Split personality. Liking the arts, especially opera, and hockey and Los Toros. I know, I know THAT one is non pc currently. But I can't help it saw some in Spain and got hooked, but good.
But on the other hand right now opera and hockey are in the forefront!
A whole lot of musical fun in an evening, or in our case afternoon, at the OH!
After a spiritedly conducted overture, in which the strings sang, sometimes meltingly, sometimes not so, and the winds blew happily with the percussion section drumming merrily along, the farce began.
Strong singers, whose voices evenly matched, insured that the audience left chuckling.
Stefano de Peppo, and experienced bass baritone, set the pace, portraying the Don Pasquale with tongue in cheek acting without making him the archetypical caricature of an old doddering codger.
Equally strong performance came from the Norina, soprano Julia Engel, who was a saucy girl turned into fury. Her high notes were stratospheric and held, seemingly, forever.
Wesley Landry, baritone, as Dr. Malatesta, was quite convincing as the co conspirator to teach the old fool Don P. A lesson. His mellow baritone was, IMO, a bit too "nice" for the role.
Eric Bowden, sang Ernesto, the romantic lead, with penetrating power and endurance.
The non singing role of Notary was taken by Maxim Bitner, a bass, who is part of the chorus.
All in all an amusing interlude on a muggy afternoon in Houston.
If, cheers readers, you miss the usual inclusions of video clips, if available, or photos, I apologize . My trusty desk top languishes at the computer whizz " hospital", and the iPad and I are yet strangers to each other, to permit such fancies...... ;)!
Just one more note:
both de Peppo and Bowden sing in all performances which will be Nov.21,22,23,and 24. So you have time to go and enjoy!
by Donizetti. A Bel Canto Opera and so it was.
Two unfortunate events made this an interesting rehearsal:
1) Tenor Cutler was indisposed and HGOStudio member Touhy sang from the side while a staff member mimed action on stage.
2) Bass Gradus sang with less than usual fervor in order to conserve HIS voice.
But the result was the same: an incredibly beautifully realized opera, sets, staging, lights, costumes, music, and ABOVE ALL singing as it should be (Bel Canto !!)
Here a clip from 2005:Di Donato as Maria and Cutler as Leicester
BIG LIKE: Joyce Di Donato as a mesmerizing Maria Stuarda, oh, boy, can she sing, can she act, and CAN she keep the audience so enthralled during her pianissimos that nor a rustle, sniffle or any other sound was heard. The orchestra took a break and only she was heard even when she just barely whispered (pianissimo of pianissimos!).
OH MY YES!
Katie Van Kooten, as Elisabeth I, was imposing and did real justice to her role as the vindictive queen. And yet one could almost, almost, feel sorry for her being so tortured as she appeared to be, too strongly influenced by Cecil (Oren Gradus- who labored mightily overcoming a vocal problem due to?? and so sounding much less imposing than he usually is).
Van Kooten: Photo
OPERA today
Eric Cutler, slated to sing Leicester, was announced to be ill, and so Brendan Touhy of the HGO Studio vocally stood in for him from stage right (audience view) and truly sounded very, yes, very well!
To me, admittedly predisposed to like deep voices, Robert Gleadow as Talbot was just right. Of course that he had a very sympathetic role may have something to do with being liked!
At least by me. I cannot, of course, speak for others.
Opera IS so much a subjective art form, after all.
Since is it BEL CANTO.. the singing must be in the forefront, IMO. And so it was.
Sets and staging were simply (I am not saying cost effective LOL) and nothing, really detracted from the singers!
A beautifully copied coffered ceiling with movable columns (sets by Neil Patel) seemed just right to me! Stage was frequently empty and stark, but that too, seemed just right! After all the play/opera is stark. About emotions of love, hate, evil incubus (Cecil?) and so forth. The lightning by Wood/Clark was also simple and stark and effective.
Costumes by Jessica Jahn were period and - that was a real pleasure!(after the other mish mash as posted before. Especially so).
Patrick Summers honed (it was the last rehearsal remember) the HGO orchestra to perfection, while Richard Bado managed the chorus well, especially during the last act to give much pleasure.
It will be a fitting end to a great season at HGO IMO.
As I am neither singer nor musician, my feelings are strictly due to having seen/heard many operas in many houses.
It is said: "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." (Hamlet).
So I remember Rataplan.
Well, listening to La Forza del Destino (Verdi) helps.
Actually I thinkVerdi stole the idea from Donizetti:-) !
Opera lovers do remember Rataplan from Fille du Regiment!
Which Donizetti (1797-1848) composed and which was premiered in 1840.
Now comes Verdi (1813-1901) and his Rataplan from the Opera La Forza del Destino!
Which he composed in 1861 - 21 years after the premiere of Donizetti's Fille!
And that is surely plenty of time for Verdi to have heard, seen or otherwise discovered that tune and that idea!
