Letter to Sony For a DVD Release of La Boheme!

Dear Sony Classical

This past weekend Vittorio Grigolo and Kristine Opolais performed a glorious "La Boheme" at the Metropolitan Opera. The performance was record on HD through the Live in HD series that the Met presents in cinemas. I ask you to please release this performance on DVD. First because Girgolo is one of your exclusive artist. While he has recorded three albums for the company, he has yet to get a DVD release of any of his performances from the Royal Opera House or any of his earlier Orange TV recordings. Secondly Grigolo is one of the biggest tenors in the industry and is likely to have a huge career in the coming years.

The final reason for this release is because it brings together two of the most exciting artists who are up and coming and this is truly one of the most historic and spontaneous Live in HD performances that has ever been recorded.

I know the Met has three DVDs of "Boheme" but this is truly a special performance that is different from the last three and one that should be documented for people to own.

Lastly I ask that you sign Opolais to a CD contract because the company does not have a spinto soprano on their roster and this woman has a promising career that is about to bloom and will be in demand for a number of years.

Kristine Opolais To in La Boheme HD

Kristine Opolais will sing Mimi in today’s matinee performance of Puccini’s La Bohème, replacing Anita Hartig, who is ill.

Juan Diego Florez Cancels!

“Javier Camarena will sing the role of Prince Ramiro in the season’s three initial performances of Rossini’s La Cenerentola on April 21, 25, and 28, replacing Juan Diego Flórez, who is ill. Flórez is scheduled to return for the three final performances of the opera, on May 2, May 6, and the May 10 matinee, which will be transmitted worldwide as part of the Met’s Live in HD series.”

Andrea Chenier Opens Tonight

Giordano's masterpiece opens at the Metropolitan Opera with Marcelo Alvarez in the title role, Patricia Racette as Maddalena and Zeljko Lucic as Gerard. The production by Nicolas Joel will be conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. The opera will be livestreamed on the Met website and on Sirius. Tell us what you think of the performance!  

Werther Final Scene

The Met has posted the final scene for Massenet's Werther. After a glitch that occurred in movie theaters the company decided to release the material to compensate audiences. 

La Sonnambula Review

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Sonnambula at the Met. While I hated the production and was utterly confused throughout the night, Diana Damrau was incredible and Javier Camarena was a break out.

Here is a snippet of my review. For the full review you'll have to click on the link below. Enjoy!

Opera is often considered the ultimate art form in which all other forms come together to create a potent whole. It is often unrealistic to expect the wholes to come together in perfect harmony every single time an opera is staged and often times the transcendence of certain elements is more than enough to make up for other subpar qualities in a performance. This is precisely what happened on Friday March 14 when the Met Opera revived Bellini's "La Sonnambula" for the first time since 2009.

The first major touchstone of Friday's performance was soprano Diana Damrau, who was making her role debut as Amina. Damrau is one the finest artists in the opera world today and always seems to maintain a wondrous balance between her vocal dynamism and her terrific acting ability. Click Here For the full Review

Jonas Kaufmann signing

  Today at the Met Opera shop Jonas Kaufmann signed CDs and DVDs for his fans. The tenor however requested that he did not want pictures taken. The signing was one of the busiest in years with more than 200 people in attendance. The lineup went all the way to the subway but fans waited patiently to meet the tenor. However here are some pictures of the event. 

There is more at our facebook page if you click here

No Thomas Hampson Tonight

“Daniel Sutin will sing the title role in tonight’s performance of Berg’s Wozzeck, replacing Thomas Hampson, who is recovering from bronchitis.”  This is the second performance that Hampson cancels as he missed opening where Matthias Goerne filled in. 

Maria Stuarda coming to DVD

So its finally coming after months of waiting. Erato has finally announced that it will release the acclaimed production of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda. The release comes as no surprise as the company has been consistent in release Joyce Didonato's performances from all over the world including the Met.  This production was one of the highlights of last years season and it also stars Matthew Polenzani and Elza Van Den Heever. Maurizio Benini conducted David McVicar's production.  

