Debutante
The event that seemed poised to evoke the year's biggest outpouring of Schadenfreude has finally transpired. The critical response to Angela Gheorghiu's first staged Tosca (Royal Opera, Covent Garden, June 13) could best be described as mixed. The diva's vocal and visual glamour elicited kind words from all the critics, despite general reservations about a lack of dramatic heft in her lyric soprano.Rupert Christiansen in The Telegraph was perhaps the least enchanted with Gheorghiu's performance. "Coy, flirtatious and manipulative, she radiates kittenish petulance and sings with velvety allure. But of Tosca's heart - of the peasant courage, cunning and command that Callas triumphantly emphasised - there was nothing. This Tosca has the soul of a phoney soubrette, and Gheorghiu's singing was simply too poised, small-scale and self-conscious to carry any sort of emotional impact." On the other hand, the Independent Online's Michael Church tells us that in Gheorghiu's Act 2 aria, "all the vocal glory we have come to expect from her is fully on display."
Tom Service in The Guardian called Gheorghiu's Tosca "a light-voiced, pious heroine," but noted that ". . . in the first act her jealousy is underplayed and you never really believe that this Tosca is capable of real venom or malice." On the MusicOMH.com site, Dominic McHugh reported "Polite applause greeted a bland performance of 'Vissi d'arte'. After this, however, she seemed to move into a higher gear. . . . Gheorghiu held the audience captive in the final minutes of this act, and provided more vocal thrills and a fuller tone in the last act..." McHugh voices the critical consensus when he concludes "this was not quite the debut that one had hoped for." (Photo: Catherine Ashmore)
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81 Comments:
Is anyone who saw her ACT 2 at the MET suprised by the tepid reviews?
As usual Gheorghiu seems to be her own worst enemy. Yes she is beautiful and it is a lovely, if limited lyric voice. but also, the diction is never good, nor is there usually much dramatic intensity. It is all about the dress, the jewels and poses. Her Violetta was successful for many reasons (not the least of which is the number of truly bad Violetta's the MET has had in the past twenty years-Te Kanawa, Fabricini, Gruberova, Studer, Swenson, Mims, Racette) but while I enjoyed it as many others did. she still came up short in many vital areas. She just showed more commitment than usual and was able to cover the weaker parts of her vocal production better than she can in a role like TOSCA. (If you listen to the broadcast several times you are more likely to become more dissatisfied with the performance each time. )and just as her Violetta can not stand up to Callas,Scotto,Cotrubas (who she resembles most vocally but always seems like the less talented daughter of) or Sills her Tosca cannot stand up against any of the great interpreters of that role either.
I'm not surprised at all. Gherghiou's voice is too soft-grained and too light for Tosca.
Paddypig mentions Mims' Violetta...whatever happened to her? Haven't heard her name in years. I saw her triumph in the National Council Finals in the mid-80's (brought the house down w/ Sempre libera) and also saw a reasonably good Anna Bolena at City Opera.
Is she still singing?
I don't know what happened to her either, and while her Violetta at the MET was not bad (It was an improvement over Gruberova's rather cold Violetta the season before) it was still just acceptable(I think Villereol did it about the same time and left a similar impression of acceptable but not particularly memorable. Really the worst of the lot I mentioned were in order of god awful to less god awful were Te Kanawa, Gruberova, Studer and Fabracini. The rest were simply just not memorable. The better ones (in my opinion over the past twenty seven years) were Cotrubas in 1980 -still my favorite Violetta in the house-she was the most touching and sincere, the voice was what it was. Soviero,Maliponte, Gollardo-Domas and finally Gheorghiu. Fabricini was exciting and knew the part but sounded like she needed to take a year off and rework the voice. She did not do that and quickly became one of the more famous train wrecks in recent history.I found both Fleming (I did like Fleming's costumes the best!)and Swenson basically boring and clueless when it came to characterization.
Anderson was a very interesting Violetta, if a little cold, still very well sung.
Cheap shot regarding Gheorghiu Tosca:
I can easily believe her as a high strung, high maintainance drama queen of a girlfriend who'd stab someone who pushed her too far.
What I can't believe is that she could make me care what happened to her - even if she had the voice for the part.
I for one, am not that surprised, but a little disapointed.I rather liked Gheorghiu's Tosca in that terrible fim she made with Mr. A and Ruggerio Raimondi. Do you think opening night jitters played a part?
By the way, would you believe that Patricia Racette will be essaying the role this summer at the Hollywood Bowl?! Opposite James Morris and, I think, Frank Lopardo!
I just love how people who haven't even seen her in the production are so quick to simply dismiss her, with sweeping comments such as "her Tosca cannot stand up against any of the great interpreters of that role", "her voice is too soft-grained and too light for Tosca", and "I can't believe ... that she could make me care what happened to her - even if she had the voice for the part". I guess I am in the minority here in my admiration of Gheorghiu, but I am surprised at the certainty and hostility of these negative views from people who weren't even there.
