if ever i would leave you
Got to give credit to Bryn Terfel: he’s now canceling a whole season in advance. The bass-baritone scrapped his spring 2009 appearance in the Met’s L’elisir d’amore several months ago, and now he’s pulled out of the company’s 2009 opening night, a new production of Tosca that now stars Karita Mattila and Marcelo Alvarez. The frankly unstarry Juha Uusitalo subs as Scarpia under the baton of James Levine in this new Luc Bondy production.
Uusitalo is also skedded for Jack Rance in the 2010-2011 Fanciulla which is to feature Marcello GIordani‘s Dick, plus plucky hometown favorite TBA as the eponymous girl. This, and oh so much more, may be found on the recently updated Met Futures Page.
And, speaking of updates, it appears Roberto Aronica will not flee the country after his espresso ordeal yesterday. La Cieca’s spy reports that the tenor reported this morning for a Madama Butterfly staging rehearsal. And (did I mention this?) promptly fell off the back of the set.
Some time back now, and the set is no longer with me, but I did thing Joanie’s Norma declamation on the final recording rather remarkable – it was the coloratura to which she had to apply the brakes by then.
Scaramuccio #241 – very true.
It is a remarkable interpretation in every way. Yes I know it Casta Diva (especially ah Bello) don’t work, but everything else is so very moving and believable. The Norma / Adalgisa relationship is very believable. Its certainly not a stand-and-deliver Norma. DJS manages to make Norma a very personable and personal role in this recording. And for once the declamation works for her, maybe because she really thinks inside the character?
And what on earth happened to Montsy here? No trace of ego or floating tricks in sight. When I got to know this recording some 5-8 years back I was sure I was going to loathe it, but I loved it instead.