February 2012

The New York Philharmonic's 2012-2013 season includes, in June 2013, a 12-tone one-act opera, Luigi Dallapiccola's Il Prigioniero (The Prisoner), with Gerald Finley, the bass-baritone, in the title role; and Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, with a favorite Gilbert soloist, Lisa Batiashvili.

2011 entries

December 2011

"Pappano, . . . at this point one of the most important people in opera, crowned a stunning year . . . with a concert recording of Rossini's Guillaume Tell (EMI Classics). Rossini's last opera, another important work opposing political repression, is, despite the familiarity of a small part of its very long overture, rarely staged (never mind that the enterprising SF Opera performed it twice in the 90s). But with Gerald Finley . . . in the title role, Pappano hit the apple at its core."--Tim Pfaff, "Best classical discs 2011," Bay Area Reporter

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Dec. 1, Symphony Hall -- Jiri Belohlavek, conducting; Sasha Cooke and Gerald Finley, soloists -- One of the top ten performances of classical music in Boston and vicinity during 2011, according to Keith Powers of the Patriot Ledger. "Levine is gone, but his programming lingers, for this season at least. His survey of John Harbison's symphonies, including this performance of the fifth, added tremendous perspective and insight into that body of work. A major program that also included the fourth Beethoven concerto and his Leonore Overture."

October 2011

The CD of Britten's Songs & Proverbs of William Blake, performed by Gerald Finley and Julius Drake, has received Gramophone's 2011 award for Solo Vocal performance.

August 2011

"Gerald Finley sang a feline, chilling Don Giovanni at the Met in 2005 and shares the role in the company's upcoming new production. Along with Peter Mattei (in the Aix recording), he has proved himself to be the Giovanni of his generation, so it's good to have this iteration of his libertine preserved on DVD. Finley [sings] mellowly with supple dynamic control and superb legato (he offers a lovely serenade) . . .."--David Shengold in Opera News of September 2011, reviewing DVD of recent Glyndebourne Don Giovanni.

June 2011

Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg was streamed directly from the Glyndebourne Festival on 26 June 2011. The stream is now available for free catch-up viewing until Sunday 3 July 2011.

May 2011

"My whole career began here, was sustained here, and now it's taking me further than I'd ever imagined possible," says Gerald Finley about Glyndebourne, quoted at wsj.com.

"On 26th June 2011 Glyndebourne and the Guardian will join forces to stream the last night of its sell-out production Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg live online via guardian.co.uk and glyndebourne.com. This live streaming will be the first of its kind undertaken by any UK opera house or UK newspaper. The streaming will be available for seven days after the initial broadcast and will be free of charge to viewers."--glyndebourne.com

"Interview: Gerald Finley making history at Glyndebourne . . .," MusicalCriticism.com

The CD The Ballad Singer will be coming out in the next few weeks.

The recording of Rossini's Guillaume Tell will be coming out in July.

Gerald Finley listens to Rick Astley's Greatest Hits, says an interview at Lewes Classical.

February 2011

The DVD of last summer's Don Giovanni at Glyndebourne, with Gerald Finley, Luca Pisaroni, and Kate Royal, is scheduled for release in the United Kingdom on 11 April 2011, says amazon.co.uk.

Links to reviews of performances of Don Giovanni last summer at Glyndebourne

Gerald Finley's Great Operatic Arias in English recording is one of the nominees for Canada's 2011 Juno award in the category Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance, reports BC Creative Hub.

January 2011

Article at cityarts.info about Gerald Finley's 2010 appearances in New York

2010 entries

December 2010

Adams: Doctor Atomic

The Met's Doctor Atomic is scheduled for release on DVD in the United States on January 25, 2011.

Performers: Richard Paul Fink (Bass Baritone), Eric Owens (Baritone), Sasha Cooke (Mezzo Soprano), Gerald Finley (Baritone), Thomas Glenn (Tenor)
Conductor: Alan Gilbert
Orchestra/Ensemble: Metropolitan Opera Chorus, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

DVD, amazon.com

Adams: Doctor Atomic / Gilbert, Finley, Cooke, Fink, Glenn, Metropolitan Opera, DVD, arkivmusic.com

---

"If Ades is indeed the new Benjamin Britten, the 'old' one got the best vocal recording of the year, Gerald Finley's of his Songs and Proverbs of William Blake and assorted other songs (Hyperion) . . .."--Tim Pfaff, Bay Area Reporter

Benjamin Britten: Songs & Proverbs of William Blake; Gerald Finley and Julius Drake [Hyperion]
is one of Anne Midgette's Top 10 Classical and Opera Releases of 2010. wnyc.org

The Bach cantatas recording on which Gerald Finley sings a one-minute recitative is one of the Grammy nominees in the Best Choral Performance category.

November 2010

New York Times review of New York Philharmonic's Elijah

Links to some bloggers' reviews of Elijah

Gerald Finley is scheduled to appear in performances of Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival on 18, 20, 23, 27, & 29 August 2011.

---

Gerald Finley: Wigmore Hall, 29th October 2010, review, 4.5 stars, John E. de Wald, Opera Britannia

November 6, 2010

Here is an excerpt from an artilce by Matthew Gurewitsch in the New York Times about Gerald Finley:

Beyond "Elijah" Mr. Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic envision Mr. Finley in the title role of Messiaen's monumental "St. François d'Assise," which more than a quarter-century after its creation still awaits its New York premiere.

"Gerry is such a consummate artist and such an actor's actor that I think he could take on any role," Mr. Gilbert said recently from Warsaw, on tour with the orchestra. "I can't imagine anyone I'd rather do 'St. Francis' with, or 'Elijah' for that matter. He brings it all together: the beautiful voice, the deep understanding of human psychology, the rigorous preparation. And he's also the most delightful colleague one could wish for."

--New York Times

---

October 2010

"Guillaume Tell, Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome," brief review by Shirley Apthorp, ft.com, 3 stars. The review seems positive in every way and offers no explanation as to why the critic gave the performance only three stars. Maybe she does not find the music so interesting but is not willing to say so? Who knows?

EMI will be issuing a recording of Rossini's opera Guillaume Tell made during the three performances of the opera this month at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome with Gerald Finley, John Osborn, and Malin Byström, conducted by Antonio Pappano, reports an article in Spanish at abc.es.

---

Verdi's Otello

"Now 84, [Sir Colin] Davis inspires the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus to a performance of vigour and refinement, and it's for their contribution -- and Gerald Finley's suave, stylish Iago -- that this recording stands out.

"Simon O'Neill's tight-voiced Moor and Anne Schwanewilms' un-Italianate Desdemona were adequate for the concert performances at which this recording was made, but LSO Live needs better casting if it wants to compete in the central operatic repertoire."--Andrew Clark, for FT.com, review recently released recording of Verdi's Otello, 3 stars

Links to reviews of concert performance of Les Pêcheurs de perles, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

August 1, 2010
Videos at youtube of recent Glyndebourne Don Giovanni

That performance can be seen at medici.tv by those who are outside of the U.K.

Britten: Songs & Proverbs of William Blake

amazon.com, release date 8 June 2010

amazon.co.uk, release date 1 June 2010

amazon.fr, release date 17 June 2010

amazon.de, release date 1 June 2010

---

Subscribe to johnrpierce.com Blog