the art of the euphemism
La Cieca never knows quite how far to go in repeating what she “is told,” but since some of it seems to be leaking out anyway, well, she’ll try to be tactful. Apparently sometimes opera companies choose to use terminology like “laryngitis” and “knee injury” in order to avoid having to say “exhibited bizarre behavior at rehearsals” or “arrived obviously unprepared.”
Okay, let’s not take this too far. Remember that Brewer was having memory problems with her Isolde in the Tristan Project well along in the game. She may not have been lazy since we were told she has been working on the Brunnhildes for almost a year – perhaps the roles simply weren’t staying in her head.
Rolando Villazon will den Rummel um Ihn nicht so wichtig nehmen.
“Man darf nichts zu viel Bedeutung geben. Was zählt, ist letztendlich Gesundheit und Menschen, die man liebt. Und dass man sich auf seine sogenannte Berühmtheit besser nichts einbildet”, sagt der 37-Jährige der Illustrierten “Bunte”.
“Prominenz ist fragil wie ein Kartenhaus. Man muss auch ohne sie leben können” meinte der Sänger, der nun bald eine neue Herausforderung annehmen will: “Ich möchte als Regisseur arbeiten”
so you see maybe he has plans already…
In defense of singers, sometimes they prepare something or they THNK they have – but then when you get in the rehearsal setting, suddenly you realize you have not learned it nearly well enough.
Sometimes it is hard to gauge and even a well intentioned singer can make a midjugdement.
CB is not reputed as ill prepared and arrogant so if indeed she was not thoroughly enough prepared, I am willing to give her the benefit of doubt.
I am also open to the idea that the Met simply preferred a much more slender singer and also if her injury is real, a more mobile one, in the part and use a bunch of different excuses instead of that.
Totally separately rumor but I had heard that the Met demanded AG to get caps and some facework done before they agreed to give her hd broadcasts. Looks to me like she went for it but I never could get anyone to second the rumor!
“Ich möchte als Regisseur arbeitenâ€
Aha. So, Villazon wants to work as a producer. The speculation ends, then.
Villazon would make an excellent stage director / producer for opera.
!7 Shagmuratova? Our Own Emma Bell? Dasch?
Dasch was horrible as Donna Anna in Salzburg. She is very overrated IMO. I heard the Pamina which was only ok but the Anna really was bad. She cannot sing coloratura at all and the top was forced. Maybe Figaro will be a better role for her. But she isn’t anything really special.
Brewer is just plain, shall we say, not too bright. I did Grimes with her and every night the church scene was a big musical mess. But I found her to be pleasant to work with
To add grist to this rumor mill, I have heard that the MET has gone so far as to “recommend” and pay for people’s gastric bypass surgeries (young artists). I am not comfortable with this. Scary Hollywood tactics, and not improving the state of opera today as far as I can tell. If a singer wants to do that on their own, that’s another matter. But where are people who understand VOICE, and place it above all other considerations? Screw the HD’s, if they are going to take opera over the cliff. I think they are a very nice way of bringing the MET to the rest of the country, and the world, but if this stuff is part and parcel of what is wrong with opera right now, then it’s not worth it.
As an actor, I’m familiar with the problem of “going on” when ill, or when there are problems either in life, or with the production, or indeed with colleagues. All of these things happen.
But I think far too many fans jump to the worst possible interpretation/supposition regarding operatic cancellations. Ms. Brewer, not unlike other large performers, apparently has issues with her knees. An unsurprising and predictable condition, when one recollects the troubles the sainted Pavarotti went through, or the thank-god-she’s-still with us Jackie Horne.
The replacement soprani are not particularly svelte themselves, so I doubt if Brewer has been banished because of appearance. Unprepared? I will not give credence to anonymous reports from folks who claim to know someone who has been at a rehearsal. That’s what rehearsals are for – learning.
Until she starts indulging a pattern of cancellation, as the benighted Villaizon has apparently done, I say Brewer is sick, and I’m sorry to lose her. Maseltov to Theorin, Dalayman and Watson for stepping to the plate.
And Messrs. Gelb and Levine better start thinking about their proposed casting for the new cycle, and how to reward the several essential alternates that they’d better have on hand.