Friday, June 2, 2023

LA Opera Otello; 8

Attended this live opera last night (Thu 1Jun23) on a LW outing, $34 for bus and opera. Seat W63, which is rear orchestra (orch range rows A-Z, seats 1-68 in W). Had to check in at 5pm; returned at 11:45pm.

I liked it. OK staging/costumes. Great music/singing. Acting/direction was ok - elicited some laughs behind me. Orchestra-level audience was a good mixture of ages/races.

The bottom line: I'm a cinema person. I'd much rather suffer the occasional whinge at a video director's choice than have a static master-shot view from the back 40. (My group ticket was labeled as $10, but on the website, seat U56 is priced $174 for the final performance, a Sunday matinee.)

I was looking forward to this being my first (opera) production with an actual black Otello, only for it to be lost by the physical distance between us. I considered bringing binoculars, but mine are so large & heavy; I would have needed elbows on armrests most of the time (and I had zero time on armrests). Besides, peering through a device restricts your vision of side action that may be important; a director is prepared for such things. So Live Opera from a poor seat is not a good experience. I'm used to seeing faces up close, and that enhances opera just as much as other visual arts. (I wondered during the perf how large were Verdi's theatres.)

Enjoyed the lecture (missed the beginning) by conductor Conlon. Little of the history was new to me. I liked his musical insights: the kiss music, which reminds me of the love/death in Tristan und Isolde, prem 1865; Otello prem 1887) in the first act repeats at least twice in the opera, notably at the end.

The bus trip was pleasant enough. Loved that we sailed through the traffic inbound using the HOV lane. Great to look at some LW scenery from the height of the bus seat (over parked cars), and to see how much taller downtown LA has become.

Saw a couple of bunnies on the walk home (midnight!), and heard an owl hooting (or a recording thereof) near the main entrance/Regency Terrace. Glad to see actual barricades at the main exit, redirecting cars to a second lane at the entrance; didn't observe whether pedestrians would also be blocked.


Music: Giuseppe Verdi 
Libretto: Arrigo Boito, based on the play Othello by William Shakespeare 
World premiere: February 5, 1887, at the Teatro alla Scala (Milan, Italy)  

LA Opera has previously presented Otello in 1986, 1989, 1995 and 2008. (The 2023 production is a revival of the 2008.)

Cast:   
Otello: Russell Thomas 
Desdemona: Lucia: Rachel Willis-Sørensen* 
Iago: Igor Golovatenko 
Cassio: Anthony Ciaramitaro ‡ 
Lodovico: Morris Robinson 
Emilia: Sarah Saturnino* †
Montano: Alan Williams †
Roderigo: Anthony León †
Herald: Ryan Wolfe †

Creative team:   
Conductor: James Conlon 
Original Production: John Cox  
Director: Joel Ivany*
Set and Costume Designer: Johan Engels
Lighting Designer: Jason Hand*
Chorus Director: Jeremy Frank
Children's Chorus Director: Fernando Malvar-Ruiz
Fight and Intimacy Director: Andrew Kenneth Moss

* LA Opera debut  
† Member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program 
‡ Former member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program 

Performed in Italian with English supertitles   

An LA Opera co-production with Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Teatro Regio di Parma 

Estimated running time: three hours, 15 minutes, including two intermissions  
Venue: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, 90012)  

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Opera on Ice 2012

Wanted to type in the dvd cover info, so I can see a translation.

Opera on Ice, un incredibile show dove i più grandi campioni di pattinaggio artistico su ghiaccio incontrano il magico mondo dell'Opera, interpretando con la loro performance e la loro arte le arie delle opere liriche più famose. La prima mondiale del gran gala di pattinaggio sul ghiaccio si è svolta il 1st ottobre 2011 nel più grande teatro lirico all'aperto del Mondo: l'Arena di Verona, il vero tempio dell'Opera. Unendo differenti forme d'arte, la bellezza del teatro con le performances dei migliori pattinatori del Mondo: (skaters listed). La prima edizione di Opera on Ice ha messo in seena le arie più famose delle Opere in programma nella stagione lirica 2012 dell'Arena di Verona: (lists operas sampled). L'orchestra e il coro dell'Arena di Verona con 200 elementi, accompagnati du 6 cantanti lirici di gran livello internazionale, hanno contribuito a rendere Opera on Ice un evento magico unico. Lo spettacolo ha registrato il tutto esaurito con 12.000 spettatori.



Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Puccini: Edgar (2008)

 

Stars: José Cura, Amarilli Nizza, Julia Gertseva

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2342694/

Puccini's 2nd opera, with checkered history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_(opera)

The wiki article outlines the 3-act synopsis. So I'm stealing this from the Amazon product page:

"When the opera opens, Edgar is at the end of an affair with the Moor Tigrana. The `girl-next- door' Fidelia loves Edgar which he almost reciprocates. Tigrana scandalises the church-attending villagers. They are about to attack her when Edgar comes to her aid. Edgar sets fire to his family home and fights and wounds Frank, Fidelia's brother, as Frank tries to intervene. Edgar and Tigrana depart. In act 2 Edgar soon tires of his debauched lifestyle with Tigrana and joins a passing troop of soldiers captained by the said Frank. Act 3 takes place after an assumed battle. Edgar and Frank stage Edgar's `funeral'. Fidelia is distraught. Tigrana is persuaded by the `disguised as a monk' Edgar, to denounce him as a traitor. The attending troop of inflamed soldiers, intent upon desecration, open the empty coffin whereupon Edgar reveals himself. Act 4 reverts to Fidelia who still believes that Edgar is dead. She asks to be buried in her bridal veil. Frank and Edgar appear for the grand reconciliation after which they depart and leave Fidelia alone. Enter Tigrana who fatally stabs Fidelia. Tigrana is captured and led away." -- MusicWeb International, Robert McKechnie, December 2009

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Stratford (Ontario) Gondoliers (1984) - Glossary

 




An extra feature of the dvd is the following Glossary.

Note that the dvd has a copyright date of 1984 (really), with original release date of 1984.


