Handel With Flair: Emmanuelle Haïm conducts the Vienna Philharmonic

[Making history, making good music: sometimes that is one and the same thing. Emmanuelle Haïm conducting the Vienna Philharmonic – Vienna (Theater an der Wien) 2016]

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While this concert (and its Lucerne premiere) were promoted as “only the third woman in history to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic!” my own motivation went more along the lines of “Haïm is conducting! Fine, I’ll also go if she is not directing Le Concert d’Astrée”.

What is more of a novelty,  a woman conducting the Vienna Philharmonic, or an Early Music conductor working with the Vienna Philharmonic, on Handel?

Concert Forecast: Haïmspiel, II

Here we go…

(Am I enjoying every moment of this? You bet I am)

Evening Forecast: Haïmspiel

Have a guess where yours truly is headed right now!

I think my anticipatory glee is powering the entire Metro car at the moment. 

(review forthcoming tomorrow-ish)

The Aix “Così fan tutte” – Aftershow Thread & Review

[The continued onslaught of racist, sexist and fascist imagery clearly calls for a group hug. – Kate Lindsey (Dana Fairbanks Dorabella), Sandrine Piau (Despina) and Lenneke Ruiten (Fiordiligi) in the highly contested Christophe Honoré staging of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte”, Aix-en-Provence 2016.]

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Last night’s liveblogging of the Aix “Così fan tutte” left me with very mixed feelings.

The Aix “Così fan tutte” Liveblogging Thread

Welcome to the White Shirt live comment thread for Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” from the Aix-en-Provence festival 2016, starring Sandrine Piau (Despina), Lenneke Ruiten (Fiordiligi), Kate Lindsey (Dorabella), Rod Gilfry (Alfonso), Nahuel di Pierro (Guglielmo) and Joel Prieto (Ferrando).

Louis Langrée conducts the Freiburger Barockorchester, the staging is by Christophe Honoré. Further production details can be found on the Aix festival website, the video stream of the production is available through ARTE.

The libretto is available in Italian here, in English here.

Liveblogging: Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” from Aix (on Thursday)

[So… a balmy summer night with Sandrine Piau, Lenneke Ruiten, Kate Lindsey, and Mozart? Get the white wine, I am in! – While Arte has already aired this performance in early July, we didn’t manage to organize a liveblog event earlier. But there will be one this week!
You’re invited to watch and comment along this upcoming Thursday, August 4th, as of 8.30 p.m. (UTC+2). ARTE  has the the stream on demand, Aix has the detailed production info here – the men are sung by Rod Gilfrey, Joel Prieto and Nahuel di Pierro, the staging is by film director Christophe Honoré (who delivers his third opera staging with this “Così”), Louis Langrée conducts the Freiburger Barockorchester.
Pictured above: Lenneke Ruiten (Fiordiligi) and Kate Lindsey (Dorabella) in Mozart’s “Così fan tutte”, Aix-en-Provence 2016. – Photo Credit: Pascal Victor/Artcomart]

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