded fanbase in western europe and even the US in response to the recent broadcasts of her Mitridate. I will be on the look out for her performances, especially if she’s singing with these fantastic orchestras and conductors and in early music. And as usual, we all hope singers keep an updated schedule far enough in advance on their sites for fans to manage schedule/flight to attend. I’d say for me, she’s a very unique performer with the capability to transport the music (early?) and in combination with her acting, leaving a very strong impression, enough for one to travel 1/2 way around the globe to hear.

here’s a short curtain call. i missed the roar she received on the first walk out, too busy clapping! please excuse the lack of discussion for the orchestra, but with enough music excerpts of the ballets + overture, i hope to convince you of my obsession for M.Minkowski’s take with lMdL of this Alcina.

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(ps- I might return at some point to write about the rest of the performance and singers in a separate post…)

music to start monday

i always have a soft spot for this duet, courtesy of the generous NPO Radio 4 youtube channel, much much love what they’re sharing ❤ . Also check out the ratio of female musicians in the orchestra!

Paula Murrihy, mezzosopraan, King Solomon
Dominique Labelle, Sopraan, Queen (but she’s not the Queen of Sheba!)

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Edit: 2 links I wanted to post, which are now finally up:
1. Vivica Genaux sings Dido with C.Rousset conducting, from France Musique, link.
2. Blog post from the Opera house in Hamburg, of Anna Caterina Antonacci’s debut in the role Iphigénie (I can’t believe she hasn’t sung there until now!). I reaaaaaly love the photo from the blog post!