parterre box

8 comments

• wenarto says:

  VIVA LA DIVA
  VIVA DOROTHY
  VIVA LA BISHOP
  VIVA VIVA VIVA

  on February 11, 2009 at 6:04 PM
• angela says:

  Dear sister of Dorothy,

  a celery stick to suck on, that is all ? Mon Dieu! Viva la celery!

  on February 11, 2009 at 7:30 PM
• scifisci says:

  sorry to stray off topic….but was anyone else at rondine tonight? I thought gheorghiu sounded the best i’ve heard her, period. The voice was well projected from the middle up, and her top notes were larger than I remember them. Of course the set may have helped her project, but it definitely sounded as though she was being more generous. There was none of the screamy quality which has afflicted her occasionally. She really seems to identify with magda….and it’s not an easy sing at all. I’m surprised how fearlessly she attacks the role. I know people dislike her for her diva antics, but she really is a magnificent singer when she wants to be and I would say magda is more her signature role than even violetta. I sincerely hope the performance that makes it onto dvd is not the MET one but the SF one….alas i’m sure i will be disappointed. The tenor singing prunier was great as was oropesa, though she sounded more shrill than I last remember. The less said about filianoti the better.

  on February 11, 2009 at 11:11 PM
• jdjeff says:

  I was at Rodine and to me it was the big surprise of the season. I was initially going to pass this one up! I’m so glad I didn’t. AG was great! People have complained about not being able to hear her and aside from some of her lower notes she easily reached me in the balcony. I liked Filianoti better here than in Rigoletto. The direction was smart and sophisticated. The set for act 2 was nice. 1 and 3 not so much. Act 2 had me in tears… I noticed I was not the only one. I was prepared for a let down in act 3 as I have heard it is the weak point in the opera. I shed a tear there as well. I really don’t understand how this is not a more popular opera. It has a lot more substance than say Turandot. It has better music than Manon Lescaut. I found the plot believable and touching. I don’t normally get so emotional… Bravo to the whole cast.

  on February 12, 2009 at 12:43 AM
• Eddie says:

  Jdjeff – Rondine has better music than Manon Lescaut? Surely you jest…

  on February 12, 2009 at 3:58 AM
• scifisci says:

  “better” is a subjective judgment….but I would say that rondine has far more complex, subtle music that makes it a more surprising and fascinating work to listen to, like fanciulla. I love ML for the outpouring of melody and youthful ebullience, but I see Jdjeff’s point.

  Before seeing Rondine live last night I wasn’t sure I really bought the whole “rondine is a neglected masterpiece” thing and thought it was just a PR gimmick…but Gheorghiu and co. really do make a very very strong case for the work. I can see how it could easily go wrong though, especially in the third act.

  on February 12, 2009 at 9:28 AM
• jdjeff says:

  Thank you for coming to my defense scificsi. When I saw ML for the first time I found it a bit of a pill. It was a less than stellar production at a regional house and that has a way of spoiling everything for you… In any case it’s just an opinion.

  on February 12, 2009 at 10:42 AM
• Eddie says:

  But surely you have to compare the two musically before you make a statement like that? Rondine has gorgeous music, yes, but the harmonic intricacies and musical development far surpasses the youthful composition of Rondine. Hence the Italians stating that Puccini only wrote one opera (ML), and merely quoted from that for future compositions. An over-exaggeration, I know, but still a complete musical triumph.

  on February 12, 2009 at 6:28 PM