Revelation of the Rose

It turns out, I am not as much of an opera Valmont as I thought I was. Apparently, there are still things about opera that do not only excite me, but also make me wonder.
Earlier this week I discovered Richard Strauss. Yes, my friends, just this week, and not a day earlier.

The home-made Met recording of Der Rosenkavalier, starring Renee Fleming and Susan Graham had been sitting on the shelf for almost a year, until this week, when I decided that I was ready for the journey.

May I just say, OH. MY. GOD!!!!!!!

I was shocked to the point of being speechless. Where is the easy-to-pick-up catchiness? Where are the tunes to memorize and sing to Troy?

No, my friends. Richard Strauss gives us none of that stuff.

This composer is a philosopher. His music breaks through traditional opera boundaries and just flies out there.
Behind every motif and every theme there is a thought. Behind every thought there is an allusion or a symbol. And that’s how Strauss gets to you – through your mind, just like German dramaturges of his time. Funny as it is, I caught myself on frantically reading the subtitles. Not only because it was my first time listening to this opera and because my German is not that fluent at this point. Rather because the words were so interesting, so clever, so wise and so relevant, that I just did not want to miss them. Take for example the Marschallin’s priceless aria about time Da geht er hin. It’s deep and oh, so wise.

How about her words about God’s way of trying our endurance by letting us watch ourselves grow old? Isn’t that so true? For most humans, at least?

Having affected your mind by thought, Strauss moves on to the next stage -your senses and by the time of the Presentation of the Rose scene, you are infatuated - big time!

I think I have to put my thoughts together a little neater and come up with an essay on Strauss or something.
Meanwhile, an incredibly beautiful Der Rosenkavalier poetry for you, my friends, to bring a melody into your rainy Friday. Enjoy and have a great weekend, rain or shine!

Silver Roses

BY RACHEL WETZSTEON

1967–2009

The strings, as if they knew

the lovers are about to meet, begin

to soar, and when he marches in the door

they soar some more—half ecstasy, half pain,
the musical equivalent of rain—

while children who have grown up with one stare

steal further looks across a crowded room,

as goners tend to do.

My father loved it too,

warned me at dinner that he’d be a wreck

long before the final trio came

(Ja, ja, she sighed, and gave him up forever);

he found his Sophie better late than never

and took the fifth about his silent tears

but like him I’m a softie, with a massive

gift for feeling blue.

I went with others, threw

bouquets and caution to the whirling wind,

believing that the rhapsody on stage

would waft its wonders up to our cheap seats;

but mirrors can be beautiful fierce cheats,

delusions of an over-smitten mind;

I relished trouser roles until I had

no petals left to strew.

Up, down the avenue

I wandered like a ghost, I wondered why

a miracle is always a mirage,

then plodded home and set back all the clocks,

spent hard-won funds installing strong new locks,

telling myself if violence like this

could never sound like violins, I would

to art, not life, be true.

And I am trying to

fathom the way I got from there to here,

the joy that snuck up when I’d sworn off joy:

we’ve made a sterling start, we’ve got a plan

to watch it on your satin couch downtown

and I’ll be there upon the stroke of eight,

bearing in my trembling ungloved hand

a silver rose for you.

Celebrating Little Victories

I hope you guys still remember this post, in which I blogged about my first review on Bachtrack that I myself kind of liked.
Well, fortunately I happened not to be the only one who liked it.
Friday afternoon (yes, that’s exactly how much behind I am with my posts – I just had to let Troy’s encounter with Maestra Alsop go first), I received this e-mail from the Bachtrack director.

Subject: You choose the right events!
Hi Raisa,
No-one else gets this coverage!
http://www.choralarts.org/Press/In-the-News.aspx.
Your latest press cutting.
Go ahead, click on the link, to see that review on Choral Arts Society’s official web site, right between Washington Post and Washington City Paper’s.
Moreover, that same review deserved a separate mention on the Bachtrack Site News April issue, which arrived via e-mail today.

