Opera Australia. Mozart's The Magic Flute. February 14, 2024.

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House.  Circle (Seat J35, A$193.95).

At curtain call.  There was no costume change except for the last scene, so I can't tell them apart.  My attempt: From left: the three spirits, Papageno, Papagena, Pamina, Conductor, Tamino, Sarastro, Queen, three ladies, two priests.  Note also very few people had shoes on.

They used to just distribute one sheet with the synopsis, and would not specify beyond their names who the singers are.  Today something close to pamphlets were handed out.

Story.  See previous post.  I must say the story is still a bit confusing after having seen this opera a few times already.  But I am getting there.

Conductor - Tahu Matheson.  Pamina - Stacey Alleaume; Tamino - Michael Smallwood; Papageno - Ben Mingay; Queen of the Night - Giuseppina Grech; Sarastro/Speaker - David Parkin; Papagena - Jennifer Black; Monostatos - Kanen Breen.

If I had paid more attention, I probably would have known the opera would be sung in English.  Since I didn't, that was the first surprise.  The second surprise was something close to a program was handed out.  In the past there were these one sheet handouts with the synopsis being the useful information.  There were no listing of the cast (I believe their names were mentioned), orchestra, and other production members.  In today's program all their names were listed, together with short descriptions.  There were a few advertisements, and appeals for donations, which are to be expected.

The sets (or rather "set") were surprisingly simple.  The best way I could explain it would be it's a general purpose "room" with three doors.  Curtains of some sort are strung across the room at different times to denote different scenes.  For someone without a general understanding of the different scenes it would be impossible to guess what was being depicted.  I frankly couldn't tell what was what.  Someone running across to set up these sheets of streamers as backdrops may be cute at first, but gets old very quickly.  Often flashlights were used to cast images onto the screens (the dragon at the beginning, and the birds for Papageno).  And why were so many people running around in their bare feet?  Sandals would have worked just fine.

So, the story is confusing, the sets are "low budget."  How about the music?

The singing was generally good.  The overtures were done superbly, and most singers did well.  Some of them were weak at times, a but surprising as that usually wasn't an issue in this auditorium.  I thought they recently renovated the entire Sydney Opera House; acoustics evidently wasn't a big part of the project, "better machinery" and additional restrooms got top billings in the article I read.  Too bad this production doesn't need a lot of fancy machinery, so we didn't get to see the improvements in action.

While there were many great arias in this opera, the headline grabbers are the two sung by the Queen of the Night.  Giuseppina Grech was mostly up to the task, although the delivery was somewhat mechanical.  One could also quibble with how good her intonation was, and if her voice could be a bit stronger, but at least she looked effortless in delivering the high Fs.

Until Anne reminded me, I had forgotten that we saw this opera in Sydney a while back.  She remembered the Queen as missing the high note(s).  I searched this blog and, indeed, we saw it in January 2009, 15 years ago.  I don't have much recollection of the event, but my blog entry seems to indicate the sets were more elaborate.  In that production the arias were done in German, while the dialog was in English.  I also complained about how difficult it was to hear the dialog.  Today the dialog was not nearly as challenging.  I was in seat J22 for the 2009 performance, so same row, but closer to the center.  Also, the cost of that ticket was A$140, versus A$185 today (the cost at the beginning of this entry includes the service charge).

The full opera lasts about 2 hours 35 minutes.  Today's was about 20 minutes shorter, so there was some editing.  Surprisingly the story isn't easier to follow when sung in English.  Some liberty was taken by the translator, as Tamino (or Papageno?) lamented that he was neither Clark Gable or Tarzan. Was that necessary?

Nowadays perhaps one has to make some statements to show relevance of everything to modern-day issues.  In the Director's Notes issues such as climate change, pandemic, and how we are co-dependent with the world were mentioned.  That may all be true.  However, to say the opera's message is about "a journey through dark and light to a harmony with nature; with our own natures and the power of forgiveness, play and music" is too much of a stretch for me.  For most people to make that connection would require a lot more than referencing Clark Gable and Tarzan.

