Grand Opera Gala

La Donna Mobile

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Jul 23, 2004, 9:09:34 AM7/23/04

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Imagine, if you will. You have your favourite (or nearest!) Opera House, and
its orchestra and chorus at your disposal. Money is no object. You have your
pick of singers and conductors at the peak of their career. You also have
priority to get straight to the Terrace in the intervals, where a willing
servant will be poised to pour you a glass of the finest champagne, and hand
you your smoked salmon sandwiches, followed by the creamiest of dairy cream
ice-cream!

What would your programme be? (with apologies/thanks to Alan Watkins for
pinching his idea while I replay the first act of La Traviata!)

I would choose Covent Garden, not necessarily as a qualitative choice, but
for my personal convenience.

I would have La Traviata, Act 1 with Angela Gheorgiou and Rolando Villazon,
conducted Carlos Kleiber

I would then have Act 1 of Le Nozze di Figaro (with Porgi Amor and Voi che
sapete mysteriously tacke don the end), with Jose van Dam as Figaro and
Angelika Firchslager as Cherubino. I would seek advice on Susanna and the
Almavivas. Possibly Neville Marriner conducting.

I would finish with Act 4 of Otello with Georg Solti conducting Placido
Domingo and Renee Fleming.

Then I'll take everybody off to an Italian restaurant!

Of course, I'll change my mind tomorrow!

--

Gerry

http://www.geraldine-curtis.me.uk/photoblog

Jon E. Szostak, Sr.

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Jul 23, 2004, 9:57:59 AM7/23/04

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That's an easy one...no hesitation whatsoever-

'Die Meistersing von Nürnberg" - CSO conducted by Fritz Reiner with Karl
Ridderbusch as 'Sachs', James King as 'Walter', Sir Gerain Evans as
'Beckmesser', Kenneth Riegel as 'David', Gundula Janowitz as 'Eva', Janis
Martin as 'Magdalena' and Kurt Moll as 'Pogner'.

That'll do me nicely...thank you!

Jon E. Szostak, Sr.

"La Donna Mobile" <donna...@REMOVEbrixton.fsworld.co.uk> wrote in message
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Stephen Jay-Taylor

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Jul 23, 2004, 11:49:14 PM7/23/04

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OK. All in their respective - and thus not necessarily contiguous - primes,
I will have "Die Frau ohne Schatten", uncut, in the old Palais Garnier
staging, conducted by Solti ( I'd prefer Bohm, but the old bugger would get
busy with the scissors ) with Nilsson as Dyer's Wife, Caballe as the
Empress, van Dam as Barak, Pavarotti as the Emperor ( though since the lazy
***** never learned or sang anything in German, I'll settle for
Wunderlich ), and Zajick as Nursey. With the Vienna Philharmonic in the pit
of the (rebuilt, and absolutely magnificent) Liceo in Barcelona. Voila!
( O, and some eaux-de-vie framboise, ice cold, and some real raspberries,
since the Liceo is acquiring for this special event Glyndebourne's gardens
out front instead of Las Ramblas.
Y Ole! SJT, dribbling incontinently on the keyboard.

stephenmead

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Jul 24, 2004, 6:22:21 AM7/24/04

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I'll stay at Covent Garden and revisit three of the greatest operatic
experiences of my lifetime, all performances I have seen there in recent
years:
Act One of Rosenkavalier with Renee Fleming and Susan Graham
Act Two of Jenufa with Karita Matilla and Anja Silja
Act Two of La Rondine with Alagna and Gheorghiu

Then go home and bliss out for a month!

Jon E. Szostak, Sr.

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Jul 26, 2004, 8:50:50 AM7/26/04

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Stephen: Wunderlich as the Emperor instead of James King...really?

Jon E. Szostak, Sr.

"Stephen Jay-Taylor" <sjayt...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
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