Bijoux
Peter Gelb‘s motto for the week: “Those Swarovski crystals are going on with or without you.” Maria Guleghina sings the first Tosca of the season tomorrow night, jumping in for Andrea Gruber who is under the weather. A report from the dress rehearsal notes that “Gruber had nothing above about an A, Cura was rushing the conductor the entire time, and they both ended the opera by marking the 3rd act down an octave.” Gruber was wheezing and sneezing all over Margaret Juntwait last night during the broadcast intermission, too. She’s supposed to go on for the next performances November 1 and 4. Aprile Millo dons the tiara beginning on the 25th.
Oh, and if you’re wondering what the proper term is for the matched set of tiara, necklace, earrings and whatever other sparkly baubles the well-dressed Floria flaunts, it’s called a “garniture.”
My mommie never looked better!!
It’s true Callasorphan. I hope you got her eyes.
I’m surpirsed that anything that had been worn by Callas hasn’t been pinched. Things like this must be kept in guarded reliquaries in secret vaults along with those that hold Steber’s Donna Anna wig and Nilsson’s Turandot nails.
Julienned, I did get her eyes with the help, of course, of a little black Magic marker.
Since La Divina Maria is the sweeping transitive verb of discussion, is there a chance for a discussion of the other MC, Caniglia. I know of her, but have heard little of her singing beyond the Sophia Loren Aida. Tell me about the talents of Caniglia.
Pardon my probable misspelling of Caniglia’s name.
That Gruber interview last night was HIGH CAMP!
I was roaring at everything she said. These girls need to go to Interview/101 at DivaUniverstiy. Racette was tippy-toeing around every answer, lest she almost insult anyone, and La Gruber sounded like a Queens housewife talking with the grocer down the avenue.
For a seventeen year old gal, Miss Tosca sure does have some nice baubles – I wonder what she had to do to get those?? I’d be willing to try it!!
ljc: Maria Caniglia was, as far as I’m concerned, a singer who had so much vocal potential (I can’t speak about her acting because I’ve never seen videos and certainly wasn’t alive when she was singing) but was really lacking when it came to singing in tune and in the upper register. She recorded very frequently with B. Gigli. Some of her more famous recordings include a Tosca and a Ballo which I personally vote as two of the most disappointing recordings of both operas. They’ve got great conductors and a would-be fantastic cast and all the singers fall short (by short, I mean FLAT) and overly lacking in musical integrity. Caniglia has a voice that when you listen to it, you just WANT it to be so fantastic as to blow your mind…and then when the most dramatic moments arrive, and the moments with the high notes, she just does NOT deliver. It’s a damn shame.
itdcs is right about Caniglia’s vocal shortcomings, but I think you should check out the Ballo and the Chenier anyway — the performances have style and excitement. Avoid the Aida. I don’t know the Tosca. The Caniglia Stignani Gigli Pinza Serafin Verdi Req is pretty fine, too, esp Pinza.
Gruber looks like Fanny Brice, or maybe even Joe E. Brown.