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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 221 responses total. |
krj
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response 113 of 221:
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Mar 18 19:40 UTC 1999 |
Mike, I hope you'll get back to us with a review of "Tales of Hoffman."
Spring student opera productions:
Michigan State's production of Verdi's LA TRAVIATA opens tonight.
School of Music Auditorium in East Lansing.
University of Michigan's production of Mozart's THE MAGIC FLUTE
runs Thursday 3/25 through Sunday 3/28. This is going to be sung
in the English Translation by Andrew Porter, according to the
postcard we got.
We're seeing the TRAVIATA tonight. UM's FLUTE is almost certainly
going to get squeezed off our schedule, as Leslie is busy with
a recital and a choral performance that week.
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mcnally
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response 114 of 221:
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Mar 18 22:19 UTC 1999 |
"Tales of Hoffman" was surprisingly good. The plot ties together
three of Hoffman's short stories in a framework of lost love and
the poet's relationship with his muse. The music was enjoyable and
the performace itself was quite good, especially the vocal talent
which was a step above the quality of last several Grand Rapids
productions I've seen (particularly the female lead -- Kathy something..
Baker? I'll have to check the program)
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krj
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response 115 of 221:
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Mar 19 20:37 UTC 1999 |
No time to write a real review now, but Michigan State's production
of LA TRAVIATA came off quite well. It is in the Auditorium -- the old
monster Auditorium, not the Music Building Auditorium as I had written
in resp:113. The show plays again Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
Time & location details at www.music.msu.edu, on the "music events"
link. You can feel safe driving to East Lansing without tickets: there
are literally thousands of unused seats. But surprisingly the show
holds together in the big old barn.
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krj
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response 116 of 221:
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Mar 22 21:32 UTC 1999 |
resp: 113 :: The Sunday newspaper ad from the U.Michigan School of Music
reports that their production of MAGIC FLUTE is sold out. They will
be selling tickets to a dress rehearsal, which I believe will be Tuesday.
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mcnally
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response 117 of 221:
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Mar 23 17:38 UTC 1999 |
Hmmm.. Can't figure that one out -- I didn't like "The Magic Flute"
much at all, in fact it's probably my least favorite of the ones that
I've seen performed (though Opera Grand Rapids don't stick their necks
out and risk an unpopular or obscure work very often..)
Anyway, as far as "The Magic Flute" is concerned I didn't care for much
of the music and I got a bit tired of all of the masonic symbolism.
I've always thought it was a particularly weird choice to be picked as
an introductory opera for kids, which is how it sometimes seems to be
promoted.
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krj
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response 118 of 221:
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Apr 29 19:26 UTC 1999 |
Spring professional season:
I just caught the tail end of an ad for Mozart's MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
at the Toledo Opera. It's probably this weekend.
This is the final weekend for Michigan Opera Theatre's production of
MADAMA BUTTERFLY by Puccini. Next up, in late May, is EUGENE ONEGIN.
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mcnally
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response 119 of 221:
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Apr 29 21:02 UTC 1999 |
Hmmm.. That sounds interesting..
The weekend after next is Opera Grand Rapids' spring production
("La Boheme" again..)
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krj
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response 120 of 221:
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Apr 29 21:47 UTC 1999 |
OK, I looked it up.
http://www.toledo-opera.com
MARRIAGE OF FIGARO runs on May 6 and May 8.
Toledo is plugging their new theatre; next year they are moving into
the restored Valentin Theatre, which seats only 900, down from the 2400
capacity of their current house. They are planning an Opera Gala 2000
for February, 2000, with Marilyn Horne, at the Toledo Museum of Art
"Peristyle;" anyone ever been in that facility?
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krj
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response 121 of 221:
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Jun 28 19:43 UTC 1999 |
I've been neglecting this item: I still need to get in brief mentions
for THE CONSUL and EUGENE ONEGIN.
But I did want to mention that I have seen ads for opera DVDs.
