Money Schrott
"Riveting!"
"Seductively handsome!"
"Chiseled physique!"
"Exuding charisma!"
"Unabashedly narcissistic!"
"A stage animal!"
"Opera houses everywhere will soon be clamoring for him!"
"Exposing his muscled chest!"
"Shirtless, dripping with perspiration and looking crazed!"
"An image I’ll take home with me from London!"
"Seductively handsome!"
"Chiseled physique!"
"Exuding charisma!"
"Unabashedly narcissistic!"
"A stage animal!"
"Opera houses everywhere will soon be clamoring for him!"
"Exposing his muscled chest!"
"Shirtless, dripping with perspiration and looking crazed!"
"An image I’ll take home with me from London!"
Labels: need you ask?
POSTED at
8:24 AM
25 Comments:
GO ERWIN!!! He really is great. Nice guy. Holds his liquor well.
But seriously, here is another genuinely nice guy in OperaWorld. Not a scoundrel, even if he plays one in HD. It's nice to see a lovely person doing well. Yay.
does tommasini have NO shame?!
It's not only Tommasini: more or less all the reviews I have read here in the UK use similar adjectives (though not in the high concentration one finds in Tommasini's piece). The picture published in the paper edition of the (London) Guardian (not the online one unfortunately) is, shall we say, rather intense: a shirtless, sweaty DG seems to be miming 'taking' Elvira from the back (I say miming because she is dressed, so he cannot be 'actually' 'taking' her) while dripping wine from a glass all over her... I wish I hadn't chosen Fidelio (great Mattila but the rest dull) over DG for my trip to Covent Garden this month.
Tommasini also used his favorite adjective "dusky" to describe Mr. Schrott's voice. Those of us participating in the "Tommasini needs a thesaurus drinking game" all had to show up to work a little tipsy. It's a good thing that he didn't use "strapping" as well.
In some ways the most embarassing thing about this review was that The Times' chief music critic hadn't heard Mr. Schrott before. He's certainly had some high-profile engagements around the US or in La Scala that would have merited a visit from the Times' critic. If Anthony isn't more diligent, he's going to lose his membership in the North America Man Barhihunk Love Association.
Ah, descriptions you will never see in a Jane Eaglen review. (With the possible exception of "dripping with perspiration.")
the seductively handsome young Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott....galvanized the audience with his unabashedly narcissistic portrayal...Vocally, though a fine singer, Mr. Schrott is not the next Sherrill Milnes."
That may be so, mainly because Schrott is a BASS!
What a title, his review, I mean.
"Hey, Giovanni, Put a Shirt On, You'll Catch Cold".
Doesn't get any ? than that.
Funny heard a whole pile o'opera queens gushing exactly the same thing and nobody seem to get their tiaras in a tilt when they said it.
Surely its his ignorance of Mr Schrott as a performer that is more disturbing.
I'm not sure Tony's point was that he'd never heard Schrott sing; rather that his previous New York apprearances were low-profile in nature, or?
I read this review on-line and howled. Couldn't wait to see all the comments on Parterre Box!
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I would have been disappointed if La Cieca hadn't zoom in on this review. LOL.
It is kind of strange that he hadn't taken any notice of him before this, isn't it? Erwin is more than a "fine" singer - he's pretty damn good actually. Ah well. At least he's getting noticed.
I love Schrott's work. He's got a run of Figaros next season (this season? we're in between) at the Met, and it's a role he excells in.
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Schrott sang Don G in D.C. a few seasons ago and he will be back in town next season. He's sings Pharaon in the Rossini in the Moise DVD et Pharaon... he is hardly unknown.
As for AT, if he were reviewing ballet, he would really be, um, going bananas.
OK, I was in the house for this Giovanni in London. The really screwed-up thing about Tommasini's review is his non-noticing of the rather abysmal level of the musical performance: Fleming-like self-indulgence of exaggerated mannerisms from Schrott, mediocre or worse vocalism from nearly everyone else, and listless, ill-coordinated leadership from the pit. Does he listen, or only look (and then fill in adjectives afterwards based on received wisdom about the singers)?
