Here's a terrific review from the Guardian:

"Thank heaven for the wonderful, generous Argentinian tenor, Marcelo Alvarez,
who showed his star qualities from the fiendish opening "Celeste Aida" to his
entombed farewell."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/may/02/aida-elegy-young-lovers-sonho-review

Independent Minds

http://artsandentertainment.independentminds.livejournal.com/1300920.html

Opera Britannia

http://www.opera-britannia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=289:\
aida-the-royal-opera-27th-april-2010&catid=8&Itemid=16


or



http://tinyurl.com/3abukxm


Mail Online


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1269886/Aida-A-cut-price-to\
ur-Egypt-offers-Nile-style.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

London Evening Standard

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/review-23828825-blood-sweat-and-sacrifice-in\
-aida.do



Kay



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

If all goes well I will be seeing Marcelo in Aida on Friday, May 7, and again on
May 10.



I am soooo looking forward to it!



Here's a Bloomberg review of Aida:



http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aPB8MAOBNAT4



or



http://tinyurl.com/2f72bnk


Again with the elephants! In all the times I've seen Aida, I never saw
elephants...even at the Met! Or even in Cincinnati, where the opera was held in
the Zoo!



Kay


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

We'll be looking forward to your comments!!!

lidia



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Well, that's what it should be called! Marcelo was magnificent, of course. While
his voice has become more heroic, it has lost none of its unique sweetness, so
it is amazing to hear this sweet lyrical voice giving us a Radames who is a
romantic, as well as a heroic, figure.



Marianne Coronetti was a powerful Amneris. Although some reviews were unkind to
Carosi, I liked her better than I expected.



I also liked the production better than expected, after the negative reviews. I
recognized some of McVicar's touches from his Rigoletto--the revolving gray wall
and scaffolding, the nudity, the orgies, etc.--and found nothiing offensive.
Some peoplel objected to the violence, but hey, it's a show! it's not real!



Marcelo looks fabulous in his costumes, especially the Samurai warrior outfit.
His entrance during the triumphal march is spectacular.



The best part of the staging is that it puts the singers front and center,
literally. Even with all the shennanigans going on, we focus on the principals.
At least, I do. When Marcelo is on stage, I see only hiim!



Luisotti's conducting is marvelous, bringing tremendous energy to the score. I
was sitting behind him in the second row and it is fun to watch him. He is so
involved, he seems to be playing every iinstrument in the pit and singing every
note on stage. I only wish he had taken "O terra addio" a little more slowly.



Shockingly, someone behind me booed Luisotti during his curtain call. Perhaps
the booer thought he was the director.



I was happy to see Davina before the performance and at the stage door. Marcelo
was delightful, as usual, at the stage door, talking about how much he loved
this production.. He also confirmed that he will be singing in Aida at the Met
in the future! Patricia was with him at the stage door, looking even more
beautiiful than ever.



We also spoke to Cornetti, who is a charming lady with a lovely speaking voice.



I'm lookiing forward to Monday's performance!



Kay


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Here is a long and quite interesting blog review of Aida.



http://operaismagic.blogspot.com/2010/05/aida-roh.html



Marcelo's Adriana Lecouvreur will be out on DVD on June 1. It can be pre-ordered
here:

http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//101497.htm

In the meantime, there are some lovely clips on YouTube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2aTcqoBcNxk

A reviewer finds the ROH Rigoletto his favorite and likes the "baby-faced" Duke!
I thought his comments about McVicar's staging of Rigoletto were interesting as
they could apply as well to the new Aida. In fact, I could have sworn the grey
translucent wall and scaffolding from the beginning of Aida were recycled from
the first scene of Rigoletto!

http://tinyurl.com/2card6a



Kay






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello,

you can find 3 videos from Chenier in Madrid on marceloalvarez.it!

Vivatopera

I added some photos to the Aida folder, including several taken from the ROH
program. In two of those, Marcelo appears to have red hair.

Elephants? You want elephants? I can see why critics had elephants on the brain,
since there were several outside the ROH. I added two photos of them. There were
250 of these little elephant sculptures all over London, some decorated by
celebrities, to raise awareness of the plight of Asian elephants. The sculptures
will eventually be auctioned off.

I also put in several photos of Marcelo, some with me, at the stage door.

Kay

Another Marcelo performance will be released on DVD! It is Rigoletto from the
Liceu, Barcelona, with Carlos Alvarez and Inva Mula. It can be preordered and
will be available June 29:

http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Rigoletto-Marcelo-Alvarez/dp/B003IP2YIK



It can also be ordered here:



http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Arthaus%2BMusik/107147



I think this is the same production that played in Palermo, with Gallo and
O'Flynn.


