Today:

Opera on 3. On: BBC Radio Three. Date: Saturday 20th September 2008 (starting this evening). Time: 18:00 to 21:00 (3 hours long). Kurt Weill and Berthold Brecht's The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. HK Gruber conducts soprano Susan Bickley and the Royal National Scottish Orchestra in a performance of Weill and Brecht's anti-capitalist satire, given in August at the Usher Hall in the opening concert of this year's Edinburgh International Festival. The opera's story centres on three fugitives' setting up of a city in an American desert devoted solely to pleasure and debauchery. Prostitution and cheap alcohol attract many prospectors, but when Jimmy the barman declarates that all restraints are to be removed, there can only be tragic consequences. Introduced by Donald Macleod, who also talks to the conductor about the context of the work and Weill and Brecht's influence on subsequent operatic developments. Susan Bickley, mezzo (Leokadja Begbick), Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts, tenor (Fatty), Alan Opie, baritone, (Trinity Moses), Giselle Allen, soprano (Jenny), Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor (Jimmy Mahoney), Peter Hoare, tenor (Jack Smith, Toby Higgins), Stephan Loges, baritone (Bill), Brindley Sherratt, bass (Joe), Hannah Gordon (narrator), Ladies of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Christopher Bell (chorus master), Royal Scottish National Orchestra/HK Gruber.

As before, these broadcasts are streamed from the Radio 3 website and some may be available for seven days after broadcast.

Opera on 3. On: BBC Radio Three. Date: Saturday 27th September 2008 (starting this evening). Time: 18:00 to 20:15 (2 hours and 15 minutes long). Szymanowski's King Roger. Valery Gergiev conducts baritone Andrzej Dobber and the Mariinsky Opera in a staged performance of Szymanowki's exotic and colourful opera given at the Edniburgh International Festival. A strongly philosophical work, King Roger centres on the arrival at the court of the Catholic King Roger II of Sicily of an enigmatic shepherd, who threatens the established harmony by preaching a seductive and sensually-based pagan religion. Sung in Polish, and directed by Mariusz Trelinski. Andrzej Dobber, baritone (Roger), Elzbieta Szmytka, soprano (Roxana), Sergei Semishkur, tenor (Edrisi), Pavlo Tolstoy, tenor (Shepherd), Yury Vorobiev, bass (Archbishop), Lyubov Sokolova, mezzo (Deaconess), Chorus and Orchestra of the Mariinsky Opera/Valery Gergiev.

Sõnum on autori poolt redigeeritud, sept. 27, 2008, 3:53am.

Opera on 3. On: BBC Radio Three. Date: Saturday 11th October 2008 (starting this evening). Time: 18:00 to 20:45 (2 hours and 45 minutes long). Love and Other Demons. Peter Eotvos's opera in two acts, performed at Glyndebourne. Based on the novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, this story of forbidden love is set in 18th-century Colombia. Allison Bell, soprano (Sierva Maria), Robert Brubaker, tenor (Don Ygnacio), Nathan Gunn, baritone (Father Cayetano Delaura), John Graham Hall, tenor (Abrenuncio), Marietta Simpson, contralto (Dominga de Adviento), Felicity Palmer, mezzo (Josefa Miranda), Jean Rigby, mezzo (Martina Laborde), Glyndebourne Chorus and London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.

Opera on 3. On: BBC Radio Three. Date: Saturday 18th October 2008 (starting this evening). Time: 18:00 to 21:00 (3 hours long). Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress. Robert Lepage directs a new production of Stravinsky's neo-classical opera, based on the story behind a set of engravings by the British painter and satirist William Hogarth, and featuring a libretto by the poet W H Auden. The story centres on Tom, a young country man, and his path to ruin because of the malign influence of Nick Shadow, who appears out of nowhere, offering to help him. Presented by Ivan Hewett. Charles Castronovo, tenor (Tom Rakewell), John Relyea, bass (Nick Shadow), Sally Matthews, soprano (Anne Trulove), Darren Jeffrey, baritone (Trulove), Patricia Bardon, mezzo (Baba the Turk), Peter Hoare, tenor (Sellem), Kathleen Wilkinson, mezzo (Mother Goose), Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Thomas Ades.

Opera on 3. On: BBC Radio Three. Date: Saturday 1st November 2008 (starting this evening). Time: 18:00 to 21:30 (3 hours and 30 minutes long). Mozart's Cosi fan tutte: Riccardo Muti conducts soprano Barbara Frittoli, mezzo Angelika Kirchschlager and bass Ildebrando D'Arcangelo in a performance of Mozart's comic opera, given in February at the Vienna State Opera - in the same city where the work was first performed in 1790. The plot of what is regarded by many as the composer's greatest opera centres on Guglielmo and Ferrando, two army officers who claim to their colleagues that their wives will always be faithful to them. However, their friend Don Alfonso bets otherwise, devising a plan to test the women's fidelity. Presented by Suzy Klein. Barbara Frittoli, soprano (Fiordiligi), Angelika Kirchschlager, mezzo (Dorabella), Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, bass-baritone (Guglielmo), Francesco Meli, tenor (Ferrando), Natale De Carolis, baritone (Don Alfonso), Laura Tatulescu, soprano (Despina), Vienna State Opera Chorus and Orchestra/Riccardo Muti.

Opera on 3. On: BBC Radio Three. Date: Saturday 8th November 2008 (starting this evening). Time: 18:00 to 21:30 (3 hours and 30 minutes long). Handel's Partenope.

Christian Curnyn makes his debut conducting a new ENO production of Handel's comic opera, updated by Christopher Alden to the time of the surrealists, and starring Rosemary Joshua, Patricia Bardeon and Christian Rice. Queen Partenope of Naples has four suitors: one, Eurimene, is actually Rosmira disguised as a man and trying to regain the affections of her ex, Arsace, now another Partenope suitor. Another, Emilio, ends up declaring war when she refuses to marry him. After many twists and turns, she ends up with a fourth claimant to her affections, while the ex-lovers are reunited. Presented from London's Coliseum by Suzy Klein. The broadcast includes interviews with the director and cast, plus insights from Handel expert Dr Donald Burrows. John Mark Ainsley, tenor (Emilio), Rosemary Joshua, soprano (Partenope), Christine Rice, mezzo (Arsace), Iestyn Davies, countertenor (Armindo), Patricia Bardon, mezzo (Rosmira/Eurimene), James Gower, bass-baritone (Ormonte), Nicholas Ansdell-Evans, Joseph McHardy (harpsichords), David Newby (cello continuo), David Miller (theorbo continuo), Orchestra of English National Opera/Christian Curnyn.

Opera on 3. On: BBC Radio Three. Date: Saturday 15th November 2008 (starting this evening). Time: 18:15 to 20:45 (2 hours and 30 minutes long). Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov. Live from London's Coliseum, Suzy Klein presents English National Opera's production of Mussorgsky's classic study of guilt and paranoia. Bass Peter Rose takes the role of the Russian Czar in a performance of the original version with a new translation by David Lloyd-Jones. Peter Rose, bass (Boris Godunov), John Graham-Hall, tenor (Prince Shuisky), David Stephenson, baritone (Andrei Shchelkalov), Brindley Sherratt, bass (Pimen), Gregory Turay, tenor (Grigory, later Dmitri the Pretender), Yvonne Howard, mezzo (Innkeeper), Jonathan Veira, bass-baritone (Varlaam), Anton Rich, tenor (Misail), Sophie Bevan, soprano (Xenia), Ann Grevelius, mezzo (Fyodor), Deborah Davison, mezzo (Xenia's Nurse), James Gower (bass-baritone (Nikitch), Paul Napier-Burrows, baritone (Mityukha), Charles Johnston, bass (Border Guard), Philip Daggett, tenor (Boyar-in-attendance), Robert Murray, tenor (Simpleton), Orchestra and Chorus of English National Opera/Edward Gardner.

