I would like to clarify something I ranted about in the previous entry. Laurent Pelly claimed that during Massenet's time, there was a fascination with dangerous women in literature. Pelly Updated Manon to that time period--the 1880's--with this idea in mind. However, he claimed that Manon had parallels with Violetta in La Traviata, and Carmen, whom he claims have this in common: That they were "great heroines who break the rules of their bourgeois society and are sacrificed to a hostile male world". There is one major problem with this assertion.
What we are talking about are three completely different women here. Manon is not a dangerous woman per say. Rather, she is a foolish and impulsive teenage girl who wants to have it all (who doesn't?). The only reason why she is labeled a loose woman is simply because of her fecklessness. When she and des Grieux live together again, she is trying to have both the love of des Grieux and the luxurious life. It is Manon's greed that drives her to become manipulative. She truly does love des Grieux, but her desire for the high life causes problems and is eventually what lands both her and des Grieux in serious trouble. So it isn't Manon being a dangerous woman in a male-dominated culture that causes her downfall. Instead, it is her being feckless, impulsive, and avaricious that leads to her and her lover's ruin.
Violetta is a courtesan, which is a high-priced prostitute. She too is truly in love with Alfredo, even though she is told to break it off. M. Germont does use a rather ham-handed method when telling Violetta to leave. At the same time, do remember that M. Germont is not concerned over nothing. When someone dates a person with a bad reputation, it affects the reputation of his family in a negative way. And despite her best efforts and her love for Alfredo, Violetta cannot get around her past (the fact that she is dying of tuberculosis only makes the matter worse). So, Violetta is not a victim of a male-dominated culture so much as a victim of her own bad reputation. That and TB.
Now, Carmen is a dangerous woman, but the fact here is that she knows she's bad news and makes no apologies for it. Unlike Manon and Violetta, Carmen is a poor gypsy girl and never stays in one place for long . She is a smuggler, a criminal. And when it comes to love, she prefers a brief relationship that only lasts six months. So she is never truly in love with Don Jose so much as infatuated with him for the nonce. And she has never seduced men like Don Jose before; men who have never been outside their hometowns and only know honest women like Micaela. It doesn't occur to Carmen in 65 million years that someone would actually want to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her. When she leaves Don Jose after a brief dalliance, she can't understand why he would demand that she come back to him. And when Don Jose finally kills her, he does it out of jealousy (which is not unheard of). So Carmen is a victim of jealousy rather than a male-dominated culture.
So what he have here are a foolish woman who truly is in love but her greed gets the better of her, a woman who is also truly in love but is a victim of her own bad reputation despite her best efforts, and a woman who is real dangerous woman who knows it and is a victim of a jealous ex-boyfriend. Neither of these women are victims of male-cultures per say. Manon is ruined by her own folly. Violetta is dying of TB and cannot escape her reputation as courtesan. And Carmen has never encountered a man like Don Jose in her life and falls victim to jealousy that is totally alien to her. Do any of these scream "sexist culture"? No. Two of these women are truly in love; unfortunately, one is a fool and the other has a bad rep. The other is a vamp and knows it; she just happens to seduce the wrong man.
Oh, and in regards to a bourgeois society., Violetta and Manon's world, France, is indeed bourgeois, but the women's sins are nothing new. Being a prostitute has always hurt a woman's reputation. And being foolish has also always been a big problem for someone. Carmen's world, Spain, is not bourgeois at all. Spain had been stuck in the Middle Ages for centuries and did not get a middle class until more than a hundred years ago. To say that Carmen "violates the rules of a bourgeois society" tells me the M. Pelly was not paying attention in history class when he was in school.
Manon is a fool, Violetta is a woman with a bad reputation, and Carmen is a vamp. Neither of them have anything really in common, so don't bother trying to assert that they do. They don't.
Enough said, so there.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
WHOA NELLY! Beczala Stole THIS Show!
Wednesday was the encore simulcast of Jules Massenet's opera Manon. Russian soprano Anna Netrebko the title role. Polish tenor Piotr Beczala sang Manon's lover Chevalier des Grieux (I'll talk about him later).
