Alcina in Bordeaux: Envoûtant!

Alcina, Opéra national de Bordeaux, May 2 2012

Director ..... David Alden
Conductor ..... Harry Bicket


Alcina ..... Elza van den Heever
Morgana ..... Anna Christy
Ruggiero ..... Isabel Leonard
Bradamante ..... Sonia Prina
Oronte ..... Alek Shrader
Melisso ..... Wojtek Gierlach
Oberto ..... Mélody Louledjian

Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine
Choeur de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux

Congrats to Isabel Leonard!

It feels good when some of these distinctions land in right hands.  Isabel Leonard receives the Beverly Sills award 2011. Congratulations!

Here is a video with Isabel singing the role of Sesto in a new production of Giulio Cesare, presented last month at Opéra Garnier in Paris -- aria L'angue ofeso mai riposa:



and Smanie impalcabili from Cosi Fan Tutte at the Salzburg Festival 2009, when everyone in the crowd was holding his/her breath, fearing she might fall while singing...

Giulio Cesare in Egypt

Giulio Cesare, Opéra Garnier in Paris, January 17 2011

Emmanuelle Haïm    ..... Conductor
Laurent Pelly ..... Stage director and costumes

Lawrence Zazzo ..... Giulio Cesare
Varduhi Abrahamyan ..... Cornelia
Isabel Leonard ..... Sesto
Natalie Dessay ..... Cleopatra
Christophe Dumaux ..... Tolomeo
Nathan Berg ..... Achille
Dominique Visse ..... Nireno
Aimery Lefèvre ..... Curio

Orchestre du Concert d'Astrée and Paris Opera Chorus

Francesco Meli and Isabel Leonard not coming to Paris Opera

And so I've been waiting for Isabel Leonard to come and sing in Paris next month, and I realize only now that she canceled her Rosina in the second run of Il Barbiere at Opéra Bastille :(

We also learned that Francesco Meli pulled our from the new production of La Donna del Lago which will open next June in Paris. As much as I'm sorry not to see him singing in Paris, I am glad he realized that this role was too big for him right now. He's one of the best young tenors and I prefer to see him enlarging his repertoire gradually.   Colin Lee will be singing the role of Rodrigo instead [listen to him here].