**Please note that all my masters are NFT (not for trade) forever, never to be sold, and are traded out at my discretion, thank you.**
ALL FOR LOVE: AN EVENING WITH DIANA DAMRAU
Hong Kong Cultural Centre | 10 May 2023 (Evening) | MP3 (tracked) | 286.7 MB | Released 20 May 2023
Diana Damrau (Soprano), Nicolas Testé (Bass), Mathieu Pordoy (Piano)
Almaviva’s master
Almaviva’s notes: Diana Damrau’s Hong Kong debut in this one-night only recital with her husband Nicolas Testé and accompanied by Mathieu Pordoy on the piano. Clear audio recorded from the front row; they and the piano were not mic’d, however, as is usual at classical recitals. Featuring solos and duets from across the opera, lieder, and musical spheres by composers ranging from Puccini to Rodgers to Tchaikovsky.
NFT forever except through master and never to be sold. No part of this audio is ever to be shared or gifted anywhere online. Please mark this as Almaviva’s master and always list with the full cast.
*NFT*
Hong Kong Cultural Centre | 10 May 2023 (Evening) | MP3 (tracked) | 286.7 MB | Released 20 May 2023
Diana Damrau (Soprano), Nicolas Testé (Bass), Mathieu Pordoy (Piano)
Almaviva’s master
Almaviva’s notes: Diana Damrau’s Hong Kong debut in this one-night only recital with her husband Nicolas Testé and accompanied by Mathieu Pordoy on the piano. Clear audio recorded from the front row; they and the piano were not mic’d, however, as is usual at classical recitals. Featuring solos and duets from across the opera, lieder, and musical spheres by composers ranging from Puccini to Rodgers to Tchaikovsky.
NFT forever except through master and never to be sold. No part of this audio is ever to be shared or gifted anywhere online. Please mark this as Almaviva’s master and always list with the full cast.
*NFT*
THE BOOK OF WATER (Van der Aa)
Hong Kong City Hall | 24 February 2023 (Opening Night) | MP3 (untracked) | 152.7 MB | Released 25 February 2023
Samuel West (Narrator/Young Geiser), Timothy West (Geiser), Mary Bevan (Corinne/Soprano), Esmé Quartet
Almaviva’s master
Almaviva’s notes: Asian premiere and opening night of Michel van der Aa’s meditation on memory, nature and knowledge at the 51st Hong Kong Arts Festival. Featuring Samuel West and the Esmé Quartet live on stage with Timothy West and soprano Mary Bevan appearing via film projection. Does not include the after-show talk with Michel van der Aa and Samuel West. Sam revealed at the talk that he’d forgotten several lines as well as missed musical cues, but honestly he could have fooled us, he was wonderful. Being a piece which combines film, live acting and music, an audio can only do so much in trying to convey the full, arresting visual power of it, but I figure that a couple of people might be interested in this.
NFT forever except through master and never to be sold. No part of this audio is ever to be shared or gifted anywhere online. Please mark this as Almaviva’s master and always list with the full cast.
*NFT*
Hong Kong City Hall | 24 February 2023 (Opening Night) | MP3 (untracked) | 152.7 MB | Released 25 February 2023
Samuel West (Narrator/Young Geiser), Timothy West (Geiser), Mary Bevan (Corinne/Soprano), Esmé Quartet
Almaviva’s master
Almaviva’s notes: Asian premiere and opening night of Michel van der Aa’s meditation on memory, nature and knowledge at the 51st Hong Kong Arts Festival. Featuring Samuel West and the Esmé Quartet live on stage with Timothy West and soprano Mary Bevan appearing via film projection. Does not include the after-show talk with Michel van der Aa and Samuel West. Sam revealed at the talk that he’d forgotten several lines as well as missed musical cues, but honestly he could have fooled us, he was wonderful. Being a piece which combines film, live acting and music, an audio can only do so much in trying to convey the full, arresting visual power of it, but I figure that a couple of people might be interested in this.
NFT forever except through master and never to be sold. No part of this audio is ever to be shared or gifted anywhere online. Please mark this as Almaviva’s master and always list with the full cast.
*NFT*
CHRISTMAS ORATORIO (Bach)
Hong Kong City Hall | 1 December 2023 (Opening Night) | MP3 (untracked) | 204.6 MB | Released 2 December 2023
Carolina Ullrich (Soprano), Ulrike Malotta (Alto), Joachim Streckfuß (Tenor [Evangelist]), Leonhard Reso (Tenor [Aria]), Jonas Müller (Bass), WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Christoph Poppen (Conductor)
Almaviva’s master
Almaviva’s notes: Opening night and Hong Kong debut of the WDR Rundfunkchor Köln. Only Parts I-III of the oratorio were performed. Due to illness, tenor Patrick Grahl was replaced by Joachim Streckfuß and Leonhard Reso from the WDR Rundfunkchor Köln who sang the Evangelist and Aria parts respectively. Includes introductory speech by conductor Christoph Poppen.