I'd like to say something about the production and a misconception the director had first (just to get it out of the way). Laurent Pelly, the same Frenchman who did the current Met production of Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment, updated Massenet's opera to the 1880's. He talks about people's fascination with dangerous women during that time period. He compared Manon to such women as Violetta in La Traviata and Carmen whom he describes as "great heroines who violate the rules of their bourgeois society and are sacrificed to a hostile male culture". Sorry M. Pelly, but your comparison doesn't work. First off, they are not "great heroines". "Great heroines" would be women like Isolde or Aida (Grand Opera heroines). Violetta isn't a great heroine and she is not sacrificed to male-dominated culture. She dies of tuberculosis. And Carmen definitely doesn't fit the description because she's poor as a rat, a smuggler, and she knows she's dangerous and revels in it. She also is a gypsy from Spain, which had absolutely no middle class until a hundred years ago. And Carmen is killed by a jealous lover, not a male-dominated culture.
There. I'm done ranting; now for the important stuff.
Manon is about a foolish teenage girl whose desire to have it all destroys both her and her lover. Here is a breif overview of the plot:
Manon is a fifteen-year-old country girl whose relative in charge of taking care of her doesn't want anything to do with her, so he's dumping her off at a convent (she doesn't have a calling). When the carriage stops at an inn on the way there, Manon meets the young Chevalier des Grieux, the son of a count. The two immediately fall in love at first sight (they actually share their first kiss mere minutes after they meet!). But Manon has also seen some upper-class women in fancy dresses and thinks about how wonderful it would be to live only for pleasure. She and des Grieux hijack a carriage and elope to Paris where they live together for quite some time. During that time, Manon turns sixteen. After des Grieux is kidnapped by his father's men (Papa clearly doesn't approve), Manon leaves to become the mistress of a wealthy aristocrat who gives her jewels and fancy clothes. Pretty soon she's the toast of the town, the girl on the go, and the type of woman everybody should know; and is absolutely enjoying her popularity. But when she hears one day that des Grieux has entered the priesthood, she goes to the church to find him. des Grieux is unpset with her for giving up on him, but she seduces him back to her. They live together again, but their relationship hits the rocks due to Manon's taste for luxury and soon they are out of money. When Manon suggests that des Grieux try gambling to get money, he reluctantly complies and has ridiculously good luck. But his luck and Manon's doesn't last long, and both are arrested. des Grieux will be released later, but Manon will be deported to America as a loose woman. Days later, when Manon is dragged to the dock to wait deportation, her cousin Lescaut bribes the guards to release her for while so that she can be reunited with des Grieux before she leaves. Manon feels guilty and begs forgivness for all the pain she has caused des Grieux. He assures her of his love. Unfortunately, Manon became ill while she was in prison and finally dies in her lover's arms.
What stole the show for me was Piotr Beczala's interpretation of des Grieux. Good Goshness! That guy looked and sounded so handsome it was ridiculous. I think it helps that he looks way younger than he really is (he's in his forties and still looks like he's twenty-seven). I had never seen him live before (even though this was an encore) and so I was completely caught off-guard.
There were two scene that I really liked and in which I thought that Piotr was at his best in the performance. The first on was Act 2, in which Manon and des Grieux are living together and are happy. This scene was just adorable. des Grieux was sitting on the steps of the little apartment writing a letter to his father about how much he loves Manon. Both he and Manon looked like they were relaxing after a long day. As Manon, Anna wore what looked like a shift that went to the knees. Piotr was wearing a white shirt and black pants. Neither one of them had shoes on. I thought that Piotr's acting in that scene was just something else. He sang des Grieux's letter writing scene so wonderfully that I actually was wishing I had him for a boyfriend (I think that may have been the intended effect). And when Manon is panicked when she hears men knocking at the door at the end of the act (she'd been told ahead of time about the kidnapping but hadn't said anything about it) des Grieux simply says "I'll send them away politely." Piotr was so convincing in channeling his character's lack of knowledge that it hurt to see him taken away.
The other scene was the St. Sulpice scene where des Grieux is trying to forget Manon by becoming a pastor. Piotr was wearing the traditional black robe for this scene. I loved how he communicated des Griuex's hurt and largely unsuccessful attempts to drive his memories of Manon out of his brain. And when he is finally won over by Manon, he gets onto his bed with her, and Manon for some reason pulls the upper part of the pastoral robe aside to reveal Beczala's pecs (what in the deep was that for?).