    Libretto: https://gsarchive.net/gondoliers/gn_lib.pdf





    Act I

    • Barataria - the title of Gilbert's mythical island kingdom of Spain comes from Cervante's Don Quixote where the Don promises his companion Sancho Panza the governorship of this island "surrounded by land"
    • Dolce far niente - delightful idleness
    • nobody contradicente - contradicting
    • Ben venuti - welcome
    • Gondolieri carissimi! Siamo contadine! - Dearest gondoliers! We are peasant girls!
    • Servitori umilissimii! - most humble servants!
    • Per chi questi fiori bellissimi? - For whom are these most beautiful flowers?
    • Per voi, bel signori, O eccelienteissimi! - For you, dear gentlemen, oh most excellent ones!
    • I ciel! - Oh, heaven!
    • Buon giorno, cavalieri! - Good morning, gentlemen
    • Siamo gondolieri / poveri gondolieri - We are gondoliers / poor gondoliers
    • Signorina, io t'amo! / Contadine siamo - Lady, I love your! Peasant girls are we.
    • Since we were short-coated - wearing children's clothes
    • hidalgo - Spanish nobleman of lowest rank
    • grandee - Spanish nobleman of highest rank (how the Duke of Plaza-Toro can be both a Grandee and a Hidalgo is one of Gilbert's paradoxes)
    • plebeian position - low class
    • the halberdiers are mercenary people - Guardsmen armed with ax-like spears
    • cornet-á-piston - cornet (related to the trumpet) with three valves operated by pistons (though the Gondoliers is set in 1750, this valve-piston cornet was not invented until 1813)
    • Duke of Plaza-Toro, Count Matadoro, Baron Picadoro - the Duke's titles derive from bull-fighting (Plaza do Toros being the arena, the matador and picador being different types of bullfighters)
    • Married by proxy - with someone acting on your behalf, in your absence
    • Converted to the metric system - at the time of this production, Canada had undergone this conversion less than 10 years previously. The original line read: "became a Wesleyan Methodist of the most bigoted and persecuting type".
    • very knowing, overflowing, easygoing Paladin - heroic, chivalrous knight of old
    • To men of grosser clay - of less distinguished and noble blood (clay = body)
    • Don Alhambra del Bolero - his name comes from the Alhambra, the palace of the Moorish kings at Granada, with "del Bolero" added as a Gilbertian bit of humour (it refers to a type of dance)
    • Jimp, isn't she - fetching, neat
    • teach him the trade of a Timoneer - from French timonier, helmsman or steersman
    • lying a corpse on his humble bier - the stand on which a corpse or coffin is placed
    • your objections are not insuperable - impossible to overcome
    • 'tis a glorious thing, I ween , to be a regular Royal Queen - I fancy, or believe
    • not seal - refers to the efforts of animal rights activists to stop the annual slaughter of baby seals
    • She'll bear away the bell - carry off the prize (from the custom of presenting the winners of horse races with a small gold of silver bell)
    • My husband and I - a phrase, well-used, by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II
    • fret at the Argentine - the then recent 1982 war between Britain and Argentina fought in the Faulklands
    • serve intruders tea - an incident in which Queen Elizabeth II was awakened in the middle of the night to find a stranger in her bedroom
    • the Chancellor in his peruke - powdered wig
    • aristocrat who banks with Coutts - long-established London bank, used by royalty
    • the noble lord who cleans the plate - silver or gold tableware or ornaments
    Act II
    • or happiness the very pith in Barataria you may see - essence
    • This form of government we find / the beau ideal of its kind - model of excellence
    • bilingualism - a jab at the federal law which makes Canada an officially bilingual country
    • we may hold a Royal Levee - a court reception or gathering, in morning or early afternoon
    • polish the Regalia and the Coronation Plate - polish the special emblems of royalty and the silver associated with the coronation (this is not a large plate)
    • The Journal - a nightly in-depth examination of daily events following the news broadcast on the CBC
    • having passed the Rubicon - the point of no return, a river significantly crossed by Caesar
    • Take a pretty little cot - cottage
    • Dance a cachuca, fandango, bolero - three Spanish dances (the music here is a cachuca - the fandango and the boler are much slower than this one and danced by two at a time)
    • Xeres we'll drink Manzanilla, Montero - xeres is a fortified wine (the name is corrupted in English to sherry); manzanilla a light dry sherry; montero, thought it provides a good rhyme, does not appear to be a drink at all
    • Ronny and Nancy - Ronald Reagan, President of the United States at the time of this production, and his wife Nancy
    • Peter at Global - Peter Trueman was news anchorman on Canada's Global Television Network at the time of this production
    • I tried to tame your great progenitor - father
    • With double-shotted guns and colours nailed unto the mast - cannons loaded with twice the usual shot (a reckless tactic) and flag nailed so it cannot be lowered in surrender
    • Royal Salute - the Duke is referring to an honorary display, but Giuseppe means a kiss
    • Merrily crying out "premé, stali" - two things gondoliers apparently shout: "preme" means to push down on the pole, used to indicate imminent departure; "stali" means stop

    Wednesday, September 23, 2020

    Stratford (Ontario) Iolanthe (1984) - Glossary

     






    An extra feature of the dvd is the following Glossary.

    Note that the dvd has a copyright date of 1999, with original release date of 1984.


      Libretto: https://www.gsarchive.net/iolanthe/iollib.pdf




      Act I

      • The Peer and the Peri - a Peer is a high-ranking nobleman, and a Peri is a fairy
      • Arcadian shepherd - an idealized rustic, the standard hero of the 18th-century genre of pastoral, mythological drama
      • a ward of Chancery - a minor under the guardianship of the Courts of Chancery
      • bow ye Broadbents and Mulroneys - Brian Mulroney was the Prime Minister of Canada (Conservative) and Ed Broadbent was the head of the New Democratic Party at the time of this production, 1984
      • I'll stick to my pipes and my tabors - pastoral musical instruments; flutes and drums
      • in lowly cot alone is virtue found - cottage
      • never throw dust in a juryman's eyes - same as pulling the wool over his eyes
      • When tempests wreak thy bark - your ship, i.e. when you are in trouble
      • Taradiddle, Tol-lol-lay - Taradiddle is a fib, Tol-lol may mean languid or so-so (as in the name of the character Lord Tolloller), but may be just nonsense syllables here
      • Foreign Phrases - The Peers flaunt their linguistic learning in the following:
        • with wase canaille - as the Fairies note, "That word is French" for low rabble
        • a heard of vulgar plebs - "a Latin word" for the common people
        • twould fill with joy... the hoi polloi - "a Greek remark" meaning common folk
      • The new Arts Council Head - Maureen Forrester (Queen of the Fairies had just been appointed to this post at the time of this production, 1984
      Act II
      • when all night long, a chap remains on sentry-go - sentry duty
      • when in that House, M.P.s divide - Members of Parliament, voting by physically going to one side of the House or other
      • yet Britain won her proudest bays - laurel wreaths, given to victorious heroes
      • Knowlton Nash - anchorman of the CBC National News at the time of this production, 1984
      • nothing 'twixt you and the ticking - material covering a mattress or pillow
      • be your law the ancient saw - old saying. This song, like "Things are seldom what they seem" in H.M.S. Pinafore, strings together many 'old saws.'
      • not worth a maravedi - a Spanish coin of very little value
      • as an old equity draughtsman - a barrister who draws up complex legal documents
      • two strings go to every bow... grief 'twill bring if you've two beaux to every string - a pun on the phrase 'to have two strings to your bow', meaning to be prepared for emergencies (when you resort to your second string), and the French word 'beaux', meaning boyfriends, whom one may have on a string

      Tuesday, September 22, 2020

      Stratford (Ontario) H.M.S. Pinafore (1981) - Glossary

       




      An extra feature of the dvd is the following Glossary.

      Note that the dvd has a copyright date of 1999, with original release date of 1981.


        Libretto: https://www.gilbertsullivan.org/documents/HMSPinafore2014/HMS_Pinafore_Libretto.pdf




        Act I 

        • Buttercup's wares:
          • jacky - twists of tobacco soaked in rum (for chewing)
          • soft tommy - a kind of bread
          • chickens and conies - wild rabbits
          • pretty polonies - smoked sausages named, like the sandwich meat, after Bologna, the Italian town where they were first made
        • reddest beauty in all Spithead - a body of water off Portsmouth
        • Dick Deadeye, Bill Bobstay (boatswain), Bob Becket (carpenter's mate) - the last names of these sailors all refer to parts of a ship's ropes or rigging
        • foremast hands - those sailors who serve "before the mast" (those below the rank of officer) [see quarter-deck]
        • quarter-deck - the deck to the aft of the mainmast where only commissioned officers may promenade
        • ship a selvagee - a hank of rope yarn made into a strap or sling
        • Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B. - Knight Commander of the (Order of the) Bath (high honour)
        • band the loud nine-pounders go - the smallest of the battery of the cannons carried on Royal Navy ships (which also include 18 and 32-pounders)
        • pocket borough - refers to a parliamentary seat controlled by a single individual (usually wealthy landowner); these seats were abolished by the Great Reform Act of 1832
        • British tar - slang for sailor
        • Cimmerian darkness - according to Homer's Odyssey, the Cimmerians lived in a land where the sun never shines
        Act II
        • bumboat woman - boat used to peddle provisions to ships in port
        • the prospect is Elysian - in Greek mythology, Elysian fields were the home of the blessed
        • cat-o'-nine-tails (or simply "the cat") - a whip with nine knotted lashes used for punishment
        • fo'c'sle - short for "forecastle", the forward part of the ship usually containing the crew's quarters
        • no telephone - the first telephone transmission was in 1876, and the first London exchange opened in June of 1878, a month after Pinafore did

        Monday, September 21, 2020

        Stratford (Ontario) Pirates of Penzance (1985) - Glossary

         




        An extra feature of the dvd is the following Glossary.

        Note that the dvd has a copyright date of 1999, with original release date of 1983.


