Interview: Svetlana Feodulova

In 2010 her name was entered in the Russian Book of Records as “the highest coloratura soprano in Russia”. At only 25, a sought after recitalist famous for her unusual vocal ornamentations, Svetlana Feodulova lives in Prague, however, often comes to Moscow to visit her parents and of course, to bring her new programs to the Russian opera stage.

Thus, without further delay, ladies and gentlemen, please meet Svetlana Feodulova.

Mandolin Vision: Good evening, Svetlana. Welcome to Mandolin Vision. It is so nice to have you on our blog.

Svetlana: Good evening. Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure.

MV: Svetlana, you have been entered in the Russian Book of Records as “the highest coloratura soprano in Russia”. What is the highest note that you have ever been able to sing?

S: The Book of Records registered my warm-up of the C in the 4^th octave, but in my routine warm-ups I go as high as E or G of the 4^th octave. I haven’t tried to sing higher than that yet.

The 4^th octave is not within the “working range” of a vocalist. However, I find it fascinating to fill my coloratura ornamentations with high notes, going up to very high tessituras.

MV: Your Olympia dances in pointe shoes, and your Rosina reads her love letter for Lindoro to her teddy bear. On the other hand, your singing is very technical and is filled with headspinning cadenzas.

How do you find the balance between vocal technique and dramatic portrayal of your characters? What do you focus on most while working on your characters?

S: It is impossible to achieve beautiful vocal technique without inner freedom. To me, that inner freedom only comes from understanding and feeling my character. Once that work is done, it is time to talk about dramatic security and beauty of sound. Therefore, besides working on my vocal technique, I devote quite a bit of my time to acting. I love exploring my heroines. Before I start working on a certain role, I give a lot of thought to who my heroine is, how I feel about her and what reaction I want to get from the audience. In case I have to come back to the same role, I try to discover something new in my heroine every single time.

As for the technical challenges, before starting a new aria, I try to get rid of the natural fear of difficult coloratura passages.

(Work x Work) + Will = Good performance

That’s my artistic formula, if you will.

MV: How did you discover opera and when did you decide to become a professional opera singer?

S: When I was very young, the children’s choir that I sang with at the time participated in a project called Stars for Children. That way as a child, I was fortunate enough to meet and perform together with Cecilia Bartoli and Mirella Freni. However, it was not until I shared the stage with Monserrat Caballe that I knew: my fate was determined once and for all. There was no way back!

MV: What was your very first operatic role? What made it special?

S: My very first role was Olympia from J. Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. That  was when I decided to add a little life to my heroine and hint to my audience that Olympia is a lot more than just an automat.

Thanks to the nature of this role I was able to discover (for the first time back then) the magic connection between coloratura and the emotional world of my heroine. It was Olympia that taught me how crucial the balance between technique and drama really is in an operatic performance.

MV: I heard you studied in Italy. Where did you study and what was the most memorable thing about that period of your life?

S: I can never stop wondering at how at times destiny makes its own choices for us and sends us in certain directions. Just imagine being told that your voice is unfit for a professional opera stage. In Russia I was told exactly that. However, just a few months after the terrifying verdict, I became a voice student in Accademia D’Arte Musica e Spettacolo not far from Naples. I guess, I was just destined to take this rocky road to the place that I am at now.

During my studies in Accademia I was impressed with a wholesome thorough approach to music education and the time spent on such crucial subjects as solfege and music theory. Our main focus, as students, was on the precision of musical phrasing and intonation, rather than loud vocalism. Through discussing details of vocal technique with my Italian professors, I learned how to maintain the right vocal technique independently.

MV: Which opera characters do you enjoy working on most and why?

S: A role is never just a role. To me, a role is a life. Oftentimes, the heroines I portray on stage influence my own vision of the world. By playing a character I embrace this character and make her part of my own personality, therefore, each and every role is special to me in its own way.

MV: If you only had one opera to keep for humanity, which one would it be?

