Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Opera Daily, the best opera community on the internet. If you missed the interview with mezzo-soprano Heather Johnson from Sunday, please find it here. Her Werther recommendations were incredible and her controversial opinions about opera were thought-provoking.
This morning I decided to forego hours of obsessively watching footage of the Trump-led insurrection at The Nation's Capitol, in favor of listening to "Die Fledermaus" in its entirety (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dka-_N6KaG0&t=40s0).
For years I have seen advertisements for this Johan Strauss operetta during the holiday season - almost as often as "The Nutcracker". Its festive air and its "clinking champagne glass" appeal, make it a perfect production for the New Year. It just felt unusually dated for the 21st century.
Aside from the waltzes and the dance scene with the ballerinas, I really didn't care much for the "rom-com" storyline, nor the music. The human bat in top hat, in this age of COVID-19, simply repelled me.
Since fatigue, and the 3-hour length of the production, may be partly to blame for my wandering attention, I plan to listen to "Die Fledermaus" again, though no time soon. I'd like to see if it will reveal its hidden charms to me. For now, though, I am satisfied to have seen Plácido Domingo's expressive conductor style, to have seen Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as Rosalinde, and to have heard Renée Fleming sing “Klänge der Heimat” (“Csárdás”).
Beautifully sung
Really looking to sharing another interview with you all on Sunday (and profiling the opera
Thaïs which this soprano is actually performing in Vienna in January! yes opera is happening!)
This morning I decided to forego hours of obsessively watching footage of the Trump-led insurrection at The Nation's Capitol, in favor of listening to "Die Fledermaus" in its entirety (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dka-_N6KaG0&t=40s0).
For years I have seen advertisements for this Johan Strauss operetta during the holiday season - almost as often as "The Nutcracker". Its festive air and its "clinking champagne glass" appeal, make it a perfect production for the New Year. It just felt unusually dated for the 21st century.
Aside from the waltzes and the dance scene with the ballerinas, I really didn't care much for the "rom-com" storyline, nor the music. The human bat in top hat, in this age of COVID-19, simply repelled me.
Since fatigue, and the 3-hour length of the production, may be partly to blame for my wandering attention, I plan to listen to "Die Fledermaus" again, though no time soon. I'd like to see if it will reveal its hidden charms to me. For now, though, I am satisfied to have seen Plácido Domingo's expressive conductor style, to have seen Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as Rosalinde, and to have heard Renée Fleming sing “Klänge der Heimat” (“Csárdás”).
https://youtu.be/zXSKowljCo8 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼💖💖💖.