Post by Slim K team on Jan 20, 2008 16:27:49 GMT -8
[glow=red,2,300]Goodbye: The Final Curtain Comes Down @ Los Angeles Opera[/glow]
March 17th, 2008
Another show another final curtain, Finale for OTELLO,
Slim K had just finished successfully his 2nd appearance at the Los Angeles Opera.
- to celebrate the end, here's 2 visual clips for your viewing pleasure ;o))
WATCH
>> OTELLO show scenes H E R E
>> OTELLO Opera backstage clip, by SLIM K H E R E
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March 1st, 2008
Over 57 BRANDNEW PHOTOS for your viewing pleasure, Slim K behind on and off stage
at the Los Angeles Opera ... photos courtesy of Slim K and Robert Millard
>>
H E R E
Slim K backstage at the Los Angeles Opera
March 1st, 2008
[glow=red,2,300]OPERA REVIEW
'Otello' finally has its Desdemona[/glow]
photo by Robert Millard
>> WATCH OTELLO VIDEOCLIP H E R E
BACK ON STAGE: Ian Storey and Cristina Gallardo-Domas, who missed the first performance of "Otello" due to health reasons.
It's still not perfect, but the Los Angeles Opera production
is a lot better with its radiant Chilean soprano healthy at last.
By Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 23, 2008
What a difference a Desdemona makes.
Los Angeles Opera's new production of Verdi's "Otello" opened Saturday night in trouble. James Conlon's conducting was vigorous; the orchestra and chorus sounded good. But the evening proved weak theatrically and scenically, and the singers were disappointing. Making matters worse, the Chilean soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domâs became ill at the time of the dress rehearsal. Elena Evseeva flew in from New York on the day of the performance to replace her.
The good news is that Gallardo-Domâs has recovered and sang the second performance of the run Thursday night in Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. One diminutive Desdemona couldn't fix everything, but she sure could help.
Evseeva saved Saturday's show, but one knew, of course, she was faking it. The director, John Cox, had already left town. The Russian soprano did her thing and carefully watched her footing on a treacherously curved stage. She won our sympathy and gratitude, but circumstances made a convincing interpretation all but impossible.
In her company debut Thursday, Gallardo-Domâs gave the evening the radiance it desperately needed. Desdemona, in Shakespeare or Verdi, is seldom the center of attention. Even the jealous Moor, wronged by Iago's devious trickery, tends to get more sympathy than the innocent wife he murders. She's frail, he's strong, so his fall means more.
The soprano -- who starred last season in Anthony Minghella's new production of Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York -- is petite, but her Desdemona is hardly fragile or docile. Cox sets the opera, oddly, on a frigate, but the visual perspective could be interesting, with her sometimes appearing taller than her tormentor, the tall and strapping British tenor Ian Storey. She sang tall as well, standing up to Otello with animated outrage. Hers was a temper more impressive than his.
photo by Robert Millard
Most important, Gallardo-Domâs is a stunning Verdi soprano who sounds splendid when she is loud and angry and just as splendid when she is all sweetness and purity singing her Ave Maria. Her death is shocking. She is such a strong presence on stage that you would think somehow she could outwit Otello.
As he had on opening night, Storey still sounded tight and tense Thursday, but not quite as tight or tense. With a convincing Desdemona, he started to come to life, to open up. There is still lots wrong, even embarrassing, with this "Otello," but thanks to Gallardo-Domâs it is no longer a disaster.
Verdi's 'Otello'
Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A.
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday; 1 p.m. Wednesday; 2 p.m. March 2; 7:30 p.m. March 5; 2 p.m. March 9
Price: $20 to $238
www.laopera.com
Slim K as a Venetian Sailor
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February 21st, 2008
In just two decades of existence, Los Angeles Opera has become, under the leadership of Eli and Edythe Broad General Director Plácido Domingo, the United States' fourth largest opera company. Presenting leading productions in the standard repertory as well as new and rarely-staged operas, the Company brings prominent Los Angeles artists together with other world-renowned singers, designers, directors and conductors to create opera that attracts the attention of international audiences and critics.
- photo Robert Millard -
>> WATCH OTELLO VIDEOCLIP H E R E
From the opening tempest scene to the spine tingling finish, Verdi's transformation of the original Shakespeare play crackles with theatrical electricity and incandescent intensity. When the evil Iago cleverly exploits Otello's obsessive jealousy, the Moor's innocent wife Desdemona is blindsided in the explosive dramatic friction. This musical portrait of Otello's descent into a tortured heart of darkness is explicit in every chilling detail - you'll feel the Moor's temples throb with Vesuvian rage and hear the blood boiling in his veins as he destroys all in life that he holds dea
SLIM K palying a Venetian Dignitary (Februray 2008)
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[glow=red,2,300]L.A.'s 'OTELLO' opening worthy of an Encore[/glow]
LA Opera's "Otello" engages audiences with its riveting orchestral score.
>> WATCH OTELLO VIDEOCLIP H E R E
by Danielle Jacoby | Issue date: 2/20/08 | Section: Lifestyle
"Otello," unveiled at the LA Opera on Saturday evening (February 16th, 2008), was what anyone would expect of a grand Verdian masterpiece.
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion resonated with immaculate, virtuosic sounds against a backdrop of strange sets and costumes leading to performers' propensity for tripping. Regardless of aesthetic faults, the opening night audience of "Otello" rose to a standing ovation and continued clapping long after the last curtain came down.
Based on Shakespeare's tragic drama, "Otello" follows the self-destructive journey of a popular Moorish general in Venice.
Like an emotional adolescent male, Otello alternates drastically between obsessive lust and bitter jealousy for his new bride, Desdemona, because of his conniving advisor Iago's relentless antics revolving around her personalized hanky.
As a result, Otello slowly loses his grip on sanity, leading to a series of murderous retributions, as well as his own heartbreaking downfall.
Composed in 1887, "Otello" is widely considered to be one of Giuseppe Verdi's finest works. From the most daunting opening of any operatic character to Otello's pathetic farewell to his murdered wife in the final scene of the opera, the steady soundtrack of "Otello" steals the audience's attention away from any unexpected vocal mistakes (or Desdemona tripping over her dress).
Verdi's riveting score is clearly worth the price of admission.
With assistance by maestro James Conlon in the pit - who is the guiding force behind the production, as would be expected given Verdi's orchestra-driven score - the music is performed with intensity and flawlessness throughout all four acts.
With the opera weaving in and out of duets and grand choral numbers, it is essential to supply a skilled Verdian chorus to pair with Conlon's massive and well-behaved orchestra. Thanks to Grant Gershon, LA Opera's choral performance is strong, precise and powerful.
One would assume that with such involved music, a bare stage could allow for little distraction and more vocal emphasis. Once again LA Opera aims to exceed its traditional audience's expectations by filling the stage with what they view as artwork, but what inevitably appears as a confusingly minimalist set.
Set and costume designer Johan Engels' creation is consistent; it centers on a sequence of square boxes on the ends of the steep and lopsided stage.
Throughout the opera, Engels spices up the scenery with splashes of color - blue and turquoise neon lines dart along the back wall in Act III, a simple crimson deathbed in Act IV - but the stage is, for the most part, dull and gray.
Without a specified time period, the set is not relatable, further isolating the audience from the opera's rich plot. Opera has a reputation for causing audiences to zone out, and this set is not the most inspired to lay eyes upon when that time arrives.
Standing majestically atop a giant ship's 35-foot mast in Act I, the dark, spray-tanned Otello glares down upon his rejoicing fleet, opening his mouth with a triumphant, "Esultate!"
Not many opera singers have been able to sing Otello, a role that LA Opera's General Director Placido Domingo dominated for decades - but the moment Ian Storey takes the stage, it is evident that the English tenor can do this heroic part justice.
After warming up through the first act, Storey showcases synchronized Wagnerian rage and Italiante lyricism in his unremitting arias. By the end, however, his sound wavers between freely resonant and stridently pressed.
photos Robert Millard
For Saturday night's production, Metropolitan Opera soprano Elena Evseeva took the place of indisposed Chilean soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domâs, delivering a velvety sound in her sensitive portrayal of Desdemona, or as Otello would call her, "The vile sleeper who is [my] wife."
In her final aria, "Salce! Salce!" ("Willow Song"), about a maid who has been forsaken by her lover, and the subsequent "Ave Maria," Evseeva produces flawless pianissimo and seamless vocals. Evseeva can only offer a beautiful wall of sound, unable to fully resonate beyond the stage and across the audience.
With an excellent stage presence and a technically refined voice, it was surprising to not be moved by her performance.
Mark Delavan was impressive as Iago. Fearlessly determined not to be overlooked by his illustrious counterparts, the brawny and muscular Delavan sang with a thrilling and robust baritone, "I am evil because I am a man."
His virile presence reflected in his charismatic acting and rich sound is what moved the opera forward.
LA Opera's "Otello" proves to be superb at times, but generally teeters on good. If nothing else, Verdi's music paired with a collaborative cast of stunning voices is worth opening your ears to.
Slim Khezri, plays a Venetian Sailor (act 2) and Venetian Senator (act 3),
part of the ensemble in Giuseppe Verdi's OTELLO at L.A. Opera
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[glow=red,2,300]Opera "Otello" | (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion; 3,098 seats; top ticket $238)[/glow]
February 18, 2008
A Los Angeles Opera presentation of a co-production with the Opera de Monte Carlo and the Teatro Regio di Parma of Giuseppe Verdi's four-act opera; libretto by Arrigo Boito derived from Shakespeare's tragedy.
Otello - Ian Storey
Desdemona - Elena Evseeva
Iago - Mark Delavan
Cassio - Derek Taylor
Emilia - Ning Liang
Operaphiles afflicted with cabin fever should find the L.A. Opera's new "Otello" a liberating experience of life on the ocean waves. From the moment Ian Storey, in the title role, mounts his 35-foot topmast to proclaim his triumph over Turkish invaders, to the final curtain call, which finds cast and chorus assembled for what looks for all the world like a rousing chorus of "We Sail the Ocean Blue," Verdi's powerful dockside tragedy surges forward on designer Johan Engels' deck, which is possessed of nary a flat surface. Even the firm throne of Cyprus' Governor must rest atilt. Off in the distance, past the neon outline of a ship railing, appear now and then some lit-up shapes. The tall buildings of some post-Shakespearian, post-Verdian city? Your call.
Such maritime diversion seems curiously at odds with the firm dramatic values in this altogether excellent revival of Verdi's Shakespearian masterpiece, with its firm, dark passions handsomely explored. Beyond all this visual paraphernalia there unfolds a reasonable, musically responsible and sometimes thrilling production of one of the greatest of all operas, superbly thought out by music director James Conlon.
In his long-overdue company debut in his signature role of Iago, American baritone Mark Delavan serves as dramatic focus, from his first dark, poison-tipped tones onward and downward; in the title role, British tenor Storey, also new to the company, writhes under that poison, and we feel the pain. In a debut on two-days' notice -- replacing ailing soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domas -- Russian soprano Elena Evseeva overcame a few pardonable insecurities to expire most eloquently.
More than one option
(Person) Jimmy Conlin
(Person) James Conlon
Music director, James Conlon; staged by John Cox; designed by Johan Engels; lighting designed by Simon Corder. Chorus director, Grant Gershon. Opened, reviewed Feb. 16, 2008; runs through March 9. Running time: 2 HOURS, 40 MIN.
With Ryan McKinny, Gregory Warren, Eric Halfvarson, Matthew Moore.
Variety is striving to present the most thorough review database. To report inaccuracies in review credits, please click here. We do not currently list below-the-line credits, although we hope to include them in the future. Please note we may not respond to every suggestion. Your assistance is appreciated.
Date in print: Tue., Feb. 19, 2008, Los Angeles
Saturday, February 16th, 2008 Los Angeles Opera
Slim K (dressing room) Opening Night for OTELLO
- Slim plays a Sailor and Venetian Senator
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February 18, 2008
[glow=red,2,300]OPERA REVIEW
L.A. Opera's 'Otello'[/glow]
L.A. Opera's fresh production brims with potential but must work out a few glitches.
By Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
TWENTY-ONE, we all know, is a difficult age. Los Angeles Opera reached adulthood last fall. It's ready to make a place for itself in the world: Next season has been planned to be its most ambitious ever. But first there is that father to kill. So Saturday night it unveiled a new production of Verdi's "Otello" at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
The company was born in 1986 with this opera. We ritually tell the tale of opening night. The curtain stuck before rising. A last-minute leading-lady replacement was needed. The company found a Czech soprano, Gabriela Benackova, not terribly well known in America at the time. She was wonderful and suddenly became very well known in America. Plácido Domingo, the incomparable Otello of our age, sang thrillingly. The production by the sometimes controversial German director Götz Friedrich was intelligent and edgy.This "Otello" returned twice, the last time in 1995, always with Domingo, who now runs the company but no longer sings the role. Friedrich died seven years ago. The time had come for a new "Otello."
Saturday night the curtain worked just fine. It rose on a storm at sea, and James Conlon, who is still a fresh music director (this is his second season), was, from his first upbeat, at exciting fever pitch. The orchestra sounded splendid. The chorus sang on a world-class level.
For all the company had accomplished by producing its first "Otello" out of nothing, the orchestra and chorus back then could hardly approach the sheer visceral power of this opening chorus, one of the most dramatic in all opera. Swept away by it all, I was ready to believe we had entered a new era. Then I opened my eyes. And, shortly thereafter, my ears.
The new production, which comes by way of Monte Carlo and Parma in Italy, is by John Cox, a veteran British director. Sets and costumes, designed by Johan Engels, felt provincial. A ship is the main motif, and its frame remains through all four acts. Curtains waved to show the winds blowing. A sphere with a flame in it swayed actively and far too long. Materials looked, depending on the light, like either plasterboard or concrete. The awkwardly sloped hull was the evening's floor. Singers watched their step.
The company cast interestingly. Ian Storey's American debut is news. Two months ago he sang his first Tristan to open the season at La Scala, in Milan, Italy, and now he is on everyone's radar. A master carpenter turned major tenor, he has an appealing back story. And everyone, of course, is on the lookout for the next Otello.
Storey may well be a diamond in the rough. He is tall. With livelier direction, better costumes and makeup, and a reasonable floor, he has the potential to appear a more commanding figure. With time his voice may develop the vocal heft, his manner the theatrical weight of a worrier warrior able to work up a murderous anger.
But Saturday he seemed to be still finding his way. He has stamina. He is careful and accurate in his singing. But his tone is pinched, his range of expression limited and, at times, his vibrato wide. He seemed rather good-natured.
Mark Delavan's Iago showed potential as well. A highly regarded American baritone, a fine singing actor, he was a curious affable villain. If his is not the not black, ominous voice of evil, he certainly has the making for an oily, awful bad guy. But, for all the forceful underpinning of Conlon's conducting, the baritone seemed to skim the surface of frightful nastiness. Cox used him instead as a kind of frat-boy jerk.
Again, a soprano problem. Coming down with a throat infection during the dress rehearsal, Cristina Gallardo-Domâs, a Chilean soprano who was to have made her company debut, was replaced by Elena Evseeva, a regular with the Metropolitan Opera. She flew in from New York on Saturday, met briefly with Conlon and Storey and went on cold.
History did not repeat itself, although, under the circumstances, the Russian soprano was impressive. Oddly, she seemed more natural than most, perhaps because she simply reacted and didn't have to worry about clumsy direction.
Hers is the classic Russian voice, full-bodied and on the dark side. She is not a frail Desdemona, nor a sensual one. But she could be rapt, and she sang her "Willow Song," just before Otello kills her, with a beautiful intensity that I found a highlight of the evening.
The smaller roles were all very good. Eric Halfvarson was a forceful Ludovico, the Venetian ambassador. Derek Taylor, a bright, young tenor, was a not-too-bright charismatic Cassio. Ning Liang made a moving Emilia, Desdemona's maid and Iago's wife. Gregory Warren's Roderigo and Ryan McKinny's Montano were as effective as lackadaisical staging might allow. The fight scenes, though, were pretty phony.
Given the strength of Conlon's conducting, might not this "Otello" yet wake from its sleepy state during its run? Cox coaxed little from his cast, but he was not on hand Saturday to take a bow. Left to their own devices, singers can still take matters into their own hands (assuming that wasn't already the case). Or maybe these are just growing pains of a 21-year-old, at once cautious and careless.
mark.swed@latimes.com
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Giuseppe Verdi's OTELLO at LA Opera
Slim Khezri, plays a Venetian Sailor (act 2) and Venetian Senator (act 3), part of the ensemble
in Giuseppe Verdi's OTELLO at L.A. Opera Feb./ Mar. 2008, full rehearsal officially commenced mid- January 2008
Thursday February 14, 2008 7:30 p.m. (Final Dress)
Saturday February 16, 2008 7:30 p.m.
Thursday February 21, 2008 7:30 p.m.
Sunday February 24, 2008 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday February 27, 2008 1:00 p.m.
Sunday March 2, 2008 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday March 5, 2008 7:30 p.m.
Sunday March 9, 2008 2:00 p.m.
RUNNING TIME
3 hours 15 minutes, including two intermissions..