Personally, I found her vocally exciting and dramatically compelling in both the Benoit Jacquot film of Tosca and the DVD of the Solti Covent Garden Traviata (particularly Act 2), as well as the Met Traviata broadcast. In fact, IMO I think she does stand up with great interpreters of both roles from this evidence. Now granted, I have only been fortunate to see her live in one production (Boheme in Los Angeles), and of course a good Mimi does not necessarily mean a good Tosca. But as far as vocal weight, she carried just fine in the gigantic open barn of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
You know, so often we bewail the lack today of old school divas, larger than life personalities, unique vocal qualities, and all things demented. Then along comes someone who has some of these attributes and some people summarily dismiss a major career milestone with their preconceived perceptions. Like her or not, Gheorghiu is one of the more interesting singers around today and her performances are worthy of debate. But please, let that debate be fair and informed.
Hmmmm.....Georghiu as Tosca, already. And she's taking on Carmen at the Met in a few years. Is her voice already that worn out? Seems like she is trying to follow Callas, but at an even earlier age.
The BBC are relaying a performance on the 1st July so you will be able to listen to a live stream, and make your own minds up.
I'm going next week so I have the chance to judge myself rather than ill informed prejudice. Remember the house is half the size of the Met and on the basis of the roles she has sung at CG, I am confident Tosca is well with in her range particularly with Pappano in the pit.
Terfel's Scarpia and Alvarez , both in role debuts have been almost universally well received.
I'm eagerly awaiting the broadcast. I'm not a huge fan of hers but i was enchanted by her in Gounods Faust at C.G.
I keep on wondering why the bloggers don't refer to the past to have it influence their opinions of the divas today.....in the past, what diva could be more softgrained than Dorothy Kirsten at the Met....but she sang it as part of her very favorite roles again and again....Although I didn't much care for the film, it wasn't her fault...I just think she got shoddy direction, meaning the director didn't call for more fire in her performance...Right at the last, when the last chords struck, the camera closed in on her facial expressions, and she seemed to take in all of the total fire and blither Tosca needs...And I always think a live performance puts the singer to their mettle..NOT a recording or film....so I for one will give her the benefit of the doubt...I've liked the difference between her voice and compared it to Fleming...and it's my opinion that Gheorghiu doesn't get nearly ENOUGH regard or airtime....and I'm jealous as HELL that she gets a hunky tenor for a husband...DAYUM!
As to the subject of Mims career end, the story was that she was wildly overparted when she added Constanze to her Met repertoire and was quietly shown the exit. (The top was never the strong point, and she inevitably started brilliantly in the performances I heard, but always seemed to have difficulties with staying power.)It's a shame that she apparently decided not to continue her career, for she was a fine if a bit too soft-grained a lyric(shades of Gheorgiu critiscm here) for larger houses. She's teaching somewhere in the South now.
As to Gheorgiu, it's pretty clear that the personal gossip about her difficult character that has accompanied her career has colored much of the criticism of her. Personally, I'm hard pressed to think of another top-level soprano who combines such physical and vocal beauty with consistently musical performances on the current scene (although I'd love to hear other nominees). She's not the first woman singing this rep with a rather, shall we say, compact sound. After all, Vaness doesn't exactly possess unlimited resources either dynamically, yet has been spared the skepticism that Gheorghiu always seems to meet with. Personally, I'm always delighted to hear her- genuine beauty of timbre is rare.
I saw Gheorghiu three times as Violetta at the MET this year and I do have to say that I was blown away, but not by the power of her voice. Rather, it was her dramatic instinct and intensity as well as her admittedly unique sound which i found most interesting. As for Tosca, i'm surprised they found her voice really that small in a house like CG, which is not nearly as big as the MET, where her voice was sometimes covered but usually rang out. I enjoy her Tosca interpretation on disc, but it's basically derivative of the great Tosca's of the past. Personally, I don't think she should sing Tosca, or Carmen, since neither of these roles suit her voice, however she is one of the most interesting singers today. She should essentially stick to lyric or semi- coloratura roles where she doesn't have to struggle to be heard. Anyone think she could pull off decent mozart or desdemona?
Opera80221 is absolutely correct about looking to the past when considering singers and roles today. But let's look back even further than Kirsten (never one of my favorites anyway). I went back and took a look at the role originator of Tosca, Hariclea Darclée. I truly wasn't prepared for some amazing similarities to Ms. Gheorghiu.
She was born in Romania in 1860 and made her debut as Marguerite in Faust in Paris in 1888. Big time fame came the next year when she replaced Adelina Patti in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette. She was the Mimi in the first performance of La Boheme in Romania in 1903. She created the role of Tosca in 1900 (age 40 - same age as Angela), and was also the original Iris and La Wally. Other roles included Nedda, both Manon and Manon Lescaut, Zazà, and Santuzza, as well as some other pretty obscure verismo stuff.