S: I have always found it hard to choose one thing out of many. Thus, for instance, when as a little girl I was given a choice of which one (one being the operative word) of my stuffed animals to bring on vacation, I would sneak to the suitcases when no one was watching and hide all my fuzzy friends among the packed clothes.

Some operas are important to me, others are part of what I am. Therefore, if humanity had to face such a critical choice, trust me, I would do my best to be fair to humanity and find a way to keep them all!

MV: Besides music, what else are you passionate about? Do you have hobbies?

S: I try to broaden my horizons by doing all kinds of things. Even though my life is filled with music through and through, I love Physics and often read Science books.

I like to improvise in the kitchen, baking cookies or creating new dishes. I make flowers out of seed beads and create unique decorations for my concert dresses.

Occasionally, I catch a movie or a play. And of course, I enjoy shopping and just strolling  down the streets of my beloved city and embracing its beauty.

MV: Since the age of Rossini, opera and culinary have been walking hand in hand. Oftentimes, opera singers turn out to be true gourmands. Do you have a signature recipe that you could share with our readers?

S: To me cooking is a highly creative process. I would like to share a recipe of my favorite berry mousse. I guarantee that whether you are a grown-up or a kid, this simple and mouthwatering dessert will win you over from the first spoon.

Berry Mousse from Svetlana Feodulova

• 1 cup of fresh berries
• 2,5 cups of water
• 2 full table spoons of semolina
• 4 table spoons of sugar

Squeeze juice from berries. Separate juice from berries. Add water and sugar to the juice and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and filter. Put the compote back on the heat, add semolina, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes on low, stirring every once in a while. Chill, combine with the squeezed berries and whip with a mixer. Serve chilled.

MV: Describe your day before a performance. What do you always do and what do you never do, if you have to perform at night?

S: Before a recital I have to get a good night sleep, have a nutritious breakfast and try not to speak too much. I call it “my silent mode”. After lunch I start warming up or head to the rehearsal, after which I am back to my silent mode until the recital.

Every opera singer has his or her own way of getting ready for a performance. In my case, too much talking before the recital can affect my voice negatively, thus, maintaining the silent mode is extremely important to me.

MV: Is there an object, a talisman, a persuasion or a belief that you can’t go onstage without?

S: I never go onstage without my Russian orthodox cross. Prior to my every performance I recite a prayer.

MV: On Twitter you often quote thoughts of great people about music. Is there a quote that best defines your artistic credo?

S: Indeed, I collect quotes of the great people about music. At times, just a few words can say it better than a thick book. As for my personal artistic credo, it can be defined by the following phrase: Any victory starts with a victory over oneself.

MV: What are your plans for the nearest future? Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

S: My main goal is to learn how to maintain harmony between my two worlds: my career and my family.

MV: Finally, your advice to aspiring singers.

S: My advice to aspiring singers consists of 3 “nevers”.

Never #1: Never stop at what you have achieved – always move forward. Remember, there is no limit to perfection.

Never #2: Never memorize those arias mechanically. Think. Create. Live.

Never #3: Never lose the excitement and joy of your dialogue with music!

MV: Svetlana, thank you so much for this lovely interview. Mandolin Vision wishes you every success in your career and looks forward to your recitals in the future.

S: You are most welcome. Thank you for such interesting questions. I enjoyed our conversation. 

First Graduation

Ladies and gentlemen!
This is to announce that yesterday my son Troy had his first graduation "ceremony" from the Music for Toddlers class at Peabody Preparatory.

His walk to get his first diploma consisted of two or three steps from his regular classroom seat up to his teacher who handed him his diploma to the cheers and applause of his classmates and their parents. Not a big ceremony at all, but for Troy it meant the world!
As a result, he will now be able to enroll in the class of the next higher level with kids of his age and older. The new class will start in September and will probably be a parent-participation class in the beginning, but later will turn into an independent one.
Yesterday afternoon my birthday party slowly turned into a party for Troy. Everyone congratulated him on his first graduation as well as his progress. Everyone looked at his diploma, read it and told him how proud they were of him.
And of course, Troy was unbelievably happy. He still lovingly carries his diploma around the house and tells everyone that he wants "to go back to Mr. Eric's school again".

