tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post4567073432289853119..comments2024-01-24T08:24:14.555-05:00Comments on My Favorite Intermissions: Malheureuse Iphegenie, Tres heureux MauryMaury D'annatohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14136129943169313348noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-4048404050074159732007-12-03T18:22:00.000-05:002007-12-03T18:22:00.000-05:00And finally, the lady does indeed see her deformed...<I>And finally, the lady does indeed see her deformed husband, but lies and says she hasn't, so that their marriage can endure happily. Presumably, Jesus is fine with this</I><BR/><BR/>Hahaha. Thanks for that plot twist, the translation from Google Language of the one synopsis I found wasn't very good, obviously.<BR/><BR/>And, course, Jeebus would approve, it's a heterosexual marriage at stake, after all.Henry Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15871451112170286316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-27294145343019815152007-11-29T19:41:00.000-05:002007-11-29T19:41:00.000-05:00And when I say skim, I do mean slim. Skim is certa...And when I say skim, I do mean slim. Skim is certainly slimming, but I know these words are not yet synonymous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-91730049557383802192007-11-29T19:37:00.000-05:002007-11-29T19:37:00.000-05:00Can one purchase these putdowns,collected in a sin...Can one purchase these putdowns,collected in a single skim volume?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-16261282603608163912007-11-29T19:22:00.000-05:002007-11-29T19:22:00.000-05:00Dearest lamppost, you know that the Marianne Schec...Dearest lamppost, you know that the Marianne Schech putdown is among my most favoritest forms of humor, don't you?Maury D'annatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14136129943169313348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-11556367186576716742007-11-29T19:14:00.000-05:002007-11-29T19:14:00.000-05:00It's me, the lampost, weighing in on Die Toten Aug...It's me, the lampost, weighing in on Die Toten Augen, cauz seriously, who else is gonna do that? Debussy meets Lehar was sort how it struck me, and the appeal of it seems to be me to be so much in the lusciousness of it all that I'd recommend going for the best recorded orchestral sound and the prettiest sounding soprano rather than opting to hear it done by distinguished interpreters of past times. I bought the cpo recording with Dagmar Schellenberger, and I'm willing to bet she makes lovelier sounds than Marianne Schech, because really, don't most people?<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure I'd want to take on an adaptation of it unless it was meant to be uproariously funny. I think d'Albert makes something lovely of it, but mostly by making it all go by really slowly. At the speed of norman human interaction, hilarity seems inevitable. I have a number of favorite lines, but I think my top choice is:<BR/><BR/>Arsinoe: Jesus, what kind of a man is he? <BR/><BR/>And finally, the lady does indeed see her deformed husband, but lies and says she hasn't, so that their marriage can endure happily. Presumably, Jesus is fine with this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-33436286204940902932007-11-29T16:40:00.000-05:002007-11-29T16:40:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Cameron Kelsallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14530179797478985431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-20976820667372341172007-11-29T13:29:00.000-05:002007-11-29T13:29:00.000-05:00Thought I had put up this comment yesterday but to...Thought I had put up this comment yesterday but today there it is gone!!!!<BR/><BR/>I had two discs of the French Orfée - one with Simoneau conducted by Hans Rosbuad (have the CD now) and the other with Gedda from Aix in the '50s. Think those discs are all in storage - schleeping around the world is easier with CDs. I've always loved the Simoneau-Rosbuad.<BR/><BR/>For Iphigénie - the Callas of course and also the Boston Baroque with Christine Goerke repeating her Glimmerglass/NYCO performance. Wish there was a recording of Baker doing the Alceste from her Covent Garden farewell. Have the Minkowski Armide which is good and love the Paul McCreish-Gabrielli Paride e Elena.<BR/><BR/>And yes Muary that is the same Patricia Neway - she also created the Mother Abbess role in the original Mary Martin Sound of Music. She created quite the stir in Aix with the Ipigénie - boos mixed with cheers and a roasting in the press from what I've read. But then Aix was always a bit of a bull pit - I recall a performance of Luisa Miller there that came to a grinding 20 minute halt. Someone booed the tenor - whose name I thankfully forget - and he climbed down of the stage to start a punch up with the booer. It was a lousy night at the opera but a great night at the fights.Willymhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03652532356102638621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-85303541790297891782007-11-29T09:55:00.000-05:002007-11-29T09:55:00.000-05:00I'm a huge Gluck fan and agree with all the recomm...I'm a huge Gluck fan and agree with all the recommendations given. I would add to those a live recording of the recent Paris production of Iphigenie (available on OperaShare) with Graham and Russell Braun, conducted by Minkowski.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-13752249914717741242007-11-29T01:53:00.000-05:002007-11-29T01:53:00.000-05:00Staussmonster, thanks for the recommendations. The...Staussmonster, thanks for the recommendations. There's a music library that I go to all the time that has a lot of Gluck CD's; I've simply not bothered with them before. I'll write down your recommendations and see if they have them.