          Libretto: https://www.gsarchive.net/pirates/pirates_lib.pdf




          Act I

          • let the pirate bumper pass - a bumper is a cup or glass filled to the brim, as for a toast
          • scuttling a Cunarder - sinking a passenger ship of the Cunard line
          • cutting out a White Star - separating a passenger ship of the White Star line from the surrounding ships in order to capture it
          • Custom House - a house or office set up to collect levied custom (at a seaport like Penzance) for exported or imported goods
          • the glass is rising very high - weather-glass; a barometer (or possibly a thermometer), indicating fair weather
          • on breakers always steering - always making mistakes and getting into trouble; as when steering a ship toward waves breaking on rocks
          • your pirate caravanserai - as "caravanserai" is a sort of inn for caravans and their occupants, the only excuse for applying this word to a group of men is that it rhymes with Chancery (almost)
          • Wards in Chancery - minors under the protection of the Court of Chancery
          • from Marathon to Waterloo - in 490 B.C. the Greeks defeated the Persians at Marathon (the messenger who died after running the 26 miles to Athens with the news, somehow inspired modern marathons). Napoleon's final defeat was at Waterloo in 1815.
          • the scientific names of beings animalculous - an animalcule is a microscopic animal
          • I answer hard acrostics - a parlour game similar to charades, with acted-out words, whose first letters then spell the real message to be discovered.
          • quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus - even the use of a verse form (elegiacs) could not soften the awful deeds of this most appalling Roman emperor (212-222 AD)
          • In conics I can floor peculiarities parabolous - conics is the study of geometric properties of a cone cut by imaginary planes, producing parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas. To floor is to defeat (as in wrestling). Parabolous is Gilbert's adjective variant of parabolic.
          • I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies - three painters, from three different centuries and countries, and with quite distinct styles.
          • the croaking chorus from The Frogs of Aristophanes - a comedy produced in Athens in 405 B.C. (the croaking chorus goes "Brekekekex, koax, koax")
          • a washing-bill in Babylonic cuneiform - a laundry-list, in ancient wedge-shaped writing
          • every detail of Caractacus's uniform - this Welsh king who resisted the Roman invasion of Britain had a limited uniform: it consisted of a woad, a blue dye... and nothing else
          • whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore - H.M.S. Pinafore was the Gilbert & Sullivan show which preceded Pirates. It was their first great success.
          • mamelon and ravelin - terms for strategic earthworks: mamelon is a mound used in fortifications, ravelin is a sort of ridge
          • such affairs as sorties and surprises - sudden troop movement outward when besieged
          • has never sat a gee - never ridden a horse ("gee-gee" being a childish way of referring to a horse, derived from a word of command to horses)
          • John Turner - a Liberal Prime Minister of Canada who was in office for only 2 months in 1984
          • Divine Emollient! - something that softens, as poetry apparently does, even for pirates
          • dimity - a thin cotton fabric
          Act II
          • dishonour on the family escutcheon - shield displaying heraldic insignia; family crest
          • threatened with émeutes - a French term for riots or brawls
          • coster's finished jumping on his mother - costermongers (street vendors of fruit, fish, etc.) were sometimes rather rough characters
          • life preserver - a stick or bludgeon loaded with lead, intended for self-defense, but all too often used by evil-doers (as in this case)
          • unshriven, unannealed - without having made confession or having received extreme unction 
          • with humbled mien - manner, or general bearing
          • we love our House of Peers - the House of Lords, one of two Houses of Parliament. A peer has at least one of the following titles: duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron.

          Sunday, September 20, 2020

          Stratford (Ontario) Trial by Jury (1962) - Glossary




          An extra feature of the dvd is the following Glossary.

          Note that the dvd has a copyright date of "19862", with original release date of 1962.


            Libretto: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Trial_by_Jury_(1911)






            • is this the Court of the Exchequer - a common-law court that dealt with revenue cases and never for Breach of Promise suits
            • Be firm, be firm, my pecker - in Britain, the word means "mouth" and here refers to keeping a stiff upper lip or keeping one's chin up in an act of courage
            • Your evil star's in the ascendant - your astrological timing couldn't be worse
            • Tink-a-tank - onomatopoetic sound of a guitar (or ukelele)
            • love unchanged will cloy - become too much, or too sweet, for pleasure
            • never be reversed in banc - overturned by a superior court
            • I was ... an impecunious party - one who is short of money
            • a swallow-tail coat - a coat with a forked tail like that of a swallow
            • a brief which I'd bought of a booby - papers summarizing a court case; a fool
            • in Westminster Hall I danced a dance like a semi-despondent fury - the site of the High Court of Justice from 1755 to 1884; furies were female avenging spirits
            • as rich as the Gurneys - a wealthy Quaker family who established a thriving banking firm that was later taken over by Barclays in 1896
            • at the Bailey and Middlesex Sessions - the names of courts in London
            • an incubus then I thought her - a nightmarish oppressor
            • I threw over that rich attorney's elderly ugly daughter - abandoned, jilted
            • it is patent to the mob - obvious to everyone
            • my being made a nob was effected by a job - a nob is a person of wealth or distinction; a "job" means a dirty trick, or string-pulling
            • O'er the season vernal time may cast a shade - springtime; metaphorically, youth
            • Camberwell became a bower, Peckham an Arcadian vale - prosaic, working-class suburbs of London
            • Breathing concentrated otto - from attar of roses, i.e., perfume made of rose petals
            • An existence ... a la Watteau - Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) painted idyllic scenes
            • water from far Cologne - the counsel is here referring to "Eau de Cologne" as a substitution for smelling salts
            • to marry two at once is Burglaree - the counsel is inept that he confuses this word with "bigamy"
            • for the maid had bought her trousseau - bride's collection of clothing, linens, etc.
            • a nice dilemma - demanding great precision and delicacy
            • I'm not prepossessing, as you may be guessing - attractive
            • if, when in liquor, he would kick her, that is an abatement - something which subtracts from the value (here, the damages to be awarded for the loss of such a fiance)
            • I'll reward him from my fob - a small waistband pocket (the reward is presumably small)

            Saturday, September 19, 2020

            Stratford (Ontario) Mikado (1983) - Glossary



            An extra feature of the dvd is the following Glossary.

            Note that the dvd has a copyright date of 2004, with original release date of 1983.








            Act I

            • Town of Titipu - Actually, such a town exists (now the cement capital of Japan). It is a few hours northwest of Tokyo by train.
            • serried ranks assembled - should to shoulder
            • and a rumbelow - nonsense word used in many sea-chanties
            • her anchor's a-trip and her helm's a-lee - A-trip means clear of mud and ready to be hauled aboard. A-lee means away from the wind; ready for making sail.
            • to lay aloft - to climb up into the rigging in order to raise or lower sails
            • unless connubially linked - matrimonially (i.e., unless married)
            • Pre-Adamite ancestry - before Adam (and Eve)
            • I a salaried minion ! - servile underling
            • you very imperfect ablutioner - the implication is that the person addressed has not done a good job of washing himself (well, it does rhyme with "executioner").
            • cut a dash on their wedding day - put on a showy display
            • she'll toddle away, as all aver - declare
            • freed from its genius tutelary - guardian spirit, guiding influence
            • my father, the Lucius Junius Brutus of his race - A Roman consul (500 B.C.) who condemned his two sons to death, for their plotting to restore the monarchy
            • to embrace you thus con fuoco - Italian for "with fervor"
            • and for yam I should get toco - "Toco" is schoolboy slang for punishment; "toco for yam" is an expression meaning getting something bad in exchange for something good.
            • interrupted an apostrophe - an exclamatory address to a person or thing
            • with grief condign - suitable
            • in a dull, dark dock - small enclosed space, or cell (originally, an animal cage)
            • a cheap and chippy chopper - the headsman's axe is apparently not of the best quality
            • perform the Happy Dispatch - suicide
            • Oh blind, that seest no equipoise - counterbalancing factor
            • O ni! bikkuri shakkuri to! - This choral outburst is variously translated, but might mean "Demon, you surprise and shock us!" Some think that "hiccup" is involved somehow.
            • I'll spoil you gay gambado - caper, from the French gambade a leap or spring
            Act II
            • he glories all effulgent - giving off a flood of light
            • though the tocsin sound ere long - a warning bell
            • I never even killed a blue-bottle - a large fly
            • Miya sama, miya sama / On n'm-ma no mayé ni / Pira-Pira suru no wa / Nan gia na / Toko tonyaré tonyaré na? - This is a legitimate Japanese song and was of fairly recent composition when Gilbert appropriated it for The Mikado. A war song of the Japanese Imperial Army, it was sung by the loyalist troops who put down a rebellion in 1877. Translations vary.
            • make each prisoner pent - locked up
            • mystical Germans who preach from ten till four - evangelical German Lutherans who had recently been touring England
            • to ride on a buffer in Parliamentary trains - The buffer is the shock-absorbing bumper on British railroad cars. When an Act of Parliament in 1844 required that at least one train a day run to every station on a line, these slow trains were "Parliamentary trains."
            • Monday Pops - weekly London concerts of classical music organized by Chappell, the music publishers of the Savoy operettas
            • in fitless finger stalls - protective covering for an injured finger
            • I drew my snickersnee - a long knife or small sword (from the Dutch)
            • Niagara-on-the-Lake - picturesque Ontario town near Niagara Falls. It is the site of the Shaw Festival, a rival to the Stratford Festival where this production originated.
            • give artistic verisimilitude - appearance of truth

