Fabulous Weekend Music

[MSFixR]

Last night we attended the symphony and had the privilege of hearing an absolutely fabulous young soprano, Kelly Kaduce. A standing room only crowd enthusiastically enjoyed evening’s program which was devoted to opera music. It began with the overture to Verdi’s “La forza del destino”,

Following that, the prelude to Act I of Verdi’s opera “La traviata” was played,

The lovely and most talented Kelly Kaduce then entered and sang three arias from “La traviata”, “E strano”, “Ah, fors’e lui” and “Sempre libera”,

(Netrebko)

Unfortunately the only example of Kaduce singing is from this rehearsal at the Kentucky Opera,

(Kaduce)

Ms Kaduce received a well deserved, standing ovation following these arias. The first half of the concert was concluded with ballet music from Verdi’s opera “Macbeth”.

The second half of the concert began with Prelude to Act II and “La tragenda” from Puccini’s opera “Le villi”. Following these Ms Kaduce returned to the stage to sing “Un bel di, vedremo” from Puccini’s opera “Madama Butterfly”,

(Gheorghiu)

Ms Kaduce sang the title role in “Madama Butterfly” in last season’s Opera Theater production and this is where I first heard her sing. She followed “Butterfly” with “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s one act opera “Gianni Schicchi”,

(Gheorghiu)

The latter opera is usually combined with the other two Puccini one act operas “Sour Angelica” and “Il tabarro” comprising a triptyck. The aria “O mio babbino caro” is a teenager’s imploring her father to allow her to marry the boy she loves.

O my dear papa
I like him, he is handsome, handsome
I want to go to Porta Rossa
to buy the ring!
Yes, yes, I want to go there!
And if my love were in vain,
I would go to the Ponte Vecchio
and throw myself in the Arno!
I am aching, I am tortured!
Oh God, I'd like to die!
Father, have pity, have pity!
Father, have pity, have pity!

Ms Kaduce received the second standing ovation of the night at the conclusion of this famous aria. The concert was concluded with a collection of music from Richard Wagner’s opera “Der Ring des Nibelungen”

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This afternoon I went to see the simulcast of the Metropolitan Opera's production of Puccini's opera "La Rondine"

"La Rondine" is an opera in three acts with music by Giacomo Puccini and libretto by Giuseppe Adami.

Magda – Angela Gheorghiu
Ruggero – Roberto Alagna
Lisette – Lisette Oropesa
Pruinier - Marius Brenchiu
Rambaldo – Samuel Ramey

Conductor – Marco Armilliato

Magda, mistress to wealthy Rambaldo, lives in Paris during the 1920s. At a cocktail party in Rambaldo’s home, the poet Pruinier sings a ballad he has written about a girl who rejects the love of a king. Magda, sitting at the piano, finishes the song, making up a second verse that tells how the girl falls in love with a student (“Chi il bel sogno di Doretta”). A visitor, Ruggero, enters and seeks advice on entertainment in Paris. All suggest Bullier’s. The group leaves except for Magda who at first decides not to join them and then changes her mind, dressing simply to appear incognito.

Act I “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta”

Angela Gheorghiu

At Bullier’s Madga joins Ruggero who doesn’t recognize her but nevertheless they fall in love. Prunier and Lisette arrive and Lisette recognizes Magda but does not reveal her identity to Ruggero. All join in a toast (brindisi). Rambaldo enters and confronts Magda who tells him that she has found love with Ruggero.

Act II brindisi

In a villa on the French Rivera, Madga and Ruggero have been living the idyllic life but their money is running out. Ruggero proposes marriage but Madga confesses that she can be his mistress but never his wife. Leaving the devastated Ruggero behind, Madga goes back to her old life with Rambaldo.

The opera played to an almost full house, and world-wide the audience for Saturday's matinee exceeded 100,000!

[MSFixR]

Here are two clips from the actual Met production I saw on 1/10. Before the opera began, the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, Joseph Volpe, came on stage and announced that even though Angela Gheorghiu was recovering from a cold, she would sing her lead part of Magda. There was a comment from the audience right before he spoke - "Oh no!" as his appearance on stage before the opera usually means one of the principals is ill and will not appear. Nevertheless you can tell that she was pushing it in this quartet and the aria that follows.

"Ch'il bel sogno di Doretta", from Act I
Angela Gheorghiu, as Magda, and Marius Brenciu, as Prunier
"La Rondine", The Metropolitan Opera, January 10, 2009.
(BTW, the older gentleman in the backgound is Samuel Ramey.)

Quartet - "Bevo al tuo fresco sorriso", from Act II
Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Marius Brenciu (making his Met debut), Lisette Oropesa
"La Rondine", The Metropolitan Opera, January 10, 2009.
(BTW, Gheorghiu and Alagna are married. She is Romanian and he is French of Sicilian descent. They met while starring in another of Puccini's opera, "La Boheme".)

[taylorbabe3]

wow that sounds good

[taylorbabe3]

very cool