Perhaps Ms. Gheorghiu is more historically informed and savvy about her career progression than we give her credit for. Or maybe there is some kind of undead vampire thing going on.
Oh, and Darclée was supposedly the mistress of Puccini, the King of Portugal, and the first Scarpia, Eugenio Giraldoni. Maybe this is why Bobby is not in the cast.
After 106 years of Tosca being onstage(not counting the original play) does anyone really get excited about what goes on in Act 1, or is it a prelude to the show in Act 2, since everyone knows the whole story anyway? Have there been any divas who have made act 1 a memorable opera experience? I tried watching a local Des Moines Opera telecast of Tosca, and the diva just sqawked her way through act 1, and the audience was groaning and checking their watches.
MILLO. TEBALDI. ALBANESE.
But I know what you mean when it's a lesser artist...
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I must disagree with Paddypig in that I find both Te Kanawa and Gruberova to be two of the best Violetta's we've had in the world in the past 2 decades! I can't imagine Gruberova being labeled as 'cold.' I didn't see her perform it, but I have heard numerous live recordings and have found her voice to be perfectly suited to the role. Te Kanawa, although much better suited in things like Simon Boccanegra and Otello, as far as Verdi is concerned, is a magnificent Violetta just the same. I saw Anderson at the Met, and while it was not the most exciting performance, it was sung exquisitely and with nobility. Alas, since her severe thyroid problems over the past 15 years, as well as a few excursions into roles completely out of her fach (Trovatore, Salome, Lombardi - to name a few), she has been much more careful with her top register - but it is still clear and resonant and in-tune!
I cannot possibly agree that Gallardo-Domas was a good Violetta. I saw her performance and had to leave after the 2nd act because she was a full quarter-tone sharp on virtually every pitch except the high ones which she never quite made. She's a gorgeous woman...and her Suor Angelica on recording is rather...well...angelic - and a MUCH appreciated improvement from the other things of hers I have listened (either studio or live). Also, friends of mine who have performed with her have all agreed that intonation is something she doesn't seem to grasp very well.
The sad thing concerning her, which seems to be the same fate that Gheorghiu has been leading, is singing very heavy repertoire (i.e. Aida and Tosca) - both of these ladies will burn out much sooner than necessary. Whether one likes a voice or not, I certainly don't ever wish a disasterous fate upon any singer - but if young singers (and yes, a singer in their 30's is still considered young!) are going to insist on singing heavy repertoire and roles ill-suited to their voices, they will surely face an early demise.
I've recently been reflecting alot on certain singers who had very long and stable careers - people like Alfredo Kraus, Nicolai Gedda, Leontyne Price, Martina Arroyo, Bjorling, Gruberova, Rockwell Blake, Fiorenza Cossotto, Mario Del Monaco, Domingo, amongst others - very smart singers who knew how to pace themselves properly and knew when the time was right to take on heavier repertoire. Look at Kraus who was still singing the SHIT out of Werther in his 60's!!! Some might argue that it wasn't the prettiest of voices...I LOVE his singing - and more importantly, the way in which he sings - it is exciting and healthy and robust - even without having been a 'large' voice.
It's truely amazing to see how many young singers - in their 20's even! - are running around singing very heavy literature - all this Puccini and Verdi like it's going out of style! It can be such a dangerous world out there!!!
You know, I made my operatic debut singing Fenton at the age of 19 - it wasn't professional, it was a student production, but it was the full opera fully staged. My voice handled the part very well and I managed to get through it much better than anyone had expected and without even the slightest bruise. I have recently been revisiting the aria and the role after having put it down for some time...and even though it is the lightest of all Verdian tenor roles...as one matures both vocally and musically, one comes to realize that it is still Verdi - it still requires all the elements of what it takes to sing Verdi - just on a different scale! And I am finding now as I am reworking this role into my voice - which is significantly bigger and my technique is much more defined at this point - it is like a new discovery for me! And it only makes something like the Duke or Alfredo all that much more daunting and makes me realize that when the day comes for me to sing that role I need to be more than prepared and more than capable!
I can really only speak of my personal experiences and I hope I will not be reproached for sharing my thoughts about the subject. In his autobiography, Gedda mentions how important it is for a singer to constantly study technique and always work on the voice as a singers instrument is ever-changing from day to day and requires constant care and maintanence. The older I get, the more I see how true those words are. I think all of us young singers are so anxious to get out there and become 'artists' but few are ever truly willing to take the time and have the patience (I admit that it is difficult at times!!!) to grow into artistry and grow into ourselves and our voices.
Instead, young singers try so hard now to make themselves sing and be the singer they should and could become 10 years from now - thus rushing the process and taking valuable years off their careers!!
Okay time for bed. Bellini and Mozart await in the morning!
