radvanovsky's vissi d'arte -- and anna's

over the last three weeks, i've heard tosca, live from the met, twice

sondra radvanovsky's vissi d'arte...is just...heart-rending -- brought tears....

here she is, singing it at the met, almost three years ago

here, at a concert -- apparently, just a couple of months ago -- looks like it's outdoors

there's another concert-rendition, on her home turf -- at http://youtu.be/cIkx_koQFAg

for good measure, here's my anna -- seems rushed, at the beginning -- especially in comparison to radvanovsky's renditions

barcelona boheme

a couple of weeks ago, i saw, in the movie theater, a boheme from barcelona -- great -- a much better production than the previous one i saw at the movies, from vienna, with maps of the city, all over the stage

the liceu's promo is on youtube, at http://youtu.be/VYh8pYqREcI -- i couldn't include it here

they have another trailer -- charming -- with the four leads, inviting people to attend...and introducing themselves and the opera -- in three languages...maybe four -- at http://youtu.be/J53NgS8CL_I

[i just looked on wikipedia, and it appears that ainhoa arteta, the musetta, is basque]

here's el periodico's video -- clips from the opera, the house, and an interview with the mimi, fiorenza cedolins, who was wonderful -- perfect, for the part

here she is, singing si, mi chiamano mimi

vargas seemed a little off, though -- didn't...'turn it on,' till the last act, when he was back in the apartment, with mimi

the colline, carlo colombara, looked so familiar

he might have been the colline in the vienna production, from the previous year, starring anna netrebko and piotr beczala

he was great -- as were the musetta (arteta) and the marcello (christopher maltman) -- his duet with rodolfo was great -- she did an unbelievable trill (if that's what it's called), at the end of quando m'en vo' -- she really 'turned it on' -- the charm -- the sex appeal -- not to mention, the voice -- i wish i had a video...audio...of it

here she is, singing it at the met, in 2008 -- the video goes all the way to the end of the act, into the curtain call, and beyond -- it starts, though, right with her, singing -- we don't get the music...leading up to it

here's another version, which starts with the music lead-up, but cuts off, abruptly, as she finishes her...main portion -- the picture is bad -- the sound is great -- and we've got subtitles

yup -- i just found him -- it was salzburg, though -- not vienna -- colombara is in the green top

the blog around the world with irina has pictures from the barcelona production, with angela gheorghiu and saimir pirgu in the leads -- instead of fiorenza cedolins and vargas, whom i saw

n.y.c.o. rigoletto: wow!

just finished watching this 1988 'rigoletto'...from new york city opera -- what a trio -- and quartet -- with beverly sills, introducing...and narrating the behind-the-scenes...scenes -- who could ask for anything more

the sparafucile, mark s. doss, we are told by the broadcast announcer, is from cleveland, and the amazing gilda, faith esham, was born in portsmouth, ohio