Legends of the fall
When a monumental 20th century masterpiece is revived at the Met, who better to review it than Anthony Tommasini? Today the Times published TT's critique of War and Peace, a compact screed of exactly 799 words. And how, you may ask, were those words distributed? Well almost half the review (351 words) was given over to a rehash of the incident five years ago when the super fell off the set into the pit. Here's how Tony's wordage stacks up in chart form:
POSTED at
10:56 AM
29 Comments:
But how does that compare to word distribution in the original Tolstoy work?
http://cultureonthecheap.wordpress.com
Methinks La Cieca has way too much time on her hands.
tomassini = assclown
Dear la Ceica - you have *many* better things to do with your time!
I think that La Cieca's observations are funny and absolutely correct. Fact is that Tomassini got more space than for a typical opera review and instead wasted it on the super-falling incident. How stupid is that?
I know it's quite "unfashionable" on this, and some other music-sites to say so, BUT I actually (most times) like Tony T's writngs...'hunky , Strapping,virile" descriptions, and all.
The guy is no slouch, IMHO...and I will take him ANYTIME over the vile, awful Mr Holland, and the viler Ms. Midgette (so glad the door is slamming behind her in a couple of weeks
She's not gone: Anne Midgette's posting to the Post is temporary, while Tim Page is on sabbatical and teaching on the West Coast, presuming the recent kerfluffle doesn't cost him the WashPost gig entirely.
La Cieca is right on, methinks, and I wish she would take her pie chart to an ON review of a Met Ring by Martin Bernheimer where 50% of the review rehashed the glories of past stagings, going back to Flagstad, and the remaining four paragraphs covered all aspects of the production and performances under consideration.
any news on NYCO?
you killed it for me, you know...
I could not read TT's piece without trying to decide which category our esteemed Cieca would have assigned to each word. I mean, 'calf muscles' and 'horse' are pretty obvious, but 'English' and 'Kansas-born' could fit into so many pie-pieces...
Gotta love pie.
Aside from that clumsy bitch falling off the stage in 2002, this review was extracted from A.T's review at that time. I am surprised he didn't comment on the crotch display of the soldiers while goose-stepping.
La Cieca has a point. I felt like I was re-reading one of my least-inspired undergrad essays for a course I didn't particularly like and for which I had done virtually no research.
Saying that Ramey has a wide wobble is an understatement. You could drive a truck through it. It's really time for him to retire. He ruined the whole War section for me.
Nice debut for Alexej Markov. I'd like to hear more from him.
but is ramey's wobble any wider than marton's? which truck would drive through that one?
I wish they put that one on DVD or theater broadcast. Any chance?
Excuse me. how dare you diss Sam Ramey?
Yes he may have a wobble, but his voice is large and resonant and gorgeous and powerful and fantastic. And anyone who disagrees should just remember last season's Basilio and Grand Inquisitor- He gave Rene a run for his money!!!
He is timeless in the same way as Domingo- yes, they are old, yes they dont sound as good as they used to, but CHRIST! they still sound fantastic for any age and I'm just happy they didnt retire early cause if not, i would have never heard them.
Cant wait for next year's Leporello!!
I'm sorry, but to tell the truth is not to diss. Making a favorable comparison between Domingo's and Ramey's vocal estates is just wrong. Placido's voice has darkened and has less top. but it is quite listenable. I am a fan of Ramey's, but, with all due respect, I find his wobble to be a distraction and painful to listen to.
Sorry, Eddie, but what I heard on Monday night was beyond painful. Ramey has had a long, memorable career, but there comes a time to say goodbye.
I remember Sam's Basilio and Grand Inquisitor very well. In no way did he give Pape a run for his money.
Funny, I had the same response to the review when I read it this morning. At least there was a photo to remind me that an opera was indeed performed.
Well I, for one, am interested to know whether anyone fell off the stage. The anticipation that someone will take a tumble (perhaps into a tuba or onto a kettle drum or be impaled by bassoon) is the chief reason I go to the opera these days. 'Tis a pity, though, that it never seems to be the soprano who falls ...
Tommasini's- with all due repect- critique of voice and singing in his opera reviews have been most of the time rather 'peripheral.' On the other hand, newspaper editors allow less and less space for arts, and critics have to oblige. Ramey's voice is not aging well for us who remeber him at his glory, like his Argante, in the mid 80s, with Horne's Rinaldo.
Fact is that Ramey's voice did age well. It's just that he's at least 65 now. It's time to hang up the gloves. I remember a Grand Inquisitor from a couple of seasons ago where, despite the huge vibrato, he was supremely powerful. During last season's Don Carlo broadcast, I found that while he can still fill out those notes and nail both low and the high notes, the wobble is so wide now that I almost got motion sickness listening to him.
And for the person who asked, his wobble is so wide, that Marton could drive hers through his... whatever that means. :o)
What's wrong with you people implying that La Cieca has too much free time? This stuff is why I love her...I work in finance, and let me tell you, this is by far the most informative pie chart I've seen in years.
Poor Tony. There are times (such as this) when he must read these pages and wish he were someone else ... someone dealt with with a gentler hand ... Renee, for example. (At least then he'd be able to ... strap on a baritone ... now and then.)
Domingo sounded pretty damned good at last nights Iphigenie -- and I'm not even a particularly big fan.
TT came west for Appomattox the Graham Vick Tannhauser and one or the other of the reviews - maybe both - had me shaking my head at the one-from-column-A-ness of his writing about the singers.
I was actually very impressed with Ramey's performance on Monday. His wobble is present, but only intermittently. If you look back on his career, and think about where his wobble lies most heavily, it makes some sense:
He was never a true bass, but a robust Bass-Baritone. Don Giovanni, Leporello, Figaro were all roles that suited him to a T (is that the right expression?). Experience tells us that as you grow older, your voice lowers. Well, in his case, I am not sure that is true. He sang the higher lying vocal lines in War and Peace with astonishing aplomb, and the long held high passagio note had not a hint of wobble - only spin, ring and beauty. In the lower areas of the score is where is wobble was painfully obvious.
I think in the past ten years, in adopting true bass roles and forcing his voice into those roles, he has developed a habit of pushing in his lowest register - hence, the wobble. In his middle voice, and even passagio, he does not push, and the inherent freedom of the sound therefore is not dampened by a wide vibrato.
So I say, Sam, drop the bass roles, sing the bass-baritone roles again
justanothertenor: It's true. As the GI, he nails those high notes better than some basses in their prime!
I'd love to see a revival of Mefistofele or Semiramide but NOT if I had to endure Ramey in them! Similarly several other operas he used to specialize in. (I don't really want to go to Nabucco again no matter who is singing -- though a Gheorghiu Abigaille would make my fingernails grow and, probably, self-sharpen -- ah, it won't happen.)
It's not like we have no decent bassos around. We have several, who could do all his old parts better than he now can.
Time to quit, Sam.
Post a Comment
<< Home