Opera in Ireland - general discussion thread on all things opera in Ireland

Sandwlch · 20-01-2011 1:59pm

I would urge trying to support the Traviata (its a great opera, what have you got to lose!), unless we hear bad reports warning us off. We need to encourage visiting opera to make Dublin a regular on their tours. Hopefully something better than the Ellen Kent efforts. They were baaaaaaad

Sandwlch · 20-01-2011 2:01pm

Westtip. Is it you who has seen, or is to see the Orlando from Scottish Opera. Any reports? Going to rugby game at the end of Feb and would try to take it in on the trip if it recommended. And maybe even if it isnt - I like my Handel.

The Green Pixie · 20-01-2011 2:06pm

Hi All,
I've just found this thread. I'm a frustrated opera nut - frustrated because I live in the one country in Europe that doesn't have any opera.
Anyway, I already have tickets for Rigoletto, and am going to bet on Traviata as well. Apart from anything else, the Grand Canal is a great venue for opera. Acoustics certainly no worse than in many "real" opera houses.

Sandwlch · 20-01-2011 2:15pm

The Green Pixie wrote: »

Hi All,
I've just found this thread. I'm a frustrated opera nut - frustrated because I live in the one country in Europe that doesn't have any opera.
Anyway, I already have tickets for Rigoletto, and am going to bet on Traviata as well. Apart from anything else, the Grand Canal is a great venue for opera. Acoustics certainly no worse than in many "real" opera houses.

Don Pasquale : OTC : Touring : Feb
The Merry Widow : NCH : 19,20,22 Feb
La Boheme : NCH : 25 Mar
Don Giovanni : Lyric : 14,16 May
Fantastic Mr Fox : ETO : BGOH : 25 May
Il Tabarro & Gianni Schicchi : ETO : BGOH : 26,27 May
La Clemenza di Tito : ETO : BGOH : 28 May
Rigoletto : SO : GCT : 21-25 June.
La Traviata : Perm Opera : GCT :
La Cour de Celimene : WOF : Wexford :
Maria : WOF : Wexford :
Gianni di Parigi : WOF :

Welcome. Its meagre by international standards, but we try not despair completely on this thread! Supplement with a little international travel or take in an opera when on holidays if you can and you can feed your habit. We are never going to be Berlin or London.

westtip · 20-01-2011 3:18pm

Sandwlch wrote: »

Westtip. Is it you who has seen, or is to see the Orlando from Scottish Opera. Any reports? Going to rugby game at the end of Feb and would try to take it in on the trip if it recommended. And maybe even if it isnt - I like my Handel.

Planning to nip over for a Saturday matinee - its actually doable there and back in the day, although I am chosing to stay. Not sure if the dates will tie up ireland scotland match - is that on at the end of Feb? but will leave that for you to check up on! Will post up a report after the trip.

I think we have the makings of a fabulous opera plot with whats unfolding this morning in Kildare Street. An operatic farce of the highest proportions!

westtip · 20-01-2011 3:21pm

Sandwlch wrote: »

I would urge trying to support the Traviata (its a great opera, what have you got to lose!), unless we hear bad reports warning us off. We need to encourage visiting opera to make Dublin a regular on their tours. Hopefully something better than the Ellen Kent efforts. They were baaaaaaad

Especially if we get a first class Russian Baritone as Germont! Would be worth going to just for that.

The Green Pixie · 20-01-2011 4:36pm

westtip wrote: »

I think we have the makings of a fabulous opera plot with whats unfolding this morning in Kildare Street. An operatic farce of the highest proportions!

Except that I think that it's more a tragedy than a farce.

westtip · 20-01-2011 5:45pm

Is anyone up for an opera boards meet up at the interval or pre-opera - I know its a long way off but how about at one of the Rigoletto performances? Jonny I see you posted up you have tickets for Saturday I have not yet booked yet but does anyone else have a view on this - we can all get together have a glass of wine talk total opera bull and decry the state of opera in our country in one evening? Might be a laugh

Or before June if there is something we can all get to.

