Work in progress...

I am thinking about writing a post about why my name is Operaduets and why I love opera singers like Maria Guleghina. And also a post later about Verdi's I Due Foscari. But I have a head-ache and my PC is being slow. And it is not helping this unusual heat...

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com

Tosca in Berlin with Maria Guleghina (20.6.09)

Tuesday I got the news from Parsifal's blog, that Angela Gheorghiu cancelled her Tosca in Berlin, and that Maria Guleghina was singing instead. So I bought tickets to the opera and air ticket for the travel. I am so lucky that the price was reasonable at Norwegian Air. Because Angela Gheorghiu was supposed to sing the price was 118 Euro. Really 120 Euros.

So thanks to Parsifal's was I in Berlin to see an extraordinarily fine performance. Maria Guleghina is a fine actress. The perfect Tosca. Neil Shicoff sang the role of Mario Cavaradossi ardently. His voice sounded like always only a little bit grainier. His Recondita armonia and E lucevan le stelle was applauded very much. Maria Guleghina sang a wonderful Vissi d'arte. Franz Grundheber was an excellent Baron Scarpia. He used his age to his advantage. As many older opera singers who have learnt how to use everything to their advantage even their faults, Grundheber know all about how to project the caracter via voice and gestures...

The production was Tosca, plain and simple. Tosca in Rome in the right historical time. But isn't it time that the sagrestano lets go of the hunchback and being some kind of comic relief. Luckily Roland Schubert who sang this role had a great sonorous voice. Loved his voice. Cesare Angelotti was sung by Krzysztof Szumanski, also a bass, acted well together with Neil Shicoff. Of course, the opera only took on form and real life when Maria Guleghina came in. Wonderful duet followed. After the Tosca in Vienna (April 25, 2009) I was interested in how Sciarrone and Spoletta was in this production. From Vienna I recall the Sciarrone but not Spoletta. Here there was a different interaction between Sciarrone and Spoletta was different, more competetive. I liked Jörg Schörner as Spoletta and Hyung-Wook Lee as Sciarrone. And Tomislav Lucic was a symphatic jailor. A perfect TOSCA!!!!

conductor
Emmanuel Villaume

director
Boleslaw Barlog

stage-design, costume-design
Filippo Sanjust

chorus-master
William Spaulding


For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com

Rolando Villazon - impressions from CDs

I have just bought 4 albums on iTunes with Rolando Villazon. Cielo e mar (with digital booklet), Opera Recital, French Opera Arias, Italian Opera Arias. I like his singing. From before I have his Gitano : zarzuela arias, great stuff. Rolando sure sound a lot like Plácido Domingo, but I prefer RV. Strange!

The 3 tenors: José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti. And that is how my preference sound. If we count from the famous spectrum it is the opposite: Pavarotti, Domingo and the 3rd tenor Carreras. 3 new tenors: José Cura, Marcelo Alvarez and Salvatore Licitra. Licitra as the new Pavarotti, Alvarez as Domingo, Cura as Carreras. After listening to the CDs I want to put Rolando Villazon there. Feels like Licitra is out, for me, anyway. But of course, everybody knows that RV is out of the circus for some months, Licitra is still in the circus.

I hope I will see Rolando Villazon live, maybe on May 15, 2010 as Don José in Vienna State Opera if I can get a ticket and RV doesn't cancel. But with Elina Garanca as Carmen, Netrebko as Micaela, and RV as Don José, is it realistic that I can get a ticket. No standing ticket for, I can't stand that.



For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com

Startenor Jose Carreras (German interview)

Im Gespräch

«In Zürich haben Sie ein kleines Juwel»

Startenor José Carreras über seinen Lieblingsdirigenten, seine Leidenschaft für Fussball und die Überwindung seiner Krankheit.

Von Jürg Zbinden

«Wenn ich nur einen nennen darf, dann Verdi»: Sänger Carreras Bild: Marc Wetli

Auf welche Ihrer zahlreichen Aufnahmen sind Sie am stolzesten?

Eine schwierige Frage. Das heisst, die Frage ist es nicht, aber die Antwort. Meine Lieblingsaufnahme ist wohl Georges Bizets «Carmen» mit den Berliner Philharmonikern unter der Leitung von Herbert von Karajan. Agnes Baltsa sang die Titelrolle. Die Aufnahme datiert von 1982.

