'Major' BBC series on opera this autumn

[John Mallinson]

BBC programmes on opera are planned to coincide with the V&A's exhibition Opera: Passion, Power and Politics

[alison]

And I've just managed to miss the documentary on Jonas Kaufmann   Did at least manage to get Othello up and recording before the actual performance started, though - I don't feel up to watching opera starting at 10.30 and going on until the early hours.

[John Mallinson]

This is the link to the documentary.

[alison]

Thanks, John, but no use to me.

[MAB]

I did watch the kaufmann documentary, though I'm definitely not one of his fans, glad I watched though as the moment when Gheorghiu  failed to appear on stage after he had encored Nessum Dorma was priceless.  Also loved the girl at the Britten house in Aldborough who pointed out that Peter Pears had a very high vocal register when hearing Kaufmann plans to sing Peter Grimes, it was a very tactful way of putting it.

 

His arrogance was astonishing, loftily saying his singing Strauss's Four Last Songs was justified because Strauss had only specified a high voice (his is not high by the way, it is positively baritonal) and addressing an orchestra as to how he wanted the music played rather than discussing it with the conductor was the height of rudeness.

 

Never really liked him but now like him a whole lot less.  Played a Franco Corelli CD afterwards as a kind of antidote.

[MAB]

On ‎20‎/‎09‎/‎2017 at 10:52, John Mallinson said:

BBC programmes on opera are planned to coincide with the V&A's exhibition Opera: Passion, Power and Politics

 

I see Lucy Worsley, the queen of dumbing down, is involved.  Sadly I don't think this will turn out to be memorable.

[Lizbie1]

43 minutes ago, MAB said:

Never really liked him but now like him a whole lot less.  Played a Franco Corelli CD afterwards as a kind of antidote.

 

I don't dislike him as such, I just don't really rate him. It's also, contrary to a lot of the commentary about him, not a large voice.

 

Franco on the other hand...

[penelopesimpson]

I found the documentary fascinating and Kaufmann exceptionally charismatic.  Seeing his Othello in the summer was certainly the highlight of my year.  An astonishingly wonderful evening.

 

Should have added that I was disappointed with the Worsley programme, apart from the shots of Venice.  I can cope with her better than I can cope with Bussell and Oduba but somehow the programme seemed disconnected and I found my attention wandering.

Edited October 16, 2017 by penelopesimpson

[Sim]

5 hours ago, MAB said:

I did watch the kaufmann documentary, though I'm definitely not one of his fans, glad I watched though as the moment when Gheorghiu  failed to appear on stage after he had encored Nessum Dorma was priceless.  Also loved the girl at the Britten house in Aldborough who pointed out that Peter Pears had a very high vocal register when hearing Kaufmann plans to sing Peter Grimes, it was a very tactful way of putting it.

 

His arrogance was astonishing, loftily saying his singing Strauss's Four Last Songs was justified because Strauss had only specified a high voice (his is not high by the way, it is positively baritonal) and addressing an orchestra as to how he wanted the music played rather than discussing it with the conductor was the height of rudeness.

 

Never really liked him but now like him a whole lot less.  Played a Franco Corelli CD afterwards as a kind of antidote.

He had actually just encored 'E Lucevan Le Stelle' from Tosca.  Apparently Gheorghiu was so annoyed about it that she had to make her own diva statement, so just didn't turn up.

 

I also like Kaufmann, but can understand why others don't.  However, the 'old fashioned Italians' and Jussi Bjorling are still my favourite tenors.

 

The Lucy Worsley programme was good for people who are new to opera, or who don't know too much about it.  I find her a very lucid presenter, and the programme was fine as an introduction to opera, but she is one of those people who annoys me:

 

She is incapable of doing a documentary without going into the dressing up box like a five year-old;

She wears a little bobbie pin in her hair;

She wears white tights; 

She kept mis-pronouncing Monteverdi......gggrrrr!!

 

OTOH, I am reading her book "Jane Austen At Home" and it is very well written and researched and I'm enjoying it immensely.  

[bangorballetboy]

5 hours ago, MAB said:

I did watch the kaufmann documentary, though I'm definitely not one of his fans, glad I watched though as the moment when Gheorghiu  failed to appear on stage after he had encored Nessum Dorma was priceless.  Also loved the girl at the Britten house in Aldborough who pointed out that Peter Pears had a very high vocal register when hearing Kaufmann plans to sing Peter Grimes, it was a very tactful way of putting it.

 

His arrogance was astonishing, loftily saying his singing Strauss's Four Last Songs was justified because Strauss had only specified a high voice (his is not high by the way, it is positively baritonal) and addressing an orchestra as to how he wanted the music played rather than discussing it with the conductor was the height of rudeness.

 

Never really liked him but now like him a whole lot less.  Played a Franco Corelli CD afterwards as a kind of antidote.

 

For someone accusing another of arrogance, there are a number of inaccuracies in your post.

 

The encore was Tosca, not Turandot.

It's Aldeburgh.

