text:
The Royal Opera will return to Japan in September 2015, following a hugely successful tour in 2010.
The Company will perform Phyllida Lloyd's production of Macbeth with Simon Keenlyside in the title role alongside Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska as Lady Macbeth, Greek tenor Dimitri Pittas as Macduff, and American bass Raymond Aceto as Banquo.
Kasper Holten's production of Don Giovanni will also travel to Japan with Italian bass-baritone Ildebrando D'Arcangelo in the title role alongside Italian bass Alex Esposito as Leporello, American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato as Donna Elvira, Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón as Don Ottavio, Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova as Donna Anna, Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva as Zerlina, and British bass Matthew Rose as Masetto.
Both productions will be conducted by Music Director Antonio Pappano.
Macbeth runs for four performances in Japan from 12 September, with Don Giovanni running for three performances from 13 September. Venue and booking details will be confirmed in due course.]]>
Kasper Holten's Royal Opera production of Don Giovanni is now available to pre-order on DVD and Blu-Ray from the Royal Opera House Shop, online and in person.
Pre-ordering your copy online means that you'll receive a discount.
The production, Kasper's second for The Royal Opera, focuses on the power of the creative imagination and stars Mariusz Kwiecień as the famous anti-hero alongside Alex Esposito and Véronique Gens. Its high-tech stage design, which sees imagery projection-mapped onto the rotating set, was particularly noted at its March 2014 premiere. Read audience reactions to the production.
As well as eye-catching design, at the heart of the production is Mozart's iconic score, featuring gorgeous arias, dramatic duets and brilliant layering of dance melodies.
Don Giovanni will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on 1 September 2014. Buy your copy now.]]>
Francis Poulenc took the opportunity with the nearly all-female cast for his opera Dialogues des Carmélites to pay homage to some of his favourite operatic women. We take a look at the five models that inspired his Carmelite leading ladies:
Sister Constance – inspired by Zerlina from Mozart's Don Giovanni (soubrette)
Sister Constance is the youngest nun. She is blessed with a radiant happiness, even when facing the nuns' terrible fate. Her light, agile voice has its precursor in Zerlina, Mozart's bubbly peasant girl. Though Constance would never dream of getting up to the same shenanigans as Zerlina, her exuberance and optimism make them spiritual sisters.
Mother Marie – inspired by Amneris from Verdi's Aida (mezzo-soprano)
Mother Marie is a pillar of strength in the convent community. Though shy and reserved, she is devoted to the sisters in her care and would make any sacrifice for them – when Blanche runs away it is Mother Marie who goes to find her, and attempts to keep her from harm. Verdi's jealous princess Amneris has no such kindness, but her passion and single-minded determination can be heard in the richness of Mother Marie's velvety mezzo-soprano.
Madame de Croissy – inspired by Kundry from Wagner's Parsifal (contralto)
Madame de Croissy is the Prioress of the convent when Blanche arrives. She is strict and has high expectations for her sisters, but her loving compassion becomes quickly apparent in her first interview with Blanche. However, her death at the end of Act I is filled with pain, her powerful voice groaning and railing against God's cruelty. Although Poulenc has significantly decreased the vocal range of Wagner's sorceress to represent the Prioress's old age, her mix of authority and anguish owes a clear debt to the doomed Kundry.
Madame Lidoine – inspired by Desdemona from Verdi's Otello (lirico spinto soprano)
Madame Lidoine is the new prioress. It is she who must guide the community of nuns when the police of the French Revolution arrest them; it is she who eventually leads them to the scaffold. Poulenc writes her music of great simplicity and beauty, instantly creating a sense of her calmness and serenity. Verdi's angelic heroine Desdemona shares Madame Lidoine's faith and goodness, and her Act IV 'Ave Maria' is directly referenced in Poulenc's own setting of the prayer for Madame Lidoine and her sisters in Act II – anticipating both women's needless and brutal deaths.
Blanche – inspired by Thaïs from Massenet's Thaïs (lyric soprano)
Poulenc's heroine Blanche is the spiritual heart of Dialogues des Carmélites. We feel her love for the old Prioress, her fear of death and her horror at the fate awaiting the community – until she finally chooses to sacrifice herself with them. Her breathless agitation throughout much of the opera recalls Massenet's writing for Thaïs in Act II of his opera, where this courtesan – so cool and controlled in the first act – suddenly realizes how vulnerable she is. Thaïs's transformation in the final act into a self-denying saint is compressed by Poulenc into a tiny, simple Gloria sung by Blanche on the scaffold, filled with grace and beauty.
Dialogues des Carmélites runs 29 May–11 June 2014. Tickets are still available.
The production, originally from De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam, is given with generous philanthropic support from Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet, The Taylor Family Foundation and The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Soprano Elizabeth Watts is the focus of a specially-commissioned film following her through the process of learning, rehearsing and performing the role of Zerlina in Kasper Holten's Royal Opera production of Don Giovanni.
The film, originally shown as part of Inside Opera LIVE, offers a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse at what it takes to learn a new role and achieve the high standards required of a professional opera singer.
To see more footage like this, subscribe to the Royal Opera House YouTube channel:
Kasper Holten's Royal Opera production of Mozart's Don Giovanni will be broadcast by BBC Four on 27 April 2014 at 7pm.
The production, which had its premiere earlier this Season, was acclaimed by audiences and critics alike and stars Mariusz Kwiecień, Alex Esposito and Malin Byström. It explores the creative, seductive and destructive nature of Don Giovanni as a character, using video projection to play with themes of reality and imagination. Watch Kasper Holten's video diary series to find out more about the behind-the-scenes work that went into staging the opera.
Mozart's classic tragicomedy follows the tale of the charismatic but nefarious Don Giovanni. Irresistibly charming, he seduces a stream of women accompanied by his long-suffering servant Leporello. However, when he commits murder, his luck begins to change. Find out more about the character of Don Giovanni.
Don Giovanni will be broadcast on BBC Four by 7pm on Sunday 27 April 2014.
Superb acting and singing at #ROHdongiovanni tonight! Very interessting idea executed greatly! Loved it!
— Buga Marija Simic (@BugaMarijaSimic) February 12, 2014
Fabulous Zerlina and excellent Leoerelli in #ROHdongiovanni tonight. But not sure about that final sequence.
— Lise Smith (@Lisekit) February 12, 2014
#ROHdongiovanni was absolutely fantastic. Can't believe I haven't been to one before.
— Peter Brohan (@pbrohan) February 12, 2014
Hmmm. It *looks* fabulous. Finding it incredibly misogynistic, though, and not always musically together (at all). #ROHDonGiovanni
— Ruth Elleson (@RuthElleson) February 12, 2014
Very good production of #ROHdongiovanni - loved the set scrawled with names, like Leperello's notebook.
— Annette Rubery (@AnnetteRubery) February 12, 2014
#ROHdongiovanni what a lively production! Mozart would have loved it!! Baci from Parma
— mgc (@mgcapitani) February 12, 2014
Loving #ROHdongiovanni here in Bath. I'm no expert, but thought Donna Anna was superb and Don G truly despicable!
— DaveTriesBallet (@DaveTriesBallet) February 12, 2014
#ROHdongiovanni my son could give the don a few lessons about keeping more than one woman on the go!
— Emma McGlinchey (@LadyMcGlinchey) February 12, 2014
Liking #ROHdongiovanni, but sometimes the projections hurt my brain. They work best when stationary, lads.
— Laura F Farrell esq. (@lff12) February 12, 2014
@RoyalOperaHouse picture and/or sound is disrupted every 2-5 seconds. Literally impossible to enjoy the wonderful performance. So sad :(
— Eniko Hudak (@sherdnerdE) February 12, 2014
Brought @moragburn to see her first opera - methinks we have an #operaconvert #ROHdongiovanni
— Owain Gardner (@Odbe34) February 12, 2014
Phenomenal production as technically complex staging fused with stunning visuals. Beautifully translated to the screen #ROHdongiovanni
— Lizzie W (@lizziejfw) February 12, 2014
What did you think of Don Giovanni?
The Royal Opera House Cinema Season relays performances to over 1,100 cinemas in 29 countries around the world. The next live relay will be The Royal Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty on 19 March. Other productions in the 2013/14 Cinema Season include The Winter's Tale and Manon Lescaut.
Kasper Holten's new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, starring Mariusz Kwiecień, Alex Esposito and Malin Byström, was screened live across the world on 12 February as part of our Live Cinema Season 2013/14.
The relay, which was presented by Bryn Terfel, included backstage films featuring rehearsal footage and interviews with the cast and creative team. In case you missed them, or just want to find out more about the production, here they are again.
An Introduction
'Don Giovanni is a story about a man who has seduced 2,065 women,' says director Kasper Holten. 'On the morning of one of his conquests, he gets stopped by the father of a woman he has just seduced and, in the ensuing fight, kills him. It is both a tragedy and a comedy - a farce that needs to move fast and be funny.'
Kasper Holten, conductor Nicola Luisotti and set designer Es Devlin discuss Mozart's classic tragicomedy and the challenges in staging it, while members of the cast introduce their character in the opera.
Don Giovanni's women and their music
Kasper Holten, Nicola Luisotti and singers Malin Byström, Véronique Gens and Elizabeth Watts introduce the three main female characters in Don Giovanni - Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, Zerlina - as well as the different music that portrays their emotions.
'These characters that Da Ponte etched in his libretto have all our frailties and everything we come across in our lives,' says Elizabeth Watts, who sings the role of Zerlina, 'and so they are still just as real today as they were when they were written.'
