Opera Swag

helenakoonings:

PART 2: Lucia di Lammermoor - Diana Damrau (Lucia), Piotr Beczala (Edgardo), Vladimir Stoyanov (Enrico), Sean Panikkar (Arturo) & Ildar Abdrazakov (Raimondo)

- Ken Howard, Metropolitan Opera Photographer (2008)

I will cry many tears of sadness if I never get to see Diana perform this live. I mean, at this point, I would even be okay with a DVD…

Diana Damrau, Washington DC, April 2013

Sorry they’re so bright. I was trying to get the right manual settings and some lady started glaring at me so I just snapped a few quick ones in with auto settings. 

Well that’s over.

First half was Strauss and Schubert. Second half was Hahn, Chausson, Duparc, and Dell’Acqua.

I am just stunned. Diana was sick, and she told everyone in the beginning to go easy on her. There was no need, though, because she was amazing. She had the entire audience in her back pocket as she worked her way through the recital. At the end of one of the Duparc pieces, the entire audience was completely stunned and everyone was holding both their breath and applause in reverent silence. That happens so rarely at recitals here in the USA, but for about ten seconds, nobody moved. Then the hall exploded in thunderous applause. *Music Magic Moment*

The coloring she does, especially in such a small, intimate setting holy cow…she was holding pianissimi above the staff WITH a ridiculous cold and on antibiotics. Like, who does that?!?

Damn she’s a good recitalist.

Why is weekend over?? :(