Monday, 23 June 2008

Brian May

Brian May   
Artist: Brian May

   Genre(s): 
Soundtrack
   Rock
   Rock: Hard-Rock
   Metal: Heavy
   



Discography:


La Musique De    
 La Musique De "Furia"

   Year: 2000   
Tracks: 22


Furia   
 Furia

   Year: 2000   
Tracks: 22


Red Special   
 Red Special

   Year: 1998   
Tracks: 8


Live At The Brixton Academy   
 Live At The Brixton Academy

   Year: 1994   
Tracks: 15


Ressurrection - Japanese Impor   
 Ressurrection - Japanese Impor

   Year: 1993   
Tracks: 8


Ressurrection (With Cozy Powell)   
 Ressurrection (With Cozy Powell)

   Year: 1993   
Tracks: 8


Back To The Light   
 Back To The Light

   Year: 1992   
Tracks: 12


Star Fleet   
 Star Fleet

   Year:    
Tracks: 7




Few rock guitarists have a playacting style as straight off recognizable as Queen's Brian May. With his orchestrated guitar armies (multi-tracked guitar lines overdubbed on top of the inning of each other) and outright memorable, well-constructed melodic leads, May is in a course all by himself. Born in Hampton, Middlesex, in July 1947, May showed an interest in music at a very early age -- learning to play the ukulele and forte-piano ahead receiving his first guitar as a present on his seventh natal day. Shortly thereafter, May and his forefather began to build a usance guitar from prick. Completed deuce age afterwards, the one-of-a-kind instrument would suit known as the Red Special, a guitar that would later suit May's transonic and ocular trademark throughout his life history.


It wasn't long until May began to pick up a thing or two from such pop rock guitarists as the Shadows' Hank Marvin, Elvis Presley's sideman Scotty Moore, and Buddy Holly. As a pupil at lowly shoal, May formed his first gear grouping, the implemental stripe 1984, playing around London and regular porta a 1967 show at the Olympia Theatre for such soon-to-be full-grown names as Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, Pink Floyd, and Tyrannosaurus Rex (later T. Rex). After beginning studies at Imperial College (in the physics/infrared uranology field) and growing pall of their musical direction, May left hand 1984 in the spring of 1968.


During his college life history, May hooked up with drummer Roger Taylor (via an ad situated on a college noteboard) and a fellow ex-1984 member, bassist/vocalist Tim Staffell, forming the stone trio Smile. Shortly after graduating from college with an honors degree in physics and maths, May focused full-time on music when Smile signed to Mercury Records. Despite great assure, Smile but managed to publication one exclusive (titled "Earth") and a few unreleased tracks before Staffell left the mathematical group. But it was a admirer of Staffell's wHO would offer his services as the group's unexampled isaac Bashevis Singer -- Freddie Mercury. With the lineup change came a new identify, Queen, and a new musical direction -- heavy rock interracial with grand ballads and a flashily glam look.


Later sledding through legion bassists, Queen constitute a lasting fellow member in John Deacon -- resulting in a transcription take with EMI/Elektra and a self-titled debut following in 1973. With each serial release (1974's Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack), Queen's musical counselling and stageshow grew stronger and more than popular, until they were one of the world's biggest acts of the Apostles by the mid to late '70s, due to such megahit albums as Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, News of the World, and Jazz. Unlike other groups where a single fellow member supplied all the songwriting, all four-spot of Queen's members had their own songwriting credits equally, with May writing some of the group's nearly identifiable hits -- "We Will Rock You," "Juicy Bottomed Girls," "Now I'm Here," and "Tie-up Your Mother Down," among others.


During a myopic break in 1983, May issued his first solo release, the four-track EP Star Fleet Project (which featured an all-star put funding him -- Eddie Van Halen, REO Speedwagon drummer Alan Gratzer, and session bassist Phil Chen), and co-produced the debut recording from the obscure heavy metal outfit Heavy Pettin, coroneted Lettin Loose. Around the same time, an exact reduplicate of May's Red Special guitar was issued to the public via the Guild guitar troupe, and May recorded a video guitar lesson as piece of the Headliner Licks series.