            Sunday, August 4, 2019

            Rossini: Otello (2012) Synopsis from the booklet

            From the dvd booklet; probably copyrighted:

            Act One:
            The black African Othello has returned to Venice victorious after recapturing Cyprus from the Turks on behalf of the Adriatic Republic. In reward he asks the Doge to grant him citizenship, which the latter immediately confers on him - despite his origins. But Othello's ambitions are even loftier: he has secretly married Desdemona, daughter of the politically influential Elmiro. However, Elmiro has other plans for Desdemona: he hates Othello because of his skin colour and intends to marry Desdemona to Rodrigo, who is passionately in love with her.

            Desdemona seeks advice from her confidante, Emilia. She has been worried ever since a letter and a lock of her hair that she wanted to send to Othello fell into her father's hands. In order not to give herself away, Desdemona let her father believe that the letter was addressed to Rodrigo. If Othello sees the love token in the hands of another, he will believe her to be unfaithful. Desdemona's fears are all too well founded: the letter and lock of hair have fallen into Iago's possession. Iago also once hoped to win Desdemona's hand in marriage and now wants to take his revenge on her as well as Othello, whom he misleads into believing is his friend.

            Elmiro hastily announces the wedding, but to Rodrigo's dismay Desdemona defies her father. When Othello joins them, he declares before the entire company assembled to celebrate his victory that Desdemona has sworn her love and fidelity to him. Desdemona confirms her oath, whereupon Elmiro curses his daughter. Her despair is increased by Rodrigo's and Othello's threats.

            Act Two
            Rodrigo cannot accept being rejected by Desdemona. When she reveals to him that Othello is her husband, he threatens to kill the Moor. Desdemona decides to find Othello in order to save him.

            With the help of the love letter and the lock of hair it is easy for Iago to convince Othello completely of Desdemona's infidelity. He is resolved to kill her. Rodrigo demands that Othello renounce Desdemona; instead, Othello challenges him to a duel. Desdemona intervenes. In utter terror and at the same time stung by Othello's cool attitude, she falls into a faint. She regains consciousness in Emilia's arms. The news that Othello is still alive gives her only a brief respite: Elmiro's appearance culminates in a complete rupture between him and Desdemona.

            Act Three
            Desdemona has given up all hope of seeing Othello again, as he has been sent into exile. Emilia cannot console her. Desdemona's sorrow is echoed in the sad song of the gondolier. To give vent to her feelings, Desdemona sings the song of Isaura, who died of a broken heart under a weeping willow. She bids farewell to Emilia, says a prayer and goes to bed.

            With Iago's connivance, Othello has stolen into her bedroom. While a storm rages outside, he vacillates between love, self-hatred, jealousy and vengefulness. When Desdemona wakes up, she protests her innocence - to no avail. Othello announces to her that Iago has murdered Rodrigo, her alleged lover, and kills her.

            But Rodrigo is alive: he explains to Othello that Iago admitted his intrigues before falling by Rodrigo's hand. The latter is now prepared to relinquish Desdemona. The Doge also speaks of reconciliation, and Elmiro of a possible marriage, whereupon Othello kills himself.

            Rossini: Otello (2012) Synopsis mine

            Description of this performance:
            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6047190/

            Venice.
            Modern-ish dress; women wear gloves and pillbox hats circa 1962.

            Act 1:
            At a cocktail party, Otello (in very dark makeup) is welcomed back from his victory over the Turks in Cyprus. Most men are in black suits; some in dress uniform, none like Otello's short jacket. Iago (ensign to Otello) and Rodrigo (son of the Doge) sulk together in a corner until Iago (wearing similar short jacket) feels the need to hug Otello. The Doge enters very slowly, with a medieval hat, medallion and robe over his modern black suit. He praises Otello, gives him a medal, and inquires what reward Otello desired. Citizenship; granted. (They call their state Adria.) All go in to dinner.

            Elmiro & Rodrigo come out and discuss Desd. (Elmiro's daughter) and whether she will accept Rodrigo; unclear. Elmiro goes back, Iago emerges from the shadows. He reveals the letter from Desd. and vows to destroy the Moor - out of friendship for R. The men depart.

            Emilia & Desd. enter and peek into the dining room. Desd. worries about the letter her father intercepted, and that she let him believe it was intended for Rodrigo.

            Iago enters & the women flee. He sings alone about his former desire for her; he spits at that memory.

            Rodrigo enters, followed by Elmiro, who admits he hates Otello, and wants Rodrigo as his son-in-law, asks Iago to help accomplish that.

            Exit Iago & Rodrigo, enter Desd, who asks for a kiss from her father; she gets a side-hug.

            Exit Elmiro, enter Emilia, so the women can speculate what her father intends for Desd's marriage.

            Women exit, enter Iago with a folio of paperwork. He retrieves Elmiro & Rodrigo from the dinner; Elmiro & Rodrigo each signs the document in the folio. Enter Desd. & Emilia to see the signing. Elmiro tries to convince her to accept Rodrigo, who sings his internal doubts. Desd. reads the document to finally realize what her father wants. She resists. Rodrigo tries to convince her of his love for her. Iago retreats. Father, daughter, suitor sing their feelings.

            While Rodrigo paws Desd, the dinner party enter the room led by Otello & Iago. Outraged, Otello reveals they have sworn oaths to each other; Desd. confirms it and Elmiro curses her. The cast (minus Iago, who only observes) sings a quintet plus chorus about the predicament. Eventually Rodrigo & Otello join Elmiro in cursing Desd. Desd. follows her father when he exits.

            Act 2:
            Desd.'s bedroom.
            Fresh from the dining hall, Rodrigo followed Desd. here; he continues to plead his case, calling her a traitor when she resists. She confesses that she and Otello are married. After a lot more pleading and resistance, he leaves, vowing to kill Otello.

            Enter Emilia. They sing about Desd.'s fear for Otello. Desd. departs, Emilia sings about gathering comrades to help.

            Recreation room with frig and pool table, chairs put up for the night.
            Otello lamenting his condemnation of Desd. Enter Iago to share the intercepted letter. It has the desired effect.

            Exit Iago, enter Rodrigo, who challenges Otello physically. They each grab a pool cue as a weapon, but continue singing.  Enter Desd., who tries to keep them separated. They disarm, but still want to fight. The men depart as though they will fight outside.

            Enter Emilia, who finds Desd. fainted, but she revives, worried about Otello. At Desd.'s request, Emilia & friends pursue Otello. Desd. continues singing, a crowd gathers. Enter Elmiro, so he and the chorus can condemn Desd. further, and Desd. can continue to defy his wishes.

