Viva Verdi in Barcelona 2013-04-28

Wonderful Barcelona! Were I not Facebook friend of Sergi Gimenez Carreras then I would have stayed in Nice/Monte-Carlo because I would not have known about this wonderful Verdi concert. Sergi is a tenor just like his uncle, Josep Carreras. He has his own sound and just like Carreras when Sergi sings there is an emotional impact. Tears was in my eyes when he sang La mia letizia infondere from I Lombardi. Rolando Villazon had sung it well in Frankfurt (25/4) but Sergi won my heart and ears. It was the dramatic Verdi that was in the programme where I felt that my tenor was more lyric. Sergi was totally involved in all his arias, duets and tersetts.

Sergi Gimenez Carreras was flanked with the supreme soprano Michelle-Marie Cook and baritone Alberto Cazes Spignolo. The soprano was powerful in all appearances. She sang so wonderful that I have difficult to find words. Here we heard a soprano of world class, powerful voice, deep dramatic insight, simply a joy to hear and see. How I want to see her in full opera production of Ernani, La Forza del Destino, Un Ballo in Maschera, or in short any opera by Verdi that have a soprano part.

The baritone sang the famous Verdi baritone arias and did it well. Perhaps I am not a baritone person.

Bravi, tutti!! And come to Norway, please!

The concert had no pause and I sat in the front seat. The best seat. But although it had the shortest distance to the singers, voices are often heard better further back in the theater. So my dear Sergi when I listen to the videos from this concert you sound much stronger, much better. BRAVO, Sergi!!


Miguel Ángel Martínez Montés, conductor
Coral Càrmina & Orquesta Sinfónica del Vallés

Obertura (La forza del Destino)

“La mia letizia infondere” (I Lombardi) - Sergi Giménez Carreras

“Ernani involami” (Ernani) – Michelle-Marie Francis Cook

“O Carlo, ascolta” (Don Carlo) – Alberto Cazes Spinoglio

“Patria opressa”(Macbeth) - Coro

“O fede negar potessi - Quando le sere al placido” (Luisa Miller) - Sergi Giménez Carreras

"Tu se Ernani" (Ernani) - Michelle-Marie Francis Cook, Sergi Giménez Carreras y Alberto Cazes Spinoglio

“Va pensiero” (Nabucco) – Coro

“Dio, che nell’alma infondere” (Don Carlo) - Sergi Giménez Carreras & Alberto Cazes Spinoglio

Coro de Gitanas y toreros (La traviata) – Coro

“Pace, pace mio Dio” (La forza del Destino) - Michelle-Marie Francis Cook

“Eri tu” (Un ballo in maschera) - Alberto Cazes Spinoglio

“Vedi! le fosche notturne” (Il trovatore) – Coro

“Tace la notte!” (Il trovatore) - Michelle-Marie Francis Cook, Sergi Giménez Carreras y Alberto Cazes Spinoglio

EXTRA
Brindisi LA TRAVIATA Cook, Gimenez, Cazes
Va, pensiero NABUCCO Cook, Gimenz, Cazes


The chorus and orchestra was wonderful, too.

www.operaduetstravel,com
www.operaduetsphotos.com

Rolando Villazon, Jose Cura, and then finally Sergi Gimenez

But of course, in the end was the soprano who won. More about that later.

APRIL 27, 2013

Leaving Nice for Barcelona via Munich. Lovely airport, but confusion arrives when suddenly it says that boarding is finished for my flight to Munich. At that point I just wished I was going to Oslo or even Berlin-Tegel where everything was ok. But my flight had not arrived yet. Waiting. Then boarding, then waiting in the heat to just get into the plane. Of course, it was delayed even to Munich but luckily no hassle in Munich so I could just go straight to my Barcelona plane. Not too stressful. Walk, not run.

Easy to find the bus to Placa Catalunya since I remembered from last time. I love Barcelona even in the rain. I had to ask for direction to find my hotel, Husa Barcelona. And, how lucky was I, the Teatre Tivoli is just across the road. I got my ticket. And then ate and rested in Barcelona.

APRIL 28, 2013

Viva Verdi, Teatre Tivoli (Barcelona)

Marie Francis Cook, soprano
Sergi Giménez Carreras, tenor
Alberto Cazes Spinoglio, barytone

Miguel Ángel Martínez Montés, conductor
Coral Càrmina & Orquesta Sinfónica del Vallés


Obertura (La forza del Destino)
“La mia letizia infondere” (I Lombardi) - Sergi Giménez Carreras
“Ernani involami” (Ernani) – Michelle-Marie Francis Cook
“O Carlo, ascolta” (Don Carlo) – Alberto Cazes Spinoglio
“Patria opressa”(Macbeth) - Coro
“O fede negar potessi - Quando le sere al placido” (Luisa Miller) - Sergi Giménez Carreras
"Tu se Ernani" (Ernani) - Michelle-Marie Francis Cook, Sergi Giménez Carreras y Alberto Cazes Spinoglio
“Va pensiero” (Nabucco) – Coro
“Dio, che nell’alma infondere” (Don Carlo) - Sergi Giménez Carreras & Alberto Cazes Spinoglio
Coro de Gitanas y toreros (La traviata) – Coro
“Pace, pace mio Dio” (La forza del Destino) - Michelle-Marie Francis Cook
“Eri tu” (Un ballo in maschera) - Alberto Cazes Spinoglio
“Vedi! le fosche notturne” (Il trovatore) – Coro
“Tace la notte!” (Il trovatore) - Michelle-Marie Francis Cook, Sergi Giménez Carreras y Alberto Cazes Spinoglio
EXTRA
Brindisi LA TRAVIATA Cook, Gimenez, Cazes
Va, pensiero NABUCCO Cook, Gimenz, Cazes


The soprano won by force. The tenor won by love. The baritone won the popular arias.

