Comments on: i want to liveblog!

By: jatm2063

jatm2063 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:57:52 +0000

Oh yeah, and that the Met made a fortune out of it, and they probably can’t wait to do it again, and make another fortune.

By: jatm2063

jatm2063 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:56:21 +0000

So what I am getting out of everyone’s opinions overall was that:

She looked mostly good.

She sang mostly well, although she was somewhat overtaxed in the Massenet (Cieca’s eyebrows raised often during that part of it).

Everyone enjoyed it overall.

Isn’t that about it?

By: Lindoro

Lindoro — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:43:02 +0000

Thank you cara Cieca for publishing my reports.

By: La Christina

La Christina — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:32:19 +0000

“I also find him sorta sexyâ€¦”

Oh, I’m so glad you said that, brooklynpunk. I can’t say I’m having dreams about him, but ever since his Lensky a couple of years ago at the Met, I’ve found something kind of charismatic about him. And, yeah, his “Viva Mexico” got a pretty big cheer here in New Mexico!

By: Ruxton

Ruxton — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:44:35 +0000

*thinks* Damn! – I shouldn’t have embarrassed the girl asking about her fan spray like that. I shoulda been more discrete and just asked Kashania.

By: brooklynpunk

brooklynpunk — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:31:04 +0000

“Well, we here in the Mexican corner of the country rather liked Vargas cast as a lover. Much happy discussion of that at intermission”

Hey,La Christina;

It’s funny you mentioned that–I was sitting in Times Square, surrounded by a rather large group of Mexican tourists, watching the Gala. When Vargas spoke a few words in Spanish, during one of the preConcert interviews, and finished by saying “Viva Mexico!” —the crowd around me went wild—it was kinda cool!!

I also find him sorta sexy…

By: Ruxton

Ruxton — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:20:24 +0000

Josephine – did you also use Tussy on Pussy?

By: brooklynpunk

brooklynpunk — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:14:38 +0000

Micaela;

Well..if it’s a choice between the train-wreck that the Friday night debates will probably disolve into(and will be repeated ad-nauseum—but of course I’m gonna watch.) OR- the visual train-wreck on the MET stage(if the production is identical to the one they did in ’04–I’d still vote for Matilla’s bush, instead of gagging over McBush

By: La Christina

La Christina — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:08:03 +0000

61. “But he was grossly miscast in both roles, especially for transmission to the masses. People actually laughed during the hotâ€™n’heavy scene of Manon.”

Well, we here in the Mexican corner of the country rather liked Vargas cast as a lover. Much happy discussion of that at intermission. But, even if he’s not your type, c’mon, this is opera. We love it when a 250 lb Helena rises from the arms of a 300 lb. Menelaus.

By: Ruxton

Ruxton — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 05:04:11 +0000

EWWWW! Is that after using the Whipper-Snipper?

By: Josephine

Josephine — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:41:26 +0000

I used to use tussy underarm deodorant.

By: rukidn

rukidn — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:34:47 +0000

Mi lagnerÃ² tacendo della mia sorte amar,

By: MicaÃ«la

MicaÃ«la — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:58:53 +0000

brooklynpunk: thanks, I will reconsider! I do want to see it, just not if it’s going to be a trainwreck. It’s true that early and late Strauss are quite different matters…. or maybe the Capriccio was just under-rehearsed.

By: Ruxton

Ruxton — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:57:36 +0000

Kashania – Ohhhhhhh! Can you see them too?

By: kashania

kashania — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:49:09 +0000

Ruxont: MANNERISMS!!!

By: La Cieca

La Cieca — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:50:10 +0000

tustuprof, La Cieca has decided that since you are unhappy here, she will give you a little more free time to finish your psychology degree. Cheap psychoanalysis of herself La Cieca does not object to, though she finds it pretty boring reading. On the other hand, she sees no reason to provide a forum for the one-note bashing of other commenters. You have the option of returning to us, tustuprof, if you care to demonstrate that you’re interested in doing something here besides insulting your fellow commenters.

