The Opera Lenz

Sunday, June 30, 2024

Lando Bartolini RIP

Lando Bartolini passed away a few days ago. He was in my lens from 1976-1995, New York City Opera and Metropolitan Opera, a humble respected tenor. Here are a few memories. CAVALLERIA, New York City Opera, 1976, as Turiddu with Maralin Niska as Santuzza

Dan Kingman, chorus, is in background on right.

TRAVIATA, New York City Opera, 1977, as Alfredo. Faye Robinson was Violetta. Both Cavalleria and Traviata are performance images shot from the wings at the State Theater.

On to the Met, AIDA as Radames, 1991.

With Aprile Millo as Aida

TROVATORE, Metropolitan Opera 1993, Manrico. With Aprile Millo as Leonore

With Delora Zajick as Azucena.

TURANDOT, 1995, Calaf with Dame Gwyneth Jones as Turandot

Curtain call, Paul Plishka as Timur, Teresa Stratas as Liu, Jones again as Turandot and Bartolini, the Calaf. 1995

To the family and friends my heartfelt condolences.

Dear Lando, many thanks for the fun, RIP.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Opera "Clocks", final post

Back to Falstaff, Act II, scene 1, Mistress Quickly comes to invite Falstaff to visit Alice Ford, "Dalle due alle tre". That's repeated, between two and three. Usually there is sign language that lasts only about two seconds. In looking through every Falstaff I ever shot I only found four images showing the hand sign. The above and below are Fiorenza Cossoto with Giuseppe Taddei in 1985. I'm thrilled to have these images as I adored both artists.

Also between 2 and 3- from 1975, Cornell MacNeil and Fedora Barbieri. Both delicious artists.

From the Juilliard production of Falstaff, Ronald Hedlung as Falstff and Patricia Dekert as Quickly. This production was staged by the late great Tito Gobbi who was a superb Falstaff. I was thrilled watching him at work with the students.

BORIS, the apartment scene, James Morris is Boris 2004. He is haunted, feeling guilty, clock hands going around. The orchestra is playing sinister clock-like beats. Boris suffers a seizure, hallucinates into madness. I helped this along by cloning the clocks.

Finally, absolutely opera "clock work", ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Susan Graham as the young Composer who has written a serious opera. The Major Domo announces, "Punkt neun Uhr Feurwerks." The serious opera and the comedie del arte will be performed "gleichzeitig", the two works together. Horrors. 9p.m. mish mash. Fireworks courtesy of a Macy's display over the Hudson River , shot from my window.

THat's it for now, or until I remember another operatic time moment.

More opera time pieces

BALLO IN MASCHERA is an easy time-sensitive image. Amelia will meet Riccardo at the gallows, punctually at mezzanotte. This is BAllO in 2005.

Another easy to find image, FALSTAFF, final scene. Falstaff is counting the night chimes, uno, due, tre, quatro, etc. He has been told to be at the Forest at mezzanotte. Bryn Terfel in 2005.

At midnight the magic creatures of the night will appear, again 2005.

Not so easy to find. Violetta/ TRAVIATA is dying. Dr. Grenville comes to check her. To take her pulse he needs a watch. I looked through my entire Traviata library looking for the watch. Only two images. This is an early digital image from 2003, Dr.Grenville is Vaclovas Daunoros. Violetta is Rene Fleming.

From 2008, Paul Plishka is the Doctor, Anja Harteros, the Violetta. You can see the watch fob. Hundreds of images, but only two showing the watch. That's show biz.

Opera clocks, PArt 1

Daylight savings time has triggered this theme. I'm searching for clock/ watch related subjects, not necessarily time-change importance. L'HEURE ESPAGNOL, NYC Opera, 1969, silly Ravel opera in which the soprano hides her lovers in the clock. Karan Armstrong with Kenneth Riegel.

FLEDERMAUS, end of Act II, the party scene, the clock strikes midnight and everyone either goes home or goes to jail.

But before that Gabriel von Eisenstein brags but his watch, in this case Christopher Maltman, 2013.

FLEDERMAUS NYC Opera 1974, Rosalinde,Johanna Meier, grabs the watch from her husband, Alan Titus.

One of my most favorite time-sensitive scenes, the close of Act I ROSENKAVALIER, Leonie Rysanek as the Marschallin, 1969 and 1973, "die Zeit, die ist ein sonderbar Ding...." all about the feeling of time passing, no visible watch, totally internal retrospection. I could have scanned 100 images from this scene.