Ich war mal wieder im #Opernhaus in #Kiel, habe dort die #Oper „L‘elisir d‘amore“ von #Donizetti gesehen und für #KielErleben darüber geschrieben.

Eine romantisch-lustige Geschichte, schöne Musik, eine fantastische Inszenierung, ein grandioses Ensemble, ein großartiges Orchester und ein Bühnenbild, dem man die Liebe zum Detail ansieht, fügen sich zu einem begeisternden Abend für Opernfans und -neulinge zusammen.

https://www.kielerleben.de/news/lelisir-damore-liebestrank-kiel-verzaubert-10028895.html

Unser neuer Podcast »Hinterbühne« ist online!

https://www.theater-ulm.de/mediathek/podcast/pod-80d0e048641b98827fe8073c7a18

Vera und Paul sind im Theater auf royale, politische und sinnliche Themen gestoßen:

* die Oper »Roberto Devereux« mit einem Gespräch mit der Gastsängerin Klára Kolonits von der Ungarischen Staatsoper Budapest

* »Mephisto«, die Theateradaption, vorgestellt von Regisseur Malte Kreutzfeldt und den Ensemblemitgliedern Adele Schlichter und Markus Hottgenroth

* sowie das Schauspiel »Fräulein Julie«, in deren Welt aus Verlangen, Macht und Verführung die Podcast-Hosts mit Regisseurin Marlene Schäfer und Ensemblemitglied Frank Röder eintauchen

#theater #ulm #theaterulm #podcast #interview #oper #donizetti #mephisto

Don Pasquale, 1932
https://www.reddit.com/r/OldOpera/comments/1r548mc/don_pasquale_1932/

Tonight, for Valentine's Day, I decided to treat myself to Don Pasquale. I had promised myself I would listen to it, first at Christmas, then New Year, and failed to do so both times. Now, I'm glad I waited. What could be better than my favourite singer in a work by my favourite operatic composer?

Libretto
https://archive.org/details/donizettisoperad00doni

Wikipedia Link ((since I mentioned it)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Pasquale

Recording
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FeEiRH5ULk

Unlike when I first heard the opera, I didn't read the full libretto, just the Wikipedia entry. This is simply because I wanted to enjoy the beautiful voices and music and not be distracted by my screen reader speaking while it was playing, or have to stop occasionaly to read and then listen to more. However, I do remember it, and I love the story itself. It's hilarious, with scheming but no violence or cruelty, just fun. I laughed on a personal note as well, because I myself prefer seniors for partners. I felt sorry for poor Don Pasquale when he saw all of the things being bought and how much money was being spent, but the acting made it extremely comical, and the interaction between him and Norina was priceless.

This was an excellent production, with wonderful sound quality. The only thing that annoyed me was the huge gaps during the record changing. I would expect them when listening to real seventy-eights, not a digital copy. I have never heard this anywhere else, including the 1907 Pagliacci, the much later radio performances of various operas, and even other studio recordings. It was really distracting. The singing, however, was mostly excellent. I say that because although Adelaide Saraceni didn't have an annoying high-pitched, bright voice that gives me a headache (not being mean, it literally does), she didn't really impress me in this role either. I have also heard parts of it sung by Toti Dal Monte and Amelita Galli-Curci, and I wish the latter had been chosen for this recording because she was perfect. I really liked Ernesto Badini and Afro Poli, together and apart. I'm not normally one to gravitate to baritones or basses, but both are worth researching for more recordings. I had definitely heard Afro Poli in the past, so I recognised him, but I had to look up his name. "Cheti, cheti immantinente" made me laugh because it reminded me so strongly of Gilbert and Sullivan's patter songs. Even the plot itself would have been perfect for an operetta. Notice I didn't mention the entire reason for my listening to this opera, namely Tito Schipa! I had forgotten how incredibly small his part was. I'm sure it could easily fit on two seventy-eights. It was, obviously, perfect, but it left me sad and wanting more. It seems that, every time I hear Ferruccio Tagliavini sing something from his repertoir, it's always a big part. I actually heard more of Schipa in Act II of Manon! But, at least it's something, and his arias here were beautiful.

Overall, I would very much recommend this opera for anyone who wants to have fun and laugh. The story, music, and singing are all wonderful.

#Donizetti #opera #review #TitoSchipa

L'Elisir d'Amore, 1949

http://www.reddit.com/r/OldOpera/comments/1q0ut4r/lelisir_damore_1949/

Tonight, I decided to go back to one of my favourite operas, L'Elisir d'Amore. It's actually the second opera I ever listened to in Italian on 5 March of this year. It was so early in my journey that I didn't even write a proper review of it, except to say that I enjoyed the singers and hated the English libretto that I found. I still do, but sadly, for some odd reason, I didn't save the excellent translation from the Italian that Perplexity wrote for me, so I just read Wikipedia and listened to the beautiful singing.

Libretto

https://www.opera-arias.com/donizetti/l%27elisir-d%27amore/libretto/english/

To save you the headache of the above link, here is the Wikipedia entry. Why on Earth they skip both this recording and another from the same year in their discography section is completely beyond me! That said, don't skip the commentary at the beginning or in the middle, because it explains the plot very well and even what the singers are wearing! This is a great advantage of radio shows over videos for the blind, because without being told such things, even the sighted listeners have no idea about them without trying to find old pictures!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27elisir_d%27amoreWhile

Recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZXd43gtYIA

The story is a sweet and innocent one that does away with the violence and tragedies seen in so many operas. Instead, there is a love-sick young peasant in love with a landowner (though it's worth mentioning that the announcer describes her as wearing peasant clothing), and a sergeant determined to take her heart, not to mention a hilarious quack doctor trying to take advantage of the situation with a fake love potion. Of course, all ends happily, with everyone getting what he wants, even Belcore, since, as he says, there are plenty more women in the world. In short, it's exactly the sort of plot and opera that I love.

I really wish that Schipa had recorded this, as I consider Una Furtiva Lagrima to be one of his signature arias. But you really can't go wrong with Tagliavini. He is the only one to equal Schipa in this, and his Quanto è bella, quanto è cara is incredibly beautiful, and is, in my opinion, one of his best arias, though I prefer the studio version. For some reason, I thought Baccaloni was in this, but although he would have sung the part wonderfully, I was confusing it with Don Pasquale. Instead, we get Tajo, who is another of my favourite basses. I don't know why, but I forgot to add Bidu Sayão to the list of female operatic singers whom I know and like! Musically, this is exactly what I expect from an opera; wonderful arias, lovely harmonies, duets, trios, even great chorus parts, and good recititives. At no point did I feel it dragged. I was involved from the first moment to the last. I do wish they had included the Opera News on the Air and the Opera Quiz, though, as both sounded like they would have been interesting.

I enjoyed this when I first heard it,and I still do now. My other choice would have been Martha, which has a similar light and comedic feel, but I don't regret my decision, and I highly recommend this to anyone,but especially those new to opera. I will be revisiting my very first opera, Don Pasquale tomorrow, because it's a great way for me to start the year.

Edit. There is one with Baccaloni! It's the other one from 1949 that I mentioned. I didn't realise he was in it! And most of the other cast members are the same as well, so now, you can choose which one you want. That said, Tajo was still great, so you wouldn't lose either way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1c5EmlT-i0

#Donizetti #opera #review #Tagliavini