diva deterrent
She’s headlined at the Paris Opera and the Met. She’s sung for kings and queens and for Nelson Riddle. She’s provoked feuds with teenagers. But now Dame Kiri te Kanawa has revealed a hitherto undiscovered talent: fighting crime.
The mayor of a New Zealand city plays recordings of the Kiwi songbird in order to deter vandalism in the local transit hub. “There has been no defacing or damaging of art works and sculptures in the area since the music was switched on,” Mayor Bob Harvey explains, because the wayward youth find Dame Kiri’s singing “bloody hideous.” [via Yahoo Odd News]
My theory is that heavy metal generally has a beat slightly faster than a normal heart rate. As the body tries to catch up to match, a certain amount of excess energy accrues which must be dissipated somehow. Likewise, hip-hop strives to match the propulsion of sexual activity. So I would suggest anything that is slower than the normal heart rate, without being so lethargic as to result in cardiac arrest among the elderly and infirm. Ideally then, something that would vary the heart rate like a good exercise regimen. Then there would be the added stricture that it should NOT drive away the legitimate patrons of the establishment. Scratch Taormina, therefore.
Handel’s SERSE springs to mind.
Measha has also sung Liu. At one point, I thought she was heading in the direction of Sieglinde but, since her weight loss, her voice has lost a lot of volume. I don’t think she could do Sieglinde anymore (though the tessitura suits her well).
#21-Measha has also sung in Turandot (Lui) and in Aeneas in Karthago…she is definitley more of a concert singer though.
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#31 “Trebs sounded tired to me.”
Apparently, she is. According to Opera Chic, she’s pulled out of tomorrow night’s C&M, citing fatigue.
That CG C&M Pizzi production ws also revived to good effect several years ago with a young and still very impressive Amanda Roocroft (think it may have been her house début) and Anne Sophie Von Otter which worked really well and was a good vocal match, full of pathos in thr duets
Als
A slight change of topic: I have the MET DVD of Arabella with Dame Kiri. But the sound of the singers is notably reduced compared to the orchstra – the singers are almost inaudible. Has anyone else noticed this? Has that DVD ever been remastered and improved? Perhaps the problem lies with the original broadcast. But in this day of technical advances, one hopes there might be a solution.
That CG C&M Pizzi production was also revived to good effect several years ago with a young and still very impressive and fresh-voiced Amanda Roocroft (think it may have been her house début) and Ann Sophie Von Otter who worked really well together and were a good vocal match, full of pathos in their duets.
Also making his CG début was a fine Daniele Gatti who breathed new energy into the score but with a lot of feel for the Bellinian cantilena line and beautifully supported the singers.
Keith Lewis was a (fair-to-middling) Tebaldo.
I saw Capuletti at LOC with Troyanos and Serra in a modern, minimalist, though not regie production in the 80s. It was magnificent. What a treasure Troyanos was (my favorite Carmen… wasn’t that a sitcom with Bill Bixby and Ray Walston?). THe opera is gorgeous all the way through regardless of which ending is used. larmore and Hong are fabulous on the recording as is the conducting (Donald Runnicles). The ensembles are riveting when sung well.
CHRIS MELLONI? I would soooo like to be interrogated by him.
#48 Sanford : “I saw Capuletti at LOC with Troyanos and Serra…in the 80′s”
I saw that too, Sanford, with Troyanos and Gasdia ..loved it.. I’ve been wondering if it was the same production they’ve been talking about here. It sounds very similar and I know it was an import. I saw Gasdia 3 times, all operatic Shakespeare : Gounod’s Juliette, Bellini’s Giulietta, and Rossini’s Desdemona…an underappreciated singer, though erratic, I’ve heard..maybe I was just lucky 3 times.
And I saw Capuleti in Dallas with Horne and Linda Zoghby. With the Vaccai final scene replacing the Bellini one. Incredible Golden Age vocalism. You would believe the frenzy Horne whipped us up to with that entrance cabaletta. Very conservative sets and traditional costumes. Just what the audience wanted. Conservative, traditional, and Golden Age Retro.