Time to let you all in on just which George Gershwin gems Rob Kapilow will be dissecting this Saturday evening in the next What Makes It Great? performance, The Songs of George Gershwin:
“I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy, 1930
“They Can’t Take That Away from Me” from Shall We Dance, 1937
“Someone to Watch Over Me” from Oh, Kay! 1926
“Love is Sweeping the Country” from Of Thee I Sing, 1931
"Girl Crazy"? Wasn't that an Elvis movie...?
In his review for Monday's Boston Globe, Matthew Guerrieri wrote of countertenor David Daniels' Saturday evening recital at Jordan Hall that it, "...highlighted not just his mastery of that comparatively uncommon vocal style, but those qualities sometimes overshadowed by vocal beauty: attention to text, emotional directness, physical presence." He wrote other nice things about Mr. Daniels' singing. You can read them all here.
Audra McDonald as Jenny in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Broadway star Audra McDonald, she of the golden throat plus acting chops, is already making a splash on Private Practice; which makes a nice complement to her previous specials, appearances with the Pops, etc. Now, in an apparent bid to justify her own television channel (I vote for calling it Audravision...) the fabulous Ms. McDonald will star in the Los Angeles Opera production of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny on PBS' Great Performances this Monday, December 17 (the first of several broadcasts on WGBH: schedule). On the accompanying PBS background pages you can find a dialogue with McDonald and co-star Anthony Dean Griffey, and a video clip of McDonald singing Alabama Song.
Audra McDonald will sing live for a Celebrity Series audience on Friday, May 16, 2008 at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge.
Looking at some videos of David Daniels on YouTube.com (and some excellent performances, by the way - more on them, later) I came across one of the oddest video segments I have encountered in this toddler medium: world-renowned countertenor David Daniels ordering food at the Beacon Drive-in in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The man relaying the order, J.C., is really the star of this 13 second gem - and the star of The Beacon.
Countertenor David Daniels has announced the complete program (he had announced only a few tantalizing composers previously) for his January 19 recital with pianist Martin Katz at Jordan Hall. You can find the program and other information about the performance here.
Matthew Guerrieri reviewed soprano Measha Brueggergosman's Boston debut recital for today's Boston Globe:
"The first two encores, a spirit-moved "Ride On, King Jesus" and the sweet-to-sour romance of Harnick and Baker's "Someone Is Sending Me Flowers," were trumped by the last, an impishly, iridescently sweet rendition of Tom Lehrer's "The Old Dope Peddler": With Vignoles in serene complicity, Brueggergosman delicately wreathed the hall in her own expressive, addictive gregariousness."
Read all of Candian soprano's sizeable voice put to sumptuous use.
Click here for Measha's encores. That last encore was a first for me.
Soprano Measha Brueggergosman
Measha Brueggergosman is not your average Canadian soprano who hails from New Brunswick. Heck, she's not even the average soprano hailing from Toronto - there's her fine voice and interpretive skill, her taste for cabaret songs and other interesting recital fodder, her travels to war-torn Uganda with AMREF Canada, her unique hair, her unique surname, and her unique personality. There are many ways and places to learn about Measha. I've created this little link farm to show you just a few...
Produced video of Measha singing Jules Massenet’s 'The Final Slumber of the Virgin'
Measha’s visit to Uganda with AMREF Canada
Measha Brueggergosman, a friend’s take
Measha’s MySpace page
Measha’s wikipedia article
Web site for Measha’s new CD “Surprise!"
Performance page for Measha’s Celebrity Series recital (psst, it's tomorrow at 8)
Soprano Measha Brueggergosman talked with The Boston Herald's Keith Powers in advance of her Boston debut this Saturday evening at Jordan Hall:
"Working with a great composer like William Bolcom,” Brueggergosman said, “re-creating that work, makes me feel like a tiny spoke in the wheel of music history. There’s a depth to what Bill Bolcom is doing. There’s more than just a recording happening, there’s a documentation for future generations."
Read all of Canadian superstar soprano loves a cabaret.
This video is not from Ms. Brueggergosman's new CD (Surprise!), but from her previous one (Extase). Here, she sings Jules Massenet's 'Le dernier Sommeil de la Vierge' ('The Final Slumber of the Virgin') from La Vierge - an uncommon musical selection, the sort of thing at which Measha excels. The video was produced and directed by Nigel Hunt.
Measha Brueggergosman makes her Boston debut with pianist Roger Vignoles at NEC's Jordan Hall on Saturday, November 10.