Queen would proceed issuing hit albums and sold-out tours passim the former '80s (as they experimented with a spacious range of musical styles), until they became solely a "studio dance band" during their latter years, 1989's The Miracle and 1991's Innuendo (the reason for this was kept under wraps at the time, merely it subsequently became known that it was imputable to health reasons -- Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS). With Mercury's death in 1991, Queen went their separate slipway, with May direction on a solo life history and other projects (including hosting and playing at a 1991 Guitar Legends concert aboard Steve Vai and Joe Satriani).


May's first full-length solo album was preceded by the single "Driven by You," which reached the Top Ten in England and was featured in a Ford automobile commercial -- winning an Ivor Novello Award for Best Theme From a TV/Radio Commercial. 1993 last saw the going of Back to the Light, an album that was a sizeable hit in Europe, and light-emitting diode to May's first solo tour (which included members Cozy Powell on drums, Neil Murray on freshwater bass, longtime Queen sideman Spike Edney on keyboards, Jamie Moses on guitar, asset financial backing vocalists Shelley Preston and Cathy Porter). A twelvemonth by and by, a unrecorded papers of the circuit, Live at the Brixton Academy, was issued, intermixture modern solo corporeal with Queen classics. It wasn't until 1998 that May would progeny a proper studio follow-up, Another World.


In increase to sway music, May has retained his pursuit in uranology and is working on a book about T.R. Williams, a celebrated stereo system lensman of the 1850s. May has also well-tried his hand at writing original music for movies (the 1996 adaptation of The Adventures of Pinnochio) and a radio series (a BBC radio extra on the Amazing Spiderman), as considerably as recording the soundtrack for the Red and Gold Theatre Company's yield of Macbeth, which was staged at London's Riverside Theatre in the late '90s.


May's contribution to stone guitar remains great as his acting has proven to be a great influence on other noted rock guitarists past and confront, including Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Ty Tabor (King's X), Nuno Bettencourt (Utmost), and Phil Collen (Def Leppard), to name but a few.






Monday, 16 June 2008

Britney Spears’ ‘new boyfriend’ has her father’s seal of approval

Britney SpearsBritney Spears reportedly has a new man in her life.


The ‘Toxic’ singer made her first formal public appearance in months at the 50th birthday party of fashion mogul Christian Audigier, where she was spotted with Jason Trewick.


Trewick, according to sources, has known Britney for years; and the singer’s dad, Jamie Spears, has been telling friends he is a “stabilizing influence” on his daughter.




See Also

Thursday, 12 June 2008

American Idol - And Then There Were Three




Jason Castro, whose exotic good looks and sweet personality -- rather than his vocal
talent -- were often credited for keeping him in the American Idol running
until the final four, was eliminated Wednesday night, as 22.4 million viewers tuned
in (13.8 rating and a 21 share). (The remaining contestants are David Cook, David
Archuleta and Syesha Mercado.) While it remained an unbeatable figure for the Fox
show and gave the network another victory for the night, it was nevertheless nearly
6 million below the number who tuned in on the comparable night a year ago (28.2 million).
CBS gave Idol some tough competition with Criminal Minds, which recorded
12.85 million viewers (8.3/13). At 10:00 p.m., CSI: NY took over the top spot
with 12.58 million viewers (8.2/14). In the same hour, an interview special with Barbara
Walters, in which she discussed her new biography, Audition, posted middling
results as it pulled in 7.4 million viewers (5.2/9) for third place.






08/05/2008




See Also

Pete Namlook and Bill Laswell

Pete Namlook and Bill Laswell   
Artist: Pete Namlook and Bill Laswell

   Genre(s): 
Electronic
   Ambient
   



Discography:


Psychonavigation 5   
 Psychonavigation 5

   Year: 2002   
Tracks: 1


Psychonavigation II   
 Psychonavigation II

   Year: 1994   
Tracks: 5


Psychonavigation 2   
 Psychonavigation 2

   Year: 1994   
Tracks: 5




 





Urban Lea

Edward Norton Denies Problems With Movie Company

Reports that 'Incredible Hulk' star Edward Norton has had a falling out with Universal Pictures and Marvel and has refused to promote the movie are false, his representative stated on Wednesday (June 11).

Numerous stories of a fued between the actor and his employers have been circulating, however, his spokesperson told Rush & Molloy from the New York Daily News that, "Edward never does that kind of thing - that's not him. 