Let’s keep the personal stuff to a minimum, shall we? La Cieca has better things to do with her time than to act as referee.

By: Ruxton

Ruxton — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:52:18 +0000

“While the Met must be applauded for their efforts and concept to gain and hold a greater audience, I fear they did themselves a disservice last evening. Was it the Metâ€™s opening night or Renees? – She is simply not of the stature that they wish her to be -I want to take nothing away from herâ€¦” – Ronizetti

“Disservice” = 6 mill.
“Met’s or Renees opening night?” = don’t they know?
“Not of the stature” = who is then?
“I want to take nothing away from her”= oh really? You could have fooled me! All in all- another brilliant example of high calibre, unbiased crit in Parterre when it comes to anything by Miss RF.

By: Ruxton

Ruxton — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:27:28 +0000

“Sheâ€™s not gifted in the interpretation department so she makes up for it withâ€¦ well you know the rest”…Kashania.

Sorry Kashania, I don’t. But lately your tongue has been so far up Josephine I’m surprised you can hear anything at all

By: Ruxton

Ruxton — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:21:50 +0000

Wasn’t Ms Flemming wonderful! She looked so good- smelled divine- and sounded awesome! I can’t wait to see her Tosca and Armida. The sooner the Met installs more British administrators to make that happen sooner, the better.

By: brooklynpunk

brooklynpunk — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:45:00 +0000

“Summers didnâ€™t inspire confidence in the realm of Strauss-conducting last night”

Well..listening on Sirius, RIGHT NOW, on my ‘puter, I think Strauss is in fairly good hands…better than the last time we heard this at the MET, at least (under Gergiev)

By: MicaÃ«la

MicaÃ«la — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:37:08 +0000

That first dress would have gotten its designer kicked off Project Runway in short order.

Summers didn’t inspire confidence in the realm of Strauss-conducting last night (though I thought Renee was very good in this part, the orchestra in the interlude that opened the scene was an utter horror), so I’m thinking about skipping Salome and staying home for the presidential debate on Friday…. those who are seeing Salome right now better report.

By: rysanekfreak

rysanekfreak — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:44:20 +0000

to 47. Rinaldo. You were in the movie theater. I was at home listening on Sirius. We got a lot of Margaret J interviews, including a long one with Christine Baranski, which was mostly about Mamma Mia, her friendship with Renee, and her Julliard days, when she would stand outside the Met as curtain time approached and sometimes get handed a free ticket. One of those tickets, she claimed, was to a Nozze di Figaro with DFD.

By: Cassandra

Cassandra — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:28:00 +0000

In other news Clay Aiken just came out of the closet on the cover of People magazine!

Oh, and West Orange, New Jersey’s own Albert Vilar finally goes to trial this week after suffering in exile at his UN penthouse.

By: thomas

thomas — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:26:02 +0000

Ronizetti, the Met surely knew what they were doing last night. They took in a record-breaking $6.2 million dollars from the gala. Only an artist of Renee’s stature could have made that possible, and certainly not a ‘cover’ singer, no matter how gifted.

By: tustuprof

tustuprof — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:14:12 +0000

‘So what do the rest of you have against her’? Her success, my dear, her success. Textbook case of sour grapes. The many bitter pills who inhabit here were desperately hoping that Renee would have some kind of catastrophic failure, of voice or nerve, or costume, that would allow them to spend weeks in juvenile mockery, or better, allow them to write off the rest of her career. La Cieca herself is so bitterly disappointed she has already begun condemning, in high dudgeon, performances the poor woman hasn’t even given yet! You must understand, the purpose of this site is not to engage in serious discussion of things operatic. It is instead to provide group therapy for the emotionally diaffected among the also-rans, has-beens and wannabes of New York’s gay artistic community–singers, coaches, agents and, particulary, failed directors. Renee is the primary target because she is the most visible one, but there have been and will be others. The resulting bitchery is easily understandable (see pages 1-10 of your psychology 101 textbook) but it is not to be taken seriously. Not for a minute.

