For those of you going to tomorrow's matinee of Rossini's La Donna del Lago – either at the Met Opera or at one of the thousands of movie theaters around the world showing the HD simulcast – you are in for a treat. I saw Tuesday's performance of this first-ever Met run of Rossini's forgotten bel canto masterpiece, and both Joyce DiDonato as Ellen and Juan Diego Flórez as Scotland's King James are brilliant beyond words. How these singers are able to pull off such pyrotechnics boggles the imagination. Be sure to also watch out for mezzo-soprano Daniela Barcellona, in a pants role as Ellen's suitor Malcolm, and Brooklyn native Oren Gradus as Ellen's father, Duglas. If you're in NYC, tune into the radio broadcast on WQXR 105.9FM – or pop in one of the dozens of local theaters showing it live.
Watch DiDonato and Flórez talk about the production here. (Check out Juan Diego's choice of words at 4:22.) More pics on the photo page.