Bachtrack Site News - April 2011
Some more off-beat classical concerts
Keeping you in touch with the new ways promoters are programming concerts, one of our reviewers went to a Washington recital of Mozart’s Requiem which offered more than she had expected: you can see her review on:
bachtrack.com/review-mozart-requiem-choral-arts-washington.
On this happy note, my friends, here I am signing off till further news - stay tuned!

Troy Meets Marin Alsop

Music lovers, no matter what age or proficiency level, all think alike. When a Saturday morning has nothing but a pouring rain to offer, they still know how to have a good time.

Saturday started with one of those hopelessly rainy mornings when you know there’s going to be no improvement later in the day. You get the idea… It was pouring!!!

After breakfast I asked Troy what he wanted to do, and of course he wanted to go to the park. I explained that we couldn’t because it was raining so hard.

Having heard that, he said something that both surprised and made me just a tiny bit proud of him: “ Go oo-seum, see I-kah” ( Translation: Let’s go to the museum and see Eurydice).

It sounded like the best option, considering the circumstances, so off we went.

The Ancient Greek Room was empty – could not be more perfect for our Eurydice quest. Having re-visited Orphee, Eurydice and Amour that we found on our previous visit, Troy, armed with a soft nail file (his pretend “baton”) and myself singing very softly to him, started the search.

As we were looking and taking pictures, I kept illustrating it all with Orphee’s arias. I was singing very softly, almost humming, not to bother anyone, just in case there were other people in the back of the room.

Suddenly, there was this young couple standing right in front of us with the most joyful face expressions. The girl said: “I just wanted to let you know that you have the most beautiful singing voice. We have been walking after you for some time and enjoying it! You sing beautifully!”

Excuse me? The most beautiful singing voice? Are you guys for real?

I was swept by embarrassment and surprise mixed with a tiny drop of pride. All right, I was flattered.

Having no vocal ambitions whatsoever, I mainly use my voice to sing for Troy and facilitate his musical discoveries. He is my only audience at the time, and I am very happy with the way it is. The fact that Troy likes my voice is one thing: naturally, children always like their moms’ voices.

Yet, did I really sound that good? Could it be because I love Gluck and fully let myself into Orphee’s sorrows and hopes every time I sing his arias?

This, however, was just Part 1 of our adventures.

Nothing on earth could have prepared us for what happened next. As we were about to leave, in walked Marin Alsop, our very own Baltimore Symphony music director and leading conductor, internationally acclaimed, numerously awarded and most widely acknowledged.

She looked exactly like in all her pictures, and exactly the way she looked on this night: stylish, classy and very sophisticated. I whispered to Troy who the lady was, and he looked very interested.

As Ms. Alsop and her friends stopped not far from us, we came up and I introduced myself and Troy. I told her that I was a huge fan and we shook hands. Then she looked at Troy and noticed his “baton”, and I told her that he loves “conducting” and that it’s his “baton”. She smiled and said” Really? Are you a conductor?” Troy did not say anything but looked at her very seriously and waved his “baton” in confirmation of my words.

Oh, I know my friends. You are thinking “Where is the picture of Marin Alsop and Troy together?” Somehow I could not bring myself to ask her. Some inner feeling, (call it intuition if you will) told me that under given circumstances this was just not the right thing to do. So I didn’t. But I could tell that, fascinated by conducting as he is these days, Troy was very impressed to have met a real conductor!!!

Music lovers, no matter what age or proficiency level, all think alike. When a Saturday morning has nothing but pouring rain to offer, they still know how to have a good time. They just head to an art museum!

A Day of Gifts or Le Comte Ory at the Met

On some days, life becomes generous to us and suddenly lets us have just a little more than we expect from it.


Those “days of gifts” (that’s what I like to call them), beautiful and rare due to their unusual nature, stay in my memory for years and make me incredibly grateful.

Saturday, April 9th was a day of multiple gifts, and if you are patient enough to bear with me till the end of this entry, you will learn why.