Thomas Hampson Cancels Wozzeck

The Met is reporting that : “Matthias Goerne is stepping into the title role in tonight’s opening night performance of Berg’s Wozzeck, replacing Thomas Hampson, who has withdrawn due to illness.” 

They also reported that “The Met approached Goerne, who was in New York performing at Carnegie Hall, yesterday evening when the company’s artistic staff learned of Hampson’s withdrawal. Goerne sang a solo recital at Carnegie Hall and then considered the offer overnight before agreeing. He is currently en route to the Met where he will rehearse with Maestro James Levine and the company’s staff directors. In a serendipitous twist, Goerne attended Monday morning’s dress rehearsal of Wozzeckas a guest, allowing him a chance to see the production in advance.”

Werther Review Link

Transcendent Genius. Those are among the best words to describe what transpired on the Metropolitan Opera stage of Friday, Feb. 28. From the stage production to the cast members, to the orchestra, to even the audience members, the performance of Massenet's masterpiece "Werther" was a communal experience of visceral intensity and immediacy.

The work has not had an auspicious career at the noted opera house. Friday's performance was just the 78^th time the opera had been performed at the house; the last time the Met put up a performance of the work prior to this run was in 2003-04. The revival of the work required a new production and for this year's run, Met general manager Peter Gelb turned to director Richard Eyre to inject "Werther" with new life. Eyre previously directed the Met's current "Carmen" production; his take on the work is rather "conservative" by modern standards but is extremely focused on character development and includes some subtle metaphors and symbols to enrich the work. It is this approach that he takes for his "Werther" and the execution of the work is spot-on. Continue Reading 

Met Opera 2014-15 Season Officially Announced

The Met’s 2014-15 Season Will Feature 26 Operas,

Including Three Met Premieres,

In Six New Productions and 18 Revivals

The season includes the first-ever Met performances of

John Adams’s The Death of Klinghoffer,

Rossini’s La Donna del Lago, and Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta

Met Music Director James Levine leads six operas this season,

including the opening night new production of

Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, directed by Richard Eyre,

premiering on September 22

On New Year’s Eve, Susan Stroman makes her Met debut directing a

new production of Lehár’s The Merry Widow,

with Renée Fleming in the title role and Andrew Davis conducting

Two double bills of one-act operas receive new productions this season:

Iolanta, with Anna Netrebko in the title role, and

 Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, conducted by Valery Gergiev and

directed by Mariusz Treliński, premieres January 26, 2015

Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci,

conducted by Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi and

directed by David McVicar, receives its first new

Met production in 45 years on April 14, 2015

The ninth season of The Met: Live in HD will feature 10 live transmissions,

beginning October 11 with Verdi’s Macbeth, starring Anna Netrebko as Lady Macbeth

Breaking News: Met To Announce New Season Tonight

Here is a preview of the upcoming season with only six new productions this year which is an all time low. The HD season looks like it will also be cut down to nine and all the new productions except Death of a Klinghoffer will be on HD as well as Don Carlos in French, Meistersingers, Caremen, and Les Contes de Hoffman. Once again these are only speculations and more details wil be given out tonight. 

L'Elisir d"Amore Review Link

For those wondering what happened to the reviews, my continues to write them but now he writes for Latinos Post. As a Result I will start publishing snippets of the review with the link to the full one. I hope this is not a problem as I am trying to give the best Opera coverage possible. Here is a piece from the L'Elisir d'Amore recently presented at the Met

On Feb. 1, the Metropolitan Opera presented Donizetti's "L'Elisir D'Amore" for the final time in the 2013-14 season. The performance was also the last time that soprano Anna Netrebko will play the heroine Adina for an audience; Netrebko herself made the announcement via social media on Sunday.

