Tell me something I don't know: JDF and Ciofi awe Barcelona in La fille du Regiment

A few minutes ago at the Gran Teatre del Liceu!

Opening night of La fille du régiment, a triumph for Juan Diego Flórez and Patrizia Ciofi.

JDF bised (as expected) Pour mon âme after a huge, never-ending ovation.

In the (many,many,many) photos, Juan Diego Flórez, Patrizia Ciofi, Pietro Spagnoli, Victoria Livengood, Alex Sanmartí, Angel Pavlovsky and Yves Abel.

Militaiiiiiiiiiiiiire!

Brava Patriziaaaaaaa!

We love Patrizia car-Ciofi's reactions, as she was the one who enjoyed this triumph the most.

10 performances of La Fille left, 4 of them with Antonio Gandia and fab Nino Machaidze.

Questo è un nodo avviluppato: an awesome Cenerentola at the TCE

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, 30 January 2010

Hilarious! There's no better word to describe the premiere of La Cenerentola, on Saturday night at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

This production by Irina Brook that first opened at the TCE a few years ago, has already seen revivals outside Paris and major stars singing the role of Angelina (Elina Garanca, Malena Ernman, Vivica Genaux). And although I had already watched parts of it (mainly from the telecast of the Stockholm staging), I was not prepared for such a mind-blowing night.

Bar Magnifico ;)

Genaux and Spagnoli

Vivica Genaux (Angelina) matched pretty fine with Antonino Siragusa (Don Ramiro) and both sang great, so did Stéphane Degout (Dandini) and I have only good words for Nidia Palacios (Tisbe) and Carla di Censo (Clorinda). However it was Pietro Spagnoli and Ildebrando d' Arcangelo who stole the show.

Baritones in uniform

D'Arcangelo is not an exemplary rossinian and his singing sounds undisciplined, unfocused, flat at times but he managed to make us overlook his flaws and focus on his stage personality and on his charisma as a comedian. On the other hand I really enjoyed Spagnoli's singing, a bit over the top "brutto" at times, but what a fine creation of Magnifico that was! And if his Barbiere in London matched just fine but never equalled the awesomeness of JDF and JDD, in this Cenerentola we witnessed an incredible one-man-show!

They 're too sexy for your party...

...And they do their little turn on the catwalk, (yeah on the catwalk)

And from a different perspective (the ovation was so long that I even had time to leave my seat and go to the lateral of the premier balcon):

And a treat! Vivica Genaux, Non piú mesta, TCE 30 January 2010 (and yes, I've been bad again):

Pietro Spagnoli steps in, Keenlyside definitely out.

As lovely Mei let us know, and as the baritone himself announces at his very website,

Pietro Spagnoli

is gonna be the one replacing Simon Keenlyside (whose withdrawal you already knew about via parsifal's), as Figaro, at the upcoming performances of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, at the Royal Opera House, next to Juan Diego Florez, Joyce DiDonato, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Alessandro Corbelli etc.

(And while the baritone announces his participation at his own website, the website of the ROH, still announces Keenlyside as Figaro).

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An update from the ROH

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I am writing to you as someone who has booked for The Royal Opera's performances of Il barbiere di Siviglia this Summer. I am very sorry to have to inform you that Simon Keenlyside has received strict orders from his doctor to give his voice complete rest and it is with great regret that he has had to withdraw from the role of Figaro. We are, of course, very disappointed for Simon and wish him a speedy and successful recovery.

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In the meantime I am pleased to announce that Italian baritone Pietro Spagnoli will now sing the role of Figaro in all performances. This promises to be a thrilling debut at the Royal Opera House. Pietro has previously sung the role of Figaro in Paris, Madrid, Florence, Trieste, and most recently in Oviedo in December 2008. Other recent roles include Marcello (La bohème) at La Scala, Milan, Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte) and Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) in Paris, Rodomonte (Orlando Paladino) in Berlin and Dandini (La Cenerentola) for Glyndebourne Festival Opera.

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The rest of the cast remains the same with Juan Diego Flórez as Count Almaviva, Joyce DiDonato as Rosina, Alessandro Corbelli as Doctor Bartolo, Ferruccio Furlanetto as Don Basilio, Changhan Lim as Fiorello and Jennifer Rhys-Davies as Berta. Antonio Pappano conducts. I apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused and wish you an enjoyable evening with a great cast.

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Yours sincerely,

Elaine Padmore