Piotr could not have gotten any handsome than he did Wednesday night. He will be returning next season to perform the role of the lascivious Duke of Mantua is Verdi's Rigoletto. This one I gotta see.
I'd like to say something about the production and a misconception the director had first (just to get it out of the way). Laurent Pelly, the same Frenchman who did the current Met production of Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment, updated Massenet's opera to the 1880's. He talks about people's fascination with dangerous women during that time period. He compared Manon to such women as Violetta in La Traviata and Carmen whom he describes as "great heroines who violate the rules of their bourgeois society and are sacrificed to a hostile male culture". Sorry M. Pelly, but your comparison doesn't work. First off, they are not "great heroines". "Great heroines" would be women like Isolde or Aida (Grand Opera heroines). Violetta isn't a great heroine and she is not sacrificed to male-dominated culture. She dies of tuberculosis. And Carmen definitely doesn't fit the description because she's poor as a rat, a smuggler, and she knows she's dangerous and revels in it. She also is a gypsy from Spain, which had absolutely no middle class until a hundred years ago. And Carmen is killed by a jealous lover, not a male-dominated culture.
There. I'm done ranting; now for the important stuff.
Manon is about a foolish teenage girl whose desire to have it all destroys both her and her lover. Here is a breif overview of the plot:
Manon is a fifteen-year-old country girl whose relative in charge of taking care of her doesn't want anything to do with her, so he's dumping her off at a convent (she doesn't have a calling). When the carriage stops at an inn on the way there, Manon meets the young Chevalier des Grieux, the son of a count. The two immediately fall in love at first sight (they actually share their first kiss mere minutes after they meet!). But Manon has also seen some upper-class women in fancy dresses and thinks about how wonderful it would be to live only for pleasure. She and des Grieux hijack a carriage and elope to Paris where they live together for quite some time. During that time, Manon turns sixteen. After des Grieux is kidnapped by his father's men (Papa clearly doesn't approve), Manon leaves to become the mistress of a wealthy aristocrat who gives her jewels and fancy clothes. Pretty soon she's the toast of the town, the girl on the go, and the type of woman everybody should know; and is absolutely enjoying her popularity. But when she hears one day that des Grieux has entered the priesthood, she goes to the church to find him. des Grieux is unpset with her for giving up on him, but she seduces him back to her. They live together again, but their relationship hits the rocks due to Manon's taste for luxury and soon they are out of money. When Manon suggests that des Grieux try gambling to get money, he reluctantly complies and has ridiculously good luck. But his luck and Manon's doesn't last long, and both are arrested. des Grieux will be released later, but Manon will be deported to America as a loose woman. Days later, when Manon is dragged to the dock to wait deportation, her cousin Lescaut bribes the guards to release her for while so that she can be reunited with des Grieux before she leaves. Manon feels guilty and begs forgivness for all the pain she has caused des Grieux. He assures her of his love. Unfortunately, Manon became ill while she was in prison and finally dies in her lover's arms.
What stole the show for me was Piotr Beczala's interpretation of des Grieux. Good Goshness! That guy looked and sounded so handsome it was ridiculous. I think it helps that he looks way younger than he really is (he's in his forties and still looks like he's twenty-seven). I had never seen him live before (even though this was an encore) and so I was completely caught off-guard.
There were two scene that I really liked and in which I thought that Piotr was at his best in the performance. The first on was Act 2, in which Manon and des Grieux are living together and are happy. This scene was just adorable. des Grieux was sitting on the steps of the little apartment writing a letter to his father about how much he loves Manon. Both he and Manon looked like they were relaxing after a long day. As Manon, Anna wore what looked like a shift that went to the knees. Piotr was wearing a white shirt and black pants. Neither one of them had shoes on. I thought that Piotr's acting in that scene was just something else. He sang des Grieux's letter writing scene so wonderfully that I actually was wishing I had him for a boyfriend (I think that may have been the intended effect). And when Manon is panicked when she hears men knocking at the door at the end of the act (she'd been told ahead of time about the kidnapping but hadn't said anything about it) des Grieux simply says "I'll send them away politely." Piotr was so convincing in channeling his character's lack of knowledge that it hurt to see him taken away.
