Photo: Nick Heavican/Met Opera
David Daniels (Prospero) and Joyce di Donato (Sycorax) in The Enchanted Island
This extraordinary confection that the Metropolitan Opera has produced for this holiday season has turned into a huge hit for them, and deservedly so. The combined talents of Jeremy Sams, master of all things baroque William Christie, the production team led by Phelim McDermott, a dream cast of the best of the new generation as well as of the older ones, a meticulous devotion of time to preparation.....and the result is a dazzling show that only the Met could have produced. Oh and another thing - we have not just one genius composer involved, but a galaxy of old stars - Handel, Vivaldi, Rameau, and Purcell are the principal ones for starters.
You can all see it for yourselves if you have access to a movie house which shows the Met Live HD transmissions. It is next Saturday, January 21 at 12:55 EST, that is 6 pm in London and 11:55 am in Chicago.
Placido Domingo, Joyce di Donato, David Daniels, Luca Pisaroni, Danielle de Niese and Elizabeth DeShong are joined by an amazing group of the new generation, Lisette Oropesa, Layla Claire, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Paul Appleby, and Elliot Madore. Again and again time stops as some glorious singing suspends all other considerations. Just one unlikely example - an exquisite duet for Miranda and Ferdinand which turns out to be from a Handel cantata. Lisette Oropesa is a completely magical new singer and you can go away from the show loving her Miranda and remembering the beauty of her singing for a long time to come. And you will be dazzled by the virtuosity of Danielle de De Niese's ever witty and puckish Ariel. And and and......and you then have to contend with David Daniels and Joyce DiDonato, not to mention Placido Domingo singing a God for the first time. About time too you may say!
So you can take it that I enjoyed myself. And I think that you will too!
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