It’s all about popular!
Broadway diva Kristin Chenoweth sang for the Met Thursday in a “closed” audition. Does that mean she was behind a screen like the NY Phil does it? Rumor has it La Cheno is up for Samira (the Marilyn Horne role) the revival of Ghosts of Versailles in 2245 or whenever it is. La Cieca thinks, she’s castable as Adele for sure, or maybe a special run of something like La Perichole? Anyway, here’s a number La Cieca is pretty sure Ms. Chenoweth offered yesterday.
ITDCS, who do you think you are that you can just make such blanket statements. I am sure the world is glad to know – Candide: Not a Musical, but an OPERA. Got it? La Voix Humaine: NOT an opera. OK?
How can you just make those statements when the history of those pieces and the commentary of the composers go against what you say.
Perhaps inserting “My opinion” every once in while might help you come across as a bit less of an obnoxious know-it-all. You have such a wealth of knowledge, if only you knew how to relate it in a way that was not so bloody irritating.
As far as I am concerned, “La Voix humaine” is one hell of an opera. I believe “Candide” is a musical when that is the approach taken by the production, and an opera when done that way. The wonder of that piece is that it can be both, or a cross of genres.
Back in the sixties, rumor has it Barbra Streisand approached Rudolf Bing about singing Tosca at the Met. His response was something to the effect that the closest she would get to the stage of the Metropolitan opera is tenth row center if she bought a ticket. I think the Met may soon be known as the MTV opera house. what next, Sarah Brightman as Butterfly? IL DIVO making their debuts in Otello, Samson and Tristan? I have to agree with Just Another tenor about how many people really do pontificate on this blog. I am always amazed how some opera queens only live to criticize everything and of course, they know everything and everyone else knows nothing. I have seen the same nasty behavior on the opera line when someone says they enjoyed something and someone else will quickly inform them that they obviously know nothing about opera or have no taste. I have my likes and dislikes but do not turn up my nose at the people who adore Fleming (I don’t get it, but whatever) or Swenson or someother singer. I like Gollardo Domas, and realize I am in a minority. Back in the seventies and eighties we had so many different personalities on the stage (Caballe, Scotto, Verrett, Price, Bumbry, Rysanek, Sutherland, Freni, Troyanos, Crespin, Domingo, Pavarotti, Bergonzi, Milnes, etc) they all had their fans and their critics. I have always found it sad when in expressing one’s opinion one needs to demean someone else’s opinion, and that is all most of this is-OPINION.
I unfortunately do not have enough time at the moment to respond or comment in full to certain ideas presented here.
Item 1: It’s absolutely correct that when an individual sings in one particular style for a long period of time, they develop certain idiosyncrasies and habits that may or may not fit in the style of various other vocal genres, and certainly, the individual should take the time to realign and rework certain facets of their voice to successfully and truthfully perform whatever genre they intend to perform in.
Perhaps I have been a bit overzealous in stating my own personal desires to hear McDonald and Chenoweth in repertoire other than the kind that they have spent their careers in thus far. The bottom line is that both women know how to sing and how to perform and both have been classically trained – which is one reason why they can do so incredibly well with such difficult musical theatre pieces.
Item 2: “La Voix Humane” is a very magnificent masterpiece – one of Poulenc’s finest works. It is a stepping stone in McDonald’s career, it seems, and a damn good choice. If she were doing it here in NY, I might run out for a ticket, but if she got to singing Desdemona or Liu somewhere else, I would probably make the effort to travel. I just think that both these women are such great artists that it excites me to think that they may be serious about delving into the operatic scene.
Incidentally, I did agree that “La Voix” is an outstanding piece of operatic repertoire – but in the definition of grand and not so grand opera, it is not one. This, however, is really playing semantics and it doesn’t matter. I was referring specifically to a staged drama that is sung that has more than one character. It’s really a moot point.
Item 3: My information about Candide has not been misinformed or incorrect. I have received MUCH of my information regarding Bernstein’s intent not only of this one particular composition, but as a composer from an individual that I studied conducting with who was one of Lenny’s closest and longest friends. The bottom line, once again – 1956: Musical; 1989: Opera(-etta). Bernstein strove to be considered a ‘serious’ composer during his lifetime. I also did not say that his entire output of staged works are in effect operas – but SOME of them are!
Also, my analogy of Bernstein and Menotti, I admit brings two very different individuals to the same plane, the basic principle of what motivated each man to write his music in the musical theatre venues is the same. The big difference is that Bernstein wrote music that was, generally, more “fun” than Menotti’s . Clearly, Bernstein knew that he was writing from Broadway and did not hesitate to write in or enjoy the style of musical theatre – though one has to admit that to some extent (much like Sondheim as well), these musical theatre pieces go above and beyond and reach deeper depths of the human spirit than many other musicals of the day were capable of doing – they aren’t just staged works merely for entertainment – they entertain and Bernstein also put a certain amount of passion and human understanding into his works that make each of his pieces for the theatre lie somewhere between elevated vaudville and grand opera – that is what makes them so unique and special. He was a smart and a genuine man and I did not misspeak when I said that he utilized the broadway venues for his works because it was easier to keep his music well known and popular and performing for longer runs and revivals than had he written strictly for the operatic stage. That is complete honest truth.
And, incidentally – Berstein called Candide an “operetta” when referring to the original version of 1956.
And now I must go to a rehearsal. Ciao.
The problem with your thinking remains that you are considering Bernstein the sole auteur of his Broadway works. He simply wasn’t. Be it Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents, and Sondheim, or Comden and Green, his works are suffused with the energy and spirit of his co-creators. Plus, it’s a very specious argument that Broadway before and besides Bernstein lacked human insight and deep levels of passion. Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein, Harold Arlen, and so many others had tremendous social platforms in their musicals that went far beyond “mere entertainment” decades before Berstein graced Broadway with his presence. Your argument works for West Side Story, but On the Town and Wonderful Town beautifully and decidedly operate in the tradition you are denigrating.
You are absolutely right, however, that LB called Candide an operetta. Look at the casting, for Gods sake — Robert Rounseville and Irra Pettina, plus Barbara Cook, who apparently would be starring at the Met were she making her career anew today.
This is just sad. I wouldn’t mind hearing her as Adele or Despina but that is about it. Stay where you are honey.
c’mon … you’re not up for a chenowith les mamelles de tiresias?
I AM! Absolutely. Thank you for that suggestion. She would be fun in Mamelles.
haha. i just laughed out loud. “will her voice carry beyond the 4th row?” first of all, isn’t the met amplified now? and second of all, who at the met has a “big” voice out of the newer singers? i am sorry but i truly can’t think of any. mr. holland….good point, but i think it can be extended beyond la chenowith to include a multitude of singers.
You know what I’d like to see Chenowith Do? A Role that doesn’t require her to be perky. I love the woman to death, but I’d like to see if she could stretch her dramatic range out to a full evening of non-perkiness.
The Met is NOT amplified. The only times they have used amplification (lest there are some modern contemporary operas that required it) are for the Chorus of Ghost Pirates in Dutchman and for Kathy Battle. The latter, however, is merely hearsay and has not been proven to be true.