The rep adds that Norton is doing promotion for the flick saying,  "He's done an amazing skit for [Jimmy] Kimmel for tomorrow night (Thursday) in which he makes fun of himself."

Norton co-wrote part of the script for the new movie that comes out this week.

NEXT: Lily Allen: Perez Hilton Is A Bully

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.



Nickelodeon Launches Merchandising Program for Multi-Platform Hit Tween Property iCarly

Music, Apparel, Home Entertainment, Electronic and Stationery Products
Available at Retail Beginning Summer 2008

NEW YORK, June 9 -- Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products
(NVCP), the world's leading television-based licensing organization, will
announce the first consumer products based on the live-action tween series
iCarly at the Licensing 2008 International Show. Headlining the list of
products for the hit television series will be a CD from Nickelodeon Music,
as well as apparel and electronics, all hitting shelves in June. A
multi-platform entertainment experience that combines the TV screen with a
real-life companion website, http://www.icarly.com, iCarly is the second
highest-rated live-action series on all of cable among both kids 6-11 and
9-14, according to Nielsen Media Research.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080609/NYM131 )

"iCarly is truly innovative in how it incorporates user-generated
content into every show," said Leigh Anne Brodsky, President, NVCP. "Our
licensees understand how special this property is, so we've developed a
merchandising program that delivers the same unique qualities that have
made the show already such an enormous hit."

The iCarly merchandising program will kick off this June with the
eagerly awaited album entitled "iPlaylist." The album will contain
exclusive tracks from multi-platinum popular artists including: Natasha
Bedingfield; Avril Lavigne; Good Charlotte; and Sean Kingston, and three
tracks from iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove. The album will also include the
series' theme song, "Leave It All to Me" (featuring Drake Bell), which
recently charted on the Billboard(R) Hot 100. The CD will also be available
in a deluxe fan pack edition, which features four original Miranda Cosgrove
songs, exclusive cast dialog, and new songs from and inspired by the
top-rated show.

In July, an iCarly line of products will be available exclusively in
The Limited Too/Justice stores. The line will consist of apparel,
stationery and electronics. Additionally, iCarly will be hitting the DVD
shelves in September with the launch of iCarly Season 1, Volume 1. The DVD
includes 13 episodes, the making of the "Leave It All to Me" music video,
behind-the-scenes extras, and much more. iCarly will also make its way to
electronics aisles across the country this fall when Imation releases an
entire line of iCarly-themed products under the innovative Npower label,
available exclusively at Toys "R" Us. Npower is an exciting consumer
electronics product line reflecting kids' comfort and exposure to
increasingly sophisticated technology that's fun, easy-to-use and
interactive. The iCarly Npower products will include web cams, camcorders,
mp3 players, digital cameras and more.

About iCarly

The show-within-a-show stars tween sensation Miranda Cosgrove as Carly
Shay, a cool teen who clicks with kids everywhere via her own homegrown web
show -- and it incorporates the original videos that kids upload on
iCarly.com into the scripted comedy. Carly and her best pals Sam (Jennette
McCurdy) and Freddie (Nathan Kress) are followed on-and-off webcam as they
create their webcast and grapple with everyday tween problems and
adventures. The webcasts feature everything from comedy sketches and talent
contests, to interviews, recipes and problem-solving. Kid viewers who've
connected with the TV characters interact with them at real-life companion
website http://www.icarly.com and are encouraged by Carly and her sassy
best bud Sam to post their own originally created content perchance to wind
up on TV or on iCarly.com.

About Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products

Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products manages the world's third
largest licensing business, representing leading properties such as
SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, and managing merchandising for
Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTVN International, and Spike TV.

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th year, is the number-one entertainment
brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids
first in everything it does. The company includes television programming
and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer
products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films.
Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million
households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for more
than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters
and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).