Winpal-
Why do you refer to The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion as a Barn? I made my debut there as a boy soprano in Albert Herring and I remember the aucositics being perfectly satisfactory. It does have a tendancy to eat Mezzos, but not that badly.
Interesting review(?) in the NY Times this morning. It reads as if he was just plagiarising the London critics. Could they not afford the cost of a coach class return so he could review it in person?
I find it difficult to believe that the Zeffirelli Puritani,Cav & Pag and Alcina are still in the repetoire as these productions have not been seen in decades and have all ben replaced by newer ones. They did import the Pag bandwagon Pag with Domingo, Ghiorghiu and donkey but the old one was far superior.
to opera80221- some of us are not judging Gheorghiu's Tosca sight unseen. we got a complete ACT 2 at the MET for opening night last season. (or was it the season before?) She was very disappointing for many of the same reasons the critics seem to have pointed out in London. Her Vissi d'arte was a mess-more of a duel with the conductor to see who would choose the tempo, she was definitely listening to a different conductor! and her performance was just a series of poses and grand gestures with no real characterization or feeling. and yes I liked the Violetta at the MET when I saw it, but find it less satisfying every time I have listened to it. the CG Violetta is more than ten years ago. She was not quite as well known and did not have as much clout then,and was probably alot less demanding as a diva. the performance is the best thing she ever did IMO. to tenore- Te Kanawa was the worst Violetta at the MET, she did it in the fall of 83 and did absolutely nothing with the role. She stood there beating time with her fan while singing sempre libre. it was Nicolai Gedda's last performances at the MET also and he looked so old, a bit like Benny Hill and unfortunately while singing well sounded so old also. She did absolutely nothing with the part, this is why she pulled out of the spring half of the run and we got Maliponte and David Rendall for Te Kanawa and Gedda. Gruberova premiered the first Zeffirelli production of Traviata a few years later and while she sang correctly it was an incredibly cold performance. You can disagree all you want, but you were not there!!! How you can insist they were two of the best Violetta's in the past twenty years when you did not hear them live is rather ridiculous. Recordings are constantly reengineered (Think of a certain mediocre soprano from the 90s who churned out dozens of recordings. some are not bad- but do you ever remember seeing a great live performance?) and even radio broadcasts do not always tell the true picture. I have been at many performances that were broadcast from the MET, gone home and heard the tape and been amazed at how different the singers sounded with miking.
As far as comparisons with Kirsten go. I am not a big Kirsten fan. I think her popularity lied in the fact that she was a beautiful woman and a dependable singer as well as a truly charming woman who was a generous collegue and easy to work with.She also did many heavier roles and was very successful as Manon Lescaut and Minnie (as was Steber who also was mostly a Mozart and Strauss singer but also sing Elizabetta and Violetta) She also did not tackle Tosca until quite late in her career. She was close to 60 when she first did it and almost 70 when she last did it and I think the response was more love for the performer than for the perfect fit of performer with role.she was not a particularly exciting Tosca.
to scifisci ... i cant really see gheorghiu as a mozartian, as when she did a gala concert at covent garden a couple of years back, her porgi amor was decidedly pallid. apparently she has recorded a mozart aria recital to be released this year.
i wont comment on her tosca as yet (as i am going to see her tomorrow) but the voice as it is seems indeed a bit too lyrical for the role. and then gheorghius tendency to give 95% rather than 105% for me always seems to keep her at distance. it is sure good for her voice (and i would not blame her for that) but sometimes she seems a bit cautious to me rather than really opening up and let rip. but as i said i will keep an open mind for tomorrow - am definately looking forward to it. though looking at the cast with terfel and alvarez i wish we would have a stage animal like mattila as tosca (ok ok not an italiante voice either but ever so exciting!!!) to complement the two men.
Hab mir...you nailed it....Mattila would have BOTH the temperament and the high notes and squillo to do Tosca....and gawd, how gorgeous she'd look on stage as well! And being that she was tits to the wind in her Salome, god KNOWS what a director could do with her. I could imagine she wouldn't reject any experimentation!
To PaddyPig....my comments were only to those who judge on the fact of Gheorghiu's VOICE being too soft grained....perhaps her lack of temperament that you witnessed could've been nervousness, or a host of other scenarios. All I know, being a singer, is I wouldn't be wanting to limit myself to what everybody else thought I was good at...Angela most likely is being bombarded right and left by people that think she'd be good for this role or the other, and who wouldn't be tempted? If I had her looks, her eyes, the voice, and knowing how I love Verdi, I'd be screaming to have the chance....even up to Abagaille! So although I agree with you that she wouldn't EVEN be the ideal Tosca, she's got more going for her in that role than somebody like Eaglen, who even at her WORSE still would have the heft, but look totally ridiculous in the part.