The comment about Pears was that "he had a particular type of voice" not that he had a high vocal register.  Kaufmann is most certainly a tenor; his range is higher than that ascribed to the tenor range by the usual academic sources (Harvard, Yale, Grove, etc.) - there are recordings and videos that confirm this.  Whilst Kaufmann has a darker sound and quality, that doesn't make him a baritone. I've heard Kaufmann sing bits of Grimes and it's perfectly fine, with no stretch or breaking.  His voice is also darker than Pears, but then so is Stuart Skelton's and his Grimes is one of the most fantastic things I have heard recently.

 

And just to note, I'm not a superfan (I usually let Mrs. BBB have my share of the ticket allocation is there is a limit).

 

[MAB]

7 minutes ago, Sim said:

He had actually just encored 'E Lucevan Le Stelle' from Tosca.  

 

Doh, of course he had, clearly I'm losing the ability to 'multitask' as I typed that blooper whilst listening to a compilation CD as Bjoerling was singing Nessum Dorma.  Thanks for the correction.

 

Agree about Lucy  Worsley, the dressing up thing is weird.

[Lizbie1]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

However, the 'old fashioned Italians' and Jussi Bjorling are still my favourite tenors.

 

Of today's tenors it's only Calleja who *really* does it for me, and he's the only singer I will always show up for. (The Bjorling resemblance may have something to do with it!)

[Lizbie1]

52 minutes ago, MAB said:

... whilst listening to a compilation CD as Bjoerling was singing Nessum Dorma.  Thanks for the correction.

 

MAB, to bring this back to Tosca while simultaneously drifting even further off topic, are you familiar with Bjorling's late Carnegie Hall E lucevan (with piano accompaniment)? Hair-raising stuff!

[MAB]

No, but I am now.

 

 

 

[penelopesimpson]

Hmm.  If Maestro Pappano has no problem with his star tenor addressing the orchestra, I cannot see why anyone else would get worked up about it.  Kaufmann went on to explain, extremely clearly, exactly why he did it, and it made perfect sense.  I adore this guy's voice, his stage presence is fabulous and his attitude attractive.  But then, I'm just an amateur!   Loved your descriptions of his voice, Bangorballet boy.  Thank-you.

[penelopesimpson]

Talking of Gheorghui, I have bagged a ticket for her Tosca.  How likely is she to show?

[Lizbie1]

All I can say is that she's never yet cancelled on me - unlike JK.

[RuthE]

Whereas I've started booking only for first nights and broadcast nights if I'm particularly keen to have her turn up...

[RuthE]

19 hours ago, bangorballetboy said:

The comment about Pears was that "he had a particular type of voice" not that he had a high vocal register.

 

I took it to mean "a voice which doesn't have a problematic passaggio in exactly the place where all of 'Now the Great Bear and Pleiades' sits".  As in, something that Kaufmann has in common with Pears, despite the nature and timbre of their instruments being very different.

 

I'm no superfan either, but I'd love to hear Kaufmann sing Grimes.  (I'd sooner hear his Ghermann in Queen of Spades, mind.)

[Scheherezade]

On 17/10/2017 at 11:36, RuthE said:

Whereas I've started booking only for first nights and broadcast nights if I'm particularly keen to have her turn up...

 

Me too, Ruth. It's as close to a guarantee as you can get although, of late, she does seem to be turning up for far more performances than before.

[Scheherezade]

On 16/10/2017 at 15:53, Sim said:

However, the 'old fashioned Italians' and Jussi Bjorling are still my favourite tenors.

 

Without question my 'go back in time' moment would be to hear Jussi Bjorling sing live. He is the only singer whose recordings can reduce me to tears. No-one today comes close, although I agree with Lizbie1 about Calleja having the greatest resemblance.

[Lizbie1]

12 minutes ago, Scheherezade said:

 

Without question my 'go back in time' moment would be to hear Jussi Bjorling sing live. He is the only singer whose recordings can reduce me to tears. No-one today comes close, although I agree with Lizbie1 about Calleja having the greatest resemblance.

 

I've read a number of times (I think that Victoria de los Angeles was one of those who said it) that Bjorling's voice was much more beautiful in the concert hall or opera house than on record, which fairly boggles my mind.  I think that Calleja has something of that about him: hearing him in person only once or twice a year, I forget in between just how gorgeous his voice is and it thrills me anew.

 

There are other tenors I like a lot but Calleja is the only one I could imagine roaming the world to get my fix, as it were.

[alison]

On 17/10/2017 at 11:36, RuthE said:

Whereas I've started booking only for first nights and broadcast nights if I'm particularly keen to have her turn up...

 

I notice she's not involved in the broadcast this time ...

[MAB]

I always find the term 'greatest' very loaded as it is  highly subjective, but the fact remains that pretty much all the famous tenors of the last hundred years or so are available somewhere on CD so the voices live on and their performances are as vivid today as they were decades ago.

 

Didn't want to mention Calleja as I'm half Maltese and could be considered biased.  When I first heard him as you young singer, he reminded me a little of a great favourite of mine, Alfredo Kraus.  Not so much now though as his voice has matured and he has developed a sound that is unique to him that is very beautiful.  Most recordings are compilations, but I'd give a lot for a recording of him in Boheme.