Comments on: pira pressure

By: hysteria rains

hysteria rains — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:57:17 +0000

ah yes, Malde, reviewer of all things badly, and that which he likes is drek, lover of lesser vocies takes a moment to confirm what Cieca already knew months ago, that Millo is the cover for both Gioconda and Adrianna. Gelb putting fat people on stage? “I’ve been informed”, now that is funny.

By: Sanford

Sanford — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:56:13 +0000

I personally think Jose Cura is the single most over-rated tenor ever.

By: Melot's Younger Brother

Melot's Younger Brother — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:24:29 +0000

Fabio Armiliato has some upcoming performances in the U.S – Calaf in San Diego and Dick Johnson in D.C., both in 2011.

By: Melot's Younger Brother

Melot's Younger Brother — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:45:41 +0000

iltenoredigrazia: Licitra has not withdrawn from the LA Tabarro, which opens September 6.

By: Regina delle fate

Regina delle fate — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:13:57 +0000

MassimO GiordanO may not go down well at the Met but his Lensky at Glyndebourne was absolutely wonderful – a real unexpected triumph. He should sing lyric repertoire in smallish houses. Marcello GiordanI would be a more than adequate Maurizio or Manrico. Kaufmann doesn’t know either role yet, but he will be singing Maurizio to Angela’s Adriana in a new Covent Garden production in 2010 according to the September Opera magazine.

By: Gualtier MaldÃ¨

Gualtier MaldÃ¨ — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:31:45 +0000

I have been informed that Millo, facing an empty calendar and no income, did eventually sign the covering contract for “Gioconda” and “Adriana”. But would Gelb actually put her onstage?

Cura is on the Covent Garden DVD of “Trovatore” with Villarroel and Hvorostovsky. He looks like Che Guevara in several scenes and smokes a cigar! (Since you liked the cigar-smoking Erwin Schrott, I know several of you want to see that). No leather pants though.

By: Donna Anna

Donna Anna — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:11:55 +0000

Palombi sang Caravadossi in Cincinnati opposite Millo three years ago and stole the show, the stage, the curtains…everything. His acting was ok–that voice was amazing. That was then. He was scheduled for Don Carlo next year but something better came along. He’s also scheduled for Otello in 2010. As for Armaliato, he’s got a hot career in Europe and doesn’t seem to want to travel. What I’ve seen and heard on youtube indicates a fine, powerful voice, and good acting chops. Alagna could certainly do Manrico–he’s done it in Paris and at Orange, I believe.

By: armerjacquino

armerjacquino — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 09:48:54 +0000

It is Travolta and Cage. The Face/Off poster. It’s a joke. Do you see?

By: qxr

qxr — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 07:26:13 +0000

Am not sure who the divided face guy is at the top. It looks like Travolta and Nik Cage

By: scifisci

scifisci — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 01:52:36 +0000

both cura and mr. G have sung it. And I too think cura could do maurizio well. Certainly better than manrico! But it hardly matters without a credible adriana. If only the met had the sense to reassemble the oony cast from 04!

By: Willym

Willym — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:39:32 +0000

If what’s left of my memory serves me right the production of Adrianna is older than 1963 – it was purchased from San Carlo for Renata Tebaldi. In Naples it had starred Olivero (who stepped in for Tebaldi at the last minute,) Corelli, Bastianini and Simionato and that would have been November 1959.

Some one has posted excerpts from that performances on YouTube including the last scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNeNuA3Kqj4

By: iltenoredigrazia

iltenoredigrazia — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:24:47 +0000

Alagna and Cura will be at the Met around that time. I actually think that Maurizio may be an ideal role for Cura. (Also Paolo in Francesca da Rimini and Johnson in Fanciulla.) Have either Cura or Alagna done Trovatore before? How about Giordani ?

By: Harry

Harry — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:36:31 +0000

One thing I have to give the Vicar of Wakefield. He consistantly comes up with a perverse comical sense for casting roles.
“37. On August 15, 2008 at 1:16 am, The Vicar of John Wakefield gushed:
Fiend and Billingsgate should ring up Dennis Oâ€™Neill and John Hudson!”

By: not telling

not telling — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:06:10 +0000

I seem to remember reading somewhere (here?) that Millo was offered the cover for Gioconda and Adriana, but the deal was cover only (no alternate performances) so she declined. Can anyone confirm?

By: NYCOQ

NYCOQ — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:58:58 +0000

Me thinks that this will be the role to prove to the Met that Gulag-ghena is not the star that Volpe & Gelb are trying to make her out to be. I have no desire to ever hear this woman onstage again. I can’t imagine true opera queens wanting to see this woman in yet another vocally miscast role at the Met. This role does not require someone who is just LOUD – she is a tasteless singer who will not be able to finesse any of the singing that is required outside of the scream match with the Principessa.

Millo? Hmmmm? Could she possibly do it? I haven’t heard her since her last ill-fated Tosca at the Met a couple of seasons back. She certainly has the temperment for the role. She has always tried to channel Tebaldi – can she still channel Tebaldi vocally in that role? I hope she is covering the role – after Gulag’s failure maybe she will feign some illness and we can watch the mad dash of queens to the box office to hear Millo sing it.

By: arepo

arepo — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:46:24 +0000

I vote for Kaufmann first, Calleja or Palombi second.
(Place your bets here that the Met picks Giordani!)

By: Mandryka

Mandryka — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 15:19:20 +0000

Would Adriana not be the perfect role for Karita Mattila?

