WOW -- act two duet, traviata

leonard warren & roberta peters's rigoletto, 1959

this evening, on sirius radio, they were broadcasting the rigoletto from 1959, starring leonard warren and roberto peters -- fantastic

here are a few clips (just the audio), from that...same...show -- march 28

oops -- can't...include the videos, in this post

then,...the links

his 'pari siamo!'

then, again,...some...i can

figlia! mio padre!... quanto dolor

o veglia, o donna, questo fiore

they just...sing...together

his 'gilda,' after he discovers she's been kidnapped, is...blood-curdling...shiver...inducing -- i haven't found an audio,...on youtube

cortigiani, vil razza dannata

mio padre.. parla... siam soli... tutte le feste... piangi, fanciulla

chi è mai, chi è qui in sua vece? v`hotmail.com ingannato

quanto dolor

for my friend duraid -- and those who have loved him

triple-header in the sky: traviata documentary, eastwood's curve, luhrmann's romeo

on the trans-atlantic flight, wednesday night, i didn't sleep -- 'last night, i didn't get to sleep at all'

a song by the fifth dimension, i see, on youtube -- i forgot that -- a cleveland group, by the way -- although, on the wikipedia page about them, there's no reference...to cleveland -- i scrolled through the page, then did a search... -- nothing -- and...all of the founding members... -- not a one...born in cleveland -- nothing -- none,...in ohio -- well, we claim them,...in cleveland -- always been...a point of pride -- associate them...with...our fair city

well, i didn't sleep...because i watched three movies -- all, very good

my first choice...was a french documentary, 'traviata et nous' (the english title, 'becoming traviata') -- about the making of a recent production...in aix-en-provence (here, a link to the production i saw, three months ago, at the met) -- natalie dessay stars, as violetta valery -- the director...of the production, though, is the main player...in the production -- definitely...puts his stamp...on each...and every role -- a lot...goes into...each role, each...mannerism,...move -- amazing...how much work...is put into...each and every...little detail -- the movie...captures that...very well -- including...the final scene -- terrific -- lingers...on that -- also features...prominently...the conductor...and the musicians -- the instrumentalists -- and their interpretations...of the music -- their roles...in the drama -- at one point, as i remember it, the conductor tells the musicians, they're crying (referring to the song, the singing -- no doubt, the second...gilda-rigoletto duet -- the 'tutte le feste' duet)-- let's cry, he tells the musicians [update, august 9: reading this, as i...site this, in an e-mail to my...'opera list,' i see...i wrote down the wrong opera -- it's not the gilda-rigoletto duet, but...obviously...the violetta-germont duet, another...of verdi's...father-daughter specials]

it was in french -- don't know...if it's available...with english subtitles -- i guess so, according to the above poster

[september 10: i just read a review of this movie, in cleveland classical -- the movie was shown, four days ago, in the cleveland museum of art]

next, i watched a movie i wanted to see,...when it first came out -- 'trouble with the curve ball' -- also...very good -- well, might not be...for non-baseball people -- that, certainly, makes it...very appealing to me -- love...almost anything...to do with baseball -- the main themes, though, were...the father-daughter relationship and aging -- and includes...a romantic angle

the father-daughter...sections...were a bit overdone -- the daughter's...aspect -- aspects -- facets -- reactions -- what-have-you...struck me...as...a bit extreme -- imposed...psycho-babble -- all's well, though,....

finally, i had a choice between 'quartet'...and baz luhrmann's 'romeo + juliet,' which i've seen...a number of times -- great -- love it -- see it, whenever i have a chance (on television) -- 'quartet,' though, i just saw,...a few months ago -- and...three times, at that -- so,....