Pour yourselves some strong coffee, my friends – it is not going to be a short post, and I do prefer that you are still awake by the time it ends.

On this happy note, off we go to the Day of Gifts.

At the crack of dawn my mom and I were at Penn Station, Baltimore to take a train to New York. Hit the Pause Button // for Gift 1 right here.

Traveling with mom and going to the opera with her is a true gift for me. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you probably remember that my mom played the key role in my musical education, having started me on this fascinating journey years ago. So going to the opera with her (just like in the good old days) is a real treat and an experience to cherish.



The train ride was smooth and pleasant, the time flew and before we knew it, we arrived in Penn Station, New York.

Having left the nasty drizzle and high 40-s back home, we were happy to embrace a gorgeous sunny morning of low 60s!

Pause // for Gift 2. Great weather in New York on the day of your trip? That’s a real gift, my friends.

We had brunch at my favorite Arpeggio, located in the same building as Avery Fisher Hall. Because its main section was closed until lunch time, we were offered a lovely table at the glass wall overlooking Columbus Avenue.

Being there, on Lincoln Plaza, steps away from the Met and just one hour away from Le Comte Ory, it only seemed natural to toast this happy occasion with a glass of Marquis de la Tour in honor of Rossini and his sparkling music.

My mom is not a big fan of champagne, so we just ordered one glass to share. No sooner than we each took a sip, when Gift 3 arrived. Pause//.

The server approached us with another glass of champagne, placed it on the table and said: “Here you go – I just opened a new bottle.”



Brunch at Arpeggio

“Thank you, but we just ordered one glass, I said

“Oh, I know, - continued the server, - but this one is fresh. You can keep the other one too if you like, but this one tastes so much better”.
A free glass of champagne before seeing a Rossini opera at the Met? Could there be a better fit for the occasion? Rossini and champagne… a match made in heaven.
After the fabulous brunch topped with pear croustade and a chocolate dome (as hard to bite on as a real dome has to be), we headed to the Met.

Our next stop was typical for an every-once-in-a-while Met-visitor: the Met Shop!

The best time and place to get a gift for my little music lover. And what else did I get for him but La Cenerentola book + a card with Gluck’s portrait and a card with Mozart’s portrait. With deep satisfaction I noticed that the best musical books and DVDs for kids featured in the shop’s display have been in our home collection for a while. Apparently, I happen to have everything I need to teach my child music appreciation..

And then it was time to enter the temple of vocal arts and enjoy the opera.

Pause// right her for Gift 5.

Le Comte Ory, the opera, is a gift on its own. And I am not even talking about Bartlett Sher’s brilliant production. The opera itself is a gift.

We all know how quickly Rossini composed. We all know how passionate he was about food and wine. Well, my friends, this head-spinning opera sounded like it had been composed in the state of moderate to severe intoxication, before Rossini had the slightest chance to get sober. Don’t take me wrong – I mean it in a good way.

The opera was hilarious, silly, beautiful and charmingly chaotic in a purely Rossinian way. As a matter of fact it sounded a lot like Il Barbiere, except that it lacked its catchy highlights. Every once in a while one wished it didn’t, because the singers obviously had much more to offer than the score allowed them… but overall it was great. Except that at times it would get so crazy that I was almost ready to jump up from my seat and cry out: Can anybody tell me what is going on here for goodness sake?

However, one thing was a true revelation to me.

Remember the famous lovely trio from Act 2 of Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment, sung by Tonio, Marie and Sulpice?

Guess what? Act 1 of Le Comte Ory ends in an insane commotion and exactly the same trio, except that it’s sung by everyone on stage, i.e. every character in the opera. Donizetti wrote his opera in 1840, and Rossini – his opera in 1828. Does that ring the bell?

In 10 years or so, when women of my age start lining up in front of plastic surgeons’ offices, I’ll just go see Le Comte Ory with Juan Diego Florez, Joyce DiDonato and Diana Damrau and no doubt will be instantly rejuvenated – and, mind you, sans scalpel.

