Category Archives: Uncategorized
old friends
Thank you, Stephen Sondheim. I couldn’t have said it better if I tried. Hey, old friends, How do we stay old friends? Who is to say, old friends, How an old friendship survives? One day chums Having a laugh a … Continue reading
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daniel catán (1949-2011)
I note this morning the death on Friday of Mexican composer Daniel Catán, whose most recent stage work, Il Postino, based on the 1994 Oscar-winning film, debuted last year at the Los Angeles Opera with Plácido Domingo as Pablo Neruda … Continue reading
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opera insights – l’heure espagnole
Here’s the L’heure espagnole portion of my pre-show talk yesterday afternoon for Portland Opera.
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the child and the dwarf
Video trailer of a very interesting double-bill from the Bavarian State Opera, Munich – Maurice Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges (which Portland Opera will be performing with the composer’s other one-acter, L’heure espagnole, next month) and Alexander Zemlinksy’s Der Zwerg (The Dwarf), written … Continue reading
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rigoletto blues
“Ch’hai di nuovo, buffon?” Rigoletto–the first Verdi opera I ever heard–received its premiere 160 years ago today at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice. After looking around for suitable audio or video clips from the opera to post, I decided to … Continue reading
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joyeux anniversaire, monsieur ravel!
Today is Maurice Ravel’s birthday, which seemed as good a reason as any to post a few video clips of some favorite pieces. Enjoy! String Quartet in F major: Assez vif – Très rythmé (1902-03) L’heure espagnole – Finale (1907-09) … Continue reading
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“right and final”
In preparation for next month’s production of L’heure espagnole and L’enfant et les sortilèges with the Portland Opera Studio Artists, I’ve been going through A Ravel Reader, Arbie Orenstein’s marvelous collection of correspondence, articles, and interviews. I’m just enough of … Continue reading
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knight errant
I’m heading north to catch today’s matinee of Jules Massenet’s 1910 comédie-héroïque, Don Quichotte, at Seattle Opera. Originally conceived as a vehicle for the great Russian basso, Feodor Chaliapin (1873-1938), several other outstanding singers have performed and/or recorded the title role … Continue reading
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turandot redux
One last little bit of Turandot… A reader reminded me that I had discussed the tangled history of Turandot‘s completion during my talk, and that I mentioned that I would post both the complete Franco Alfano ending (usually referred to as … Continue reading
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