Wednesday, May 2, 2012

May is a good month for Vesselina Kasarova fans!

Hello! Hello! I know many opera fans don't appreciate Vesselina Kasarova, but if you keep on reading my rambling blog then my Kasarovaphilia is something you just have to put up with every now and then. 

"I am particularly inspired by the music. Then I try to imagine what kind of a character this is, what is going on with this figure. I let my imagination play out, almost like in role-playing in my childhood. I am fascinated by figures that are totally different from me. I am not out to make something special out of a role, but to try to be as credible as I can possibly be.

Authenticity is the most important thing! But I only live my roles for only as long as the performance lasts. Once it's over, I pull the role off and return to my own life, otherwise I wouldn't be able to keep on developing the necessary imagination and desire to be on the stage over and over again

(Vesselina Kasarova)"
The White Shirt Republic's favorite mezzo has been in the news a bit this year. I suspect that she doesn't like the spotlight that much (considering how her interviews tend to turn up in the news under a rather provocative headline), but it's something she'll have to put up with in exchange for the publicity for her recently released book, I Sing With Heart And Soul. I haven't read it yet, though it's been sitting on my desk for the past couple of weeks like Sisyphus' glimpse at the hilltop escape from his laborious eternity of rock hauling!


Anyhow, Frau Kasarova's year seems off to a good start with two successful role debuts: the title role in Carl Heinrich Graun's Montezuma at Berlin's Schiller Theater and Principessa di Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlos at the Opernhaus Zurich. I envy those who are attending her joint concert with Krassimira Stoyanova at the Philharmonie in Munich today. Though for those of us who are unable to go to her performances there are a few goodies on television and the internet this month!

Aeschbacher vom 03.05.2012

May 4th: If you are in Europe with access to the Swiss ZF channel, tune in at 5:40CET to catch her on Aeschbacher's show.
May 6th: Live internet streaming on the World Concert Hall of her solo concert with Charles Spencer from the Schwetzingen Festival at 1830GMT.
May 19th: Live internet streaming of a performance of I Capuleti e i Montecchi with VK and Anna Netrebko as the star-crossed lovers from the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. 1900CET, 1300EST.
May 28th: Live internet radio broadcast on Oe1 of the performance of Berlioz's La morte de Cleopatre from the Salzburg Whitsun Festival. John Eliot Gardiner conducts. With Vesselina Kasarova and Piotr Beczala.

With thanks to all the Kasarova fans for all the tips!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

A good month indeed Smorgy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ7VirCScp0

Anonymous said...

the "like" box is missing on this post :-) (-td)

Anonymous said...

By golly, you haven't read her book yet? :-o Call me flabberghasted and knock me over with a chook feather! I thought you'd have it memorised by now! :p

I read that Richard Gill is planning on publishing/writing his autobiography next year :D. That should be a fun read.

Smorg said...

Howdy Eyes: I'm squealing so much the neighbors must be wondering if we had adopted a pig and are hiding it in the shed. ;o) Thanks a bunch for the extra celebration, too!

Hiya Dr T: Ack. The like button is so rarely used I guess it's gone off to sulk somewhere. There's always the 'nasty' button for substitute, tho. ;o)

G'day Andrei: Haha, I wish! But I really couldn't start on that book while there's work to be done, you know. I have this feeling that once I plow into it I'd be too engrossed to do anything else for a while. ;o)

Whoa! Thanks for the news about Richard Gill, too. I'll definitely look for the book when it comes out. He's gotta have loads of great stories to tell! :oD

Anonymous said...

i swear, these damn time conversions always get me... is May 6's broadcast 2.30pm EST and 11.30am PST for u Smorgy? (-td)

Smorg said...

Hey Dr. T. It's 11:30AM tomorrow for me (PDT). Think I'm going off biking up Mt. Helix in the morning, then coming back to catch it. Can hardly wait! ;oD

Will said...

I have heard Ms Kasarova a couple of times in NYC, most notably at OONY.I love the voice and the intensity.

Smorg said...

Hiya Will: You lucky man! :oD I wish I had known about her when she came to OONY to do Tancredi and I Capuleti. Those must have been quite some shows to behold live indeed! :oD

Seems she won't be coming to do Carmen next year, but I think there's Rosenkavalier in 2014 in a making at the Met. My fingers are crossed. ;)

Thanks for stopping by and hope you're having a good weekend!