Read audience reactions to the cinema relay
The Royal Opera House Cinema Season relays our performances to over 1,100 cinemas in 29 countries around the world. The next live relay will be The Royal Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty on 19 March. Other productions in the 2013/14 Cinema Season include The Winter's Tale and Manon Lescaut.]]>
Shakespeare's stage direction 'Exit, pursued by a bear' in The Winter's Tale (adapted as a ballet by Christopher Wheeldon and Bob Crowley) is famous for giving directors a headache. But rampaging bears are nothing compared to the ambitious instructions that pepper opera librettos. At the end of Mozart's Don Giovanni, the lothario's downfall is accompanied by librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte's stage direction 'Fire on all sides; earthquake' (though Kasper Holten introduces a whole host of different challenges in his spectacular projection-enhanced Royal Opera production). But even Da Ponte is arguably bested by the dramatic ending of Handel's Semele, where 'Jupiter descends in a cloud; flashes of lightning issue from either side'.
Richard Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten presents several intriguing posers for the director, particularly towards the end of Act I. The Empress has no shadow and cannot have children without one. Somewhat against her better judgement she persuades a mortal woman, Barak's Wife, to give the Empress her shadow. As Barak's Wife prepares a supper of fish, she hears mysterious singing, and 'Suddenly the voices of five children ring out fearfully through the air, as if the little fish in the pan are singing'.
Strauss worried that Hofmannsthal's directions implied that Barak might be about to eat his own unborn children: 'One is bound to identify the unborn children with the little fishes in the frying-pan!' Though the singing fish-children stayed, Hofmannsthal did make one concession – in the ensuing scene Barak leaves the fish alone and eats some bread instead.
But all this is small fry compared to Die Zauberflöte (one of Strauss and Hofmannsthal's models for Die Frau). The serpent that opens Mozart's opera may just be a question of a little (a lot of) puppetry, but Tamino and Pamina's 'trials of fire and water' in the opera's closing moments are another thing altogether. Emanuel Schikaneder's original stage directions are ambitiously precise: 'The scene is transformed into two large mountains: one with a thundering waterfall, the other belching out fire; each mountain has an open grid through which fire and water may be seen.'
But Wagner is the true master of impossible stage directions – his Ring cycle demanded stage effects so ambitious he had to build a whole new opera house, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. The astounding technical demands of the Ring made its first full staging in 1876 a logistical nightmare. Siegfried's dragon was missing its central section – allegedly the torso had been sent to Beirut rather than Bayreuth. The Rhinemaidens of Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung were perched on tall stage wagons behind a gauze illuminated with gas light to give the impression of their aquatic frollicking. But still the Telegraph reviewer complained that they were 'a little too mechanical and wanting in freedom'.
The impossible stage direction has become a much loved operatic tradition, enjoyed by spectators and relished by directors. These fires, earthquakes and metamorphoses are like gauntlets thrown down by composers and librettists centuries earlier. Whether directors take a literal or metaphorical approach, it is always fascinating to see how challenging stage directions translate into a theatrical experience.
Don Giovanni is broadcast live in cinemas worldwide on 12 February 2014. Find your nearest cinema.
Die Frau ohne Schatten runs 14 March–2 April 2014. Tickets are still available.
The Winter's Tale runs 10 April–8 May 2014. Tickets are still available.
Over the past few years, opera and ballet have embraced video projection as a design element. The Royal Ballet's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, ENO's Satyagraha and Glyndebourne's The Turn of the Screw are just some of the productions across both art forms that have incorporated the technology.
Video is a key element of the design of Kasper Holten's new Royal Opera production of Don Giovanni, which will be screened live in cinemas around the world on 12 February. The director has seen a shift in perception from inside the industry:
'It's a definite change, but I embrace it because I love collaborating,' he told the Guardian, 'I love seeing a production and wondering if a particular idea was mine or someone else's. The thing that's most exciting for me is finding Luke [Halls, the production's video designer], who's not just a tech nerd, but he's got an artistic language'
Before the cinema relay, let us know what you think using the comments field below:
What do you think of the use of video projections in opera and ballet? Have you enjoyed their use in productions or found them distracting?
A selection of your comments from Twitter:
@RoyalOperaHouse When done well, projections serve to tell a really effective story. Ex. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
— Nancy Hitzig (@nothingbuthitz) February 11, 2014
@RoyalOperaHouse if a director feels they have a place then fine, but definitely need to be careful as they can trigger my migranes!
— Rachel Holland (@LowerSlipsGirl) February 11, 2014
@RoyalOperaHouse I'm all for it. Opera isn't meant to be a museum piece, it's very essence was to be cutting edge.
— Adrian (@Adrianyyz) February 11, 2014
@Adrianyyz @RoyalOperaHouse I think I'd go for integrity rather than tastefulness. Projections *can* achieve great things...
— Ruth Elleson (@RuthElleson) February 11, 2014
@RoyalOperaHouse @SalfordUni did a comparative audience study about projection and streaming in opera: have a look - http://t.co/1ffFadMkDZ
— Alan E Williams (@AlanWilliams123) February 11, 2014
@RoyalOperaHouse I was lucky to watch a rehearsal of #dongiovanni & think its fantastic! Completely transforms the set, cant wait to see it
— Gary Dale (@garydaleISP) February 11, 2014
@RoyalOperaHouse saw it used in " Nixon in China"...plane landed as backdrop. OK with that but not with projections of performers.
— ArCr (@pavalover) February 11, 2014
Don Giovanni will be screened live around the world on 12 February 2014. Find your nearest cinema and sign up to our mailing list
Renowned bass-baritone Bryn Terfel will present the LIVE cinema relay of Mozart's Don Giovanni on Wednesday 12 February. Bryn will introduce audiences to Mozart's most famous seducer, interviewing members of the cast and creative team and introducing exclusive behind-the-scenes films. He will not be dressed as Wotan during the relay.
'I'm looking forward to yet another insight into Mozart's thought-provoking drama, this time from behind the scenes,' said Bryn, 'to being introduced to some new young singers on our Mozart stage and, last but not least, to hearing the stamp of Luisotti on this incredible score.'
Send us your questions for Bryn and Kasper via the comments section below, on Facebook, or using the hashtag #ROHdongiovanni, and we will ask a selection during the interval.
Bryn made his Royal Opera House debut in Don Giovanni in 1992 singing the role of Masetto. In 2002, he returned to the main stage in the title role. His discography now includes three recordings of the opera, in each of which he sings a different role: Masetto, Leporello and Don Giovanni.
Bryn most recently performed at the Royal Opera House as Wotan/Wanderer in Wagner's The Ring Cycle, and will be returning to the main stage in March to sing the role of Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust.
Kasper Holten's new production of Don Giovanni, which had its world premier on 1 February, focuses on the creative and seductive energy of Don Giovanni, playing with themes of reality and imagination. It features set design by Es Devlin (Les Troyens) and video design by Luke Halls. Buy the Royal Opera House Digital Guide to Don Giovanni.
The Royal Opera House Cinema Season relays our performances to over 1,100 cinemas in 29 countries around the world. The next live relay will be The Royal Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty on 19 March. Other productions in the 2013/14 Cinema Season include The Winter's Tale and Manon Lescaut.]]>
Kasper Holten's new production of Mozart's brilliant Don Giovanni, starring Mariusz Kwiecien, Alex Esposito and Malin Byström will be relayed live in cinemas across the world on 12 February.
Before the relay, you can also find out more about the production with our Don Giovanni digital guide, which contains specially selected films, articles and exclusives to bring you closer to the production.
The Story
Mozart's classic tragicomedy follows the tale of the charismatic but nefarious Don Giovanni. Irresistibly charming, he seduces a stream of women accompanied by his long-suffering servant Leporello. However, when he commits murder, his luck begins to change. Find out more about the character of Don Giovanni.
The story builds up to an iconic finale. Find out more about the music that accompanies Don Giovanni's downfall.
Véronique Gens as Donna Elvira and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Malin Byström as Donna Anna and Antonio Poli as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Alexander Tsymbalyuk as the Commendatore and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Malin Byström as Donna Anna and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Véronique Gens as Donna Elvira and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Malin Byström as Donna Anna and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Malin Byström as Donna Anna and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Alex Esposito as Leporello, Alexander Tsymbalyuk as Commendatore and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Alexander Tsymbalyuk as Commendatore and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Alexander Tsymbalyuk as Commendatore and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Alex Esposito as Leporello and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
Alex Esposito as Leporello and Mariusz Kwiecien as Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni © ROH / Bill Cooper 2014
The production
Kasper Holten's new production explores the creative, seductive and destructive nature of Don Giovanni as a character, using video projection to play with themes of reality and imagination. Watch Kasper Holten's video diary series to find out more about the behind-the-scenes work that went into staging it.
Paul Wingfield and members of the onstage band in rehearsal for Don Giovanni, The Royal Opera ©ROH/Bill Cooper, 2014
Mariusz Kwiecień, Alex Esposito and Alexander Tsymbalyuk in rehearsal for Don Giovanni, The Royal Opera ©ROH/Bill Cooper, 2014
Malin Byström and Mariusz Kwiecień with Kasper Holten in rehearsal for Don Giovanni, The Royal Opera ©ROH/Bill Cooper, 2014
Nicola Luisotti and Richard Hetherington in rehearsal for Don Giovanni, The Royal Opera ©ROH/Bill Cooper, 2014
The set is designed by Es Devlin (Les Troyens, Salome; Chimerica, American Psycho the Musical) with video designer Luke Halls, with whom she has previously collaborated for work with Take That and Lady Gaga. Es was recently interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Front Row.
Kasper Holten's Don Giovanni had its world premiere on 1 February. Read audience reactions to the opening night and add your own review.
Don Giovanni runs until 24 February. It is currently sold out, but returns may become available. A selection of day tickets are available to personal callers at the Box Office.
The opera will be screened live around the world on 12 February 2014. Find your nearest cinema and sign up for our mailing list.
Really enjoyed #ROHdongiovanni! Stunning cast and loved the set and the use of projections!!
