parterre box

63 comments

• Hans Lick says:

  I’ve never heard “O rio dolor” sung in any performance of the entire opera (which takes us back, oh dear, forty years), but every line of the finale was sung in the first season of La Gran Scena di New York’s production of the last act, which included tossing of confetti by Annina to celebrate Carnevale and a musical jockstrap during Addio del passato.

  on January 2, 2009 at 5:59 PM
• Quanto Painy Fakor says:

  According to the new critical edition of the opera, only Alfredo sings “O rio dolor”; Grenvil and Anninna sing ” O MIO dolor”.

  on January 2, 2009 at 7:12 PM
• La Cieca says:

  Quanto: That strikes me as exactly the opposite of how the lines should be assigned. Surely Alfredo has the deepest personal sorrow, so he should sing “mio dolor.” The others can sing “rio dolor.”

  Though in fact it’s a moot point because the single different consonant will hardly be heard.

  on January 2, 2009 at 7:17 PM
• Jay says:

  Paris’s Fidelio w/ Jonas as Florestan is being streamed at 1:30 p.m. by France Musique, Sat. 1/3/09. More details at Operacast, http://www.operacast.com/thissat.htm

  It would mean giving up listening to the Met’s La Boheme (but that will streamed later by other stations; hell, the Thais broadcast is still being streamed).

  Re: Jonas as Cavaradossi, hey, if it worked, fine. I’d much rather he focus on German/French roles and leave most of the italiante roles to other tenors.

  As for the Paris Traviata clip, I usually detest regie productions but the clip posted by La Cieca was interesting and had dramatic purpose. Except, no, Jonas should not have been asked — or tried — to sing the high C as he was running off stage.

  At one point he was going to sing Lohengrin in Bayreuth in 2010, but he is no longer listed in the cast. Anyone know what happened? Waiting to see how it goes in Munich??

  on January 2, 2009 at 8:12 PM
• Cassandra says:

  “between 34 and 36 as the point in which a male voice ceases to “develop.””

  This is not true at all for lower male voices, such as basses. Color changes and matures well into the forties. This applies more to the higher lying voices.

  on January 2, 2009 at 9:13 PM
• Lindoro says:

  You know? I have the whole thing and i sat down and watched most of the performance and I thought it was a mixed bag.

  1. The concept is not that bad; or at least the idea behind the concept. Violetta=Piaf is an interesting idea, too bad the traffic cop, i mean, Stage director got lost on the way to creating a scandal for personal gain.

  2. Poor direction. Say what you want about Zefirelli’s productions, but at least he had people looking at each other and react to each other, and, Dare I say it, TOUCH each other. The people in this production behave like cardboard dolls. They are put in a position then on another and so on and so forth. The chorus is particular where horribly directed. These are not humans, they behave like they are strung out of coke and booze from the start. The directing stroke me as an attempt to create a scandal.

  3. Violetta=Piaf does not mean cheap looking. Piaf had fabulous taste and a great sense of drama. The decors do not show that. It looks like a high school gymnasium. This concept could have used more believable surroundings: a) A green room after a Piaf concert with well wishers, fans and the entourage. b) A house in the country, make it wine country. c) A Paris apartment where Piaf has gone to spend her last months.

  on January 3, 2009 at 1:17 AM
• Lindoro says:

  Do you realise that it is now a matter of time before we see another Traviata now with this concept:?

  Violetta=Callas
  Alfredo= some young guy
  Germont=Ari

  I am not sure how Piaf’s status as a monstre sacre is in France, but now that she has been used, Callas is the next one.

  Mark my words.

  on January 3, 2009 at 1:20 AM
• Turandot says:

  High C’s: people hear what they want to hear. If you could “hear” Kaufmann in the 36th row at LOC (and, by the way, no singer has ever been audible that far back in the LOC barn) it’s because you just “want” to be able to hear him.

  Especially his falsetto top. If you hear him it must be because your Superman-like super hearing was on or was it those super new hearing aids?

  on January 3, 2009 at 8:23 AM
• graustark says:

  I heard Kaufmann fine from the front of the upper balcony, the best seats at LOC.

  on January 3, 2009 at 9:46 AM
• Lindoro says:

  Well, I am not a Kaufman fan, but when i saw his debut at LOC as Alfredo i was all the way to the back of the theater, all the way up (th only tickets I could afford).

  I could hear him well and his voice rang true all the way back there. I didn’t like it, but that is another story…

  on January 3, 2009 at 12:26 PM