The other scene was the St. Sulpice scene where des Grieux is trying to forget Manon by becoming a pastor. Piotr was wearing the traditional black robe for this scene. I loved how he communicated des Griuex's hurt and largely unsuccessful attempts to drive his memories of Manon out of his brain. And when he is finally won over by Manon, he gets onto his bed with her, and Manon for some reason pulls the upper part of the pastoral robe aside to reveal Beczala's pecs (what in the deep was that for?).
Piotr could not have gotten any handsome than he did Wednesday night. He will be returning next season to perform the role of the lascivious Duke of Mantua is Verdi's Rigoletto. This one I gotta see.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Verdi's REQUIEM
Friday the 20th was the day of the Choral Union and Madison Symphony Orchestra's performance of Verdi's Famous Requiem. My brother and I were up in the front row of the fourth balcony, but we were also on the far right, so I had to lean in order to see the performers well enough. There are four soloists who sing in the Requiem: a soprano, a mezzo-soprano, a tenor, and a baritone.
The Program is as follows:
Introit and Kyrie: This section begins the piece. It is sung by the soloists and chorus together. They start very quiet singing "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domnie" (Grant them eternal rest, oh LORD), and "Kyrie eleson" (Have mercy on us, oh LORD). The choir sang this one very well.
Dies Irae:
Without a doubt the most famous piece of this work. This section takes up half the work. Is is cut and divided into many parts (no doubt because of the length). The part of this section that made me nervous was the loud bass drum part. While my brother said that I was silly to have been frightened by the Dies Irae, I'm assuming that you have to be frightened by it; otherwise the piece doesn't work. But I was frightened by it, so that means that the performers did their job correctly.
The only well known part of this section that is not the terrifying "Day of Wrath" passage is the tenor aria Ingemisco. This was the first time I heard the aria sung by a tenor who was not Luciano Pavarotti. I thought this singer was quite amazing in the way he sang it. There is so much more to this piece including, a lovely arietta for the baritone (which he sang wonderfully), but I don't have much in the way of words to describe it.
Offertory: Sung by all four soloists, this section is all about offering prayers to the LORD in hopes that he may have mercy on the faithful souls on Judgement Day. The mezzo, tenor, and baritone sang through the first half, with the soprano entering when she sings the words "Sed signifer sanctus Michael repraesentet eas in lucem sanctum" (But may the holy standard bearer Michael show them the holy light). The soloists sang perfectly during that passage.
Sanctus: The celebratory part of the Reqiuem. The Sanctus is simply where the choir sings "Sanctucs, Sanctus, Santucs, Domine Deus Sabaoth" (Holy, Holy, Holy, God Almighty). This is sung in a more major key is is all about praises to God for who he really is.
Angus Dei: A beautiful duet for soprano and mezzo and amazingly sung by our soprano and and mezzo that night. They sing "Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi" (Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world). This is a prayer to Jesus to grant rest to the souls of the dead.
Lux Aeterna: A trio for mezzo, tenor, and baritone and well done by all three at the performance. "Lux aeterna luceat eis" (Let eternal light shine upon them). This is a prayer for God's favor to be on the souls of the faithful.
Libera Me: While this is usually not the last part of a Requiem, for this one, it is. This one is a lot like the "Infamatus" from Rossini's Stabat Mater; namely it is an aria for the soprano in which the chorus features very prominently. The soprano sings "Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna" (Deliver me, LORD, from eternal death). And this brings back the Dies Irae, which is a part of of the Libera Me in the first place. This song is a plea to the LORD to remember the soul of the individual on the Day of Judgement. Towards the end of this part the soprano singing high B-flat, as if it is the soul's knowledge that it will be delivered from damnation on that day. The work concludes with a quiet and personal plea for salvation.
The only major concern I had about the performance was the fact that the orchestra sometimes played so loud that I couldn't hear the singers. But other than that, the performanc went over very well. I wonder if they'll be doing it again next year.
The Program is as follows:
Introit and Kyrie: This section begins the piece. It is sung by the soloists and chorus together. They start very quiet singing "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domnie" (Grant them eternal rest, oh LORD), and "Kyrie eleson" (Have mercy on us, oh LORD). The choir sang this one very well.
Dies Irae:
Without a doubt the most famous piece of this work. This section takes up half the work. Is is cut and divided into many parts (no doubt because of the length). The part of this section that made me nervous was the loud bass drum part. While my brother said that I was silly to have been frightened by the Dies Irae, I'm assuming that you have to be frightened by it; otherwise the piece doesn't work. But I was frightened by it, so that means that the performers did their job correctly.