— Sophie Waghorn (@waggers1245) February 1, 2014
LOVED #ROHDonGiovanni. Loved. @kasperholten nailed it. Great vision. :)
— Nicola Davies (@njd2245) February 1, 2014
I wish the staging were less distracting! An expensive gimmick!! Conducting really lifeless. I hates it! :( #ROHDonGiovanni
— Fedja Hadrovich (@Hadrovich) February 1, 2014
#ROHdongiovanni is amazing. Beautiful staging, design, lighting and costumes. Loving the #Chimerica influences. @AlmeidaTheatre
— Lady Hz (@LadyHz) February 1, 2014
To the few misanthropes who decided before even turning up they would boo tonight's fantastic production of #ROHdongiovanni, shame on you!
— Andrew Chinery (@andrewchinery) February 1, 2014
Charmless, dramatically inert production of #ROHDonGiovanni with over reliance on projectionam makes me miss the dreadful Zambello version.
— Attila (@attilalondon) February 1, 2014
@TheRoyalOpera #rohdongiovanni was so much fun!! The type of opera I love to see.
— Wisdom Hill (@Scarlet2046) February 1, 2014
I loved Luisotti's Verdi but his Mozart sounds a bit like someone trying to drive a Bentley through a narrow alleyway #ROHDonGiovanni
— Operatraveller (@Operatraveller) February 1, 2014
Clever use of the rotating set and light projections. Engaging production. Kudos! #ROHdongiovanni
— Kalyàn Ram (@atkalyan) February 1, 2014
Leporello was totally twerking in the Act 1 party scene! #ROHdongiovanni
— Tanuj Kumar (@tanujkumars) February 1, 2014
Best singing in years at tonight's #ROHDonGiovanni. Extremely brilliant production, never distracting, mixing well w music. Three thumbs up.
— hippoes (@hippoes) February 1, 2014
Press reviews:
Telegraph ★★★★
Independent ★★★★
What's On Stage ★★★★
Evening Standard ★★★★
Times ★★★
Guardian ★★★
The Stage (Positive)
What did you think of Don Giovanni?
Don Giovanni runs until 24 February 2014. A small number of tickets are still available. The production will be broadcast live around the world on 12 February. Find your nearest cinema.]]>
Don Juan has appeared in a multitude of incarnations. He can be a hero or a villain, an example of unrepentant unruliness, a romantic or political libertine, a lover unrivalled in his talent or in the number of his conquests. Don Juan is often as likeable - and even as commendable - as he is condemnable.
Don Juan was first introduced to the stage in early 17th-century Spain, in El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest). Its protagonist, the handsome trickster Don Juan Tenorio, is certainly a villain. He seduces several women by deception, force or spurious promises of marriage. He kills the father of one of the women and then mocks the tomb of the dead man. His Catholic punishment is that he is taken off to Hell, to burn in the fires of divine justice. His eventual appeal for mercy is dismissed simply because 'Your intention condemns you'. This Juan was a character for his age - his lifestyle as a trickster undermines all the principles upon which a good Catholic society depended and a suitable comeuppance was essential.
But later in the 17th century the French playwright Molière reinvented the anti-hero as an irreverent intellectual who prides himself on playing the 'honest man' as opposed to indulging the 'fashionable vice' of hypocrisy. Molière's Juan is flippant with divine disapproval and remains unrepentant to the end. The play was withdrawn almost as soon as it went on the stage, but those who denounced its bold and irreligious rationalism were as much concerned that the play was so entertaining – that the audience laughed. Less than half a century after Juan had first been dragged to hell, this fate didn't seem enough of a comeuppance. Worse, the whole thing was rather witty.
Our own era has been no less perplexed by Juan's ambiguity. In 2006 Patrick Marber reworked Molière for London's West End. Don Juan in Soho presented 'DJ', an aristocratic, metropolitan playboy as much appalled by contemporary hypocrisy as Molière's Juan. Stan, his long-suffering 'dogsbody', wistfully reflects, 'I wish there was a hell he could burn in forever', but without such divine retribution we are left with the secular justice meted out by the vigilante brother of DJ's abandoned wife. DJ remains defiant to the last and when asked 'Don't you want to live?', he replies 'Yes! But only as I please', before being horribly stabbed to death.
The 1990s sent forth Don Juan in the form of a troubled, handsome and desirable young man (played by Johnny Depp) in Jeremy Leven's 1994 film Don Juan DeMarco. Juan is deluded: he thinks he is the 'original' Don Juan, 'the world's greatest lover', ridiculously dressed in a cape and mask in modern Manhattan. Psychiatrist Jack Mickler (Marlon Brando) tries to cure him of his illusions after he finds him attempting suicide from the top of an advertising billboard.
Juan appeared again in the 2013 film Don Jon, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Jon is an ordinary twenty-something Catholic boy, obsessed with the repetitive, narcissistic rituals of his lifestyle. The only salvation for this modern seducer is his own seduction by an older woman, whose soulful, realist circumspection can undo his obsession with image.
By contrast, Juan, Kasper Holten's 2010 film version of Mozart's opera, captures the sophistication of a self-conscious, civilized, modern Don Juan. Holten's Juan is playful, charming, wealthy and (of course) alluring – but Holten suggests his awareness of the necessity of civil respectability, even if his instincts lead him to upset its norms.
We have certainly not finished re-inventing Don Juan. He exists in the modern mind in a variety of forms: sometimes irredeemably villainous, sometimes irredeemably heroic or romantic. But he is most engaging as a character when he occupies a space somewhere in between.
This is an extract from Will Richmond's article, available to read in full in the Don Giovanni programme book. This is available in the theatre at performance times and from the ROH Shop.
Don Giovanni runs 1–24 February 2014. A small number of tickets are still available. The production will be broadcast live around the world on 12 February. Find your nearest cinema.]]>
The finale of Mozart's Don Giovanni is terrifying. But the preceding scenes, for the most part, are highly enjoyable silliness. Act II opens with Giovanni boisterously chiding his hapless servant Leporello (a brilliantly rendered stock buffo character, recognizable for his rapid patter and continual complaining). There follows vintage farce in which Giovanni uses Leporello as bait for former girlfriend Elvira, gives the slip to hordes of vengeful peasants and still finds time to attempt some seducing.
A momentary chill note slips in when Giovanni and Leporello reconnoitre in a graveyard (Leporello has just escaped from furious nobles thinking he's Giovanni; Giovanni is fresh from an encounter with Leporello's girlfriend). Their bantering recitative receives an alarming interruption from the statue of the murdered Commendatore. The audience at the premiere would have received a double shock from the use of trombones in the Commendatore's accompaniment; at Mozart's time trombones were almost exclusively played in church, and thus had connotations of serious ritual and authority (see Mozart's later use in the 'Tuba mirum' of his Requiem). They still have an impact for a modern audience today, if only because Mozart has waited so late in the opera to use them.
But the trombones and the Commendatore disappear soon enough, and the following duet, where Leporello cringingly invites the statue to dinner on his master's orders, is back in the lively comic vernacular. A few scenes later the finale also opens in upbeat mood, with Giovanni guzzling his dinner to Leporello's envious groans. He's arranged some light entertainment from an onstage wind band, who play a few popular tunes. Mozart pops in a little in-joke for his Prague premiere audience by including his own 'Non più andrai'; the fantastic success of Le nozze di Figaro in Prague had directly led to Don Giovanni's commission.
The sense of playfulness continues even as an incoherent Elvira runs in to make a last-ditch attempt to save Giovanni, and even as Leporello tremulously describes the arrival of the stone Commendatore ('ta-ta-ta-ta!' he emphatically exclaims, describing the statue's dreadful tread). The orchestra mimics Leporello as under Giovanni's orders he shrinkingly approaches the door to let the ghost in. There's silence, then a short minor chord, then another silence.
Then the Commendatore enters to a massive diminished 7th, a dissonant, eerie chord built of consecutive minor 3rds. It's played fortissimo across the whole orchestra, with those dread-laden trombones and a drum roll from the timpani. The structure of the music, with a pulsing in the violins, immediately recalls the dramatic opening of the overture – but so much more so. It is a massive, furious gesture, as the drama veers into horror.
The Commendatore delivers his dire message of doom to music that quotes much from the first part of the overture – a steady long-short-long pulse; rising and falling scales in the violins and flutes; a mournful offbeat figure in the violins, underpinned by seething semiquavers – but here they are heightened through chromatically rising elongated phrases that build unbearably. By the time Don Giovanni defiantly grasps the Commendatore's hand and gasps at its coldness, Mozart only needs mark it with a piano tremolando, and our hearts freeze with Giovanni's.
Given the musical horrors around him, Giovanni's continued refusal to repent is agonizing: with Leporello we urge him 'say yes, say yes!'. It's too late, and after librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte's brazenly laconic stage directions, 'Fire on all sides; earthquake', Don Giovanni finally meets his end in a blistering major cadence. And then…
Out of a black sky – blue! The rest of the cast denounce the rotten behaviour of the happily vanished Giovanni, in a wonderfully chirpy final ensemble rich in imitation and melodic invention. It's a quicksilver change of mood, but with the same pulse as the preceding music and a consistent sense of dramatic richness. Mozart denies us a tragic end and instead gives us a whole lot more: he sends us out moved, joyous and wonderfully entertained.
Don Giovanni runs 1–24 February 2014. A small number of tickets are still available. The production will be broadcast live around the world on 12 February. Find your nearest cinema.
The production is staged with the generous philanthropic support of David Hancock, Richard and Ginny Salter and the Royal Opera House Endowment Fund.]]>
The Story Begins…
Don Giovanni is known throughout Europe as a charismatic seducer of women. But where will his multiple seductions lead him? After Giovanni kills the father of one of his conquests, his future looks increasingly dark…
A Mythic Hero
The character of Don Juan (Don Giovanni) first appeared in a play by the Spanish playwright Tirso de Molina, El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest), published around 1630. Don Juan has remained an iconic figure in literature. Among his various literary incarnations he features as the hero of a play by Molière and an epic poem by Byron, plays an important role in a play by Bernard Shaw, a novel by Sylvia Townsend Warner and a film by Ingmar Bergman, and was the inspiration behind John Berger's 1972 Booker Prize-winning novel G.
