Various

I am slowly drifting back to earth now after my excursion into the Cherylsphere (thank you for putting up with me) and feel inclined to blog about something else for a change. And yet, nothing substantial occurs to me for the moment, though there are a few good prospects on the horizon. In the meantime, if only to remind myself of the big wide world, let's just have a good old fashioned bullet pointed miscellany.

• The six finalists for this year's Lexus Song Quest (New Zealand's most significant singing competitions) have been announced. No Dunedinites this year, so I have heard none of the six live, but most of the names are familiar. Most of the buzz I hear seems to be about Aivale Cole, who was nominated for a Helpmann last year and has recently made an auspicious début with the West Australian Opera as Aida. Julia Booth was recently singled out for praise in a competition review in NZ Opera News and she definitely wins the Best Website prize. Kristen Darragh is NZ Opera's 2009 Young Artist. Andrew Glover and Polly Ott are both new names to me: Glover is a London-based tenor, while Ott, at 21, is the youngest of the finalists, with the kind of choral background which has stood so many finalists and winners of this competition in such good stead. Wade Kernot was runner-up in the 2007 Song Quest and has been winning numerous accolades elsewhere; he also has a (slightly untidy) website.  The competition website provides clips of all six singers in action, with piano accompaniment. Based on just those samples (which I know from experience are not a wonderful indication, and are made all the worse by my tinny laptop speakers) my favourite is Kernot by far; Cole is the other standout, although I suspect she comes across rather more thrillingly in person and with an orchestra.
      
• Opera Australia have announced some rearrangements in the upcoming Melbourne season. It all begins with Emma Matthews, or rather the lack of her — a respiratory infection has forced her out of the Melbourne season of I Capuleti e i Montecchi. She'll thus be replaced by Hye Seoung Kwon (who was already scheduled to sing the last two performances of this opera in its Sydney season). That means Hye Seoung is out of Die Zauberflöte, so she'll be replaced as Pamina by the lovely Sarah Crane. The domino effect continues: Crane is now replaced as First Lady by Amy Wilkinson, who is in turn replaced as Papagena by Annabelle Chaffey. Got all that? 
  
  
• Speaking of I Capuleti, it's one of this season's cruellest injustices that Melbourne gets Brad Cohen conducting its season, and we don't. But while we wait for his return to Sydney, allow me to recommend his rather comprehensive website and his YouTube channel. Richard Bonynge (it was spelt like that on the van) eat your heart out.


• And speaking of YouTube, you ought to see this. It's Joyce DiDonato singing "Crude furie degli orridi abissi" and it's every bit as spectacular as you'd expect. Is there no end to this woman's brilliance? I'm still stuck on her Handel arias disc. And her performance in the title role of Alan Curtis' new recording of Alcina is also a must. Curtis is clearly a genius — surely nobody in the world would ever have thought of casting Joyce in the soprano role, and yet it works so preposterously well that once you've heard it, it seems like the most obvious thing in the world — and you certainly wouldn't want her relegated to the pants role, when she's so well suited to the magic and madness of Alcina. And you've probably already seen this — I may even have linked to it before — but it bears repeated viewing.   


• The onetrackedness of my mind is incorrigible. The Fool &  The Opera now has the extended interview available as a podcast. Recommended listening. 

Comments

[Alex]

Hi there, don't know if you've heard, but the Con EME and vocal unit are doing Handel's Rodelinda at the moment. There was a performance tonight, and it's repeated on saturday arvo at 4pm in Verbrugghen Hall if you're interested.
Cheers,

[Sarah]

Thanks for that, the Rodelinda was one of the good prospects I had in mind and I went to hear it tonight. Very enjoyable. Hoping to write it up soonish.

[Simon]

Sarah, I enjoy the onetrackedness of your mind. The Cheryl interview is utterly charming, I always knew she'd be a delightful person. What I wouldn't give to meet her.