The Metropolitan Opera Guild has released three of them. If my
feeble memory is accurate, it's two TV broadcasts from the 1980s,
and a more recent gala concert.
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krj
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response 122 of 221:
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Aug 6 08:21 UTC 1999 |
I'm still behind, sigh.
Adrian's Opera Lenawee company is doing Mozart's COSI FAN TUTTE this
fall. UM School of Music is doing SUSANNAH, an American opera from the
1950s which is having quite a bit of a revival now. I don't have the dates
in front of me, but none of you use this item as your opera schedule
guide anyway.
And the Michigan Opera Theatre really needs to get its web page updated
for the current season.
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krj
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response 123 of 221:
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Oct 21 17:14 UTC 1999 |
Leslie and I travelled to Chicago to see Lyric Opera's second performance
of William Bolcom's new opera A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, based on the play
by Arthur Miller. The opera was very well done, with an old-fashioned
plot and melodies, and a couple of good arias -- in contrast to, say,
an arbitrary Philip Glass piece. It was quite the crowd pleaser, a rarity
for a modern work in my experience.
The story is set in Brooklyn in the 1950s, in a community of first-generation
Americans of Italian descent, and one family's collision with its
illegal immigrant cousins. Catherine Malfitano was the only cast member
I'd heard of before -- she sang Aunt Beatrice, with a remarkably clear
tone.
We have four operas on our calendar this fall, none of which we've
seen before -- that's unusual. Coming up next are Massenet's
WERTHER at Michigan Opera Theatre, with the blind tenor Andrea Boccelli
in his first stage role; then it's back to Chicago Lyric Opera for
Handel's ALCINA. UM School of Music's SUSANNAH makes the fourth.
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mcnally
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response 124 of 221:
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Oct 21 23:33 UTC 1999 |
I'll be seeing Opera Grand Rapids' production of "Turandot" in early
November. I'll post with a review if reminded..
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krj
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response 125 of 221:
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Oct 27 18:20 UTC 1999 |
Darn. I'd be willing to drive to Grand Rapids for a TURANDOT performance
if our calendar were not already so loaded. We're already seeing
two operas, and maybe three, in the next week.
|
orinoco
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response 126 of 221:
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Oct 27 20:44 UTC 1999 |
<...continues to find Ken's dedication impressive>
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dbratman
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response 127 of 221:
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Nov 2 21:32 UTC 1999 |
Ken, have you heard either of Philip Glass's two best operas,
"Satyagraha" and "Akhnaten"? They both have some pretty dandy arias,
beautiful and lyrical. True, they aren't designed to show off the
singer's command of difficult notes, but I find the aim of doing so to
be fairly inimical to beauty in music.
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krj
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response 128 of 221:
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Nov 5 18:47 UTC 1999 |
Haven't heard those two: I've heard large hunks of 'Einstein on the Beach,'
and we saw the 'live' production of 'La Belle et La Bete' where Glass had
a conventional structure imposed on him by the Cocteau film.
Still behind: reports to be written on MOT's controversial WERTHER with
Andrea Bocelli, and Chicago Lyric's staging of Handel's ALCINA.
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mcnally
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response 129 of 221:
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Nov 8 20:25 UTC 1999 |
"Turandot", as presented by Opera Grand Rapids this weekend, was quite
enjoyable.
The music from "Turandot" is fantastic and includes what's probably
one of the most famous arias in all of opera ("Nessun Dorma", which is
so famous you'd almost certainly recognize the melody even if you've
never seen an opera..) and the story is a classic fairy tail.
Highlights of the Opera Grand Rapids production included lavish costume
spectacle and better-than-usual acting from the main leads. The vocal
performances were mostly adequate but not exceptional, according to the
judgment from the my amateur ear and limited perspective) -- I've heard
better, even in Grand Rapids, but there was nothing seriously lacking.
It's just that with such a beautiful score, you really want every note
to be perfect..
