Watch Matt Worth sing Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe

Matt Worth

First of all, we want to congratulate Matt Worth on his recent wedding and wish him and his bride a lifetime of happiness. 

We also wanted to share with our readers this video of him singing Robert Schumann's most famous song cycle, Dichterliebe, Op. 48, at this year's Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. He is joined by accompanist Shai Wosner.

The whole closely integrated song cycle traces an inner narrative, from the initial awakening of love, through rapture, disillusion and despair to tender regret and a final bittersweet, ironic acceptance. Heinrich Heine’s verses are a distillation of the poet’s ultimately doomed love for two of his cousins in Hamburg. For Schumann real life was to provide a happier outcome. Dichterliebe can be heard as his most piercing recreation of the fluctuating, often anguished, emotions he had experienced during his long courtship of Clara Wieck (Schumann).

If you want to see Matt Worth live, make sure to make travel plans to Washington D.C. Worth will star as Starbuck in the highly anticipated East Coast premiere of Jake Heggie's epic Moby-Dick at the Kennedy Center with the Washington National Opera from February 22 - March 8, 2014. Queequeg by fellow barihunk Eric Greene. Tickets go on sale December 4, 2013 to the public and on November 25, 2013 to Kennedy Center members.

  

Who gets the money for the 2014 Charity Calendar?    

This year we're looking for originality on Facebook and Twitter. We'll consider any idea that involves young artists, not just young artist programs...video projects...recital ideas...you name it. 

Most LIKES on Facebook and most retweets on Twitter will increase your odds of winning.  (Use #Barihunks2014). Post your comments to our Facebook feed with who you should think is deserving of the a charitable contribution and why.

Luca Pisaroni in Rossini masterpiece in Santa Fe

A young Luca Pisaroni and getting fit for Maometto

One of the greatest opera festivals in the world is getting into full swing with the upcoming world premiere of the new critical performing edition of Rossini's foot-tapping Maometto II.  The Venetian love story contains some of the Italian composers greatest music, but has somehow never entered the standard repertory, even in its reworked version Le siège de Corinthe. The last U.S. performance was the 1988 production in San Francisco, which was produced as a showcase for Simone Alaimo and June Anderson.

Pisaroni as Radamisto (Photo by Ken Howard)

Although the two best known arias are sung by the mezzo Calbo (Non temer: d'un basso affetto) and the soprano Anna (Giusto Cielo, in tal periglio), the title role is sung by a bass-baritone and contains some of Rossini's best music for low voice. Perhaps the most touching is the duet between Maometto and Anna, "Anna... tu piangi," which you can hear below.

Santa Fe has brought in one of our favorite singers, Luca Pisaroni, to sing the title role. Pisaroni has been a fan favorite at the Santa Fe Opera since his stunning debut in Handel's Radamisto in 2008. 

Pisaroni discusses Maometto II:

Performances of Maometto II will run from July 14-August 16 with the new starting times of 8:00 and 8:30 PM, dropping the later 9 PM start time (for which we are grateful). Pisaroni's Anna will be the hottest new Verdi soprano on the scene, Leah Crocetto. Tickets are available on the company's website.

Samuel Ramey & Cecilia Gasdia from Pesaro in 1985:

On July 21, Pisaroni will also be performing a recital with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. He'll be performing Bach's Cantata No. 82, “Ich Habe Genug," BWV 82. Tickets are available online.

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