Lee’s Manon Lescaut was a disaster of historical proportions (she went on for Kubiak, big mistake) and when she tried to act elegant in act two the audience at the first night roared with laughter, so did she!!!!!!!!! It’s true that on nights 2 and 3 she did a very good act four, but that was too late).

I LOVED Gilda, I don’t care what anybody says. She didn’t attain a high level of consistency but there’s not a spinto or even a big lyric in the world like her and when not crazy with fear she could be stunning — a Lady Macbeth with the also marvelous Carolli (in Hartford or NJ? I age I forget) was fantastic; she’s wasn’t quite Little Renata in Suor Angelica or my adored Kabaivanska (who tongue kissed me when I went backstage after the evening in Rome — but I had known her since I was 16 or so), or the very fine Soviero. She was however a terrific Aida (often with Ruben Ticker, standees would complain but to have that today!!!), and in fact she did the big Verdi roles very well.

Gilda gave up early, she got in her hubby’s 12 wheeler and took off for spaces unknown. A pity.

I agree with those who support cancelling Tristan when a tenor worth of appearing at the Met in the role isn’t available. Just matter of respect for the patrons. Having said that, I’ll be at the Met next Tuesday for T&I… who will my Tristan be? Jon Vickers is still alive…

And I remember Wixell and Capecchi as being excellent too.

I was in high school. The usher told my father that Price had been offered the chance to sing Tosca; she hadn’t done so with the company since 1962 and demurred.

How many of us were at the Forza/Tosca night (3/1/77)? I was a student in Hartford and a whole crew piled into my old station wagon and drove down to see “our” diva, Leontyne. The Price/Domingo/Milnes recording had just come out a short time before that and we were stoked. Then crushed. And to think we were screwed by a fellow alumnus, Cornell MacNeil. However, Domingo did seem to try to give even more that night than usual.

I’ve never fogiven MacNeil for that one or the other time he screwed with us. The following year he quit after act one of an Otello performance. The first intermission went on and on and on. Finally they announced that MacNeil couldn’t go on and that they had found someone to take his place but would be a while before he could get there (the cover had left). Half an hour later they came on and announced they were ready to start and the replacement was Milnes. The audience went nuts. Act 2 started, he came in too early on Non ti crucciar, corrected himself and came in again when he should have — the house errupted.

I think I’d feel about the same way substituting another opera for T&I. I’m out in the boonies and have been looking forward to the HD broadcast on 3/22 all year. I don’t think they could do anything else on that day without causing a complete uproar. Screwing 4000 people in the house is one thing. Screwing a whole lot more around the world would be another. Either Heppner is well by then or they have to go and get the best available Tristan for the broadcast at whatever the cost. May the daCosta idea would not be so bad either. Just don’t make poor Mac Masters have to do it all again. I fear it could kill him.

i think i’m screwed

Really, just do another opera.
I went to a Forza once when the cancellations caused the MET to perform Tosca instead.

“I heard that too and a great TOSCA it was- Criz-Romo, Domingo, Wizell and Levine. Great stuff.”

Voigt/Janice Baird
de Young/Margaret Jane Wray
Heppner/Gary Lehman (John MacMaster?)
Schulte/Richard Paul Fink
Salminen/Gregory Reinhardt
Geartner/Luis Otey
etc.

The production leaves me cold. Saw it a couple years ago with Eaglen…OY Let us hope that whoever they put in can cut the mustard……