Opera Season... What's worth seeing.

[whipped guy]

Opera season is upon us. It would be interesting to know what operas fellow posters are planing to see. The MET is closest to where I am based the greater part of the year so that has been my main focus. However, it would be informative to hear from other areas of the country and indeed from those either based in or planning to visit other countries as well.

 

For some reason not much excites me regarding the MET's current season... Well some of the operas do, but not the casts or productions. The only piece I currently plan to see is La Cenerentola with Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Florez, but that is not until April. That seemed to be the only no brainier for this lover of Bel Canto.

 

Perhaps I might have overlooked something so any suggestions would be appreciated. Plus, it will be interesting to hear what others will be seeing.

[BgMstr4u]

This year the Met is doing a new opera I don't know at all: "Two Boys", composed by Nico Muhly, libretto by Craig Lucas. The production is shared with the English National Opera (which is also the source of the Met's new production of "Eugene Onegin"). I wonder if anyone knows about this new work.

[TruHart1]

I am somewhat excited that here in Hicksville, USA our local opera company, The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, is actually mounting a production of I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Joyce DiDonato as Romeo and Nicole Cabell as Giulietta for opening night! I think the main reason for this world-class casting is due to Ms. DiDonato residing in K.C. (she grew up here in the suburbs) when she is not travelling all over the world. I truly hope the production is worthy of her great artistry. I am not familiar with this Bellini piece but I have always been blown away by DiDonato’s bel canto technique and her amazing stage presence!

 

TruHart1:cool:

[uwsman2]

I am particularly interested in new operas. Nico Muhly is a favorite composer of mine - gay boy, by the way - and Two Boys is definitely going to be the gayest opera ever put on by the Met. It got decent reviews from the London production and has been revised and rewritten for the Met.

 

I'm also eager to see the revivals at the Met of Fledermaus -- where my favorite young countertenor, Anthony Roth Costanzo, also a gay boy, will be singing Count Orlovsky -- and The Enchanted Island, a conflation of materials from Baroque operas (including Handel and Vivaldi), in which Costanzo is singing the part of Ferdinand.

 

And for the adventurous I recommend checking out the New York City Opera website. They've abandoned Lincoln Center and now do half their season at Brooklyn Academy of Music and half at the City Center, which was refurbished a few years ago and now has very comfortable seating and a more intimate connection with the stage than the cavernous Met. NYCO is doing "Anna Nicole" in a few weeks at BAM.

[+ g56whiz]

I'm going to be limited to the Met's Live in HD performances this season but there are several that I'm looking forward to:

 

The Nose - just because it's new to me and how bad can it be with a tub of popcorn and a tank of diet cola.

 

Falstaff - cuz I like late Verdi and I'll be interested to see if the Met orchestra is still a natural extension of Jimmy Levine's musicality like it once was.

 

Werther - if only for Jonas Kaufmann

 

And Cosi - for Levine's Mozart and maybe Polenzani

 

Of course I'll probably get to the rest cuz what else is there to do in this hot, dusty border town on a Saturday afternoon!

[bostonman]

I am particularly interested in new operas. Nico Muhly is a favorite composer of mine - gay boy, by the way - and Two Boys is definitely going to be the gayest opera ever put on by the Met. It got decent reviews from the London production and has been revised and rewritten for the Met.

 

I'm also eager to see the revivals at the Met of Fledermaus -- where my favorite young countertenor, Anthony Roth Costanzo, also a gay boy, will be singing Count Orlovsky -- and The Enchanted Island, a conflation of materials from Baroque operas (including Handel and Vivaldi), in which Costanzo is singing the part of Ferdinand.

 

I've actually seen a number of mixed-to-poor reviews of Two Boys, though I will be interested in hearing/seeing it. It does not, however, sound to me like it's "the gayest opera ever put on by" anyone, despite what one might like to read into the title of the work, though I can't seem to find a truly detailed synopsis of the piece anywhere online. For what I've read about it, though, it sounds like the insinuations we get from more commonly-seen operatic characters like Claggart and (more obviously) Countess Geschwitz are far "gayer," let alone the fun of cross-dressing complications like that in Rosenkavalier or Figaro, etc.

 

My one big question with the new Fledermaus will be, will playwright Douglas Carter Beane muck up the libretto the way he did the current revisal of Cinderella on Broadway? And lest that feel like a judgement solely on him, let's not forget that the last Met-commissioned rewrite, by no less than the brilliant Comden and Green, was sadly, embarrassingly awful. If THEY couldn't come up with something wonderful, what will Beane bring to the table?

