more edgardo
This is from last night. La Cieca should note that she was not at this performance (1/29/2009), but a member of the cher public armed with an iPhone was. The clip is presented for the purposes of discussion.
La Cieca will begin the discussion by noting that the scene is performed down a half step.
actually they are both interpolationsboth times you’re asked to go to g but a is so one can put in the cadenza
CockyK,
I didn’t hear any references mes loups adobrables. RV was in the game but struggling.
Before giving RV a diagnosis of ADHD or ADD (and they are different), I’d like to hear from someone who’s observed him in rehearsal: is he as wired when he’s not on mike or on camera?
And ritalin would be wildly inappropriate for an adult with ADD–it can make the symptoms worse.
In some individuals, Ritalin can indeed exacerbate symptoms, but it can happen with kids too, not only with adults. But Rolando’s behavioral presentation doesn’t really suggest ADHD. The hyperactivity criteria, not seating still and running around, etc are appropriate for children but they lose their validity with most adults. Besides, what gets most people in trouble (kids and adults) is not the hyperactivity but the inattention, which is basically an executive functioning deficit. From where I see Rolando (through a telescope
) he appears more on the internalizing spectrum (i.e. anxiety/depression); the eagerness to please, nervousness, oversinging, overacting (as in on the stage), fear of attacking high notes (even those he still has) and I’m guessing conscientiousness do seem to point out in that direction. The particularly demanding environment that he’s in, is not helping matters either.
It is taken too slowly and he seems unsure of himself, as is understandable since he has trouble with the high notes. Not up to what ought to the Met standards. The best performance I know of is that of Tagliavini who sang it, as I recall, in an old recording with Callas. He sang with complete authority.
#149 raises some issues. Unless one is a doctor, one cannot diagnose this kind of illness, and it would be unprofessional to diagnose an illness based on performances, and illegal to publish or release to the public any of that information.
We don’t know why RV bounces around. It could be nothing more than trying too hard.
There are several medical conditions that could cause it which I will list, but none of these may apply.
One is hyperthyroidism which is an overactive thyroid which can have more than one cause. Symptoms include manic like behavior, muscle wasting, and protuberant pop eyes. Another cause can be a bipolar problem when a patient is either hypomanic or in a manic phase. Another is use of certain kinds of illegal drugs like methanphetamines. Then there is the previously mentioned attention deficit disorder. Some people have overactive adrenal glands.
None of these probably apply, and we are not in a postion to diagnose.
I do know that thyroid problems can seriously affect singing, hyperthyroidism (too much) causes muscle wasting which can create breath support issues, and the opposite hypothyroidism (too little) causes myxodema which directly affects the vocal folds themselves, usually resulting in the gradual loss of high notes, and a loss of focus. The symptoms creep up so gradually that most victims don’t even realize they have it. The treatment for hyperthyroidism is usually surgery. The problem is that the procedure invoves the possibility of severing or damaging the nerves that activate the voice. The treatment for hypothyroidism is hormone replacement.
CHECK IT OUT! I WANT PIOTR BECZALA. SCREW PETER GELB!
http://www.playbillarts.com/features/article/7902.html
“Giuseppe Filianoti to Sing Edgardo at the Met’s Feb. 3 Lucia Performance”
Giuseppe Filianoti will sing Edgardo at the Met’s performance of Lucia di Lammermoor this evening, filling in for an ill Rolando Villazón.
Mr. Villazón is scheduled to return for the Feb. 7 matinee.
Filianoti performed the role in Nicolas Joël’s 2005 staging of the work opposite Elizabeth Futral. Other Met appearances include L’Elisir d’Amore and Rigoletto.
Don’t you think that Gelb tried to get Beczala for tonight’s performanc? He had the good sense to decline, because he’s singing Lensky twice this week.
maria, I must apologize. that comment came out as quite whiny and unappreciative of the demands singers are placed when singing ONE role in repertory, let alone two.