No show today

Sorry all, no show today, but if anyone knows how to troubleshoot Windows Media Services 4.1, I'm all ears...

The Dicapo Opera Theatre season annoucement - support chamber opera!!

The Dicapo Opera Theatre, which performs in the basement theater at St. Jean Baptiste Church at Lexington and East 76th Street in Manhattan, has announced its 2006-2007 season which opens October 5th.
Productions include Puccini's Manon Lescaut, Lehar's The Merry Widow, and the New York premiere of Tobias Picker's Thérèse Raquin - all something to look forward to.

Then . . . (gulp . . . take a deep breath) . . . Director Capasso and New York City Ballet principal Nilas Martins collaborate on dance infused productions of Puccini's Le Villi and Messa di Gloria.

Reprinted from http://www.CriticalOpera.com

The first of the big three - Le nozze di Figaro

Yes, its that time! We are now ready on What's Opera, Doc for the first of the big three operas thatMozart wrote with da Ponte.

Today, Tuesday 10AM : Le Nozze di Figaro
Cast: Count Thomas Allen
Countess: Te Kanawa
Susanna: Popp
Figaro: Ramey
Cherubino: Von Stade
Marcellina: Berbie
Bartolo: Moll
Basilio: Tear
Curzio: Langridge
Barbarina: Kenny
Antonio: Tadeo

Solti conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Props to Bucky

Props to BFE, otherwise known as Bucky Four Eyes, who was gracious enough to give WOD a shoutout.
The issue under discussion today? Commercial radio.

Why do I feel the need to spit after saying that?

Currently listening to: Michael Nyman - The Draughtsmans Contract

Blogger hiccups - hope you are enjoying Mozart's Die Entfurung aus dem Serail

The title pretty much says it all - for those of you who check the Tuesday opera in advance, blame Blogger. We are at this moment, in Act Three. Sir Cilin Davis conducting.

sigh...

Pique Dame - redux

Yeah, we're going to try the Pique Dame again - see THIS POST for the cast info.
See you at 10AM.

~wod~

who still hasn't seen any way cool toys in the mail arrive yet!

A What's Opera Doc wishlist

No, this isn't about about Bryn Terfel singing the Don, or Suzanne Mentzner doing a recital in Detroit - it's about this - a WOD wishlist item:

Yes, you can buy it here
Was that a big enough hint?

Opera 101 - what is an "A" cast and a "B" cast?

I haven't done and "edutainment" post in a while...
Opera is different than musical theater when it comes to the amount of performances per week.
Musical theater may have 8-10 perfs a week, with some days having matinee/evening performance on the same day.
Opera often only has 4 or 5 per week, with 2 casts alternating - meaning, if the opera opens on a Thursday evening with the "A" cast, then Friday is the "B", Sat is the "A", usw.

When the opera is reviewed, savvy writers refer to which cast they saw - "A" or "B", and yes, it sometimes does make a difference, although we all have heard of train wreck A casts getting blown away by the B cast.

For your viewing pleasure, a British joke that "gets" it: