parterre box

77 comments

• 71
  balabanov11 says:

  October 3, 2007 at 12:30 PM

  Dear Constantine A Papas –

  Thank you for your usual, long-winded response to my posts. In the interest of educating someone who is obviously a heartfelt opera fan, I will be direct here (as opposed to my previous attempt to lighten the mood with humor) – merely being an opera fan, or even being a non-ENT specialist Dr. who has looked at vocal cords,does in no way make you an expert on vocal technique, especially when speaking of the usage of the diaphragm. In this regard, you are as equally “expert” as Tommasini, who, having never even looked at a vocal cord (we can assume), has less ground to stand on than you. That is to what my comments were referring, and why your paragraph concerning the wonders of the soprano vocal cords was besides the point. It’s lovely, although financially questionable, that you would close your practice just to go to the opera. That doesn’t make you an expert on singing technique.

  As for you spelling mistakes, I’m famous myself for them, so I’ve got no problem with that.

  Note – I was at the NYCO “gala” last night – lots of empty seats, and a basically empty affair – Flanigan sang from Comte Ory, and it was typical – really fun, great performance, some passages much fleeter than expected, others yelped and screamed out, but she was a hoot and it was good time. Miricioiu got a great ovation for truly horrible singing (the Robert aria from Robert le Diable (sp))- underpitch, yelled top, thin old-lady-ish middle, weak attempts at arpeggi. The only truly memorable voice was Meaghan Miller in a Taborro duet – really great full lyric voice with a terrific top. The rest was totally forgetable. This is their ‘gala’? They are in big trouble.
• 72
  Constantine A. Papas says:

  October 3, 2007 at 1:44 PM

  Balanabanov 11,

  I never meant to be perceived as an expert on vocal techique. I merely stated certain facts based on anatomical and physiological givens, like lung capacity, exhaling, inhaling, diaphragm movements and vocal cord configuration. Nice chat anyway.
• 73
  Brightshadow says:

  October 3, 2007 at 4:53 PM

  Mrs. John, back to you. You certainly sent me on a memory lane of Trovatores. Alas, I never heard Carlo sing it, but he was my favorite Italian tenor bar none, and you have delineated precisely why.

  I heard Dame Joan’s first two Trovs in SF (or anywhere) with Pav and Wixell; only the Azucenas (Obrastsova and Verrett) were awake. Or one charitably assumes Ricky was asleep. At the time I wanted to stick a cattle prod in his butt, but he’d just have enjoyed that. It was not a happy night for anyone. (Except me; I made a couple of lasting good friendships that evening.)

  My first Trov was Price, Bumbry, McCracken and Milnes; ten days later Arroyo, Dunn, Domingo, Bruson (Met debut). Mehta banged the bejeesus (okay, Ahura-Mazda) out of it. Who noticed the sets? The next year it was Caballe, Cossotto, Tucker, Merrill. Three years later I went again and finally noticed the production: yuck! (I suspect Di quella was transposed for ALL those performances, but I didn’t care. High notes are like orgasms in sex — it’s a really nice part of it, but if that’s all you’re there for, you’ve missed the point.)

  Considering that for years Trov was the first or second most popular stage piece on earth and had tens of thousands of productions, I am bewildered at the problems any house has in doing it justice today. It can’t be THAT hard! Or can it?

  The last time I heard a good one was in Prospect Park with June Anderson and Larissa Diadkova; I sat up front so as to get the voices not the reproduction, and bathed in wonderful sound, exemplary technique.

  Leonora is a tricky role, and if Azucena doesn’t steal the opera from her, you’ve got a bad mezzo. (Price in her prime was, perhaps, another story.)

  - Hans Lick
• 74
  TKLogan11809 says:

  October 4, 2007 at 1:18 AM

  RAS is not my favorite Stuarda and Tommasini not my favorite critic. But he was right about her Stuarda at Carnegie Hall. The sound was sublime. Caballé, and Gencer to an extent, have spoiled the role for me. I don’t like Sutherland’s recording except for the ensembles and Pavarotti.

  Sill’s Stuarda is vulgar, filled with cheap and hollow high notes. I feel like I’m shopping for a pair of Reeboks on Flatbush Avenue every time I listen to it.
• 75
  sugarmezzo says:

  October 4, 2007 at 10:16 AM

  I can’t believe anyone is fighting about vocal technique on this site.

  Great singers don’t all agree on vocal technique. (even ones who all have it)

  Jerome Hines wrote great singers on singing, or… well, it’s something like that – I can’t remember the title – but it’s really interesting to read what a cross section of truly great artists has to say on singing technique.
• 76
  sugarmezzo says:

  October 4, 2007 at 10:17 AM

  Here’s an amazon link – sorry I’m so spacey – haven’t had coffee yet:

  http://www.amazon.com/Great-Singers-Singing-Interviews-Technique/dp/0879100257
• 77
  Dale says:

  October 13, 2007 at 5:11 PM

  I hadn’t heard she had cancer. I saw Ms. Swenson in La Traviata a few years ago at The Met in NY and she was brilliant. Happy thoughts to her.