eaglen's size wouldn't bother me if she could sing. Never saw a good Eaglen performance live. The first run of Isoldes at the MET were constantly off pitch, characterization-zero. the Norma was disgusting and even in Turandot, where she should have had the vocal weight for the role she resorted to singing part of the riddle scene pianissimo because she couldn't sing it properly. Not just ridiculous looking, disgusting sound. Caballe on the other hand was a wonderful Tosca, I saw her several times and she made the part her own and the weight wasn't an issue, she was very glamorous and elegant, a true diva.
a few corrections on Kirsten(I just did a little online research), born 1910, she sang her first Tosca at the MET in 1952, sang a broadcast performance with Domingo and Quilico from SF in 1970 and made her farewell at the MET in 1976 in same role. She sang Butterfly often (also recorded it with MET forces) Broadcasts exist of her Marguerite, Mimi (SF with Pavarotti) and Manon Lescaut with Bjorling MET 50,
I'm NOT an Eaglen fan, but I gotta say that her Isolde and Brunnhilde in Chicago were very well sung--and she did make some real attempts at acting, esp. Act 3 Walkure with Morris.
Still, her size is a problem--just trying to kneel to Tristan's body at the end of that opera was painful to watch and distracted from the performance.
another note on Tosca- the most popular Tosca at the MET during the war years was Grace Moore, cast more for her beauty and glamour than her vocal ability. It is not great singing but her beauty and off stage antics made her hugely popular (ala Britney
Spears)
To Baritenor re: the Dorothy Chandler. It just seems so wide and open to me, very large scale. Surprisingly, it only seats 50 more than the War Memorial in SF which is also huge (3197 vs. 3146), but SF seems to me more intimate (relatively speaking). I have not had problems with the acoustics in LA, although to me the War Memorial, especially in the balcony, is more warm and alive.
One of Kirsten's last performances in SF was in 1969 with Pavarotti in Boheme. One night during Act 3 an earthquake hit. Kirsten was unphased, but Pavarotti seemed shaken and went over to the prompter's box to ask what was happening. The prompter reportedly just said "earthquake, keep singing." Luckily, unlike Caruso who was in SF for Carmen when the great quake of 1906 struck and vowed never to return, Pavarotti returned many times.
Re: Eaglen and Tosca. On my first trip to London in 1990 I saw her in the role at ENO, before she was internationally famous. The production was updated to Nazi times. In my trip journal I wrote, "good voice, but what a cow."
that boheme is available on cd-rom of san francisco performances, a cd-rom that also includes the tosca with domingo and quilico.
TO Tenore- re Domas-her broadcast of Traviata is not off pitch, neither was the performance I saw.
One of Eaglen's early roles with English National Opera was santuzza and she made her first entrance riding a bicycle! Now that was awesome!
i remember that tosca at the eno ... though when i saw it it was with rosalind plowright in 1997 (i think) and boy, she was some kinda wild lady on stage. she is sadly underused nowadays - her stage fright doesnt help in that respect but everything i have seen her in (since the tosca she started singing more mezzoish roles and i have seen her in il tabarro, fricka in the ring and the principessa in adriana lecouvreur ... oh and as the beggar woman in sweeney todd!!!) she was virtually eating the scenery on stage!!!
shame i am too young(ish) to have seen the great toscas of the past, my list reads rather eastern european as i have seen: galina gorchakova (not greatly sung and no great characterization either), maria guleghina (several times, very loud and imposing and i do admit that i like her larger than life ethos), nelly miriciou (okish but not memorable ... a disappointment after hearing her as norma, where she hurled herself into the part), catherine malfitano (very convincingly acted and musically wonderful!) and as above rosalind plowright. have i missed anyone? well gheorghiu ... but that will have to wait another day.
anyone wants to sponsor me a ticket to fly and see mattila do tosca in helsinki later this year? (or was it next?!)
Catherine Nagelstad is taking over the run of Toscas after la Georghiu departs. Any idea what to expect?
Sam Ramey comes in as Scarpia, and I suppose he'll get his shirt off at some point.
This seems de rigeur these days. I recently saw Mark Doss as Scarpia in Frankfurt and subtle as the production was he ripped off his shirt in the Te Deum and the memory of his shirt buttons pinging over the orchestra is one I'll not easily forget.
Kirstin once on a time in the early 50s used to sing a lot with Gordon McCrae on the radio on something called the Railroad Hour-doing lots of Friml and Herbert and Viennese operetta excerpts. Would be interesting to know if any records of that program still exist somewhere. Just a comment thrown in.
Nilsson and Fremstad both did Tosca--2 Swedish farm girls with not a drop of Italian blood in them. And should Floria T. have some idea of acting Romanish,whatever that may be, since the opera is a tour of Rome?
You who really sings the hell out of Tosca? Urmana. I saw her opposite Ramey in October. She's got the pipes, and, despite her weight, really moves well onstage and played the drama well.