See Also

French flares back on the dancefloor as disco makes a comeback

PARIS - Many of them are of an age that qualifies for a senior citizen's bus pass, and when the word "hip" is usually followed by "replacement" rather than a comment on fashion. Most have not had a hit for a quarter century at least.But no matter.Around France, stars of the 1970s - Village People, Boney M, Anita (Ring My Bell) Ward, Ottawan (D. I. S. C. O.), the Weather Girls (It's Raining Men) and five other 1970s star acts are being welcomed with packed concert halls as part of a massive attempt to revive disco.Seventy thousand tickets have already been sold in 13 cities for the "RTL Disco Show", hosted by the country's most popular radio station, and 10 more dates have been added for the autumn. Plans are afoot to haul the pointy-dancing spectacle around Europe next year."The people who rush to the front are aged between 20 and 40 and wear Afro wigs and want to see a live performance of the songs they dance to in the discotheque," says promoter Olivier Kaefer. "The ones at the back of the hall are people in their fifties or pensioners, people of every socio-economic background, who were in their twenties when disco was in its heyday." Gay icons Village People, who had their biggest hit YMCA back in 1977, are topping the bill - the group includes only two founding members but the band's original style is unchanged - followed by Boney M, who had a whole string of successes - Daddy Cool, Rivers of Babylon and Rasputin - which spanned disco's zenith in the late 1970s.




None of those on stage is less than 50 years old, and the most senior is 72, making a lineup described unkindly as Jurassic by Amanda Lear, a 1970s French celebrity. Village People last recorded in 1985 - the song was entitled Sex Over the Phone but it failed to get a grip, so to speak, on public taste. The tour's master of ceremonies is someone called Plastic Bertrand, who had a single hit, Ca Plane Pour Moi (Everything's Great for Me) in 1977. Plastic is known to his mum as Roger."If this is the type of concert that unites all walks of life, then there is only one conclusion ... no more electro music, and just get Village People to perform at our Joan of Arc concert," said one fan after the Orleans concert .All this makes disco an easy target for France's intellectual elite, who - as elsewhere - flay it as embodying the worst of a decade that hardly distinguished itself for good taste.In their view, disco is condemned as cheesy listening and a style that can only be described as Travolting: glitter balls, open shirts and bouffant hair, macho chatup lines and, after a strut to the Bee Gees, a grope to the music of Barry White, aka The Walrus of Lurv.The general public, though, have always held disco in cheery regard, placing it in the same category of endearing naffness and uncomplicated fun as ageing rocker Johnny Hallyday - "the French Elvis" is how baffled foreign journalists usually describe him - and a chain of corny Western-style diners called Le Buffalo Grill.To many of those aged fifty-plus, disco is an instant nostalgia bath, recalling evenings with the mates and the era of heady sexual freedom that came after the advent of the Pill and before Aids.Youngsters, though, seize on disco for its pantomime elements - a chance to wear wigs, chest hair and Elvis-in-Vegas sunglasses - and an evening of grooving to the beat that fathered modern R and B and techno.Against this background, France is a natural choice for this disco revival. A major Paris night spot, Queen Club, on the Champs-Elysees, now has a disco night once a week. Whether France's disco revival has legs - presumably flared-trousered ones - is unclear.

Music Rising Charity Auction to be Broadcast Worldwide

Auction Network's Interactive Webcast of "Icons of Music II" features
400-plus collectibles, memorabilia from music legends, today's superstars

NEW ORLEANS, May 21 -- The second annual "Icons of Music"
charity auction to benefit Music Rising will be held May 31 at the Hard
Rock Cafe in New York City. The event, produced by Julien's Auctions, will
be broadcast live in high-definition on Auction Network at 9:30 a.m. EDT.
Music fans everywhere can enjoy a front row seat to watch and participate
in one of the most anticipated charity auctions of the year. Auction
Network provides millisecond bid-to-live broadcast technology and secure
real-time bidding across all currencies so participants can bid with
confidence and stay on top of the action.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080521/CLWFNS1 )

Music Rising is a national campaign created by U2's The Edge, producer
Bob Ezrin, and Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz with
support from Guitar Center Music Foundation and MusiCares. The campaign's
goal is to help rebuild the musical heart and culture of America's Gulf
Region by replacing the musical instruments that were destroyed by
Hurricane Katrina. Music Rising, administered by The Gibson Foundation, is
currently focused on providing instruments to churches and schools in the
region.

"Auction Network captures the spirit and sport of live auction events
and makes them instantly global," says Pamela A. McKissick, CEO and founder
of Auction Network, a former executive with TV Guide Networks. "The 'Icons
of Music' charity event is a perfect example of our strategy to allow more
people access to world-class auction events they otherwise couldn't attend,
which helps the auction house generate more revenue and gives viewers great
entertainment and unique buying opportunities. In this case, a worthy cause
like Music Rising and the people of the Gulf Region enjoy the benefits."