Puss in Boots Meets Nabucco

Whenever I see a glorious performance, I like to share it with the world by reviewing it, blogging and talking about it. However, before I send the memory of it off to the attic of my mind, I always make sure to share it with my very best friend and the most ardent music lover I know: my son Troy.

Thanks to the wonderful, supportive and flexible staff of Washington National Opera, who was able to spare 2 more orchestra tickets for Troy and I, this became possible on a sunny afternoon earlier this month, when we headed to the Kennedy Center to (re-)discover the unforgettable Strassberger's Nabucco.

Because my previous Nabucco post already directed you to my Bachtrack review and offered pics and vids from the said production, I take it that most of my readers have already had their fair share of Nabucco conversation and might not be ready for another word of this opera for quite some time. Taking that into consideration, I will try to write this post at a different angle, from Troy’s perspective, and, without repeating myself, mention things that were of particular interest and importance to him.

We started the day in the Kennedy Center gift shop, where Troy asked me to get him a tiny green guitar key chain. At the register he informed the saleslady that he “came to the theater to see opera Nabucco”, but needed “to buy this guitar to sing Figaro”. After she took the price tag off the guitar and gave it back to him, Troy asked if she wanted to listen to Figaro. The saleslady laughed and said that she certainly did.

So Troy bowed to her, pretended to play the guitar and sang very boldly: Se vuol ballare signor contino – se vuol ballare signor contino.
Se vuol ballare, indeed!

After the shop visit, it was time to go out to the grand balcony for a traditional fountain coin toss, and even though the fountain was not working, Troy did not lose his enthusiasm of observing the tradition.

Needless to say that anyone sitting in the audience that day was in theatrical heaven. However, for Troy, still in the beginning of his musical journey, it was more than a great show. It was magic – pure and utter magic.
During the show Troy had not stirred a finger, except for the times when he applauded (and screamed “Bravo”). He was so much into the performance that I hardly ever saw him take his eyes off the stage.
And truly, who could blame him?

The scene that fascinated Troy most was the one you see in the picture on your right: Abigaille (in our version of the story "the Bad Princess") and these literally two-faced fellas (one face on the front - one on the back) singing in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
It was hard to tell who they were: priests of Baal, or royal servants, but the way they were spinning to the music while bending their heads forward and backwards, as if in silent ecstasy, brought thoughts of some sacred ritual that this dance could have been part of. When Abigaille joined them, spinning faster and faster, silver confetti started coming down onto the stage. It looked breathtaking and resembled a scene from Venetian Carnival.
When Troy asked me if it was snow, I did not have the heart to disappoint him. Forget the laws of nature and climate zones - it did look like snow, so I decided to leave it at that.
Troy still talks about "how people in red dresses were dancing like this and then the snow was coming down like this", and if you ask me, loving it is the only thing that really matters.

By now I bet you all wonder about the title of this post. What on earth (with all due respect to noble felines), can Puss in Boots and the King of Babylon have in common? Nothing of course, unless, like my son, you are a fan of this cartoon

based on all-time opera faves put to rock beat and (see, I am not a snob!) sounding incredible in their new interpretation. The ball scene in the cartoon is set to a fast-paced semi-rock version of Va pensiero, which is almost dangerously catchy and absolutely wonderful!
So, my friends, consider yourselves warned: after you hear it once, whether you are a grown-up or a kid, an opera lover or not, you'll be hopelessly hooked on that semi-rock version.

Prior to the performance, I could not make up my mind whether to tell Troy about the familiar music he was about to hear or let him be surprised. Finally, I decided to tell him.
"But you need to listen carefully not to miss it, I added.
"It is the same music, but it sounds different because it is much slower and a bit sadder than in your cartoon".
All act long Troy was waiting and paying utmost attention not to miss it. It only took him several seconds to recognize it. He turned to me, smiling from ear to ear, and whispered; "Here it is - here it is. Can you hear it, mama?"

