Anything I can do, she can do better
Multifaceted Aprile Millo has branched out into blogging, and her site, operavision, includes some of the smartest online opera commentary La Cieca has seen. Currently she's expounding on Opera in 3D, a fascinating article if you can tear yourself away from the image of Renata Tebaldi shaking hands with an astronaut! La Millo naturally has penned a most moving tribute to her late colleague Luciano Pavarotti and includes some rare video of the legendary tenor (and other great performers, including herself!) on the site. Explore!
POSTED at
11:12 AM
29 Comments:
It's official, Aprile Millo is now a full-fledged gay man!!!!
Wow! A diva with her own blog!
She must have enormous time on her hands now, since Mr. Gelb isn't very kind to her.
Another favorite link of mine...
I saw her in Tosca and Gioconda last season and was astonished by her use of histrionics to compensate for below par singing. And it was also annoying that there was clearly a claque applauding her....I refuse to believe that those people were applauding her on merit....she was a lovely singer once but she can only emote grotesquely in verismo parts....no more Aidas and Luisa Millers....and if she is really a gay man, she will have a hard time getting cruised in the village...or anywhere else for that matter
I've heard a tape of her recent Maddalena at the Met. She has many weaknesses -- the voice just doesn't respond the way she'd like it to. And one gets the sense that she's singing by herself and not with anyone else. But the quality of the voice itself is still gold -- a rich, beautiful and alluring voice.
Oddly, she took the concert ending of "La mamma morta", with poor results (the last note was flat and soon dropped). The ovation she received after her aria, however, would have one think that Callas or Tebaldi had come back from the grave to sing.
I'd love to see her in person. Her voice and dramatic temprament alone are worth it.
Congratulations again "Anonymous"- for bringing down the tone of the article. I don't know if you are one person or several but if you are several people the one thing you all have in common is a natural bitchiness which is most unnatractive.
Pity you can't at least publish under your own name, stage or otherwise- until you do, many of us will continue to see you as a kind of non person.
Bitchiness rules here, anonymous or otherwise. I don't think putting a false name on one's opinion makes it any more attractive or believable.
One problem with "anonymous" is that we can never be clear whether several posts by "anonymous" come from several people or one. Not that important, I know, but I'm in favour of clarity.
"I don't think putting a false name on one's opinion makes it any more attractive or believable."
No, which is why real names are best, but even false names make the poster look ever-so-slightly less like an asshole. And it helps the rest of us keep track of which asshole is posting which opinion.
Well, what else do you but blog or dust when you can't sing or teach? Or once the land line stops ringing for good (I say land line on the assumption that the lady doesn't own a cellphone; after all, isn't she the reincarnation of divas past, in her own mind anyway?).
Here girls, a really nice "Liebestod" from Cheryl Studer. Forget Millo!
http://www.operainchina.com/clips/studer2001bj_3.mp3
8 November 2001, Beijing, China (Poly Theater)
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra
Guoyong Zhang, conductor
A-HA! Well, Anonymous, or perhaps one of several Anonymouses, You just gave yorself away. Welcome back, Marshallian. We haven't missed you.
Sorry, Baritenor- probably not the legendary Marschallin. I posted Studer's calendar twice under that name just to get people worked up.I always assumed Mrs. John Claggart was the latest reincarnation of Marschallin based on the sheer nastiness of the comments.
Keikobad-
Legendary would not be the word I'd use to describe Marschallin. More like "strongly annoying, but not worthy of any kind of hatred." If I may use I high school analogy, Marschallian was that guy in the back of science class who could only talk about how much more ass Captain Picard kicked than Captain Kirk.
And seriously, man, why do a Marschie impersonation here? You KNOW all it does is get me riled up and makes things unpleasent. Can't we just discuss opera without desending into bitchyness? And don't tell me that Bitchiness is what rules on this site; because that is not true. The way I see it; singers are fair game, other posters less so.
Oh, and if I remember, Marshallian and Mrs. C (who has apparently left us as she said she would, unfortunetly) got into it once or twice, and so are not the same person.
It grieves me to see another poster driven from the boards. We've lost CallasOrphan, The Interpolator, Henry Holland, Il Tenore di Grazia, and so many others. Now Mrs. C has joined the group. Why? Suddenly I look around and I'm a veteran poster, and I'm probably the youngest person on the board. The only person currently posting who I remember from the early days of my posting is Paddypig. Where did everyone go?
hey cieca, why the vaseline on the lens photos with the divas these days... i suppose it's good on the wrinkles.
Salzburglar:
These photos are screen captures from YouTube. The soft-focus is to mask the graininess of the source image. I also like the "vintage" look, which particularly suits the Millo persona.
Baritenor, maybe some left because they were bored or fed up with the bitchiness. The Interpolator likely left because he didn't want to be outed. Marschie probably drove some people away. Mrs. Claggart will probably come back under yet another nom de plume. Although he now posts at Opera-L under his real name: Albert Innaurato.
"Mrs. Claggart ... now posts at Opera-L under his real name: Albert Innaurato."
I have no idea if that's how MJC 'really' was, but that's who I assumed it was, everything s/he wrote reminded me of the formidable AI.
Mrs. Claggert, if i rcall, made no secret that she was also Albert, but there's a reason I stay away from opera-L.
Aw Baritenor am I so colourless that you don't remember me? I've been posting long before our friend Paddypig came around.
I'm sorry some of our posters decide to pull the plug but I also get the feeling when they do they have just found their excuse to pull out- I think they enjoy posting for a while then get bored and look for an excuse to move on.
Surely such obviously intelligent and talented people aren't that easily intimidated by what usually are "stupidities"?