By: Regina delle fate

Regina delle fate — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:13:25 +0000

Bill and Rysanekfreak – re Fischer-Dieskau’s Conte – he actually recorded it three times in the studio twice for DGG under Fricsay and BÃ¶hm and once for EMI under Barenboim. The latter was studio recorded after performances at the Edinburgh Festival in which he appeared with Heather Harper Judith Blegen, Geraint Evans and Teresa Berganza in, I think 1977, and the same principals except Cotrubas replacing Blegen the following year. There were his last opera appearances in the UK. He also sang Mandryka and Falstaff at Covent Garden, but was so upset by his bad reviews for Falstaff that he vowed never to sing opera in London again. Nor did he. I saw him three times in opera. This Edinburgh Conte, as as Falstaff (sung in German) and Amfortas in Munich. Of the three, the Amfortas was the most memorable and his Falstaff worked better in German than it does in Italian on the Bernstein recording.

By: Repetitor

Repetitor — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:26:23 +0000

I worry about myself sometimes. I mean the “dite alla giovine” last night was amongst the most beautiful singing I’ve ever heard. And although it got so late in Germany that I had to miss Manon and Capriccio. I did hear her Capriccio in Wien last June, and although one of these days I’d love to coach her German, it was still fantastic singing. So what do the rest of you have against her? I find she gets me just where it counts (don’t worry Paul – I was 31 before I realised what Strauss can do one’s hormones….). I’ve just listened to Nina Stemme and Schwarzkopf in Capriccio and neither come anywhere near Renee…….
And as for not being gifted in the interpretation dept., she has almost single-handedly reinstated portamento as good taste.

By: Ronizetti

Ronizetti — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:19:48 +0000

Finalmente, Well, it’s over…Lindoro Almaviva and I did our usual socialite best to bring style insight to the audience in our Indy theatre! ~ While the Met must be applauded for their efforts and concept to gain and hold a greater audience, I fear they did themselves a disservice last evening. Was it the Met’s opening night or Renees? – She is simply not of the stature that they wish her to be … (just as Anna Netbrenko is not a coloratura soprano they wish her to be). Taking nothing away from these artists, the Met needs to expand their artist roster and bring others to the party! While we may also be in a vocal recession, we are not in a vocal drought … MET, close your eyes, opening your ears … in all honesty, many of your ‘cover’ singers are of finer caliber .. share the wealth! Renee did a beautiful job in the final act – I want to take nothing away from her, it’s at this point a criticism of the Met’s naivety. I could go on, but at the moment I’m still smiling from amusement at her ‘Espresso a te” in the amami Alfredo in Traviata!! PRICELESS!

By: kashania

kashania — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:38:07 +0000

Let’s face it, bel canto is where Fleming is most likely to take the tacky route. She’s not gifted in the interpretation department so she makes up for it with… well you know the rest.

By: danpatter

danpatter — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:29:31 +0000

Paul, (No. 43) I’m sorry you disliked the Capriccio scene, but as Scaramuccio said, one man’s meat, etc. It’s one of my favorite pieces in all opera. But thanks for pointing out the similarity between the Moonlight Music and the aria from Le Cid. I hear what you mean.

divaranglr (No.53) All of these are great suggestions, particularly your 3rd point, about pulling the camera back more so we can see the entire stage. I remember thinking during the telecasts of the Ring and Aida, productions I saw live several times, that the camera was never letting us see the whole stage, the big picture. Particularly now that these are being shown on big movie screens, the camera should do that more often.

I love the climactic high notes added to bel canto arias, proper or not. They’re exciting.
One more compliment to Fleming: that was a gorgeous trill in Manon’s aria.