"He slipped into the Metropolitan Opera’s roster with a low-profile debut in 2000, singing Colline in La Bohème.”
I guess Schrott's Escamillo in the Met's 2005 Carmen and the December 2005 feature on him in Opera News also slipped right past him....
www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/issue/article.aspx?id=1435
"Opera houses everywhere will soon be clamoring for him"
Er... they have been for quite a while.
And finally...
"The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden recently broadcast its production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” on outdoor screens around this city, part of the BP Summer Big Screens initiative."
Er... no they didn't. It was only broadcast in Covent Garden Piazza. The other 9 screens were in various other cities in the UK and Northern Ireland.
By the way, I was in the house on the opening night, and I would strongly disagree with the contention that the musical and vocal performances were abysmal. One could argue about Bolton's tempi in some places, but I thought it was a spectacular evening.
My thought, reading Tommasini's review, was "Come west, Tony, because Mariusz Kwiecien is not only a hunk, he can sing."
My money is on Mortier for taking full advantage of Tommasini's weak spot. Lot's of young, hungry singers who will be willing to bear all at NYCO in thrilling "new" "groundbreaking" productions. I really don't see the Met crowd going for all of that. Plus Gelb really doesn't have to try hard with Tommasini - his lips are practically glued to Gelb's ass already.
I was also at the ROH for this Don Giovanni - in fact twice (second & third nights, as my wish to see this wonderful portrayal of the Don once again, not to mention my curiosity over seeing La Netrebka live for the first time, won over any financial qualms (170 pounds x2, ouch).
In fact make that 3 times, since I had already seen the production when it was new in 2002 with Terfel et al. Anyway, the only comment by michonnet that I will agree with is the one about the rather poor orchestra-singer coordination, which I make it to be entirely the conductor's fault. That said, on my repeat visit they were rather improved. I also never liked this production's sets, and hate the silly "accusing finger" prop they use on the finale. The flamethrowers are also on the noisy side.
BUT that's about it with my complaints. Weeell, also Poplavskaya, although posessing a lovely voice, didn't seem very happy with the highest notes of her arias, but I put that to nerves. And Zerlina had trouble making her voice heard - seriously, the problem wasn't timbre it was decibels. OK, THAT's really it with the bitching.
Anyway, I loved the acting by pretty much everyone and to my (perhaps untrained and unrefined) ears the singing was better than fine. I single out in particular Martinez as Elvira and -despite what the reviews say about him- Schade as Ottavio. And Anna N. when finally healthy and singing did add greatly to the performance. But Schrott stole the show; he was outstanding both nights. He IS Don Giovanni. As I'm a guy I'm not going to dwell on his abs (Anoushka N. was the focus of my prurient interest, obviously), but his is a charming portrayal - funny, sexy and with impeccable comic timing. I love his voice too; I was already impressed by it last year when he sang Figaro, but Don G is made for him, vocally as well as comically. I loved him and will seize any future chance to see him live again.
Apologies about the long post.
JF in DC does have a point... let's imagine AT reviewing ballet mega-hunk Roberto Bolle... hmmm...
Remember that scene in When Harry Met Sally where Billy Crystal says you can't have hot sex with someone named Sheldon? I feel that way about the name Erwin.
Ooooh, Andy, say it with a Uruguayan accent and you'll change your mind, I'm sure.
There are hotter photos in some of the London online papers than the photo that ran in the NY Times. Check out the photo at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/show-23074882-details/The+Royal+Opera:+Don+Giovanni/showReview.do?reviewId=23400215
The London reviewers are a bit more restrained about Schrott than AT, but not by much. ; ))
"As I'm a guy I'm not going to dwell on his abs.. "
Um, Paulk205-- might you wish to considier the context in which you're posting this bit of cluelessness: a Queer Opera Zine?
Many of your fellow posters are guys who might well be happy to dwell on Schrott's abs literally as well as rhetorically.
You're entitled to your aesthetic priorities, of course, but try and make the effort to realize that they are not necessarily linked to "being a guy". Grazie tanto.
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