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Post by tonyloco on Aug 24, 2018 8:52:33 GMT
I have just heard that a new documentary series called "Opera Legends" will start on Sky Arts on Monday 3 September with a one-hour programme on Pavarotti.
Episode 2 will be about Maria Callas on Monday 10 September and episode 3 will be on Carreras the following Monday and so on each week thereafter to cover the usual suspects like Kiri Te Kanawa, Domingo, Caballé, etc.
The series will be 'fronted' by Danielle de Niese and the tenor Dennis O'Neill will be seen in the programme about Caruso and possibly others.
Oh, by the way, yours truly will be seen briefly three times as a talking head in the second episode giving forth his views and opinions about the life and career of La Divina.
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Post by TallPaul on Aug 24, 2018 11:07:50 GMT
"Oh, by the way," he casually adds, almost as an afterthought.
You're a living legend, Tony. It's probably only your British citizenship that's stopping the Queen from asking you to be the next Prime Minister of Australia!!!
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 24, 2018 12:07:25 GMT
Thanks for those kind words, TallPaul.
Modesty does happen to be one of my better qualities, but I have no hesitation is saying that being Prime Minister of Australia is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy!
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Post by n1david on Aug 28, 2018 10:17:25 GMT
Set to record on my Box!
(And a regular reminder that if you don’t have Sky, you can get access to Sky channels over the internet through NowTV. If you wait until the end of the series, you can probably see the whole thing on demand during your month’s free trial)
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Post by tonyloco on Aug 28, 2018 12:18:50 GMT
Set to record on my Box! (And a regular reminder that if you don’t have Sky, you can get access to Sky channels over the internet through NowTV. If you wait until the end of the series, you can probably see the whole thing on demand during your month’s free trial) Thanks n1david. I didn't know that and I don't have SKY so I will certainly take advantage of NowTV, but the prospect of waiting to the end of the whole series and then binge watching is not such an enticing one – I think just the first couple of episodes will probably be quite enough! |
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 1, 2018 10:41:41 GMT
Just to report that at the last minute I was asked to be a talking head on the "Opera Legends" episode about Andrea Bocelli. Draw your own conclusions about what that indicates!
Does anybody want to discuss whether Bocelli deserves a place in 'Opera Legends' or shall we just draw a veil over the whole thing?
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Post by TallPaul on Sept 1, 2018 10:54:52 GMT
It clearly indicates, tonyloco , that you impressed at your first session. Either that, or you're cheap.  Very popular at cremations, I understand. (Andrea, not you!) |
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 1, 2018 18:36:49 GMT
Very popular at cremations, I understand. (Andrea, not you!) That reminds me: when Joan Littlewood died I sent Colin Sell to the crematorium and I played at the wake at the Old Chelsea Town Hall where we had a nice sing-along with Joan's Theatre Workshop actors, or at least those who were still alive and were mobile enough to get to the venue! |
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 1, 2018 18:41:23 GMT
That reminds me: when Joan Littlewood died I sent Colin Sell to the crematorium and I played at the wake at the Old Chelsea Town Hall where we had a nice sing-along with Joan's Theatre Workshop actors, or at least those who were still alive and were mobile enough to get to the venue! Oops! I think it might have been the old Hampstead Town Hall. But wherever it was, we gave the old girl a right good send off! |
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 7, 2018 12:39:42 GMT
Latest news is that the second Opera Legends on Sky Arts on Monday 10 Sept will be José Carreras so we assume Callas will be 17 September.
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Post by tonyloco on Sept 21, 2018 11:13:52 GMT
This thread does not seem to be gathering much response but I might as well add my two-penneth at this stage.
The series started with Luciano Pavarotti, which was quite good. The second episode turned out to be Plácido Domingo, rather than José Carreras as announced, which was fairly dull but covered the subject adequately for the purpose. Then came Maria Callas in which I made a number of appearances.
To me this was the least successful of the three, partly because I was aware of a number of errors of fact in what was said (despite the correct information being available in dozens of reference books and biographies) and partly because some of the 'experts', who apparently turn up in all Sky Arts programmes of this nature such as Bonnie Greer and Professor Kate Williams, were unaware of how to correctly pronounce names like Karajan, Luchino, di Stefano and 'I vespri siciliani' (the last being said like 'I Claudius').
But in a 47 minutes programme it gave an acceptable overview of the life and career of Callas for the broad public with some striking audio and video clips, some powerful photographic images and some comments by people who are supposed to know about the subject!
I have no idea when my next appearance – in the Andrea Bocelli programme – will be shown but I'm not holding my breath!
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Post by lynette on Sept 23, 2018 18:34:17 GMT
So we do have someone on the Board who knows a thing or two.
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Post by bellboard27 on Sept 23, 2018 22:33:58 GMT
So we do have someone on the Board who knows a thing or two. Don’t worry. It won’t stop the rest of us. |
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Post by tonyloco on Nov 1, 2018 15:09:10 GMT
I have no idea when my next appearance – in the Andrea Bocelli programme – will be shown but I'm not holding my breath! I have just discovered that the Andrea Bocelli episode in Sky 'Opera Legends' has already been shown, presumably to cash in on his singing at the latest royal wedding. Whether on not Bocelli qualifies as an opera legend, he is a major figure in that area of popular entertainment that might be described as 'crossover classical' and continues to perform with great success. The programme is quite entertaining with some impressive clips of Bocelli performing at huge arena concerts, although rather light on 'experts' which is why I was unexpectedly invited to talk about Bocelli's operatic work, which was not something I expected to be doing, but I thought it would be rude to decline the appearance fee! |
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Post by TallPaul on Nov 1, 2018 15:14:05 GMT
He was on BBC Breakfast this very morning, Tony, with his son.
No returning of the compliment, I'm afraid. He didn't mention you once. ☹
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