Browsing all posts in January, 2010.
John Adams to chat about ‘Nixon in China’
by Christie Connolley John Adams, the composer of contemporary operas such as The Death of Klinghoffer and Doctor Atomic, will be in the Los Angeles area to discuss his opera, Nixon in China on Monday, February 1 at 8:00pm at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The session will include excerpts performed by the [...]
Domingo soars as Boccanegra!
Newsweek hails him the “King of Opera.” Spanish tenore extraordinaire, Placido Domingo, originally a baritone turned 69 years old on January 21st and knocked it out of the park as the Genoan doge, in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Simon Boccanegra! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY Mr. Domingo! For more, see this rave review by N. Y. Times columnist, Anthony Tommasini: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/arts/music/20simon.html
This Week in History
by Christie Connolley On January 26, 1790 Mozart’s opera Cosi fan Tutti premiered in Vienna and women have got a bad rap ever sense! Enjoy this duet from the Met’s 1996 production featuring Carol Vaness and Susanne Mentzer.
Denyce Graves withdraws from Opera New Jersey production of Carmen
by Christie Connolley Mezzo Soprano, Denyce Graves has withdrawn from Opera New Jersey’s production of Carmen with little more than a week before the production opens on February 5, 2010. Reportedly, Graves cited health concerns as the reason for her departure. Mezzo Soprano, Kirstin Chavez will step in and sing the role of Carmen for [...]
State of Operagasm
by Christie Connolley I listened to President Obama give the State of the Union speech this evening while driving on I-25 from Denver to Fort Collins. As I drove through the falling snow, the president discussed American achievements over the past year and the lofty goals that lay ahead for our country. I couldn’t help [...]
Offenbach a Dud at the MET
by Erica Papillion-Posey Paul Du Quenoy of ConcertoNet says the Met’s newest production of Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann is officially a dud. With Anna Netrebko, dropping three of the four soprano roles she was to play, and Rolando Villazon withdrawing from the production, maybe well enough should have been left alone? Dive in for the sad details…… [...]
LA Opera announces 2010 -2011 Season
by Christie Connolley Los Angeles Opera announced the 2010-2011 season which will feature the world premiere of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino, based on the 1994 Italian film as well as the earlier novel by Antonio Skármeta. Other productions include Verdi’s Rigoletto, Rossini’s Turco in Italia, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Wagner’s Lohengrin and Britten’s Turn [...]
Word of the Day
by Erica Papillion-Posey Interval: How long it takes to find the right note. There are three types: 1. Major interval- a long time 2. Minor interval- a few bars 3. Inverted Interval- when you have to go back a bar and try again (HA! Just joking, okay for real now.) Interval (noun): An interval is [...]
Nude at the Sydney Opera House!
by Christie Connolley Nude at the Sydney Opera House! And it has nothing to do with Salome‘s Dance of the Seven Veils or the nude scene that was cut from the Met Simulcast of Tales of Hoffman. American photgrapher Spencer Tunick is planning a photo shoot at the Sydney Opera House where he hopes to [...]
Taking a Chance on a New Beginning
by Jessica Kiger When one door closes another one opens, right? That’s what we’ve all been told. What if you never close the door, but want to explore the options and possibilities behind all the doors in front you? Are you turning your back on your dreams? Leaving behind your passion? These are some of [...]
