Johann Strauss II Injects Spring Into Comedy Central's "Another Period"

Comedy Central has a new show coming this summer called Another Period. Commercials running on television to advertise the show have all been spoofs on popular modern day obsessions like Twitter, viral videos, and selfies. One of the most recent ads pokes fun at the dating application Tinder. Titled "First to Swipe Left," the scenario is a total send-up of users swiping left on their phones when not interested in the person. But this is the turn of the 20th-century, so one does it the old-fashioned way. The music featured is Johann Strauss II's "Frühlingstimmen" waltz in its instrumental form. The show premieres on Comedy Central on June 23. For more information, click here. Watch the commercial, and a performance of soprano Edita Gruberova singing the work, after the jump.

The cast of Comedy Central's Another Period.

"Another Period follows the lives of the obscenely rich Bellacourt family and their many servants in turn-of-the-century Rhode Island. Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome lead an all-star cast -- including Michael Ian Black, David Wain, Christina Hendricks, Jason Ritter and Paget Brewster -- in this historical satire about narcissistic aristocrats and the poor souls in their employ." [Source] "Another Period is an American period sitcom created by and starring Natasha Leggero and Riki Lindhome. It follows the lives of the Bellacourts, the first family of Newport, Rhode Island at the turn of the 20th century. Lillian (Leggero) and Beatrice (Lindhome) are sisters 'who care only about how they look, what parties they attend and becoming famous, which is a lot harder in 1902.' It is intended to be a spoof on reality shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The series was picked up for 10 episodes and is due on Comedy Central in 2015. It will be directed by Jeremy Konner, co-creator and writer of Drunk History. Ben Stiller's production company Red Hour is producing. Leggero, Lindhome, and Konner are also executive producers." [Source]

Who could swipe left looking at that
beared? Johann Strauss II in his prime.

"'Frühlingsstimmen' ('Spring's Voices,' or commonly 'Voices of Spring') is an orchestral waltz, with optional solo soprano voice, written in 1882 by Johann Strauss II, his Opus 410. Strauss dedicated the work to the pianist and composer Alfred Grünfeld. The famous coloratura soprano Bertha Schwarz (stage name Bianca Bianchi) sang this concert aria at a grand matinée charity performance at the Theater an der Wien in aid of the 'Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth Foundation for Indigent Austro-Hungarian subjects in Leipzig.' The waltz was not a great success at its premiere, but was more successful when performed on Strauss' tour of Russia in 1886. A piano arrangement by the composer contributed much to its success beyond Vienna. Bianca Bianchi was then a famous member of the Vienna Court Opera Theatre and Strauss was sufficiently inspired to compose a new work, a waltz for solo voice, for the acclaimed singer. The result was his world-renowned 'Frühlingsstimmen' waltz which celebrated spring and remained one of the classical repertoire's most famous waltzes. The piece is sometimes used as an insertion aria in the act 2 ball scene of Strauss' operetta Die Fledermaus. The waltz makes a grand entry in the key of B-flat major with loud chords preceded with the waltz's three beats to the bar ushering the first waltz's gentle and swirling melody. The second waltz section invokes the joys of spring with the flute imitating birdsong and a pastoral scene. The plaintive and dramatic third section in F minor probably suggests spring showers whereas the fourth section that follows breaks out from the pensive mood with another cheerful melody in A-flat major. Without a coda, the familiar first waltz melody makes a grand entrance before its breathless finish, strong chords and the usual timpani drumroll and warm brass flourish. A performance lasts between seven and nine minutes." [Source]

New Releases: Gruberova, Mields, Piau and Thielemann

From the Vault: 1978 "La Flûte Enchantée" With Alain Lombard

The French label Barclay was purchased by Erato Records and in the late 1970s Alain Lombard teamed up with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg for a series of recordings that included this gem, along with Così fan tutte (Kiri Te Kanawa, Frederica von Stade, Teresa Stratas, David Rendall, Jules Bastine) and Faust (Montserrat Caballé, Giacomo Aragall, Paul Plishka). Now owned by Warner, the below issue has never made it to CD or MP3 format.