Presenting this really rousing aria are :
Marianna Tarasova in 1990 (quite a favorite to my ears)
,
a modern version in set and costumes from Vienna with sexy Nadia Krasteva in 2008
and Elena Nicolai singing it in Milano (1954)
Somehow I think this one, too, was sneaked from Donizetti!
What do you say?
Maybe Donizetti sneaked it from the Czech folk song which is also often named as possible source for it!
But did he ever visit the lands in Moldavia, Bohemia, etc.?
To have heard it hummed, sung or played?
Who knows
"Wikipedia states: The Trapp Family Singers recorded a song titled "Carol of the Drum" (identified on the Decca record jacket as a "Czech carol") prior to their 1955 retirement. This song resembles "The Little Drummer Boy" in music and lyrics, except for replacing the lamb with an ass in the line "The ox and lamb kept time." This difference in lyrics may seem odd until one realizes that an ox and donkey are depicted in paintings of the Nativity going all the way back to ancient icons of the event. They recall the biblical prophecies of Isaiah, specifically Isaiah 1:3: "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib."
The one we all know and love, even if played continuously ;-) during the X-mas seasons, was composed around 1958 by Katherine K. Davis (she, too, said it was based on a Czech folksong , but as classic music teacher she would have been as familiar with Donizetti and Verdi, wouldn't she?), H. Onorati and H. Simeoneand became huge hits for many artists.
I still have to post on Opera in The Heights'La Fille Du Regiment by Gaetano Donzetti.
The first production of its season. And what a sparkler!
Having had a soupcon of arias sung by all 4 of the major roles' singers during the annual OVATIONS event the day before we left for Seattle and Alaska ( thus no blog on it), I was darn sure it would be a huge success! And so it is, and will be for 3 more performances - see how to get your last minute tickets below!
Newly appointed Maestro and Artistic Director Enrique Carreon Robledo
(he, who wowed us all with his conducting of Don Carlo last season at The OH!) had the orchestra well in hand and the soloists played rather well. On the piano Keith Chapman.
Maestro's control extended to singers and chorus who sang with panache, verve and seemingly pure joy in doing a comedy - for a change - in which NO ONE dies! Truly... no one does!
Now, I don't have samples of the voices heard with such pleasure at the OH.
BUT, just to give you, chers readers, an idea what this music by Donizetti can do for your funny bone:
Contralto Ewa Podles
Or maybe you like to soar with the High Cs' - like this byTenor Brownlee in recital "Ah, Mes Amis"!
In the case of The OH! production, which, BTW, was shortened cutting out one or two large crowd scenes and a few minor bits, I guess to keep the performance to the stated 2 hours 15 minutes with just one intermission, the cast made it a very pleasurable and stunning evening. It was a rapt audience of seasoned opera fans and young people from universities and schools. Rather refreshing to see them enjoy this comedy to spirited music!
Erica Miller, soprano, as Marie gave it her all, singing with an incredibly agile, soaringly beautiful, clear voice, with more than just a hint of laughter, she also managed to infuse comic pouting;
all in all, a veritable show of vocal fireworks!
Her beloved Tonio, was sung with staunch endurance (all performances-there was no alternate Tonio) bytalented tenor GennardLombardozzi..what a vocal feat!
And what a delightful smile he had (no wonder Marie falls for him:-)!
And he nailed those fiendish high notes beautifully, too!
Sergeant Sulpice benefited from the worldly experience of seasoned bass Stefano de Peppo who strutted, sang, and postured with some rather, ahem, sensuous Italianate charm and a warm rich sound.
(Chers readers know how low voices appeal to me :-)!
Marie's newly found 'aunt'- actually her mother - was acted with perfect comic timing by the somewhat light mezzo soprano Nancy Markeloff, an OH audience favorite in such roles!
Cameo roles were well filled by baritone Wesley Landry as Hortensio, Maxim Bitner, also a baritone, as Corporal, and Nathan de Paz, a young tenor, as A Peasant.
Among the chorus were found such favorites as soprano Traci Davis, tenor Johnny Nichols, Jr, plus several new comers who acquitted themselves rather well blending their voices under Chorus Master Fuller.
Two speaking roles, Cassandra Black as Duchesse de Krackenthorp and Kevin James Lusignolo as a bumbling Notary, did their bit of slapstick comedy to lighten the mood.
upper row the Marie of Erica Miller
all photos by the talentedGwen Turner Juarez
lower row the Marie of Ashlyn Rust (not heard)
The story is simple, Marie abandoned as a baby, is raised by a regiment of soldiers under the watchful eye of "Papa" Sulpice, who does not quite like her falling in love with Tonio, but because he can't deny her much, says yes to the union in the end. BUT now comes the new found 'aunt' who wants Marie to be 're-made' into a 'fine aristocratic' marriageable young society lady. In the end however, love wins out!
And Marie and Tonio may have lived happily ever after!
That part the opera does not address, alas.
BTW you have 3 more chances to see this sparkling comedy at The OH!
