Tag Archives: Placido Domingo

Opera: Passion, Power, and Politics

There it all is, everything a boy or girl could want in one headline. Now in fact that’s the title of a big beautiful book that I’ve been reading.  And what good is a book if it doesn’t push your … Continue reading

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10 Questions for Isabel Bayrakdarian

When I pictured writing a biographical essay about Isabel Bayrakdarian, the phrase that popped into my head –no lie—is exactly the one you find on her official bio on her website.  She really did “burst onto the international opera scene”.  … Continue reading

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Trojans: three or is it four?

To my knowledge there are three versions of Hector Berlioz’s epic Les Troyens on DVD. I obtained the first when it came out as a VHS tape.  It’s now available re-mastered, capturing several remarkable performances from 1983, the Metropolitan Opera … Continue reading

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Contrasting Butterflies

Classrooms can be amazing places for discovery, especially for the teacher.  Sometimes we can’t anticipate what develops right in front of us. Not long ago I showed two contrasting DVD versions of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly to my opera class. Having … Continue reading

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Placido and Sondra

Tonight’s Toronto concert by Placido Domingo with Sondra Radvanosvky was the proverbial “happening”. Held in a converted tennis stadium enjoying its christening as a musical venue, we were watching their faces on a jumbotron, hearing a wall of amplified sound, … Continue reading

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