<BR/><BR/><I>By the way, I don't know doink about Die Toten Augen; it's just a little bit of an inside joke between me and the lamppost. The lamppost that writes plays</I><BR/><BR/>Well, I think Mr./Mrs./Ms. Lampost should do an adaptation of it, stat! I've only been able to find a plot synopsis in German, but basically:<BR/><BR/><I>It's set in Judea at the time of Jesus performing miracles. Soprano is blind, married to Baritone who is a Roman senator who is physically deformed. OK, love it right there, but ah! Tenor is the handsome Roman guard who enters the picture. Soprano goes to Jesus, miraculously has her sight cured and falls in love with Tenor, who she thinks is her husband. Bariton catches them, murders Tenor and Soprano goes blind again, never having seen her husband's deformed self. Baritone doesn't let on that he's killed Tenor and he and Soprano end the opera madly in love.</I><BR/><BR/>Whew! I found a couple of sites that have clips, sounds like a terrific piece of music; there's a recording with Marianne Schech and Wolfgang Windgassen that I'm going to buy.<BR/><BR/>Thank you so much for throwaway remark, it's lead me to possibly another gem from my favorite period of opera, ca. <I>Salome</I> (1905) to <I>Die Tote Stadt</I> (1920).<BR/><BR/>I love the Internet so. damn. much.Henry Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15871451112170286316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-48085224780308745012007-11-28T17:14:00.000-05:002007-11-28T17:14:00.000-05:00Ok so you one-upped me in the "a-gracious-doner-ju...Ok so you one-upped me in the "a-gracious-doner-just-gave-me-a-ticket-to-Iphigenie!" battle. Glad you liked it so much ... my anticipation is that much higher now.Chalkenteroshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08435851223758000117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-4409803247974938462007-11-28T14:55:00.000-05:002007-11-28T14:55:00.000-05:00I was surprised to sign on today and read that you...I was surprised to sign on today and read that you had a review of last night, but once I realized you had seen it I was not so surprised. I am one of those Seattle viewers who saw it in October, and as a less-articulate, non-blogger, I really had a hard time explaining what I felt afterwards. It was just really interesting, and very different from what I usually see. I took a friend who had not seen many operas, only 1/2 an Aida I think, and afterwards he wanted to buy any future tickets which I wouldn't be using. We have been lucky to have Wadsworth out west here.<BR/><BR/>It is not often that where you sit influences what view of the set you have. I was close, house left, so further away from the altar, but very close to the Orestes-Plyade aria, duet portions. And you are right that there were these long periods of non-singing music, some dances seemed hokey, and other stage moves or tricks helped move the attention forward along the narrative.<BR/><BR/>I am still puzzled from time to time what happened between me and the work as I saw watched and heard it. It was nice to see someone else see and hear something too.El Doctorcitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14110453836933276264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-50517556208580284092007-11-28T14:46:00.000-05:002007-11-28T14:46:00.000-05:00I defer to Gluckmonster. The only one I can recom...I defer to Gluckmonster. The only one I can recommend from broad listening is Orfeo.Maury D'annatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14136129943169313348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-41150914559601034082007-11-28T14:33:00.001-05:002007-11-28T14:33:00.001-05:00I would start, to be honest, with the Minkowski Ip...I would start, to be honest, with the Minkowski <I>Iphigenie en Tauride</I>, which I think is absolutely great in all areas. His <I>Armide</I> is also good, but it's a more formal and static opera. I don't have his <I>Aulide</I>, but of all the Big Five Gluck operas, it's the most opera seria one. There is a lovely recording of <I>Paride ed Elena</I>, but don't make that your first stop.<BR/><BR/>I divide from Maury here (maybe) in almost uniformly finding the newer and more period recordings leaner, meaner, and more interesting, but I recommend these too because I think they're GOOD.<BR/><BR/>For Orfeo/phee I really like the Naxos recording with Jean-Paul Fouchecourt. But I'm strange and prefer the French version for tenor. I don't have an <I>Alceste</I> that I quite like because the John Eliot Gardiner recording makes some odd editional choices, going with "Ombres, larves" instead of the slightly more gutbusting "Divinites du Styx" (which is a real gutbuster because you go from lyric to B-flat in no time at all).Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01835412376364738567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-34180034672835473632007-11-28T14:33:00.000-05:002007-11-28T14:33:00.000-05:00Willym: isn't it Patricia Neway who's so intense i...Willym: isn't it Patricia Neway who's so intense in that old footage of The Consul? Not to mention Menotti and stir up any shit...<BR/><BR/>God the pictures of that Glimmerglass Iph are just plain old gay porn. I think they just decided to take out any ambiguity in that production.Maury D'annatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14136129943169313348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-19374026917899253802007-11-28T14:16:00.000-05:002007-11-28T14:16:00.000-05:00HH: I'm on your side as far as blood and guts vs. ...HH: I'm on your side as far as blood and guts vs. HIP (the two aren't necessarily in opposition, but in practice...) So if you'd like to hear <I>Iphegenie</I> you can always go with the Callas. I've actually only listened to it a time or two, but it's Callas, so I mean. I have it in my head her colleagues on that set are baddish. And it's in Italian. <BR/><BR/>Oh you know what, though? On the basis of the <I>Armide</I>, I'm tempted to recommend Minkowski's Gluck cycle. The Orphee is curiously bloodless, though. Not so, the Armide.