parterre box

83 comments

• mrmyster says:

  #58 T’dot. My goodness Mme. T., I may have to revise my opinion of your ability to manifest good manners in a discussion with someone with whom you disagree. Did you mean to say that your judgments on M. P. were in your “opinion,” or were you speaking ex cathedra as some kind of vocal Pope? My opinion of the tenor in question remains unchanged, though I take it you have some kind of vested interest in him and/or his career. I detect a strong tendency to idealize the facts.
  As for your judgments on this writer, I would be delighted to speak with you on the telephone one day and see if we don’t have more in common than you realize! And, to be accurate, Santa Fe (one of the companes I patronize), offers five operas each summer, not four; it’s their ‘sister’ company (sort of) OTSL, that offers four. They do very nice work in St. Louis, but since it is all in English I don’t go there. I guess I am missing something you value.
  In any case, it is my intention to try to keep this discussion at a good level of civility.

  on April 9, 2009 at 11:55 AM
• mrmyster says:

  Well Nerva Nelli #26, it seems you have chimed in. I think I’ll follow Mark Twain’s sentiments when it comes to you and suggest: you are not as bad as you seem. On the other hand Polenzani performances I’ve heard always turn out much worse than expected; he never fails to disappoint. This is just taste, of course, and as such is not arguable; but it is interesting how many voice world professions I talk with seem to share my sentiments. None of this is intended personally against him – I wish him all the best, nor do I intend to demean the qualifications of those who seem, here, so sharply to disagree with my comments. I will, however, quite confidently continue to disagree with you if I think such will add dimension to the discussion.
  M. P. clearly has his partisans; I am just not one of them, though I would go any time to hear his Meistersinger David. Now, go for a cup of calming tea!

  on April 9, 2009 at 12:03 PM
• Gualtier Maldè says:

  I went last night to the Banks Nemorino. He definitely gave a vivid, detailed, richly comedic impersonation that held the stage vividly. His bits with the bottle of Elixir were worthy of Eric Idle or Benny Hill. Banks makes up for lack of height and good looks with stage savvy – really I think he is just as much of a stage animal as Villazon. His middle is light but the tops (such as they are in this part) are ringing. The audience quickly came to his side and he exuded command of the stage. By the end of the evening he held the audience in the palm of his hand.

  He was working alone up there – no chemistry with Gheorghiu who was giving a solo diva display. Now it was a genuine star turn but everyone was a satellite to her sun. Made for a very strange and not exactly appropriate interpretation. The diva also got the last bow despite the fact that the opera is the tenor’s story.

  on April 9, 2009 at 1:08 PM
• Feldmarschallin says:

  tinhtraiviet Nr 57 check your email since I sent you something about the Don Giovanni.

  on April 9, 2009 at 2:01 PM
• Letch Feeley says:

  At the risk of being torn to shreds – whatever happened to Eric Cutler? He has sung a couple of lovely Nemorinos in other houses, had the Met Puritani simulcast a few seasons back, and in general seemed to be in grooming to be the next Polenzani. He would have been vocally and theatrically better in L’elisir than Banks or Pittas, but Gelb apparently didn’t want him back.

  Now you can let loose with the snide remarks…..

  on April 9, 2009 at 2:59 PM
• High C's @ 4:20 says:

  Mr. Cutler is in Houston preparing his Duke in Rigoletto that I will see at the beginning of next month, and they have engaged him there as Nemorino next year, too!

  on April 9, 2009 at 3:04 PM
• mrmyster says:

  Letch Feeley, you are safe with me. Eric is so long gone out of my orbit, I’ve even forgotten how dry and uninteresting his singings has been at operas I attended with him in an important role. I am teasing you; I hope he does well in Italian lyric; his Sun has been low on the horizon in recent seasons; maybe he’ll work more and perk up. I hope so. Good American lyrics don’t grow on trees. Six or eight years ago he was coming on so strong — and then it did not go anywhere.

  on April 9, 2009 at 3:22 PM
• Hippolyte says:

  Cutler replaced Kaufmann when he withdrew “ill” from a bizarre-looking (from photos I saw) new production of Romeo et Juliette at the Fenice in February.

  on April 9, 2009 at 3:43 PM
• La Cieca says:

  Gualtier: There’s a set order for bows in every Met opera, and ordinarily unless someone else is singing the title role (Don Giovanni, Andrea Chenier), the leading lady takes the final call. This is true in L’elisir d’amore as well, surely.

  on April 9, 2009 at 4:09 PM
• Dominatrix says:

  La Cieca — then how come Pavarotti always took the last bow in L’elisir?

  on April 9, 2009 at 5:14 PM