 

The Enchanted Island is full of wonderful music. But having heard it a number of times (and seen it) in its debut season a few years ago, I have yet to actually figure out what the hell is going on in it, or why the project really got as far as the planning stages to begin with. It's a dramatic mess, and Jeremy Sams' "trying to be contemporary and hip" translations don't help. Neither did the singers in the original run, who glottalled and pushed their way through the text like hammy amateur actors trying to "act." But yeah, if you don't care about the needlessly confusing plot that isn't quite The Tempest nor Midsummer's Night's Dream (though it's supposed to be both of them at once), and you don't really listen to the text, and just let the music wash over you, I suppose it's not so bad. ;-)

[whipped guy]

Regarding the Enchanted Island, I only heard the broadcast and to me it sounded like total hodgepodge of various Baroque styles with nothing that really was cohesive other than the fact that all the selections of this pasticcio were composed within a few years of each other. I am not an expert, but Handel does not sound like Vivaldi and Vivaldi does not sound like Rameau. Different national schools... and within those categories... each composer had an individual voice. In the case of Handel it was a mixture of his German background, his Italian studies, and his English residency... so that further complicates matters. In any event, I really did not get a sense of cohesion from the piece. Usually when such concoctions were pasted together (and there are examples from the Baroque through the early Romantic era) they were from the work of more or less one composer so there was a sense of stylistic unity...

 

Of course the clincher for me was the opera's final number which is the final "Hallelujah, Amen" from Judas Maccabaeus by Handel. Sure, it's a paean that exudes praise and joy... and while celebratory in nature... I simply could not get the religious words ("O Judah rejoice...") and context out of my mind... and the incongruity of it all just left a sour taste in my mouth.

[bostonman]

Regarding the Enchanted Island, I only heard the broadcast and to me it sounded like total hodgepodge of various Baroque styles with nothing that really was cohesive other than the fact that all the selections of this pasticcio were composed within a few years of each other. I am not an expert, but Handel does not sound like Vivaldi and Vivaldi does not sound like Rameau. Different national schools... and within those categories... each composer had an individual voice. In the case of Handel it was a mixture of his German background, his Italian studies, and his English residency... so that further complicates matters. In any event, I really did not get a sense of cohesion from the piece. Usually when such concoctions were pasted together (and there are examples from the Baroque through the early Romantic era) they were from the work of more or less one composer so there was a sense of stylistic unity...

 

Of course the clincher for me was the opera's final number which is the final "Hallelujah, Amen" from Judas Maccabaeus by Handel. Sure, it's a paean that exudes praise and joy... and while celebratory in nature... I simply could not get the religious words ("O Judah rejoice...") and context out of my mind... and the incongruity of it all just left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

Interesting point about the varying musical styles - I hadn't really thought about that, and I don't know if that bothered me all that much. But I suppose it would have been interesting (and clarifying) if the different styles were used by different character groups to unify the various dramatic points in the story.

 

In terms of the "religious" origins of the finale, I found that didn't bother me either - it was, after all, fairly common for composers to re-use their own music in secular and sacred settings (Bach did it quite a bit; and there's the interesting case of the Agnus Dei from Puccini's "Messa Di Gloria" ending up as the madrigal in Act II of Manon Lescaut, etc.) There's also the case of what's known as the renaissance "parody mass," where the tunes of well-known songs (often secular) were used as the basis for contrapuntal mass settings. And in the specific case of Handel, he recycled his (in)famous "Halleluiah Chorus" for use in his Foundling Hospital Anthem, a piece meant for fundraising rather than truly religious use. (In addition, I believe that said Halleluiah Chorus was originally from one of his operas, with a different text.) So, I'm sure Handel would not have objected to the re-use of the Judas Maccabeus chorus here (keeping in mind that pieces like Messiah and Judas Maccabeus themselves were written as secular oratorios; Handel was dramatizing biblical stories here, not writing specifically for the church), though I do understand if you feel the tune and "religious" text too closely wedded after years of hearing it that way. ;-)

[whipped guy]

So, I'm sure Handel would not have objected to the re-use of the Judas Maccabeus chorus here (keeping in mind that pieces like Messiah and Judas Maccabeus themselves were written as secular oratorios; Handel was dramatizing biblical stories here, not writing specifically for the church), though I do understand if you feel the tune and "religious" text too closely wedded after years of hearing it that way. ;-)

Well, I am sure that Handel would not have objected... but I certainly thought it to be jarring... at least to my ears... more later!!

