Fernando Bustos Helps Early Music Festival End On High Note

Look Away: Fernando Bustos as Orfeo in the Twin Cities.

"The second annual Twin Cities Early Music Festival — three weeks of period instrument and early vocal style performances — presented its finale Friday night, an ambitious and largely successful semi-staging of Gluck’s classic 18th-century opera, Orfeo ed Euridice.....A feisty little 10-piece orchestra offered playing that was both lively and consistently in tune — no small accomplishment in the period-instrument world. Even so, under the circumstances, it was probably wise that conductor Donald Livingston cut at least a half-hour out of the score. Two of the singers came from Panama for this production (which was repeated Saturday). These were a young countertenor, Fernando Bustos, who sang Orfeo, and soprano Graciela Saavedra, who portrayed Amore, the Goddess of Love. Bustos brought a sincerity and an emotional vulnerability to the role that more or less carried the evening, and his high tenor, with its poignant naturalness, had none of the steely sound that mars the singing of so many countertenors. As far as variety of vocal expression and coloring, Bustos is probably not yet in the league of David Daniels, the current champ of countertenors who sang Orfeo for Minnesota Opera, but he is clearly on his way. He sang the great lament, 'Che faro senza Euridice?' with such sweetness and tragic dignity that it seemed fresh and new. Saavedra was a saucy Amore with an agile voice, though a couple of her coloratura flights sounded tentative. Linh Kauffman was a warmly human Euridice exquisitely sung. Both Bustos and Kauffman embodied the 'noble simplicity' that Gluck sought in his works for the stage." Read the entire review here and learn more about the festival here. Additional information on Fernando Bustos, after the jump.

Television Chef Silvia Colloca Takes On Gluck Orfeo Role

Coming Up Roses: Silvia Colloca shows her many
 facets, including opera. (Photo: Robert Gray)

"Is she a television chef? A food blogger? An actor? A singer? With Silvia Colloca, it's not clear exactly what category to put her in, but the Milan-born Sydney mother of two and wife of Richard Roxburgh is happy with the confusion. 'I don't want to be pigeonholed. I think that's a good role model for my kids to show them you can do what you want so long as you are passionate and professional about it,' Colloca said, as she prepared to launch her next incarnation: opera singer as part of the inaugural Spectrum Now arts festival, of which Roxburgh is the creative director. Though Colloca has won a legion of fans across Australia since the launch of her hit cooking series Made In Italy on SBS last year, next Saturday night she will reprise her career as an operatic mezzo-soprano. She takes on the role of Orfeo in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice, based on the myth of Orpheus descending to the underworld to claim his wife. In this case, however, it is Colloca claiming 'her' wife. 'I've done this role before - it really isn't terribly gender-specific so it still works with a woman playing Orfeo,' she enthused. 'And you know, it's Mardi Gras - the timing is great.''....Colloca has been singing as long as she has been cooking and acting. She studied classical singing for five years in Milan before spending several years working as a professional singer throughout Europe. But it was through acting that she met Roxburgh, when they appeared together in the Hollywood horror flick Van Helsing, playing a couple of vampires." [Source] Watch Silvia Colloca perform the aria "Che faro senza Euridice" after the jump.

Two Debuts & One Return in MET "Orfeo ed Euridice" Revival

MET debutantes Royal and Walker flank Daniels
on opening night (Photo: William Scott Walters)

"Soprano Kate Royal sang powerfully and emotionally as Euridice in a winning Met debut, displaying a strong upper register. She earned robust applause for 'Che fiero momento (What a proud moment).' Countertenor David Daniels once again was the star of the show, reprising his performance as Orfeo. The part was sung by the castrato Gaetano Guadagni at its premiere and also can be sung by a mezzo-soprano — Stephanie Blythe performed it at the Met two years ago. Slimmed down and looking radiant with sparkles on his clothes and a guitar dangling from his back, Daniels commanded the stage, conveying his pain at not being allowed to look at Euridice. His liquid voice dazzled in 'Che faro senza Euridice? (What shall I do without Euridice?)' .... Australian conductor Anthony Walker made his Met debut, leading a propulsive performance but one that was less frothy than James Levine's version when the staging was new." [Source]

A History of "Orfeo ed Euridice" at the Metropolitan Opera

Risë Stevens as Orfeo (Photo: Tony Vaccaro)

As Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice is set to open tonight at the Metropolitan Opera with David Daniels, let's take a look back at the many stars who have sung the role of Orfeo at this famous company. The first performance given by the MET was actually at the Boston Theatre in Massachusetts and was sung in German with Marianne Brandt taking on the lead role in 1885. The next performance took place in 1891 with Giulia Ravogli singing Orfeo in Chicago, Illinois. In an interesting pairing, the work received its premiere at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on December 11, 1893, with Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci taking the second part of the evening. Sofia Scalchi sang Orfeo and Nellie Melba sang Nedda. Quite an interesting night to be sure. The production returned in 1895 with Marie Brema as Orfeo and this time sharing the evening with Emma Calvé as Anita in the U.S. premiere of Massenet's La Navarraise. The opera gets revived in 1909 with Louise Homer in a new production with a drastically revised score by conductor of the performances, Arturo Toscanini. Marie Delna makes her debut as Orfeo in the last performance of this run. The original cast of this production returned for the 1910-11 and 1911-12 seasons for a revival with Margarete Matzenauer stepping in for one performance as Orfeo. There is one more performance on March 2, 1914, before this production takes a respite until 1936 when Orfeo ed Euridice returns to the MET in a new production conceived by George Balanchine that puts the singers in the orchestra pit and dancers portraying them on stage. Anna Kaskas was Orfeo

David Daniels as Orfeo at the Metropolitan (Photo: Annie Leibovitz)

and the performance was on a double-bill with Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. Kerstin Thorborg arrives in 1938 as Orfeo in a new production directed by Herbert Graf with sets by Harry Horner. When brought back in 1939, Erich Leinsdorf takes over conducting duties when Artur Bodanzky passes away and in 1941, Bruno Walter steps into the pit for Maestro duties. In February 1955, a new era began with Risë Stevens taking on the title role under conductor Pierre Monteux. From this point on a series of popular mezzo-sopranos including Grace Bumbry (1970) and Marilyn Horne (1972). The opera disappeared until the current Mark Morris production premiered in 2007 with costumes by Isaac Mizrahi and conducted by James Levine. The performances also marked the MET role debut as Orfeo for David Daniels. The role was put back in the hands of mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe when the production was revived in 2009. In addition to countertenor David Daniels, the current run will mark the debut of soprano Kate Royal as Euridice and the Amor of Lisette Oropesa, all under conductor Antony Walker. [Source]

A listening guide through various interpretations of "Che farò senza Euridice" throughout MET history:

Risë Stevens

Grace Bumbry

Marilyn Horne