The revival of the work featured Bartlett Sher's production that opened the 2012-13 season. This writer attended a performance during the 2012-13 season and wrote an extensive analysis of the production (to read it, click HERE). There is really nothing new to add, except for the fact that it still does not work. Most of the new cast members added their own individual touches (more on that later), but the overall concept and idea of the production is still rather bland. The sets are traditional and mostly handsome, but the action is poorly delivered conceptually. A scene change in the middle of act two is not only awkwardly handled (extras walking onstage and pushing scenery on and off) but also excessively distracting to the action taking place between the main characters. In the final analysis, one is left wondering why the Met removed one traditional production (admittedly with little to say) for another that is equally vapid. Continue Reading 

Met Future season rumors

With the Met announcing the 2014-15 season in the next two weeks, Met Wiki has provided an updated list of what the season is looking like. A couple of changes from the previous list revealed a number of months ago include Jonas Kaufmann singing Don Jose in Carmen instead of Don Carlos, Anna Netrebko singing Lady Macbeth in Macbeth with Zeljko Lucic, Rene Pape and Joseph Calleja. Nathan Gunn has also been added to the cast of the Merry Widow while Eva Maria-Westbroek will perfom the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. Bryan Hymel has been added to the cast of La Boheme and Piotr Beczala will sing Un Ballo in Maschera instea do Yonghoon Lee. Meanwhile Bryn Terfel Emily Magee and Matthew Polenzani will not sing the revival to Die Meisteringer. A Number of Opera are still missing casts including Die Zauberflote, Hansel and Gretel, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

For the Complete List of Rumors Click Here. And Tell Us what Your xcited for and what you think will be the HDs of the year.

Deutsche Grammphon Announced Eugene Onegin

The Yellow label announced the DVD for the Met's Eugene Onegin yesterday on Youtube posting two videos from the performance. The company secretly added the videos did not appear on their facebook page or on the companies website. However based on these two videos the company is getting ready to launch the DVD in the company months.

 

Tosca in HD This Weekend

This weekend Tosca will  be screened Live in HD for the second time. The production by Luc Bondy is one of the most controversial productions at the Met as it premiered to a number of boos in 2009 at the Opening Night of the season. The Met has presented the production four straight seasons and has failed to sell out the house.  

This season Patricia Racette will bring her acclaimed portrait of the diva. However Racette's voice has declined in the past years since she first sang it in 2010. The voice struggles to get to the top of the range and she sounds uncomfortable. Roberto Alagna sings Cavaradossi and critics have praised him for his ardor. However Alagna struggles with most of the role except his arias and has a hollow sound. As Scarpia George Gagnidze brings his chaotic voice to the role which he sang at the premiere of the production. His Scarpia is one dimensional and he has failed to add any layers to the role.  

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With all these elements it seems this HD will be one of the biggest disappointments of the season. Additionally it seems like it will be a waste of time considering such operas as Di Frau Ohne Schatten, Arabella, Die Fledermaus, and Norma were ignored. 

As Opera fans which HD would you guys have liked to see instead of Tosca? Who is Going to see this Work?

Anna Netrebko Signing

On October Anna Netrebko took time to Sign CDs of her latest Album Verdi and I was there to see the Russian Soprano.

Here are the pictures:

Aleksandra Kurzak Cancels Rigoletto

This felt inevitable after Elina Garanca cancelled Werther.  The Met press office: “Two rising young sopranos will make their Met debuts earlier than originally scheduled when they share the role of Gilda in Verdi’sRigoletto later this fall, replacing Aleksandra Kurzak, who has withdrawn due to pregnancy. Russian soprano Irina Lungu will sing the role on November 11, 15, and 18, and Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva will sing the role on November 21, 27, 30, December 4, and at the December 7 matinee. Kurzak is expecting a baby this winter with her partner, tenor Roberto Alagna.”  

Placido Domingo signing

A day after the Met opened its 2013-14 season Placido Domingo signed  copies of his new CD Verdi. The baritone-Tenor  was accompanied by his two sons and his grand child as well as his wife Marta. Dave and I were there to get autographs in a line that included hundreds of fans. Here are a couple of pictures we were able to get during the signing.

For more Pictures of the event visit our facebook page