Sirensong. On: BBC Radio Three. Date: Saturday 15th November 2008 (starting this evening). Time: 21:10 to 22:30 (1 hour and 20 minutes long). A performance of Jonathan Dove's one-act opera Sirensong, given at the 2007 Gratchenfestival, Amsterdam. Brad Cooper, tenor (Davey Palmer), Mattijs van de Woerd, baritone (Jonathan Reed), Amaryllis Dieltiens, soprano (Diana Reed), Mark Omvlee, tenor (Regulator), Marijn Zwitserlood, bass-baritone (Captain), John Edward Serrano, speaker (Wireless Operator), Siren Ensemble/Henk Guittart.

There are still six days left to listen to yesterday evening's opera broadcast on the BBC Listen Again service.

A performance of Rachmaninov's rarely-heard one-act opera The Miserly Knight, the story of a young knight, Albert, who lives a life of jousting and courtly pleasure, and his father, an extremely rich but miserly baron who refuses to support him.

Baron ...... Maxim Mikhailov (bass)
Albert ...... Misha Didyk (tenor)
Duke ...... Sergey Murzaev (baritone)
Moneylender ...... Peter Bronder (baritone)
Servant ...... Gennadi Bezzubenkov (bass)
BBC Philharmonic
Gianandrea Noseda (conductor)

Rachmaninov: The Miserly Knight.

Opera on 3. On: BBC Radio Three. Date: Saturday 22nd November 2008 (starting this evening). Time: 18:00 to 21:30 (3 hours and 30 minutes long).

Rossini's Matilde di Shabran.

Ivan Hewett introduces a performance of the first Royal Opera House production since 1854 of Rossini's tragicomedy, with Carlo Rizzi conducting soprano Aleksandra Kurzak alongside tenor Juan Diego Florez. The plot centres on Corradino, who refers to himself as 'heart of iron', but who is actually a petty tyrant, misogynist and hypochondriac. He becomes smitten by Mathilde, a charmer with a ready answer for everything, but has to fight obstacles in the form of love rival Edoardo and the evil Countess. Aleksandra Kurzak, soprano (Matilde di Shabran), Juan Diego Florez, tenor (Corradino), Carlo Lepore (Ginardo), Marco Vinco, bass (Aliprando), Alfonso Antoniozzi, baritone (Isidoro),Vesselina Kasarova, mezzo (Edoardo), Enkelejda Shkosa, mezzo (Contessa d'Arco), Bryan Secombe, bass (Rodrigo), Mark Beesley, bass (Raimondo Lopez), Robert Anthony Gardiner, tenor (Egoldo), Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Royal Opera Chorus/Carlo Rizzi.

Opera on 3: Live from the Met. On: BBC Radio Three. Date: Saturday 29th November 2008 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 17:30 to 20:30 (3 hours long).

Berlioz's La damnation de Faust: Launching the new season of live broadcasts from New York's Metropolitan Opera, James Levine conducts tenor Marcello Giordani as Faust and mezzo-soprano Susan Graham as Marguerite in Berlioz's adaptation of Goethe's story of a man who sells his soul to the Devil. In a story that is more romantically focused than the Goethe version, the evil Mephistopheles introduces Faust to Marguerite and causes them to fall in love. Faust is tricked into selling his soul to save the woman he loves, ultimately sacrificing himself so that she might reach heaven. Presented by Margaret Juntwait, with guest commentator Ira Siff. Susan Graham, mezzo (Marguerite), Marcello Giordani, tenor (Faust), John Relyea, bass (Mephistopheles), Patrick Carfizzi, bass (Brander), Chorus and Orchestra of New York Metropolitan Opera/James Levine.

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 13th December 2008 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 17:30 to 21:30 (4 hours long)

The Queen of Spades.

Direct from the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, Seiji Ozawa conducts Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades opera based on Pushkin's story about a man who loses his fortune and his mind to cards, with Maria Guleghina as Lisa and Ben Heppner as Ghermann. Ghermann is madly in love with Lisa, the wealthy granddaughter of the Countess, but he is too poor to have much hope of aspiring to her hand. He must learn the Countess's gambling secret in order to strike it rich and marry Lisa. She kills herself, though, when she realises that Gherman's obsession with gambling has driven him mad, and he commits suicide after losing his fortune. Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. The two intervals include live backstage interviews with some of the artists. Maria Guleghina, soprano (Lisa), Ben Heppner, tenor (Ghermann), Ekaterina Semenchuk, mezzo (Pauline), Felicity Palmer, mezzo (The Countess), Mark Delavan, baritone (Count Tomsky), Vladimir Stoyanov, baritone (Prince Yeletsky), Alan Oke, tenor (Chekalinsky), Paul Plishka, bass (Surin), Mark Schowalter, tenor (Chaplitsky), LeRoy Lehr, bass (Narumov), Bernard Fitch, tenor (Master of Ceremonies), Kathryn Day, mezzo (Governess), Erin Morley, soprano (Masha), Wendy Bryn Harmer, soprano (Chloe), Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Seiji Ozawa. Including the Met Opera Quiz during the interval.

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 20th December 2008 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 17:00 to 20:40 (3 hours and 40 minutes long)

Massenet's Thais.

Live from the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, soprano Renee Fleming brings one of her most celebrated roles there for the first time in a performance of Massenet's exotic drama of love and redemption. Based on a tale initially written down by a 10th-century nun, the opera tells the story of the monk Athanael and his ultimately tragic desire for the Alexandrian courtesan Thais. Presented by Margaret Juntwait, with guest commentator Ira Siff. The two intervals include backstage interviews. Renee Fleming, soprano (Thais, a courtesan), Thomas Hampson, baritone (Athanael, a coenobite monk), Michael Schade, tenor (Nicias, a young sybarite philosopher), Alain Vernhes, bass (Palemon, an old coenobite monk), Alyson Cambridge, soprano (Crobyle, a slave), Ginger Costa-Jackson, mezzo (Myrtale, a slave), Leah Partridge, soprano (Albine, Abbess), David Won, baritone (Servant of Nicias), Kurt Phinney, Daniel Clark Smith and Craig Montgomery, tenors, and Roger Andrews and Richard Pearson, basses (Cenobites), Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra/Jesus Lopez-Cobos.