....

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com

Jose Carreras, Zurich 8.6.2009 (German review)

José Carreras zog gestern im Zürcher Opernhaus alle Register

Von Susanne Kübler . Aktualisiert um 16:01 Uhr

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Kein «O' sole mio», dafür eine standing ovation nach der anderen: José Carreras' erster Zürcher Auftritt nach elf Jahren geriet zum Triumphzug für den Tenor.

José Carreras: Mit 62 Jahren immer noch in Topform.

....
Es kam anders. Nach dem Sprung ins 19. und frühe 20. Jahrhundert, zu neapolitanischen Liebesliedern, war Carreras in seinem Element. Er kennt die Tricks dieses Repertoires (je lauter der Schlusston, desto lauter der Applaus). Er sucht zwar nicht (mehr) den tenoralen Höhenrausch, aber er spielt geschickt mit seiner sonoren tiefen Lage. Und er ist, trotz der auch hier spürbaren Härten seines Tenors, ein grossartiger Gestalter: Ungemein leidenschaftlich kann er singen, effektbewusst legt er kurze Bremser ein, um dann umso feuriger die Liebste zu umwerben. Lorenzo Bavaj, sein Pianist seit zwanzig Jahren, ist mit dieser Art blind vertraut und liefert so die perfekte Kulisse für eine Liederlandschaft, in der auf ewig geliebt und gelitten wird - schön ist ja irgendwie beides.
....
(Tages-Anzeiger)

Erstellt: 10.06.2009, 15:42 Uhr

Neue Zürcher Zeitung Archiv

10.06.09 Gehaltene Spannung
Die Auftritte von José Carreras sind rar geworden. Dass der Tenor aber wieder einmal am Zürcher Opernhaus zu erleben sein würde, das war zu hoffen, denn hier hatte er zahlreiche Erfolge gefeiert: mit Glanzpartien wie dem Don José in «Carmen» ebenso wie mit Rollendébuts in seltener gespielten Werken, in «Fedora» und «Sly». Und nun ist er mit einem Liederabend zurückgekehrt ...
NZZ Neue Zürcher Zeitung; 459 Wörter
Artikel im HTML-Format; 2.38 EUR Artikel als PDF; 2.38 EUR

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com

Cav/Pag in Zurich 2009 with Jose Cura (German review)

Zürich | Cavalleria rusticana I Pagliacci / art-tv.ch (It is in German)

Musikalische Höhepunkte:
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA
Il cavallo scalpita, Arie des Alfio
Voi lo sapete, o mamma, Santuzza
Regina coeli …. Inneggiamo, Osterprozession, Santuzza und Chor
Tu qui Santuzza, Szene Turiddu-Santuzza
Intermezzo sinfonico
Viva il vino, Trinklied des Turiddu
I PAGLIACCI
Si può? Si può?, Prolog Tonio
Un tal gioco, Cantabile des Canio, Akt I
Nedda, Nedda rispondimi, Duett Nedda-Silvio, Akt I
Stridono lassù, Ballatella der Nedda, Akt I
Recitar…Vesti la giubba, Szene des Canio (Lache Bajazzo), Akt I
Intermezzo sinfonico
Für art-tv: © Kaspar Sannemann, 6. Juni 2009

The same review with more photos in Welt der Oper.
For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com

Jose Cura performances in Oslo, tickets left

2009-12-17 Recital Jose Cura

Orkester + Parkett = 233
1. Balcony = 92
2. Balcony = 150
3. Balcony - 179



2009-12-14 La Fanciulla del West

Orkester + Parkett = 22
1. Balcony = 37
2. Balcony = 68
3. Balcony - 144



2009-12-12 La Fanciulla del West

Orkester + Parkett = 39
1. Balcony = 66
2. Balcony = 40
3. Balcony - 151

It is possible to book tickets from www.operaen.no

But it seem to work better from

http://nettbillett.billettportalen.no/dno/Shows.aspx

Since that page starts in Norwegian, here is a helping hand

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com

Carreras and Cura in Zurich in June 2009

Opera with Jose Cura and Recital with Josep Carreras 


Lucky people in Zurich who has tickets to both Cav/Pag and Carreras Recital. Premiere Cav/Pag on June 6, and Carreras in Recital on June 8th.

CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA/PAGLIACCI

Pietro Mascagni/Ruggero Leoncavallo

Premiere am 6. Juni

Vorstellungen am 9., 11., 14., 17., 19., 21. und 26. Juni sowie am 3. und 8. Juli

«Cavalleria rusticana» und «Pagliacci» gelten als Meisterwerke des italienischen Verismo. Mord aus Eifersucht ist das Thema dieser Kurzopern, die nicht zufällig meist aneinander gekoppelt werden, schildern sie doch extreme Emotionen zwischen religiöser Frömmigkeit und blankem Hass, zwischen hingebungsvoller Liebe und blinder Rachsucht. Am Pult steht Stefano Ranzani. In der Regie von Grischa Asagaroff und der Ausstattung von Luigi Perego sorgt eine Starbesetzung mit Paoletta Marrocu, José Cura, Fiorenza Cedolins und Carlo Guelfi für spannungsgeladenes Musiktheater.
Details | Tickets

Liederabend José Carreras

Am 8. Juni, 20.00 Uhr

Nach langer Zeit ist Startenor José Carreras endlich wieder am Opernhaus Zürich zu hören. Am 8. Juni singt er in seinem Liederabend, begleitet von Lorenzo Bavaj, u.a. Lieder von Scarlatti, Tosti und Grieg.
Details | Tickets

Information from Opernhaus Zurich newsletter, to Subscribe/Unsubscribe, go here.

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com

The new Cav/Pag in Zurich (premiere 6.6.2009)

More about this new production in German (pdf)

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Cavalleria rusticana/ Pagliacci - Mascagni/ Leoncavallo (Premiere)

mit deutscher Übertitelung

unterstützt von der Marion Mathys Stiftung und dem Meistersingerförderkreis

Dirigent

Stefano Ranzani

Inszenierung

Grischa Asagaroff

Ausstattung

Luigi Perego

Lichtgestaltung

Martin Gebhardt

Choreinstudierung

Jürg Hämmerli

Choreographie

Jetsu Taoshita

Orchester

Orchester der Oper Zürich

Chor

Chor der Oper Zürich

Mit

Paoletta Marrocu (Santuzza), Cornelia Kallisch (Mama Lucia), Liliana Nikiteanu (Lola); Jose Cura (Turiddu), Cheyne Davidson (Alfio); Fiorenza Cedolins (Nedda); Jose Cura (Canio), Carlo Guelfi (Tonio), Boiko Zvetanov (Beppe), Gabriel Bermudez (Silvio)

Ort:
Opernhaus

Einführung:
18:00, Foyer I. Rang

Abo/Preis:
[Premieren A]
[Preise VII]

Datum/Zeit:
Samstag, 06.06.2009
19:00-22:00

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com

A helping hand - booking tickets for The Norwegian Opera

Instead of www.operaen.no, you should try http://nettbillett.billettportalen.no/dno/Shows.aspx
It is in Norwegian, so I will give you a little Norwegian-English list of words:  

Neste = Next, Forrige = Last, Kjøp billett = Buy ticket, Hovedscenen = Main Stage, Omvisning = Tour

Handlekurv = Shopping basket, Din handlekurv er tom = Your shopping basket is empty, Vis detaljer = Show details (items), Bekreft og betal = Confirm and pay

Min side = My page, Logg inn = Log in, Registrer ny bruker = Register new user, Glemt passord? = Forgot your password?, Kjøp gavekort = Buy gift voucher

I salg = In sale, Få billetter = few tickets left

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com

Vienna State Opera presale starts June 1rst

Seasonal presale for Vienna State Opera performances in price categories one and two

On the first of June at 9 am the advanced sale of the Vienna State Opera for all performances of the season 2009/2010 for selected tickets in 1st and 2nd price category will start. This small amount of tickets can be purchased from then on, given that it is not already sold out. Caution: available tickets for the performances most sought after are always sold out fast. Tickets for the ring cycles and the concert on June 26^th will not be available. Per head and performance four tickets can be bought at the maximum. To book in English please use the English version of the state opera homepage. www.staatsoper.at

From Cultural.com

I have booked my ticket for Cav/Pag on February 20, 2010 with Jose Cura as Turriddu/Canio

For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com