you’re an old smoothie
Plácido Domingo will sing the role of Maurizio in Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur at the Metropolitan Opera for six performances in February 2009, replacing Marcelo Ãlvarez, who, as we heard before, is jumping into the title role in the Met’s new production of Verdi’s Il Trovatore.
As the press release from the Met notes, “With these performances of Adriana Lecouvreur, Domingo returns to the role of his Met debut, forty years ago on September 28, 1968. Since then, Domingo has only sung the role of Maurizio once at the Met, in 1983.”
And, wouldn’t you know it, there’s YouTube documentation of that performance. Not only does Domingo sing “L’anima ho stanca,” he even kvells a bit with Beverly Sills, the Renée Fleming of her day.
You lot are now so obsessed with “fragrance” that the Google ads in the corner are now displaying nothing but! Where have all the wedding singers gone?
Point of interest, ironic perhaps in view of the discussion above. Years ago I had tickets to hear Otello at Covent Garden with Domingo and Ricciarelli and I think Silvano Carolli (sp?). I’d been dreaming about hearing Domingo in Otello for years, since his earliest recording with Levine and Scotto. On the day of the performance, Domingo cancelled and was replaced by Charles Craig! In the event, Craig was amazingly good-he was then well into his 60s I think–and it was the other artists who disgraced themselves. Absent Domingo, the others acted as though it no longer mattered and they treated Craig and the audience with barely disguised contempt–Ricciarelli grievously so. Even Colin Davis, whom I’ve always admired, rushed through the performance with little evident respect for either Verdi or his performers. A sad occasion.
On Domingo. I’d just like to second Ruxton’s very fair and reasonable assessment of his career. I am one of those to whom his voice speaks loud and clear–his Fanciulla–also at Covent Garden in the early 80s– remains one of the benchmark operatic memories of my life. As an American, I also feel a genuine sense of gratitude for the devotion he’s shown to the art form in this country. We owe him a great debt of gratitude. Cocky, you seem more than reasonable about all this. If you don’t respond to the voice or the artistry, you don’t respond. Its really as simple as that. No need to explain or apologize. I feel that a voice either touches your soul or it doesn’t and no amount of argument for or against can persuade you otherwise. Good luck to you all.
a God is Corelli singing the forza from naples, that is a god.
Domingo? Gawd maybe.
Handing out gold stars for conduct are we, Cocky?
Since when do you speak for “people in general”?
COCKS AND VICARS AND DEAD BEARS oh my
“Cocks and Vicars and Dead Bears!–Oh My!” is my absolute favorite Noel Coward song. I play the Bea Lillie recording all the time. Now if we could only get Rufus Wainwright to translate it into French for us.
and let me guess…the understudies for Guleghina, Borodina, and Domingo are going to be Verrett, Bumbry, and Bergonzi.
Cocky thank you so much- but I have to admit I’m really not quite as nice as I’d like to be – the bitch in me frequently pops out
(Like with the Vicar)- basic self got out there- he’s ok he’s just stuck in a groove. If he qualified his bald statements a bit more he would probably be quite interesting.
Tustuprof- funny you should mention your experience with la Riccarelli etc – with her I had the opposite experience. When she was at her peak she was doing a stadium Aida here and I was really looking forward to seeing her. As she opened her mouth to utter the first phrase the heavens opened and we all had to scatter, only to come back three nights later- when we did, she was gone, replaced by a local
Cocky! You’re sooooooo young! Which is very nice for you…but, you missed Domingo’s glory years which were from his Royal Opera debut in 1970 (Cavaradossi) until about the mid 1990s. I think I have seen him all but two of the roles he has sung at Covent Garden (Rodolfo in La Bohème and Loris in Fedora) although two of them, Radamès and Don José, I saw in other places (Verona and the Met). I have to say that he is the most CONSISTENT singer I have known in more than 35 years of opera going and if that sounds like faint praise, well, yes there were nights when he “faxed” in a couple of performances, but I have only heard him sing poorly on one occasion, the Otello with Kleiber when he was clearly ill and cancelled to be replaced by Jeffrey Lawton (even an ill Domingo was better than that!). On the other hand there have been nights when he was simply magnificent: the first Otello with Kleiber and Margaret Price in 1980, the three series of Fanciullas (no-one, but no-one in my experience has combined his vocal allure with thrilling commitment to this tricky, not always grateful role), and the first Hoffmann’s in, I think, 1982. He sang the role a lot around that time and he was right inside the role. In latter years, I have often seen him coast through his parts without much dramatic engagement, but he still sang beautifully. So he never had much of a high C – well maybe not, but opera is more than about a few high notes, thrilling as they can be, and Domingo’s career adds up to one of the most brilliant since recordings began. Possibly he has recorded too much and too late, but the stuff from his prime – the 1970s and 1980s – is often magnificent. If you want to know how much he is missed, try catching a broadcast of the Salzburg Otello with Alexandrs Antonenko – Charles Craig was a great Otello by comparison, so Vicar can stuff himself!
I hear that Gulgehına has been replaced. They offered ıt fırst to Olıvero. then Kabaıvanska and Albanese. who all refused. but I happy to announce that the great obscene Lucıne (amara that ıs) wıll return to the MET ın the role of adrıana wıth Cossotto makıng a comeback (she hates that word) as the Prıncess. they wanted Placıdo to sıng wıth sıngers hıs own age. Gelb has decıded to have the greatest nıght of opera ın hıstory (1970 that ıs)