This production was a spiritual blood transfusion, which poured strength and happiness right into our veins. How amazing is it that great music and great artists can actually do that much for us, audience members?

The production looked a lot like Sher’s Il Barbiere, more so because it was staged and designed by the same team. It even had the same character, an old deaf servant, called Ambrogio in Il Barbiere. Ory’s long coat in Act 2 looked a lot like Almaviva’s and the costume designer’s preference for pink that we saw in both Sher’s Il Barbiere and Le Contes, was still in place.

And now to the best and the biggest of all gifts – the stellar trio: Juan Diego, Joyce and Diana.

Pause// and enjoy it. Three major opera stars sharing the same stage to sing Rossini on an HD transmission day. It does not get better than that!





Juan Diego at the curtain call



Juan Diego was an incomparable Ory. We loved him as a lust-hungry hermit, who never missed a chance to grace pretty ladies with his “healing” touch. Yet, at that point we had seen nothing yet. The best was still to come in Act 2, when together with his 25 very merry friends, he came out on stage, disguised as Sister Collette, the nun. On the same mission, clad in a nun’s habit, he now had more liberties, and lord, did he use them! Nothing seemed to give him more pleasure than playing this uber-comic role: trotting across the stage while sending passionate vibes to the object of his affections, spinning numerous fouettes in the middle of the stage and dancing with other “sisters” after secretly feasting on wine from the castle cellar. With the role being a very frivolous one, Juan Diego’s Ory was anything but vulgar. The edge between funny and vulgar is sometimes insignificant, but much to the artist’s credit, he never slid off to the other side.

Much could be said about the vocal quality of Juan Diego’s performance. But for those of you, familiar with this artist’s voice, one word would suffice – breathtaking. Those of you who know the name, most likely know the voice. Those of you who know the voice, are aware of its power. It sounds just as good as on your CDs and DVD-s, except for when it’s live its perfection is even more appalling.

As in the beginning of Act 2 “the nuns” entered the castle, their choir sounded very beautiful in the a-capella rendition of simple, but ah… such a genius Rossini’s song. And, just like one of my Bachtrack colleagues wrote in her review, Juan Diego’s voice “never blended”. Much higher than the rest, his voice was like the sunlight in an old Italian painting – the gold of the piece. Twice it went into the most exquisite falsetto of such harmony and taste, that for a moment the opera stopped being hilarious. Listening to those impeccable high notes, one just knew: not even the sky was the limit.

Joyce as Isolier at the curtain call

Joyce is an artist of a magnetic stage presence. When she is on stage, your eyes are glued to her. This was my third time (2nd this year) to see her live, but now in a pant role of a page in love. The energy that Joyce brought on stage was worth the energy of all the crusaders in the opera. Drinking countless cups of wine and being thrown around the stage by his master, her Isolier was manly and funny, yet had a softer, more lyrical side to his character. And her singing, as always, was way beyond praise. It was amazing! My mom, who saw Joyce live for the first time, thought that she was the strongest of the three. She also told me something that I wrote on this blog after seeing Joyce live for the first time: no CD or DVD can really do justice to her voice. You have to listen to her live!

Clad in all shades of pink, from magenta, to fuchsia to porcelain, adorned in plumage, ribbons and rhinestones, Diana Damrau was a sight to behold, way before she even sang the first note. And that tiny waist just six months after having a baby??? Unbelievable!

Her Adele was a lady of few thoughts and even fewer right ones and a walking proof of why oaths of chastity were so popular in the times of crusades.



Diana Damrau at the curtain call

Moments after she started singing, it became obvious why Diana wears the title of one of the best sopranos of our time. Not only was her flawless voice effortless in every note of its enormous range (truly, one could think that the higher the note, the easier it was for Diana to sing it). Along with silvery light that voice had color and deeper undertones. It was beautiful beyond words!

