Monthly Archives: January 2010
Recording of the Week: La Sonnambula
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 31st January 2010Sports is as much of a meritocracy as can be found. Opera, alas, does not come near to sports in using skill and ability as the determinant of success. If opera were anything close to a meritocracy Raúl Giménez would have sung more than just 11 performances at the Met – Almaviva in Rossini’s Barber…
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Lucia in Miami
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 24th January 2010Florida Grand Opera’s Lucia Di Lammermoor had its season premiere last night (January 23, 2010) at the Ziff Ballet Opera House. Unfortunately it was not one of the company’s better efforts. Director Renaud Doucet and designer André Barbet set the action in what seemed to be the 1930’s. There were kilts mixed with dinner jackets…
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Passionate Intensity 3
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 22nd January 2010Chapter 3 is up
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Carmen in HD
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 17th January 2010Carmen is a daunting challenge for any singer, much less for a mezzo whose roles before taking on Bizet’s extra human gypsy have been focused on Mozart and Rossini. Singing the role for the first time at the Met super heats the this challenge. Elina Garan more than met the role’s requirements; she triumphed. Today…
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Mad Men Meet Mozart
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 11th January 2010The award winning TV series Mad Men had escaped my notice until a few days ago. Hearing a lot of good things about it I decided to watch a few episodes. After viewing the first three I’m mystified what the fuss is about. Set in 1960 it depicts the lives of a number of people…
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Der Rosenkavalier in HD
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 9th January 2010Today’s performance of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier was broadcast live in HD from The Metropolitan Opera House. It was the 376th staging by the company of Strauss’ most popular opera. An impressive number, but far from La Boheme’s 1208 or Aida’s 1112. There’s a reason for the difference besides its being around for less time. It’s…
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Is Isolated Chest Pain a Valid Indication for Coronary Angiography?
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 8th January 2010The high profile case of Rush Limbaugh’s chest pain raises a question that never seems to get a satisfactory answer. Is isolated chest pain an indication for a coronary angiogram? Lets use Mr Limbaugh’s case as an example. Since all I know about it is what he has said, I’ll make some assumptions for the…
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Passionate Intensity 2
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 6th January 2010The second chapter is up.
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James Joyce’s Paean to Water
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 5th January 2010I am a long time student of water metabolism. I also greatly admire Jame’s Joyce’s masterpiece Ulysses. It’s not surprising, therefore, that one of my favorite parts of the novel is his ode to water. The tribute to H20 is the literary equivalent of an aria. The arias in Ulysses are all great; none is…
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Recording of the Week – The Complete Symphonies of Glazunov
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 4th January 2010Alexander Glazunov (1865 – 1936)is a transitional figure in Russian music coming between between the lush romanticism of Tchaikovsky and the more spare and edgy music of Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovitch. His eight symphonies show considerable growth in style and fluency. In addition to his compositions he was the director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory…
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