Kay




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello Kay,

isn't it the same performance, that was released on TDK-DVD in 2006? I bought it
two years ago because of the Duke, of course, but I don't like the performance
too much, it's a bit strange (for me).

Vivatopera

--- In fansofmarceloalvarez@yahoogroups.com, KAY BOSWORTH <kay3914@...> wrote:
>
>
> Another Marcelo performance will be released on DVD! It is Rigoletto from the
Liceu, Barcelona, with Carlos Alvarez and Inva Mula. It can be preordered and
will be available June 29:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Verdi-Rigoletto-Marcelo-Alvarez/dp/B003IP2YIK
>
>
>
> It can also be ordered here:
>
>
>
> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Arthaus%2BMusik/107147
>
>
>
> I think this is the same production that played in Palermo, with Gallo and
O'Flynn.
>
>
> Kay
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Vivatopera, you are right, of course. The "new" Rigoletto is the same as the one
from 2006. (I am still jet-lagged!)

Speaking of old things, I came across this nice review of The Tenor's Passion:

http://www.mp3boost.com/the-tenors-passion-7?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_c\
ampaign=the-tenors-passion-7

Some of the comments are interesting.

I hope that everyone who saw Aida on May 13, and those who are seeing it on May
16, enjoys it as much as I did, and I also hope that everyone gets home safely.

Kay


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Marcelo's Met Tosca will be shown again, free, in Lincoln Center Plaza on August
28, opening the weeklong Summer HD Festival:



http://tinyurl.com/3yknxeb



or go to Metopera.org.



Kay


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi,
 
on youtube is a video of Marcelo from 1994!!! In a masterclass concert of
Giuseppe di Stefano Marcelo sings A TE O CARA and the Duke's aria of the second
act of Rigoletto.
 
I am in heaven and have added this video already to marcelissimo's playlist
'Marcelo Alvarez / Arrieta / Bellini':
 
http://www.youtube.com/user/marcelissimo#g/c/C9E76D604AFDD883
 
Enjoy it like I have done, it's a TREASURE!!!
 
Christine



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

It's absolutely priceless!!!!!

Marcelo's new web site now shows tour dates through January 2012.



http://tinyurl.com/2dymf8b



Marcelo has apparently settled his differences with La Scala and is listed to
appear there in two productions in 2011, in Attila and as the Italian singer in
Rosenkavalier!



I am still concerned that the dates for the Met on the site don't match those on
the Met site: Trovatore is shown as only November 11-19, while the Met site
lists October 26, 30, November 3, 6, 11, 15, and 19 in the fall and April 20,
23, 27 and 30 in the spring. Tosca is shown as starting on January 2, while the
Met lists it as January 10, 14, 17, 21, 25, and 29.



At any rate, it is good to have this listing of Marcelo's future performances.



Kay













[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This is absolutely gorgeous!!! Thank you Christine for sharing it. It is indeed
a treasure! How could anyone not fall in love with that voice!!!

Kay

--- In fansofmarceloalvarez@yahoogroups.com, Christine <christine_at_1999@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi,
>  
> on youtube is a video of Marcelo from 1994!!! In a masterclass concert of
Giuseppe di Stefano Marcelo sings A TE O CARA and the Duke's aria of the second
act of Rigoletto.
>  
> I am in heaven and have added this video already to marcelissimo's playlist
'Marcelo Alvarez / Arrieta / Bellini':
>  
> http://www.youtube.com/user/marcelissimo#g/c/C9E76D604AFDD883
>  
> Enjoy it like I have done, it's a TREASURE!!!
>  
> Christine
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Marcelo's Adriana Lecouvreur DVD is available in the U.S. for pre-order from
Amazon.com. It will be released on June 29:

http://www.amazon.com/Cilea-Adriana-Lecouvreur-Micaela-Carosi/dp/B003IP2YGM/ref=\
sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1274929549&sr=8-10
  or

http://tinyurl.com/34tgcqe


"The 'cock-of-the-walk' role is
sung by the world-class tenor Marcelo Álvarez. His timbre, velvety smooth yet
robustly virile, is ideally suited to a
vocal characterisation of the idolised Maurizio."  :)



Kay


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

In all my excitement about seeing Aida in London, I forgot to mention that I got
a pirate DVD of Marcelo's Tosca from Parma. I love it. It looks like a beautiful
production--stylized yet keeping with tradition. He gets a bis!

