Opera Impressions

La Bella Norina

My first live performance at the Metropolitan Opera this year was Donizetti's Don Pasquale. It was a great pleasure to be at the Met again, the best part of which was hearing Anna Netrebko sing the role of Norina. Anna Netrebko was feisty and effervescent in the role of Norina in this comic opera. The role required Netrebko to assume various personae.

La Boheme, Again

OK, I admit it. I have become jaded. I attended the recent performance of La Boheme at the Met and I found myself very reluctant to again encounter the Zeffirelli production. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with the Zeffirelli production. It is just that after more years than I care to count and more performances than I can remember, I am tired of it. Actually, I dread it. They should change the libretto so that Rodolfo sings to Mimi, "of all the artist's garrets in all the towns in all the world, you walk into mine." Why Paris? Why this same room, the same table, chairs, food basket to be lowered from the ceiling? Why the same old inn in which Marcello and Musetta live? Why the same Cafe Momus? This proves the old adage about too much of a good thing.

To be fair, there were some minor changes in the movements of the characters on stage. That was refreshing. And the cast was good.

La Boheme - The Movie

I recently saw the new movie of La Boheme  on PBS and would like to share a few impressions. This movie features Anna Netrebko as Mimi and Rolando Villazon as Rudolfo. The movie was directed by Robert Dornhelm. I had been awaiting this film for some time especially since Ms. Netrebko did not sing the Boheme for which I had tickets last year because of her pregnancy and because I recently ran into Mr. Villazon on the street in New York City and, thus, felt even greater incentive to see his performance.

Les Contes d'Hoffman

I had really been looking forward to The Tales of Hoffman at the Met and was delighted with the entire performance. The performance of this opera at the Met had a wonderful blend of great singing, rousing music and interesting drama. The production by Bartlett Sher advanced the essence of the opera in so many ways. In describing the performance, I am sure that I will run out of superlatives.