            Act 3:
            Desd.'s bedroom.
            Emilia & Desd. sing about her feelings. Otello has been condemned to exile. Gondolier sings offstage, a sad song that Desd. writes on her wall. Desd. remembers another song that fits the mood, and brings out her record player to hear it, then sings along about the woman so despondent she dies beneath a willow tree. Desd. asks for one last kiss from Emilia before retiring to bed. Exit Emilia.

            Enter Otello, who sings about his conflicted feelings, wielding a dagger in the dark while Desd. sleeps. She wakes, and they have it out. She claims she is innocent, and if he can't believe her, he should kill her. He does.

            A knock at the door. Outside are Rodrigo, Elmiro, the Doge, Emilia and the chorus. Iago is dead by Rodrigo, after he confessed the letter's intended recipient was a deception (how did he know?). Rodrigo is ready to concede Desd. to Otello, as is Elmiro. The Doge reinforces the state's appreciation of Otello, revoking his exile. Otello lets the folks into the room, they see the dead Desd. Realizing he's killed her for no good reason, he executes himself while Rodrigo helps drive the dagger deeper. Both Elmiro and Rodrigo kick Otello's body. Curtain.

            Monday, July 29, 2019

            marker: new project started

            Today I'm starting the next phase: watching the unrated titles in my collection, and whatever else I want.

            Organized in release date order, but sliced up for variety:
            1 silent film per day
            then
            130 to watch Monday: 1928-32
            153 to watch Tuesday: 1933-36
            152 to watch Wednesday: 1937-43
            145 to watch Thursday: 1944-53
            159 to watch Friday: 1954-73
            152 to watch Saturday: 1974-95
            146 to watch Sunday 1996-19
            86 to watch: Silents 1914-30

            1037 total without the silents
            148 s/b avg per list
            but 1933 was just too big to move (42 titles) and I refuse to split a year in case I find other titles to add.



            Thursday, July 11, 2019

            Giordano: Andrea Chénier (1985), 8

            1h 56min | Drama, Music | TV Movie
            Add a Plot »
            Director: Humphrey Burton
            Conductor: Julius Rudel
            Stars: Plácido Domingo, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Giorgio Zancanaro, Jonathan Summers.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0254090/

            Premiere 1896

            Time: 1789–94.
            Place: In and around Paris.

            Speaking revolutionary thoughts can get you killed during the wrong regime.

            Staging/sets/costumes/acting/singing all fine. Story I didn't follow too closely; it looked familiar from when I watched a version at Met on Demand ('96 version with Pavarotti, which I called 7.5, and did claim to follow). This one's an 8 with a shrug. It might be better or worse if I paid closer attention.

            Rated 7.7 (21)

            RoyalOpera, cond. Rudel; 8

            Wednesday, July 10, 2019

            Verdi: Rigoletto (2001), 8-

            2h 47min | Crime, Drama, Music | TV Movie 26 May 2009
            A disfigured court jester named Rigoletto seeks vengeance for his daughter who fell in love with the Duke of Mantua, and for his own humiliation, with tragic results.
            Director: Sue Judd
            Conductor: Edward Downes
            Stars: Paolo Gavanelli, Christine Schäfer, Marcelo Álvarez, Eric Halfvarson, Graciela Araya.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386749/

            LittleSongBird gave this a 10, as did the only other reviewer, but the overall rating is much lower. She's a prolific IMDb reviewer, especially of opera, and claims Rigoletto is among her top 5 Verdi operas. I'd agree; my list: Otello, Rigoletto, Aida, Traviata, Ballo (some). She prefers the Ponnelle film with Pavarotti (me too), and some old Tito Gobbi stuff that I'll stay away from.

            The production is dark. There's only 1 set, with a corrugated aluminum/steel lean-to and broken chicken-wire fencing. The Duke lives in a glass house, so he sees that stuff. It's a bleak place. I always have trouble imagining the Duke staying at Sparafucile's place, and this one, even more so. No pretty palace, no soothing garden, just tetanus potential everywhere.

            Gilda is a boyish stick of a woman, hardly what I'd imagine the Duke mooning over for 3 months of Sundays at church. But then they make Ceprano's wife almost identical (he also raves about her), so they probably thought about it.

            This is my 6th Rigoletto to rate, and except for the 7 set in Vegas, they're all 8's. I wonder if I watch the first 2 again, would their ratings go up?

            I love the (dark, horrible) story, and the performances are fine. But I'm glad I didn't see this one first.

            Rated 7.7 (26)

            RoyalOpera, cond. Downes; 8-

            Monday, July 8, 2019

            Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia (2013), 8

            2h 7min | Music | 25 May 2013
            In this melodically rich bel canto masterpiece, a femme fatale renowned for her ruthless pursuit of power reveals poignant vulnerability when she comes face to face with her long-lost son.
            Director: Frank Zamacona
            Conductor: Riccardo Frizza
            Stars: Renée Fleming, Michael Fabiano, Elizabeth DeShong, Vitalij Kowaljow.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2962362/

            Premiere: 1833

            Time: Early 16th century
            Place: Venice and Ferrara

            Filmed at SF Opera, Sep/Oct 2011

            Bought because of Michael Fabiano, one of contestants featured in The Audition (2008). He's ok here, but the role is not terrific. It's prominent (he really is the 2nd lead), but musically it doesn't play into his strengths as much as Traviata (Met on Demand).

            Fleming was labeled as "too nice" for the role by some Amazon reviewer(s). The role is intended to show vulnerability in this supposedly ruthless (serial killer) character. I'll be interested to see how Joan Sutherland played it.

            DeShong is familiar from Semiramide (2018). Both are trouser roles. I thought she was very good here too. There was physical affection between her character & Fabiano's that strongly suggested male bonding beyond friendship (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

            I liked Kowaljow a lot. I'm always happy for a good bass, bass/baritone. He has only a few other recordings, including a Wotan (or 2?) in 2010 Die Walküre (or 2?).

            I chose the still shot instead of the drab dvd cover to illustrate why I like the sets/costumes.

            The story is another long lost parent/child (unknown to each other) reunion, but it's not clear that his loyalty shifts when she tells him; it's right at the end of the opera. It was also not clear to me when she determined the truth, probably their 1st act duet.

            Rated 9.0 (7)

            SFOpera, cond. Frizza; 8

            Saturday, July 6, 2019

            Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth von Mzensk (1992), 8+

            1h 40min | Drama, Music, Musical | 1992
            Add a Plot »
            Director: Petr Weigl
            Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich
            Stars: Markéta Hrubesová, Galina Vishnevskaya, Michal Dlouhý, Nicolai Gedda.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104668/

            #90 of the top 1000 operas performed ('09-'18).
            This is a German production (the credits are about the only place that shows) by a Czech director using a Russian opera with a London orchestra and chorus.

            The Lady Macbeth reference is a loose connection. No one becomes king, but murders are committed, and madness ensues.

            Bought this because it was so high on the Performed list, and because an Amazon reviewer mentioned it as a good use of overt sexual scenes in an opera (contrasted with the one they were reviewing). Since this is my first viewing of this opera, I'll never be satisfied with a simple staged production; the sex was an integral part of the story. Without it, are they just mooning at each other? (Hmm, wonder if I have (Image Ent.) a censored version; someone contributed male frontal nudity to IMDb. But I watched it on the small screen, and it was probably fleeting.)

            The actors were not opera singers; they lip synced to an extant recording. Every character has 2 credits: actor and voice.

            The film is very well done. I'd give it a 9, but I'm not crazy about the music. The story, the settings, the performances were all excellent.

            Rating 7.2 (68)

            LondonPhil, cond. Rostropovich; 8+

            Wednesday, July 3, 2019

            Zandonai: Francesca da Rimini (1984), 8

            2h 28min | Music | Episode aired 7 April 1984
            Add a Plot »
            Director: Brian Large
            Conductor: James Levine
            Stars: Renata Scotto, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil, William Lewis.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0255176/

            Premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin on 19 February 1914

            The story takes place in Italy: Ravenna and Rimini.
            Time: early 1300s

            Saw this during my Met on Demand run, liked it.
            Today I only really perked up at the end, when things got, um, well, final. And during some earlier PD/RS kissing scenes; they played it hot and steamy.