The only well known part of this section that is not the terrifying "Day of Wrath" passage is the tenor aria Ingemisco. This was the first time I heard the aria sung by a tenor who was not Luciano Pavarotti. I thought this singer was quite amazing in the way he sang it. There is so much more to this piece including, a lovely arietta for the baritone (which he sang wonderfully), but I don't have much in the way of words to describe it.
Offertory: Sung by all four soloists, this section is all about offering prayers to the LORD in hopes that he may have mercy on the faithful souls on Judgement Day. The mezzo, tenor, and baritone sang through the first half, with the soprano entering when she sings the words "Sed signifer sanctus Michael repraesentet eas in lucem sanctum" (But may the holy standard bearer Michael show them the holy light). The soloists sang perfectly during that passage.
Sanctus: The celebratory part of the Reqiuem. The Sanctus is simply where the choir sings "Sanctucs, Sanctus, Santucs, Domine Deus Sabaoth" (Holy, Holy, Holy, God Almighty). This is sung in a more major key is is all about praises to God for who he really is.
Angus Dei: A beautiful duet for soprano and mezzo and amazingly sung by our soprano and and mezzo that night. They sing "Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi" (Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world). This is a prayer to Jesus to grant rest to the souls of the dead.
Lux Aeterna: A trio for mezzo, tenor, and baritone and well done by all three at the performance. "Lux aeterna luceat eis" (Let eternal light shine upon them). This is a prayer for God's favor to be on the souls of the faithful.
Libera Me: While this is usually not the last part of a Requiem, for this one, it is. This one is a lot like the "Infamatus" from Rossini's Stabat Mater; namely it is an aria for the soprano in which the chorus features very prominently. The soprano sings "Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna" (Deliver me, LORD, from eternal death). And this brings back the Dies Irae, which is a part of of the Libera Me in the first place. This song is a plea to the LORD to remember the soul of the individual on the Day of Judgement. Towards the end of this part the soprano singing high B-flat, as if it is the soul's knowledge that it will be delivered from damnation on that day. The work concludes with a quiet and personal plea for salvation.
The only major concern I had about the performance was the fact that the orchestra sometimes played so loud that I couldn't hear the singers. But other than that, the performanc went over very well. I wonder if they'll be doing it again next year.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
He Stole the Show Again!
Saturday the 14th was the final Live in HD Movie Theatre broadcast of Verdi's masterpiece La Traviata (She Who Hath Strayed). Soprano Natalie Dessay sang the title role of the Parisian courtesan Violetta. Tenor Matthew Polenzani was Violetta's lover, Alfredo Germont. And baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky was Alfredo's father, Giorgio Germont (I'll explain more in just a bit).
A brief summery of the plot: The courtesan Violetta knows that she doesn't have much time left. She has had tuberculosis before, and can tell that she will get sick again. She meets the handsome Alfredo at a party and the two fall in love. They live together for three months in a country house. Giorgio Germont, however, does not approve of the relationship due to Violetta's past as a courtesan. So while Alfredo is off on an errand, M. Germont comes to the house and tells Violetta to end the relationship as it will put Alfredo's sister's engagement in jeopardy. Violetta agrees and leaves. Alfredo meets Violetta again at another party at her friend's house and denounces her in front of everybody. M. Germont, feeling bad about what he's done and appalled at his son's behavior, scolds him for striking a woman. Violetta gets sick with tuberculosis and is dying. Alfredo and his father enter to ask her forgiveness and to leave with them, but Violetta's time is up. She dies in the arms of here lover as the opera ends.
What made this performance so interesting for me was Dmitri Hvorostovsky's performance as M. Germont. He was playing a character who couldn't be younger than fifty-five years, and yet he still looked and sounded incredibly sexy. He's the perfect M. Germont. His costume was a simple black business suit due to Willie Decker updating the opera.
I loved how he performed the role. The scene where he tells Violetta to give up the relationship was moving. M. Germont doesn't fully understand what's really going on which is why he seems to harsh on Violetta. But his concern is legitimate and although it hurts her, Violetta seems to understand what he's talking about. The scene where M. Germont rebukes his son for his harsh treatment of Violetta at her friend's party was the best scene in the opera. While he knows he was the one who told Violetta to break it off, M. Germont will not tolerate his son's mistreatment of the woman. I thought Dmitri performed that scene perfectly.
