parterre box

105 comments

• Wotanman says:

  Sorry for the typos – I meant Count RoDOLFo not Rodrigo was boring but had a big “would be” fantastic voice.

  on March 4, 2009 at 8:16 PM
• ilpenedelmiocor says:

  RE: #74

  “…poking fun at opera the concept… which is nifty to do within an opera – thumbing one’s nose at something is often a more thought-provoking tack to take than, say, just redo-ing the typical yawnfest Sonnambula.’

  Indeed, what is Ariadne if not poking fun at opera? Only it takes larger-than-life singers to pull off the fun-poking.

  Re: #34

  Netrebko and “scupulously controlled” do not belong in the same sentence — nay, in the same universe. Netrebko and “adorned” will depend on whether she can actually do the adornment in question or not. But Netrebko and “showing no signs of study”? Fer sure.

  on March 8, 2009 at 2:29 AM
• brian says:

  I don’t know what all the hate is about. Zimmermann is brilliant. Ok, maybe she faulted a bit on Sonnambula but I think we can all agree she is new to the art form and her Lucia was spectacular…minus the “ghost” passing through during the aria…I’ve never been a fan of that.
  The cast all seemed to be engaged (I’ve only seen the Friday performance on March 6) EXCEPT, and pardon me for saying this as I know I’ll be against the popular vote, JDF, who seemed to hug the downstage corner of the set to spare him from…what? Not being heard, being associated with the production…who knows, but I wasn’t impressed.
  ND works hard and is devoted to the project at hand, that was obvious to me (but who am I, I was only sitting in orchestra prime). She sounded FANTASTIC and seemed committed to the concept, no matter how poorly it was received.
  I liked Pertusi and Bunnell, and even Black. Not such a fan of Pido as he seemed like he was having a bit of a seizure down there in the pit. The orchestra didn’t seem to want to follow him at all which ultimately threw off the leads and the chorus. Pertusi seemed confidant in his singing as did Bunnell. I would like to hear Black in a fuller role, perhaps Mimi or Micaela…who knows why they cast as they do at the Met but she is someone I’d like to hear more of.
  So that’s just my 2 cents.

  on March 9, 2009 at 1:00 PM
• Jussi says:

  IT WAS A SPOOF !!!! And a brilliant spoof at that. The spoof (with that beautiful music) makes for a great evening. Much better than the “embarrassing drama” Sonnambula does.

  on April 2, 2009 at 4:04 PM
• Inquest O'Redger says:

  Wotanman … just a shame that Dessay’s sound is not more appealing, I find. She is a clever singer, but most of the voice is pretty non-descript, apart from an attractive patch in the upper-middle register. She certainly doesn’t ravish my senses and she’s not that interesting as a vocal interpreter, even if she is such an energetic actress.

  on April 2, 2009 at 4:53 PM