Music

Iphigénie en Tauride

| edwinridout

Before dress rehearsal at Kennedy Center Tuesday 3 May 2011, photo by Barb B:
With Barb we saw Gluck’s opera story of Iphigenia in Tauris, Washington National Opera, the wonderful soprano Patricia Racette in the title role and a baritone Placido Domingo as her brother Orestes. Here’s a link to a nice Washington Times review. Elspeth found this Washington Post review. But as is often the case, the best review is by Charles Downey on his IonArts blog.

A week later I attended the WNO dress rehearsal at the Kennedy Center of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale. Here’s a link to the Charles Downey review. Pasquale was James Morris, bass, and soprano Norena was Ekaterina Siurina. I very much enjoyed all five of this year’s WNO performances, and maybe this one the most.

Mini-concert: July 3rd reprise

| edwinridout

Stafford Regional Choral Society performed these three SATB pieces this Friday from last July 3rd’s concert at the Chamber of Commerce awards banquet in Fredericksburg. As our planned single rehearsal got snowed out both Wednesday and Thursday, our backstage warmup had to suffice.

  • I Hear America Singing, Andre J Thomas, quoting the spriritual Walk Together Children
  • America the Beautiful, Bates – Ward – arr Meader
  • a medley, Armed Forces – The Pride of America, arr Gilpin & Clark, which includes bits of each of the five service songs followed by the Star Spangled Banner

Conducted by Barbara Perry, accompanied on electric piano by Katie Haywood. About 40 members participated.