Sandwlch · 20-01-2011 8:59pm

westtip wrote: »

Is anyone up for an opera boards meet up at the interval or pre-opera - I know its a long way off but how about at one of the Rigoletto performances? Jonny I see you posted up you have tickets for Saturday I have not yet booked yet but does anyone else have a view on this - we can all get together have a glass of wine talk total opera bull and decry the state of opera in our country in one evening? Might be a laugh

Or before June if there is something we can all get to.

Havent booked yet, but should be able to get to the Saturday Rigoletto also.

The Green Pixie · 22-01-2011 8:16pm

I'd be up for meeting at the Saturday Rigoletto. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Sandwlch · 23-01-2011 11:18pm

http://www.niopera.com/index

The Green Pixie · 25-01-2011 10:27am

I watched a Met Magic Flute on Sky Arts last night.
A kind of Star Wars production designed to make opera accessible to children, I found it very entertaining indeed. It was somewhat shortened and it was sung in English.

Of course the production was incomprably spectacular (what other house has budgets like the Met?) but maybe initiatives like that should be dabbled with here as well.

westtip · 27-01-2011 10:53am

The Green Pixie wrote: »

I watched a Met Magic Flute on Sky Arts last night.
A kind of Star Wars production designed to make opera accessible to children, I found it very entertaining indeed. It was somewhat shortened and it was sung in English.

Of course the production was incomprably spectacular (what other house has budgets like the Met?) but maybe initiatives like that should be dabbled with here as well.

OTC did a shortened version of MF a few years back and promoted it a lot to schools etc I saw it in Sligo and lots of kids there, It did a lot with the pantomine and fun elements of the opera. I took two youngsters who did not catch the viral infection we all have called opera - if you want your children to get this - you need to do what my parents did and take them at the age of 12 to Die Frau ohne Shatten (R.Strauss) or even better Tristan at 10. There was no child line then, I am still in therapy, but for ever grateful for being thrown in at the deep end (yes I did get to see the occassionl Boheme, Tosca or Rigoletto! in those early years of immersion).

westtip · 31-01-2011 11:24am

The Green Pixie wrote: »

I'd be up for meeting at the Saturday Rigoletto. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Was in Dublin Friday I picked up tickets for Saturday 25th we can all organise a meet up sometime nearer the event. I wasn't that impressed with the Tosca broadcast from the Met on Saturday did anyone listen in.

Sandwlch · 03-02-2011 12:49am

Booking open for ETO visit to Belfast in May :

http://www.goh.co.uk/default.asp?id=39&sC=page10

Norrdeth · 10-02-2011 1:59am

Anybody going to the NY Met Nixon In China screening on Saturday in Dublin?
A bunch of us from Maynooth are hoping to go, really looking forward to this one!

marienbad · 10-02-2011 2:20am

Norrdeth wrote: »

Anybody going to the NY Met Nixon In China screening on Saturday in Dublin?
A bunch of us from Maynooth are hoping to go, really looking forward to this one!

Not in Dublin, but all booked up for Limerick, cant wait. Saw it live in the US and the UK premier a few years back, great nights ,great opera and I believe all the old stalwarts are still going strong in this production.

Be great to hear peoples impressions on here afterwards.

PerriBlack · 13-02-2011 9:12pm

Norrdeth wrote: »

Anybody going to the NY Met Nixon In China screening on Saturday in Dublin?
A bunch of us from Maynooth are hoping to go, really looking forward to this one!

The Met don't do things by half. Went last night. The four hours seemed like 60 minutes. It was absolutely fabulous, Peter Sellars is a genius (by the way, great article on him in the Feb edition of Opera News).

Very strong cast, great orchestra. I felt the best was Kathleen Kim as Chian Ching (Mrs. Mao), her coloratura voice and presence were perfect for the part as the slightly over the top wife of Mao. Kissenger, played by Richard Paul Fink was in an unusual role for a bass - a ballet dancer in the Opera within the Opera. He carried it off well. I would love to have been there to see it live.

Next outing is Don Pasquale and I'm looking forward to Annilese Miskimmon's production taking a tilt at the bankers.