Speaking of Aida, I looked back at my post from London and was horrified to see
all the typographical errors! My only excuse was that I was using the hotel
computer with an unfamiliar keyboard and a hard-to-read monitor; still, I could
have spell checked it. My apologies!

I should mention that I enjoyed the second performance that I saw of Aida, on
May 10, even more than the first. I did not mind the staging like some critics
did; in fact, as usual, I wondered if some of them were seeing the same
production I did! For instance, one critic complained that the final scene
didn't convey the claustrophobic feeling of a tomb; apparently he didn't notice
the low "ceiling" that Marcelo had to duck under as he entered. Another
complained that there was no suggestion of a river in the Nile scene, apparently
failing to notice that Amneris seemed to arrive on a barge!

Actually, my only complaints about the production had to do with the dancing. I
found the choreography annoying, especially in the beautiful Act I ballet music,
where the dancers' percussive movements and hair-flinging didn't serve the
delicate music well. The orgy scene in Amneris' chamber was also a bit much.

But the opera is ultimately all about the music and the singing. Unless a
production outright trashes an opera (as I felt the Met's Sonnambula did), it is
the singing that rules, and Marcelo definitely ruled this Aida.

It happened to me again, that incredible contact. I had a seat in the second
row, and Marcelo was directly in front of me for Celeste Aida, and once again I
had that spine tingling feeling that he was singing just for me. I will treasure
those moments forever.

Kay

I recorded the Met's Turandot on PBS recently and let the recorder continue
after the opera ended. The program was followed by a short interview with Peter
Gelb about efforts to attract new audiences to the Met, and there was Marcelo on
the Jumbotron in Times Square, with a rapt audience staring up at him!

Then Gelb went on to admit that not all the new ideas were popular, citing
Bondy's Tosca, and there again was Marcelo with Karita in a scene from Act I!
Gelb laughed about some of the angry mail he got over that Tosca, but he also
heard from many people who approved, he said.

I know there will always be critics of his efforts, but I personally am thrilled
over the HD showings and the return of opera to PBS! And how could I not like
the man who is bringing us Marcelo in TWO productions next season!

Kay

Hi,

I recorded that Turandot also, but I had it stop right at the end,so I missed
the interview. What a pity. I liked your report on London Aida and the only
typos I saw were double iis. It was rather cute when you said "...I see only
hiim. Obviously,the i key was sticking.

Olga

--- In fansofmarceloalvarez@yahoogroups.com, "kay3914" <kay3914@...> wrote:
>
> I recorded the Met's Turandot on PBS recently and let the recorder continue
after the opera ended. The program was followed by a short interview with Peter
Gelb about efforts to attract new audiences to the Met, and there was Marcelo on
the Jumbotron in Times Square, with a rapt audience staring up at him!
>
> Then Gelb went on to admit that not all the new ideas were popular, citing
Bondy's Tosca, and there again was Marcelo with Karita in a scene from Act I!
Gelb laughed about some of the angry mail he got over that Tosca, but he also
heard from many people who approved, he said.
>
> I know there will always be critics of his efforts, but I personally am
thrilled over the HD showings and the return of opera to PBS! And how could I
not like the man who is bringing us Marcelo in TWO productions next season!
>
> Kay
>

Many thanks to Fernando for sending us a link to a long newspaper interview with
Marcelo. This is Fernando's message and the link is at the bottom:


Kay

"Today in the Newspaper La Voz del Interior From Córdoba, We have a 3 page note
to Marcelo, it is because we are going to start seeing Opera in the cinemas in
Argentina. ( Not live, just recorded operas but it is something)
>
>
>
> I have scanned the 3 pages and I am sending you in this email.
>
>
>
> The highlights of the notes are:
>
>
>
> - He is going to Valencia and then to Japan ( of course we know that)
>
> - This year he sang three new roles in Andrea Chenier, Adriana Lecouvreur and
in Aida, and this 3 will be edited in DVD.
>
> - We will see in the cinemas the Opera Un Ballo in Maschera. Recorded last
year.
>
>
>
> You can see the note online at:
>
> http://vos.lavoz.com.ar/content/lirica-y-pochoclo-0
>
>
>
> Lirica y pochoclo means Lyric and popcorn"

Hello Kay,

you are a lucky woman that you have been succeeded in obtaining the DVD. Tosca
from Parma must be a very beautiful performance. There is Prima della Prima on
YouTube and last spring anybody put several parts of it there too. I tried to
ask that person to be so kind and put the performance on Rapidshare, if it was
possible. But unfortunately I was not successful.