Having seen Diana live (the first time for both of us) we agreed that just like in Joyce’s case, Diana’s recordings do not do her enough justice.

And then there was that most controversial scene of the whole production – the Bedroom Scene. Don’t mean to sound like a prude or anything, but I have to be honest: I was not 100%comforatble seeing what was going on the stage. Neither am I too sure that the three artists were always 100% comfortable doing what they had to do. But hey, that’s what makes them great artists: they pulled it off without a hitch.

And yet, just out of curiosity, if Countess Adele, tied up by her oath of chastity, went that far, how far would she go if her brother did not force that oath out of her? One may only wonder…



<>

the Met, the Mekka of vocal arts - ahhh...



After the opera, which ended in a grandiose curtain call, mom and I crossed Columbus Avenue for an early dinner at Café Fiorello, the dining place of opera lovers. Besides, Fiorello was the name of Count Almaviva’s servant, remember? Thus, in a way, it was a theme dinner that continued our Rossini Day.

Thanks to the adrenalin rush from the show, we were not really that hungry. So we shared seafood risotto and profiteroles loaded with vanilla gelato and the thickest warm chocolate sauce for dessert.



The service was top notch, which I considered another gift. Honestly, there is nothing more annoying than a slow negligent service, especially when you’ve got a bus to catch later in the evening.

To cut the story short, we were out of Café Fiorello 50 minutes later. Needless to say, we hated to leave… but one got to do what one got to do. It was a beautiful warm evening, and after another farewell look at the Met across the way, we headed towards Rockefeller Center, our bus pick-up location.

Because we arrived early, we spent some time at the Met Museum Shop, where I got a tiny souvenir Stradivari violin for Troy, and fairly thought it to be the last gift of the day. Little did we know at that time….Oh, those days of gifts – sometimes their generosity goes overboard.



The only pic in this post, not taken by me

We, audience members, being at the Met, knew much less than those of you who attended the HD transmission in the theaters. So the good news caught up with me 5 minutes before 10:00 p.m. as I was parking my car near my house. It arrived in my cell phone in the shape of a tweet from Joyce. Of course, by now it’s old news, but here is what the tweet said: Congrats to the new father: Juan Diego!! Baby arrived just in time for the curtain!!! Auguri!!!!!



The birth of Juan Diego’s son Leandro, just 35 minutes before the curtain, made this performance kind of historical. And how lucky were we to have been there!

Congratulations to the new parents. Of all the people who got gifts on April 9th, you two got the most precious one!

Cheers!

Review: Rob Kapilow Gives Mozart's Requiem a New Vision

Another afternoon trip to Kennedy Center last Sunday and another review, maybe my first Bachtrack work that I kind of like.

Yes, I am being quite critical of myself, but then how is one supposed to grow without self-criticism?

Needless to say, Mozart deserves all the praise, but so does Rob Kapilow – what a thinker, what a philosopher, what a musician.
Use every opportunity to listen to this guy, my friends – it will be a true lifetime experience for you!

Thus, without further delay: the review. Hopefully, you won't get bored.

Up next – Le Comte Ory at the Met!  Stay tuned for my super-special review of the opera, awesome curtain call pics and more!

A Good Kick

Doеs any of you ever feel like you would do so much more with your lives if someone gave you a good kick in the right time?

That’s what I am best at – good kicks. After all, that’s what teachers are for, right?

During the last couple of months I got my Opera Appreciation students completely spoilt with live opera. At this point they don’t seem to be happy living without it. So they keep looking for ways to satisfy their opera thirst. And most importantly, on their own!!!

Last week one of my opera lovers saw an ad about a free opera recital at a local synagogue. Another one volunteered to drive to the synagogue and get the tickets. Meanwhile, a third student gave the others a buzz, found out which of them wanted to go, made a list and handed it to “the driver”.
Last Sunday, after all the arrangements were successfully made, five of my opera lovers drove together to the opera recital. Not only did they enjoy the show, but also they became good friends and got back to me in utter admiration of music and - one another.
Having been neighbors for years, only now did they realize how much they actually had in common!