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 27th December 2008 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 21:00 (3 hours long)

Puccini's La fanciulla del West in a production by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The cloudy mountains of Wild West California at the height of the Gold Rush form the setting for La Fanciulla del West, the most vivdly cinematic of Puccini's operas. Its characters come from the ends of the earth to the Polka Saloon, where they gather to drink, gamble, gossip and fight. The mining camp is full of men, with just one woman, the owner of the saloon, Minnie. She is a scripture-reading innocent, admired and respected by everybody. Into this environment comes Dick Johnson, in reality Ramirez, a bandit on the run. Despite her better instincts, Minnie falls for him, much to the annoyance of Jack Rance the sheriff, who fancies Minnie himself. Rance hunts Johnson down and is about to have him lynched, when Minnie finds a way to save him. Presented by Martin Handley, with guest Alexandra Wilson. Eva-Maria Westbroek, soprano (Minnie), Jose Cura, tenor (Dick Johnson), Silvano Carroli, baritone (Jack Rance), Bonaventura Bottone, tenor (Nick), Eric Halfvarson, bass (Ashby), Vuyani Mline, bass (Jake Wallace), Daniel Sutin, baritone (Sonora), Hubert Francis, tenor (Trin), Kostas Smoriginas, bass-baritone (Bello), Quentin Hayes, bass (Happy), Harry Nicoll, tenor (Joe), Andrew Foster-Williams, baritone (Larkens), Robert Murray, tenor (Harry), Adrian Clarke, baritone (Sid), Graeme Danby, bass (Billy Jackrabbit), Clare Shearer, soprano (Wowkle), Jeremy White, bass (Jose Castro), Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Antonio Pappano.

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 3rd January 2009
Time: 18:00 to 21:15 (3 hours and 15 minutes long)

Puccini's La Boheme.

Direct from the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Frederic Chaslin conducts a revival of Franco Zeffirelli's celebrated production of Puccini's much-loved opera, with a cast headed by Latvian soprano Maija Kovalevska as Mimi and Ramon Vargas as Rodolfo. A story that has touched opera audiences ever since its creation in 1895, it tells of the love between penniless young artists in 19th century Paris, blighted by jealousy, harsh living conditions and grave illness. Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. The two intervals include live backstage interviews and the popular Metropolitan Opera Quiz. Ramon Vargas, tenor (Rodolfo, a poet), Maija Kovalesvska, soprano (Mimi, a seamstress), Mariusz Kwiecien, baritone (Marcello, a painter), Tommi Hakala, baritone (Schaunard, a musician), Oren Gradus, bass (Colline, a philosopher), Susanna Phillips, soprano (Musetta, a singer), Paul Plishka, bass (Benoit/Alcindoro), Daniel Clark Smith (tenor (Parpignol), Orchestra and Chorus of Metropolitan Opera/Frederic Chaslin.

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 10th January 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20:30 (2 hours and 30 minutes long)

Puccini's La Rondine.

Direct from the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, Marco Armiliato conducts the least-known of Puccini's later operas, which has a much lighter musical style than his better known works, as well as operetta-like touches and strong tunes. Real-life couple Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna play the lead romantic roles in a piece they have performed around the world and helped to put back onto the operatic map. Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. The interval includes backstage interviews. Angela Gheorghiu, soprano (Magda), Roberto Alagna, tenor (Ruggero), Lisette Oropesa, soprano (Lisette), Marius Brenciu, tenor (Prunier), Samuel Ramey, baritone (Rambaldo), David Won, baritone (Perichaud), Tony Stevenson, tenor (Gobin), David Crawford, bass-baritone (Crebillon), Monica Yunus, soprano (Yvette), Alyson Cambridge, soprano (Bianca), Elizabeth De Shong, mezzo (Suzy), Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus/Marco Armiliato.

I heard Gheorghiu in La Rondine at SF Opera last June. She was excellent in the role. The music, while not Puccini's greatest, is pleasant.

Lucky you, pechmerle, to hear her live. I enjoyed the broadcast whilst doing the ironing and other chores and I'd agree with you about it not being Puccini's best. Those soaring, exstatic melodies though!

This evenings opera:

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 17th January 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 21:15 (3 hours and 15 minutes long)

From the Met.

John Adams's Doctor Atomic: In a performance given in November 2008 at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, Alan Gilbert conducts John Adams's opera, treating the subject of the atomic bomb, which is the latest in a series of works dealing with resonant moments in 20th-century history. Bass-baritone Gerald Finley portrays Robert J Oppenheimer, the highly cultivated scientific genius whose profound humanism is at odds with his role as the head of the project to create a weapon of unprecedented destructive force. Presented by Margaret Juntwait. Richard Paul Fink, bass-baritone (Edward Teller), Gerald Finley, bass-baritone (J Robert Oppenheimer), Thomas Glenn, tenor (Robert Wilson), Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano (Kitty Oppenheimer), Eric Owens, bass (General Leslie Groves), Earle Patriarco, baritone (Frank Hubbard), Roger Honeywell, tenor (Captain James Nolan), Meredith Arwady, mezzo (Pasqualita), Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera House, New York/Alan Gilbert.

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 24th January 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 19:45 (1 hour and 45 minutes long)

Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice.

Live from the Metropolitan Opera New York, James Levine conducts mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and soprano Danielle de Niese in the title roles of Gluck's version of the Greek myth of Orpheus. Presented by Margaret Juntwait, with guest commentator Ira Siff. Stephanie Blythe, mezzo (Orfeo), Danielle de Niese, soprano (Euridice), Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano (Amor), Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera/James Levine.

I expect to see this one in a theater. That gives the added advantage of allowing ogling of Daniel de Niese.

Robert

>20: I like your priorities. ;-)

Danielle (pardon my misspelling earlier) was in a role that did not highlight her strengths except that she can sing. She is a dynamic performer capable of glorious physical, including facial, expression; the role limited her to singing in a cumbersome dress.

That, however, did not ruin the performance. The mezzo-soprano in the Orfeo role was superb, and, in her case, it was her voice that carried the day.

This was my first exposure to Gluck's telling of the story. I'm not sure I like his new twist at the end. I would like to hear, and see, it in French.

Robert

Lucky you, to see it live. Over here, on the other side of the pond, we can only listen....

This evenings treat:

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 31st January 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 21:15 (3 hours and 15 minutes long)

Verdi's Rigoletto.

Direct from the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, Riccardo Frizza conducts a young cast in Otto Schenk's production of Verdi's Rigoletto, a work that incorporates his most memorable melodies, and which shows his individuality as an operatic composer. The dark story focuses on the exploits of the womanising Duke of Mantua and his hump-backed court jester Rigoletto. When Rigoletto's daughter Gilda is abducted, he plots revenge, but a curse placed on him means that the result can only lead to tragedy. Giuseppe Filianoti, tenor (Duke of Mantua), Zelijko Lucic, baritone (Rigoletto), Aleksandra Kurzak, soprano (Gilda), Mikhail Petrenko, bass (Sparafucile), Victoria Vizin, mezzo (Maddalena), Kathryn Day, soprano (Giovanna), Keith Miller, bass (Count Monterone), Mark Schowalter, tenor (Borsa), James Courtney, bass (Count Ceprano), Grazia Doronzio (soprano (Countess Ceprano), Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra/Riccardo Frizza.

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 7th February 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 22:00 (4 hours long)

Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.