Vivatopera

--- In fansofmarceloalvarez@yahoogroups.com, "kay3914" <kay3914@...> wrote:
>
> In all my excitement about seeing Aida in London, I forgot to mention that I
got a pirate DVD of Marcelo's Tosca from Parma. I love it. It looks like a
beautiful production--stylized yet keeping with tradition. He gets a bis!
>
> Speaking of Aida, I looked back at my post from London and was horrified to
see all the typographical errors! My only excuse was that I was using the hotel
computer with an unfamiliar keyboard and a hard-to-read monitor; still, I could
have spell checked it. My apologies!
>
> I should mention that I enjoyed the second performance that I saw of Aida, on
May 10, even more than the first. I did not mind the staging like some critics
did; in fact, as usual, I wondered if some of them were seeing the same
production I did! For instance, one critic complained that the final scene
didn't convey the claustrophobic feeling of a tomb; apparently he didn't notice
the low "ceiling" that Marcelo had to duck under as he entered. Another
complained that there was no suggestion of a river in the Nile scene, apparently
failing to notice that Amneris seemed to arrive on a barge!
>
> Actually, my only complaints about the production had to do with the dancing.
I found the choreography annoying, especially in the beautiful Act I ballet
music, where the dancers' percussive movements and hair-flinging didn't serve
the delicate music well. The orgy scene in Amneris' chamber was also a bit much.
>
> But the opera is ultimately all about the music and the singing. Unless a
production outright trashes an opera (as I felt the Met's Sonnambula did), it is
the singing that rules, and Marcelo definitely ruled this Aida.
>
> It happened to me again, that incredible contact. I had a seat in the second
row, and Marcelo was directly in front of me for Celeste Aida, and once again I
had that spine tingling feeling that he was singing just for me. I will treasure
those moments forever.
>
> Kay
>

There are some wonderful audios of Marcelo in Aida on YouTube:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDCag6cEvhc&feature=related

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEyveg778YQ&feature=related


On the same page as the last one are several videos from Adriana Lecouvreur and
the Parma Tosca.

When I was a kid, the first two operas that my mother took me to were Carmen and
Aida. I saw Rise Stevens as Carmen, and my first Rhadames was Kurt Baum (yes, I
really AM older than dirt!).

I'll never forget being in a puddle of tears after O terra, addio.

I feel like my life has come full circle, now that I have seen Marcelo as Don
Jose and Rhadames and heard that exquisite voice sing O terra, addio.

Kay

Just a reminder that Marcelo's ROH Aida is scheduled to be broadcast this
Saturday, June 26, 18:00 to 21:00 (2 to 5 p.m. EDT, I think) on BBC 3.

Kay

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sv6jv

Saturday, 18:00 on BBC Radio 3

Synopsis

Lust and violence, war and doomed love: Aida is the story of the slave girl who
finds that her father and her lover are on opposite sides in a confrontation
between nations. It's one of the greatest love stories in opera, played out
against a background of battles and heroic idealism. In this new production from
Covent Garden, Micaela Carosi stars as Aida, Marcelo Álvarez is her beloved
Radames, and Marianne Cornetti plays the role of Amneris, her rival for his
affections.

Presented by Suzy Klein with guest Roger Parker

Aida ..... Micaela Carosi (soprano)
Radames ..... Marcelo Álvarez (tenor)
Amneris ..... Marianne Cornetti (mezzo-soprano)
Ramfis ..... Giacomo Prestia (baritone)
Amonasro ..... Marco Vratogna (baritone)
King of Egypt ..... Robert Lloyd (bass)
Messenger ..... Ji-Min Park (tenor)
High Priestess ..... Elisabeth Meister (soprano)
Nicola Luisotti ..... Conductor

Royal Opera Chorus
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
Broadcast

Sat 26 Jun 2010 18:00 BBC Radio 3

Correction!!!

I was wrong about the starting time for Aida: It is 1 p.m. EDT.

Apologies!

