E Susanna vien
La Cieca predicted a cast change earlier, and what do you know, so it came to pass! Soprano Lisette Oropesa will sing the Tuesday prima of the Met’s revival of Le nozze di Figaro and at least one more performance. She is jumping in for the enceinte Isabel Bayrakdarian. Ms. Oropesa is not only a member of the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program but (even more impressively) she is La Cieca’s homegirl since she is a graduate of LSU in dear old Baton Rouge! It should be noted, however, that she and La Cieca matriculated in different centuries.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, Angela Gheorghiu has been fired from Lyric Opera’s production of La bohème which is scheduled to open Monday, October 1. Thundered General Director William Mason, “Miss Gheorghiu has missed 6 of 10 rehearsals, including the piano dress rehearsal and both staging rehearsals with the orchestra. She missed one of the most critical stage-orchestra rehearsals when she left the city for New York without permission, a direct violation of her contract.” La Gheorghiu was in fact spotted in the audience for the Met’s prima of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette on Tuesday night.
The news is somewhat less dire for other members of the Gheorghiu famille. Those of you cher public who missed out on Roberto “Million Dollar Legs” Alagna‘s stylish Roméo this week may get another chance at seeing his collaboration with Anna Netrebko in the Gounod love story. La Cieca hears that Alagna will return in December to fill the “TBA” slots on the 8th, 12th and 15th, including the broadcast and HD telecast. Matthew Polenzani, La Cieca hears, will take over the role on December 20.
Scotto’s Mimi at the Met in the late 1970′s: I wept, wept, wept. That season – 77/78? She sang too often. I remember 1 week with, I think, 2 Mimis and 1 Leonora. Scotto in La Clemenza a few years later. She really couldn’t sing the Mozart by then but the acting! She was apropriately slightly comic in the 1st act and then dead serious in the second. The second act opened in darkness with Scotto draped over the prompter’s box.
There is a reason why they call AG LA VAMPIRA. While she basically has a lovely voice and is a beautiful woman, I have rarely been moved by her performances. What passes as acting is usually diva posing. Her Violetta was the only thing that she really seemed to work on and give a committed performance. Scotto on her worst day was infinitely more moving that G on her best. AG always reminds me of a second rate Cotrubas. I loved Cotrubas despite a voice that wasn’t always beautiful. listened to her Violetta again the other night (from 81) still a much greater performance with more humanity than anything AG ever did. Scotto’s Violetta can be seen on a video from Japan (chubby Renata from 73 in awful costumes, but agreat performance with Carreras) anyone who has not seen Scotto’s Lucia should buy the new VAI disc with the performance from 67 from Tokyo, this is what LUCIA is about. Growing up seeing Renata, Freni, Stratas, Caballe, and Cotrubas in roles that people like AG claim to be so wonderful in, Is it any wonder I may be a little jaded with the current opera scene. As a friend of mine said when we watched Renata’s SUOR ANGELICA, “I never wanted to be one of those people who says it was better twenty years ago. but it was, and this is the proof.” (Compare it to Fritoli’s wallflower Angelica if you want to see what I mean) I say bravo to chicago for not putting up with AG. I am sure Alvarez will give a more subtle performance having listened to Renata’s coaching.
I attended Romeo et Juliette’s second performance on Saturday. As matter of fact, I flew from Texas to be at the Met. Netrebko vocally, dramatically and theatrically was outstanding and brought the best out of Alagna who sang and acted well. This blog crucified Netrebko for her Il Puritani’s Elvira but it gave her no credit for her Juliette. I bet you Angela was jealous when she saw the passionate love scene, with Netrebko riding on top of Roberto! I think antics of singers they will affect their careers. Angela, so it seems, does not understand that “divadom” is gone and dead. Alagna divorced himself from La Scala, and now Angela from the Lyric Opera of Chicago. With this kind of attitude, lack of professionalism and artistic discipline, and with so many good singers around ready to fill in, there will be no more opera houses left for Angela to sing.
I love how Angela needed to be with her husband “at this important time”. What? Did he need hand-holding? He’s sung many times at the Met and Romeo fits him like a glove.
I’ve read mixed things about Netrebko’s Juliette. Some people have raved about it and others weren’t so impressed.
Whatever the story. If it was me, I would have rather seen Gheorghiu, under rehearsed or not.
How many singers can you name that have a voice like her? Sack her and replace her with Furtal? I wouldn’t spend a minute thinking about it.
Who would you rather see?
There’s something missing from this story.
Listening to the live broadcast from Lyric tonight. Elaine Alvarez is a kickass Mimi. Angela who?!
Actually, listening to the broadcast, one hears a young singer who sounds 25 years older than Gheorgiu, with a painfully forced, spread top. Her bflats in the Act 3 duet are barely there. The pipes are interesting, like a young Villaroel, but that isn’t saying much, isn’t it? Davis can barely hold the show together, and if this is an example of what Donald Nally is going to do with the chorus- good luck. What a mess.
Interestingly, although Alvarez is a real disappointment, Cabelle sounds lovely, very detailed. She’s been getting a fair amount of bad press, but she sounds (on radio)highly professional. One can hear how the basic darkness of the voice might be problematic for a role that sits as consistently low over heavy scoring as Musetta, but her interview in the pause revealed a very intelligent woman who knows hat Musetta is not ideal for her voice. For me, she is the revelation of the broadcast- far finer than her Decca recording shows.
Is that Montserrat Cabelle?
Is that Montserrat Cabelle (sic)?
Seriously, though, does anyone else think that Nicole Cabell sounds like a less sumptuous version of Leona Mitchell?