Direct from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Marco Armiliato conducts one of the most loved bel canto operas of all time, broadly based on a historic drama by Walter Scott, and starring Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and Polish tenor Piotr Beczala as the doomed lovers. The opera centres on a tragic love triangle, as Lucia and Edgardo secretly become engaged, although Lucia is forced by her cruel brother to marry Arturo. She obeys, imagining that Edgardo is unfaithful, but after realising her mistake, Lucia turns mad with anguish. Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. The intervals include backstage interviews with the performers and the Met Opera Quiz. Anna Netrebko, soprano (Lucia), Mariusz Kwiecien, baritone (Enrico), Rolando Villazon, tenor (Edgardo), Colin Lee, tenor (Arturo), Ildar Abdrazakov, bass (Raimondo), Michaela Martens, mezzo (Alisa), Michael Myers, tenor (Normanno), Chorus and Orchestra of New York Metropolitan Opera/Marco Armiliato.

Sõnum on autori poolt redigeeritud, veeb. 7, 2009, 3:02am.

(It is Piotr Beczala, and not Rolando Villazon, who is singing Edgardo.)

I listen to the radio performances from time to time, but operas mean very little to me without the drama in my face. I like Ira Siff's commentary and the other tidbits that come with Live from the Met, and I miss them when I see the performance in High Definition video at the theater. Nevertheless, on Saturday we had Natalie Dessay hosting the video, and that was a treat.

I had not seen Lucia di Lammermoor or even read about it. The first two acts, full of singing though they were, struck me as a chick flick. But then the glorious third act came on. I don't know that I have ever even thought of a duet comprising a singer and a flute. Both stars got to make the day for me by the time it was over. I believe that they would not have if I had only listened to it.

The people I ran into in church who had seen it were universally enthusiastic. They were all women and hadn't seen the first two acts as chick flick, but they nodded their heads when I mentioned it.

A fellow who was there dug out an old New York Times article on last year's performance and e-mailed it around (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/arts/m...). I didn't notice (hear or see) a glass harmonica in this production, but a woman who is close to opera in this town and who was there said she noticed it. Did you?

And I just wish that more people looked like the harpist.

Robert

Sõnum on autori poolt redigeeritud, veeb. 9, 2009, 2:58am.

Yes, I agree with you, opera is better as a stage, live, art form rather than just audio. But an audio-only hearing is also enjoyable and, this side of the pond, this is the only option.

Pity I missed the harpist................

This evening's broadcast:

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 28th February 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 21:00 (3 hours long)

Verdi's Il Trovatore.

Live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Gianandrea Noseda conducts Argentinian tenor Marcelo Alvarez in the title role alongside American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky as Leonora. This work is a tale of revenge, with a wretched twist, as Manrico, the troubadour, snatched as a baby and raised by the gypsy Azucena, discovers the tragic consequences of his upbringing later on in life. Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. There are interviews with members of the cast during the interval. Dmitri Hvorostovsky, baritone (Count di Luna), Sondra Radvanovsky, soprano (Leonora), Dolora Zajick, mezzo-soprano (Azucena), Marcelo Alvarez, tenor (Manrico), Kwangchul Youn, bass (Ferrando), Maria Zifchak, soprano (Ines), Eduardo Valdes, tenor (Ruiz), Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera/Gianandrea Noseda.

Sondra Radvanovsky is in good voice tonight, as is Alvarez. We are going to hear her in the same role at Covent Garden in a couple of months -should be good. Hrovostovsky is coming too, but Roberto Alagna is singing Manrico.

I thoroughly enjoyed this broadcast.

I wonder if we will notice any decline in quality, however, in later broadcasts this year. I hear that even the Met is having to cut back, ditch some expensive plans, and hire cheaper singers in the context of the current economic downturn......

Tomorrow's broadcast:

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 7th March 2009 (starting tomorrow evening)
Time: 18:00 to 21:30 (3 hours and 30 minutes long)

Madama Butterfly.

Direct from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Patrick Summers conducts Anthony Minghella's celebrated production of Puccini's opera, with soprano Patricia Racette and tenor Marcello Giordani in the leading roles. One one the most popular operas ever written, it is set in Nagasaki at the beginning of the 20th Century where a geisha named Cio-Cio San, known as 'Butterfly' to her friends, marries US Navy officer Pinkerton, who is stationed in Japan. He considers the union temporary, but Butterfly is clearly not under the same impression as she renounces her family and religion for the marriage. Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. The intervals include backstage interviews and the Met Opera Quiz. Patricia Racette, soprano (Cio-Cio-San/Madam Butterfly), Marcello Giordani, tenor (Pinkerton), Maria Zifchak, mezzo-soprano (Suzuki), Dwayne Croft, baritone (Sharpless), Edyta Kulczak (Kate Pinkerton), Orchestra and Chorus of Metropolitan Opera/Patrick Summers.

You shouldn't expect to see major changes in quality from the economic downturn this season. Singers' contracts are made more than a year ahead, often two years or more for the stars.

Has the Met announcement of next season's operas and cast been made yet? Does it show effects from the economy? (San Francisco's next season announcement has been out for about a month. Cast quality remains high, but programming has taken a turn for the conservative and number of performances will be down.)

-------------------------
edited to add: The Met 2009-10 season complete list of performances and casts is out; you can peruse it here:

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/n...

Sõnum on autori poolt redigeeritud, märts 7, 2009, 11:50pm.

In a performance from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Czech maestro Jiri Belohlavek conducts soprano Renee Fleming in the title role of Dvorak's opera Rusalka - one she has made her own in recent years, with global success.

Rusalka tells the romantic story of a water nymph, who falls in love with a human. It has a poetic score, which evokes the mystery of the forest and explores the clash of the human and fairy worlds, most famously with Rusalka's passionate Song to the Moon.

Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. The two intervals include backstage interviews and the Metropolitan Opera Quiz.

Rusalka ...... Renee Fleming (soprano)
Foreign Princess ...... Christine Goerke (soprano)
Jezibaba ...... Stephanie Blythe (mezzo-soprano)
Prince ...... Aleksander Antonenko (tenor)
Water Gnome ...... Kristinn Sigmundsson
Gamekeeper ...... James Courtney (tenor)
Turnspit ...... Kate Lindsey (mezzo-soprano)
First Wood Nymph ...... Kathleen Kim (soprano)
Second Wood Nymph ...... Brenda Patterson (soprano)
Third Wood Nymph ...... Edita Kulczak (mezzo-soprano)
Orchestra and Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera
Jiri Belohlavek (conductor).

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 21st March 2009 (starting in 1 day)
Time: 17:00 to 20:00 (3 hours long)

Bellini's La Sonnambula.

Direct from New York's Metropolitan Opera, Evelino Pido conducts Mary Zimmerman's new production of Bellini's opera, with soprano Natalie Dessay and tenor Juan Diego Florez in the lead roles. The story is set in a Swiss village inn, where a group of people are celebrating the marriage of orphan Amina to the rich Elvino. Her habit of sleepwalking accidentally leads her into the bed of Count Rodolfo, causing the villagers to reach the wrong conclusions and arouse Elvino's suspicions. Natalie Dessay, soprano (Amina), Juan Diego Florez, tenor (Elvino), Michele Pertusi, bass (Rodolfo), Jennifer Black, soprano (Lisa), Jeremy Galyon, bass (Alessio), Jane Bunnell, mezzo-soprano (Teresa), Bernard Fitch, tenor (Notary), Chorus and Orchestra of Metropolitan Opera/Evelino Pido.

Perhaps worth saying that this performance is being streamed in HD to cinemas around the world tomorrow.

ETA link -

http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/b...

Sõnum on autori poolt redigeeritud, märts 20, 2009, 9:39am.