Having just seen the anouncement of ENO's Autumn season, I have found a way to bring your great love (Cheryl) and mine (Britten) together; she is playing Miss Jessel in their revival of The Turn of the Screw. The sheer thought!

[david]

Speaking of Cheryl and The Turn, this is the revival of the 2007 original with all the same four principals reviving their roles. But with one fantastic addition. Sir Charles Mackerras will be conducting!! This has to increase the possibility of a live recording for Chandos as this opera was on the list for their Britten series with Richard Hickox. At the time of his death he had two to go to complete the series, The Screw and Gloriana and a recent article in Gramophone with the founder of Chandos Ralph Couzens, confirmed their commitment to completing all of Hickox's unfinished projects and how hard it had been to find replacements. This has to be the chance and especially with Sir Charles-it would be too good an opportunity to miss!!!!

[Operalad]

I see in The Australian that PCW and Graham Pushee's names have been mentioned as possible candidates for Artistic Director at OA. Both excellent candidates with much experience, the highest of possible artistic standards and a wealth of contacts, both in Australia and abroad. I wonder though, if PCW's (and Cheryl's) support of Richard H when he was being attacked from all sides will instantly foment the peanut gallery that did their worst in attacking Richard into starting all over again. Sadly for some (and they know who they are) the only qualified people for the job would be those who would begin hiring them again. Personally, I think that either could work, although I'm sure there are a number of candidates who would rightly consider themselves just as qualified. Will be exciting to see how this pans out.

[Sarah]

My feeling is that of the two, Pushee would be the likelier candidate, since he seems (correct me if I'm wrong) to be already permanently based in Sydney, and to be much more involved with the business side of things, Arts Management etc. than performing.
In many ways I love the idea of PCW in charge, but he's still maintaining a pretty serious overseas career - would he really be inclined to give that up for the "13 months a year" commitment Adrian has said they want from an AD? Maybe he would, I don't know.
But you mention the Hickox thing and I agree, I think appointing one of his friends and most visible supporters, however qualified that person might be, could well start the whole thing off again.
Besides which, if the critics thought Hickox's (really) pretty restrained casting of Pamela was such hideous nepotism, imagine their reaction if Peter was in charge and Cheryl continued receiving the (utterly deserved, of course, regardless of management) star treatment she's currently enjoying chez OA.
(Personally, of course, I love the idea of OA as the Peter'n'Cheryl show, the more nepotistic, the better! But I don't really mean that. Or do I?)
But who knows. Maybe it will be somebody none of the newspapers have thought of. I'm just excited at the prospect of a change, hopefully one for the better.

[Operalad]

Yes, Sarah you're right. Graham was based in Basel for a long time, but since coming on board at Arts Mgmt (and taking over when Virginia Braden went into "semi-retirement") Graham is based permanently in Sydney. You're also spot on with the worthiness of Cheryl, no matter who runs the house. I think, however, that PCW would have to make a SERIOUS change to his performances schedule to accomodate the demands of being Art. Dir. It may well be something that he and Cheryl are happy to consider given that Gabriel now goes to school in Australia.
I found it interesting that no mention was made of Elke Neidhardt as a potential candidate (not that I have any strong opinion one way or the other, but you would expect her name to come up and she is permanently Sydney based).

I would nominate you for the job but I fear that there are only so many Operas where Aldo, Rachelle, Antoinette and Cheryl can all appear at the same time! ;-).

Carmelites would certainly be an option AND it hasn't been done since Richard and Joan with Ann-Maree MacMaunder, Isobel Buchanan, Pieter van der Stolk, Paul Ferris and Lone Koppel-Winter back in.....1984 I think?

My goodness. I must be getting old!

[Sarah]

They can't all appear at the same time! I'd explode!
But, oh, Carmelites... it's right near the top of my wishlist.

[Operalad]

They could you know, and you might just!

