Life Goes On, and so Does Opera
CD:
It's been a difficult year for opera fans. In a relatively short period of time we lost Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jerry Hadley, Regine Crespin, Beverly Sills, and Luciano Pavarotti. Sopranos Ruth Ann Swenson and Dawn Upshaw battled serious illnesses -- both ladies, happily, have returned to performing -- and vocal problems have kept a few of our favorites off the stage and out of the concert hall.
Still, classical music returned to WETA FM, PBS ran five evenings of opera performances recently (Hooray, Gianni Schicchi!), and of course there were always YouTube and Classic Arts Showcase for vintage and current performances if you were feeling particularly bereft. And as far as I know, that multitasking tenor Placido Domingo has remained as indefatigable as he is ubiquitous.
And if it's been a rough year for soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Rolando Villazon, both of whom are taking a few months off from performing, those crazy kids have left us a sexy little CD called Duets to remind us what they they've been up to the past few years. In case you've missed all the press accounts, performances, videos, and CDs, these two are magic together, both onstage and in the recording studio.
Villazon's voice has that lovely burnished quality I so admire, and the emotional shadings that belong to tenor leads. He's masterful, ardent, imploring by turns.
Netrebko possesses a thrilling coloratura soprano, youthful and sweet, yes, but by no means without consequence. Listen with care to the lower, darker register of that voice of hers. I can only imagine that her repertoire and characterizations will expand as the years pass.
Is there any pastime more respectable and genteel than listening to opera on a weekend afternoon? Well, decide if you still believe that after listening to the pairings on this disc. Expect passion, desperation, ecstasy, and a few other things I'll leave you to find in the liner notes. What will Mrs. Grundy say?
You won't be surprised to learn that Netrebko and Villazon have included the rapturous "O soave fanciulla" from La Boheme, as well as some passionate moments from The Pearl Fishers, Romeo et Juliette, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, and Massenet's Manon. Their unique vocal chemistry and emotional investment in the material hint at why they have proven such a remarkable team onstage.
Perhaps the biggest surprises on the disc are the inclusion of a zarzuela duet, from Federico Moreno Torroba's Luisa Fernanda (Yes, the same work Domingo performed at the Washington National Opera several years back), and the selection from Tchaikovsky's short lyric opera Iolanta. These latter two choices will be unfamiliar to most listeners but prove especially moving.
Nicola Luisotti conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden in a performance that enhances and complements the beauty of the two voices.
- Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon with Nicola Luisotti/Staatskapelle Dresden: Duets
It's been a difficult year for opera fans. In a relatively short period of time we lost Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jerry Hadley, Regine Crespin, Beverly Sills, and Luciano Pavarotti. Sopranos Ruth Ann Swenson and Dawn Upshaw battled serious illnesses -- both ladies, happily, have returned to performing -- and vocal problems have kept a few of our favorites off the stage and out of the concert hall.
Still, classical music returned to WETA FM, PBS ran five evenings of opera performances recently (Hooray, Gianni Schicchi!), and of course there were always YouTube and Classic Arts Showcase for vintage and current performances if you were feeling particularly bereft. And as far as I know, that multitasking tenor Placido Domingo has remained as indefatigable as he is ubiquitous.
And if it's been a rough year for soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Rolando Villazon, both of whom are taking a few months off from performing, those crazy kids have left us a sexy little CD called Duets to remind us what they they've been up to the past few years. In case you've missed all the press accounts, performances, videos, and CDs, these two are magic together, both onstage and in the recording studio.Villazon's voice has that lovely burnished quality I so admire, and the emotional shadings that belong to tenor leads. He's masterful, ardent, imploring by turns.
Netrebko possesses a thrilling coloratura soprano, youthful and sweet, yes, but by no means without consequence. Listen with care to the lower, darker register of that voice of hers. I can only imagine that her repertoire and characterizations will expand as the years pass.
Is there any pastime more respectable and genteel than listening to opera on a weekend afternoon? Well, decide if you still believe that after listening to the pairings on this disc. Expect passion, desperation, ecstasy, and a few other things I'll leave you to find in the liner notes. What will Mrs. Grundy say?
You won't be surprised to learn that Netrebko and Villazon have included the rapturous "O soave fanciulla" from La Boheme, as well as some passionate moments from The Pearl Fishers, Romeo et Juliette, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, and Massenet's Manon. Their unique vocal chemistry and emotional investment in the material hint at why they have proven such a remarkable team onstage.
Perhaps the biggest surprises on the disc are the inclusion of a zarzuela duet, from Federico Moreno Torroba's Luisa Fernanda (Yes, the same work Domingo performed at the Washington National Opera several years back), and the selection from Tchaikovsky's short lyric opera Iolanta. These latter two choices will be unfamiliar to most listeners but prove especially moving.
Nicola Luisotti conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden in a performance that enhances and complements the beauty of the two voices.
1 Comments:
Thank you for mentioning Ruth Ann Swenson on your site -- she is, indeed, doing well, thank goodness. Here is latest news:Metropolitan Opera star and internationally applauded American soprano Ruth Ann Swenson will appear in the title role of Gaetano Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda at the Opéra de Lyon on September 26th and 28th and at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris on September 30th. The concert performance of Donizetti’s opera of the ill-fated Scottish queen also features Giovanni Furlanetto as Talbot and Iano Tamar as Elizabeth. Maestro Evelino Pidò will conduct.
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