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« OperaNow! #191: Happy Birthday, Oliver! | Main | OperaNow! #189: Semele, Schlimazel »
Tuesday
Jun182013

OperaNow! #190: Where's The Beef?

Oliver gives his review of the Boston Early Music Festival...Dame Kiri Te Kanawa shoots off her mouth as scheduled every few years...Floods cancel Handel Festival in Halle...Friend of the show Jimmy Smith makes Leipzig debut...Britten turns 100...X-ray reveals long-lost notes of Medee...Corrupt Cook County opera company gives first scholarship to a trombonist (that's Cook County for you).

What may be the last Oliver's Corner on Handel:  Semele Part IV (No way THAT will happen)

Plus Guess Who Died?

This week features Michael, The OC and Doug Dodson.

 

And...For those of you NOT of a certain age...

 

Reader Comments (8)

It was very Handel-heavy this week. We should probably do something über-Romantic next week to make up for it.

June 19, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterDougD.

"I've got a portrait in my attic that is BUSTED."
Doug Dodson, let's be best friends.

June 19, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMolly

Listening to the show now, I wanted to mention a couple of things, hopefully not in a smart ass way.

Kiri is judging Cardiff singer this week, that's why she's popping up and talking about young singers.

Also, they did all three Montiverdi's in ONE DAY at Komische Oper in Berlin recently. And it was apparently full of skinny naked singers. Kiri would have hated it.

Live the show, thanks guys.

June 19, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterAdam

This was a FANTASTIC pod cast! I LOVED IT SOO MUCH. I love the discussions about the recordings and the BEMF review. Thank you gentlemen.

June 19, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterJ

Welcome, J

June 19, 2013 | Registered CommenterMichael Rice

Not at all smart ass. Thanks.

June 19, 2013 | Registered CommenterMichael Rice

I actually liked Futral's version of the aria better than Baird's - liked the warmth of her sound even if it was marginally less attuned to early performance practices. I did a masterclass with Baird a very long time ago when I had no idea about anything singing-wise. Still, a lot of her ideas stuck with me, and she was very gracious as I struggled through my Handel aria!
I have to defend Kiwi a little bit as well - I know she comes off as sounding a little cray cray these days, but I second Adam's point that she is judging in Cardiff (and therefore thinking about these issues more than usual) and also, she obviously didn't mean singers need to eat beef, or for that matter look beefy. Simply I think, that you gotta eat to sing. But, agree with Doug that can we please have a moratoriam on these sorts of stories - enough already!
And...you guys just keep doing what you're doing. Michael's right that you'll never please everyone and that it'd be dangerous to start hosting people from opera companies etc. It's very difficult to maintain your critical distance then. I know this from experience! But perhaps with all your focus on teaching the young singers out there, especially over the summer with less going on in the opera world, you could occaisionally bring on a couple of your singer friends. Or a one-time panel type thing where you hash out what's going on for these singers trying to make a go of it.

June 21, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterGianmarco

FINALLY caught up on all the podcasts I've been behind on! Y'alls is still pretty great. For a possible Oliver's Corner that could be done quickly, you could technically do Pagliacci in 2/3 episodes (An episode on the Prologue, Balatella, and Vesti la Giubba), or all 3 Trittico operas over three episodes. Personally, I'd appreciate an episode on Otello or Les Vepres Sicilennes (seeing it soon at Caramoor and know next to nothing about it.).

Also, are you guys really thinking of winding down? PLEASE don't. I'd be so upset if you guys ended. I love listening to these podcasts. I would miss it so much.

June 26, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterOpera Teen

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