La speranza non delude sempre

Readers of the old blog might remember my constant disappointment with Rio’s Theatro Municipal’s house orchestra and chorus - I have seen some catastrophic performances there, but once in a while you could see that they could do something decent (for example, when Gabor Ötvös conducted Elektra there with Marilyn Zschau and Leonie Rysanek). 
Maybe it is only [...]

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Mirella Freni

I have probably written something about that in the old blog, but I have never really understood why most reviewers snob Mirella Freni. I believe that the reason is a reviewer only makes a reputation if he professes to like things not easily likeable. Thus readers are supposed to believe that he has some kind [...]

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4 x 4 Last Songs

I have added to the  discography of R. Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder comments about the Adrianne Pieczonka/Friedrich Haider, Michaela Kaune/Eiji Oue, Ricarda Merbeth/Michael Halász and Anja Harteros/Fabio Luisi recordings.

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One more comment about Véronique Gens

Seeing her live in Madrid singing Ravel´s Shéhérazade with such irresistible warm tone, aristocratic poise and looking so glamourous and feminine, I wonder WHY nobody has ever invited her for the Feldmarschallin. I know there is only one recording in which she sings a German text, but I think she should really think about it [...]

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Photos

Although I am not really satisfied with these cameras - I haven’t used the Nikon D40 for a while and I am still learning to deal with the Coolpix - but, if you would like to check some pictures from my vacations, here they are - http://rmlibonati.multiply.com/photos

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A village with an opera house

I don´t know how Americans feel when they visit England for the first time, but I have to say that the first visit to Portugal by a Brazilian is a very special experience. I often dream of Rio, but in an idealized form, in which favourite places take larger proportions or look renewed or something like that - that is [...]

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I start to miss my old blog

I’ve been trying for two days to post a review here, but wordpress deletes it and I have to write it again and again and again and again and my patience is reaching its limit…

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No clemency for Titus

Showing an ideal view of a score made imperfect by the forces available or opt for an approach compatible with them? This is a question a conductor makes himself when he has a sub par orchestra. I write this after seeing Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito at the Teatro São Carlos in Lisbon (March 1st). [...]

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As eastern as Dresden

Although the Orquesta Nacional de España has labelled one series of concerts “Looking East”, the only obvious connection in the February 29th program is Ravel’s Shéhérazade. A text in the program book tries to explain the relation for Debussy´s La Mer, but even the author gives up when it comes to Schumann’s cello concerto op. 129.
Of [...]

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