And that was how Puss in Boots met Nabucco.

I can't find words expressive enough to describe to you, my friends, with how much attention Troy listened to the glorious chorus. It seemed like he was taking in every single note of this timeless gem, as if trying to remember every second of it.
We left right after the chorus. The lights were conveniently on while the scenery was being changed, so Troy and I slipped out in no time. He loved it. He got enough of it and it was time to head home.

Ah, what a great season it has been!.. And to me, of course, it was all the more special since I could  share some of its glorious highlights with Troy!

On this happy note, here I am signing off. Time for tomorrow's birthday girl to take her beauty sleep! Buona notte a tutti!

Luckier Than Don G.

This summer my blog is celebrating its 4^th birthday.
Ahhh…  four years of exploring, discovering, teaching and learning. Four years of an exciting and wonderfully challenging conversation with the musical world. Not to brag or anything, but over this time my audience has gotten very extensive and includes readers from all around the globe: the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Romania, France, Netherlands, Russia, Ukraine, Albania, South Africa, Turkey, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Japan, China, South Korea and many more…

130-150 views on a good day. 60-85 on a slow one.

Countless countries… impressive numbers….

Wait a minute - haven’t we heard that story somewhere else before?

In Italia seicento e quaranta;
In Almagna duecento e trentuna;
Cento in Francia, in Turchia novantuna;
Ma in Ispagna son già mille e tre.

See, my friends, my catalogo boasts an even better country variety than the one of the famous Don G’s. Besides, unlike Don G, I am fortunate enough not to be chased around the world by a group of revenge-driven individuals in masks.

No, my friends, I am positively lucky.
(Luckier than Don G anyway).

Every once in a while (like every blogger) I do get negative comments and I thank you for them. Believe me, nothing ignites a discussion better than an occasional drop of negativity. However, most comments I get are very sweet and are filled with the joy of those readers who find pleasure in spending time on this blog.

It goes without saying that in big part, it is thanks to you all that I have the inspiration to do what I do and write what I write. Thus, today, to show my appreciation of your support, I would like to share with you all this beautiful letter from my new reader, Suzzane, who has a significant musical background, however, has only recently discovered the miraculous, ever-intriguing and ever-alive world of opera.

Enjoy and follow me on this blog and tweeter, leave comments and write e-mails! In short, reach out and I promise not to leave any comment (positive or negative) without a reply.

Cheers!

An Opera Blog Fan Letter from Suzanne

Greetings, Raisa,

I'm relatively new to opera appreciation. My husband and I have been attending the Met Live in HD presentations at our local movie theatre since April 2008 (our first was La Bohème). We've seen about 20 since then, and while I've enjoyed them from the start, something seemed to click this past season and I've become ravenous to learn all I can about Opera. I've watched YouTube videos, read opera publication websites, and subscribed to newsletters, following links from each one wherever they led me. That's how I found your blog and read a few of your recent posts, including "Troy's 1st visit to the Met".  I was completely enchanted reading about your son's excitement at being there and amazed at his grasp of the story (my once-3-year-old boys are now 20 and 23!). I decided I had to find out how he got to that point, so I found where you resumed writing the blog a few months after his birth. I've been reading chronologically from there and am now up to the present -- what an incredible musical journey you two have been on!  

