the mad scene

Bitchy Diva Behaviour caught live in sound!

The Mad Scene regrets to inform that OperaStudio’s concert of Czech arias has been cancelled: Here’s a note from artistic director Thomas Mannhart:

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OperaStudio regrets that the Czech recital was cancelled due to unforseen logistical and artistic issues. As we always aim to perform to the highest possible standards, we saw the need to postpone the performance to a later date. Our sincere apologies to fans and audience expecting a wonderful recital of beautiful Czech songs. We will bring that experience to you as soon as we are able to. We will definitely keep you posted.

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We wish OperaStudio all the best and look forward to attending their next project.

Listen to how terrible Whitney Houston sounds in this clip from a recent concert at London’s O2 stadium. Kids, don’t do drugs!

Here’s an interesting news bites: imagine a country that is rich enough to build an opera house in another country! Something tells me that Algeria will soon get to see endless productions of Turandot alternating with the Yellow River Cantata. Not a bad thing of course!

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63L4HF20100422

Alessandro Corbelli, star of our recently reviewed Gianni Schicchi and the Dessay/Florez vehicle of ROH’s La fille du Regiment, shares his thoughts withh MusicalCriticism.com:

http://www.musicalcriticism.com/interviews/corbelli-1207.shtml

Gianni Schicchi - Puccini

Gianni Schicchi: Alessandro Corbelli
Rinuccio: Massimo Giordano
Lauretta: Sally Matthews
Zita: Felicity Palmer
La Ciesca: Marie McLaughlin
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski
Stage Director: Annabel Arden

Recorded live at Glyndebourne Opera House on 11th July 2004.

I can’t believe that the master of musical weepies gave us such a delightful comedy. This DVD of a live Glynbourne performance stars Alessandro Corbelli as the titular character and Felicity Palmer as Zita, both better known in Laurent Pelly’s hit production of La Fille du Regiment with Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Florez (by myself at least). Here they are joined by Massimo Giordano and Sally Mathews as the pair of young lovers.

Its wonderful to finally hear “O mio babbino caro” in its theatrical context, but the opera is more an ensemble piece than a star vehicle (except for the lead baritone role perhaps). Even the soprano who sings the opera’s most famous aria doesn’t get enough lines for it to beconsidered a starring role.

In a nutshell, the story is about the family of the recently deceased Buoso Donati, whose collective mock-grief becomes real when they found out that the miserly Donati had bequested his entire fortune to a monastery, leaving them with absolutely nothing. Enter Gianni Schicchi, well-known trickster and father of Lauretta whom Rinuccio plans to marry after receiving his slice of the pie, also whom the rest of the family hates for his lower class origins. With his daughter’s future at stake, Schicchi dreams up a plan to help the family, but not without some misgivings of his own. Do get a DVD of this opera to find out how their scheming plan turns out.

This Glynbourne production is made without its sister operas, the evening instead featured Rachmaninov’s The Merry Knight, released on a separate DVD. Some may argue about getting only a third of Puccini’s intended trilogy for one full-priced DVD. In my opinion, at a running time of 95 minutes with no intermission, this release runs to about the same length as the average movie, making it a perfect entertainment outlet for today’s time-sensitive music lover. That it’s a well-produced comedy makes the time even fly faster.

For a start, director Annabel Arden intended to play it seriously, letting the comedy tell itself through the story, featuring situations that will affect the entire lives of these characters. As she explains in the bonus interviews, it’s really a serious drama of class warfare, family feuds, potentially unrequited love and criminal activity. Her treatment gives audience the chance to see and hear the comedy that Puccini and librettist intended to communicate, without resorting to camp for cheap laughs. It’s a traditional production with period settings (no rolling across the stage or dancing bees in this one!), so it’s a perfect introduction to ths opera for this first-timer.

Corbelli is wonderfully natural here: with no hyperactive French sopranos stealing the scene, he gives us a performance that is Italianate and idiomatic musically, technically in full control of this deceptively simple music, sympathetic to his character and has ability to milk for laughs in his deadpan manner. For the remaining cast, I’d say that I’ve heard the famous arias sung better elsewhere, and the rest of the opera doesn’t allow for much individual showmanship, but as a team they ran a tight ship and always kept dramatic tension at a high, lines are never sung out of context but always accompanied by dramatic commitment from every performer. Sally Matthews has a sweet light lyric that does justice to “O mio babbino caro”. Massimo Giordano also sang with a light touch but seems to be reining in a much fuller instrument.

As this is my first experience with the piece, I really can’t compare this DVD with other recordings, but based on its own terms I’d say that it’s an excellent performance from a suitable cast, excellent lead (Corbelli, a baritone for once!), in a traditional production that takes its comedy seriously and is faithful to its composer and librettist. Worth checking out.