I can’t tell you how rewarding it is for me to see the fruits of my work and know that at any age music gets to bring people together and motivates them to keep moving and growing.

Sometimes all one needs is a good kick.
So with my mission thus accomplished, happy Friday, everyone!

A Weekend of Humming and Singing

Friday night: Cuddling time with Troy and his 2 best friends: Misha, the Teddy Bear and Svinya, the Piglet.

Troy: Mama, a-tjurah Rah-sinni!(Translation: Let’s hum Rossini’s Overture to Thieving Magpie,[ his latest favorite]).

And so we hum it together. Over and over again. Oh, that catchy music… It’s fun and it’s making Troy incredibly happy and calm before his bedtime. Take notice, mommies – humming your toddler's favorite tunes is an excellent way to calm him/her down, especially if he joins you.

Next day is Saturday, and right after breakfast we head to a beautiful park, just minutes away from our house. It boasts a gorgeous landscape with an antique mansion, a beautiful garden, a gazebo, statues of goddesses and lions, and quoting Wordthworth:  A host of golden daffodils.

It’s a quiet happy morning. There isn't a soul in the garden - just us. Can there be a better time and place for music making? After all, Rossini is calling!

Troy must have entered the stage of his life when he needs to see an image of everything he listens to. He is looking for a visual proof of word. And truly, it's almost impossible to think of successful learning without collaboration of the visual and the auditory!

It’s Sunday morning, and my mom, Troy and I make a special half-an-hour stop at the Walter’s to see Orphee and Eurydice.

At 10:15 a.m. the museum could not be more toddler-friendly. It’s empty – and perfect for a short story and even some quiet singing!

It does not take us long to find Orphee, Eurydice and Amour. Any Ancient Greek Room is full of statues and statuettes resembling these mythological characters.

Troy is really excited. He repeats their names as if they were magic words and saying them could bring all the three to life: A-feh...

A-moo...

I-dikah…

On our way home I play highlights from O&E, and Troy sings along and conducts.

Sunday night.

Troy: Mama, play A-feh, A-moo, I-dikah!

So I come up to the piano and try to play J’ai perdu mon Eurydice. It comes together easily and sounds all right. Troy listens and asks me to play it again.

Precious time with Troy, the dearest of people and the best of friends.

Of Singing, Humming and Playing

This March Troy started singing.
No, it’s not my April 1st joke. I am serious. He sings with his voice and seems to have no problem carrying a tune. I was very touched to see that he remembers all the songs that I have sung for him since Day 1, and is now ready for a sing-along !!!

His repertoire goes from Harold the Helicopter to Kalman’s Komm Zigan, to Russian songs to scenes from Rossini’s Cenerentola, which he sings along with the DVD. He mispronounces some of the words (hey, they are Italian after all), but always gets the music right.
He hums orchestral music, such as Handel’s Alla Hornpipe, and does it with precision, note for note, as if it were the simplest song.

Like I mentioned earlier, Troy started playing his harmonica this week. He is super-excited to be able to do it. He tries to play Lehar’s Csardas and his favorite Alla Hornpipe, and goes all the way up and down the octave, by quickly moving the harmonica right to left and left to right.

At this point not only does he know the names of many musical instruments but also he can name quite a few. Thus, in his language “lin”or “nin” stands for violin, “too-bah” for tuba, panyo” for piano, “ett” for trumpet, “ i-tah” for guitar, “bum-bum” for “drum” and finally, “ too-too” for his favorite French horn.

Besides, “tjurah” stands for overture, "oosik"/ "oosikah" for music, "Geh", "Genneh" or "h-andel" for Handel, Verdi (very clearly and nicely said) for himself.
If you ask him who wrote Ooolie-ooolie (Halleluya) or Water Music, he’d say "Genneh" or should you get him in the best of his moods - "h-andel".