Meandering Along The Opera Trail ....

..... as I do, and just reflecting that although at times I feel a little frustration (and just why aren't days 72 hours long to fit in everything I want to be consuming from the opera world!) that I am still so new and ignorant of this amazing world that is opera, so much to learn still and that in itself is indeed a doubled-edged sword of a position to be in, in that I also feel most highly privileged too, to be experiencing so many things for the first time, to me all so new and fresh-soooo exciting, the operas, the singers (oh thoooooose singers, did I really have no idea of that incredible beauty), it truly is a fantastic journey of discovery that I continue - the hunger and excitement I feel just seems to increase daily, just wanting more and more as singers new to me join the ever-growing list of my favourites who I must, just must see again-I get just as excited, if not even more so at "finding" these "new" (to me) singers as I do enjoying those I already know and love.

Just a little word in here in ROH's ear on something that would have been nice to experience for first time - Rusalka, would have loved that, but for my first taste, dished up in a brothel - erm, no had to pass on that one thank you - spending my hard-earnt cash on something visually noooot pretty, nooooo waaaay!!!

Having perused the offerings released by both Metropolitan Opera New York (their Live in HD broadcasts) and now The Royal Opera House for 2012/13 I can safely say that both these schedules excite me immensely, just can't wait to be in there feasting on the delights being served up, though at this point in time am more than somewhat bewildered/stunned/disappointed at no mention of Dmitri Hvorostovsky for ROH-hope there is something in the offing still to be confirmed there, my very fave baritone, well ony just there are so, so many fabulous and delicious baritones out there who appear on these two stages it is hard to be upset for too long, and there will be a Met Live in HD showing of Un Ballo in Maschera featuring Dmitri to look forward to, plus their premiere of Thomas Ades The Tempest which I am very, very excited about as this features baritone Simon Keenlyside (adorable) as Prospero (also appearing ROH Eugene Onegin as Onegin and Die Zauberflotte as Papageno-yippee).

Simon Keenlyside

I am finding it very hard not to be incredibly excited at just about everything on the menu from both Royal Opera House and The Met Live in HD for 2012/13 as I really love both the live in Opera House experience and the live in cinema experience, opera does translate so well to the big screen (though I am a tad bewildered, have to say, at the two 3D offerings by ROH-why 3D????), I get such a huge buzz watching my fave singers in those up close shots as they sing and breathe, sing and breathe .... ooohhhh just awesome!!!

Did I say meandering along the opera trail, hahaha - impossible, I am running headlong and enjoying every single moment!!!

Links to those delicious menus for 2012/13 - I can't possibly pick out all the high points for me as, well pretty much everything qualifies for that ..... the seed has been well and truly sown and the excitement grows and grows!!!!

Met Opera Live in HD
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/liveinhd/liveinhd1213.aspx?icamp=HD1213int&iloc=leftnav

Royal Opera House (using the Intermezzo link as they kindly inserted cast details which ROH have not as yet-and their site is a bit clogged up with booking at the moment)
http://intermezzo.typepad.com/intermezzo/royal-opera-house-2012-2013-season-calendar-.html#tp



OK, there are things from each of those mouthwatering menus that sent me totally dizzy with delight -

Dmitri Hvorostovsky

Met Opera -
Maria Stuarda ...... Joyce DiDonato
Un Ballo in Maschera ..... Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Parsifal ...... Jonas Kaufmann

Joyce DiDonato

can't help myself, they are my three fave singers!!!

Jonas Kaufmann

Royal Opera House
La Donna del Lago .... Joyce DiDonato
Don Carlos ...... Jonas Kaufmann

Sophie Bevan

am also delighted to see that soprano Sophie Bevan (she was a fantastic Sophie in ENO's Der Rosenkavalier) will be appearing in Die Zauberflotte (ROH) as Pamina - May 2013, can't wait to see her sing again ..... so much to look forward to can hardly catch my breath.


Not forgetting - how could I possibly - there is still Les Troyens to come from Royal Opera House this summer starring Jonas Kaufmann, having just booked my seat I so can't wait for that!

It's all happening, hot on the heels of the schedule announcements ROH deliver their cinema screenings listings for both opera and ballet - link below - yet more excitement as I note I will get a second dose of Les Troyens/Jonas Kaufmann in cinema (recorded) this time (swoon), along with both Eugene Onegin and La Donna del Lago, both live transmissions - so if I time my visits to the Opera House right could get to see the both of those twice over as well - oh greedy, greedy me!