            Weirdest part: when PD & RS meet and fall in love instantly, we get a lengthy scene with music and mooning/mugging, but no singing/talking.

            Good to have for breadth of composers. The only other entry for Zandonai on the list of top 1000 operas performed ('09-'18 worldwide, per OperaBase) is Giulietta e Romeo at 963; Rimini is 300th.

            Rated 8.8 (18)

            MetOpera, cond. Levine; 8

            Tuesday, July 2, 2019

            Puccini: Tosca (2001), 9

            2h 6min | Musical, Drama | 14 November 2001
            Benoit Jacquot reinvents the way we view opera in this magnificent production of Puccini's story of Tosca's love for the painter Cavaradossi and the intervention of Scarpia.
            Director: Benoît Jacquot
            Conductor: Antonio Pappano
            Stars: Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Ruggero Raimondi

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240122/

            First performance at Rome, January 14, 1900

            Time: June 1800
            Place: Rome

            Gimmicky presentation, with b/w studio recording footage cut into the opera, along with location-setting outdoor footage shot with jittery cam and sometimes made very grainy/soft focus. Sometimes singers talk over their own singing. Not sure why the camera circles Scarpia so much during Te deum. I love that we get a reflection of Scarpia singing via his dinner knife, an important object later.

            But mostly it's a brightly-lit production with some elaborate sets, some minimal. The look is of a sound stage, confirmed by IMDb location info.

            None of the gimmicks bother me, and since this is the 5th production going into my collection, a gimmick or two is welcome.

            What makes this REALLY welcome are the vocal performances. The voices were recorded in a studio (Abbey Road), so this is ideal aurally. I never saw a problem with lips out of sync, but maybe those are the moments when we get some extra footage.

            Gheorghiu looks and sounds the part; acts well too. Alagna does extremely well with his role, really holding his own in duet with Tosca, and Raimondi as Scarpia is wonderful, of course; IMDb shows 4 recordings of Tosca with him and this is my 2nd.

            Very glad to add this to my collection.

            Rated 7.4 (364)

            RoyalOpera, cond. Pappano; 9

            Monday, July 1, 2019

            Moody: Agreed (2019), 7-

            1h 48min | Music | 12 June 2019
            Director Simon Iorio
            Conductor/composer: Howard Moody
            Cast:
            Korimako: Tom Scott-Cowell (countertenor)
            Elin: Nazan Fikret (soprano)
            Alex: Michael Wallace (baritone)
            Kronos: Zara McFarlane (jazz singer)
            Maya: Louise Winter (soprano, perhaps mezzo)

            (not on IMDb)

            https://www.glyndebourne.com/events/watch-agreed-online/
            https://youtu.be/nq5mw-axv9Q
            https://www.glyndebourne.com/opera-archive/explore-our-operas/explore-agreed/
            http://www.glyndebourne.com/opera-archive/explore-our-operas/explore-agreed/agreed-synopsis/

            Premiered 2019

            Although this was in English, and has subtitles, it was hard to follow. They were trying to be ethereal, both ancient and modern.

            Set in a land called Orientis, with a nearby island of Aquila, we get political strife that separates a family. Then love blooms and the politics separate the lovers, causing her death. Some sort of reconciliation appears to happen at the end.

            What's not clear to me is why the "leader" of the land banished those born in Aquila back to that island. Was it political or was he just trying to rid himself of his mother? When she returns after 15 years, was that his motivation for making the separation of the land from the island even stronger, losing his daughter in the process? If the synopsis, written by the librettist, explained it, I missed it.

            GlyndebourneOpera, cond. Moody; 7-

            Verdi: Giovanna d'Arco (1989), 7-

            2h 7min | Drama, Music | TV Movie
            Add a Plot »
            Directors: Keith Cheetham, Werner Herzog
            Conductor: Riccardo Chailly
            Stars: Renato Bruson, Susan Dunn, Vincenzo La Scola

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0254356/

            First performed at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, 1845.

            Time: 1429
            Place: Domrémy, Reims and near Rouen, France

            Filmed at Teatro Comunale de Bologna

            Purchased this shortly before finding the Tutto Verdi set.
            My notes from that production: Tutto Verdi: Giovanna d'Arco (2008), 8

            I played this over and over for perhaps a full day (Fri/Sat), and could not connect to it. I would usually look up at about the same moments, so musically/vocally each principal did some good things. And I even looked for other performances of this tenor.

            But the production was not wonderful. Look at the poster: Joan of Arc is the big white-gowned actress in the middle. She never changed into battle gear, she never moved like she could participate on the field. Nor did I notice any action. The 2008 production was much better in that regard, where Joan is at least garbed and fit for war.

            Going to file this away for now. Hmm, it's not just me:

            Rated 6.2 (53)

            (multinational funding, including BBC and something Portuguese), cond. Chailly; 7-


            Massenet: Cendrillon, 7+

            3hr 2min | Music | 30 June 2019
            Conductor: John Wilson
            Stage director: Fiona Shaw
            Film director: François Roussillon
            Cast:
            Cendrillon: Danielle de Niese
            Fairy Godmother: Nina Minasyan
            Prince Charming: Kate Lindsey
            Stepmother (Madame de la Haltière): Agnes Zwierko

            (not on IMDb)

            Even though I signed up for emails from Glyndebourne, it was my calendar tickler from last year that pointed me toward seeing this online:
            https://www.glyndebourne.com/events/watch-cinderella/
            https://youtu.be/BlkvvBQj1lQ
            The video is from yesterday's live broadcast, and includes a 20 min intermission with no content. Next viewing, skip to the end of that using the big countdown clock onscreen. After that countdown is when we get the backstage featurette.

            This is the story where the father is still living, and stands by helplessly while Cinderella is treated as a servant. In this production, the house is full of servants, but Cindy gets the plum assignment of scrubbing the floors.

            This opera may need another watch. They seem to have played with the story a bit, because I got confused about the sequence of events. After Cinderella dons her ballgown, we see her in her rags again (at the ball?), and she switches back into the gown, still at the palace. The story does include a sequence where her father almost convinces her the whole thing was a dream, so perhaps this team was expanding on that early in the show.

            Another thing to watch for in a second viewing: is the prince also a household servant in a dress? S/he is presented that way during the scene where the father tries to enforce the dream concept, AND when shoe fits. Per a backstage discussion, they might have been trying to capitalize on the trouser role to make a same-sex statement. But that character is called the Prince, and the women who come to the ball to court him (and later wanting to try the shoe) are called Princesses.

            Nice, but happy to have the Met production, which is brightly lit (not so this production), and doesn't insert any confusing extras that I saw here.

            GlyndebourneOpera, cond. Wilson; 7+

            Chimes at Midnight (1965), 7

            1h 55min | Comedy, Drama, History | 22 December 1965
            The career of Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff as a roistering companion to young Prince Hal, circa 1400 to 1413.
            Director: Orson Welles
            Stars: Orson Welles, John Gielgud, Margaret Rutherford, Keith Baxter.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059012/
            Mine is the Criterion edition.

            IMDb: Sir John Falstaff is the hero in this compilation of extracts from Shakespeare's "Henry IV" and other plays, made into a connected story of Falstaff's career as young Prince Hal's drinking companion. The massive Knight roisters with and without the Prince, philosophizes comically, goes to war (in his own fashion), and meets his final disappointment, set in a real-looking late medieval England. Filmed in Spain.

            I like OW's voice & acting in general, and this is no exception. The archaic language, not so much.

            I don't find the character of Falstaff attractive/interesting in any way (apparently Welles disagreed, perhaps because of his alcoholic father, perhaps because of his own inclinations toward excess), not in Verdi's opera nor here. Now his companions (instead of the women he targeted in the opera) are playing tricks on him, taking advantage of his age/weight/intoxication.

