"Where'er You...DON'T... Walk"?

Bummer! While looking over the schedule for New York City Opera's upcoming new production of Semele, it became obvious I will probably have to miss it. All the performances conflict with either the Jewish High Holy Days, Shabbat (which, technically, is even higher than the High Holy Days) or my Wednesday choral rehearsals (we're preparing Durufle's Requiem and possibly Holst's Festival Te Deum for a concert November 5). I can't skip a rehearsal for it because I'm already planning to miss one in order to see La Gioconda at the Met with Marcello Giordani. The other two performances conflict with Idomeneo (although I suppose I don't have to go the opening night of the production) and, more importantly, a rally in Central Park to stop the genocide in Darfur. If I do go I'll probably postpone Idomeneo. I'm not that nuts about the opera (20 minutes of plot in 3 1/2 hours), but it's a wonderful cast - I never want to miss Ben Heppner and I'm eager to finally see Dorothea Roschmann.

If I do miss Semele, it would a shame because I've never seen the opera (although I have heard the wonderful recording with Kathleen Battle, Marilyn Horne, et al) and because I have the greatest respect for its two stars, Elizabeth Futral (Semele) and Vivica Genaux (Juno/Ino). I'll admit Genaux doesn't have quite enough of the contralto quality I think the role needs (Blythe! BLYTHE! BLYTHE!), but she's a fabulous musician and I don't doubt she can put forward an elegant, regal presence. Tenor Robert Breault (Jupiter), who I heard under the auspices of OONY - I can't remember in what, but I did like him - is nobody to sneeze at either.

On the other hand, it is a new production. And apparently a "concept production". At least I think this opera, and other operas that are essentially mythology or fantasy, might be able to tolerate that better than something more "realistic".

Oh well. I guess I'll have to console myself with John McCormack's and (especially) Roland Hayes' renditions of the aria I mangled in the title of this post, and possibly Genaux's new album of Handel and Hasse arias which comes out next Tuesday if it's playing on a Tower Records listening station.

At least a friend of mine from work (the same guy I took to see Angela in La Traviata) and I are going to see Carmen on September 14. It looks like a great cast - Israeli mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham in the title role (she's had raves at Glyndebourne in the part) and a wonderful young soprano named Latonia Moore debuting as Micaela. And Mark Duffin, who played a murderous soldier with great high notes in The Mines of Sulphur last year, takes on another murderous soldier with great high notes in Don Jose. I regret I am totally unfamiliar with the Escamillo, baritone Adrian Gans.