The Barber of Seville, Glyndebourne, BBC4, 18 Dec

[Stanley Stewart]

HD recorder set for tonight's transmission, (18 Dec). of Rossini's, Barber of Seville,
20.00- 22.45hrs, BBC 4, from Glyndebourne. Danielle de Niese, a promising Rosina,
discusses her preparation for the role in a documentary an hour earlier, 19.00hrs, and on a dank December day, it should be a treat to see the Glyndebourne background beforehand as we get ready for brisk speeds and dazzling ensembles!

[BBMmk2]

Defintley be watching!

[Pulcinella]

Recorder set.
Will watch Christmas Eve, while supping fizz and devouring smoked salmon sandwiches.
Victoria Wood on BBC2 in real time tonight.

[ardcarp]

The Barber of Seville on BBC4

Well done to BBC4 for musical coverage of one sort or another from 7.00 - 11.45pm tonight, including a complete performance of Glyndebourne's Barber of Seville.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Well done to BBC4 for musical coverage of one sort or another from 7.00 - 11.45pm tonight, including a complete performance of Glyndebourne's Barber of Seville.

Thanks for the heads-up ardcarp! I put this to record (a few bars into the overture:sadface;)) then decided to watch it and very glad I did.

Some of my earliest operatic memories are arias from this opera (Una voce, Figaro here, La Calumnia...) but I've never warmed to it complete at all. I recall a TV broadcast maybe 10 yrs ago at this time of year which completely bored the pants of me. But tonight's was something else. (Why is it we can be made to care about completely idiotic characters in unbelievable situations?? But we can - the inexplicable magic of good theatre I guess...)

De Niese was amazing - she never seemed to breathe. OK, I wasn't particularly listening out for when she breathed in the long 'noodles', but it never caught my attention; and late on I realised that even close-up shots never showed her taking those off-putting huge gulps of air with ribs and diaphragm obviously working overtime that so often spoil operatic heroines in close-up (did she have a secret oxygen pipe??). And she was so adorable

At long last I can say I actually like this opera. A bit late as I'd always travel for Cenerentola, Comte Ory and others, but hurrah!

[Stanley Stewart]

"A hit, a palpable hit" which left me breathless with happiness at the sheer skill and dexterity of all concerned using the best traditions of the commedia dell' arte theatre. I doubt whether I shall see anything to match it over the Festive season and look forward to further viewings and will do an overnight transfer from HD to DVD disc.

[Richard Tarleton]

De Niese was amazing

She's also a most engaging presenter/narrator/hostess - the preceding hour about putting the production together was most entertaining

I tried merging these threads but my writ does not seem to run to the General Arts board - perhaps a host who's been on the advanced course....?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I tried merging these threads but my writ does not seem to run to the General Arts board - perhaps a host who's been on the advanced course....?

I had a go last night, too - but it started demanding details about URL numbers, and the last time that happened I lost one of the Threads I was attempting to merge with the other completely, so I decided not to proceed.


Maybe when we've got over the hangovers from the Hosts' Christmas Party - and I do apologise once again for my unfortunate accident on the Bouncy Castle - perhaps we should have an Inset Day on this sort of thing?

[makropulos]

"A hit, a palpable hit" which left me breathless with happiness at the sheer skill and dexterity of all concerned using the best traditions of the commedia dell' arte theatre. I doubt whether I shall see anything to match it over the Festive season and look forward to further viewings and will do an overnight transfer from HD to DVD disc.

I thought so too - a really delightful evening. I can't understand why all the reviews I read in the summer were so sour and half-hearted about it. Danielle De Niese was an interesting choice as Rosina since she's not a mezzo, but I thought she made a splendid job of the part. I didn't know Enrique Mazzola but his conducting had tremendous energy and sparkle. Very glad to have watched it!

As you (and Sondheim!) put it - "a palpable hit"!

[Richard Tarleton]

Maybe when we've got over the hangovers from the Hosts' Christmas Party - and I do apologise once again for my unfortunate accident on the Bouncy Castle - perhaps we should have an Inset Day on this sort of thing?

[Mary Chambers]

She's also a most engaging presenter/narrator/hostess - the preceding hour about putting the production together was most entertaining

That's interesting. She irritates me so much I can hardly watch. I did, though, and enjoyed much of the introduction. Very hard for the BBC to tell where to pitch it - I really don't need to be told what an aria is or that a mezzo is a lower voice than a soprano.

[Nick Armstrong]

I was attempting to merge ...

Maybe when we've got over the hangovers from the Hosts' Christmas Party - and I do apologise once again for my unfortunate accident on the Bouncy Castle - perhaps we should have an Inset Day on this sort of thing?

It was a cracker this year, I gather. Sorry I had to miss it.



May I recommend Ferney Branca?

Merger effected, not many hurt

[Stanfordian]

I thought so too - a really delightful evening. I can't understand why all the reviews I read in the summer were so sour and half-hearted about it. Danielle De Niese was an interesting choice as Rosina since she's not a mezzo, but I thought she made a splendid job of the part. I didn't know Enrique Mazzola but his conducting had tremendous energy and sparkle. Very glad to have watched it!

As you (and Sondheim!) put it - "a palpable hit"!

Danielle de Niese in the role Rosina may have been "an intresting choice" but an entirely predictable one which is maybe something to do with de Niese being the wife of Gus Christie. Gus is grandson of Festival founder John Christie and Audrey Mildmay who became Executive Chairman of Glyndebourne Productions in 2000, taking over from his father George Christie. They live at Glyndebourne.

[Stanley Stewart]

I thought so too - a really delightful evening. I can't understand why all the reviews I read in the summer were so sour and half-hearted about it. Danielle De Niese was an interesting choice as Rosina since she's not a mezzo, but I thought she made a splendid job of the part. I didn't know Enrique Mazzola but his conducting had tremendous energy and sparkle. Very glad to have watched it!

As you (and Sondheim!) put it - "a palpable hit"!

Thank you, makropulos always flattered to share my enthusiasm with Mr Sondheim! My only experience of commedia dell' arte was playing in a production of Goldoni's, The Servant of Two Masters, as a young actor. Learnt that it wasn't possible to leave my Dressing Room and go to the wings to await my entrance; essential to limber up ready to energise from curtain-up; even more important was a clear understanding that pace is not the same thing as race - served me well as I absorbed the technique of playing farce in later years. Time and again, last night, I leaned forward to applaud a bit of 'biz' timed with near perfection. Equally, the importance of not tiring the audience early in the evening by keeping the laughter factor under control. Could literally feel the audience warming-up during the performance until the storm of applause at the curtain call. And, yes, the use of subtitles was the key to understanding the ramifications of the plot. The other day, I also transferred to HD, thence DVD, the 2006 Glyndebourne production of Cosi fan Tutte and here, too, understanding was enhanced by subtitles. Glad to say that both productions are now safely on DVD and ready to be revisited soon. Two champions!

[makropulos]

Danielle de Niese in the role Rosina may have been "an intresting choice" but an entirely predictable one which is maybe something to do with de Niese being the wife of Gus Christie. Gus is grandson of Festival founder John Christie and Audrey Mildmay who became Executive Chairman of Glyndebourne Productions in 2000, taking over from his father George Christie. They live at Glyndebourne.

I think we all knew that didn't we? And for anyone who didn't, it was more or less the first thing said by Danielle de Niese in the "making of" programme before the opera. She was an interesting choice (without any quotation marks) because of her voice type - and that curious additional aria from 1820 was good to hear. I don't think she was 'entirely predictable' casting at all - at Glyndebourne she's not sung several of her most successful roles, and this was her first Rosina.