            I didn't really follow, early on, that Hal would become king; he just seemed one of the companions. Perhaps next time I'll know better.

            As for the much-praised battle scene, I was extremely grateful it was not in color. Blood without color is easier to tolerate. Commentary or featurette pointed out that the brutality was indicative of the end of the chivalric era. I think I saw a moment of deliberate brutality toward a horse; hopefully the blows weren't real.

            Did I miss a build-up to the deaths of Henry IV and of Falstaff, or were they as sudden as I found them this viewing? I know my attention faded during the battle, and was not as strong after. When I don't find the story compelling, perhaps I should take a break during olde language productions.

            Rated 7.9 (6,837)

            indie, dir. Welles; 7

            Saturday, June 29, 2019

            Gounod: Faust (2004), 8

            3h | Drama, Music | TV Movie 14 June 2004
            Add a Plot »
            Directors: Sue Judd, Robin Lough
            Conductor: Antonio Pappano
            Stars: Roberto Alagna, Bryn Terfel, Angela Gheorghiu, Simon Keenlyside.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1954436/

            Premiere 1859

            Place: Germany
            Time: 16th century

            The production looked more Victorian than 16th century, but it worked for me. At one point Faust injects himself with a hypodermic (illicit drugs); that's rather modern: 1853 is when that's invented.

            I'm on an Alagna jag, and this one was pleasing, to the extent that I can appreciate this opera.

            I felt like I watched fairly carefully (not undivided attention, but close), and find these plot deficits: According to the synopses in Simon's Great Operas and on Wikipedia, Marguerite is in prison because she killed her out-of-wedlock child. We see her in prison, and earlier put a baby into a coffin, but not its cause of death. Also, Marguerite is supposed to go to heaven at the end, and possibly Faust too, but they're both onstage after the appearance and exit of the angel and the descent of Meph, so that did NOT convey either direction for our mortals.

            I believe Marguerite is portrayed as fairly innocent at the beginning of the show, and resists Faust's advances, but when she succumbs, she pays dearly. He pays too, but only because he has a conscience.

            I never did see the moment complained about by a (civilian) reviewer, and which is memorialized on the dvd menu: Meph tasting blood. His costume is red brocade, which I believe he wears in the first half of the opera. I have no idea of the source of the blood. (Or is it Valentin's? That's the only blood I remember seeing, but that's on the second disc, and Meph wears a plain black cloak there.)

            I have no quibbles with the production design; the Victorian costumes are consistent with the metal hypodermic needle (I watched for that). The ballerino (why don't we use that word more?) had some pretty scary vampirish teeth; wonder if that was prosthetic.

            The moral of the story: don't mess with the devil (duh) and wait until marriage and/or use some of those new-fangled rubber condoms (invented 1855) before you fool around. (Other covers were available since the middle of the 16th century, per Wp.)

            Rated  9.3 (7)

            RoyalOpera, cond. Pappano; 8

            Friday, June 28, 2019

            Becoming Traviata (2012), 7

            2h | Documentary, Musical | 24 October 2012
            Natalie Dessay prepares to take on the role of Violetta in this documentary about the staging of Verdi's masterwork at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France.
            Director: Philippe Béziat
            Stars: Charles Castronovo, Natalie Dessay, Louis Langrée, Jean-François Sivadier.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294917/

            Read some praise for this somewhere, and I like Dessay a lot, so I thought I'd try it.

            I missed the obvious fact that this is mostly in French. Interesting that the chorus is coached in English. (On the opera's credits, the chorus is listed as Estonian; the orchestra is the London Symphony O.)

            This was not as interesting as I'd hoped. There was not much discussion of the big picture. Mostly micro-management of gestures/expressions, including for the chorus. I actually thought: has Dessay performed this role elsewhere, or is this her first crack at it; she seemed patient enough with the director. (Her IMDb credits show this as her first Traviata recording, but that means little.)

            It was interesting to hear Dessay sing in non-operatic mode during rehearsal.

            Sometimes we get the audio from either a different rehearsal moment or from the final performance. Sometimes we get dress/semi-dress rehearsal footage and/or performance footage spliced in with the raw rehearsal stuff. It's mildly interesting, but not consistent enough to make it really so. Y'know: here's the early rehearsal, here's dress, here's performance, especially for the 2 or 3 key scenes featured.

            This should have been a double feature with the opera itself. I'm going to try to resist buying the opera (I have too many Traviatas already), but I think seeing this without that is very incomplete. On the other hand, if you have both, you'd almost need to queue them both up on 2 devices and play this scene on one then the other.

            Rated 7.0 (98)

            indie, dir. Beziat; 7

            Thursday, June 27, 2019

            Donizetti: L'elisir d'amore (1996), 7

            2h 5min | Music, Comedy | TV Movie
            Add a Plot »
            Director: Brian Large
            Conductor: Evelino Pidò
            Stars: Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Simone Alaimo

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252412/

            Premiere 1832

            Place: A small village in the Basque Country
            Time: The end of the 18th century

            Thought I'd try a more attractive couple to see if this opera is to my liking. Meh is still the result, although I did not watch it carefully, so maybe I missed the fun.

            But my perception of "the fun" is that Alagna plays a fool (young, naive, whatever) who wants the best girl in town (landowner, no less), and thinks the medicine man's cheap wine will woo her when HE drinks it. So he's foolish, then he becomes drunk. When he runs out of money, he enlists in the army to get cash to buy more elixir. This time it works with all the other girls, because they learn he's just inherited his uncle's farm. Somehow the best girl figures out she'd miss him, buys back his army contract, professes her love, and the medicine man takes the credit (the elixir makes you rich too.)

            Setting it in the time of automobiles doesn't help. Makes me wonder which war the army will stumble into.

            Although they're real life newlyweds, I didn't feel any chemistry between them, and they don't get together until the very last duet. Their stage kisses are completely chaste, but given this plot has about the same tone (but mellower) as Li'l Abner, that's more appropriate than passionate ones.

            Oh well. Hope I never get tempted to buy another performance of this.

            Rated 8.5 (49).

            OperaLyon, cond. Pido; 7

            Massenet: Le Roi de Lahore (2005), 7

            2h 33min | Music | Video 28 March 2006
            Add a Plot »
            Director: Tiziano Mancini
            Conductor: Marcello Viotti
            Stars: Giuseppe Gipali, Ana María Sánchez, Vladimir Stoyanov, Federico Sacchi.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2354171/

            Premiere 1877

            Time: 11th century.
            Place: Lahore, a city of Pakistan.

            Filmed at Teatro la Fenice di Venezia

            This came to my attention when IMDb had misspelled Vladimir's name (Vladmir is underlined by spellcheck; name change/merge went through today; I wanted to cheer and send them praise, but they just did their job properly without intercession - how sad I wanted to celebrate that improvement). The cover is pretty and interesting, and the Amazon reviews conflicted with the YouTube clip I found, so...

            The story seems to make passing between death and life an easy switch, assisted by a god of course. The strange part is that Alim seems to retain his memory of both during his return trip (or maybe I missed something).

            I like the 3rd act ballet (toward the end of disc1). The music is a bit slow, but they have enough stuff going on to liven things up. Besides, you can stare at the painted topless dancer to try to determine if she's really topless and painted, or if there's some very thin fabric covering her.

            The female lead is too heavy and too old, but has a nice voice, and is matched with a tenor who's almost as wide.

            Again baritone Vladimir Stoyanov pulls my attention back to the screen with his aria. He's nothing to look at, and I wouldn't recognize his voice among other baritones. I wonder why he consistently pleases?

            Learned today that Fenice is Phoenix, and this opera house has burned down 3 times.

            FeniceOpera, cond. Viotti; 7

            Giordano: Fedora (1993), 8-

            1h 53min | Drama, Music | TV Movie 1993
            Princess falls in love with her fiance's killer just after sending a letter to authorities reporting his guilt. Tragedies ensue.
            Conductor: Gianandrea Gavazzeni
            Stars: Mirella Freni, Adelina Scarabelli, Plácido Domingo, Alessandro Corbelli.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381939/

            Premiere 17 November 1898
            Teatro Lirico, Milan

            Time: 1881
            Place: St. Petersburg, Paris and The Bernese Oberland in Switzerland

            Filmed at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, cap. 2030.

