Wednesday, February 3, 2010

more operas i will probably miss against my will

This just found on artsboston.org (I love this site!): a double bill for Valentines Day (February 14, 2010). Opera del West will be staging Pergolesi's La Serva Padrona and Menotti's The Telephone!

The Venue is TCAN - The Center for Arts in Natick, MA.

Oh wait, there's more (I need to update my Google Calendar once again). The Boston University College of Fine Arts will be staging four performances of Cosi Fan Tutte February 18-February 21, 2010.

While I'm at it, it is worth mentioning as well that The Boston Conservatory will be putting on La Rondine this week and that Teatro Lirico D'Europa is at the Cutler Majestic Theatre presenting Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, also this week.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

the way of a sloth

That I am lazy should come as no surprise. This post will be brief: merely confirmation that I am still breathing. No, The Nose was not the last opera performance that I attended. Have I mentioned on this blog that I attended a delightful Rusalka in Boston way back last March? I see no evidence of that fact. Perhaps I typed up some notes about Rigoletto last April at the Met? If I did, I can't find them...

Incidentally, that Rigoletto--despite being my first experience of hearing Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja live--was perhaps most notable in that I discovered for the first time the delight of the balcony box. No more cramped and expensive orchestra seating for these weak knees! I'll take standing room or boxes from now on.

So it was that for the December 8, 2009 performance of Le nozze di Figaro, I bought all 6 seats of a balcony box at the Met and brought several friends along, two of whom had never attended (or even listened to, as far as I can tell) an opera before. A good time was had by all. Danielle de Niese was a spunky and gorgeous Susanna. And, although I didn't take notes and my mind is somewhat damaged by alcohol, I am pretty sure that nobody sucked. I do remember that the price of a gin and tonic in the Met lobby was absolutely bloody criminal (good thing we tanked up at an Irish pub beforehand--note to self: must completely empty bladder before taking seat before a Figaro which doesn't have an Intermission until after Act II).

Carmen
Next up, balcony box seats once more one week from today (February 9 for the non-mathematicians) at the Met for Carmen with (hopefully, because she has been buggy lately) Olga Borodina. Also (though tickets have not been purchased yet) I can't imagine missing the upcoming March run of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Boston Lyric Opera since I absolutely adore that opera. I just need to wrangle up (or harangue, more likely) some friends to accompany (i.e. drive) me (though my knees already hurt just thinking about the balcony seating at the Shubert). We also have Opera Boston doing Madame White Snake later this month, though it would probably be a task to get someone to go with me for that. Maybe I'll go alone, if only to see male soprano Michael Maniaci as Little Green (I can take the train, I guess).

Latest guilty pleasure: The OperaNow podcast (especially Oliver's Corner).

By the way, Diana kicked ass as Gilda!

It's killing me that I will probably be missing The Nose at the Met next month as well as The Turn of the Screw this week in Boston...

Oh yeah, and I haven't smoked for 9 days!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

artsboston.org

Check out this very comprehensive new site for all of your arty or entertainmenty needs in the greater Boston area. The opera section is quite good and includes a number of performances that I had missed including on my own thorough (I thought) calendar of events for New England and New York.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

ack

This press release is discouraging:

James Levine to Undergo Surgery for Herniated Spinal Disc

Mr. Ronald Wilford, Chairman of Columbia Artists and James Levine’s manager has announced that Mr. Levine will undergo immediate surgery for a herniated spinal disc. The procedure necessitates withdrawing from his scheduled performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera.

Mr. Levine has withdrawn from performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Boston on Tuesday, September 29 and Saturday, October 3 and from Carnegie Hall’s opening night performance on Thursday, October 1. Mr. Levine has also withdrawn from performances of Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera on October 6 and 10.


So the back issues continue. Here's to your quick recovery, maestro.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

foiled

Well, this is disappointing (for me, not for opera). Apparently, Say it Ain’t so, Joe! has been sold out for all performances. Congrats to Guerilla Opera. I would have liked to see that, though.

I'm used to making decisions at the last moment and and purchasing tickets at the door. I guess I'm not in Arizona anymore.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

sarah di wasilla

Well, it has been a long summer and I haven't seen much opera, and you certainly haven't been seeing me blog about anything for quite a while. But, the season approacheth and there is at least one small reason that I may have to zip up to Boston this weekend.

An opera about Sarah Palin? You betcha!

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