I plan to see it, but I have to stock up on cough drops. Natalie Dessay is both funny looking and a babe; I wouldn't miss her.

Robert

Dessay also has a wonderful voice. I heard her as Lucia last year.

Pity me. I could not promise myself not to cough, so I did not go despite having acquired the cough drops. Perhaps in a week and a half I will skip my book group to catch the rerun. For those who caught it, how was it?

Robert

That's a real shame - but how public spirited! We went to hear the local choral society perform Elijah so missed the broadcast, but we saw Natalie with Florez in La Fille du Regiment a couple of years ago. I agree with both the 'babe' and 'wonderful voice' comments. Hope you make the reprise.

Lovely to see the discussions here and thanks again abbotthomas for providing the cinema links.

It seems that female opera singers may be widely admired, but where are the women here who may equally lust after the men? Or are the only members of this group men?

Tonight's broadcast:

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 4th April 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 21:00 (3 hours long)

Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore: Live from the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Maurizio Benini conducts Donizetti's bel canto comedy, with Angela Gheorghiu and Massimo Giordano in the lead roles. The young Nemorino is in love with the beautiful farm owner Adina, but she seems beyond his reach, even more so when Sergeant Belcore turns up and asks her to marry him. But Dr Dulcamara, a travelling quack and charlatan, arrives in the village offering potions capable of curing anything, including an elixir of love. Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. The interval includes live backstage interviews with members of the cast. Massimo Giordano, tenor (Nemorino), Angela Gheorghiu, soprano (Adina), Franco Vassallo, baritone (Belcore), Ying Huang, soprano (Giannetta), Simone Alaimo, bass-baritone (Dulcamara), Chorus and Orchestra of Metropolitan Opera/Maurizio Benini.

I got to see La Sonnambula on Wednesday. Natalie Dessay is not only a funny looking babe, but she has a good complection. She can sing and act at the same time; she was a real pleasure to watch and listen to.

All the voices were good although Mama could have been a little stronger.

I would like to see a more conventional staging. I may have to buy a DVD to do it, but I'm a couple of hundred DVD's behind in my watching, and a good number of them are operas.

The women I talked to in the lobby afterwards were unanimous in their opinion that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Peruvian tenor.

Robert

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 18th April 2009 (starting tomorrow afternoon)
Time: 17:00 to 22:30 (5 hours and 30 minutes long)

Wagner's Siegfried.

Live from New York Metropolitan Opera, James Levine conducts a performance of the third part of Wagner's four-part epic drama, The Ring of the Nibelung, based on Nordic myths. German tenor Christian Franz, in his debut season at the Met, performs the title role, supported by Swedish soprano Irene Theorin. The story centres on the cycle's hero, the eponymous Siegfried, product of an incestuous union, who becomes a blacksmith and forges a sword with which he slays powerful foes. Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. There are backstage interviews and the Met Quiz during the two intervals. Christian Franz, tenor (Siegfried), Gerhard Siegel, tenor (Mime), James Morris, bass-baritone (The Wanderer), Richard Paul Fink, bass-baritone (Alberich), John Tomlinson, bass (Fafner), Jill Grove, mezzo (Erda), Irene Theorin, soprano (Brunnhilde), Lisette Oropesa, soprano (Woodbird), Chorus and Orchestra of Metropolitan Opera/James Levine.

The London Financial Times critic was less than kind about the Met's Ring - http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e43e7362-277d-...
Clearly they should have given Tomlinson the job of Wotan - but I am a fan - and I enjoyed Irene Theorin when she stepped in at the last minute for a sick Lisa Gasteen in the 2007 Covent Garden Ring.

In some ways the Ring is better listened to than seen - the pictures are better.

It depends on the pictures Abbotthomas - some are better and more evocative than others. That goes for live performance also - better to listen in the privacy of your own living room than to sit next to some bronchial irritant. But, all things being well, live is always much better than recorded.

Still, here is tomorrow's offering (without broadcast images):

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 25th April 2009 (starting tomorrow afternoon)
Time: 17:00 to 23:00 (6 hours long)

Wagner's Gotterdammerung.

In the last live broadcast from the New York Metropolitan Opera for the 2008/2009 season, James Levine conducts the final part of Wagner's Ring cycle, with Christian Franz as Siegfried and Katarina Dalayman as Brunnhilde. As a pledge of his love, Siegfried gives Brunnhilde the ring he took from the dragon Fafner, the ring made from the Rheingold that gives its owner power over all the world. Then she sends him into the world to do heroic deeds. But in the hall of the Gibichungs, Hagen has other ideas: a magic potion will make Siegfried forget Brunnhilde and fall in love with Gutrune. Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. There are live backstage interviews and the Met Quiz during the two intervals. Christian Franz, tenor (Siegfried), Iain Paterson, bass-baritone (Gunther), Richard Paul Fink, bass-baritone (Alberich), John Tomlinson, bass (Hagen), Katarina Dalayman, soprano (Brunnhilde), Margaret Jane Wray, soprano (Gutrune), Yvonne Naef, mezzo (Waltraute), Wendy White, mezzo (First Norn), Elizabeth Bishop, mezzo (Second Norn), Wendy Bryn Harmer, soprano (Third Norn), Lisette Oropes, soprano (Woglinde), Kate Lindsey, soprano (Wellgunde), Tamara Mumford, mezzo (Flosshilde), Chorus and Orchestra of Metropolitan Opera/James Levine.

I read Martin Bernheimer's reviews, but haven't taken his opinions too seriously since his dismissals of Klaus Florian Vogt and Joseph Calleja.

I actually like Schenck's set and suspect that it will get more praise and love than ever before when the Met unveils the Lepage production in 2010/2011.

Sõnum on autori poolt redigeeritud, apr. 24, 2009, 2:48pm.

Half way through the broadcast as I type, and it's going very well.

I've only seen two live Rings - both the recent Covent Garden production so not much to go on. The descriptions of the Met production suggest that it it a style that I would enjoy but I suppose that, as with so much, the next production will be 'modernised'.

The 'better pictures' line was throwaway, but I guess my mind's eye is a bit Arthur Rackham-ish. There are a lot of problems in staging the Ring - the giants tend to need clumpy Karloff style boots and extended foreheads and the Tarnhelm is next to impossible - the ROH had a sort of Rubik's Cube. I thought they did the bottom of the Rhine well and I liked the bleached horse skulls as a substitute for the Valkyries' mounts.

I wonder how, if he were around today, Wagner would have got on with Peter Jackson and his CGI team.

I have got tickets for the visit of the Mariinsky Ring to Covent Garden in June -sounds as if it will be good.

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three (0103)
Date: Saturday 23rd May 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20:45 (2 hours and 45 minutes long)

Korngold's Die tote Stadt: In a performance from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, American tenor Stephen Gould and German soprano Nadja Michael take on the two central roles in the UK premiere of the staged version of Korngold's opera, completed when the composer was still only in his early 20s. It tells the story of Paul's relationship with two women - his recently deceased wife Marie and the young actress Marietta. They bear a striking resemblance to each other and they begin to merge in Paul's mind. But what is real and what is fantasy? Presented by Christopher Cook with guest Erik Levi. Korngold: Die tote Stadt. Stephen Gould, tenor (Paul), Nadja Michael, soprano (Marie/Marietta), Gerald Finley, bass-baritone (Frank/Fritz), Kathleen Wilkinson, mezzo (Brigitta), Bernard Richter, tenor (Gastone/Victorin), Simona Mihai, soprano (Juliette), Jurgita Adamonyte, mezzo (Lucienne), Ji-Min Park, tenor (Graf Albert), Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Ingo Metzmacher.

