Beloved and rarities abound on Drama Queens
There is a lot happening with Joyce DiDonato; she just sang at Carnegie Hall with Il Complesso Barroco in a program called "Drama Queens" - completing what will be the first quarter of a year-long tour supporting her new release on cd and digital download. Musical America named her Vocalist of the Year for 2013. Next month Joyce leads a new production for the Metropolitan Opera of Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, a bel canto role to die for (so to speak) as Mary Queen of Scots (broadcast in HD internationally January 19th, 2013).
"Its extraordinary, and it has one of the most famous confrontational scenes in all of opera, where its the fictional meeting of Mary and Elizabeth - but it is from the Schiller play. I try to sort of faintly ask her to forgive me, which is a very difficult thing for me to do. And she has none of it! and I turn around on her and say (and this was very scandalous in the day) a veal bastarda - a vile bastard - and bastard in the sense that you are illegitimate, your father was exactly," laughs DiDonato.
"I've gotten to know the head of her couture. Now see, every once in a while, I say a statement like that, and I go, did I just SAY that?! Is this really happening?! What is going on?" - Joyce about her new red dress
Here are some great examples of Joyce talking about Drama Queens along with musical excerpts, from the interview:
Drama Queens is available everywhere, we recommend this link from Amazon to help benefit Texas Public Radio.
DiDonato continues her tour of Drama Queens in 2013, singing next February in Lisbon, Brussels, London, Paris, and Essen.