great movie -- excellent -- such...beautious lines -- they amaze -- and, on top of the story, the lines, the scenes, the drama, the thoughts,...ideas, the bard's...insights -- on top of all that,...a fantastic soundtrack -- some...super-...duper...songs

i got to the final scene -- romeo...entering the chapel...where juliet lies on...whatever-it's-called...at the front of the chapel -- and...the airline cut in, for the final announcements

i just clicked on the movie's soundtrack (on imdb), and...i noticed...that one of the tunes...is an opera song -- the 'liebestod,' from wagner's 'tristan and isolde' (which i heard in canton, two months ago) -- in the movie, imdb's page says, it's sung by leontyne price -- i don't remember that (in the movie), and i wonder...how much of it...they played -- i've gotta pay attention, next time -- maybe...i can find...that part of the movie...on youtube

oh -- another...note -- i first saw the film, soon after it came out -- my cousin...had just arrived from iraq, and...he joined me...to the theater -- i loved it -- was...entranced -- thought it...a great...adaptation...into a modern setting -- certainly,...faithful -- my cousin...i felt sorry for -- the shakespearean english

i found it -- well, at least...the song -- from the soundtrack -- i don't remember it...in the movie, though

bastianini-scotto rigoletto duet

another...gilda-rigoletto duet...by renata scotto and ettore bastianini -- this one, from the first act -- just...amazing -- spine-tingling

interview with the cleveland rigoletto & maestro

an interview with our marco stella, the lead of this weekend's 'rigoletto' (he belongs to us now) -- preceded by an interview with the conductor, andrea raffanini

yesterday, we rehearsed in playhouse square's ohio theater, where the opera circle production will take place, saturday evening -- it was a lot of fun -- like seeing the opera, two, three times, in one night -- such...incredibly beautiful music -- and...what gorgeous singing -- the choral pieces, along with...all the rest

in honor of marco stella, here's ettore bastianini, one of marco's favorite baritones -- if not his favorite -- along with renata scotto, in the concluding scene of act two -- the full scene -- with...so much....

i love this scene -- the music, the singing, the...feeling -- feelings -- especially the feelings -- the depth of emotion -- gilda's high notes -- soaring -- flying -- in the sky, above everything -- 'piangi -- piangi -- piangi, funciulla -- fanciulla, piangi' -- love it -- actually,...love...doesn't...say it -- doesn't...say enough -- how deeply...it touches me -- rigoletto's 'non's -- 'mia figlia...mia gilda'

as soon as the pictures arrive in my e-mail (from my phone), i'll put them here

la-la...la-la...la-la...la-la...la-la...la-la...la-la

i love this scene -- heart-rending -- love the use of the laugh...as music,...a verdi...specialty

julia novikova

where's she been,...all my life

my super-excellent met adventure

thanks to my old friend ahmed, i got two tickets to see diana damrau and placido domingo...in 'traviata' at the met, two saturdays ago -- i so wanted to see this show -- damrau is great, and... -- well, what can you say about domingo -- you know, he pronounces his name 'plathido' (as in 'throw') -- and maybe all spaniards pronounce it that way -- because there was a king...who couldn't make the 's' sound (i'll have to find out...who/when...this was), and...'bob's your uncle' -- 'it's-good-to-be-da-king'

well, ahmed, incredibly, came through

'traviata' was the matinee, and the evening's show was 'otello,' with thomas hampson as iago (i saw him in akron, a few weeks ago) -- i planned on buying a standing-room ticket for 'otello'

the only time i attended a show in the met before -- in '96, i think -- i bought a standing-room ticket, and, at intermission, was handed a ticket for a seat, by a man...as he and his date were exiting the theater -- now, not having anybody...to use the second ticket for traviata, i realized, as i was approaching new york, friday evening, that i might be able to exchange one of my tickets.... -- and...'bob's your uncle'...again

i found out, however, that you can't exchange tickets, day of show, and...i just made it...to the box office,...before it closed, at eight o'clock -- super...'bob's your uncle'

what a splendid weekend of opera -- topped off...by visits to my journalism-workmate from jerusalem jill hamburg...and my cousin raouf -- and their families -- very nice visits

raouf, i could call...my oldest friend -- he was born, 14 days after me (also in england), and, when i wouldn't drink my mother's milk, our mothers...traded us, and...'bob's your uncle' -- delicious -- and...i've been drinking milk, ever since -- well, not really, but....

