Concert!

[iselima]

I've been singularly lucky, I feel! 

A few days ago I searched Alice Coote on internet. It appeared she was going to perform Schubert's Winterreise in London, on 26th and 28th. I was not very hopeful, concert not far away and ticket-prices should be high for a star like her. But oh! There were a few tickets left and I could get one next to the stage for only £18! Am I lucky, or not?

I became a fan of Alice Coote because of watching three of her opera appearances, where she seemed to be wallowing in singing men-roles and she was simply marvellous at that.

Winterreise is entirely something else of course, very sad and just her and a pinanist (or so I believe). I've been to Winterreise when I was in my twenties and was deeply touched. From what I could see so far, Alice Coote is great in bringing emotions across...so I'm so hopeful this is going to be an experience never to forget.

Thursday at 5.30 I'll step into the bus in front of our house, have myself transported to Central London, and all the way shiver in anticipation. :)

Comments

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

What a great price.

I saw Alice Coote do Hansel and Gretel with the NY Met in (I think) 2007. She's very dynamic.

Have fun!

[iselima.livejournal.com]

Yep, the price is unexpected. :)

Tetley has a link to Alcina in which Alice Coote is definitely a bit more than dynamic. You could always ask her...

Thanks!

[squibstress.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I'm so jealous!

Among other reasons, I'd love to hear a mezzo rendition of the cycle.

I just got back from seeing the Opera in Cinema presentation of ROCG's Cendrillon, with Ms. Coote as Le Prince Charmant. She was... charmant.

[iselima.livejournal.com]

Jealous? Haha. But it's good, as I'm jealous of your writing...that balances it a bit then :)

It should be special, sung by a woman, like Tetley said. I heard it long ago with Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, technically perfect , but otherwise slightly bland. And that is something, lack of emotionality, I can't see happen with Alice Coote.

Great picture of Alice's Prince Charming in your post, by the way.

[tetleythesecond]

WAAAAHHH! I wish you so much fun! Well, "fun" may be the wrong word for the Winterreise, but I think that it adds a whole dimension to the cycle if a woman sings it. All those emotions -- not even primarily the love for a woman, but the quiet pensiveness, sadness, and Weltschmerz -- were so profoundly associated with men that this is a feminist act in many more ways than just that of singing of love to a woman. Women have received much flak especially for singing the Winterreise from a certain sort of old-school conservative men, and I think it's because of just that. If men don't even have the privilege of deep, sad thoughts about love and the world in general -- then what remains? ;)

I expect a report!

[ysilme]

If men don't even have the privilege of deep, sad thoughts about love and the world in general -- then what remains? ;)
So true... *big grin*

[iselima.livejournal.com]

I expect a report! I fully intend to oblige (and after your forceful admonishment, how could I even dare not to). :)

I was thinking I had seen Winterreise in the Concertgebouw with Jard van Nes, though your words made me realize it was not her but Dietrich Fischer Dieskau. Jard van Nes was with Das Lied von der Erde and also with Kindertotenlieder (a concert which I can never forget).

I'm preparing myself so that I can hope get all those emotions, reading the poems, listening. Excited anticipation. :)

[ysilme]

Congratulations on the tickets! Getting some like this seems like a little wonder, as I can very well understand; how great for you! :o) I'm wishing you a marvellous concert!

I must confess I don't know Alice Coote yet, though. I've heard a part of the Winterreise sung by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in 1987 and really loved it.

[iselima.livejournal.com]

Thanks! To me it is a little wonder indeed and a great consolation for loosing out on Olympic tickets (Had registered for three events, for the 'children' and myself, but we got nothing). :) Actually I think I'll enjoy more to go to this concert, than to spend halve a day in the chaos of people that the Olympics may be.

Dietrich Fischer Dieskau...went to his recital in The Concertgebouw, in the early eighties, with my parents. My mother was a big fan of him. In my feeling he may not have had his day though: technically it was perfect, but I missed the emotion in his singing.

[ysilme]

Sorry to hear about your Olympia tickets, but like you, I would prefer having gotten the music tickets! :o)

Yeah, looking back today, I wouldn't like Dieskau as much as I did back then, also missing emotion in comparison; but back then I wasn't yet so well-honed in these subtleties of singing, despite having been a choir singer myself since age 5. But living in a small town, I didn't have many concert experiences yet (I was still at school then), mostly only knew the records of my parents, and it really was my first experience of a lieder cycle, and with Schubert, too. For that, it really was impressing; the way he sung was very new to me. When I listen to the same songs today, though, I can only agree with you.

For me, it's the same with Karajan's recordings. I had an intensive Beethoven phase around age 14 or 15, and tried to get as many symphonies on record as I could; and since Karajan was the "hero" of the day, at first I wanted them as well. But oh how that changed when I listened to my first Furtwängler recording! :o)