The Creative Seducer
Kasper Holten's production focuses on the creative and seductive energy of Don Giovanni, an energy that has huge appeal but that can turn dangerously destructive. The set plays with themes of reality and imagination, with projections evoking Giovanni's state of mind at important points in the drama. The production also questions what hell might be like for a character like Giovanni, or for a contemporary audience.
Watch Kasper Holten's video diaries documenting the production process
Two Premieres
Mozart was commissioned to write Don Giovanni for the Prague National Theatre, following a triumphant performance of Le nozze di Figaro there. The premiere of Don Giovanni, on 29 October 1787, was also a success. For Don Giovanni's Viennese premiere in May 1788, Mozart made some alterations to his score, including a major cut to the final scene.
Mozart the Innovator
Mozart was always keen to set himself new compositional challenges. Novel effects in Don Giovanni include the three superimposed dance metres in the Act I finale and the rich chromatic harmony of Don Giovanni's Act II scene with the Commendatore. Mozart also provides brilliant musical portrayals of his characters, particularly in Donna Anna and Donna Elvira's introspective arias in Act II and in Don Ottavio's arias expressing his love for Donna Anna.
Don Giovanni runs 1–24 February 2014. A small number of tickets are still available. The production will be broadcast live around the world on 12 February. Find your nearest cinema.
The production is staged with the generous philanthropic support of David Hancock, Richard and Ginny Salter and the Royal Opera House Endowment Fund.]]>
Don Giovanni director Kasper Holten's video diary series documenting the process behind staging an opera production is available to watch on the Royal Opera House YouTube channel.
The films give an exclusive glimpse into Kasper's directorial vision for the production, as well as first glimpses of the set. Over the past eight episodes the director has focused on subjects as diverse as directing lavish party scenes and intense on-stage fights, the challenges imposed by a Main Stage set, and initial rehearsals with the singers.
Kasper will continue to post video diaries in the run up to opening night on 1 February.
You can also get an insight into the process of preparing an opera by listening to a recent interview with Don Giovanni designer Es Devlin.
To ensure you don't miss films like this, subscribe to our YouTube channel:
Award-winning stage designer Es Devlin was recently featured on BBC Radio 4's Front Row.
She was interviewed by Kirsty Lang at her studio in South East London - a former factory packed with leftovers from past productions and models for forthcoming shows - where she introduced the initial designs for a future Royal Opera production.
'This is a 1:25 scale model of the initial design for the first Royal Opera production of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's opera The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny,' she explained.
The production will open with The Royal Opera in March 2015. In preparation, she and her team have already broken down the piece minute by minute. 'We know exactly what is happening every minute of the piece - who is singing, how many voices there are, the combination of voices, and how many people are on stage.'
Recently, Es has been working with Kasper Holten on his new production of Don Giovanni. Watch Kasper's video diary series about staging the new work.
She spoke about the connection between her work with pop acts and the opera, explaining: 'For Don Giovanni, we're using an extraordinary animator called Luke Halls, who I've worked with on Lady Gaga and Take That, and he is creating something for The Royal Opera that, I think, hasn't been seen before.'
Es has gone from designing for fringe venues of just 80 people to designing for arenas for up to 80,000, and moves effortlessly between concerts, theatre and opera. Her credits range from the 2012 Olympic Ceremony, to the award-winning Chimerica; from Les Troyens to the much-anticipated musical American Psycho.
Have you seen plays, operas or concerts designed by Es Devlin? Let us know what you think of her work.
Don Giovanni runs from 1-24 February 2014. Tickets are still available. Other Royal Opera production designed by Es Devlin include Salome and and Glass's Orphée. Watch an interview with Es about designing the set for Les Troyens.]]>
Don Giovanni is a serial philanderer and a murderer. But he still appeals, largely because of the charm with which he carries out his multiple seductions. When he gently woos Zerlina in 'Là ci darem la mano' or serenades a servant girl in 'Deh, vieni alla finestra', we're as likely to be won over as the women he charms. He's far from being the only operatic character to ooze charisma from every pore, however...
Faust, Act III ('O nuit d amour')
With a seduction scene taking up almost all of Act III, Gounod's Faust is perhaps the most patient of operatic lovers. He serenades Marguerite with the ardent 'Salut, demeure, chaste et pure', and then leaves her a box of jewels – provided for him by his devilish cohort, Méphistophélès. Alone, Marguerite expresses breathless delight in the flamboyant 'Jewel Song'. Méphistophélès contrives a meeting for Faust and Marguerite and there follows a quartet where Marguerite's tender, serene music and Faust's fervent lyricism are contrasted with the bawdy patter of Méphistophélès and Marguerite's neighbour Marthe. Finally alone with Marguerite, Faust radiantly praises love and the beauty of the night in 'O nuit d'amour'. Marguerite initially responds in kind, but, having a sudden premonition of evil, breaks away, to the mockery of Méphistophélès. But despite her misgivings Marguerite cannot resist her wooer, and she passionately sings of her love for Faust, soaring to a top C as Faust calls out to her. She beckons him inside to a sweeping romantic theme in the orchestra – while Méphistophélès laughs sardonically.
Manon, Act III scene 2 ('Toi...vous!')
Manon has abandoned her young lover Des Grieux for a luxurious life as a kept woman. But on learning that Des Grieux is about to enter the priesthood, she hurries to Saint-Sulpice to win him back. Des Grieux has the upper hand for the first part of their dialogue: he angrily reproaches Manon, while she begs for forgiveness in a series of broken phrases. But then Manon delivers her masterstroke. To a gorgeous lyrical melody accompanied by delicate strings she asks Des Grieux 'N'est-ce plus ma main que cette main presse?' (Is this not my hand that caresses this hand?). Des Grieux struggles to resist, but soon Manon's music dominates his. The duet grows ever more passionate, until Des Grieux declares: 'ma vie est dans ton coeur!' (my life is in your heart) and abandons the priesthood to return to Manon.
Parsifal, Act II ('Ich sah das Kind an seiner Mutter Brust')
The ageless Kundry is condemned to obey the evil Klingsor, who commands her to corrupt the 'pure fool' Parsifal by seducing him. In a lulling melody with shimmering orchestral accompaniment, Kundry tells Parsifal of how she watched him grow up, and how his mother loved him and suffered when Parsifal disappeared. Parsifal is hypnotized by Kundry and overcome with grief at his mother's death. Kundry urges him to experience the bliss his parents knew, and to sensual surging in the orchestra kisses him passionately. But Parsifal suddenly remembers the suffering of Amfortas, who succumbed to a woman's charms, was horribly wounded as a result, and now lives in constant agony. With his sudden understanding of Amfortas's pain, Parsifal is able to resist Kundry, despite her increasingly frantic pleas and curses. Through his resolve Parsifal saves both himself and Kundry, and destroys Klingsor's evil realm – so becoming one of opera's very rare abstinent heroes.
Carmen, Act I (Séguidille)
Carmen is courted by many men, but wants the only one who seems uninterested – Don José. When she is arrested and Don José ordered to guard her, she seizes her chance. To the sensual Spanish rhythms of a Séguidille, she sings of how she and her lover will enjoy an evening of pleasure. Don José is initially cold and abrupt, but when Carmen, to a mixture of the Séguidille and a new, passionate melody, sings teasingly of how she will love him, he cannot resist, taking up her music. Carmen celebrates her victory in a final, triumphant reiteration of the Séguidille.
What are your favourite operatic seduction scenes?
Don Giovanni runs 1–24 February 2014. A small number of tickets are still available. The production will be broadcast live in cinemas around the world on 12 February. Find your nearest cinema.
The production is staged with the generous philanthropic support of David Hancock, Richard and Ginny Salter and The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund.]]>
It's hard to sum up a whole year in a few words. Not only were there both successes and disappointments, but for those of us lucky enough to work at the Royal Opera House, there was also all the work backstage to put the productions together. In a way, this is the biggest highlight of all: being allowed to work at the Royal Opera House means working with talented and passionate colleagues, and constantly meeting a flux of some of the world's leading artists coming to work with us.
That said, I've picked out a few of my highlights of 2013:
Les Vêpres siciliennes
Introducing Norwegian director Stefan Herheim to UK audiences was something I was hugely looking forward to, and with him and Antonio Pappano getting on like a house on fire for Les Vêpres siciliennes, it was every bit as exciting as I'd hoped for. I was also the very first ever live presenter for a Royal Opera live cinema relay when Vêpres went out to audiences around the world – a wonderful way of sharing our work with tens of thousands around the world.
Directing Eugene Onegin
Directing Eugene Onegin was very special. Getting to work with all the people on the stage, in the chorus and orchestra, I felt like I had finally really arrived at the ROH. Although many audiences and critics did not like the production, I was also lucky to get a large number of very positive and passionate responses. Dividing opinion is not necessarily bad, when we talk about artistic work. I enjoy engaging and discussing with our audiences, both when I agree and when I don't.
Written on Skin
Maybe the highlight of the whole 2012–13 Season for me was the overwhelming success of the UK premiere of George Benjamin and Martin Crimp's Written on Skin, which we co-commissioned. I have a passion for new music and it is always fascinating to watch a new work come to the stage, but it is rare for it to immediately capture the imagination of an audience in the way Written on Skin did.
Intense moments
During the autumn Wozzeck, Parsifal, Le nozze di Figaro and Elektra made for some very intense moments – and full houses! Simon Keenlyside's troubled Wozzeck and Mark Elder's impressive reading of Berg's score were wonderful, while Christine Goerke, Adrianne Pieczonka and Andris Nelsons's performances in Elektra are still ringing in my ears. Andris, Mark and Tony Pappano drew incredible performances from the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, who seems to be on better form than ever before, and the Royal Opera Chorus made us all so proud in Parsifal.
