Weekend roundup
Our publisher JJ (so recently browned out in Queens) expresses his thoughts on the Lincoln Center Festival’s Grendel in his Gay City News review. La Cieca herself picks up the slack on the podcast desk with her presentation of the second act of Maria Stuarda on Unnatural Acts of Opera. Meanwhile, the endlessly inventive Billyboy ups the ante of gay sensibility when he imagines Judy Garland, Bernadette Peters, Carol Channing, Gollum and darling Roger Darling as the cast of an iconic 1980s sitcom — part of the most recent episode of The Entertainment Beat with Frances Gumm.
Oh, and this is something La Cieca just discovered on YouTube. When you think “adorably cute Rossini tenor,” your first thought is Juan Diego Florez, of course. But here’s someone to give you second thoughts: Maxim Mironov!
Let’s be fair, baryton. La Sutherland was one of a kind. There are very few people with that kind of facility. Coloratura like that doesn’t come quite as naturally to the rest of us. Even Daniels, whom I have the utmost respect for as an artist, aspirates a little during the more florid passages of whatever he’s singing. (Take a listen to Vivi Tirrano) I’m not faulting any singer for aspirating or the infamous yugga-yugga.
In any case, her nickname was La Stupenda for a reason. That voice was one in a million.
Besides, Maxim is really cute.
Sutherland certainly was one of a kind, and her coloratura remained her best feature well into the 80′s. However, there were plenty of others with fairly clean coloratura as well. Some these days are better with the aspirating than others. I personally find the yugga-yugga more intrusive.
The idea of a “necktie tenor” isn’t a new term I believe… and most male singers can’t do a good trill. Not that some couldn’t if they worked at it.
Is La Stupenda the last nickname given (to an opera star) that we all recognize?
I can’t think of any subsequent opera stars who got a good (not vicious) nickname. (Sonny Boy and Madame Dracula, indeed!)
Did Pavarotti get one?
Domingo? Kraus?
You’d think people might care enough to give Bartoli one. Pape?
I don’t guess Mr. H’s “The Silver Fox” applies. Or does it?
Perhaps the lack of Italian nicknames proves we have suffered a lack of great singers since La Divina and La Stupenda quit the stage.
Is “Bubbles” (which I hate) for Sills recent enough? Also, verybody’s favorite, “Renaaay,” seems to go by “The Beautiful Voice” from time to time (though, as two Unnatural Acts of Opera will evidence, there is some dispute over this point). Also, she has been christened by some as La Portamenta / La Portaméenta–for obvious reasons.
Renaay should be called La Rubata.
There. I’ve said it.
You guys are hilarious, but yes, MM could pass for a BEL AMI model!
He’s got a nice voice with decent ping, but I wish he had a more fluid legato. I also wish he had a better piano. In the reprise of the cavatina, he only sang piano up to G-nat or A-flat.
His coloratura is very aspirated, which I don’t quite care for. I know how hard it is to sing good coloratura, but I think my preference is a happy medium (good legato with some aspirates from time to time). This is because I believe aspiration is sometimes necessary especially when one must execute quick, sharp turns in fast, passagework. In my opinion, gentle aspirates can also make coloratura sound exciting!! I’ve heard JUST ABOUT every major coloratura star use some aspiration at some point: Bartoli, Larmore, Gruberova, Horne, Sutherland, Scotto, Moffo and Berganza instantly come to mind.
Here’s another question: Don’t think different schools of singing approach coloratura differently? The use of aspirates seems less out of place in Italian rep (Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi) than it does in the German rep (Mozart, R Strauss, J Strauss).
MM is no Juan Diego Florez, but I believe he’s got great potential. I like the face that he always hits his high notes dead on and does not slide/lean into them before getting to them. I’m not sure if I’m describing this properly, but Juan Diego Florez tends to that that from to time. I do hope MM improves. It would be great to have a few TOP NOTCH Rossini tenors all at once. We have Juan Diego Florez & Lawrence Brownlee (I heard him live in BARBIERE in San Diego several months ago, and he sang the s*** out of CESSA DI PIU RESISTERE with precise coloratura so fast I got dizzy!!). MM could join the ranks if he could add some more cream/roundness to his voice. Oh, and yes, he’d have to get more comfortable with his high Cs and Ds because Lawrence Brownlee is NOT scared of those. He always lets them rip!!!
Brownlee’s voice is infinitely more attractive in timbre than Florez’ “alvin the chipmunk on helium” tone.
Talk about PR hype making a career.
Well he looks a lot better with short hair!!!