Hello there; I'm still here, after a couple of years of following this world-renowned site. Sometimes it's more interesting to read the postings than having anything to say, but this is usually the first site I check after Drudge. Anybody have any thoughts on why there were only 29 postings on the release from his earthly form of Pav the Great?
Keikobad-
I don't think the "departure" of MJC is to be regretted- most of the "postings" with its pretence of knowing how much was being drunk backstage by Wagnerians during the thirties, or who was blowing who 60 years ago. 90 per cent was bullshit, and anyone who ends a posting with "fuck you- I'm sure you can't sing" isn't capable of inteliigent discourse, but needs to up their meds. A lot of the professionals on the board "disappear" because they're too busy making opera to gossip about it; one assumes that they read the board anyway. Let's not forget the nasty attack on a singer who used to regularly post on this board (not the Santa Fey reviews, but a direct attack from BB, another know-it-all asshole who probably never worked a day in the field), in the meantime the postings from that singer have virtually disappeared, which is a shame, as that well-known young singer added quite a bit to the board.
It's probably true that some people don't repost because of the problem with the blog sign in, which has forced me to change my name 3 times. The current system is better- but I resent being accused of cowardice by someone using a false name because I chose to use anonymous for a quick sign-in.
A brief search turned up this rather amusing comment on a similiar situation to the the recent "departure" of MJC, preceded by their bizarre death scene ending with the line, "Go listen to Giulia Neri", or some other such Rasponi type quote. I hope the original poster forgives the quote- feel free to delete it.
"As a relative newcomer to this list, Emma perhaps
does not know of the scorn with which many of us
regard the "Parto, parto" ploy -- that is, the
feigned farewell intended to motivate one's
supporters to cry, "Oh, don't leave us, Emma." I am
confident, though, that a lady of Mme. Albani's
wisdom, panache and confidence would never stoop to
such shoddy emotional manipulation, and that the
wise and level-headed members of this list would
never fall for so transparent a ruse."
Well, I couldn't resist after "Keikobad's' moronic post. You are a fool dear. And you know nothing. As to who Emma Albani is, it is to laugh. With onanists like you spouting here who needs it? Most of what I wrote is actually verified, and the many sources will be cited in a book to be published in the next year, in fact they are not so hard to find, if you can read, doubtful in your case, dear. As to responding with hostility to posters who are hostile to me, often stupidly, as you are, well fuck you you can't sing, if you are a singer (let's hope not, does the profession need more stupid fools?)
LOL- so much for your (sniff) dignified farewell. well, we are all morons next to you, aren't we?
I congratulate you on winning the Darwinian sweepstakes, and on correctly spelling onanism. You must be so proud. And your sources.
Oh, and of course one KNEW you had to be watching the board that you claimed to have no more time for. How weak.
Dear, your come back is so weak, you'd be unable to hold onto the hard lump of shit that's got you salivating right now. What got me back, is Emma Albani, and I'm thrilled you will never know why!!!
Emma Albani(retired 1911) was, according to wikipedia, the frst Canadian opera diva to achieve world renown.
MJC, you misunderstand- you seem to think I actually care what you think about anything. On the contrary I find you a loathsome slanderer of no talent who is the unfortunate product of a counterculture that sometimes values vulgarity and invented history over it's more genuine and admirable contributions to society. And is the way you write really representative of a literary mind? Perhaps of Al Goldstein or Larry Flynt, certainly not of the same world that produced Arthur Miller. Personally, I look forward to your no doubt extensive obit in the Times, to which I shall certainly enjoy cutting and pasting into blogs mourning you your finest literary accomplishment, that of telling people to eat shit or fuck off when they disagree. Nothing more charming than a literary Stalinist.
Have a nice day.
LJC, Emma Albani was and on some boards still is a poster about opera. I thought her identity was well known but not to the idiot "Keikobad". So I was very amused. (Emma was also a famous singer who fell on hard times and was rescued by Melba who she hated more than any human she knew!!!). Keikobad your ravings are those of a moron -- Arthur Miller??? That's a great writer?! The most notable thing he did was abandon his Downs Syndrome Child, as a playwright he was nothing on Williams, or for that matter Inge -- yet because they were known to be gay and he was straight the 'critics' of the time preferred him. I can't think of a worse play by a renowned writer, a writer thought to symbolize his country than The Crucible -- in fact though Death of a Salesman was very timely and sincere the weakest Williams, Albee are better, more 'writerly' than the best Miller. Well, the most amazing theater genius of their time (though admittedly not an exact contemporary) was Charles Ludlum who died forgotten of AIDS.
What I detected in you and the other anonymi was the internalized homophobia of very stupid queens -- no one can be gay and enjoy gay sex and be great. It's inconceivable that a magnificent talent had whatever homosex he/she preferred but moved a multitude. I reply because of your stupidity, limitations and self loathing. But ultimately you deserve merely a fuck you -- you are more worthless than a small dog turd one steps over in a street heaped with more interesting filth. And by all means go on, I won't respond again and that's a promise.
I also miss Callasorphan. one of my favorite posters. never nasty always fun. I don't post as often because often it is just too nasty. also travel alot and haven't got access to internet. Nice to be remembered though as one of the longer-term posters. Callasorphan, if you are out there, say hello. I do agree that some of the postings have gotten too nasty and tiresome. How often can you complain about Fleming and Netrebko ( I am not a fan of either one for similar reasons- beautiful natural instruments, but musically lazy and replacing real acting with high camp, and not in a fun way like Millo!) I also do not care to comment when so many people bitch Florez and Villizon (I am a big fan of both) Posting for some people is like masturbating in public. They want everyone to watch them show off how smart they are rather than add to a real discussion. still here and still posting occassionally
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