Outreach work making a difference
Some of the things that make ROH very special do not necessarily get noticed by the general public. The Learning and Participation team at ROH are fantastic, and although some of their projects make a very visible impact, they do great work 'under the radar' too. Following the work of the Youth Opera Company, and seeing older people from community centres and housing schemes coming to ROH for the first time to sing together were just two examples of how it feels like ROH can make a difference.
Taking on the Linbury
During 2013, The Royal Opera took over the programming of all opera work in the Linbury Studio Theatre, which feels like a natural and important thing for us to do. It was wonderful to have as potent a piece as Gerald Barry's Importance of Being Earnest in Ramin Gray's strong production to start off the new era.
Other notable mentions
Some other highlights deserve a mention: the incredible singing in La donna del lago, Richard Jones's brilliant insights in Gloriana and Gerald Finley's deeply moving Amfortas in Parsifal.
Here's hoping that 2014 will offer many more highlights. The first new production of the new year will be my own take on Mozart's Don Giovanni, and I can't wait to get my hands dirty once again!
What were your Royal Opera highlights of 2013?]]>
Don Giovanni director Kasper Holten is to give exclusive glimpses into the process of staging the opera through a video diary series, available to watch via the Royal Opera House YouTube channel.
In the first episode, Kasper reveals how lengthy an opera's production process is: at this stage the team have already been working on Don Giovanni for two years.
The series will run until opening night on 1 February 2014, with entries a couple of times a week (aside from the festive period). Do share your comments and questions below, or on YouTube.
To follow Kasper's series, and to watch more behind-the-scenes content, subscribe to the Royal Opera House channel on YouTube:
Don Giovanni runs from 1-24 February 2014. A limited number of tickets are still available.
The production is staged with generous philanthropic support from David Hancock, Richard and Ginny Salter and The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund.]]>
Group Booking for Winter Season productions opens on 8 October, two weeks ahead of General Booking on 22 October.
Groups can save up to 40% on an outstanding line-up of opera and ballet, securing the best seats at the best prices. Furthermore, if patrons confirm their group booking before 21 November, they will receive an extra 5% discount off the booking.
Ballet available for group booking includes George Balanchine's sparkling Jewels, Peter Wright's production of the heartbreaking Romantic favourite Giselle, and a Mixed Programme, which includes work from three defining choreographers of The Royal Ballet: Frederick Ashton's celebratory Rhapsody, Kenneth MacMillan's powerful Gloria and Wayne McGregor's new production The Art of Fugue.
Operas on offer this season include Kasper Holten's brand new production of Mozart's dark exhilarating opera, Don Giovanni, Francesca Zambello's production of Bizet's passionate Carmen, and Laurent Pelly's productions of both Donizetti's much-loved La Fille du régiment and Massenet's classic Manon.
Groups of ten or more are eligible for group booking, making it the ideal opportunity to introduce family and friends to Royal Opera House productions. Find out full details of winter offers.
Other benefits for group bookers include a 'book now, pay later' arrangement and a dedicated group booking phone line.
Tickets can be booked through our Group Sales Department by email at email@example.com and by telephone on +44 (0)20 7304 4002.
Find out more about Group Booking.]]>
The Royal Opera House Live Cinema Season 2013/14 opens tonight with a broadcast of Puccini's classic Turandot.
Hot on the heels of the success of the 2012/13 Season, which attracted audiences of up to 40,000, the Live Cinema Season 2013/14 has expanded to more than 1,000 cinemas across 40 countries, and features an unprecedented five Royal Opera and five Royal Ballet productions.
'In the cinema you feel like you have the best seat in the house,' said Director of Music Antonio Pappano ahead of the live screening of Turandot. 'The cinema experience brings you closer: you see the sweat and expression on the faces of some of the finest singers and dancers on stage. I am very much looking forward to this evening, along with the other 9,999 sites sharing in this wonderful experience.'
Carlos Acosta, Thiago Soares, Marianela Nuñez and Bryan Hymel at the ROH Cinema Season 2013/14 launch © ROH
Following tonight's screening of Turandot, Carlos Acosta's hotly anticipated new production of Don Quixote (in which Carlos and Marianela Nuñez dance the lead roles) will be screened live on 16 October. This is followed on 4 November by Stefan Herheim's new production of Verdi's Les Vêpres siciliennes, featuring a stellar cast that includes Bryan Hymel, Marina Poplavskaya, Erwin Schrott and Michael Volle.
Bryan Hymel will sing the role of Henri for the live cinema relay of Les Vêpres siciliennes. 'When performing in a live cinema relay, it is forever in your mind that it's not just the people in the auditorium you are performing for, but some twenty to thirty thousand people across the globe,' he says. 'The energy of it being live is just a great new experience as you have to be so mindful of the details - the eyes and face. In the cinema, you honestly have the best seat in the house.'
Other productions to be screened live include Christmas favourite The Nutcracker, Stephen Langridge's new production of Parsifal, Peter Wright's Giselle and Kasper Holten's new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni.
Since 2009, when the Royal Opera House broadcast in just 120 sites in 12 countries, ROH Live Cinema has expanded rapidly.
'We've been on a tremendous journey since the Live Cinema Season launched,' continues Antonio Pappano. 'Last season, over 32,000 people watched The Nutcracker: it was the second highest grossing film that night - nestled between The Hobbit and Skyfall'.
Similarly, 35,000 attended the live screening of Nabucco in April 2013, while some 40,000 watched the screenings of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
View the full list of productions for the 2013/14 Season and find a cinema near you.
Friends of Covent Garden are able to book Advance Booking Packages from tomorrow (Tuesday 17 September). Advanced Booking Packages are available to all from 15 October.
A wide range of packages – Total Opera, Total Ballet, Mini Packages and Family Packages – are available across the Winter Season, offering patrons the chance to secure their favourite seats for the most in-demand performances at a discounted rate. You can book by calling +44 (0)20 7304 4004
The packages - which are available for seats in the Orchestra Stalls, the Stalls Circle and the Amphitheatre - offer savings of up to 33% on ticket prices. Those who book an Advance Package can also request vouchers to exchange for either a programme or glass of champagne for one of their chosen performance.
Read our packages leaflets to find out full details:
Total Opera Package
Vittorio Grigolo as Chevalier des Grieux and Anna Netrebko as Manon Lescaut in Manon © Bill Cooper/ROH 2010
With six packages to choose from you can enjoy all six operas staged during the Winter Season, including Kasper Holten's new production of Mozart's masterpiece Don Giovanni, which features designs by Es Devlin; and Francesca Zambello's passionate production of Bizet's Carmen, starring acclaimed tenor Roberto Alagna. Other productions in the Total Opera Package include Laurent Pelly's production of Massenet's classic Manon and Donizetti's hilarious La Fille du régiment, starring star soprano Patrizia Ciofi and opera legend Kiri Te Kanawa.
Total Ballet Package
Marianela Nuñez as Giselle and Rupert Pennefather as Albrecht in Giselle © ROH / Tristram Kenton 2011
Five different packages on offer enable you to enjoy all three programmes of the Winter Season, including the world premiere of Wayne McGregor's new ballet The Art of Fugue, which will be performed alongside Kenneth MacMillan's powerful Gloria and Frederick Ashton's celebratory showpiece Rhapsody. This Mixed Programme showcases three choreographers synonymous with The Royal Ballet. Other productions in the Total Ballet Package include George Balanchine's Jewels, the ideal alternative Christmas treat; and Peter Wright's production of Giselle, the greatest of all Romantic ballets.
Mini Packages
A choice of seven mini packages enables you to choose a selection three operas, three ballets or a mix of both on set dates.
Family Packages
Ideal for a family treat, Family Packages offer two adult tickets and up to four under-18s tickets to The Royal Ballet's Giselle.
Please note: Unfortunately packages are not yet available to book online. This is something we hope to introduce later in the Season. To book, you can call the Box Office on +44 (0)20 7304 4000.]]>
With the curtain about to rise on a Season filled with tantalizing productions across both opera and ballet, we've created an infographic to pick out a few highlights and interesting facts.
This follows last year's extremely popular infographic which was also created in conjunction with bloggers The Ballet Bag.
When we announced the Season earlier in the year, we filmed interviews with Director of Opera Kasper Holten and Director of The Royal Ballet Kevin O'Hare where they let us know what they were most looking forward to.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more insights into what we do.
What are you most looking forward to over the coming season?]]>
Director of Opera Kasper Holten spoke to BBC Radio 3's In Tune yesterday about the upcoming 2013/14 Season.
Kasper spoke to presenter Sean Rafferty about a Season filled with star power including Jonas Kaufmann in Manon Lescaut, Simon Rattle conducting Dialogues des Carmélites, Joyce DiDonato in Maria Stuarda, and Anna Netrebko, Bryn Terfel, Simon Keenlyside and Joseph Calleja in Faust.
'We have a good mix this Season. The Company is in a good state to take on challenges, to really go to the extremes of where opera can be,' said Kasper of the range of works to be staged during 2013/14.
On his transition two years ago from the Royal Danish Opera to Covent Garden, Kasper said 'It's like switching from managing FC Copenhagen to running Manchester United. The Royal Opera is incredible because it's a company where all the big stars of the world want to perform; because of its history and tradition and because of the people we can attract it's a really special place to work.'
Speaking of the production he himself will direct, Kasper said: 'The challenge of Don Giovanni that it's an incredible piece but it evokes the fantasy for all of us – who is this incredible seducer? Don Giovanni needs to be a comedy and a tragedy at once.'
On the appeal of the character of anti-hero Don Giovanni, Kasper said that the opera is 'About a man who more than anything is hurting himself. It's something we recognize, this restlessness where enough is never enough – we want more, more, more and this never allows us to truly enjoy where we are. It's something that modern people recognize.'