With regards to an earlier comment, I do agree that vocally, gheorghiu tends to give only 95%, which ends up undercutting the other aspects of her performance. I'd always wished she would just belt out her voice over the orchestra--but maybe she just is afraid or doesn't have it in her! As for Mattila as Tosca, I think vocally she would be just about perfect-big glamorous voice and great looks. However, she's a bit nutty as an actress and I don't think could match gheorghiu in those aspects. Isn't Mattila supposed to sing tosca at the MET in the next couple years?
(Back a bit) I have to agree re Kiri- her voice just wasn't suited to Verdi. She did Traviata's here in the 80's and while they weren't bad- they weren't her best either -nor was the recorded "Otellos" she did.
She always seemed much more at home with Mozart and Strauss.
Obviously I would have had to seen and heard the Te Kanawa and Gruberova Trav's to believe and fully understand the criticisms. I adore both artists and based on the recordings that I possess and have heard of both in that role, I would imagine that they were extremely well suited to the part. If their performances we less than adequate to many who experienced them, it's a shame all around.
oh urmana rocks! and she is not that big ... she is stocky but does look good on stage and compared to the likes of eaglen she must be classified anorexic!
urmana will sing tosca at covent garden next season, now that is something i do look forward to, as her lady macbeth recently was stunning (apart from a slightly fluffed last high note in the sleepwalking scene ... but then she was announced having a cold)
I saw the Kiri traviata in November, '83. I remember her portrayal as seeming not to be fully idiomatic vocally. It just didn't have the rich middle required for the role. The 1st act rather came and went, although it was sung nearly flawlessly. She was very effective, however, in the final act. I think she was supported by Gedda and McNeil, both of whom seemed incredibly (in the truest sense of the word) old. That said, I'd still prefer te Kanawa's unaffected singing to much of what Fleming is doing lately.
On the Covent Garden Tosca issue: is it really fair and proper to invoke Callas every time someone sings Tosca? Won't that lead to senseless imitations of her, an artist who was instinctive and not calculated? I also question the necessity of showing malice and venom as part of the characterization of Tosca.
Naglestad was a fantastic Vittelia in Paris last year. She is scheduled to sing Salome there next season. I am a little skeptic about that one, given that her voice is not THAT huge. I think she will pull off a nicely nuanced Tosca.
I think the Callas standard for Tosca is not that people want an imitation. they want sincerity and honesty in a performance and they want tosca to be exciting. there have been many exciting Tosca's since 1964, Kabaivanska was a great Tosca, Scotto,Caballe, Rysannek, and Verrett also did great,exciting and original performances. and don't forget that little MET debut in 1975 (and again on tour in 1979 with Pavarotti) of a certain singer called Magda Olivero. (a better Tosca than Callas's in many ways) We have also had (at the MET) exciting if slightly uneven performances from Millo,bumbry,gulegina, giovanna casolla and eva marton, and even from such lesser known artists as Galina Savova. Gheorghiu's just has not met these standards. During her ACT 2 at the Met she had neither the vocal resources nor the sense of commitment necessary to make an exciting performance. She posed, posed somemore and showed off her new dress. Tosca must be convincing and believable. We have had some truly bad and mediocre Toscas also (Behrens, Malfitano (my personal nomination for worst)Neblett, Tomowa-sintow at the end of her career, Dimitrova, and Vaness)Maybe if Gheorghiu brought some of her famous off stage temperment on stage it might be a bit better.
Yniold -- Naglestad sang both Alcina and Norma last year in SF. She sang beautifully in both. I thought her Norma was a bit underpowered at times and lacked some of the fire and intensity needed to be completely successful. However, she was quite moving in the final scene which did leave a lasting favorable impression on me. My guess is her Tosca may be similar -- nicely sung, beautiful to look at, but not full on "tits to the wind" as some other interpreters mentioned here. But it seems like this may not be the approach CG is going for in its casting of this production.
Funny--I saw Behrens (under Sinoploi), Marton and Neblett (in 1981) as Tosca. Carreras, with the latter, was the most memorable of any of the performances I saw.
I think I would have preferred Caballe to all three, as she was 'to the manor born' in that role. But, at the time, I'm sure there were complaints that she wasn't Callas...
Being Romanian should Angela have played Tosca as if she was killing Ceacescu?. There are supposed to be some political angles in the plot And did anyone see the old CBS Arts performance of Tosca in Paris, starring Kiri, with a lot of abstract set designs?
The old Zefferelli production at the Garden was haunted by the memory of Callas as she sang her last stage performance in it. The only one to equal her in temperament was Marie Collier, and the shadow of the other MC seemed to curse her career. So many sopranos passed through that production: Sena Jurinac, Gwynneth Jones, Maria Zampieri (now there was a personality and a unique voice) Caballe ( who couldn't manage the leap off the battlements and just sidled off into the wings) the febrile Maria Ewing and one of my favourites Kabaivanska- slender of vocal means but so rarefied in her vocal and physical beauty. I have been unearthing some old tapes and found one of Elisabeth Holleque ( mentioned in some recent blogs) with Pav.opening the CG season no less. At the time we assumed she was just part of the big P package and she never came back. Young and fresh voiced in Act 1 , giving her all in Act 2 and nothing left for the last Act. Well, Angela next week - we shall see.