Following that it's Derry for OperaNI's inaugural production Tosca in three venues in Derry. It's surely going to be better than Opera Ireland's swansong .

theresagarrihy · 15-02-2011 5:47pm

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Sandwlch · 20-02-2011 1:32am

Sad to say that the Don Pasquale in the Beckett Theatre is a serious misfire from OTC. Very disappointing. Only positive is that they are still alive and it seems, around to fight another day. Report to follow.

westtip · 21-02-2011 10:24am

Sandwlch wrote: »

Westtip. Is it you who has seen, or is to see the Orlando from Scottish Opera. Any reports? Going to rugby game at the end of Feb and would try to take it in on the trip if it recommended. And maybe even if it isnt - I like my Handel.

Sand - got to see this at Saturday Matinee in Glasgow - Brilliant execution of thisw opera. If you can get across to Scotland take a cheap flight well worth it. BTW these saturday matinees in Glasgow are worth watching out for - its possible to do there and back in a day from Dublin without to much hassle and well worth it.#

Guardian review here :http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/feb/16/orlando-scottish-opera-review?INTCMP=SRCH As with most reviewers caution about being too enthusastic, but it really was beautifully played by the SO Orchestra and I completely agree with the following comment from this review:

Anyway, Mead's Orlando needs little decoration: his voice is in gorgeous, expressive form, and his acting is utterly convincing.

On in Glasgow till end of the month and early March in Edinburgh. Worth the trip, highly recommended (if you like Handel in particular)

I would not have been disappointed if I had heard the same cast and production at Glyndebourne.

Sandwlch · 21-02-2011 10:53pm

Thanks westtip. You have improved my week. Will be at Orlando this Saturday night and now really looking forward to it. Last time I saw it, was a lacklustre version from OTC (their more recent Handel productions were far superior, the Xerxes especially, a triumph).

Don Pasquale last weekend (I wonder has OTC generally succeeded less well with opera buffa over the years. I missed the Nozze last year due to the volcanic ash, but do remember liking their Barbiere about 4(?) years ago).

Unforunately I struggle to find anything good to say. The only excuse might be the Beckett theatre (I use the term loosely) in TCD which is totally unsuitable for opera. Maybe it will work better in a proper theatre.

Nonetheless: pointless celtic tiger recession references, crude abuse of the elderly, staging involved the cast spending much of their time just moving props around, really woeful attempts at humour. A poor sounding Don, dreadful Ernesto (struggling to even hit the right notes), game and OK Norina, all shown up by a good Malatesta (Andrew Ashwin. hadnt really notice him before but he impressed here). Orchestra placed to the left of the stage floor did not sound good - a bit more like incidental string quartet accompaniment.

Not OTC's finest hour.

Fliers around appealing for patrons and supporters. Are they not just on a temporary reprieve for a year until they fold and are absorbed into the new national company?

westtip · 22-02-2011 12:23am

Enjoy it - it really is a slickly put together production and its analysis of the madness of orlando is very interesting - the design is very very effective, and works tremendously well - re singing - really listen out for the most stunningly beautiful trio at the end of the first act. Quite exquisite last Saturday, the rest I shall leave for you to enjoy (I hope you do - one mans triumph can be another mans glumness) but I think you will enjoy it! Put it this way if I lived in Scotland I would be going back for more!

Get to read the programme notes beforehand.

Enjoy the rugby if you are going on Sunday - we should win, shouldn't we?

Heard about this concert performance of boheme being advertised on Lyric, anyone going, March 25 NCH

http://www.nch.ie/Box-Office/Performances/Puccini-La-boheme-A-concert-performance.aspx?date=25/03/2011&time=2000

westtip · 23-02-2011 11:53am

Sandwlch wrote: »

Fliers around appealing for patrons and supporters. Are they not just on a temporary reprieve for a year until they fold and are absorbed into the new national company?