Kasper also spoke of the challenges of the Season's two epic productions - Les Vêpres siciliennes and Parsifal - dropping hints as to the staging of the former. He discussed exciting new works, both in the ROH's Linbury Studio Theatre and at Shakespeare's Globe, and his thoughts on cast cancellations and the importance of opera in cinemas.
Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja was also a guest on the programme.
Listen to the interview:
Kasper also took part in a web chat with Classic FM this morning, answering audience questions about the upcoming season and the health of opera as an art form.]]>
Tickets for the Royal Opera House LIVE Cinema Season 2013/14 go on sale today. The Season, which kicks off on 17 September with a live relay of Puccini's Turandot, is expected to reach its largest ever global audience: an unprecedented five live operas and five live ballets will be broadcast live across the world.
The productions to be screened live during 2013/14 are:
Tonight's live screening of Britten's Gloriana draws the 2012/13 Season to a close. The Season featured nine productions broadcast in more than 35 countries.
The Nutcracker, broadcast live on Thursday 13 December 2012, was the second highest grossing film in the UK Box Office chart that day, between Hollywood blockbusters The Hobbit and Skyfall. Similarly, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, broadcast live on 28 March 2013, was seen by over 40,000 people in the UK.
The Royal Opera House Cinema Season is sponsored by the Bank of America Merrill Lynch.]]>
With Halloween happening this week, we asked our social media following for their favourite spooky operas. Here are five that were chosen for their spine-tingling atmosphere:
The Turn of the Screw
Based on the Henry James novella of the same name, Benjamin Britten's The Turn of the Screw is the classic operatic ghost story. An unnamed Governess moves to a country house to take care of two children, only to discover supernatural goings on, and hints of past abuse. As she gets to know the children better, she becomes increasingly convinced that they are suffering some form of demonic possession. Britten leaves it to us to decide whether or not the ghostly happenings at Bly House are in fact all in the mind of the Governess, as the tension builds to a chilling and tragic final scene.
Don Giovanni
The final day of opera's lascivious anti-hero begins with a cold-blooded murder and goes downhill from there. The sharp shock of one of opera's most famous overtures plunges the audience into the piece and Don Giovanni's hastening towards damnation, pursued by those he has wronged, until, late in the evening when he is visited by a ghostly dinner guest. It might have some moments of musical beauty (the aria 'Batti batti bel Masetto' for example) but Don Giovanni remains a work bookended by some of Mozart's most dark and dramatic music.
The passionate Dance of the Seven Veils is the most famous part of Strauss's Salome. For fans of the macabre, however, it's the unveiling of the severed head of John the Baptist that steals the show. As the deranged Salome embraces the head and crawls about the stage with it in David McVicar's Royal Opera production, the blood soaks her dress and skin. Her passionate kissing of the head shocks Herod and his guests so profoundly that the Tetrarch (hardly a figure of virtue himself) orders Salome's execution. This final scene is harrowing – but also deeply moving, as McVicar encourages us to feel sympathy for this troubled heroine.
With witches and ghosts aplenty, no Halloween opera list would be complete without Macbeth, Verdi's first Shakespearian opera. Verdi adored Shakespeare's plays, and his score faithfully reproduces the frenzied emotions of the Bard's original drama. As ambition transforms Macbeth to a murderous tyrant hell-bent on retaining power, Lady Macbeth, who first stirred his ambition, descends into insanity. With the unexpected appearance of the ghost of Banquo, and a hallucinatory vision conjured up by the Witches of Banquo's ghostly descendants, this is certainly an opera to send shivers down your spine.
King Agamemnon of Mycenae has been murdered by his wife Klytämnestra and her consort, Aegisth. Agamemnon's daughter Elektra becomes obsessed to the point of insanity with avenging her father's death. She gets her desire when her brother Orest returns to Mycenae, and Klytämnestra, Aegisth and their followers are killed in one of opera's most terrifying bloodbaths. But what follows is even more chilling, as the exultant Elektra literally dances herself to death. Strauss's score depicts every shade of his characters' tormented emotions, and the grim force of destiny, not least in the monumental 'Agamemnon' motif that opens and closes the opera.
What do you think is the scariest opera in the repertory?
Upcoming spooky operas include Laurent Pelly's new production of Robert le diable. Booking is now open.
Hundred of you responded to our Royal Opera season review competition, which closed yesterday. Congratulations to Benjamin, who won a pair of tickets to next season's La bohème and thanks to everyone who took part.
Understandably, many of you struggled to pick just one production. However, a few productions stood out as highlights of the repertory.
It came as no surprise that Puccini's romance La bohème was a favourite. Set in the bohemian Paris of the 19th century, John Copley's much-loved production has been enjoyed by Royal Opera House audiences for over 35 years. This year, it was screened live for free across the UK as part of BP Big Screens. Read people's reactions to the live screening. This season's production was marked by a memorable performance from opera's golden couple Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu. The duo, who first met at Covent Garden in 1992, performed together in the leading roles to celebrate their 20th anniversary of meeting. Blog commenter Aditi Kar wrote, "Gheorghiu and Alagna were extraordinary, the sets were beautiful and the performance, overall, was spectacular!"
Puccini's Il Trittico, a trio of one-act operas - Il tabarro, Suor Angelica and, Gianni Schicchi - was another popular choice. Richard Jones's acclaimed production was shortlisted for both the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards and the Olivier Awards. Blog reader Laura Simpson described it as, "a transfixing production amalgamating both [the] technical brilliance of performers and a unique art direction". Watch an introduction with Music Director Antonio Pappano to find our more about the triptych. The trio was broadcast in weekly installments on BBC Four. For those of you who missed out, there is now a DVD of the production, available to buy from Opus Arte.
Ekaterina Siurina as Lauretta and Lucio Gallo as Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi © ROH / Bill Cooper 2011
Rebecca Evans as Nella, Alan Oke as Gherardo, Francesco Demuro as Rinuccio, Robert Poulton as Marco, Elena Zilio as Zita, Gwynne Howell as Simone, Marie McLaughlin as La Ciesca and Jeremy White as Betto Di Signa in Gianni Schicchi © ROH / Bill Cooper 2011
Francesco Demuro as Rinuccio, Alan Oke as Gherardo, Robert Poulton as Marco, Gwynne Howell as Simone, Lucio Gallo as Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi © ROH / Bill Cooper 2011
Rebecca Evans as Nella, Lucio Gallo as Gianni Schicchi and Marie McLaughlin as La Ciesca in Gianni Schicci © ROH / Bill Cooper 2011
Ermonela Jaho as Sister Angelica, Gillian Webster as Alms Sister, Elizabeth Woollett as Nursing Sister, Elizabeth Sikora as Mistress of the novices in Suor Angelica © ROH / Bill Cooper 2011
Otello had a hard act to follow coming hot on the heels of the epic Les Troyens. However, many of you raved about the remarkable performances by Aleksandrs Atonenko and Anja Harteros as Otello and Desdemona, as well as Antonio Pappano's electric conducting. Elijah Moshinky's engrossing production, described on our blog as, "breathtaking, beautiful, alarming, stunning, perfect," was a fitting close to the season. Read the reactions from the opening night.
Other favourites include David McVicar's dark production of Strauss's Salome. Electrifying and dramatic, the opera is noted for its final scene, in which the titular character passionately caresses and kisses a severed head. We followed the Royal Opera House props department to find out just how they made it so grisly and realistic. Tweeter Chichi Parish summed it up her feelings after watching it: "[A] sublime seven veil severed head snogging psycho drama. Gasp factor 100." Read more reactions to McVicar's staging.
The epic Les Troyens came top for many. Another David McVicar production, it was an Olympian feat in every sense of the word, featuring an acclaimed performance from Bryan Hymel. Blog reader Tina Starmore noted, "it was in keeping with the magnitude of effort made for all Olympic related productions and did ROH proud." We followed the creation of the set, which featured both the cities of Carthage and Troy as well as an enormous fire-breathing horse, from the initial designs to its construction on stage. For those of you who missed out, the opera will be shown in cinemas in November.
La traviata was also selected by many. Richard Eyre's production of Verdi's romance was described on our blog by Brooks as, "an artistic triumph on every level… Love, tragedy and passion at its best." McVicar's production of Verdi's Rigoletto, which was screened worldwide in a live cinema relay, and Don Giovanni, starring Erwin Schrott as the seductive lothario, were also high on the list of favourites.
Barbara Senator as Ascanius, Ashley Holland as Panthus, Bryan Hymel as Aeneas and Fabio Capitanucci as Coroebus in Les Troyens © Bill Cooper/ROH 2012
Vittorio Grigolo as Alfredo Germont and Bernarda Bobro as Violetta Valéry in La Traviata © Catherine Ashmore/ROH 2012
Vittorio Grigolo as Duke Of Mantua, Zhengzhong Zhou as Marullo and Pablo Bemsch as Matteo Borsa with the chorus in Rigoletto © Johan Persson/ROH 2012
Some of you went against critical opinion to name productions that met with less than universal acclaim when they were staged. Edward Morris commented on the blog that Judith Weir's new opera Miss Fortune, "mixed tradition and a hip hop culture, kebab and the orient... and brilliant performances."
Rusalka, whose staging earned one star, five stars and everything in between, was a highlight for blog commenter Jonathan Meldrum who praised Bryan Hymel as, "the most sonorous baritone one-flippered chav water-goblin I've ever heard." [Updated 17:15 - Hariclea Darclee noted on Facebook that "the indeed splendid water-goblin was the bass-baritone Alan Held :-D Bryan was the prince and equally wonderful i thought :-)". Thanks for the correction.]
As you can tell, choosing a definitive favourite proved impossible for many. Susheel Kokarakonda managed to sum up his views on the season in a succinct poem:
La Trav stunned with a sumptuous display,
Jaho's Violetta, the clear star of the day.
A brave effort, Cosi to modernise,
Braver still, for Alfonso's understudy to deputise!
