art is calling for you
The Met’s $25 weekend ticket program this week features Adriana Lecouvreur. Though La Cieca is naturally remaining mum about this revival until Our Own JJ‘s review appears, she’s more than interested to hear what you, the cher public, think. So if you can get into the Friday night performance via the lottery (or any other way), send an email review to your doyenne and she’ll welcome you into the ranks of Our Own.
this is really horrible tonight. Guleghina is pronouncing like a black singer, cer=tow, nott-tea, the piani are so flat or haphazard, and this is supposed to be taken seriously.?
“…like a black singer…”
Guleghina SUCKS.(in this role,tonight, at least)..NO DOUBT ABOUT IT..BUT..WTF does that “expression” mean…??
Yes, I left at Act III becuase I thought Guleghina was already dead. Doming was a great tenot, thanks to him for years and years of thrills. But he really can not do this stuff anymore. His scene in Act III was undersung– just the winds nearly covered him.
And what stupid square silly music. Opera as prime time, which it was for a long time. I was hoping a large tuning fork would descend from the flies, so that someone might bump into it, and get things right– di Carlo was in Hoboken, many of the others were really off. Only Borodina was good. I had to laugh when in Act III she says of Maria “Quella voce!” – That VOICE. Yes, that screechy, harsh voice. Though MG flung herself about in the best grand manner. I bet Olivero was great in this. Have to find that. I only heard her once.
no insult intended. I love everyone, but most especially the prnounciation of Shirley Verrett, or Grace Bumbry late, or angela brown always or…..the list goes on. I have not heard this particular pronunciation with idiot whites who cannot speak the language. They over do the angles of the english language. “r” becomes a bat to beat the phrase to death with, and any consonant is definitely over used and vowels stop dead.
On reading it I see where it might be misunderstood and rephrase with apologies. They sound like they are imitating Shirley Verrett.
Thoroughly enjoyable Adriana at the Met tonight. Domingo started slow, but was in tolerable shape by Act IV. Guleghina is not reliable, but when the tone floods out, she’s a force of nature. Borodina was wonderful — the confrontation of the two ladies in the big mardi gras dresses in Act II was the emotional high point (my date was sure they were about to elope). If only the dead, moribund, embalmed, decayed, wormeaten, did I say dead? Gioconda last fall had been given half this excitement and interest and care of casting — if only Guleghina had sung it (no one today would do it better — which isn’t to say she’d do it perfectly), it might have been an evening not a total loss of one.
Why does Speight Jenkins (in the program essay on Adriana) attribute La Gioconda to Giordano? And why in the cast is one of the ballerinas playing a character named “Hero”? (Enquiring minds want to know.)
La Cieca-the best site in the world. I would, however, beg to quibble with your use of the word ‘unfortunately’ with regard to Ms. Soviero not stepping in for La Freni in ’94. Yes it was the twilight of her remarkable career but I went to three of those Adrianas and cherish the memory of her incandescent, commited performances.
Screaming mack truck Maria as Gioconda? now that would be a nightmare. She can’t reach well enough the high notes in last night’s debacle, actually neither of them did, Borodina with difficulty did to some extent. Not a gioconda wishful Lydia, but hEy, it takes all kinds. Wait, wait for the Turandot.
It will confirm how bad this has gotten for THE GHOUL
Any news on the London Adriana Lecouvreur with Nelly Miricioiu? I would be very interested to hear how she sang. Next year ROH will have Angela Gheorghiu in the part. Interesting.