I have been learning from your posts along with Troy -- even more when you started your opera classes for the seniors you work with. They remind me of most of the people filling our theatre for the HD broadcasts; in our late 50s, my husband and I are among the youngest in the room! Before each opera, I've tried to learn at least the story line, as well as a bit about the performers, composers and opera in general. Your posts about your talks are giving me so much more background on the composers and history of some I've seen and some I haven't yet. You've also given me an idea I plan to share with the enrichment coordinator (who is a long-time friend of mine) at the dementia care facility where my mother lives. Most of the 20 residents have Alzheimer's and many are in wheelchairs, but my friend plans physical activities, crafts, brief outings and movie showings for them, as well as coordinating related recorded music to play throughout the day. My mother used to love opera, but her health is too fragile for us to take her to the HD presentations, so I hope to bring opera to her by offering to lend my friend a couple of opera DVDs from my small (but growing) collection. I'll bet at least a few of the other residents would like to see them, too. And I may also tell her about "Conductorcise" to offer an alternative to their usual "put everyone in a circle and kick a beachball back and forth" exercise sessions, which some residents don't like. I don't know if many of the residents would be able to grasp the concept, but I'll bet some of them would love it.

I envy your proximity to all the cultural events you write about and review. I have a fairly musical background, growing up listening to my parents' classical music records, taking violin lessons for 9 years, playing in school and community orchestras, and taking a couple of music history and theory classes in college. I did actually see two live operas at the Kennedy Center in the mid-1980s when visiting relatives in D.C. Since then I've only been able to listen to the Met radio broadcasts. Along the way I learned of some of the most acclaimed stars, notably Pavarotti and Domingo. A few years ago I ran across a video clip of Bryn Terfel, and he's been my favorite until this past year -- when I "discovered" Dmitri during the HD performances. I have 4 of his CDs and have watched on YouTube just about every kind of music he sings, and I couldn't begin to list all my favorites. When I ran across clips from the 1989 Cardiff competition, I couldn't believe I had not previously heard of the baritone who beat Bryn! I've also been very impressed by Jonas Kaufmann, Elina Garanča, Anna Netrebko, and, of course, Joyce DiDonato, among the performers I've seen in HD. 

Now that I'm "hooked" on opera, I wondered how I was going to be able to wait months for the new HD season to start. Then we received the schedule for the summer arts festival at the internationally-known Interlochen Center for the Arts, which is only about 20 miles away. My husband and I usually see a few concerts each summer -- orchestral performances for me and string quartets for him -- but this year we also have tickets for a recital by Nathan Gunn! I loved seeing him in The Magic Flute (abridged, in English). We missed the HD showing but it was my first opera DVD, which is the first one I plan to offer my friend the enrichment coordinator for her residents to see.

I'll be following your blog (and Twitter posts) to find out what you get to see and review over the summer -- and to read about Troy's next musical adventures! How lucky you both are to share the love of such wonderful music!

Many thanks from a new fan,

Suzanne in Michigan  

Thank you for Figaro, Mozart!

I think you, my friends, are beginning to get tired of me dwelling about Troy’s fascination with Mozart, and in particular, Le Nozze di Figaro. But please bear with me a little longer – this post will be short, I promise.

For anyone who reads this blog, it should come as no surprise that, seeing how much my son enjoys the pure magic of this opera, I went ahead and got him this DVD, hoping that this production would come as close to the one of Bernard Uzan’s as possible.



Look at that! Who could ever blame Troy for talking about that performance every day since March!!!

Unfortunately, it did not quite do it.

Even though both the sets and the costumes on the DVD are traditional and are not bad at all, neither is as fabulous as the ones we saw in the Lyric back in March.

Troy, however, did not seem to notice the difference.

At the first sounds of the Overture, he took his Metropolitan opera “baton”, hopped on his little wash-your-hands-brush-your-teeth stool, and “conducted” all the way from the Overture to Non so piu cosa son.

When he got a little tired, he came off the stool but kept watching the opera from the couch, asking me to rewind certain scenes every now and then because he wanted to see them again.

That night he went up to the piano, picked up a small framed portrait of Mozart from its top and asked: 'Mama, can Mozart hear me?'

'Why, sweetheart, I asked, 'did you want to tell him something?'

'Yes, I want to tell him something.'

'All right, I said, 'you can tell him.'