jill, and her family, spent last school year in china, where she taught journalism and communications (as a fulbright scholar) at the foreign-languages university in beijing -- she and her 13-year-old son kenny...put together a 'slide show'...with music...about ancient sites in china -- kenny's very interested in architecture and history (among other things), and he...pressed the rest of his family...to travel inside the country (they made 17 trips, during the year), and...they discovered...how little attention...is paid...to the ancient sites in the country -- the communists...tore old things down (including the walls of old cities) -- persecuted and executed...practitioners of traditional...hand...crafts

so, for his bar mitzvah, kenny is raising money for the world monuments fund -- i thought it belonged to the u.n., but i was wrong -- kenny's using his (rich) 'slide presentation'...as a vehicle

back to my day at the met

my approach to the green -- the batteries in the camera died, on the ride -- those things...get eaten up fast

i'm there

look where i'm sitting

the good doctor grenvill,...waiting -- waiting...for violetta

i'm taking it all in -- excited...to be here

i wanna know what this sculpture (above the proscenium) is all about -- one person said it's to do with work

each seat -- and even...each spot...in the standing-room...elbow-...counters (padded counters) -- has one of these little screens -- problem is, they're at chest level, and...don't lend themselves to seeing the action on the stage...and reading...the text -- you have to...look...up and down -- repeatedly -- you can switch to german, spanish and italian -- no french, to my surprise

at intermission, i walked around, took in the sites...and angles

a display case, downstairs, of memorabilia and photographs from verdi operas; there are...a number of these, around the house

this man, in a purple-and-black met uniform (he plays shortstop -- actually, he's the rover), goes around, chiming the warning bells

back inside, this lone...clarinetist...was practicing

on the conductor's stand

after intermission, peter gelb came onto the stage

oh-oh -- could only be bad news -- obviously, about domingo (who hasn't appeared yet)

gelb said the same -- then went on,...that in the history of the met, no tenor has confronted more challenging roles than domingo -- today, though, he's facing a different kind of challenge -- allergies -- and that he wanted us to know

my reaction was...why does he even need to have such an announcement made

well, he was great, in 'di provenza'

this audio recording...is supposedly from the performance i attended

after the show, a man sitting in the row in front of me said, if that's how he is, when he's not well, i'd like to see how he is, when he's fine -- he also said...that domingo wants to be perfect

this very large painting of domingo...is on one side of the downstairs lobby

damrau was great -- singing, acting,...the whole thing -- she's just...irrepressible -- inimitable

her delicate...parts...were especially...beautiful -- noteworthy

i love this...song,...duet,...sequence of songs...that starts with 'dite alla giovine' -- another great...father-daughter...pairing...by verdi

then...this great scene, where she's singing...from flat on her back (also, reportedly, from march 30)

and the grand finale (from this production)

during one of her bows, she did a spin -- i didn't catch it, on camera -- i think this is the tail end of it

after the first show of the run, the radio announcer for the met...said she jumped, up and down -- she'd said that violetta was her dream role, and doing it at the met...the utmost of dreams

the albanian tenor saimir pirgu...was very good, too

i liked his acting...much more than matthew polenzani's, who struck me...as a bit of a dip, not only in the role of alfredo (in the met simulcast), but, also, in their...'stuarda' and 'elisir' -- pirgu's singing was excellent too

on the left, maria zifchak (annina)

that's (tie-less) conductor yannick nezet-seguin, kissing damrau's hand

i've gotta include...an anna moffo...recording ('e strano... sempre libera,'...from a live performance)

i can't resist -- another...amazing rendition (hey, i didn't include...two -- maybe...more -- and there's the great one...from her...'debut recordings')

you can also go...to her...farewell... -- her 'addio' -- and...marie mclaughlin's

as i have time, i'll write more -- there's...that evening's 'otello,' with a very dramatic scene (verdi's got some...sense -- capacity -- flair -- ...for the dramatic -- see, the quartet...from 'rigoletto'); there's my meeting...a lovely man...on the subway, who was taking a lesson, when juan diego florez was taking his first; and, the next day, a tour of lincoln center, during which...i sang for the group...in the met,...right there, in the auditorium -- stay tuned -- i could spend...the next couple months, writing about...this trip

father-daughter...tugs at the heart

seeing the met's production of 'rigoletto' (with zeljko lucic & diana damrau -- both, outstanding), i've fallen in love with the father-daughter duets -- not to mention, their solos -- and, of course, the quartet -- i've gone...quartet-crazy, of late

here's one of the duets (tutte la feste al tempio), with anna moffo and robert merrill -- just heart-...rending