Carby or Matthews (D) as Blanche, Anoinette or Rachelle as Constance (alternating so you'd have a reason to go EVERY night), Cheryl as New Prioress, Jacqui Dark as Old Prioress, Aldo as Chevalier de La Force, Richard Anderson as Marquis and say Kanen B as the Priest. Have I missed anyone? How's that for an entirely company cast Dialogues. Perhaps I should apply for the job?

[Sarah]

You're just trying to torment me, aren't you? Especially throwing Catherine (or Dominica) and Jacqui into the mix. Except, isn't Blanche, being one of the parts sung by the gorgeous Denise Duval, more of a soprano role? In my dream Carmelites, I had Leanne Kenneally for Blanche. Well, either way, it's all Just Too Much. Sigh.

(And yes, perhaps you should!)

[Operalad]

You're right of course. The French Premiere was Denise Duval and Regine Crespin (who later went on to sing the Old Prioress in the MET production with Jessye Norman).

Not tormenting at all. I think that those ladies are all absolutely smashingly good singers (and actors!) and would do a fab job of Carmelites. Still, wasn't it Catherine who sang Donna Elvira recently, so the top is clearly not an issue! Perhaps the mezzo colour would be a bit too "knowing" for the Blanche at the beginning of the Opera, but certainly the Blanche de la Force of the Agony of Christ needs to have acquired a certain resoluteness and gravitas that a really top draw lyric mezzo with a great top (Domenica or Catherine!!) would bring, no?

Of course, Leanne would be something special.

BTW. Dialogues was the first opera I ever saw. had no idea what opera was, and saw the 84 production at SOH with Richard and Joan. I still lose it EVERY time when the Salve Regina starts. At graduate school, the lady who became Mrs Operalad sang the New Prioress. LOTS of history between Dialogues et moi.

[Sarah]

Oh but it is torment indeed to imagine such a fabulous cast, without any immediate hope of its coming to fruition. But on the other hand, if it really has been 25 years (!) since OA did Carmelites, then surely it's about time they did it again, dream cast or not.
I don't think Catherine as Blanche would ever have occurred to me, but now that you've put the idea in my head, I love it. Leanne's still my first choice though, if only because the company seems reluctant to cast her in anything these days, and I think she's wonderful.
It's such an extraordinary opera, what an amazing first-ever-opera experience that must have been.

[Operalad]

I'll make you a deal, Sarah.

If ever I AM in line for a position of repertoire deciding scope at Chez OA, then I will bring Dialogues of the Carmelites back into the repertoire and shortly thereafter have you run us down on your "wish-list" to see what else we could accomodate.

And yes, it really has been 25 years. (my goodness, I AM old! I remember my age when I saw that DotC. It was in the same season as Aida with Rita Hunter/Marylin Schau, Ermano Mauro/Alberto Remedios and Heather Begg; Figaro's Hochzeit with Glenys Fowles, Fiona MacConnaghie, Pieter vd Stolk, Rosina Raisbeck and Michael Lewis. Richard B conducted, directed by John Copley: Fiddler with Hayes Gordon as Tevye.)

Have you ever given any thought about applying at OA? With your writing skills and love for, and encyclopaedic knowledge of Opera, you would be a wonderful addition to the Press/Publicity/Dramaturgy/Programme Notes people, most of whom don't actually LIKE Opera all that much. Do you think you could contain yourself with the proximity to the wonderfulness that would be traipsing past your cubicle on a regular basis, or would the "familiarity" breed a little "contempt"?

Enough postulating for now.

Cheers,

OL

[Sarah]

It's a deal.

As for working at OA: that used to be the dream, and I did try, a few times actually, when there was a series of admin/marketing jobs advertised. But no interviews, no luck. Now I think I'd rather not, even if they wanted me. Working there would make it impossible to write about the company the way I do (either my superbiased ramblings here or my published reviews)and I don't think I'm really willing to give up all that fun any time soon. And besides, you're quite right, the traipsing past of wonderfulness would probably also be problem!