By: scifisci

scifisci — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:31:47 +0000

I had no idea there was a video of kabaivanska singing adriana! She’s wonderful! Does anyone know if it is available in at least passable quality?

By: Thackeray Gnomey

Thackeray Gnomey — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:47:03 +0000

You’re right, iltenore … It seems that la vraie Adrienne was only 38 when she died. Has anyone seen the 1938 French movie about the actress with Yvonne Printemps or (taken from Wikipedia) … “Dream of Love … a 1928 MGM silent film, directed by Fred Niblo, and starring Joan Crawford and Nils Asther. The film is based on the play Adrienne Lecouvreur by EugÃ¨ne Scribe and Ernest Legouve. In the film, Asther plays Prince Maurice de Saxe and Crawford plays Adrienne Lecouvreur, a Gypsy performer, in a tale of lost love and revenge.” Crawford was still young and pretty in 1928 …

By: iltenoredigrazia

iltenoredigrazia — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:39:58 +0000

I disagree with the characterization of Adriana as a role for aging sopranos. True that it doesn’t have challenging high notes. And true that it requires a soprano who can dominate the stage, a talent acquired mainly through experience.

Kabaivanska was a very succesful Adriana while still in her prime and far from being an aging soprano. Tebaldi and Olivero were arguably the two best exponents of the role and both sang it when past their prime, but both had been singing the role since they were younger. Caballe was not an aging soprano when she sang the role in the mid-1970′s. Lina Cavalieri was the first Adriana at the Met and I believe she was quite young – and beautiful – at the time.

Come on, let’s not pigeonhole the role.

By: jatm2063

jatm2063 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:44:57 +0000

Caro Cieca: might Guleghina have been cast (however vocally odd a choice for the part) simply because Peter Gelb thinks all the queens will come out to see the bitch fight (both vocal and histrionic) between Guleghina and Borodina?

I have a suggestion for a new parterre feature:

Diva Death Match

You could have fights to the death between:

Cecilia Bartoli and David Daniels

Renee Fleming vs. Angela Georghiu

Elizabeth Futral vs. Anna Netrebko

Deborah Voight vs. Anne Schwanewilms

Diana Damrau vs. Natalie Dessay

Jane Eaglen vs. the MET costume department

Stephanie Blythe vs. a giant cheesecake

etc.
etc.

By: manrico&Maurizio

manrico&Maurizio — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:01:19 +0000

I agree that Borodina is a glamorous voice for Principessa, but not a great actress and I don’t know if it is only me, but I’ve never seen Borodina in 15 years to smile once on stage (in character or by curtain calls). She seems very cold singer alla Toczyska, her last predecessor of Principessa, who at least had a glamorous appearance. It looks to me like Borodina is always bored and just doing her job to get a paycheck. Where is the fire of Simionato, Cossotto, Obraztsova or acting skills of Resnik; or glamour of Bumbry and Verrett?

By: kashania

kashania — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:11:19 +0000

Millo must be covering the role, no? It’s one of the remaining roles that she can get her voice around. If the Met is still interested in presenting her AND they’re putting on Adriana…

By: High C's @ 4:20

High C's @ 4:20 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:55:19 +0000

I should of said it when i thought it… cuz i was surprized no one had… i was gonna say Millo too… i thought she was terrif in the OONY… so call Dolora too…

And tell Aprile to wear that fabulous headpiece again…

By: La Cieca

La Cieca — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:47:13 +0000

neiln007: or, even better, Aprile Millo, who to my mind has something more of the sacro fuoco, though Dessi is certainly worlds better than Guleghina.

By: kashania

kashania — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:41:50 +0000

La Cieca: You know, I hadn’t given Ghulghina’s chest voice much thought but thinking back to her Lady M., you’re right. And THANKS for that youtube clip!

Jatm: Now that I’ve actually given it a bit of thought (instead of my drive-by comment), I realised that I pegged the role wrongly. Adriana is great for past-her-prime sopranos who no longer have the top notes but have a good command of the rest of the voice and can still sing beautifully. Ghulegina’s voice is past its prime but her problem isn’t high notes (she can still get out the high Cs with variable consistency) but that she has holes peppered throughout her voice. And Adriana is a not a screamy verismo role. I agree with your choices for the role but if you haven’t, you must hear Olivero in the role.

And Borodina would be a dream as the Principessa.

By: Thackeray Gnomey

Thackeray Gnomey — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:24:59 +0000

Tagliavini, I see

By: Thackeray Gnomey

Thackeray Gnomey — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:24:00 +0000

Who’s the tenor with Raina?

By: neiln007

neiln007 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:11:33 +0000

Why not Daniela Dessi and her partner Armiliato for Adriana?

By: jatm2063

jatm2063 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:24:11 +0000

kashania: I do see your point, and I thought about it too, but my personal taste in the part leans toward a much more refulgent sound than Guleghina can muster. Her hysterical, unsettled, screamy sound may be acceptable for Abigaille or Turandot or Lady Macbeth (to some), but a good Adriana goes along the Tebaldi, Scotto, Caballe, Freni lines. There are also quite a few delicate, floaty moments that Guleghina’s vocal technique simply can’t do.

Borodina could be very fine as the Princess, however.

I wonder why they chose to do this right now. In the Met’s history, it has tended to be put on for prima donnas a bit past their prime who have had quite long and very distinguished careers there. Guleghina has certainly sung there often enough over the last 12 years or so, but at least half of what she has done has been controversial, to put it mildly.