Nearly every singer was born in Australia.  One notable exception is Papagena (Jennifer Black) who was born in California.  Someone else was scheduled to conduct tonight's performance, the "substitute" was going to take over in a few days anyway.

As a "show" the performance was good.  After all, I got in this morning after a long flight and spent the day running around the city, and managed to stay alert the entire time.  However, as a statement on how we can do better it fell irrelevant.

I was staying in a Mascot hotel, so it was easy to get to the Opera House.

Rutgers Symphony Orchestra. Ching-Chun Lai, conductor; Diana Kim, violin. February 10, 2024.

Nicholas Music Center, Mason Gross PAC, New Brunswick, NJ.  Open seating ($12.50).

There is supposedly "no video recording or photography" inside the music center, at all times.  I have no idea how strictly the policy is enforced.  I managed to snap this shot of Kim and Lai leaving the stage.

Program

subito con forza (2020 by Unsuk Chin (b. 1961).

Symphony No. 2, H. 295 (1943) by Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959).

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 (1806) by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827).

After attending one of their events, I get bombarded with Rutgers advertisements.  Not that there is anything wrong with it (except the tremendous waste of paper and other resources), and that's how I found out about tonight's performance by the RSO, with Beethoven's violin concerto on the program.  At a cost of $10 (for seniors, plus handling fee), nothing can possibly go wrong.

And nothing did.  Indeed I loved the Beethoven violin concerto.  Kim did a great job with the piece, and she was impeccable in technique and intonation.  The occasional (rare, at that) missed note didn't detract from a well thought-out rendition of the rather long piece.  Her violin has a great tone, but a times it sounded too soft against the orchestra.  A name to be watched.  I say that having seen Hadelich play not that long ago.

The concert didn't start that auspiciously.  Neither piece before Intermission was performed at the level of "wow, I am glad to have heard it."  The Chin piece required quite a few percussionists, and they generally did quite well.  To the extent I understand Martinu's music, there should be a propulsive feel to how the music progresses.  I think this symphony calls for that, but I didn't feel that was brought out well.

After the first piece many percussion instruments were removed from the stage, including two marimbas (I think).  It took a while.  Strangely the piano was left on stage for the Beethoven concerto.

Per the Program Notes the orchestra is training ground for music majors for an orchestral career.  Today's college orchestras generally play at a much higher level than when I was a college student; nonetheless, being able to join an orchestra is a daunting proposition.  Rutgers has produced some great musicians, and has many members of NJ Symphony on its teaching staff, that may help.

The Program Notes says the RSO's season consists of six symphonic programs, one opera, and two popular programs.  I can't find that many on their website.

Lai is the director of orchestras at Rutgers.  She reminds one of Xian Zhang, albeit a younger, skinnier, and less energetic version.  Interestingly, engineering appears to be her first degree; she holds a doctorate degree from Wisconsin.

The auditorium seats about 700 people, my generous guess is about 400 were in the audience.

Zlata Chochieva piano. February 4, 2024.

The Town Hall.  Front Orchestra Center (N117, $15.45).

Program

Waldsezenen, Op. 82 (1848-49) by R. Schumann (1810-1856).

Etudes D'execution Transcendante, S. 139 (1852) by F. Liszt (1811-1886).

Piano Sonata No. 2 in G-sharp minor "Sonata Fantasy," Op. 19 (1898) by A. Scriabin (1872-1915).

Rothe Blatter Fallen From Daemmerungstraume, Op. 14 (1882-83) by F. Draeseke (1835-1913).

Miroirs (1904-1905) by M. Ravel (1875-1937).

Concert Arabesque on Themes of "On the Beautiful Blue Danube" (1904) by R. Struss (1864-1949)/A. Schulz-Evler (1852-1905).

I sat in the back (third row from last) for the concert.  The seat had a good view of the stage and the pianist.

Frankly most of the pieces were unfamiliar to me, the exceptions being one of the Ravel movements (IV. Alborada del gracioso) and the Blue Danube themes.  The piano repertoire is huge, and my knowledge of it is quite narrow.

To be able to let the concert flow over you can be enjoyable.  One also notices the sound insulation isn't good enough to stop the noise from the hallway, or the sirens of the emergency vehicles on the street.