Tosca should be all about the lady herself, and everyone wants to see and hear Scarpia, but besides singing E Lucevan well what makes for a good Cavaradosi?
The Cantabile Subito website has a couple of photos of Claudia Muzio as Tosca. She seems to have a small cult following. How would Muzio rank as a singer compared to Callas?
Paddy-
I really liked Vaness's Tosca when I saw it last season in San Francisco. It's not exactly a portrayl to stand up to the ages, but Vaness is a stage animal...she was definetly a fascinating Floria, if nothing else. (and she did give a fine Visse d'arte)
well so angela did it ... of all the toscas i have heard so far, hers yesterday was the most evenly sung and she even openend up once or twice but as a whole it left me cold. it just seemes that bit impersonal as a characterization - even though she hit all the right spots but it still seemed a bit studies and lacking in sponaeity. methinks that after a couple of runs in that role (yesterday was only the second time ever she sang it on stage) she will be a fabulous tosca - but i doubt that her mainly lyrical voice will tempt her to do tosca too often. her vissi d'arte was ravishing, her portamento wonderful, there was morbidezza in the voice ... but the certain umph was missing! but hey i am being picky again.
it didnt help that she was partnered with a most inadequate tenor - marcello alvarez was ill and didnt sing, so the second cast cavaradossi stepped in (who was supposed to sing the role later in the run). nicola rossi giordano his name and i had never heard of him before. he sounded indisposed but wasnt announced as such ... so if how he sang yesterday is what he usually does then i am worried. he somehow reached most of the top notes (if now and then with a slight yodel) but the middle and lower part of the voice were full of croaks and some of it even more spoken than sung. hence the love duet in act 1 never took fire - as he had to manage every so carefully and i think that reflected on gheorghiu. the unaccompanied bit in the last act between him and tosca (trionfal....) sounded as if he was singing two notes at the same time - it reminded me of those scandinavian throat singers - and was really a frightful noise. poor guy ... at least he wasnt booed! lets hope alvarez is back when i am going to see it again next week!!!
terfel was, well terfel. the voice was magnificent (and he got the biggest cheer of the evening at the curtain call) but his scarpia seemed a bit detached as well. maybe it was the directors decision? apparently the director (jonathan kent) likes stairs as there were stairs/stair cases in every act. indeed the staging was on the conservative side and not very exciting either. i found the idea of the firing squad in the end marching in on the beat of the music and marching off on the beat of the music quite riduculous, as it looked so staged and really distracting!
hence in parts it was vocally a glorious evening but not a great performance of tosca as a whole. it might gel together with times and giving the performers time to grow into their character fully ... but given the reputation of covent garden and some of the names invovled, i just left me that annoying little bit underwhelmed, whereas i had hoped to come out electrified.
now yniold, i wait for ur view next week :)
Thanks, Hab s'mir gelobt. You will get my views next week. Greatly enjoyed Fedora last night at Holland Park with a budget which would probably not pay for a pair of shoes in The Garden Tosca. The peacocks gallantly supplied the top notes which Yvonne Kenny no longer commands, but she gave a totally committed performance and looked ravishing in the in period costumes. A promising Loris, one Aldo del Toro ( you couldn't make up a name like that) with the right versismo squillo and despite his name Australian like most of the cast.
The opera wound up nicely to a heart wrenching denouement, but did seem pretty thin stuff after Nixon in China at the Colisseum on Wednesday. Just 5 sold outperformances, and as per normal no Beeb relay. And is it really true it has never been played in New York?
Yniold is wrong about the cast changes for TOSCA. The three principals are different on alternate performances. There are still tickets for Nagelstad/Ramey but not a one for any with Gheorghiu/Terfel. I would still like to get my hands on one ticket with Gheorghiu on 23 or 26 June......anyone??
opera enthusiast ... if the policy hasnt changed, covent garden still sell 65 day seats on the day which are the very sides of the stalls circle (hence not great view but better than nothing!). though as this tosca with gheorghiu was very popular in sales it might involve early morning queueing as those seats go on sale at 10am on the day of performance - so if u r free in the morning on either 23 or 26, grab a latte and a croissant and turn up at the opera house in the morning (probably 3 hours before the tickets go on sale should be enough? but then u never know!)
Thanks to HAB MIR'S GELOBT for your information. I also understand there are seats in the amphitheatre as well on the day of performance. Which are better?
If Yniold is asking about FEDORA in New York. Yes, it has been at the MET many times. The last outing was the 1996-1997 season with Domingo and Freni which was also a telecast. It is probably available on VHS or DVD now.
