So cool!! I've seen most of he live HD series this season, which is great as you see much more detail than at the opera house (it's like watching a football game at home or in the stadium) but I don't get to see the great chandeliers... ;-)
Yeah, I mostly end up seating on the last row of the orchestra, not so easy to see the expressions of the actors. Now I understand why people take binoculars to the opera!
Last Saturday we were all the way up in the family circle, which is as far as it gets, but we got to see the orchestra from above in all its 97 elements... very impressive! The binoculars certainly were handy! Which ones operas did you see this season?
Loved Madama Butterfly (all of it, music, singing, staging, dancing, bunraku), Otello's singing was extraordinary (didn't care much for the controversy surrounding the lack of painted face), Roberto was ok (I guess I had higher expectations for the last of Donizetti's queen operas, after Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda a couple of seasons back). Have not seen the Met's Tosca's production, but if it's anything close to that of the Royal Opera House's in London it's remarkable... love the music! Carmen is probably my favorite opera; saw it live from the Met in the Fall of 2014 at Gulbenkian (!), and also many years ago when I was still living in Boston and came to New York for a weekend... I don't recall in 2014, but more than 10 years ago they had a live donkey on stage!
Lucky you to be so close to the Met! From this season (probably showing next season as well) I recommend Les Pecheurs de Perles: lovely music, wardrobe, phenomenal special effects in the overture... and Polenzani, of course :-)
My favorites were definitely Carmen and Madama Butterfly. Carmen is so joyful, so many people on stage, so many songs that sound familiar. Madama Butterfly is beautiful, and I found the staging really stunning. I agree with your thoughts about Otello and Roberto, Tosca I liked a lot too, and thank you for the tips for next year! I read the book Pescadores de Pérolas, is the opera about the same story? And I confess that I've never heard of Polenzani...
I have never read the book, but it's a story set in the ancient East where two friends fall in love for the same woman, a virgin priestess on whose prayers and purity an entire village of pearl fishers relies. The libretto was picked up by Bizet (the composer of Carmen) but I don't know the author.
Matthew Polenzani was Roberto Devereux himself :-) I did not enjoy the production much and at some point I thought there was some problem with lighting at the Met because the stage was always so dark... but the close ups on Polenzani were great! He sings Nadir in the Pearl Fishers... here's a snippet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvJ95U9U9tE
11 comentários:
O que foste ver?
The last performance of Elektra, exactly a week ago.
Nice! I work next door, and live quite close, so I've been getting rush tickets and going to the opera fairly often! :)
So cool!! I've seen most of he live HD series this season, which is great as you see much more detail than at the opera house (it's like watching a football game at home or in the stadium) but I don't get to see the great chandeliers... ;-)
Yeah, I mostly end up seating on the last row of the orchestra, not so easy to see the expressions of the actors. Now I understand why people take binoculars to the opera!
Last Saturday we were all the way up in the family circle, which is as far as it gets, but we got to see the orchestra from above in all its 97 elements... very impressive! The binoculars certainly were handy! Which ones operas did you see this season?
Madama Butterfly, Otello, Roberto Devereux, Tosca, and the season before that one, Carmen. E para o ano há mais!
Loved Madama Butterfly (all of it, music, singing, staging, dancing, bunraku), Otello's singing was extraordinary (didn't care much for the controversy surrounding the lack of painted face), Roberto was ok (I guess I had higher expectations for the last of Donizetti's queen operas, after Anna Bolena and Maria Stuarda a couple of seasons back). Have not seen the Met's Tosca's production, but if it's anything close to that of the Royal Opera House's in London it's remarkable... love the music! Carmen is probably my favorite opera; saw it live from the Met in the Fall of 2014 at Gulbenkian (!), and also many years ago when I was still living in Boston and came to New York for a weekend... I don't recall in 2014, but more than 10 years ago they had a live donkey on stage!
Lucky you to be so close to the Met! From this season (probably showing next season as well) I recommend Les Pecheurs de Perles: lovely music, wardrobe, phenomenal special effects in the overture... and Polenzani, of course :-)
My favorites were definitely Carmen and Madama Butterfly. Carmen is so joyful, so many people on stage, so many songs that sound familiar. Madama Butterfly is beautiful, and I found the staging really stunning.
I agree with your thoughts about Otello and Roberto, Tosca I liked a lot too, and thank you for the tips for next year! I read the book Pescadores de Pérolas, is the opera about the same story? And I confess that I've never heard of Polenzani...
I have never read the book, but it's a story set in the ancient East where two friends fall in love for the same woman, a virgin priestess on whose prayers and purity an entire village of pearl fishers relies. The libretto was picked up by Bizet (the composer of Carmen) but I don't know the author.
Matthew Polenzani was Roberto Devereux himself :-) I did not enjoy the production much and at some point I thought there was some problem with lighting at the Met because the stage was always so dark... but the close ups on Polenzani were great! He sings Nadir in the Pearl Fishers... here's a snippet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvJ95U9U9tE
Ahhh, estou a pensar noutro livro: "A Pérola" do Steinbeck. Oops, foi ao lado. :)
Enviar um comentário