Mozart: La Flûte Enchantée [Die Zauberflöte]
Recorded May 29,  & 30; June 1-3, 5-7, 1978
Palais de la Musique et des Congres Strasbourg, France; Orchestre de Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Choeurs de L'Opéra du Rhin, Alain Lombard (cond.); Kiri Te Kanawa (Pamina), Edita Gruberova (Reine de la Nuit), Kathleen Battle (Papagena), Helena Döse (1re Dame), Ann Murray (2e Dame), Naoko Ihara (3e Dame), Peter Hofmann (Tamino), Philippe Huttenlocher (Papageno), Kurt Moll (Sarastro), José van Dam (L'Officiant) and Norbert Orth (Monostatos).
Barclay 960 012/014 P1978 (3 LPs)

Edita Gruberova Hailed A Success in Barcelona

"Edita, La Regina" read the banner unfurled from the balcony.
(Photo: Antoni Bofill)

"The performance of Donizetti's Anna Bolena was chugging along fitfully, the leading lady definitely showing her age. Then the opera's final scene began, and Edita Gruberova worked her magic. As Anna prepared to meet the executioner's ax at the Gran Teatre del Liceu on Friday night, the 64-year-old Slovakian soprano transformed herself from the slightly frumpy grandmother who had sung with sometimes faltering tone into an ageless diva still capable of a remarkable vocal display. "Ah dolce guidami castel natio" ("Ah, lead me to the dear castle where I was born"), she sang to a mournful, gently descending melody, her mind wandering as she imagined happier days. Full of trills and delicately filigreed

runs, this first section demands pinpoint accuracy, purity of sound and an ability to sustain long lines on a single breath. Gruberova, seated near the bottom of a huge staircase, was astonishing. At one point, as if sinking into despair, she slowly lowered her upper body until her head rested on a higher stair, singing all the while in hushed tones of ethereal beauty." [Source]

Le Fils De Cadix: Ismael Jordi

In 1973 tenor Ismael Jordi was born in Jerez de la Frontera, a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southwestern Spain situated midway between the sea and the mountains. His great-grandmother was the only one with musical abilities in his family. He was a semi-professional soccer player, but was always interested in singing. He took voice lessons with Argentinian tenor Daniel Munoz.

He attended Madrid's Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía starting in 1998. He studied voice with Alfredo Kraus for two years. He went on to take lessons with Suso Mariategui, Edelmiro Arnaltes, Teresa Berganza and Manuel Cid. He currently studies voice with Angelo Capobianco in Verona.

Opera at the Museum

Le musée du Louvre à Paris va diffuser à partir de ce week-end des concerts filmés de l'Opéra de Vienne, avec dès samedi une représentation de 1980 de "La Chauve-Souris" de Johann Strauss, a annoncé l'Opéra jeudi. Parmi les autres films montrés lors de ce cycle, qui dure jusqu'à la mi-mai, figurent une mise en scène de 1978 du "Fidelio" de Beethoven, une représentation d'"Elektra" de Strauss en 1989, un "Don Giovanni" de Mozart de 1990, une production de "La Veuve joyeuse" de Franz Lehar de 1999 ou encore "Le Vaisseau fantôme" de Wagner donné en 2004.

Le musée retransmettra également un concert en direct, la première d'"Anna Bolena" de Donizetti, qui sera donnée à Vienne le 2 avril 2011, avec la soprano russe Anna Netrebko dans le rôle-titre.

The Year of Edita Gruberova

(Photo: Wilhelm Schraml/Kurier)

Celebrating 40 years since her debut, the queen of coloratura made 2010 her year by scoring success Norma, Lucrezia Borgia, La Traviata and now she is in talks for a Roberto Devereux with director Dominique Meyer in the near future.

The soprano's secret to a long career? "Erstens muss man eine gute Technik haben. Zweitens muss man - das ist das Wichtigste - Nein sagen können. Hätte ich all die Partien, die berühmte Dirigenten von mir haben wollten, gemacht, dann könnte ich jetzt nicht mehr singen."