Les Troyens' jewel, betrayed Dido,
Another triumph for McVicar and Pappano.
Fine performances all, none far astray,
My favourite opera, it's hard to say!
Thanks to everyone who got involved in our Royal Opera review competition. Unfortunately, we've not been able to reflect all of your comments. They do however, make for some interesting reading. You can read all the comments on the original article and via the Twitter hashtag.
Next season, in which Director of Opera Kasper Holten and Associate Director John Fulljames both make their directorial debuts, promises to be even busier. It opens with a full staging of Der Ring des Nibelungen, and includes a new production of Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable and a new work by George Benjamin. Read more about the forthcoming 2012/13 season highlights.]]>
Photographer Sim Canetty-Clarke recently shadowed Gerald Finley as he prepared for, and sang the titular role in Francesca Zambello's production of Don Giovanni. Part of an ongoing photography project with the singer, her work reveals the transitions and environment that a singing actor encounters when performing such a role - the mystery, comedy and drama of Mozart's Don is apparent even behind the scenes.
Here's a glimpse behind the scenes:
You have one more chance to see Gerald as Don Giovanni in this ROH season when he performs the role on Friday 3 February. From Thursday 16 February the role will be sung by Erwin Schrott.
We're offering the prize of two tickets to see The Royal Opera's Don Giovanni on 26 February.
To enter simply like our Facebook page. We'll be picking a winner at random from our followers on Friday 10 February. Join us on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news around Royal Opera House productions as well as discussion, insight and exclusive content.
Don Giovanni is one of a trio of Da Ponte/Mozart operas on stage this season, being performed alongside Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte - three classic works accessible to newcomers and seasoned opera-goers alike.]]>
When Peter Shaffer's Amadeus was made into a film in 1984, the producers were faced with a major problem. Much of Mozart's Vienna no longer exists. Half a century after the composer's death in 1791, Emperor Franz Josef made sweeping changes to the capital. He knocked down the city walls, and the suburbs (such as the one in which Die Zauberflöte was first performed) doubled in size. What urban planners hadn't changed in the 19th century, Allied bombing destroyed in the 20th. And although some of the centre's medieval streets are still there, unfortunately it was impossible to recreate what Mozart would have seen and known.
The producers of Amadeus eventually went to Prague (where Don Giovanni was first performed in 1787). There, director Miloš Forman gained access to the Estates Theatre where the opera premiered; the whole city, blanketed in snow, looked as close to 18th-century Vienna as you could get. But for those of us wanting the real deal, we can only imagine what the city might have looked like when the 25-year-old composer first arrived in the Austrian capital, which by 1781 had become a fortress.
Le nozze di Figaro
Coming from Munich, where Idomeneo had opened to an enchanted public, Mozart wanted to write a new piece for the Viennese stage. Lorenzo Da Ponte's libretto arrived in the summer and the premiere of Die Entführung aus dem Serail (set in a Turkish harem) took place the following year. Flying high, Mozart rented lavish rooms in the city centre, at the heart of Imperial society. Changing flats every few months, the composer had had no fewer that eight separate residences by the time that he moved into a house on Domgasse (in the shadow of the cathedral where he and Constanze Weber married in 1782).
It was here - with Le nozze di Figaro - that the composer began his first collaboration with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, a former priest turned brothel owner. The house sits snugly in a labyrinth of medieval streets with inner courtyards providing the only open spaces in a network of religious institutions, businesses and, nowadays, the ubiquitous coffee house. There's even one on the ground floor of Mozart's old home, named after the servant hero of his fizzy comedy.
Don Giovanni
Mozart stayed at the address for a full year after the premiere and it still stands, now a museum to one of the city's greatest adopted sons. But Mozart's fortunes took a turn for the worse and, by April 1787, the family had to move to the less impressive surroundings of Landstrasse, south of the centre. Unfortunately, the building in which he lived and wrote Don Giovanni no longer exists, knocked down during the 19th century and replaced by large apartment blocks. Only a small plaque marks the site where Mozart composed the opera.
The Prague premiere brought renewed wealth, but the last years of Mozart's life were dogged by financial problems. He often visited pawnbrokers and wrote to the wealthier members of his Masonic Lodge for help. Determined to save face, he refused to sack the maid and, in order to lessen their woes, he took on pupils as well as shifting the family between pokey flats in the city centre and more spacious but cheaper homes in the suburbs.
Così fan tutte
The Mozarts eventually took a flat on Judenplatz – right in the heart of the medieval Jewish ghetto – where the composer began to plan for a more successful 1789. Unfortunately, his arrangements for a German tour failed and the year proved equally disheartening. It was overlooking this spacious square however – now dominated by Rachel Whiteread's chilling Holocaust memorial – that Mozart wrote Così fan tutte, again with Da Ponte. The first rehearsals took place in the apartment, which became another victim of 19th-century town planning. A plaque now testifies to Mozart's presence.
But by wandering the streets, you glean a hint of the city Mozart would have known, however, by wandering the streets of the area. Buildings, heavy with crests and crosses, lean over the cobbled streets, just as they do on Rauhensteingasse, where Mozart and Contanze finally moved in September 1790. A commission from Prague (La clemenza di Tito) and Die Zauberflöte kept the wolf from the door.
But by the time that inflammatory rheumatic fever took hold in late 1791, Mozart was unable to pay for proper medical attention. Adding insult to injury, the building in which he died was demolished in the 1840s. A department store now stands on the site.
A city of Mozartian imagination
Mozart had entered Vienna a chipper young man, but he was unable to capitalize properly on his achievements. The oddly fleeting success of his operas during his lifetime and a lack of imperial patronage following the death of Josef II in 1790 became his downfall. Today Mozart is celebrated everywhere you go in Vienna. Chocolates, postcards, T-shirts and mugs bear his name. But unfortunately only one of the houses in which he wrote his greatest comedies still stands. Our imagination has to fill in the gaps.]]>
In a triple header to kick off 2012, The Royal Opera presents three operatic masterpieces, all composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with librettos by Lorenzo Da Ponte.
A serial seducer gets his just deserts in Don Giovanni, a tale of murder, the supernatural and redemption. The work features a rich mix of humour, drama and thrills as well as some of the most disarming arias ever composed – all framed within a white knuckle ride to the Don's damnation. Erwin Schrott and Gerald Finley share the title role in Francesca Zambello's energetic production.
Classic comedy Così fan tutte tells the story of two young men, testing the faithfulness of their girlfriends for a bet with wily old Don Alfonso. Containing some of Mozart's most romantic and beautiful music, the opera has proved a repertory staple in recent decades. With costume designs by Giorgio Armani, Jonathan Miller's production melds the classic and the contemporary, leading one review to dub it a 'Mozart meets Sex in the City triumph'.
The story of a 'day of madness' atCount Almaviva's palace near Seville, Le nozze di Figaro rounds off the trio of Mozart and Da Ponte operas in comedic fashion. Featuring one of the most infectious overtures in opera, Figaro is also a showcase for most famous arias and sublime characterisation. Director David McVicar sets the action in 1830 – providing the perfect backdrop for the unresolved tensions between the classes of Revolutionary Europe. A stellar cast and creative team is on offer with Ildebrando D'Arcangelo singing the role of Figaro, Simon Keenlyside taking the role of the Count and Sir Antonio Pappano conducting.
Is Da Ponte's contribution to the operas underrated or is the power of the libretti fully recognised?]]>
Director Milos Forman's mantelpiece was left sagging in the middle after the release of his most high profile film – the Mozartian drama netted him a structurally unsound eleven Oscars. The film was praised and reviled by audiences, for its compelling storytelling (both Fahrid Murray Abraham (Salieri) and Tom Hulce (Mozart) were both Oscar nominated) but extremely creative use of license with the narrative.
In this clip, Mozart's rival Salieri (old and in an asylum) attempts a piece of psychoanalysis – revealing his view that the terrifying Commandatore is a manifestation of Leopold, Mozart's father. He also reveals that the opera inspired his grand plan for victory…
Cher and Nicholas Cage star in this 80s romantic comedy - the former as a divorced accountant named Loretta, the latter as her fiance's estranged brother Ronny. Cue decision making over which of the two brothers to choose - the steady, dependable nice guy Johnny who brings security or the more rough and ready baker Ronny. After a rendezvous above the bakery, Ronny admits he's falling for her. He agrees not to see her again if she goes to the opera with him.
The clip in question features Donde lieta usci from Puccini's La bohème bringing a tear to Cher's eye...
There are two mysteries in Citizen Kane – the first being the identity of the arcane Rosebud, the second being why on earth Charles Foster Kane married 'singer' Susan Alexander - a woman with as much pitch control as a bag of cement thrown down a lift shaft. Still, it makes for a highlight of opera in film - the woefully out of her depth Susan attempting desperately to string together some semblance of a tune.
If you're wondering, Susan's singing voice was provided by professional opera singer Jean Forward who under direction, sang outside of her natural vocal range. She agreed to having her voice used in the film as long as her identity was never revealed.
A children's staple, Robin Williams's cross-dressing tour-de-force features operatic clowning in its opening scene around as Daniel Hillard larks around at work as a voiceover artist. His efforts earn him the sack, a divorce and a wig and cardigan combination that's as hilarious as it is surreal.
The aria in question is William's take on Largo al factotum from Rossini's The Barber of Seville which has also soundtracked the exploits of Tom and Jerry.
The third and final part of the quintessential gangster trilogy sees the resolution of the tale of Michael Corleone the Mafia kingpin played by Al Pacino. Now old, the Don is attempting to make amends for his violent life of crime by using his wealth to fund acts of charity (getting a commendation by the Vatican in the process).
Unfortunately however, in the end – the Don winds up alone in Sicily, after the death of his daughter during an assassination attempt on him on the night he goes to see his son perform in the opera Cavalleria Rusticana. The final scene uses Pietro Mascagni's Intermezzo (the same piece employed to such beautiful effect in Raging Bull).