<BR/><BR/>For Or: Phee/Feo itself there are tons of good choices. My recommendation will skew to Podles of course, but the Baker/Leppard is justifiably beloved, the Mackerras/Forrester has many charms, and a lot of people love Ferrier, though I don't know the recording really. For novelty, you can also try Fischer-Dieskau, I believe. If you want historical interest, give Alice Raveau a shot (I can't say I'm wild for her.)<BR/><BR/>By the way, I don't know doink about Die Toten Augen; it's just a little bit of an inside joke between me and the lamppost. The lamppost that writes plays.Maury D'annatohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14136129943169313348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-48328405823817901682007-11-28T14:01:00.000-05:002007-11-28T14:01:00.000-05:00Could any of the Gluckians out there recommend whi...Could any of the Gluckians out there recommend which of his operas, with preferred recordings, this Gluck virgin *gasp* I know, I know *gasp* should check out? Please note that I'll always take a historically incorrect overblown Romantic take on the music as opposed to an austere, period-instrument one if it comes down to that choice. [ducks for cover]<BR/><BR/>Thanks!<BR/><BR/><I>hear him sing Die Toten Augen</I><BR/><BR/>Do you know the opera or did you just pick a really obscure one to make your point? I ask, becuase the review on Amazon:<BR/><BR/><I>I bought this set on the strength of a review, having never previously heard a note of d'Albert's music. It blew me away!! It perfectly represents that period in European music in which all the musical threads of Europe started to weave together into a heady mix of "ultra-romanticism". One can easily hear in "Toten Augen" the Wagner of Parsifal, the harmonies of Strauss, Debussian Impressionism, and the emotional punch of Puccini's verismo. Yet, despite it's diverse origins, it's idiom is direct and appealing, and my guess is that it would be far easier to perform than anything by Wagner or Strauss. The story is a real fin-de-siecle barnburner, and it's a mystery to me why opera companies world wide aren't rushing out to put this little jewel on their stages. Here's to musical syncretism!</I><BR/><BR/>makes it sound just like my cup of Earl Grey with cream and sugar. I'm short on funds too so I'd like to know if it'd be worth it to buy the one recording that seems to exist of it.Henry Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15871451112170286316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-14289185159461039492007-11-28T11:48:00.000-05:002007-11-28T11:48:00.000-05:00Damn, I was planning on skipping this one due to a...Damn, I was planning on skipping this one due to a shortage of funds (it's not the opera tickets that kill me, it's the train tickets). But now, not so much. Um, thanks?<BR/><BR/>Straussmonster--I'm a musicology grad student too! But I'm not a dissertating one yet. And am typing this from my carrel in the library, where I am not getting enough done.Micaelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424063023952527613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-82770940609818247392007-11-28T11:32:00.000-05:002007-11-28T11:32:00.000-05:00You cite me on Ariadne without mentioning my "Rösc...You cite me on Ariadne without mentioning my "Röschmann for Komponist" campaign? Aww.<BR/><BR/>It's funny, we seem to have seen similar things in the production, only with completely opposite reactions.JSUhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02477558636942883735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-9249261223301474592007-11-28T07:58:00.000-05:002007-11-28T07:58:00.000-05:00Maury, when I finally make it to this (which may b...Maury, when I finally make it to this (which may be sooner than I've bought a ticket for because, well, you know), I have dibs on writing another review, just because yeah.<BR/><BR/>(Admission to the crowd if anyone cares: I'm writing a dissertation on Gluck. Reception history centered.)<BR/><BR/>I think Wadsworth would be an ideal fit for any of the others, especially Alceste; the important thing in doing an Armide would be not to stiff the dancing/tableaux aspects of it. I would also kill to see Orphee (not Orfeo) at the Met.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01835412376364738567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-51433028379342550542007-11-28T07:35:00.000-05:002007-11-28T07:35:00.000-05:00I agree: one of the great nights at the Met both v...I agree: one of the great nights at the Met both visually and musically.<BR/><BR/>Idea: ALCESTE with Anja Harteros.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17999907.post-63233560960130395582007-11-28T02:40:00.000-05:002007-11-28T02:40:00.000-05:00Mauray thanks for the report - I was dying to hear...Mauray thanks for the report - I was dying to hear how it went. It may sound silly but I've loved Iphegenie every since I bought my first recording of it - Patricia Neway, Guilini at Aix - further back than I really care to think. Only saw it once - Glimmerglass with Burden and Gunn going all sexy and barechested on us. <BR/><BR/>I had heard good things about the production out of Seattle(??)and was wondering about the Domingo star-turn. <BR/><BR/>Just proves that done right Gluck can be exciting - next at the Met Alceste? Armide? the other Iphegenie?<BR/><BR/>If you need any donation for the garage sale I'll ship them over.Willymhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03652532356102638621noreply@blogger.com