After Verdi in Frankfurt, Stiffelio in Monte-Carlo

What a difference, coming from sunny Frankfurt to Cote d'Azur with heavy rain. Well, I can say now that I have been in Cannes since thr train stopped there on it way from Paris to Nice. My train from Frankfurt to Paris Est became a noisy affaire since 10 loud Germans was eating and drinking and talking and laughing loudly. And that trip started 6 in the morning. Then Paris Est at 0950 and a long wait in the taxi queu because my next train was leaving from Gare de Lyon 1045. I came in time and although that train was really full it was no problem to rest and even sleep untill we arrived in Nice 1625. In Paris there was just so tiring with many people, in Nice it was more the confusing layout that was tiring. But finally my hotel, Hotel Mirabeau. Nice enough and cheap. But next time, another hotel, I think.

Then soon enough it was time to take the train to Monte-Carlo. Without the rain maybe my impression of the city would have been favorable. But now I have only one word Chaotic. Almost got lost on my way to the opera. The Opera House is inside the CASINO. Inside. It was the most adorned with gold opera house that I have seen. It was an intime feeling to it.

APRIL 26, 2013
The regie was ok except that it ignored sometimes what the libretto said. That makes it less authentic. And poor Raffaele all dressed in colors in this black/white world. Why was he there still with all that rejection. That showed in my opinion an amateurish regie consept. No doubt others will tell me that that was pure genious. Sorry, I disagree. Friends?

The singing was wonderful. Jose Cura did one of his best Stiffelios. Virginia Tola sang Lina. Nicola Alaimo was Stankar. Bruno Ribeiro was Raffaele. Jose Antonio Garcia was Jorg. Maurizio Pace was Federico and Diana Axentii was Dorotea. Conductor was Maurizio Benini

Rolando Villazon celebrates Giuseppe Verdi in Frankfurt

After night bus to Oslo Gardermoen Airport and my flight to Frankfurt via Copenhagen it was great to land in Frankfurt. It was sunny and hot springtime. I took the train to the train station and soon I was in my room in Intercity Hotel. After eating and resting it was time to go to the Alte Oper.

APRIL 25, 2013

Rolando Villazon was his usual animated self. Acting every ounce of the arias.

PROGRAMME

Nabucco - Ouverture

I Lombardi - La mia letizia infondere (I would have loved it even more if he had sung Don Carlo - Io l'ho perduta as previously announce)

I Masnadieri - Preludio

Il Corsaro - Eccomi prigioniero

The romance Il Mistero orchestrated by Luciano Berio (I would have liked it more if he had sung the original even though Berio can be fun)

Luisa Miller - Ouverture

Luisa Miller - Quando le sere al placido

PAUSE

Otello - Preludio ( interesting piece but Verdi did not write a prelude to Otello, did he?)

Oberto - Ciel che feci! .... Ciel pietoso

Macbeth - Balletti

Macbeth - O figli .... Ah, la paterna mano

I vespri Siciliano - Ouverture

Romance (Berio) Deh pietoso, oh addolorata

L'esule

3 extras: romance Non t´accostare all´urna, Il poveretto, Brindisi

After sickness, Verdi concert & Stiffelio?

I hope to be well enough to travel on April 24th so that I can be at Villazon's Verdi Concert in Alte Oper Frankfurt on April 25th and then train travel to Monte-Carlo for José Cura as Stiffelio. But instead of the common cold I got pneumonia. Ruined my Easter holidays and I am still taking pills and really want to be well enough to travel on April 24th. Nightbus. Flight to Frankfurt via Copenhagen. Concert. Train to Monte-Carlo to see Stiffelio. and then some rest in Nice/Monte-Carlo (more like a real holiday). Back home and then to Hospital to see my doctor for my Crohn's disease. But I feel weak.

But I have tickets for José Cura in Konzerthaus Wien 9.12.2013, and José Cura in Konzerthaus Berlin 22.2.2014 (Actually abo C Sonnabend)


www.konzerthaus.de






In unserer Reihe C finden Sie traditionell unser Weihnachtskonzert – dieses Jahr mit dem Thomanerchor Leipzig und dem Konzerthausorchester. Neben zwei Konzerten mit unserem Chefdirigenten Iván Fischer erleben Sie großartige Künstler wie Ning Feng, Anna Lucia Richter, Christian Vásquez und Nikolaj Znaider.




KONZERT TERMINE SERIE C • SINFONIEKONZERTE

Für Serie C • Sinfoniekonzerte stehen Ihnen die folgende Wochentagsreihen zur Auswahl:


28SEP Sonnabend
20:00 Uhr
Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Iván Fischer
Großer Saal
mit Anna Lucia Richter, Olivia Vermeulen




09NOV Sonnabend
20:00 Uhr
Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Iván Fischer
Großer Saal
mit Ning Feng, Lucy Crowe




07DEZ Sonnabend
20:00 Uhr
Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Thomanerchor Leipzig, Georg Christoph Biller
Großer Saal
Weihnachts-Oratorium von Johann Sebastian Bach




22FEB Sonnabend
20:00 Uhr
Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Christian Vásquez
Großer Saal
mit Claudio Bohórquez, José Cura




03MAI Sonnabend
20:00 Uhr
Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Großer Saal


28JUN Sonnabend
20:00 Uhr
Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Nikolaj Znaider
Großer Saal
mit Elisabeth Leonskaja