ARTS: Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 30th May 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20:45 (2 hours and 45 minutes long)

Wagner's Der Fliegende Hollander.

Radio 3's series of operas from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden continues with Marc Albrecht conducting Tim Albery's new production of Wagner's Der Fliegende Hollander, with bass-baritone Bryn Terfel in the title role and soprano Anja Kampe as Senta. Wagner based his great Romantic opera on Heinrich Heine's story about a Dutch sea captain compelled, as punishment for a blasphemous oath, to sail the oceans for ever unless he's redeemed by the love of a faithful woman. For a while it seems that Senta might be that redeeming angel, but after a misunderstanding the Dutchman is disillusioned once more, and returns to the sea, consigning himself to his fate. Presented by Martin Handley. Wagner: Der Fliegende Hollander. Bryn Terfel, bass- baritone (Der Hollander), Anja Kampe, soprano (Senta), Hans-Peter Konig, bass (Daland), Torsten Kerl, tenor (Erik), Clare Shearer, mezzo-soprano (Mary), John Tessier, tenor (Steersman), Royal Opera Chorus,Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Marc Albrecht.

I was lucky enough to see this production a month or two ago - musically very satisfactory. I have been unfortunate with my Sentas before but Anja Kampe is good. Bryn Terfel was his usual impressive self.

Well worth a listen.

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 6th June 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20:50 (2 hours and 50 minutes long)

Bellini's I Capuleti e I Montecchi.

In a performance from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Mark Elder conducts Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca in Bellini's setting of Romeo and Juliet. It had radical differences from the Shakespeare original, and featured two rival political factions instead of families, no balcony scene as well as the role of Romeo written for a woman. Presented by Donald Macleod with opera historian Sarah Lenton. Elina Garanca, mezzo-soprano (Romeo), Anna Netrebko, soprano (Giulietta), Dario Schmunck, tenor (Tebaldo), Eric Owens, bass-baritone (Capellio), Giovanni Battista Parodi, bass (Lorenzo), The Royal Opera Chorus, The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Mark Elder.

Performance on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Monday 8th June 2009
Time: 19:00 to 21:15 (2 hours and 15 minutes long)

Presented by Martin Handley. In a concert from Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, the Halle give their first performance of a complete Wagner opera, with Mark Elder conducting Lars Cleveman as Siegfried and Katarina Dalayman as Brunnhilde. As a pledge of his love, Siegfried gives Brunnhilde the ring he took from the dragon Fafner, the ring made from the Rheingold that gives its owner power over all the world. Then she sends him into the world to do heroic deeds. But in the hall of the Gibichungs, Hagen has other ideas. Wagner: Gotterdammerung (Prologue and Act 1). Katarina Dalayman (Brunnhilde), Attila Jun (Hagen), Peter Coleman-Wright (Gunther), Susan Bickley (Waltraute), Yvonne Howard (Second Norn), Katherine Broderick (Woglinde), Leah-Marian Jones (Flosshilde), Lars Cleveman (Siegfried), Andrew Shore (Alberich), Nancy Gustafson (Gutrune), Ceri Williams (First Norn), Miranda Keys (Third Norn), Madeleine Shaw (Wellgunde), BBC Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Chorus, Chorus of the Royal Opera, Halle Choir and Orchestra/Mark Elder.

The conclusion of Gotterdammerung was broadcast on Tuesday evening. Both parts are available to listen again - if you can get iPlayer.

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 13th June 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20:15 (2 hours and 15 minutes long)

Strauss's Elektra.

Andrew McGregor presents a performance from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in which Mark Elder conducts soprano Susan Bullock in a highly-praised production of Strauss's one-act opera. Bullock won an RPS award for her performance in the title role, while Elder was also feted for his work. The opera tells the bloody story of Elektra and her dysfunctional family. She has sworn vengeance for the murder of her father, King Agamemnon, by her mother, Klytemnestra, and she eventually achieves this, but at the cost of several lives including, finally, her own. Susan Bullock, soprano (Elektra), Anne Schwanewilms, soprano (Chrysothemis), Jane Henschel, mezzo (Klytemnestra), Johan Reuter, baritone (Orest), Miriam Murphy, soprano (Overseer), Frances McCafferty, mezzo (First Maid), Monika-Evelin Liiv, mezzo (Second Maid), Kathleen Wilkinson, mezzo (Third Maid), Elizabeth Woollett, soprano (Fourth Maid), Eri Nakamura, soprano (Fifth Maid), Louise Armit, mezzo (Confidante), Dervla Ramsay, mezzo (Trainbearer), Alfie Boe, tenor (Young Servant), Jeremy White, bass (Old Servant), Vuyani Mlinde, bass (Orest's companion), Frank van Aken, tenor (Aegisth), The Royal Opera Chorus, The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Mark Elder.

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 20th June 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 21:00 (3 hours long)

Purcell's Dido and Aneas.

Purcell: Dido and Aeneas. Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano (Dido), Belinda: Lucy Crowe (soprano), Lucas Meacham, baritone (Aeneas), Anita Watson, soprano (Second Woman), Sara Fulgoni, mezzo (Sorceress), Eri Nakamura (First Witch), Pumeza Matshikiza, soprano (Second Witch), Iestyn Davies, countertenor (Spirit), Sailor: Ji-Min Park (tenor). Handel: Acis and Galatea. Charles Workman, baritone (Acis), Danielle de Niese, soprano (Galatea), Paul Agnew, tenor (Damon), Ji-Min Park, tenor (Coridon), Matthew Rose, bass (Polyphemus), Juliet Schiemann (chorus soprano soloist), Philip Bell (chorus tenor soloist), The Royal Opera Extra Chorus, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/Christopher Hogwood.

ARTS: Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 4th July 2009 (starting tomorrow evening)
Time: 18:00 to 21:30 (3 hours and 30 minutes long)

Berg's Lulu.

Concluding a season from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden is a performance of Alban Berg's Lulu. Presented by Suzy Klein in conversation with novelist Philip Hensher. Berg: Lulu. Agneta Eichenholz, soprano (Lulu), Michael Volle, baritone (Dr Schon/Jack the Ripper), Countess Geschwitz, Jennifer Larmore (mezzo), Peter Rose, bass (Animal Trainer/Athlete), Klaus Florian Vogt, tenor (Alwa), Gwynne Howell, bass (Schigolch), Philip Langridge, tenor (Prince/Manservant/Marquis), Will Hartmann, tenor (Painter/Policeman/Negro), Jeremy Whitem bass (Prof of Medicine/Theatre Manager/Banker), Heather Shipp, mezzo-soprano (Dresser/Schoolboy/Groom), Kostas Smoriginas, bass-baritone (Journalist), Vuyani Mlinde, bass (Manservant), Monika-Evelin Liiv, mezzo-soprano (Lady Artist), Frances McCafferty, mezzo-soprano (Mother), Simona Mihaim soprano (15-year-old girl), The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Antonio Pappano.