We'll be counting down the final five films in the next installment. In the meantime, what are your favourite films featuring opera?
View 5-1]]>
CONTEXT: Yet another of Giovanni's love-interests is a peasant girl, Zerlina; and in one of his increasingly desperate escapades he plans to seduce her on the eve of her wedding, under the nose of her fiancé Masetto. He has already made a move on her; and she, entranced by his superior social status, charm and flattery, all but succumbed.
Now it's time for the recriminations. But Masetto's anger is pacified, little by little, in this aria which is Zerlina's version of seduction - poised between endearing, childlike vulnerability and calculating guile. OK Masetto, punish me, she says: go on and hit me (batti, batti), pull my hair out – knowing that, of course, he won't. Instead, they fall into each other's arms, bewitched by the magic of an aria that starts like a serenely rocking lullaby but then - when Zerlina realises she's won the day and can exchange her batti, batti offer for a peace deal (pace, pace) - shifts into a celebratory 6/8 dance. No wonder Masetto, in his following recitative, calls her a sorceress.
LISTEN: Miah Persson sings 'Batti, batti o bel Masetto' to Robert Gleadow as Masetto. Excerpt from a BBC recording of Francesca Zambello's recent Royal Opera House production of Don Giovanni.
THE LYRICS: In the original Italian, as sung on stage, and in their English translation.
|Batti, batti, o bel Masetto,
la tua povera Zerlina!
Starò qui come agnellina
le tue botte ad aspettar.Batti, batti la tua Zerlina!
Starò qui, starò qui
le tue botte ad aspettar.
Lascerò straziarmi il crine.
Lascerò cavarmi gli occhi,
e le care tue manine lieta
poi saprò baciar,
saprò baciar, baciar,
saprò, saprò baciar.
Batti, batti, o bel Masetto,
Ah, lo vedo, non hai core!
|Beat me, beat me, dear Masetto,
beat your poor Zerlina!
I'll stand here like a little lamb,
to await your blows.Beat me, beat your dear Zerlina.
I'll just stand here
to await your blows.
You can pull out my hair.
Pull out my eyes,
and I'll still gladly kiss
your dear hands,
kiss your dear hands,
kiss your dear hands.
Beat me, beat me, dear Masetto,
Ah, I see he has not got the heart.
Composer: Mozart. Libretto: Da Ponte, Discover more about Don Giovanni: synopsis, characters, context text, full details of current production, pictures.
Credits: Intro text: Michael White, score by Ricordi, as sung on stage, translations: Emma Beatty/Michele Bona


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Dean AmbroseJonathan Good
- Birthdate: 12/07/1985 (age 28)
- Height: 6'4"
- Weight: 225 Ib
Jonathan Good debuted as Jon Moxley in June 200...
Read More »FCW's Dean Ambrose has continued his feud with Mick Foley on Twitter.
When he was asked when he will "rid us" of Foley, he said: "There is a long cleanup job ahead to get rid of everything foley poisoned #wwe #raw"
He was then asked who his dream opponent from any era. He said: "Mick 20 years ago id have made sure he was eating his meals through a straw long b4 he did any so much damage #wwe #raw Thing is, im the worst thing foley ever created. Im the most highly evolved creature on the planet #thanksmick #wwe #raw"

subset: commoncrawl


text: Letterman Jokes About Bachmann's 'Ass' by Alexander Marlow 6 Jul 2011 post a comment Share This: Latest strategy: x-ray Bachmann's ass to prove it's real. Comedians are free to joke about what they want, but does anyone else find it creepy that David Letterman, of all people, is making sexual jokes about a sitting congresswoman? After all, it was just two years ago that we learned Letterman had been bedding members of his staff in a secret bedroom above the Ed Sullivan Theater. I'm not really sure why anyone would find this x-ray line funny in the first place (though I get what he intended), but even if they did, doesn't the fact that it emanated from Letterman's pervy mouth turn the "ewww" factor up just a little too high? Letterman has the aura of a misogynist FM radio shock jock--the type of guy you wouldn't want near your kids--and nothing illustrates this more clearly than a depraved joke about a female public servant who happens to be highly educated and a mother of twenty-eight (including twenty-three foster kids). And not to sound like a broken record, but how many sexual jokes has Letterman made about Democrats in recent memory?


text:
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Cris Carter is a top-five all-time receiver. There are more than 20 receivers in the Hall. Therefore, CC is getting snubbed.On Saturday, football media selected six players as the 2012 inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Conspicuously absent from the list, as he has been for the past five ... More >>
He was instrumental in building the Vikings team that's now laying waste to the NFL. So why isn't anyone thanking Roger Headrick?


text: On Wednesday night, the Texas Rangers sent their closer Joakim Soria to the Detroit Tigers for right-handed pitching prospects Jake Thompson and Corey Knebel. Last week, the San Diego Padres got a nice return from the Los Angeles Angels last week for Huston Street and Soria didn't come cheap either. Thompson was a second-round pick in 2012 and currently has a 2.96 ERA in 200 2/3 career innings between rookie ball and Double-A. Knebel was drafted in 2013 out of the University of Texas at Austin and made his major league debut in Detroit earlier this season. The 22-year-old owns a dominant 1.26 ERA in 64 1/3 career minor league innings. After the deal was completed, the Tigers announced that Joe Nathan will continue to be their closer, but that is not likely to last long. Nathan has an ugly 5.89 ERA this season and he has blown five saves in 25 opportunities. Nathan has been pretty good of late and has closed his last three save opportunities, but it is quite possible that Soria will be the Tigers closer sooner than later.


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Save to My Recipes
Curried Couscous
Servings: 8 time: 10 minutes time: 30 minutes
- 2 large dried chiles (such as guajillo or ancho) stemmed, seeded
- 1 jalapeño, seeded, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled ginger
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups couscous
Nutritional Information
1 serving contains:
- Calories (kcal) 230
- Fat (g) 4
- Saturated Fat (g) .5
- Cholesterol (mg) 0
- Carbohydrates (g) 150
- Dietary Fiber (g) 41
- Total Sugars (g) 2
- Protein (g) 7
- Sodium (mg) 150
PREPARATIONView Step-by-Step Directions
Place dried chiles in a small bowl; add hot water to cover and soak until softened, 10–15 minutes. Drain chiles; discard soaking liquid. Place chiles in a food processor; add jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, onion, ginger, coriander seeds, and zest and purée, scraping down sides as needed, until a smooth paste forms, about 3 minutes. DO AHEAD: Red curry paste can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Paste can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste is very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add broth, season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently until flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and sprinkle in couscous. Cover tightly and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork.
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Book your room at Apart Altamira
Standard SuiteMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 2 children, 1 infant)
Studio Suite, 1 Queen Bed with SofabedMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 1 child, 1 infant)
Standard LoftMax Occupancy: 3 guests (up to 2 children, 1 infant)
Aparthotel in Santiago near Palacio de la Moneda
Situated in the city center, this aparthotel is close to Santa Lucia Hill, Palacio de la Moneda, and Santiago Town Square. Also nearby are Plaza de la Constitucion and San Cristobal Hill.
Property Features
Recreational amenities at Apart Altamira include an indoor pool and a health club. Other amenities include ski storage and complimentary wireless Internet access.
Room Amenities
LCD televisions include cable channels. Guestrooms also feature deep soaking bathtubs, kitchens, and complimentary wireless Internet access.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
At your hotel
At your hotel
Apart Altamira features an indoor pool and a health club. Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wired and wireless Internet access. Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning. For a surcharge, the property provides a roundtrip airport shuttle (available 24 hours), a beach shuttle, and a ski shuttle. This Santiago aparthotel also offers ski storage, a garden, and concierge services. Parking is available onsite for a surcharge.
- Total number of rooms - 19
- Free breakfast
- Concierge services
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Ski shuttle (surcharge)
- Beach shuttle (surcharge)
- Number of floors - 22
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Elevator/lift
- Front desk (limited hours)
- Health club
- Free Wi-Fi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Laundry facilities
- Garden
- Luggage storage
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Year Built 2008
- Ski storage
- Number of buildings/towers - 4
- Indoor pool
Stay connected
Available in all rooms: Free Wi-Fi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Park your car
Self parking (surcharge)
In your room
- Complimentary bottled water
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Air conditioning
- Phone
- Free local calls
- Coffee/tea maker
- Microwave
- Kitchen
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Hair dryer
- Shower/tub combination
- Deep soaking bathtub
- Rainfall showerhead
- Sofa bed
- Cookware, dishware, and utensils
- Full-sized refrigerator/freezer
- Stovetop
- In-room safe (laptop compatible)
- Cable TV service
- Free Wi-Fi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Dial-up Internet access (complimentary)
- Sofa bed size
Eat and drink
Guests are offered a complimentary continental breakfast each morning.
Recreational amenities at the aparthotel include an indoor pool and a health club.
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible bathroom
- In-room accessibility
- Roll-in shower
The fine print for Apart Altamira
When you arrive
Check-in time starts at 2 PM
Minimum check-in age is 18
Special check-in instructions:
Special Instructions: Please contact the property ahead of time if you are planning to arrive after 5:00 PM.
When you leave
Check-out time is noon
How you can pay
Accepted at this hotel: American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard, Visa
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No cribs (infant beds) available
No pets or service animals allowed
- The national sales tax (19%) is charged upon check-out to citizens of Chile regardless of length of stay and to foreigners staying in the country for 60 consecutive days or more. Foreigners who present a valid passport with a visa/entry stamp at check-in will be exempt from this tax. Furthermore, the tax may apply per room when the room is shared by a taxable and a nontaxable guest.
- Airport shuttle fee: CLP 21560 per vehicle (one way)
- Rollaway bed fee: CLP 12250 per night
We should mention
This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply). Guests must contact the property with arrival details 48 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation. One child 5 years old or younger stays free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding. Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms. No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property.