Tonight's Live Relay From The Met !

[mikey4444]

Tonight its a bit of a rarity ::::::: Beethoven's only opera :::::

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ky89z

Enjoy !

[Zacs-Master]

Beethoven was so deaf he thought he was a painter.

[emmie]

One of my favourite composers - not sure will be listening however, will see

btw how was rise and fall?

[Peter Pedant]

many thanks for the tme;y warning MIkey

missed a bit of La Trav last time

[wolf63]

I thought that he was a St Bernard.

[mikey4444]

Fidelio was one of the first opera I ever saw, nearly 40 years ago ( La Boheme was my first ! ) This is the famous Prisoners Chorus :::

[mikey4444]

Decline and Fall was smashing Emmie....watch it on the iplayer !

[Peter Pedant]

yeah if it is a choice between Fidelio or Decline and Fall

choose the first

( I went to a prep school like that - see chap 1 of Will this do? Auberon Waugh - same place - - - and went through the book which was after all autobiographical thinking " all this occurred to me and its meant to be FUNNY ? " )
Perhaps if you had been thro a concentration camp yo found ALlo Allo less funny than the rest of us

(Mrs Beste Chetwynde was historical - the Grosvenors had pulled down a Georgian pile in cheshire and put up a 1930s monstrosity - nick named locally as The Coal Bunker. Dunno about Chokie tho)

[ladybirder]

Saw it at the ENO many years ago. Where did you see it Mikey?

[mikey4444]

Ladybirder....in Swansea, done by the Welsh National Opera, many years ago.

The WNO is justifiably proud of its chorus, and that moment when they all appeared from beneath the stage, in the prisoners chorus, will remain with me for a long time. Magic.

We can only wonder what Beethoven would have achieved if he had written more operas !

Its a bit like Mahler I suppose....never wrote an opera in his life, but if you listen to his symphonies and voice works, I think we missed out on a truly great opera composer.

[ladybirder]

Yes that's the same bit that sticks out in my mind Mikey, in fact I expect it is for most. We do have some excellent opera companies doing great stuff in this country and I include Wales in that. Oh and I just love the Welsh male voice choirs.

[mikey4444]

Ladybirder....we are justifiably of our male choirs !

In fact, WNO started off in 1946, with an amateur chorus and mostly amateur soloists as well. The chorus only became fully professional in 1973.

Many well-known stars started with the WNO.....Gwyneth Evans, for instance.... probably one of the finest Wagnerian sopranos of her generation.

We are so lucky to have such a talented company so close to home.

[ladybirder]

And I've got Glyndebourne Mikey Yay!

[shoota]

Which overture?
Three is worth listening to, then switch to 'The Price is Right' or whatever.....

[mikey4444]

Ladybirder.....I bet it would be easier to get a ticket to see the WNO than Glyndebourne ! Although I used to see there the Glyndebourne touring productions at Southampton years ago.

[ladybirder]

A friend who worked at G used to get me free tickets for the final dress rehearsal of my choice of opera (sometimes twice a season) which of course was exactly the same as an actual performance except most of the audience weren't dressed up. Those were the days. I was so peed off when he left!
Mikey do you know if Opera North is still going strong?

[Maydup]

Opera North still going strong in Leeds and on tour. I saw their Carousel in Norwich last year or the year before.

https://www.operanorth.co.uk

To be honest, I didn't relaise Beethoven wrote an opera. I shall be interested to hear it.

[Maydup]

Always thought Fidelio was Verdi! Never seen it, so never really thought about it properly.

[ladybirder]

Thanks Maydup, glad to hear they're still going.