            When I watched the Met on Demand production (same 2 stars, almost 2 months ago), I found this story interesting (except the ending). Not so much today. At one point I started wondering if the background was a large painted canvas, or just a scrim with back projection. The backdrop is not particularly interesting, so that tells me my mind was wandering. I didn't really catch why she fell in love with him, other than he declared his love for her; no idea why he fell for her. (I ran it twice, and both times something brought my eye back to the screen as they were trading love declarations. Watched that section a 3rd time, and wonder if his love for her was evident earlier still; not gonna start it again.)

            I do like having this in my collection for breadth. There are more than 5 Italian composers (Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini), after all. One fascinating scene has no singing, no dancing, only the Princess contemplating and writing the letter pointing to her fiance's killer; "fascinating" only for what it doesn't do, and that it lasts a longish time.

            OperaLaScala, cond. Gavazzeni; 8-

            Wednesday, June 26, 2019

            Verdi: La traviata (1982), 7+

            G | 1h 49min | Drama, Music | 18 February 1983
            Violetta meets Alfredo and quickly falls for him. After the lovers run away together, they live in bliss for a short time. However, Alfredo's father, Giorgio, starts to interfere, concerned that Violetta's bad reputation will affect the marriage prospects of Alfredo's sister. Violetta reluctantly leaves Alfredo, but his love is so strong that it leads him to actions that have tragic consequences.
            Director: Franco Zeffirelli
            Conductor: James Levine
            Stars: Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084821/

            First performance at Venice, March 6, 1853

            Time: 1846
            Place: Paris and the suburb Auteuil

            I have too many productions of this opera already, and have already spotted another I might want.

            This film is disappointing, because it is Zeffirelli. I was absolutely distracted throughout by the incredible wealth (home furnishings) amassed by the courtesan. Did one patron gift his entire palazzo to her? How does that opulence align with the plot point of her selling off all her country home possessions to pay the summer debts? Seems like she could do that with the contents of one mantle in the city home. And the country home is almost as opulent.

            I was fine with the restructuring FZ did: opening with her on her death bed, then flashing back to happier times, bringing us up to date all in flashback. I like that we can go outdoors, or at least to outdoorish sets that would be too much transition onstage. But at the end, Alfredo, his father, the doctor, her maid are all absent. That seems too cruel; makes the immediately prior scene of reconciliation (too late) with Alfredo seem like a dream. So was it all a dream? Oh no no no.

            The music is gorgeous, and so is Domingo (b. '41) both visually and aurally. Stratas is not really pretty enough for the role, but her voice is.

            Now that I know of the inconsistencies/ differences in plot (Zeffirelli took a writing credit), perhaps the next viewing will be less distracting.

            The 3 others I've noted about have lengths 2:13-2:15. Perhaps FZ cut quite a bit of music, which might account for such a low rating.

            Rated 6.9 (1,246)

            MetOpera, cond. Levine; 7+

            Passion Callas (2006), 8

            1h 14min | Documentary, Music | Video 24 January 2006
            1997 documentary with then-new interviews with people who worked with la Callas, as well as archive footage of interviews with associates. Film clips, photos and recordings illustrate her performance powers.
            Director: Gerald Caillat
            Stars: Maria Callas

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10549716/

            (I had to add this title to IMDb. It went live in the time it took to watch it.)

            I set out recently to acquire some Callas. I chose 3 titles: the Zeffirelli fiction Callas Forever (2002), the '62/'64 Covent Garden performances, and this. I did very well. There is almost no overlap among the 3; the most noticable is a bit of one of the Carmen arias from Covent Garden is here the small slice of Tosca here has her in a different dress, and a different camera angle than the full Act II on the CG disc. Likely some audio recording was used in both this and Callas Forever.

            This focuses on her career. Onassis is included, but mostly because that relationship interrupted her career measurably (met him in '59). Meneghini is discussed a bit, but more as her manager than as her husband. Only slight mention of her mother that I recall, nothing about trouble there.

            This focuses on her talent, and her deliberate study of the music to determine her performances. Her work with Visconti is here, but I don't remember Zeffirelli being discussed.

            This is mostly in French, Italian, perhaps some Greek; some is in English. All non-English is subtitled, so it's a lot of reading.

            The bootleg footage taken by a violinist in the orchestra pit is fun but silent. The still photos of performances are well-chosen to convey the emotion she transmitted onstage.

            Now I'm torn whether to invest in more, particularly in audio recordings. I should listen to what I have on CD, try to transfer my LPs to disc. The recent (2014, 2017) "remastered" releases are rated high, but also highly criticized by one "expert" in particular. Besides, I want to see the performance while hearing it, not possible with MC beyond a few concerts and Tosca Act II on the Covent Garden disc.

            (EMI), dir. Caillat; 8

            Mozart: The Magic Flute (2007), 7

            The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006– )
            Season 1, Episode 1
            1h 52m | Musical | Episode aired 24 January 2007
            Prince Tamino and Papageno are sent by the Queen of Night to save her daughter Pamina from the clutches of the evil lord Sarastro.
            Director: Gary Halvorson, Julie Taymor (stage)
            Conductor: James Levine
            Stars: Matthew Polenzani, Ying Huang, René Pape, Nathan Gunn, Erika Miklósa, Greg Fedderly.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0956790/

            Premiere 1791, 2 months before Mozart's death

            Sung in English.

            Colorful costumes and (some) sets. Puppetry is not as dominant as the poster might suggest, but is pleasantly prevalent. Visuals enhance the fairy tale aspect of the story.

            However, it still took several attempts before I actually finished watching this. (Started on the Met on Demand service, had bad connectivity, ordered disc because this was the first production that felt consistent between story and sets/costumes; yay Julie Taymor.) Even with all the color, and Papageno's humor, and the English lyrics, I don't like all the sing-speak, nor is the story very interesting to me.

            Rated 8.5 (43)

            MetOpera, cond. Levine; 7

            Maria Callas at Covent Garden (1964), 8+

            1h 10min | Documentary, Music | TV Special
            Few of Maria Callas's performances were filmed, so these two gala concerts recorded at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1962 and 1964 are special. On 4 November 1962, it was before an excited audience that she appeared unexpectedly in a live television transmission of a concert with several other performers. She was in excellent vocal condition, which reassured her fans, who had heard rumors that she was vanishing from the stage to be with Aristotle Onassis or because her voice was failing. Callas sings "Tu che le vanita" from Verdi's Don Carlo and the flirtatious gypsy girl's role in the Habanera and the Seguedille from Bizet's Carmen. In 1963 Callas occasionally recorded for EMI in Paris, but her last triumph was her appearance in Puccini's Tosca at Covent Garden in 1964. The director was Franco Zeffirelli and singing in the role of Scarpia was baritone Tito Gobbi.
            Director: Franco Zeffirelli
            Conductors: Georges Prêtre (1962), Carlo Felice Cillario (1962)
            Stars: Maria Callas, Renato Cioni, Tito Gobbi.

            https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0261048/

            Owning this disc fulfils my desire to have the Tosca Act II footage, the only known opera performance footage of MC, in my collection. And although the video quality is lacking a little (I'm not bothered by b/w), I have no complaints about the audio.

            The '62 performance is brief, only 3 arias, but the Tosca act is complete.

            Gobbi is a terrific Scarpia: both dignified and sinister. (Having seen some alternate interpretations, I appreciate this more.)

            The liner notes (required magnifying lens) stated this Zeffirelli production was a new interpretation of Tosca as young/innocent, where prior she had been a mature grand diva. So her dispatch of Scarpia seems more spontaneous and desperate. The acting is compelling and well filmed, a much better view than sitting in the opera house.

            Rated 9.0 (66)

            RoyalOpera, cond. Pretre & Cillario; 8+