What was it Frederick Ashton said about the pitfalls of nude ballet? – things moving after the music stopping…….having to sing and the physical effort involved is even less welcome to watch….. Those poor opera diva/o’s have enough to contend with without having to bare their all.

“Straight” theater came from the Greeks too, but still threre was no nudity.

I’d watch out for that Soeur Blanche, by the way.

She strikes me as something of a loose cannon. I don’t think you’d be able to rely on her in your hour of need.

And, meremarie, some of the more tradition-bound of my compatriots used to BOIL at the ‘Lady Hall’ thing. Her ‘title’, as the wife of a knight, would have been ‘Maria, Lady Hall’ which is altogether different. The kind of thing that bothers people who are bothered by that kind of thing.

But it’s an odd relationship, very co-dependent,
in modern parlance ( something of no interest at
all to 18th century audiences I’m sure) BUT,
and I’m sure this will raise a few hackles…
I thought the Peter Sellars ‘Spanish Harlem’
DON G. really worked, with the Afro-American Perry
brothers, twins, as the Don and Leporello, Lorraine
Hunt’s Elvira, struggling a bit with the tessitura
but an intense early memento of a great artist, and
the most convincing Anna/Ottavio relationship I’ve seen…certainly not the only DON G. I would want
to own, and none of the singers would compare favorably with the best, but an example, for me, of
‘regie’ stimulating and enhancing a great work.

a case of signing the box on the.. BOX!! LOL!

Now I really AM aroused!… Behrens, and Solti and Box… Oh MY!

The first total nudity I ever saw on the opera stage – not sure of the year – 1972? – was Carol Neblett’s Poppaea at the New York City Opera. Long before Bumbry became the first nude Salome.

As dear Anna used to say:

“I. Was. Not. Nude.”

It may have looked like I stripped down to my “perfume and jewels” but we artists have WAYS.

Besides, Herr Lick, my first Salome was in *1970* at the Garden.

By the way, Behrens’ naked Brunnhilde wouldn’t have been too grisly a sight. She was no spring chicken when she sang Salome, but she certainly revealed all then. I remember getting her to sign the cover of my Karajan box booklet, between the breasts and bush of the naked lady in the art-image. She was delightful about it all – wearing a leopard-skin coat (not carrying a box of eggs), I seem to remember.

In actual fact though, I would tend to second you general point, especially because of all of the above. I mean just trying to hold her tight, then one hand up the night-gown, between her legs, the other, as she says herself, over her mouth to stifle her cries (attempted cries, allegedely!)… really no time to get naked or even no NEED!

(is it weird that I am being aroused by my own account of this scene?? LOL )

That’s singer power for you, I suppose.

Anyway, I think the piece is much stronger if there is genuine outrage on the side of the ‘angels’: Anna and Elvira are not sops (and I don’t mean sopranos), and even Ottavio needn’t come across as utterly wet if he’s seen as young, naive and inexperienced.