And so with all the seriousness of a three-year-old boy, Troy looked at the portrait and said: “Dear Mozart! Thank you very much for Figaro!”

Well, dear Herr Mozart, of all the people among my acquaintance, I should be the first one to second that. THANK YOU!

Werther in the WNO: To Die for



Francesco Meli as Werther ( photo courtesy of the WNO)

Well, my friends, my review of  Massenet’s Werther, the latest opera I attended in the WNO, is up on the cover of Bachtrack, so as soon as you click here, click on the very top picture of the two artists in gloomy and very unflattering 1930s costumes (why can’t opera singers ever have a say in what they wear on stage?), that will take you straight to my review.

As a rule, I invest so much energy in my reviews that at times I feel a little too breathless to write anything on top of what has been published. In all truth, it’s all there: every point that I wanted to make and every thought that came to my mind while I was watching this production.

Can’t say I was crazy about the staging, the sets (I’ve seen much better work by Michael Yeargan here and here) or, oh horror!!! – the most unflattering costumes, but - Francesco Meli’s Werther was truly out of this world.

I dedicated a good portion of my review to the description of his vocal qualities and the way he sounded at different moments of the opera. I usually refrain from doing it in that much detail, but this time I simply had no choice. Besides being a vocal acrobat or should I say, a vocal marathon runner ( I mean, seriously, 6 arias in less than 3 hours - leave alone duets and ensembles?!?!) this frequent La Scala performer, is a truly incredible artist. Therefore, if only for the joy of hearing that voice along with Massenet’s tuneful and overwhelmingly beautiful music, try to catch Werther which runs in the WNO through May 27^th.

Oh, and before I forget: in case you plan your opera nights as full-fledge outings, don’t forget to stop by at the Kennedy Center Café upstairs. Doubtful as I may be about the motives for Werther’s self-destructing actions, I assure you that lemon roasted chicken with creamy mashes potatoes (the KCC’s latest creation) is definitely to die for.

Up next – my account of an earlier opera adventure. Stay tuned!

Strassberger's Masterpiece: Grandiose Nabbuco

Saturday night I probably saw one of the best productions in my life, directed and designed by my favorite stage director Thaddeus Strassberger whom we all remember by his incredible treatment of Thomas' Hamlet 2 years ago. My review is up on Bachtrack homepage, so just go to www.bachtrack.com and click on the same fabulous shot

Thaddeus Strassberger's Nabucco in the WNO

that you see on your right.
I realize that not everyone who reviews my posts always reads my reviews. That is absolutely fine - but - this is probably one review that I would like you all to read. You just have to know what was happening on that magical night in the WNO.
And once you get back to this blog, click here to see what real grand opera is all about!
As a visual bonus that briefly  describes how this magical production was brought to life, click here to learn more about the set creation and here
 - about the costume design.
And of course, don't forget - Nabucco in the WNO runs through May 22nd. If like mine, your heart longs for a real grand opera of a five-star quality, bold concept, deep thought, theatrical splendor and exquisite taste - you still have time to catch it. Jump in the car and go - it is worth every effort and every penny you spend.
Viva la opera!

Con Espressione

Please click on the link bellow to check out my new post.
http://mandolinvision.blogspot.com/2012/05/con-espressione.html

Con Espressione

About a month ago I watched Joyce DiDonato’s Vlog entry on expressive singing. Just like all her entries, it was quite interesting for me as a critic in terms of what to listen to and what to pick up on in a vocal performance. Not that I did not know anything about it before. I certainly did. However,  I have to admit that when it comes to singing, an artist’s perspective is priceless. (That also explains why I recently developed a weakness for opera master classes. Along with being fun to watch, they shed quite a bit of light on areas that would otherwise remain in the dark!)

It is no secret that operatic singing must be expressive. If it is not - why even bother singing?
Good technique and hitting all the right notes are uber-important, however, without a concept, without a character behind those notes, there is no good singing.
In her Vlog entry Joyce suggested mentally turning your back to the audience and trying to create a character without any help from your mimics, gestures, etc. Once your voice becomes the only expressive means available to you, your have no choice - your singing has to be expressive. If just from listening to your voice, the audience can tell what you are singing about and what kind of character you are trying to portray, have no doubts - your singing is expressive enough.

