Monthly Archives: December 2013
La Forza Del Destino in Munich
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 29th December 2013Yesterday the Bavarian State Opera streamed a live performance of Verdi’s La Forza Del Destino. The cast was headed by Jonas Kaufmann’s impersonation of Don Alvaro, one of the most challenging tenor roles in the standard operatic repertory. The quality of the streaming was excellent. I watched the show on a 69″ HD TV and…
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Recording of the Week – Alkan: Grande Sonate and More
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 23rd December 2013November 30 was the 200th anniversary of the birth Charles -Valentin Alkan (1813-88). He was a French keyboard virtuoso and composer. A child prodigy he spent most of his life in Paris where he formed close friendships with both Chopin and Liszt. Born in Paris he was descended from a Jewish Ashkenazic community that was…
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December Birthdays
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 20th December 2013Here are a few picture of opera singers whose birthdays are in December. The were supplied courtesy of Robert Cahen. Maria Callas Dec 2, 1923-77 Jose Carreras born Dec 5, 1946 Piotr Beczala b Dec 28, 1966
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Medical Tourism – Thailand
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 16th December 2013The cost of medical care in the US has been the most expensive in the world for decades. It is the sole reason that the country is now struggling with government controlled or mandated medical care. The reasons for the high cost of care are several. Here are a few: The fear of malpractice suits,…
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Falstaff in HD – A Triumph
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 14th December 2013Verdi’s farewell to the theater was telecast today by the Metropolitan Opera. This new production staged by Robert Carsen replaces the Zeffirelli Falstaff that debuted in 1964. I’ve not been a fan of Carsen’s work and was very apprehensive about its worth when I heard that he moved the time from Elizabethan England to the…
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Tutto Verdi : La Battaglia Di Legnano
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 13th December 2013Verdi’s La Battaglia Di Legnano was written under the stimulus of the uprisings across Europe in 1848, most specifically that in Milan. It is a mixture of intimate personal conflict – the usual operatic love triangle – and supercharged nationalism. Actually, it’s more a suspension than a mixture, the two coexist uneasily. Verdi wrote it…
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Opening Night at the Temple of Doom
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 10th December 2013Opera News ran an article in 1999 entitled La Scala: Temple of Music or Temple of Doom? One should not be surprised that Italy’s leading opera house is fraught with turmoil – consider the country and the art form. Last Saturday (December 7) The house opened its season with Verdi’s La Traviata. What could go…
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All Haydn’s Symphonies for $22
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 4th December 2013This says it all. You may never get around to listening to all 104 of them but just having these works at you call is worth far more than $22.56. The conductor and orchestra are superb. And the symphonies are one of the greatest accomplishments of Western music. A great gift for a music lover….
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Andrea Chenier – Improvviso
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 1st December 2013Been away for three weeks, hence no recent posts. But will be at home for a while and thus regular posts will resume. Umberto Giordano’s (1867- 1948) Andrea Chenier is firmly ensconced in the standard operatic repertory. It is very loosely based on the life of the poet Andre Chenier (1762-94) who lost his head during…
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