Currently in rep at Los Angeles Opera, and due later this season in Vienna and Paris . The first night was last night (Thursday), following a Dress Rehearsal on Tuesday. At the Dress Rehearsal, it was announced that Plácido had a cold, and, in order to preserve his voice for the opening night, his cover would sing from the wings, although Plácido would act. Not any reason for panic, and, indeed, he sang at last night's opening. It's too early yet to get a decent selection of reports, and OutWest Arts the exception, there's little chance of reportage form blogs in LA
It was being streamed on the web, but I could see little attraction in staying up. I have no doubt it will be available to download from the internet within days, if not sooner. I'm afraid the attractions of listening to an unfamiliar opera with breaks in the streaming and without the visuals are few. To do so between 2am and 5am my time is even less attractive. Did it for The First Emperor but at least I'd had the advantage of an alcohol-fuelled opera nap post obligatory work Christmas lunch. I'm torn about whether I want to see it in Paris. Well, actually, I do, just not sure I want to fork out for train fare and hotel or actually be in Paris...! (No matinée).
(And let's be honest, Los Angeles Opera doesn't have a stunning track record on new commissions!).
An interesting article on the background to the opera:
Going Postino: L.A. Opera and Plácido Domingo Bring Neruda to the Stage in World Premiere Work
“It is phenomenal poetry, but it is very complicated,” Domingo said, “When he talks about how beautiful his wife is naked, he says, ‘You are as simple as one of your hands. You are round. You are yellow. You are enormous, like summer.’ It’s all about metaphors. It’s not like the poetry of Garcia Lorca, which is very straightforward. Of course I have known the poetry of Neruda since childhood, but you don’t really understand it until you grow up.”
L.A. Opera to deliver 'Il Postino' premiere on Thursday - from the LA Times
Interview with Charles Castronovo, who plays the postman, by Outwest Arts.
Outwest Arts has been busy, attending both the Dress Rehearsal - Know Before You Go and the premiere - You've Got Mail (the comments box in the earlier post contains a link to the now notorious picture of Cristina Gallardo-Domas naked, though not actually of nekkid norkage - or as someone posted on Twitter
Last night I saw "Il Postino," my first opera. There's a whole scene where Placido Domingo sings to a pair of naked breasts.
(to which I replied: I bet he hated that!)
The review of the first night includes an embed of this LA Opera YouTube clip
Ovación en el estreno de "Il Postino", con Placido Domingo como Pablo Neruda
and video clip , including of curtain calls etc
Meantime, and presumably in between rehearsals, after he had finished Rigoletto in Mantua, he got into the swing of the Los Angeles celebration of the bicentenary of the start of Mexican independence (from Spain!).
Plácido Domingo festeja el Bicentenario
(he's seen here with his grand-daughter Nicole)