NFT forever except through master and never to be sold. No part of this audio is ever to be shared or gifted anywhere online. Please mark this as Almaviva’s master and always list with the full cast.
*NFT*
Hong Kong City Hall | 1 December 2023 (Opening Night) | MP3 (untracked) | 204.6 MB | Released 2 December 2023
Carolina Ullrich (Soprano), Ulrike Malotta (Alto), Joachim Streckfuß (Tenor [Evangelist]), Leonhard Reso (Tenor [Aria]), Jonas Müller (Bass), WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Christoph Poppen (Conductor)
Almaviva’s master
Almaviva’s notes: Opening night and Hong Kong debut of the WDR Rundfunkchor Köln. Only Parts I-III of the oratorio were performed. Due to illness, tenor Patrick Grahl was replaced by Joachim Streckfuß and Leonhard Reso from the WDR Rundfunkchor Köln who sang the Evangelist and Aria parts respectively. Includes introductory speech by conductor Christoph Poppen.
NFT forever except through master and never to be sold. No part of this audio is ever to be shared or gifted anywhere online. Please mark this as Almaviva’s master and always list with the full cast.
*NFT*
COSÌ FAN TUTTE (Mozart)
Bavarian State Opera (at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre) | 25 February 2012 (Evening) | MP3 (tracked) | 429.9 MB | Released 2 October 2021
Miah Persson (Fiordiligi), Tara Erraught (Dorabella), Laura Tatulescu (Despina), Alexey Kudrya (Ferrando), Levente Molnár (Guglielmo), Thomas Allen (Don Alfonso), Bavarian State Orchestra, Chorus of the Bavarian State Opera, Mark Wigglesworth (conductor)
Almaviva’s master
Almaviva’s notes: Second and final performance of Cast A (there were two casts for this run). Clear audio recorded from the front row, right behind the orchestra pit, and includes PDF copy of the programme. Ferrando and Guglielmo’s Act I duet “Al fato dan legge”, Ferrando’s Act II aria “Ah, lo veggio”, and the Act II “Bravo, questa è costanza” recitative were omitted, probably to save time.
I’m releasing this over nine years on (my first and so far only master), but there are some moments which I still remember from this performance: Sir Thomas Allen turning up in sunglasses for the Act II “wedding”; Levente Molnár singing/ranting “Donne mie” amongst the audience (at one moment looking and singing right at me as he passed my seat), and Laura Tatulescu dumping cutlery into a tray during “Smanie implacabili” while Miah Persson gives her the stink eye. A great night at the opera all round, reflected in the nearly four minutes of applause it got at the end.
NFT forever except through master and never to be sold. No part of this audio is ever to be shared or gifted anywhere online. Please mark this as Almaviva’s master and always list with the full cast and conductor.
*NFT*
Bavarian State Opera (at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre) | 25 February 2012 (Evening) | MP3 (tracked) | 429.9 MB | Released 2 October 2021
Miah Persson (Fiordiligi), Tara Erraught (Dorabella), Laura Tatulescu (Despina), Alexey Kudrya (Ferrando), Levente Molnár (Guglielmo), Thomas Allen (Don Alfonso), Bavarian State Orchestra, Chorus of the Bavarian State Opera, Mark Wigglesworth (conductor)
Almaviva’s master
Almaviva’s notes: Second and final performance of Cast A (there were two casts for this run). Clear audio recorded from the front row, right behind the orchestra pit, and includes PDF copy of the programme. Ferrando and Guglielmo’s Act I duet “Al fato dan legge”, Ferrando’s Act II aria “Ah, lo veggio”, and the Act II “Bravo, questa è costanza” recitative were omitted, probably to save time.
I’m releasing this over nine years on (my first and so far only master), but there are some moments which I still remember from this performance: Sir Thomas Allen turning up in sunglasses for the Act II “wedding”; Levente Molnár singing/ranting “Donne mie” amongst the audience (at one moment looking and singing right at me as he passed my seat), and Laura Tatulescu dumping cutlery into a tray during “Smanie implacabili” while Miah Persson gives her the stink eye. A great night at the opera all round, reflected in the nearly four minutes of applause it got at the end.
NFT forever except through master and never to be sold. No part of this audio is ever to be shared or gifted anywhere online. Please mark this as Almaviva’s master and always list with the full cast and conductor.
*NFT*