On the other hand, if Yniold is asking about NIXON IN CHINA the answer is again yes, it has been in New York at BAM (The Brooklyn Academy of Music)in 1987 with Edo de Waart conducting and Peter Sellars doing the staging.
nicola rossi giordano is due to sing Manrico in Chicago next year. And, as LA CIECA pointed out, he has the best operatic name ever.
Weren't Nicola Rossi Giordano and Aldo del Toro with La Gran Scena? One more and they could be opening for the Streisand tour instead of Il Divo.
Given the discussion of Toscas happening now, Does anyone know if Patricia Racette has sung the role, and if so how was she? She'll be doing it at the Bowl (Concert, of course) with Morris, Plishka and Frank Poretta. Any buzz on her Tosca or Poretta's Mario?
Aldo Del Toro ranks with Francisco Cassanova and Toti dal Monte for the great opera singer names, at least in the 20th and 21st centuries.
opera enthusiast ... i havent bought the day seats but i reckon it depends how close to the stage u want to be. they have an interactive viewing plan on the royal opera house website www.roh.org.uk. call the box office and ask them the rows and numbers of day seats and then u can see for urself beforehand how the view will be.
papagenodz ... nicola rossi giordani might have the best operatic name ever, but i would have preferred a tenor with the best operatic voice ever, as that would have made the evening just a trifle better hehehe
What is this awful fascination with that awful woman, who has no class, no style, and certainly no voice? Leave La Vampiretta where she belongs: airbrushing pictures of herself on Photo-shop, in a vain attempt to appear the age she claims to be.
As much as I adore this artform, I can say with the utmost candour that nobody intimately connected with it, whether chorister, director, or even stage cleaner has a shred of integrity or even passion for what they do. It is all a horrible means to an end, and one wonders if it has always been thus, or whether it is a symptom of this pre-apocoalyptic swamp in which we all find ourselves, whereby we all attempt to hitch a ride on the back of something which was once to be prized.
Anybody seen the Marschallin lately?
Should that not be Bichette?
Yes. I assumed schizophrenia had overtaken logic. :)
He's gone? Is it safe to come out now?
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marschallin has been in studer rehab and is cured not but supposedly had to rename herself into quinquin... or such
cured NOW i mean of course. hopefully!!!
Is it not strange how many Rosenkavalier inspired indentities one finds on these pages? I often think of it as the ultimate gay opera. Oh for a director brave enough to have Marie-Therese portrayed as a man!
QQ-
David Daniels, perhaps?
just watched the Tosca film with Gheorghiu (I got it cheap). What was the director thinking? (cutting back to the recording studio in black and white for lengthy sections) IT is not a concert version, it's not a real film of the opera. They bitch about Kent's production. Kent trusted the opera. this film does not trust the integrity of the opera to hold up. What a mess.
When will Ochs get online. Wait, he wants a roll from a maid who is a boy in drag who is really a soprano.
Isn't the moment at the end of the film when the camera cuts back to the Abbey Road studio the best? La Vampiretta shrugging her shoulders, and if I remember correctly making a 'there we go' sort of noise. Following the truama of the final act, and the declamation of those immortal words which it would be a waste of type to repeat here, did she really want us to believe she was so uninvolved that baking a cake would have been more emotionally demanding? I really can't stand her. I can't wait for her Norma: what a JOKE that will be! One great big preen-fest for the only Callas imitator who has not been stupid enough to loose was little endowment she originally had in a flash. For this at least la Vampiretta deserves some credit.
So sad that this has to degenerate into the kind of insults that quinquin hurls at Gheorghui. She was actually an exceptionally good Tosca, not the best but far from the worst. I have a recollection of the state of callas's voice when she sang the Toscas in 64 I was there! it was not in the best of shapes!
Quinquin - of late we suddenly haven't been hearing from a contributor called Marschellin who used to regail and insult every singer bar one. She mercifully dissappeared suddenly - at the time you started to contribute. In case you don't know it- you are doing a mighty fine impersonation of her and I can't help but seriously wonder.......???
Is it possible??
Dearest Daniel,
I can assure you I am not the Marschallin: whilst I value Studer, I carry no torches (although, to my SHAME and FURY, the first opera set I ever bought was her Traviata!).
By the way, the only singers I have castigated thus far have been la Vampiretta and Renee: no others.
I do hope I am not going to be held up to be a nut in the same way as the thankfully departed Marie-Therese!
Oh, and Kerr: regarding the '64 Tosca, and for that matter, the '53, and the '51 from Mexico city, I couldn't agree more: I really have no time for Callas in the role.
You know, boys and girls, I'm gonna miss ol' Marshie. If nothing else she was entertaining.
Thanks quinquin :) Marschy did make a few of us twitchy so the question seemed realistic at the time and yes, are too nice to be a nutter :) even though you don't like la Divina's Tosca.
It looks like la cieca has probably committed Marshycide- damn- I would have carried the shovel!
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