Interested bidders can visit http://www.auctionnetwork.com/music to register
and view an up-to-date video catalog with photos and details on the more
than 400 lots available from U2, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob
Dylan, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers and more. Bidders must be registered 24
hours before the event begins.

"The Icons of Music Charity Auction in 2007 was a great success raising
more than $2.7 million to benefit Music Rising," says Darren Julien,
President/CEO of Julien's Auctions.

"It's exciting to offer a live interactive webcast so more fans can be
involved to raise even more money for this worthwhile charity."




See Also

Emily the Strange heads to big screen

Cult comic icon getting feature treatment





Counterculture icon Emily the Strange is on the road to the big screen, with Dark Horse Entertainment president Mike Richardson coming on board to produce a feature film that would tell the origin of the gothic figure and her four mysterious cats.


Skateboarder Rob Reger created the character among a multitude of designs he was printing up for stickers, T-shirts and skateboards in Santa Cruz in the early 1990s. The Emily design took off, with Reger's company, Cosmic Debris, going on to become a multimillion dollar business with toeholds in fashion, books and comics, toys, school supplies, and accessories. The character, often seen with four cats, has also become a figure for female empowerment and anti-conformity. Reger has remained the creative director behind the character and is one of several artists who work on "Emily."


"Emily's" connection with Richardson comes from the comic book line Dark Horse publishes. The company began publishing the title in 2005, with "Emily the Strange #1: Chairman of the Bored," which was followed by several other popular miniseries.


"Emily herself is very appealing little girl, there's an edge to her," Richardson said. "There is something very alluring to her image; people see it and respond to it immediately."


Richardson, who's been a producer on such films as "Hellboy" and its upcoming sequel as well as "30 Days of Night," said he and Reger will be looking for a filmmaker who "gets the character." The filmmaker choice may in turn dictate what format will serve the story best: live-action, animation, or a combination of the two. The project is not yet set-up at a studio, though Universal is a contender as Dark Horse has a first-look deal there.


The story line is being kept under wraps, though Reger, who concocted it, said it will offer up some backstory and will feature Emily's four cats -- troublemaker Sabbath, schemer Nee-Chee, imaginative Miles and leader Mystery. It will also have 13 new characters with names like Earwig, Umlaut, McFreeley and Officer Summers. The story forms the basis of an "Emily" young adult novel, which will be published next year by HarperCollins.


Reger, who is influenced by Dr. Suess and M.C. Escher among others in his designs, said Emily's popularity is due to the character's punk fashion sense, the clean and direct graphic quality of her design, her feline companions, and the message of empowerment she represents.


"In their life, everybody has, especially in the teenage years, looked to find themselves and felt like they don't fit in," said Reger. "Emily represents that person, but in a positive light. She prefers to be different and to look at things in her own way. She's a great role model for people to think for themselves."


He adds: "It was one my many designs that just stuck. I remember three years (after I created it) thinking 'They're still ordering the same dang shirt!' There's something there."



See Also

Bow Wow Has Big Love For The Big Screen: 'Acting Is My Number-One Priority'




NEW ORLEANS — Bow Wow's first love has been replaced. After six albums in seven years, the 21-year-old says his focus has shifted from music to acting.

"I love it more than music," he said on the set of "Hurricane Season." "Music is the reason I'm doing movies, I do credit that. But acting is an escape route for me.

"As of right now, I'm still gonna release another album," he added. "Music is second to me right now. Acting is my number-one priority ... and this is the first time in my acting career I've been able to do movies back to back to back. I don't wanna lose that momentum. I don't know if this opportunity will ever come around again, so I want to abuse it as much as I can."

Bow's last album was Face Off, a duet LP with Omarion. The album only spawned two videos, and its rollout definitely wasn't the extravagant takeover the two had planned. Bow said he wasn't disappointed with the outcome.

"It definitely met my expectations," he said. "Without any support from the label, without any radio, for us to sell the amount of records we did is a win. Would I do it again? It's all about the timing. I felt it [could have been] a better time for us to come out with the album. ... Face Off was for the fans. It wasn't for the critics. It wasn't for nobody else. It was what it was. We got a gold album. Everybody thought we couldn't do it, and we did it."