Ever since I discovered Troy’s love of music, I have been doing my best to provide him with the best CDs, DVDs and of course, opportunities to enjoy live opera and classical concerts. Like most people, Troy has been fascinated with Mozart for quite a while. However, since the night of this glorious performance, it has become a lot more than just “liking”. Somewhere between this guy and this guy, this guy has become an important part of Troy’s life.
He talks about Figaro several times a day. He asks to see Le Nozze pics over and over again. And of course, to his list of favorites formed a while ago from listening to essential Andre Rieu, he added the famous Overture and Se vuol ballare, signor Contino. The latter quickly became his favorite in the opera.
Not only did he like the music. He wanted to sing it and - he wanted to know, “what Figaro is saying over there”. Thus,before I knew it,  the words “signor”, “padrone”, " dice", “contino”, “ballare”, “si”, “sapro”, “piano” got into his vocabulary, and I dare say, even my sloppy Italian has been on the rise now that I patiently translated everything Troy wanted to know about "what Figaro is saying over there"...um... quite a few times.

By now Troy knows half the words from this magnificent piece, including some from the recit preceding the cavatina. He starts off bravely, pacing around the living room in wide steps and a funny frown on his face: “Bravo, signor padrone!”, mumbles just a little and then finishes it off in a very decisive manner “Non sara, non sara. Figaro il diiiiiiiice”. Then, just like Figaro picked up his guitar in Uzan’s production, he picks up his ukulele and pacing slowly around the living room, starts "Se vuol ballare, signor Contino…” He hums half the aria, just to keep the music going, but the other half he sings quite clearly and carries the tune quite well too.
And so he goes over and over again.
Not sure what pushes him to do it with so much persistence. Passion for music? Great memories of the performance? But whatever it may be, he is quite determined.

When  two years ago, I decided to get Le Nozze and Don Giovanni CDs, I was not quite sure which ones to pick, so I went for the pure and timeless classic – Cesare Siepi. Besides, I got them just a day or two after this wonderful artist passed away and felt that it was my tribute to the great opera master.
Now, however, seeing how much into Le Nozze Troy has become, I decided to add something else to his listening experience. What else could I add? What can be possibly added to the impeccable performances of Cesare Siepi? Absolutely nothing, except for just a little more ...espressione.

Before I go any further, fine print, my friends:

Please do not think that I claim Cesare Siepi not to be expressive enough. He certainly was. In fact, he was perfect. Yet, his was the singing of an old master. Like a Renaissance painting that is so terrifyingly perfect that one starts doubting if it is even man-made, Siepi's voice is so perfect that sometimes you wish for a hint of spice in it.

So, while Troy was enjoying Siepi’s Figaro and excerts from Don G, I conducted a thorough search and founded exactly what I was looking for. This CD should have been in our collection for a long time, but then again, better late than never.

Forget about portraying different characters on the same CD. Old stuff! Boring!

How about portraying several different characters within the same character? In this CD, in a mere matter of minutes, you get to listen to 3 completely different Figaros and 2 completely polar Don Giovannis.

A wonderful vocalist with endless breath, superb diction and very distinct phrasing, Erwin Schrott makes his performance a thrilling listening experience. A talented actor who lives the life of each of his characters, he brings his energy and inspiration into this insanely diverse vocal show, making the most out of every Mozart's note!

When he sings, Mozart’s music breathes. And lives.

 Take a look. Take a listen. Judge for yourselves.

Needless to say, Troy loves it, sings along, accompanying himself on the ukelele and learns more music (and diction, essential at his age) as he listens to it. In fact, watch out, my friends: he has just switched from "Ma-ma-Nina" to "Mada-mina"!

Happy Friday, everyone!