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 11th July 2009 (starting in 1 day)
Time: 18:00 to 21:00 (3 hours long)

David Alden's ENO production of Britten's Peter Grimes which wowed critics and audiences alike with its unconventional but powerful take on Britten's music drama, set at the time of its premiere - postwar Britain. Australian tenor Stuart Skelton sings the epic title role, giving a compelling interpretation of the misunderstood outsider, victim of his own weaknesses and contradictions, at once unstable and unpredictable, visionary and violent. Amanda Roocroft is Ellen Orford and Gerald Finley is Captain Balstrode. Edward Gardiner conducts the Chorus and Orchestra of English National Opera.

So, for the next couple of months the BBC will be occupied with the Proms. Some opera coming up - Handel's Partenope, the Glyndebourne production of the Fairy Queen, G & S Patience and Fidelio.

Last night I was very fortunate to see The Barber of Seville at Covent Garden. The performance was recorded and is due to be broadcast next New Years Eve - do listen! Juan Diego Florez at the top of his form got the longest post-aria applause I have ever heard. Alexandro Corbelli and Ferrucio Furlanetto were great. Joyce DiDonato sang brilliantly from a wheelchair after fracturing her fibula on the first night and Pietro Spagnoli (as Figaro) was a worthy substitue for the sick Simon Keenlyside. This production must have been destined for a DVD so how they cope with the wheelchair remains to be seen.

Yes, I read about Joyce DiDonata in the newspaper. I'll certainly put New Year's Eve in my diary, sounds a real treat for the new year.

As you say, there are some excelllent operatic offerings at this year's proms. Tonight, for example:

Sunday 19th July 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20.35

Catherine Bott presents a concert performance of Handel's Partenope, sung in Italian. Partenope is a dazzling comic parody of a typically convoluted plot, which only unravels when the supposed Prince of Armenia is challenged to fight bare-chested and is exposed as the disguised Rosmira, her challenger's abandoned fiancee. Inger Dam-Jensen, soprano (Partenope), Tuva Semmingsen, mezzo (Rosmira), Andreas Scholl, countertenor (Arsace), Christophe Dumax, countertenor (Armindo), Bo Kristian Jensen, tenor (Emilio), Palle Knudsen, bass (Ormonte), Concerto Copenhagen/Lars Ulrik Mortensen. Partenope.

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 19th September 2009 (starting tomorrow evening)
Time: 18:00 to 21:00 (3 hours long)

Verdi's Macbeth.

Donald Macleod presents a performance given in the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, as part of the 2009 International Festival. David Robertson conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a concert version of Verdi's dramatic setting of Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Lado Ataneli, baritone (Macbeth), Susan Neves, soprano (Lady Macbeth), John Relyea, bass (Banquo), Vsevolod Grivnov, tenor (Macduff), Katherine Broderick, soprano (Lady-in-Waiting), Nicholas Phan, tenor (Malcolm), Vuyani Mlinde, bass (Doctor/Servant), Wade Kernot, bass (Murderer/Herald/Apparition), Michael Yeoman, Niall Docherty (Two Apparitions), Edinburgh Festival Chorus, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/David Robertson.

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 26th September 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20:50 (2 hours and 50 minutes long)

Gershwin's Let 'Em Eat Cake: In a performance from the Grand Theatre in Leeds, Wyn Davies conducts the British premiere of George and Ira Gershwin's 1933 Broadway hit musical Let 'em Eat Cake - the sequel to his more popular Of Thee I Sing. This production by Opera North is directed by Caroline Gawn, with choreography by Caroline Pope. Presented by Donald Macleod. William Dazeley, bass (Wintergreen), Rebecca Moon, soprano (Mary - his wife), Steven Beard, tenor (Throttlebottom), Nicholas Sharratt, tenor (Louis Lipman), Martin Hyder, baritone (Francis X Gilhooly/Uncle William), Rob Edwards, baritone (Matthew Arnold Fulton), Richard Morris, baritone (Carver Jones), Graham Howes, baritone (Senator Robert E Lyons), Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North/Wyn Davies.

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 10th October 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 21:45 (3 hours and 45 minutes long)

Rossini's Barbiere Di Siviglia.

From the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Donald Macleod presents Rossini's comic opera The Barber of Seville. Artistic director Antonio Pappano conducts a cast including Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez as the Count, Italian baritone Pietro Spagnoli as the resourceful barber and American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as the young maiden Rossina. This is a revival of the critically acclaimed production by French directors Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier. Pietro Spagnoli, bass (Figaro), Juan Diego Florez, tenor (Count Almaviva), Joyce DiDonato, mezzo (Rosina), Alessandro Corbelli, baritone (Dr Bartolo), Ferruccio Furlanetto, bass (Don Basilio), Jennifer Rhys-Davies, soprano (Berta), Changhn Lim, baritone (Fiorello), Bryan Secombe, bass (Ambrogio), Christopher Lachner, baritone (Officer), Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Antonio Pappano.

>59 Wasn't that a treat? And on Listen Again for another 4 days. The applause after Florez's last (often omitted) aria lasted for two solid minutes.

Yes, fantastic, glorious singing and Rossini's accellerandos and fantastic melodies.

Tonight: Saturday 17th October 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 22:30 (4 hours and 30 minutes long)

Verdi's Don Carlo.

From the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Presented by Donald Macleod. Semyon Bychkov conducts the first revival of Nicholas Hytner's Royal Opera production of Verdi's grandest opera, first heard in 2008. Verdi: Don Carlo. Jonas Kaufmann, tenor (Don Carlo), Simon Keenlyside, baritone (Rodrigo), Marina Poplavskaya, soprano (Elisabetta), Ferruccio Furlanetto, bass (Philip II), Marianne Cornetti, mezzo (Princess Eboli), John Tomlinson, bass (Grand Inquisitor), Robert Anthony Gardiner, tenor (Conte di Lerma), Robert Lloyd, bass (Carlos V), Dawid Kimberg, Changhan Lim, David Stout, baritones, with Lukas Jokobski, bass (Flemish Deputies), Eri Nakamura, soprano (Voice from Heaven), Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Semyon Bychkov.

I thought I should flag up last Saturday's (31/10/09) performance of Tristan und Isolde, recorded earlier in the month at the Royal Opera House. Those who can get the BBC iPlayer have a few more days to catch this sublime work, even if there was a fairly big question mark over Ben Heppner's performance as Tristan. He sang very uncertainly with a lot of pitch problems and was certainly no match for Nina Stemme as Isolde. The supporting cast was fine - Sophie Koch as Brangane, Michael Volle as Kurwenal and Matti Salminen (hobbling bravely around after a recent Knee replacement) as King Mark - and Antonio Pappano did an excellent job. The set was strange and had attracted some boos for Christoph Loy on the first night.

To return to Heppner, we went to the next performance by which time his virus infection had developed and his doctor had forbidden him to sing a note. As his cover was also ill, the role was sung by a hastily flown in Lars Cleverman, a Swedish tenor who has sung the role opposite Nina Stemme in the past. Heppner valiantly walked the part while Cleverman sang from the side of the stage. Despite all this, I think we had a better evening than this recording. Nina Stemme was super - I believe she is due to sing Brunnhilde in San Francisco next year: I do wish I could go!

Thanks for this Abbotthomas, I was away for half term and missed the broadcast. It sounds as if this was a production plagued by illness!

