Urban Shocker's Neighbourhood Watch

[building babel]

>Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

Remind me never to go to a matinee ever again - the small male child sitting behind me was particularly irritating.

But what a fun production! The Queen of the Night's second aria was fab, though I think being waaaay up in the sky cramped her style - and voice - during the first. Papageno was cute as a button. The lads looked lovely in tights. The whole thing was tremendously lively - though perhaps they played it for laughs a bit too much at times.

Tafelmusik were delightful.

On Saturday I finally heard Gianandrea Noseda for the first time, conducting the TSO in Scheherazade, and I was very impressed. Why they did a "casual" concert on a Saturday night is beyond me though: the band always looks so much nicer dressed formally since some of them have no clothes sense whatsoever.

Afterwards, I strolled past the Four Seasons Centre. The great lantern of the City Room glowed gloriously in the night.

 

[andreapalladio]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

I'd rather have had a small child who was enjoying himself noisily than the suburban matron in fleece who sat behind me on Tuesday, sighing loudly every ten minutes and remarking constantly through the 2d act that it had all gone on TOO LONG.

 

[building babel]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

You'd think she'd be grateful for the rare opportunity to see attractive straight men in tights. I know I was.

 

[building babel]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

Yesterday I went to the Paramount to see the sold out The Magic Flute, broadcast live from The Met. I bought my ticket the previous afternoon when they were already selling like hot cakes.

The sound quality and images were excellent. Nathan Gunn as Papageno was particularly easy on the eyes, all 25 feet of him up there on the big screen. The Queen of the Night was truly scary and nailed all her high notes. Their dragon kicked the ass outta Opera Atelier's dumpy dragon from their wonderful production a couple of months ago. The set was real slick and changed a lot; the whole show was glitzy, overdesigned and a showcase of American cultural imperialism - with far too much distracting stage business and special effects.

But Gelb is so smart to do this. I hope the COC goes the same route with their future productions.

 

[building babel]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

... and good write-ups for it on today's Globe and NY Times arts fronts. Apparently 40,000 people saw it live.

 

[building babel]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

Theatre 1 of the Paramount is rapidly becoming a home away from home for Babel - indeed, it appears to be so for many local operaqueens.

At yesterday's broadcast of I Puritani, the divine babe Anna Netrebko did two wonderful mad scenes ( lying flat on her back at the front of the stage draped over the edge of the orchestra pit, her bosom heaving with emotion at the end of the second one - not easy to do, possums ... ). She almost equalled Babel's late partner's two great mad scenes for pathos and intensity ... but not quite.

Tickets were purchased for next Saturday, January 13th - Tan Dun's The First Emperor starring Placido Domingo, and for Eugene Onegin on February 24th with Renee Fleming. But momentum is building, and the shows are selling out earlier and earlier.

I'm so looking forward to The First Emperor - an opera about the man who standardized China's system of weights and measures cannot fail but to inspire excitement! big emotions! and high drama!

 

[building babel]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

To The First Emperor on Saturday - with interchange, his date, and my baritone friend.

Disappointment all round. Nothing seemed to work with this opera. Cute solo dancer in the second act though ... just as horrible problems with the visuals took hold. The sound was fine.

Couldn't they have sent someone up on the roof, given the satellite dish a swift kick or something?

When it was all over we swept out of the theatre in full Valkyrie mode, looking for blood ...

Interchange, like the true diva that he is, summoned the manager. Free tickets for the next opera were produced for our little group.

Brava interchange!

 

[interchange42]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

Well,

you just have to know when to be firm but firm.

I wonder how many others in line behind us were able to swing such a deal - we seemed to start a trend that continued with the next two behind us.

42

 

[building babel]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

Meanwhile, back at the COC, we'll see Isabel Bayrakdarian and Russell Braun together twice in the 07/08 seven opera season. And Adrianne Pieczonka in Don Carlos and Brett Polegato in Eugene Onegin.

 

[andreapalladio]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

CBC Radio reported this morning that they were also doing the Magic Flute, which made me groan having seen it thrice in a year. But no, it's Figaro. Which pleases me greatly, especially nice they are doing the Barber of Seville too. Now if only they could have blown the dust off the third opera in the series that no one ever performs...

 

[building babel]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

Today's Globe also got it wrong in reporting The Magic Flute as the season opener.

By my count, they're doing 66 performances in 07/08, compared to 65 for 06/07 ( including the 3 Ring cycles ).

This Saturday I'm off to see the dress rehearsal of Lady Macbeth.

Young Robert Gleadow ( he's 22 or 23, I think ) is Figaro next season.

 

[andreapalladio]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

I'm seeing the rehersal for Faust next week. And, oddly enough, Leah McLaren's inteview with Karen Kain on Tuesday, which should have some entertainment value in Leah's complete idocy if nothing else.

 

[building babel]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

KK is so nice. If we ever get to elect our own head of state she should be it.

For Lady Macbeth I meant working rehearsal, not dress.

 

[andreapalladio]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

I think that what I'm going to for Faust. What ever they give you in exchange for giving them cashish. It'll be the first time I've been.

 

[building babel]

Re: >Re: Speawuw and Magwic Helmet

Sometimes they do the same part over and over, not just the singing and music but the logistics of scene changes and moving things about on stage. At the Handmaid's Tale working rehearsal there was some business with getting a car on stage, at that border crossing scene, that required tight timing - it didn't work and didn't make it to final performance.

I wonder if my ( other ) man Yannick will be conducting?

Take me as your guest if he is! Oh please, ap, pleeeease ...

He's so busy these days, conducting in Montreal on February 19th, 20th and 26th, and at the Bach Consort that I'm seeing here on the 23rd - all the while doing Faust! Then stints in Vancouver and Victoria, guesting with the London Symphony, then in Switzerland and back to Montreal - all in March. Then Toulouse, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Stockholm in April, Frankfurt in May. And so on ...