Kay

----------------------------------------
> To: fansofmarceloalvarez@yahoogroups.com; marceloalvarezfans@...
> From: kay3914@...
> Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:26:12 -0400
> Subject: [Fans of Marcelo Alvarez] ROH Aida, BBC 3, June 26
>
>
> Just a reminder that Marcelo's ROH Aida is scheduled to be broadcast this
Saturday, June 26, 18:00 to 21:00 (2 to 5 p.m. EDT, I think) on BBC 3.
>
> Kay
>
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sv6jv
>
> Saturday, 18:00 on BBC Radio 3
>
> Synopsis
>
> Lust and violence, war and doomed love: Aida is the story of the slave girl
who finds that her father and her lover are on opposite sides in a confrontation
between nations. It's one of the greatest love stories in opera, played out
against a background of battles and heroic idealism. In this new production from
Covent Garden, Micaela Carosi stars as Aida, Marcelo Álvarez is her beloved
Radames, and Marianne Cornetti plays the role of Amneris, her rival for his
affections.
>
> Presented by Suzy Klein with guest Roger Parker
>
> Aida ..... Micaela Carosi (soprano)
> Radames ..... Marcelo Álvarez (tenor)
> Amneris ..... Marianne Cornetti (mezzo-soprano)
> Ramfis ..... Giacomo Prestia (baritone)
> Amonasro ..... Marco Vratogna (baritone)
> King of Egypt ..... Robert Lloyd (bass)
> Messenger ..... Ji-Min Park (tenor)
> High Priestess ..... Elisabeth Meister (soprano)
> Nicola Luisotti ..... Conductor
>
> Royal Opera Chorus
> Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
> Broadcast
>
> Sat 26 Jun 2010 18:00 BBC Radio 3
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

Hello,

you can find many nice photos on this page:

http://pressefotos.at/m.php?g=1&u=84&dir=201006&e=20100624_e&a=event

Vivatopera

Oh, my!!! I hope some of you were able to hear this. If not, it repeats for the
next 7 days; just go to the BBC 3 web site, then to Opera on 3, and look for the
Aida link.

I loved, loved, LOVED it! True, I don't much care for Vratogna, and Carosi
sounded a bit flattish in places that I didn't notice in the house, but all in
all, I thought it was so exciting, and Marcelo sang like a dream! It is so
thrilling to hear that sweet lyric voice in this role, showing us that Radames
is a romantic soul as well as a warrior.

I wish I knew at which performance this recording took place. I thought O terra,
addio seemed a bit rushed when I heard it in the house, but on this broadcast it
sounded perfect. And Marcelo's Celeste Aida was gorgeous. Cornetti was fabulous
and her scene with Marcelo, before the trial, just gave me goosebumps.

I also enjoyed hearing the ballet music *without* the ballet!

I recorded this broadcast. It was my first try at Total Recorder and it turned
out OK but I'm sure a recording will turn up on OperaShare. BBC 3 has a
wonderful sound, except for a tiny dropout in the last scene.

Aida is one of my all time favorites and Marcelo is the perfect Radames!

Kay

I accidentally sent a personal message to the list! Sorry!

Kay

Three different people posted links to the ROH Aida broadcast on OperaShare!

I can't post the links here, but I would be happy to email them to anyone who
writes to me privately: kay3914@....

If you'd rather not download the links, I can make a copy of the CDs and send
them to you. And don't forget, the performance repeats on BBC 3 through the rest
of the week.

I really do love Marcelo in this performance!

Kay

Here's a good review of Marcelo in the new Adriana Lecouvreur DVD, from the
Toronto Star:

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/dvd/opera/article/834933--adriana-death-sou\
nds-divine

"But we don’t need the post-aria hoots and shouts for Argentinean tenor Marcelo
Alvarez to tell us he’s ideally cast in a role premiered by the legendary Enrico
Caruso in 1902"


I got my copy last week and am enjoying it greatly. Marcelo looks and sounds
divine, and gets waves and waves of ovations.



Kay




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The August issue of Opera News has two reviews of Marcelo's performances. The
reviews will probably be online soon.



George Hall reviews the ROH Aida, mostly about the production. About Marcelo, he
says he "managed some determinedly heroic gestures and a fair degree of
genuinely heroic tone, though with not quite enough soft tone to contrast with
it; [I don't agree!--KB]"



Ira Siff reviews the Un ballo in maschera DVD from Madrid, and the review is
mostly about Marcelo. He begins by saying, "When Marcelo Álvarez appeared on the
international opera scene in the mid-'90s, he was a very promising lyric tenor
in possession of a lovely instrument and an instinct for graceful phrasing and
vocal nuance."



He goes on to describe Marcelo's change to a "vocally heavier route" and adds,
"Happily, returning to the Verdi territory in which he treads so elegantly (his
Duke in Rigoletto was spectacular), Álvarez is able to combine an increase in
volume and thrust with legato singing that remains flexible and firm. The result
is a most welcome Riccardo...,reassuring to those who treasured his lyric
sound....Álvarez fully hurls himself into all of it [the role], never stinting
on voice or personality...he takes on the various challenges of the part with
gusto and does some elegant singing."



Siff ends the review saying, "Though the conductor is not particularly
inspired...Álvarez supplies shading and sweep aplenty in his singing."



Kay


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]