He will be performing next season Live in HD as Renato in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball). I hope he's hot in that one as he was in La Traviata. Given what I've seen of him, the answer will be yes.
A brief summery of the plot: The courtesan Violetta knows that she doesn't have much time left. She has had tuberculosis before, and can tell that she will get sick again. She meets the handsome Alfredo at a party and the two fall in love. They live together for three months in a country house. Giorgio Germont, however, does not approve of the relationship due to Violetta's past as a courtesan. So while Alfredo is off on an errand, M. Germont comes to the house and tells Violetta to end the relationship as it will put Alfredo's sister's engagement in jeopardy. Violetta agrees and leaves. Alfredo meets Violetta again at another party at her friend's house and denounces her in front of everybody. M. Germont, feeling bad about what he's done and appalled at his son's behavior, scolds him for striking a woman. Violetta gets sick with tuberculosis and is dying. Alfredo and his father enter to ask her forgiveness and to leave with them, but Violetta's time is up. She dies in the arms of here lover as the opera ends.
What made this performance so interesting for me was Dmitri Hvorostovsky's performance as M. Germont. He was playing a character who couldn't be younger than fifty-five years, and yet he still looked and sounded incredibly sexy. He's the perfect M. Germont. His costume was a simple black business suit due to Willie Decker updating the opera.
I loved how he performed the role. The scene where he tells Violetta to give up the relationship was moving. M. Germont doesn't fully understand what's really going on which is why he seems to harsh on Violetta. But his concern is legitimate and although it hurts her, Violetta seems to understand what he's talking about. The scene where M. Germont rebukes his son for his harsh treatment of Violetta at her friend's party was the best scene in the opera. While he knows he was the one who told Violetta to break it off, M. Germont will not tolerate his son's mistreatment of the woman. I thought Dmitri performed that scene perfectly.
He will be performing next season Live in HD as Renato in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball). I hope he's hot in that one as he was in La Traviata. Given what I've seen of him, the answer will be yes.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Bar Signs 2
The bar on Main Street has another confusing sign. It reads "Friends Don't Let Friends Drink and Bring Home Ugly Men". What does that mean? By ugly do they mean abusive or physically unattractive? Can they please be more specific? It would help me understand what they're talking about.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
I Just Remembered
Tomorrow is April 9th and it is also the birthday of Juan Diego Florez's son Leandro, who was born just twenty-five minutes before Juan Diego had to perform in Le Comte Ory (which was simulcasted that day).
Why am I writing about this? Because Leandro was born two days before my twentieth birthday. It was the best birthday surprise ever. Also because my favorite opera singer's son was born two days before my birthday, I find that to be a bragging right. But I also really love Juan Diego Florez and am glad that he and his wife can enjoy the pleasures of raising a kid (I wonder what will happen when Leandro becomes a teenager).
So, Happy Birthday, Leandro Florez.
Why am I writing about this? Because Leandro was born two days before my twentieth birthday. It was the best birthday surprise ever. Also because my favorite opera singer's son was born two days before my birthday, I find that to be a bragging right. But I also really love Juan Diego Florez and am glad that he and his wife can enjoy the pleasures of raising a kid (I wonder what will happen when Leandro becomes a teenager).
So, Happy Birthday, Leandro Florez.
Piotr Beczala
I think I first heard this Polish tenor sing back in 2009 when he sang the role of Vladimir Lensky in Eugene Onegin. I was seventeen and the opera was already one of my favorites. I think in that one Thomas Hampson was Onegin and Karita Mattila was Tatyana.
It has been three years since I first heard Piotr Beczala* sing in that opera. He also sang the role of Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor that same season. And then yesterday he sang the role of Des Grieux in Massenet's Manon. I just love him. And he's somewhat versatile; singing not only the classic Lyric tenor roles (e.g. Faust, Rodolfo in La Boheme, The Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, etc.) but I think he also did some Wagner at one point.
I've been to the website about him. If you haven't heard him sing yet, that has to be fixed. Now. This guy has such a good voice that he can kill an opponent in a fight just by hitting a high note.
*Pronounced: PYOH-tehr Behk-SHA-wah
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)