Mit Schlag
Comeback queen Montserrat Caballe shared a birthday celebration in Vienna yesterday with legendary confection the “Original Sacher-Torte.” The diva was born 74 years ago, the cake first devised just over a century earlier in 1832.
The soprano sang a brief serenade to the dessert before sampling the chocolately goodness, quipping, “Calories don’t exist!”
Scene of the meeting between the diva and the cake (described as 1 meter in diameter) was the Hotel Sacher, which claims the honor of producing the only authentic version of the Sachertorte, consisting of two layers of dense chocolate dough with a thin layer of apricot jam in the middle and dark chocolate icing with shreds of chocolate on the top and sides.
sharon sweet is effectively retired although i’m told she just sung a concert (as turandot) in NJ, where she teaches.
i missed the b’cast, but from all indications gruber hasn’t recovered from whatever is ailing her. she’s sick, you say? she’s been sick for 3 yrs now!
i can’t imagine brewer singing turandot. she doesn’t seem to have the temperament for it, it’s not the voice.
i’m looking at the NYCO next season brochure. does anyone know anything about anna maria chiuri (santuzza) and anna shafajinskaia (tosca)?
Andrea Guber sounded better today than I have heard her in the past, but she sounds like she is killing herself – the singing is so… pressed, harsh, out of the body, and it just doesn’t sound healthy. It sounds like she is injuring herself – what a shame.
Hong is a miracle, and I am so sad that she is being passed over like this. BUT, there are many many people who don’t respond to her, and to survive, people need to respond. I personally think it’s a shame. I never liked her recordings, but live, she is amazing.
I listened to the broadcast again after reading some of the comments. What seems to really be a problem for Gruber is scales leading to high notes. When she has a chance to breathe, regroup and relax her larynx before an onset on a high note, that high note comes out unforced, full and beautiful. It seems she ony has a problem accessing that register over long spun lines. It’s a technical thing, and although it is late in her career to do anything about it, maybe she is aware of it and will attempt to correct that difficulty
“Hong is a miracle, and I am so sad that she is being passed over like this. BUT, there are many many people who don’t respond to her, and to survive, people need to respond.”
Hasn’t Hei Kyung been paying attention?
She has to let her niplets show through a silk teddy, lie on her back with her head in a tuba and do a LOT more furniture hopping!
Sheesh.
I don’t know how it sounded on the broadcast, but live, guber was AWFUL. She has barely half of a voice left. Hong sounded radiant, but not exceptional. She provided a sweet, sympathetic, and moving Liu, and it is a shame that Gelb can’t keep her around for these parts, though her voice does sound aged. As for Gruber….live she projected less than hong. Probably the only time a Liu has done this. I had a very hard time hearing Gruber and one can see that physically she is killing her voice. She strains very hard to produce that…noise. We may not have to worry about her new macbeth production. But who knows, you’d think she would have even stopped singing by now….
I am still just wondering why she hasn’t been fired….I can’t even imagine what Gelb is thinking.
pacenoia – HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAAAAAHAHA!!!
Good one.
I feel sad for AG -it must be incredibly diffiicult to get out there and sing knowing it is going to be so had, and painful. Even if you don’t think other people know the difference, a singer knows when a show is effortful and, well, rough. I hope she isn’t ruining her voice for good. Sometimes singers go through vocal crises, and come out of them ok, but they can be career ending – I hope for her sake, that’s not what’s happening.
tsuhyang: not sure about chiari; never heard of her. However, Shafjinskaia sand Turandot in Dallas…about 4 years ago. I was in the Chorus. It’s not an incredibly beautiful voice (although it’s not ugly either). It is, however, quite big and steely. She had no trouble at all with the role and didn’t seem to have to push her instrument at all (Franco Farina was the Calaf; I was not impressed, although he was loud). She Sang Abigaille in Dallas in November 2006; I wasn’t there, but my friends tell me it was quite good.
singing Turandot and having no problem with the role is one thing, but can she sing Tosca????? that’s the question.
the NYCO Cav/Pag features both Jovanovich and Tanner as the tenor leads…