 

Of course there was practically no difference between religious and secular music in the Baroque era... and you rightfully point out that at times the same was true for later eras as well... and especially regarding Italian composers. As for the baroque era, just listing the examples by Bach and Handel alone would be a full time job. Along those lines, it is always fun to hear a movement from one of Bach's Brandenburg Concerti turn up in one of the cantatas. As far as later eras are concerned, my favorite example is how Rossini incorporated the "Gloria" from his Messa di Gloria into the Overture and Act Two Finale of his French opera Le Siege de Corinthe where the original religious motives are used to evoke the military preparations for an impending battle. So another example of how the same tune can be used in diametrically opposite situations and still be effective.

 

Getting back to the Handel chorus from Judas Maccabeus, having sung the piece from my chorus days I think it was the my overfamiliarity with it that bothered me the most and especially since a lot of what preceded it sounded so different to my ears... as in not being in the style of the Handel of the oratorios or even the various odes or coronation anthems. I would hazard a guess that others would be similarly troubled by other pieces chosen for The Enchanted Island due to overfamiliarity.

 

So in retrospect my use of the word "religious" was perhaps not well chosen... and indeed it bothered me a bit when I typed it... but at the time I thought that it would help get my point across... In any event, that particular chorus is certainly as jaunty, as cheerful, and as dance-like as anything ever penned by any composer during any era. As such I can see why the arrangers chose it. However, as I said, it just seemed that hearing Handel in his English mode just seemed so incongruous given all the Italian and French pieces that preceded it.

[TruHart1]

Regarding the Enchanted Island, I only heard the broadcast and to me it sounded like total hodgepodge of various Baroque styles with nothing that really was cohesive other than the fact that all the selections of this pasticcio were composed within a few years of each other. I am not an expert, but Handel does not sound like Vivaldi and Vivaldi does not sound like Rameau. Different national schools... and within those categories... each composer had an individual voice. In the case of Handel it was a mixture of his German background, his Italian studies, and his English residency... so that further complicates matters. In any event, I really did not get a sense of cohesion from the piece. Usually when such concoctions were pasted together (and there are examples from the Baroque through the early Romantic era) they were from the work of more or less one composer so there was a sense of stylistic unity...

 

Of course the clincher for me was the opera's final number which is the final "Hallelujah, Amen" from Judas Maccabaeus by Handel. Sure, it's a paean that exudes praise and joy... and while celebratory in nature... I simply could not get the religious words ("O Judah rejoice...") and context out of my mind... and the incongruity of it all just left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

Interesting discussion! I think, in the romantic 19th century way of pasticcios in general, a piece such as The Enchanted Island, in particular, serves the purpose of showcasing the virtuosity of Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels or even the Caliban of Lucas Pisaroni in the original production and Susan Graham in the revival coming up. Even the stunt casting of Placido Domingo as Neptune hearkens back to the 19th century mentality of (a bit overblown) gala entertainment. WG, you are absolutely correct as far as Baroque purists’ perceptions go, but I do not believe pasticcios are ever anything more than light entertainment, meant to be entertaining much like popcorn movies released during the summer months. Just as those popcorn movies are meant to do, if I am not mistaken, The Enchanted Island was a good box office performer for the Met during its first run. JMHO!

 

TruHart1:cool:

[whipped guy]

...WG, you are absolutely correct as far as Baroque purists’ perceptions go, but I do not believe pasticcios are ever anything more than light entertainment, meant to be entertaining much like popcorn movies released during the summer months. Just as those popcorn movies are meant to do, if I am not mistaken, The Enchanted Island was a good box office performer for the Met during its first run. JMHO!

TH... Actually the concept was brilliant... and the perfect showcase for the stars involved. However, I do think that one of the drawbacks that plagues many of these concoctions is the lack of a sense of unity.

 

Think the ballet La Fille Mal Garde as pieced together by Lanchberry or even something such as Rossini's Ivanhoe that was pasted together by a certain Antonio Pacini. They are fun to listen to and especially with a bucket of popcorn on your lap... When I first heard both of these examples it was entertaining to try and identify the source of each set piece. Still, if one overanalyzes things... and I am wont to do so... one can hear certain discrepancies. Even though the Ivanhoe example is based on the work of a single composer, the incongruity of hearing pieces that are from a comic opera followed by a composition from a serious work is also a bit troubling to me. But Heck! I am the guy who is disturbed by the fact that I hear a difference in the last scene of Wagner's Siegfried... a piece that was composed a number of years after the rest of the opera. Also, disconcerting is hearing the first orchestral outburst in the Alfano completion of Puccini's Turandot as that that seems to scream, "this ain't Puccini!"

