Villazón Returns in Triumph
Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón returned to the stage at the Vienna State Opera on March 22, 2010. His Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore was as charming and vocally radiant as ever after the removal of a cyst from his vocal folds last year, reported the Canadian Broadcasting Company. His voice is in good shape and he is once again performing in his own inimitable style.
He still has trumpet-like top notes surmounting burnished bronze middle and lower registers that have become slightly darker. His tones were resonant and healthy sounding, but possibly a little bit less powerful than before. Not only was his return performance sold out, but scalpers were also asking as much as €1,000 for their tickets.
The audience went crazy and managed momentarily to drown out the chorus when the 38-year-old singer appeared on stage. Later the audience regaled him with a five-minute ovation for his “Una furtiva lagrima” and applauded through 20 minutes of final curtain calls that were mostly for Villazón.
www.cbc.ca/arts/theatre/story/2010/03/23/villazon-comeback-vienna.html
blog.taragana.com/e/2010/03/22/viennese-crowd-goes-wild-as-rolando-villazon-makes-operatic-comeback-in-donizetti-comedy-101639/
In Memoriam: Blanche Thebom
Mezzo-soprano Blanche Thebom passed away from pneumonia on March 23, 2010, at the age of 94, according to the New York Times. She had given 359 performances with the Metropolitan Opera, beginning with her debut as Brangäne in Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde in 1944 at a tour performance in Philadelphia. She went on to appear in a wide range of roles from Mozart to Wagner and Verdi to Musorgsky. She also sang at Covent Garden, Glyndebourne, and the Bolshoi Opera.
Thebom was also famous for her extremely long dark hair, which reached the hems of her gowns when it was not pinned up. After her retirement from the stage, she directed the opera program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Later, she moved to San Francisco where she created a program for young singers under the auspices of the San Francisco Girls Chorus. She also taught privately for many years.
Her recordings include a complete Così fan tutte on the Sony Classical label and Lieder albums on RCA Victor.
www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/nyregion/28thebom.html
It’s a Book! It’s a Movie! And Now It’s an Opera!
Ian McEwan’s 2001 novel, Atonement, is being made into an opera that will be performed by yet-undetermined opera companies in Germany, the U.S., and the U.K., according to the London Times. The libretto will be written by Craig Raine and the music by Michael Berkeley, composer of Jane Eyre and For You. Atonement will premiere in 2013, most likely at a German house.
The 2001 bestseller tells a story of epic proportions. One of its scenes is set in wartime on the beaches of Dunkirk. Thus, the opera will not be small scaled and will probably involve a sizable chorus. The 2007 movie version of Atonement was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning one (Best Original Score). Perhaps the opera will reflect that glory.
entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/opera/article7067778.ece
www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/mar/19/ian-mcewan-atonement-opera