SO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Title of Production: Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute)
Date: 23, 24, 26 & 27 July 2010
Time: 8pm
Venue: Esplanade Theatre
Music by: W.A Mozart
Libretto: Emanuel Schikaneder
Staged by: Singapore Lyric Opera
Director: Justin Way
Conductor: Alice Farnham

Cast:
Tamino: Kota Murakami
Papageno: Song Kee Chang
The Queen of the Night: Tai Hsiao Chun
Monostratos: Lemuel dela Cruz
Pamina: Nancy Yuen
The Orator: William Lim
Three Ladies:
- First: Ee-Ping
- Second: Cherylene Liew, Christine The
- Third: Anna Koor
Papagena: Li Yang

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Taiwanese Tai Hsiao Chun, who also calls herself “Queen Night Tai”, recently sang a lovely Lucia and then the Queen of the Night in January 2010. The Queen of the Night seems to her most performed signature role, so do take the opportunity to catch her live.

More information about the cast on the SLO’s 15 page press release:

singapore-lyric-opera-the-magic-flute-press-release.pdf

Ticketing information on the Events Page.

Our reviewer Christopher offers his opinion on the SSO’s Verdi Requiem: 

17 Apr 2010, Sat
Verdi’s Requeim

Soprano Soojin Moon
Mezzo-soprano Simone Schroede
Tenor Dominic Natoli
Bass Alexander Vinogradov

Combined Chorus of:

Singapore Symphony Chorus
Singapore Bible College Chorale
Hallelujah Chorus
The Philharmonic Chamber Choir

Conductor Lim Yau
conducting the Singapore Symphony Orchestra

The night’s performance marks the 30th Anniversary of the Singapore Symphony Chorus. Overall it was an ok interpretation that brought to life music that we are familiar with; while this performance did not offend, neither did it shed new light on the piece. Maestro Lim Yau took a conservative reading for this familiar work, a safe interpretation that neither takes an operatic nor sacred music approach,  taking neither extremes in tempi nor dynamics.

However, his efforts as chorus master can easily been felt as evident in the outstanding performance of the combined chorus of the SSC, Singapore Bible College Chorale, Hallelujah Chorus and The Philharmonic Chamber Choir. although most of the choristers are not full-time professional musicians, I was amazed that could do such an outstanding job: a very clean performance, all the entries are clearly heard, the lines were secured, and they responded to Lim Yau’s direction well, not only in the loud moments like the Dies irae (Sequenza), but the whispered moments that follow in the same movement was just as magical, setting the stage for the soloists to come in. The choir did excellently for the Sanctus fugue; all the entries were clean and crisp.

The soprano and mezzo are very musical in their two duets. Both soloists are in good form and were excellent in the ensembles, giving ways to one another, and coming in at the precise spot. Soprano Soojin Moon is a natural dramatic soprano who managed to both summon volume and and the float soft high notes effortlessly, giving the audience much enjoyment for the evening.

Mezzo-soprano Simone Schroede is another dramatic voice with dark, sensous colours, who manges to sing the big moments without screaming. However I found her singing to be overtly intellectual rather than emotional, with very clean phrasing but in a somewhat cold and detached manner. 

In Dominic Natoli, we had a sweet but comparably under-sized tenor, although he did not push, he was at times drowned out by the bass or chorus.

The best soloist of the evening is bass Alexander Vinogradov, a naturally powerful voice with a secure technique, nice diction and articulation, and excellent interpretaion that makes his performance highly enjoyable.

The SSO were neat in their playing and supported the work well. The brass section was in excellent form, and the off-stage brass brought impact to Tuba Mirum section. They responded to Lim Yau’s request when called for. But it was the chorus’s night, and their performance was a fitting celebration of their anniversary. Here’s to another 30 years of fine singing!

Prove that the Taiwanese love their classical music: even their MacDonalds delivery service tagline is a pun on the Chinese title of Beethoven’s 9th symphony Ode to Joy, all this from a country where a middle-age driver would tell you that his favourite Traviata is Angela Gheorghiu.

So here is a Taipei performance of Beethoven’s 9th in Chinese. The piece is usually given in its original language close to New Year’s or even on New Year’s Eve itself. The bass soloist in this concert is Liao Chongwen,  originally a Malaysian who is now one of the most well-known teachers and performers here. The singing starts at 2:40:

Part 2

Part 3

Full voiced and intense, newcomer Rachel Gilmore shows she can lie and sing with the best of’em:

SSO Verdi Requiem review coming soon.