Tag Archives: Rigoletto

Quilico and Pavarotti in Rigoletto

The Metropolitan Opera’s free feed gave us a lovely trip down memory lane last week, with a 1981 Rigoletto starring Louis Quilico, Luciano Pavarotti and Christiane Eda-Pierre. I can’t be the only one who watched, remembering the times Quilico sang … Continue reading

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Wordless chorus

This subject seems apt right now. The voices in this music have no words, which is a perfect expression for a time when we don’t know what’s to come. Of course we never do, but it’s especially noticeable when we’re … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Essays, Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Questions for Bruno Roy

Time flies. It seems like it was only yesterday that baritone Bruno Roy was a finalist in Centre Stage, the 2015 Ensemble Studio competition. The new voice that we had never heard before? He is now about to make his … Continue reading

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Verdi’s Many Masks

The Canadian Opera Company open a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Un ballo in maschera next week.  It’s placed in a modern setting, one that might have you wondering whether Verdi’s instructions are being flouted by a directorial intervention.  But … Continue reading

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Wagnerian Bicentennial

We’ve come to the first of the three important opera composer birthdays in 2013. May 22:  Richard Wagner’s bicentennial October 10:  Giuseppe Verdi’s bicentennial November 22: Benjamin Britten’s centennial You may prefer Britten’s operas. You may point to the box … Continue reading

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Opera Eats

There are more talented artists graduating from the programs training them than there are possible jobs.  It’s one reason we have Fringe Festivals: because we’ve trained so many good young actors, directors & playwrights, that they can create their own … Continue reading

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Quilico’s Rigoletto

Some artists have an abundant recorded legacy, while others are curiously under-represented.  At times I find this irritating, because I suspect it’s more a reflection of market forces than an indication of real quality. I believe if Louis Quilico had … Continue reading

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Rigoletto, second cast

I had another look/listen to the Canadian Opera Company’s Rigoletto Oct 17th in a performance that was substantially different from the cast that opened earlier this autumn: a different tenor a different soprano a different baritone a different conductor Christopher … Continue reading

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10 Questions for Robert Pomakov

Robert Pomakov is singing the role of Monterone in the Canadian Opera Company’s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto.  I ask him ten questions: five about himself and five about the role. 1) Which of your parents do you resemble … Continue reading

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A Man’s World

I saw the new Canadian Opera Company production of Rigoletto directed by Christopher Alden tonight.  It makes a nice companion to the Robert Carsen Iphigenia in Tauris that premiered last week to such acclaim.  Both productions are like close analyses … Continue reading

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