I think the new national company will drift into the memory of "didn't someone once come up an idea for a national opera company that we couldn't afford"

Sand I am afraid that one will be a dead duck, don't you? I've not heard much about the committment to the national opera company in the election have you? Annilese from OTC was on the Radio before the luanch of the tour of Don Pasquale - don't ask me to remember the programme - its the artsy type one at about 8.00 pm. she got onto the subject of where opera is going in Ireland - and she hit the nail on the head - if this grand plan is to work they need to spend at least 10 million a year on it. Before the wind up of OI the total spend on opera (excluding wexfords grant from the AC) was about 2 million can you see a tenfold increase to ensure the national opera company envisaged can happen? I can't. She was of course quite rightly defending the corner to maintain OTC a company with 25 years of touring experience in Irealdn bringing opera as best it can to very far flung corners. This whole debate will have to be re-opened with the new minister of arts sports and tourism when appointed, I for one will be entering the fray with a proposal and hope others on this thread will join in.

The Green Pixie · 24-02-2011 5:00pm

I've recorded a few operas recently from Sky+.

Only watched one so far - a Cosi Fan Tutte from Glyndeborne. Musically it was excellent - the singing was fab. The production was simple and just let the story speak for itself. I thought that the cleverest bit was that instead of making the disguised boyfriends look ridiculous, the director made them look more attractive than they were in the beginning, which made it much more difficult for the two ladies to control themselves.

I'll probably watch another one tonight.

westtip · 24-02-2011 11:18pm

GP indees Skyarts has made a difference for opera on TV, the quality of TV opera recordings is now much better than it ever used to be - with the odd camera stuck in the Stalls Circle as I recall from years gone by in the ROH. Opera Broadcasting really has changed with technology - its right up there now - but like a footie match nothing replaces being inside the stadium!

The Green Pixie · 24-02-2011 11:32pm

Just finished watching Tosca from the Met which the machine was kind enough to record for me a week or so ago. (The first time I recorded an opera it asked me if I wanted to record just once or the whole series, so I thought I might as well go for the whole series. I noticed this evening that it's set to record the Rosenkavalier in a few days time).
Musically Tosca was pretty good, but I wasn't mad about the production. Very stark. The acting (particularly Tosca and Scarpia) was ridiculously over the top and so it was reduced to caricature.
Other ones it's recorded for me are an ROH Don Giovanni, an ENO Boheme, a Met Traviata and a Met Turandot. The only problem is finding enough time to watch them!!!!

westtip · 28-02-2011 1:44pm

Sandwlch wrote: »

Thanks westtip. You have improved my week. Will be at Orlando this Saturday night

You chose a good weekend to be away! How was Orlando - did you concur with me or differ?

Sandwlch · 02-03-2011 12:10am

westtip wrote: »

You chose a good weekend to be away! How was Orlando - did you concur with me or differ?

I enjoyed it very much. Best was how effectively the staging worked (excellent set - only a desire to get up and fit a couple of dampers to the lively double hinged swing doors niggled). So many opera updatings dont work and feel realy clunky. This one worked, and the setting and original drama integrated superbly with each other.

Singing good, and agree with you Mead was the pick of the group, with a very pleasant tone. He also looked the part (the Zoroastro looked a little young for the role in my mind, but I nit pick).
The orchestra played very well indeed, but I couldnt help but hanker for a period instrument sound (you cant have it all though - the last Handel I was at was Tamerlano at CG last year. The playing of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment was absolutely perfect and a joy on its own - but everything else about the production a serious let down).
Overall, a lovely production from SO. Much better than the Boheme we saw in GCT last summer. Chatting to a regular there, he was telling me SO are under severe financial pressure; number of productions almost halved and orchestra on short time, but that for the moment they seem to be maintaining their standards. They worry that some of the personnel will now start to desert and standards will slip. Looked good at the moment though. Am hopeful for the Rigoletto.

Sandwlch · 02-03-2011 12:27am

Don Pasquale reviews. A little (just a little) kinder than me.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/0223/1224290603937.html

http://www.irishtheatremagazine.ie/Reviews/Current/Pasqual-.aspx

Opera in Ireland - general discussion thread on all things opera in Ireland

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