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dbratman
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response 130 of 221:
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Nov 9 02:32 UTC 1999 |
Ken: "Einstein on the Beach" is not at all like any of Glass's
subsequent operas: it's the least lyrical and the most hard-core
minimalist, and I would certainly urge you, or any curious person, and
in particular anyone who thinks Glass is tuneless neener-neener all the
time, to try "Satyagraha" or "Akhnaten". There's a single CD called
"Songs from the Trilogy" that samples all three.
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krj
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response 131 of 221:
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Nov 11 19:04 UTC 1999 |
U.Michigan's student production of SUSANNAH, by Carlisle Floyd, opens
tonight and runs through Sunday. SUSANNAH is an American opera
from the 1950s which has surged in popularity in the last five years,
and some people are running around calling it The Great American Opera.
I vaguely recall that it's about sexual repression in a
religiously conservative Southern culture. The show is at Power Center,
and my guess is that seats will be plentiful.
UM student operas are your best bargain in live opera performances.
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krj
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response 132 of 221:
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Nov 12 05:09 UTC 1999 |
Instant review: after a bit of a ragged start the opera pulled together
rather nicely. The setting of a religious revival meeting in the second
act was a powerful thing. Ann Arbor opera fans should take the opportunity
to see something different. :)
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mcnally
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response 133 of 221:
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Nov 12 16:44 UTC 1999 |
I think this Ann Arbor opera fan is going to take the opportunity to
catch up on sleep and do nothing all weekend, but it does sound intriguing..
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davel
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response 134 of 221:
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Dec 6 01:58 UTC 1999 |
I have an instant review, I guess. We went to see UMGASS's production of
Gilbert & Sullivan's _Utopia_Limited_ this afternoon. I wasn't looking
forward to it very much; of all the G&S operas, it's my least favorite, in
terms both of music & of libretto. We wanted to start the kids (who've been
enjoying such recordings as we possess, plus reading the libretti) on G&S,
so we went. We all enjoyed it. It was very well done, with lots of business
to perk up the fairly lame dialogue. Act II especially was tight & moved
well.
The opera had been cut significantly. There was no overture. (I'm not
absolutely sure Utopia has one, but I *thought* it did.) The entire sub-plot
involving the two wise guys' (excuse me, wise *men's*) desire to marry the
princess was removed. This definitely was a good choice. It made the opera
shorter & snappier, removing complications without actually having any real
impact. The wise guys have quite enough going on without this. My sincere
compliments to whoever made this particular decision. There may have been
other cuts I didn't notice. There were a few updatings, all well chosen.
I noticed the following: Zara had been at Cambridge, not Girton; and instead
of:
King: ... You are not making fun of us? This is in accordance with
the practice at the Court of St. James's?
Lord Dram: Well, it is in accordance with the practice at the Court
of St. James's Hall.
the king asked for assurance that it was in accordance with the practice of
business, & was assured that it was in accordance with the practice of *show*
business. (I presume that Girton was used originally because women could not
matriculate at universities in England, at the time.)
My sons, 12 & 9, enjoyed it thoroughly. We had taken the precaution of
reading the libretto in the last couple of days, which was as well - as usual,
some of the vocals were a bit hard to understand. (This goes back to G&S's
day, & is not really to be solved.)
A splendid time was had by all of us.
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davel
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response 135 of 221:
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Dec 8 02:14 UTC 1999 |
(Oh, one more update. The Utopian "strong language", the one that gets
repeated, turned out to be "ting tang walla wanna bing bang". (I had to
explain this to my family.) But obviously this was not what Gilbert
originally wrote.)
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mcnally
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response 136 of 221:
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Dec 8 02:38 UTC 1999 |
who did that "Witch Doctor" song (with "ting tang walla walla bing bang")?
Was that David Seville (of "the Chipmunks" fame)?
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omni
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response 137 of 221:
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Dec 8 08:54 UTC 1999 |
Unfortunatly, yes.
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