The Metropolitan Opera goes to the movies
Eighty years ago! This film was a part of the first “Vitaphone” presentation in New York in August 1926. Soprano Marion Talley was 19 years old and in the first season of her three-year Met career when this scene was filmed.
I saw the Magic Flute in Phoenix. Everything worked perfectly. Obviously, the problem was not in NY.
Love you, Cieca! Happy New Year!
/unrelated to the post
Thank you, Jack Rance. So glad to hear it worked somewhere else.
I had invited three friends to see this, and it was embarrassing. Even worse for the theater management, the LA Times and the NY Times both had press photographers there to record this event. Can’t imagine what sort of feedback they were getting from our audience members, but I am sure it wasn’t happy talk.
The odd thing was that we got there early enough to see the backstage goings-on, the Met house filling up with audience, the Katie Couric intro… and there were no troubles during any of that. It was only after the performance started that it fell apart, not very long into the Three Ladies’ opening number.
I hope they get it working in time for Trittico in April. I have waited 25 years for a new production of that.
On a totally different topic, I can’t help but comparing the exquisite Audra McDonald in the New York Phil New Year’s eve concert with La Fleming’s embarassing attempt at a Christmas concert last week. One, Audra is the model of how you can sing operatically in pop music without having to make an ass out of yourself stylisticly. The voice is wonderfully produced, more of a “beautiful voice” than her overpaid and over-praised wannabe operatic sister. Not to mention a hell of a lot more beautiful and classy- I’ m so sick of the damage that Fleming’s “need” to be the most famous person on the planet does to our business. Maybe she should have a few lessons with McDonald before doing her next crossover album. If you arent watching it, you’re missing a masterclass in how to sing- hopefully you’re out partying this year away!
thanks ever so, Geronimo, for the tip–I’m just sorry I’ve missed half the performance, she’s outsanding, and I agree with everything you have said. I don’t know Ms. MacDonald’s work very well, and now she’s one of my favorites!
Happy New Year, all!
i’m sorry if some of you have found this is NOT good singing….because IT IS as a matter of fact: amazing, wonderful technique and the style is so much better than melba’s or toti dal monte’s! only galli-curci and tetrazzini can be compared to this young lady! thanks for this gem to la cieca!
“i’m sorry if some of you have found this is NOT good singing….because IT IS as a matter of fact: amazing, wonderful technique and the style is so much better than melba’s or toti dal monte’s!”
Yes, exactly. Not to mention the current atrocity aka Rapunzel/Niblets. Her Gilda would never have even made it onto the stage!
The standard source for what is known about Talley seems to come from Kolodin’s history of the Met. Gatti found her somewhere, sent her to Milan for some training and hyped her as a little American girl from the heartland who could sing European Grand Opera (her father was a telegrapher in Kansas City). If I remember, Irving K said that Met audiences tired of her after a couple of months. Someone can get the facts right on this cuz it has been a long time since I read the book.
dnitzer: Overture! What Overture?! It was “origami opera”!
geronimo: yes, even on a night that wasn’t her best (like lastnight), Audra McDonald could give La Fleming a few lessons!
P.S. The thing that annoys me about Audra McDonald, who has had operatic training and God knows has talent, that she insists on performing with a microphone when she knows damn well she could put it over without one. I want to scream whenever I see her sing: “Drop that thing! It’s a crutch! You don’t need it!” That she’s a far better singer than Reneigh is … obvious.