 

I guess I just need to sit back, relax, and enjoy that bucket of popcorn...

[bostonman]

TH... Actually the concept was brilliant... and the perfect showcase for the stars involved. However, I do think that one of the drawbacks that plagues many of these concoctions is the lack of a sense of unity.

 

I guess I just need to sit back, relax, and enjoy that bucket of popcorn...

 

Of course, you also have to consider that The Enchanted Island *was* meant to be entertaining, not a graduate thesis on Baroque opera, nor really even a product of the "Historically Informed Performance" hype. And I personally had no problem with any of the music itself. (In fact, I was delighted to hear a few of my own favorites in there, plus some stuff I didn't know at all that I was happy to discover.) To me, the sloppiness in the production was in the book (the plot, for all its cleverness in trying to combine the two Shakespeare worlds, was just "too hard a knot for me to untie," to quote a 3rd play, lol) and the new English text, which seemed to try too hard to prove itself as clever and hip (I think it would have seemed more clever if it wasn't trying to be so clever, if you know what I mean). AND the way much of the cast seemed to be trying to overdo the English diction, the result sounding to me to be more cheaply "camp" than in the singers just wanting to be understood.

 

I kind of wish the whole production itself would just sit back, relax, and enjoy its own bucket of popcorn, instead of trying to hard-sell itself so much. As it was in its first run, it *did* seem to play out like a graduate thesis to me - in the sense that it all seemed they were trying so hard to show their work. So I kind of lost the sense of "entertainment" that I think they actually intended. Maybe this season's run will be more relaxed and fun, and, well, enchanted.

[whipped guy]

Of course, you also have to consider that The Enchanted Island *was* meant to be entertaining, not a graduate thesis on Baroque opera, nor really even a product of the "Historically Informed Performance" hype. And I personally had no problem with any of the music itself... Maybe this season's run will be more relaxed and fun, and, well, enchanted.

I am not a professional musician... far from it. However, I have always been interested in the HIP movement as far as authentic scores and original instruments are concerned. I even tried to "adjust" my piano teacher's Steinway grand to make it sound like a fortepiano because Haydn simply did not sound "correct" on the instrument. That was in the 1960s before anyone knew who Christopher Hogwood was!!! I also knew that the score from which I was playing was not correct either... but that's all that was readily available at the time. So that's where I am coming from. That said, I do have an ear for 18th and early 19th Century music... and it was all self taught... My Self Informed version of HIP... aka SIHIP...

 

That said, I had a couple of friends new to opera... and classical music in general... who thought the show was splendid. I did previously explain what the concept was, and how it was concocted as a vehicle for DiDonato and Domingo etc. Other than thinking that some of the staging was over the top, things seemed totally in place for them as any traditional opera. So sometimes it is best to leave all the musicology at the doorstep and simply relax and enjoy... but at times that is difficult to do.

[bostonman]

...and how it was concocted as a vehicle for DiDonato and Domingo etc.

 

Or perhaps as a vehicle for DiDonato (et al), with Domingo as a "guest star."

[TruHart1]

I am not a professional musician... far from it. However, I have always been interested in the HIP movement as far as authentic scores and original instruments are concerned. I even tried to "adjust" my piano teacher's Steinway grand to make it sound like a fortepiano because Haydn simply did not sound "correct" on the instrument. That was in the 1960s before anyone knew who Christopher Hogwood was!!! I also knew that the score from which I was playing was not correct either... but that's all that was readily available at the time. So that's where I am coming from. That said, I do have an ear for 18th and early 19th Century music... and it was all self taught... My Self Informed version of HIP... aka SIHIP...

 

That said, I had a couple of friends new to opera... and classical music in general... who thought the show was splendid. I did previously explain what the concept was, and how it was concocted as a vehicle for DiDonato and Domingo etc. Other than thinking that some of the staging was over the top, things seemed totally in place for them as any traditional opera. So sometimes it is best to leave all the musicology at the doorstep and simply relax and enjoy... but at times that is difficult to do.

 

WG, all I can say is, reading your posts about The Enchanted Island and even Siegfried, your self-taught musicology has given you a hell of an ear to be able to hear the musical stitching in the pieces being discussed here! You’re like a real-life “princess and the pea” regarding music!!! LOL

 

TruHart1:cool: