Metropolitan Opera competition winners include L.A. Opera singer

 

The Metropolitan Opera in New York  announced the winners of its annual National Council Auditions on Sunday, and among the honorees is a young singer who has strong ties to Los Angeles.

Soprano Janai Brugger is currently enrolled in L.A. Opera's Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program and is set to play the role of Musetta in the company's production of Puccini's "La Bohème," opening May 12. The 29-year-old singer hails from Illinois and has appeared in productions at Palm Beach Opera and the Ravinia Festival.

Brugger also performed in L.A. Opera's recent productions of "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Rigoletto."

The Met's National Council Auditions is the leading opera competition in the country for young artists. The company said close to 1,500 singers between the ages of 20 and 30 participated in this year's auditions.

This year's roster of winners also includes Anthony Clark Evans, Matthew Grills, Margaret Mezzacappa and Andrey Nemzer.

Each winner receives a cash prize of $15,000. Past winners who have gone on to international fame include Jessye Norman, Renee Fleming, Deborah Voigt and Susan Graham.

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-- David Ng

Photo: Janai Brugger, with Placido Domingo, performing at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 2011. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Opera Review: 'Albert Herring' at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Aficionados of big voices have been waiting for Christine Brewer to appear in a Los Angeles Opera production for a long time.  Indeed, there were a couple of occasions where she was dangled tantalizingly before us, singing song recitals somewhere in town while Wagner’s “Ring” operas -- her natural habitat -- were playing at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. 

But Brewer’s LA Opera debut finally came Wednesday night in a most unorthodox way -- slipping into the cast of Britten’s chamber opera “Albert Herring” toward the end of its run.  That’s right -- a chamber opera, and a comedy at that, written for an ensemble cast of equals. 

Fortunately, Brewer’s part -- that of the lordly arbiter of small-town morals, Lady Billows (which she sang in the Santa Fe edition of this production in 2010) --  can sort of lend itself to a Wagnerian soprano. Britten used one, Sylvia Fisher, on his own recording of “Herring.” 

Pau Gasol says hello to Placido Domingo after Lakers beat Heat

Three Spanish talents finished up afternoon performances Sunday and then aligned backstage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

After helping the Lakers put away the Miami Heat at Staples Center, Pau Gasol headed a few miles north to catch the final act of L.A. Opera's "Simon Boccanegra," starring Plácido Domingo.

Another Spaniard happened to be in town as well and stopped by to make it a Spanish trifecta of sorts. After conducting his third concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Pablo Heras-Casado went across the street to greet his fellow countrymen.

Gasol has spoken in the past of his appreciation of opera in general and the superstar tenor in particular. And Domingo is an avid sports fan -- he has attended Lakers games, he sang the National Anthem before a Dodgers game last season and most enthusiastically supported Spain's World Cup champion team.

Opera review: Los Angeles Opera's 'Albert Herring'

Los Angeles Opera’s production of Benjamin Britten’s “Albert Herring,” which opened at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Saturday night, is full of fun. The music making, highlighted by James Conlon’s vital conducting, is, for the most part, excellent. Will that make a comic opera that spoofs village life in Edwardian England any less a hard sell? Maybe.

The show, as it is, is worth seeing (unfortunately, a special on $25 seats that was a three-day deal last week has already come and gone). Still, Paul Curran’s farcical production, imported from Santa Fe Opera, is also a lost opportunity to explore a little more deeply a remarkable red “Herring.”

“‘Albert Herring’” is very funny, but it is not a farce,” Conlon notes in the L.A. Opera program book. The opera, which had its premiere in 1947, is the tale of a mama’s boy crowned May King when no girl in a small East Suffolk town (not unlike the one Britten himself grew up in) can be found who meets the puritanical standards of purity set by the impossibly autocratic Lady Billows.

PHOTOS: 'Albert Herring'

That, along with the help of some spiked lemonade, is enough to send Albert on a bender, to the shock and horror of proper townsfolk. Was a coming-of-age opera written to feature Britten’s companion, tenor Peter Pears, also a subtext for a coming-out opera? Those who understand Britten’s operas best, particularly the critic Andrew Porter and the musicologist Philip Brett, have said it is.

Placido Domingo concert of 'Boccanegra' canceled in New York

 

It looks as if Los Angeles Opera's production of "Simon Boccanegra" will be the last opportunity in the U.S. to see Plácido Domingo perform the Verdi opera for the foreseeable future.  A concert version of the opera that was scheduled for March at New York's Lincoln Center has been abruptly called off due to financial problems by the presenting company.

The company in question is the Opera Orchestra of New York, a mid-sized group that specializes in concert performances of operas with major singers. On Friday, the company issued a statement saying that a donor had withdrawn a $250,000 pledge, which led company leaders to pull the plug on the March 7 concert at Avery Fisher Hall.

Norman Raben, chairman of the Opera Orchestra's board, said in the statement that "we have a mandate to be fiscally responsible, and with the loss of funding for this production we were given no choice but to cancel the concert."

Domingo is performing "Boccanegra" at L.A. Opera though March 4. He has already performed the role in New York, London, Berlin and Milan. The opera offers a rare chance to see the renowned tenor in a baritone role.

In May, Domingo is scheduled to perform "Boccanegra" again in Berlin.

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Photo: Domingo in "Simon Boccanegra" at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Stephen Colbert sings opera with Placido Domingo! [Video]

Satirist Stephen Colbert showed off his singing skills on Thursday's episode of "The Colbert Report" as he teamed with tenor Plácido Domingo for a rendition of one of the most familiar tunes of opera, "La Donna E Mobile," from Verdi's "Rigoletto."

Domingo, who visited Colbert's show between performances of Los Angeles Opera's current production of "Simon Boccanegra," dueted the canzone after asking the tenor for a master class in singing opera.

Domingo sang sweetly in the higher ranges to Colbert's lower notes. Colbert was dressed in white tie and tails with a Pavarotti-style handkerchief in hand. Impressively, he held his own next to the man he earlier had called "the most famous opera singer in the world," flawlessly handling the Italian lyrics.

Before they sang, Domingo seemed delighted to be part of Colbert's schtick. The host praised opera, saying that because operas are so long "you get your money's worth."

When Colbert added "I love the way you opera people soak the snooty crowd with those ticket prices," Domingo seemed both horrified (a little) and amused (a lot).

L.A. Opera tries new pricing scheme for 'Albert Herring'

"Downton Abbey" is over, at least until next season. But local Anglophiles yearning for more early 20th century nostalgia can get their fix in Los Angeles Opera's production of "Albert Herring" by Benjamin Britten, opening Feb. 25.

L.A. Opera recently has been rolling out new ticket-pricing strategies designed to attract new audiences. For next season, the company will introduce dynamic ticket pricing for the first time. For "Albert Herring," the company is trying something else -- $25 tickets designed to reel in new opera-goers.

The company said that ticket holders for "Albert Herring" can bring along friends who have never been to the opera before for just $25 per seat. The discounted tickets will be sold for just three days, Feb. 22-Feb. 24. The company said that a best effort will be made to seat friends together as part of the offer.

Ticket holders for "Albert Herring" can buy the reduced-price seats for a maximum of two friends. The opera will have six performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion from Feb. 25 to March 17. The offer applies to all performances except the March 11 matinee.

An L.A. Opera spokesman said the offer is part of the company's larger initiative to explore alternative pricing methods. "Albert Herring" is a lesser-known work and was last staged by the company in 1992.

The production opening later this month is new to the company and comes from Santa Fe Opera. Tenor Alek Shrader plays the title role of a meek young man in this comic story set at the turn of the century.

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Photo: A scene from "Albert Herring." Credit: Los Angeles Opera

'Cupcake Wars' takes on Los Angeles Opera's 'La Boheme'

Ever wanted to see a classic opera reinterpreted with baked goods? The Food Network’s competition show “Cupcake Wars” earlier this week had four bakers compete for a $10,000 prize and a chance to showcase their treats at a party to celebrate the Los Angeles Opera’s upcoming revival  of “La Boheme.”

The challenges included a flavor tribute to opera’s birthplace, Italy, a lavishly dressed cast of cupcakes inspired by different “La Boheme” characters and a 1,000-cupcake final opus with plenty of candied broken hearts.

The episode will repeat on Wednesday.

Soprano Ailyn Perez, who will be L.A. Opera's Mimi, served as a guest judge, and husband-and-wife-run bakery Casereccio Cakes from Florida took home the grand prize. “La Boheme” will be on stage  May 12-June 2 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, but the cupcakes have made their final curtain call.

The Food Network has the winning recipe, featuring bubbly and buttercream. 

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--Jamie Wetherbe

Photo: Champagne cupcakes with Italian butterceam were served at the L.A. Opera party. Credit: Food Network.

L.A. Opera celebrates Verdi at 'Simon Boccanegra' party

Opera star Plácido Domingo and conductor James Conlon have worked together all over the world. Yet “Simon Boccanegra,” which opened Saturday at Los Angeles Opera, marked the first time the two have teamed for an opera by Giuseppe Verdi.

At the opening night after-party on the fifth floor of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Domingo thanked donors for making that Verdi collaboration possible. Domingo serves as general director of L.A. Opera and Conlon as its music director.

“We were waiting, James and myself, because even though we have worked across the years on many occasions, this was our first Verdi together,” Domingo said. “So to have the pleasure to do it here it was really, really extraordinary.”

The boisterous applause following the production continued into the late-night buffet supper. Addressing the dinner guests, L.A. Opera Chairman Marc Stern ticked off Domingo’s many accomplishments, which include 138 roles, 3,500 career performances, 100 opera recordings and 12 Grammy Awards, then added: “Honestly, all of that was nothing more than a rehearsal -- or a warm-up -- for what [Domingo] did tonight.”

Opera review: Placido Domingo in L.A. Opera's 'Simon Boccanegra'

Perhaps to establish their bona fides, critics reviewing Plácido Domingo in the title role of Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” tend to point out that Domingo is not a baritone, as the role calls for. While it’s true that Domingo first positioned himself as a baritone, that was a long time ago, and he very quickly moved up to tenor roles, in which he established a stellar reputation.

In recent years, however, the 71-year-old, who is also general director of Los Angeles Opera, has transposed some tenor roles downward, and Boccanegra seems to sit reasonably comfortably in his range.

None of these issues mattered much Saturday to an enthusiastic audience when Domingo starred in Verdi’s opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Baritone, schmaritone: Domingo was a commanding vocal and dramatic presence, and especially touching in his death scene.

PHOTOS: Los Angeles Opera's "Simon Boccanegra" with Plácido Domingo

To be sure, his voice has contracted in dimension and has acquired some sandpaper, but there was still plenty of power and expression when needed. One could argue that Domingo’s dramatic capabilities have actually grown. In addition to his death scene, one thinks of Boccanegra’s meditations on power, his deep-felt efforts to heal the city's and country’s social and political divisions, and especially his restraint in the touching scene in which he discovers his long-lost daughter, Amelia.

“Simon Boccanegra” is a strange child in the Verdi canon. It flopped when it premiered in 1857, but it took on new life when the composer revised it in 1881, with the essential input of Arrigo Boito, who created the amazing Council Scene in Act 1. Even so, it hasn’t exactly become an audience favorite, perhaps because of the low, dark vocal coloring — there is only one female principal role — and the gloom and improbability of the plot. It usually takes someone with the stature of Domingo to bring it to the stage.