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/cinema-season-201213-announced

Le Nozze di Figaro : Mozart : Royal Opera House

Friday 2nd March

Figaro                      Ildebrando d'Arcangelo
Susanna                  Alexandra Kurzak
Bartolo                     Carlo Lepore
Marcellina                Ann Murray
Cherubino                Anna Bonitatibus
Count Almaviva        Lucas Meachem
Don Basilo                Bonaventura Bottone
Countess Almaviva   Rachel Willis-Sorensen
Antonio                     Jeremy White
Don Curzio                Harry Nicoll
Barbarina                  Susanna Gaspar

Nobody died of consumption, no-one was murdered, no suicide took place .... this is my kind of opera. Don't get me wrong I adoooooore those gut-wrenching, emotional roller-coasters that pull relentlessly at the heartstrings I really do but this oh so delightful tale with such charming characters left me feeling so happy inside that I think Le Nozze di Figaro has just become my new favourite opera! I could not stop smiling with sheer delight all the way through, really I loved it so very much. Think the leading man might have a little (lots, if truth be told) to do with it as well, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo was just a too too gorgeous Figaro, he just lived the role, fitting into Figaro's shoes with seemingly effortless ease and his singing was just fantastic, that voice just wrapped it's deep velvety tones around me and I was lost in it's magic ..... oh you have to hear don't you it's so fabulous I have to share - here's a vid clip from a few years back in another Figaro but the voice remains ..... stunning

an aria from Nozze di Figaro, Se vuol ballare Signor Contino - Ildebrando D'Arcangelo

can't help it but for me he has just been propelled right up there alongside Jonas Kaufmann and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as yet another of my favourite male opera singers, right at the top of the tree perched right alongside the other two.

Aleksandra Kurzak and Ildebrando d'Arcangelo

There was so much on the night that I found enchanting, Cherubino for sure, what a simply divine impish character is Cherubino, you can't help but love him, a Mozart masterpiece of a creation - what mezzo worth her salt cannot help but throw herself into this delightful role and Anna Bonitatibus certainly did just that, a joy to watch.

Rachel Willis-Sorenson and Anna Bonitatibus

Jeremy White and Anna Bonitatibus

Applause all round to Royal Opera House for putting together an outstanding cast - just as exciting as seeing a wonderful world-renowned opera star such as Ildebrando sing is finding singers that one has never seen before put in stunning performances (all the others were new to me) and I would here like to give an extra special mention to Rachel Willis-Sorensen, she was a fabulous Countess Almaviva with a delicious soprano voice that held me spellbound, can't wait to see more of her in the future..... ok, yes you get to hear some of her too, this is Rachel in rehearsal, Detroit last year, sounds great but she sounded even better filling The Royal Opera House to the roof with her beautifully controlled voice

Rachel Willis-Sorenson

Rachel Willis-Sorenson and Lucas Meachem

Lucas Meachem, standing in for the indisposed Simon Keenlyside, put in a great performance as Count Almaviva and Alexandra Kurzak has to get a special mention too for her lovely portrayal of Susanna, and I liked very much Carlo Lepore's singing as Bartolo and Susana Gaspar (a member of Jette Parker young artists) a delightful-voiced Barbarina.

Susan Gaspar and Ildebrando d'Arcangelo

Rachel Willis-Sorenson Aleksandra Kurzak Ildebrando d'Arcangelo

Thank you Mozart/Lorenzo da Pointe, your beautiful masterpiece has won a very special place in heart and thanks to Royal Opera House for such a delightful production with great cast, this is the real deal! Really don't think it gets any better than this.

 All there is left for me to do is give you a little look at my £13 bargain bench seat

with such a lovely view I could truly admire the beautiful ceiling

and the view of the stage and orchestra pit was darn good too - yes this really is The Royal Opera House, London - opera really is for everyone!!!!!!

