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Show-Stopping Aria Encored at the Met

Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera

All Things Considered, April 23, 2008 - was an unusual night at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

It wasn't so unusual that tenor Juan Diego Florez dazzled the audience with nine high C's in a row in the aria "Ah, Mes Amis," from Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment. And it wasn't unusual that the crowd went crazy.

But then Florez did something that hasn't been done at the Met in 14 years—he sang the aria again.

Peter Gelb, general manager of the Met, says that stopping the show for an encore has generally been forbidden.

"In the '20s and '30s and '40s, there was wording in the program books admonishing the audience with words saying 'positively no encores allowed,' kind of like no-smoking signs."

But since Gelb took over the Met in 2006, he's been credited with loosening the company's buttoned-up reputation by beaming live productions into movie theatres and generally trying to usher in a new more hip era. Read more...

Hillary Hahn, about herself:

About Me - Age: 25. Occupation: Concert violinist. Residence: Philadelphia, PA. Annual Schedule: Concertize rigorously during concert season; pursue higher education during summer. Pets: One guinea pig, one mouse. Hobbies: Writing, reading, sculling, photography, dance, painting, drawing, traveling, exploring cities, languages, hiking, badminton, ping-pong, kayaking, bowling, bike-riding, cooking, films, animals, going to concerts, musical activities of any kind Training: First lesson one month before 4th birthday; participant in Suzuki program till age 5; studied with Klara Berkovich in Baltimore from age 5 to 10; studied with Jascha Brodsky at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia from age 10 to 17; coached with Jaime Laredo, Gary Graffman, and Felix Galimir till age 19. Continues to have occasional coachings and learns constantly from colleagues... Read more...

The humanity, simplicity, and the juvenile grace of Hillary Hahn. -

By Gerson Borges

I'm very pleased and honored of showing this precious piece of the everyday scene of a Hillary rehersal. These scenes show her simplicity and unpretencious beaviour amongst people just like you and me. She talks and smiles like she were at home or with friends and acquaintances. Yet, her talent is evident to everyone there. I'm talking in the present tense watching this video and absorbing the marvelous sounds that come from that violin, as if I were there myself.

If you close your eyes it'l feel like you are in a big opera house or a famous theater listening to a virtuoso of the violin in the plenitude of her talent and musical domain.

Yet, as you open your eyes, you feel ecstatic because you are facing a great and famous interpreter just a few feet away, talking to people and walking around as if she were just part of your group. I think it's fascinating and at the same time, very down to earth.

Mario del Monaco

(1915-1982)

One of the all time great tenors. His formal debut was as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Teatro Puccini, Rome, in 1941, whilst on leave from the army. He then sang Radames at the Verona Festival in summer 1946, and in the autumn appeared with the visiting San Carlo company from Naples at Covent Garden in London, where he performed Rodolfo in La boheme, Cavaradossi in Tosca and Canio in Pagliacci. While in London he made his first recordings, for EMI, but these remain unpublished.

Continuing to sing in Italy, Del Monaco also appeared on the American continent in Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Mexico City, before making his United States debut as Radames in San Francisco in 1950. November that year also saw him make his New York appearance in Manon Lescaut. He continued to appear at the Metropolitan until 1959, giving a total of 102 performances in all. In 1960 he toured Russia, singing at the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow. His return to London was in 1962 as Otello, a role he claimed to have sung on 427 occasions.

Retiring from the stage in 1973, he died near Venice, buried in his Otello costume. This recording of Aida was Del Monaco’s first for Decca, for whom he would record complete operas and recitals over a period of almost twenty years.

Wigmore Hall, a brief introduction

Wigmore Hall holds a unique place in London musical life and over the years has been an essential platform for the world's most sought-after soloists and chamber musicians. It also fosters the careers of talented young artists, some of them making their first professional appearance in London. Wigmore Hall presents over 400 events in a season, attracting appreciative and exceptionally loyal audiences and selling some 165,000 tickets each year. Concerts are broadcast weekly to national and international audiences on radio and the internet through a partnership with BBC Radio 3. The Hall launched its own recording label ‘Wigmore Hall Live’ in 2005 with a growing number of releases available for sale in retail outlets worldwide. Read more...