nightly met opera free streams – Don Carlo and the Seamstress

It’s Puccini Week over at the Met’s Nightly Streams, beginning with an opera I haven’t seen any version of yet: La Rondine. And this version stars Roberto Alagna and Samuel Ramey! I’m not sure what I’ll make of the opera, but I’m intrigued to give it a try.

Also difficult to resist will be a rewatch of any La Fanciulla del West, my favorite Puccini opera. I am also intrigued by this casting of La Boheme, which is one I’ve not yet seen.

Have a happy week, everyone…and happy opera listening and watching!

A New Group for Fans of John Relyea

Published on 15 September, 202015 September, 2020 by Rachel Anne Murphy2 Comments

My friend Gabriela and I have long thought that he deserved one, so why not create it ourselves? The incomparable Canadian bass-baritone John Relyea has been a favorite of ours for years. I recall first hearing his voice on the radio, and wondering: “Who is that?” Along with our dear friend and group admin extraordinaire S. Blake Duncan, we now have the beginnings of a fan group, which I will link to here.

John Relyea will also be featured in two of the Met Opera’s free nightly streams this week (a week of bel canto!), in La Cenerentola and I Puritani. I will certainly be there to rewatch the latter, and I’ve created a virtual event for those interested in watching it and commenting online, though I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it for the entirety of La Cenerentola.

I will write an entire separate post (well, probably several, eventually!) about the work of Mr. Relyea, but for now…please feel free to come check out the group, and share or learn about this extraordinary bass-baritone.

Metropolitan Opera | Opera Streams: Weekly Guide (Week 27)

Published on 14 September, 202014 September, 2020 by Rachel Anne MurphyLeave a comment

https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/week-27/opera-streams-weekly-guide/

It’s a week of bel canto streaming free from the Metropolitan Opera, and each stream will be available for approximately 24 hours.

Due to work this week, I’m not sure I’ll be able to make most of them, but I definitely want to rewatch I Puritani with the great bass John Relyea this Friday ~ which I’ll probably start around 7:30pm Oregon time! It’s one of my favorite operas just for the sheer beauty of listening ~ it’s one of the rare ones where following the plot is not as crucial to me, I just love to listen to it so much. I never did get around to seeing this week’s version of L’Elisir and Norma (Sat/Sun), so perhaps I’ll be able to dip into those as well.

Happy listening/watching!