This evening:

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 7th November 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:15 to 20:45 (2 hours and 30 minutes long)

Britten's The Turn of The Screw.

Live from the London Coliseum. Presented by Martin Handley. Based on Henry James's creepy ghost story, Britten's disturbing chamber opera explores themes of sexual repression and the corruption of innocence. Charles Mackerras, who knew and worked closely with Britten, and has performed this eerie and ambiguous masterpiece for more than 50 years, conducts David McVicar's celebrated English National Opera production. 6.15 Martin Handley in conversation with award-winning documentary maker and author John Bridcut. 6.30 The Turn of the Screw - Act 1. 7.25 Martin Handley and John Bridcut further explore the themes and composition of the opera, and Valentine Cunningham looks at Henry James's novella, the literary inspiration behind Britten's music. 7.50 The Turn of the Screw - Act 2. Michael Colvin, tenor (Prologue/Peter Quint), Rebecca Evans, soprano (Governess), Anne Murray, mezzo (Mrs Grose), Cheryl Barker, soprano (Miss Jessel), Charlie Manton, treble (Miles), Nazan Fikret, soprano (Flora), members of the ENO Orchestra/Charles Mackerras.

The BBC seems to be tailing me (or vice versa)* - we saw this a week or so ago. Highly recommeded. Uniformly well sung and spookily set, it was right for the eve of Halloween. Great to see Mackerras, absolutely in control in the pit, but sadly looking rather frail at the curtain calls. Long may he continue.

*there are at least some advantages to living in the crowded and expensive south-east of England!

I'll have to watch Turn of the Screw on DVD. I have a version but haven't watched it.

Today, and presumably in a week and a half, the Met is putting on Turandot in US theaters at least in high definition.

Robert

I envy you abbotthomas, living in the far North of England as I do with small children - it is years since I went to the opera in London or the Proms. On the other hand, I did manage to go to the new Kings Centre last year.

This evening (this is probably one you won't get to!):

Saturday 14th November 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20:25 (2 hours and 25 minutes long)

Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre.

Presented by Ivan Hewett. In a performance given at Le Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels, Leo Hussain conducts Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre with an international cast in a production by innovative Catalan theatre company La Fura dels Baus. 6.00 Ivan Hewett introduces Ligeti's 'anti-anti-opera' - as the composer himself called it - with the help of Ligeti's biographer Richard Steinitz. 6.10 Le Grand Macabre: Scenes 1 and 2. 6.55 Richard Steinitz reveals more about the hidden depths and difficult gestation of this remarkable piece of theatre. 7.10 Le Grand Macabre: Scenes 3 and 4. Chris Merritt, tenor (Piet the Pot), Frances Bourne, mezzo (Amando), Ilse Eerens, soprano (Amanda), Werner Van Mechelen, baritone (Nekrotzar), Frode Olsen, bass (Astradamors), Ning Liang, mezzo (Mescalina), Barbara Hannigan, soprano (Venus), Brian Asawa, countertenor (Prince Go-Go), Bernard Villiers, baritone (Ruffiak), Gerard Lavalle, baritone (Schobiack), Jacques Does, baritone (Schabernack), Eberhard Lorenz, actor (White Minister), Martin Winkler, actor (Black Minister), Barbara Hannigan, soprano (Gepopo/Chief of Secret Police), La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra and Chorus/Leo Hussain.

Not Radio 3 but BBC 4 (TV) and starting in a couple of hours - 20.00 GMT.

Antonio Pappano, artistic director of the Royal Opera, introduces Nicholas Hytner's production of Verdi's Don Carlo from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Based on Schiller's play, it tells the story of the conflicts in the life of Don Carlo, Prince of Spain after his betrothed Elizabeth of Valois is married to his father, Phillip II, as part of a peace treaty.

Rolando Villazon sings the title role and Marina Poplavskaya is Elizabeth. Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

(From www.bbc.co.uk)

I don't know if this will be available on iPlayer.

Sõnum on autori poolt redigeeritud, nov. 20, 2009, 1:04pm.

Yes it is, for the next 7 days, it looks well worth watching, from the evidence of the first 12 minutes.

Tonight:

Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 21st November 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20:50 (2 hours and 50 minutes long)

Massenet's Werther.

In a new Opera North production directed by Tom Cairns, Richard Farnes conducts tenor Paul Nilon and mezzo Alice Coote in Massenet's four-act opera Werther. Paul Nilon, tenor (Werther), Alice Coote, mezzo (Charlotte), Fflur Wyn, soprano (Sophie), Peter Savidge, baritone (Albert), Donald Maxwell, bass (The Magistrate), Richard Burkhard (Johann), Joshua Ellicott (Schmidt), Orchestra and Chorus of Opera North/Richard Farnesiwi.

ARTS: Opera on 3
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 28th November 2009 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20:20 (2 hours and 20 minutes long)

Peter Maxwell Davies's Taverner.

With a performance from City Halls, Glasgow's mini-festival celebrating Peter Maxwell Davies' 75th birthday comes to an end with a concert performance of his iconic morality opera Taverner. Presented by Tom Service with contributions from the composer and performers, and commentary from Ian McQueen. Peter Maxwell Davies: Taverner. Daniel Norman, tenor (John Taverner), Richard Angas, bass (Richard Taverner), Martyn Hill, tenor (Cardinal/Archbishop), Stephen Richardson, bass (King/Archangel Michael/Captain), David Wilson-Johnson, bass (Jester/Death), Roderick Williams, bass (White Abbot), Andrew Watts, countertenor (Priest/God), Michael Yeoman, treble (Boy), Alasdair Robertson, treble (Boy), Stephen Jeffes, spoken/tenor (Antichrist/Second Monk), Christopher Bowen (tenor (Archangel Gabriel/First Monk), Susan Bickley, mezzo (Rose/Virgin Mary), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama Chamber Choir, University of Glasgow Chapel Choir, Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus/Martyn Brabbins.

Opera on 3: Live from the Met
On: BBC Radio Three
Date: Saturday 12th December 2009 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 17:30 to 22:00 (4 hours and 30 minutes long)

To begin a new season of broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, Stefano Ranzini conducts a production of Puccini's ever-popular triple bill of Il Tabarro, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. Presented by Margaret Juntwait with guest commentator Ira Siff. During the two intervals there are backstage interviews and the Met Quiz. Il Tabarro: Patricia Racette, soprano (Giorgetta), Stephanie Blythe, mezzo (Frugola), Salvatore Licitra, tenor (Luigi), Zeljko Lucic, baritone (Michele). Suor Angelica: Patricia Racette, soprano (Suor Angelica), Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano (Sister Genovieffa), Stephanie Blythe, mezzo (Principessa). Gianni Schicchi: Patricia Racette, soprano (Lauretta), Saimir Pirgu, tenor (Rinuccio), Alessandro Corbelli, baritone (Gianni Schicchi), Stephanie Blythe, mezzo (Zita). Stefano Ranzini conducts the Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera.

We saw Il Trittico earlier this fall at S.F. Opera. Patricia Racette also sang all three lead roles here. She was excellent.

I wish this were one of their High Definition broadcasts. I saw it once on public teevee and would like to see it in bigger scale.

Robert

It was good to hear the three operas in sequence, although I cannot really understand what links them. I do enjoy Corbelli who I saw as Schicchi at Glyndebourne a year or two ago.