Carmen, un bon conseil… ne reste pas ici

I’ll admit it – I’ve got a major crush on Elīna Garanča. Despite that, I won’t be attending today’s Met Live in HD transmission of Carmen, an opera I love but can’t get too fired up about seeing in the theater. Again.

Let me know what I missed. Share your thoughts with the rest of us in the comment section below.

And speaking of Ms. Garanča, this clip of her singing the role of Charlotte in a 2005 production of Werther is the one that that started it all for me.

Make a wish

Over at Daily Observations, fellow Portland blogger Charles Noble has made a couple of musical predictions and started a wish list for 2009. Be sure to stop by and take part in the discussion.

I gave up trying to tell the future after someone filched my Magic 8 Ball in high school, but wish lists I can do. So here are a few opera-related things I’d like to see in the new year:

1. That live Met simulcasts continue to increase in popularity and frequency, and that movie theaters and booking agencies are able to overcome the commercial, contractual, financial, or technical obstacles that currently prevent us from also seeing performances from San Francisco, La Scala, Salzburg, and Glyndebourne.
2. A renewed commitment from regional and national opera companies to present a wide variety of works from outside of the standard operatic canon, as well as a promise to market these productions with the same level of energy and enthusiam that are typically reserved for such shows as Traviata, Boheme, or Carmen.
3. A recording project devoted to 18th- or 19th-century vocal performance practices, one that aims to shed new light on such issues as articulation, phrasing, tempo, rhythm, vibrato, ornamentation, and embellishment.

What would be on your operatic wish list? Take a moment or two and share your own thoughts and ideas.