Awake Saturnia from thy lethargy

Semele is the opera (I insist to call it an opera) who converted me into a Handelian. Of course, the irresistible melodies play an important part in the experience of this work, but I believe that William Congreve’s masterly libretto featuring some three-dimensional portraits of mythological characters led Handel into composing some of his most dramatic [...]

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A good surprise

When Brazil transferred its capital city to Brasilia in the 1960’s, a curious decision has been made: a great share of public investment in culture bestowed in the country’s most prestigious cultural institutions in Rio de Janeiro has been withdrawn while no counterparts have been established in the new town. As an example, Rio’s Theatro Municipal was [...]

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Zaudernflöte

A review of the new DVD from Zürich with the Harnoncourt/Kusej Zauberflöte has been added to the discography in re:opera (look right for the link). It is a pity that the talent of the marvelous Mozartian soprano Julia Kleiter has been wasted in such a lamentable production. She is indeed an underrated singer who deserves [...]

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More about Antonacci

I don’t know how to say this, but Anna Caterina Antonacci is one of the most puzzling singers I have ever seen/heard. My first encounter was the video of Rossini’s Ermione from Glyndenbourne. The acting is impressive, but the voice itself had a glittery quality that I found irresistibly sexy. 
Then she became a mezzo-soprano. In [...]

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Obsessively “In Treatment”

I have to tell this – I am obsessed by the HBO TV-series “In Treatment”. It is probably the best thing on TV in years. I don’t know how accurate a real-life shrink finds the whole story, but for a layman all characters are four-dimensional, the situations are thoroughly crafted, clichés are largely avoided and [...]

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Antonacci’s Fiordiligi

A review of Gustav Kuhn’s Così Fan Tutte (live from Macerata in 1991) has been added to the discography in re: opera (please find the link on the right). I have to confess that despite the minor flaws, Anna Caterina Antonacci’s Fiordiligi is really impressive. It is a pity I was never able to listen [...]

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