Don Giovanni : Mozart : Royal Opera House

Cast:

Don Giovanni         Erwin Schrott
Leporello                Alex Esposito
Donna Anna           Carmela Remigo
Don Ottavio            Pavol Breslik
Donna Elvira           Ruxandra Donose
Zerlina                    Kate Lindsey
Mesetto                  Matthew Rose
Commendatore       Reinhard Hagen

Last night, on visiting The Royal Opera House I achieved three goals I had been aiming for

1. To see Mozart's Don Giovanni performed live for first time
2. To see baritone/barihunk Erwin Schrott perform live for first time
3. To see Kate Lindsey perform live for first time

Having now achieved all these things in one performance I am well and truly stoked! Before I go any further I must just state that my seat at The Royal Opera House was the cheapest I had thus far managed to obtain - in the Upper Slips area, seat DD19 set me back just £13! OK the view was restricted, the seat a bum-numbing bench seat but I have to say my enjoyment of the evening was in no way curtailed by these factors, to sit there and enjoy either just the music of the orchestra and singing of the performers was more than worth it, but I managed to get quite a decent view of much of the proceedings into the bargain - note I had seen this production on TV before with a different cast so did have an idea of what was going on .... most of the time). The Royal Opera House have been staging a trio of Mozart Da Pointe opera and there was another in this series I very much wanted to see also, Le Nozze di Figaro, no way could I have splurged out on decent seat even in the Amphitheatre for both so decided it was The Slips or nothing for me to be the greedy person I am and get to enjoy both.

Don Giovanni, one of the most famous opera out there I just had to see it!
If you want to know more about the opera itself - here's The Royal Opera House guide to Don Giovanni http://www.roh.org.uk/discover/opera/dongiovanni/discoverdon.aspx
I have wanted to see Erwin Schrott live since seeing him perform this little number - Leporello's catalague aria from Don Giovanni -  for Placido Domingo at the great man's 70th birthday concert

Don Giovanni/Erwin Schrott and Donna Elvira/Ruxandra Dunose

such an expressive performance, I had never heard of Erwin up to then, but I was well and truly hooked and wanting more, and with his performance as Don Giovanni last night, wow, I can't believe how much more I got!!!! He was an incredible Don, full of character but with an incredible smooth baritone voice that easily reached me way up in the rafters .... and some, his just voice seemed to reach out and caress the whole theatre. It was beautiful, I so enjoyed his singing.

Donna Anna/Carmela Remigio and Don Ottavio Pavol Breslik

Back to the performances soon but now Kate, Kate Lindsey that is. I had seen her perform as Niklaus/The Muse in The Met's production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann and her performance in that just stole the show, for me anyway (it's a fabulous production all-round if you haven't seen it-one of my faves) if you have not seen it yet I highly recommend it (psssst, Mrs Schrott is in it too, lol). Kate was a lovely Zerlina, beautiful singing from her too, with lovely duets with Erwin Schrott and Matthew Rose. I really hope to see her more at The Royal Opera House - I can already see her as a wonderful future Octavian, but maybe it is wrong of me to pin another trouser role on such an undoubtedly beautiful young lady.

Zerlina/Kate Lindsey and Masetto/Matthew Rose

Leporello-Alex Esposito

OK, so I did pretty much knew I was going to get quality from Erwin Schrott and Kate Lindsey, but confess I had not heard anything of the rest of the cast so was delighted to find that to a man/woman they all put in outstanding vocal performances, three of which I feel I have to give extra special mentions as they, to me, seemed stunning. Donna Anna/Carmela Remigio, Don Ottavio/Pavol Breslik and Donna Elvira/Ruxandra Donose, their obvious strong vocal talents left me definitely wanting more from all of them, tenor Pavol Breslik in particular, wow, he was just fantastic, such a tender and sensitive portrayal, and for the sextet in the end scene with Donna Anna/Don Ottavio/Donna Elvira/Zerlina/Masseto/Leporello I found myself almost trying to hang over the wooden ledge in front of me to try see everyone on stage creating those beautiful beautiful sounds. What a great singing cast, I could have quite happily sat with no view at all and still come away with that happy blissful feeling I left the Opera House with, despite the numb feeling even in my well-upholstered rear. It was soooo worth it! Top cast, all of them! YAY!

Would have like to have taken a bit more time here an gone into specific singing parts a bit more but with another opera on the menu tomorrow night afraid there has not been time as yet, but I will try get back and do a bit more if I find I have some free time soon.

I go tomorrow night (2nd March) for my next dose of Mozart/Da Pointe - Le Nozze di Figaro/Ildebrando d'Arcangelo.