One of the unexpected thrills of the past year or so has been reporting on performances at La Scala for my friends at Opera Britannia. On five occasions I have headed up to Milano, approached the Box Office on Via Filodrammatici and asked for my press ticket. How cool is that? Me with press tickets at La Scala! How I wish my father could have seen that.
However as the time to leave draws closer I realize I am doing things for what is probably the last time. This past Monday's trip up to Milano was the last of that sort that I will be making to view and review a performance at what is arguably the world's most famous opera house. And the review, which was published last evening, will most likely be the last I will be doing with any regularity for my friends at OB. That trip had a bittersweet flavour to it and what would be more appropriate than Charles Gounod's take on Shakespeare's most bitter-sweet tragedy - Roméo et Juliette. Not produced at La Scala since 1934 it also had the added interest of featuring the very talented Canadian conductor Yannik Nézet-Séquin in his debut at the house. A left click on the poster will take you to my views on the opening night performance.
I can't thank Faye at Opera Britannia enough - first for taking me on as a member of her reviewing team and then for putting up with missed deadlines and using all of her editing skills to make my articles almost readable. Big bunch of baci Faye and buon compleanno!
Amongst my listening the past few days has been a new album by the Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux. I first heard her in 2002 when my darling Ryan and I met for a weekend of opera, food, wine and chat in Toronto. Marie-Nicole was making her operatic debut at the COC in Handel's Guilio Cesare. It was a high profile start as she was appearing with the great Polish contralto Ewa Podleś as well as Isabel Bayrakdarian, Daniel Taylor and Brian Azawa - not exactly light weights in the field of Handelian opera. It was a memorable debut. I did not have the good fortune to see her again until this past fall when she presented a concert here in Roma.
That particular evening she gave a programme that I was familiar with from a BBC prom concert but she was slightly under the weather and her voice was not as free as it had been in London. That was until she launched into Orlando's going "furioso" from Vivaldi's opera and in what is basically an accompanied recitative she tore the place apart and had the Rome audience begging for more.
She has become something of a specialist in the baroque though her albums have also included composers from Brahms to Berg by way of Schumann, Hahn and Hector Berlioz. The one selection that I have on repeat is by the last composer. From his dramatic symphony Roméo et Juliette here is the contralto aria from the Prologue: Heureux Enfants.
It may be best to use the "Watch on YouTube" button to see and more importantly hear this in HD.
Those first transports of love that no one forgets! The first confession, first vows of two lovers under the stars of Italy; In the hot breeze-less air laden with the distant scent of orange blossom, the nightingale singing with their sighs! What art is in its song that can match your heavenly allure. First love, are you not higher than any poetry? Only Shakespeare in his poetry had your supreme secret which he took with him to the stars.
Happy children with hearts aflame, met by chance, one glance joining your two souls, hide in the flowery shade, the divine fire that consumes you, this pure ecstasy which words turn to tears. What royal degree could govern your chaste delirium, what could equal your transports of love?
Happy children, what treasure would be paid for just one of your smiles? Ah! Savour the sweet cup of honey for as long as you can, this cup sweeter than all the chalices from which the angels in heaven, who are jealous of your passion, derive their pleasure.
Back in my misspent youth I had a passion for Berlioz particularly when sung by Janet Baker. The Berlioz crush waned - the Baker one never! - bu with Marie-Nicole's new CD and a few of the recent concerts at Santa Cecilia I am finding a new interest in the romanticism and complexity that is Berlioz.