As far as I could tell, there was no break between the Draeseke and Ravel pieces, which generated some confusion for me.

What is unforgivable is letting people in while the musician is playing.  That to me is disrespectful.  There are enough breaks in the program that late comers can be seated without having to wait too long.

I left as soon as the program ends to catch the 4:07 pm train back to New Jersey.

New York Philharmonic. Gianandrea Noseda, conductor; Golda Schultz, soprano; Francesco Piemontesi, piano. February 2, 2024.

David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.  Tier 1 (Seat BB101, $93).

Program

Ch'io mi scordi di te? ... Non terner, amato bene, Scene and Rondo, K.505 (1786) by Mozart (1756-91).

Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503 (1786) by Mozart.

Symphony No. 4 (1892 and 1899-1901, rev. 1901-11) by Mahler (1860-1911).

This concert wasn't part of my original subscription, it didn't make it to the top of the list of 13 or so concerts I got tickets for.  Seats were still available when we realized that we wouldn't be able to make the 2/22 concert (with Emanuel Ax on the program) as I will be away.  I can't predict how the two programs compare, but this was quite a concert, though.

The anchor for the afternoon (concert started at 2 pm) was the Mahler piece.  At over an hour it was 20 minutes longer than the first half.  Relatively short for a Mahler symphony, and the time went by rather quickly as the performance was very enjoyable.

Mahler had already completed the last movement and was planning to use it in the already very long third symphony.  That song (Das himmlische Leben) eventually became the last movement of the fourth symphony.  Musicologists (including the Program Annotator James M. Keller) discuss how the first three movements were composed with this destination in mind.

The "point" behind this symphony is fluid in that it can be interpreted in different ways, both by the musicians and the audience.  Overall, however, the idea is behind this glorious music there is a lot of cynicism.  That is evident right from the beginning phrases.  The music can be soaring and lofty, yet there is always this feeling things are not that pleasant if one looks deeper.

That absurd feeling is brought home in the fourth movement.  The heavenly life on the surface is ideal, but it comes at a cost.  The song has five stanzas, it is illustrative to go through them.  The first stanza describes how great the pleasures of heaven are, peaceful, happy, people dancing and singing.  The second stanza talks about a patient lamb being killed by Herod the butcher, and how Luke slaughters the ox, all enjoyed with wine and bread.  The third and fourth stanzas talk about how great the vegetables are, and the abundance of animals for food; on a fasting day fish come willingly to provide the alternative.  The last stanza repeats how everyone rejoices.  One can debate the theology behind the lyrics, but no doubt Mahler (most probably an atheist, although he converted to Christianity) is questioning what kind of heaven this is.

The instructions Mahler provided were to sing the song in a simple voice.  Schultz did do it as if she is enjoying heaven as described, although I would say there are many way to deliver the music that would convey the absurdity Mahler is trying to describe.  She came onto the stage at the beginning of the third movement, so had to sit up front for a good fifteen minutes before she started singing.  That didn't seem to be a problem.

On a prior blog entry someone commented on the second violin used by the concertmaster to deliver some of the solo lines: it was tuned higher to deliver a sharper tone.  Again a subtlety grasped only by those with an intimate knowledge of the music.

The concert began with two compositions by Mozart.  The recitative (You ask that I forget you?) and aria (Fear nothing, my beloved) were composed as a "concert aria," one of 50 some Mozart composed for various occasions and reasons.  The piano plays an important role in the music, together with the orchestra.

The Mozart piano concerto was a delight, and was delivered gracefully by Piemontesi (his NY Phil debut).  The Program Notes mentioned how one might think there is a "French connection" to "Marseillaise" of French revolution fame.  I hadn't made the connection, but now I have to work to get that out of my head.

Schultz, Piemontesi and Noseda after Mozart's Concert Aria.

It was a delightful performance, but overshadowed by the Mahler 4 that was to come.

For a Mahler concerto this wasn't a large orchestra.  There were 9 double basses.

Schultz is from South Africa, had her Met debut a few years ago, but today was the first time I saw her in concert.  Her voice was clear and her elocution precise (even though I speak little Italian or German).  This was our first time sitting in Tier 1 after the renovation; I wonder if the clarity of the sound is a result of the new acoustics.

We made the 4:27 pm train back to NJ because it was running late.  Turned out it was late by about 30 minutes, but there was still light when we go home.  Earlier today the groundhogs predicted it would be a short winter.

Boston Symphony Orchestra. Andris Nelsons, music director. January 30, 2024.

Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall.  Balcony (Seat B14, $28).

The concert ended at 10:35 pm.

Program

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Opera in Four Acts and Nine Scenes, Op. 29 (1930-1932) by Shostakovich (1906-1975).

Cast

Katerina Ezmailova - Kristine Opolais, Boris Izmailov/Ghost of Boris - Gunther Groissbock, Zinovy Izmailkov - Peter Hoare, Sergei - Brenden Gunnell.

Story.  Katerina is in a loveless marriage to Zinovy.  When Zinovy goes on a business trip, she is reminded by her father-in-law Boris that she must remain faithful.  The new worker Sergei - a well-known womanizer - comes to town, challenges Katerian to a wrestling match, and the two eventually have an affair.  Boris catches Sergei, beats him, and locks him up in the storeroom.  Katerina puts poison in the mushroom dish she prepares for Boris, and he dies.  When Zinovy returns, he suspects Katerina's having an affair, and beats her.  In their struggle, Katerina and Sergei kill Zinovy and puts the body in the cellar.  On her wedding day of Katerina and Zinovy, a drunken guest discovers Zinovy's body and reports that to the police.  The police arrive before Katerina and Sergei can escape, and she confesses her guilt.  After being convicted, Katerina and Sergei are being shipped to Siberia.  Along the way, Sergei asks Katerina for her stockings to give to his new lover Sonyetka.  Katerina throws Sonyetka into the Volga and jumps in herself.

I knew very little about this opera before the concert.  My prior encounter with Shostakovich's opera was "The Nose," a surreal composition which I didn't understand at all.  That was the only other opera Shostakovich wrote.  This is a completely different composition, the characters are well-defined, the story line is quite straightforward, and the music follows (or leads) the arc of the story tightly.

Shostakovich composed many film scores (34 per Wikipedia), and one might conclude he used many of the same techniques to compose the music for this opera.  There is a film Katerina Izmailova, of which Shostakovich was a part of, and for which he wrote the musical score, I do wonder if that music resembles what we hear today.

Opolais - at one point married to Nelsons - was the clear star in the production.  She was on stage for most of the time, and probably did as much singing as the other soloists combined.  Her voice remained strong throughout.  The only time she was drowned out was when the orchestra was playing at its loudest.  (From where I sat I wasn't even sure she was singing.)  I may have remarked on her inability to act in prior reviews, but that wasn't an issue for today's opera in concert.  Hoare as Sergei generally did well, although his voice would drop off every now and then.  Many other soloists did very well, although their roles tended to be brief.

The BSO has a great sound, although for this opera not much subtlety is required.  The set up makes it feel a lot more like an orchestral concert than an opera.  I wonder how different the experience would be if this is a staged opera, with the orchestra in the pit.  Groissbock as Boris ghost sang for a few minutes from the second tier.  It was interest that a conductor was right next to him, conducting quite vigorously.

The synopsis has Katerina pushing her rival into the river, and then jumping in after her.  In the actual performance the reference is to a lake.  There were three screams, so I don't know who screamed twice (it was done off-stage).  Opolais was on stage during the last scene, which contribution to my confusion, and (I am sure) she didn't do any screaming.

One can imagine a staged opera can be quite lurid, and may add some additional dimensions to the experience.  Without the distraction of the props and costumes, one's attention is more focused on the music, which isn't a bad thing.

The program notes has the duration at 3 hours, including an intermission.  In reality it went from 7:10 pm to 10:35 pm.  One could argue some scenes can be shortened or cut out completely (e.g., Scene 7, the police station).

At the end of Act 2.

James Burton (back to audience) is the conductor of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.

Opolais deserved the extended applause she got from the audience.

It was a great evening.  I do wonder why the play is called Lady Macbeth of Mtensk, though.