In New Orleans, Bow was filming scenes in a gymnasium, along with Lil Wayne, for "Hurricane Season." Forest Whitaker is top-lining the project, which centers on members of a high school basketball team in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We see their lives on and off the court.

"It's about believing," Bow described. "We were a bad team. Forest comes in, gives his guidance ... we come together. That's what's important to us: come together as a unit and never give up hope. Never give up.

"I play a kid named Gary who lost everything in the hurricane," he continued. "I grew up with no father. Just me, my little brother and my mom. I'm forced to hurry up and mature very fast. I have no choice, being that I am the second oldest in the house. I feel it is my job to also take care of the family and provide and, when times get tough, try to take that pain and stress way from my mom. And keep my little brother occupied so he has a clear conscience too."

Bow wraps up filming within the next few weeks. He then segues back to the stage with his "Bow Wow as Shad Moss" tour. The trek kicks off July 14 in New York and is slated to end August 24 at Chicago's House of Blues.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.






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Live: Los Angeles Opera's 'La Rondine'

Puccini's "La Rondine," which Los Angeles Opera revived Saturday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, is a problem. Even the composer had second and third thoughts about it. He wrote one ending for the 1917 premiere in Monte Carlo but devised a different one for the first Palermo performance in 1920.

He was considering other changes, but the final published score reverted essentially to the first version.

The differences weren't minor, like his streamlining of "Madame Butterfly" after its 1904 Milan premiere fiasco. Imagine Butterfly killing Pinkerton rather than committing suicide or, even worse, killing their son, Trouble.

In "Rondine I," the heroine Magda (misspelled Madga in the program) nobly rejects her innocent young suitor, Ruggero, because she feels her previous life as a lavishly kept woman would discredit him and his family. Cynics have sneered that Magda realizes at this point that a life of less than Parisian opulence would not satisfy her.

In "Rondine II," Ruggero, who has been a wimp throughout much of the plot, learns the truth of her past from an anonymous letter. He spurns her, and Magda, feeling she no longer has a reason to live, walks into the ocean to drown.

Marta Domingo, who is married to L.A. Opera general director Plácido Domingo, opted for "Rondine II" in her production, first seen here in 2000. The choice makes for a weepier ending but also tips the balance of what Puccini labeled a lyrical comedy, modeled on Viennese operetta and Strauss' "Rosenkavalier," into verismo-style tragedy.

In many ways, "La Rondine" was Puccini daring to write against himself, to discard many of his proven powers -- the big, surefire tunes, slam-bam endings and wrenching emotional conflicts.

In the pit, conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, making her company debut, adhered to Puccini's stripped-down stylistic intentions almost relentlessly. Textures were light and diaphanous. Tempos were fleet, although she did slow way down for the important sentimental moments, such as the memorable tune "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" (Who can interpret Doretta's lovely dream?), which was also used in the film "A Room With a View." Musical lines sounded clipped and broken.

But for all his efforts to write lightly, Puccini still came up with big signature moments, such as the terrific second act paean to love, which begins as Ruggero's solo, becomes a quartet and ends with the whole chorus joining in. Here, Wilson's holding-back approach let the composer down.

Ruggero was sung by Marcus Haddock, who sounded even more effortful than he did in 2000. He still had the high notes, but they were forced. Much of the sheen of the voice has gone. But he did a credible job impersonating a young innocent from the country.

Patricia Racette, who made her company debut as Butterfly in 2006, was a rich, dark-toned and complex Magda and came most into her own in the tragic finale. Amanda Squitieri, in her company debut as Lisette, Magda's maid, may have a darker voice than expected for such a soubrette role, but she sang with appealing perkiness. Greg Fedderly again delighted as her lover, the pompous poet Prunier, singing with ease and sense of style.

David Pittsinger, reprising his 2000 role as Magda's rich lover, Rambaldo, was vocally poised and powerful. His acting was persuasive, even if he had to follow Domingo's out-of-character direction for striking Magda after she rejects him in the second act. On the other hand, the director's idea of having him order a servant to keep an eye on Magda explained how he knew where to find her later and showed the gilded cage in which he kept her.

The chorus was kept down by Wilson, and much of the opera didn't cross the front of the stage. "La Rondine" is not "Tosca," but it's bigger than it sounded opening night.

chris.pasles@latimes.com