three tenors
La Cieca just returned from the HD of The Audition, a documentary about the 2007 Met National Council Auditions. The film puts her in an optimistic mood about the future of opera performance, or at any rate opera performers. Focus is on three young tenors who (spoiler) all end up winning the competition.
The very cute light tenor Alek Shrader gambles on “Ah mes amis” (a piece he hadn’t planned on bringing to the table) and certainly nails as many of the high C’s as we get to hear. The underdog of the contest is Ryan Smith, who starts out unsteady but then pulls it all together for a happy ending. (Temporarily, at least: Smith died of lymphoma last November.)
But the most interesting character among the group is Michael Fabiano, who is cast as the Brandoesque “angry loner” role by the film’s editing: everyone else is just so nice and so polite, and Fabiano tends to shoot his mouth off. The cuddleability factor aside, this is a dynamic young artist who (as one of the judges for the competition says during deliberations) is in a few years either “going to be a superstar or else dead.” It’s hard to tell vocal size from the sound engineering in this film (everyone is so reverbed that the lightest voices sound like Corelli at least) but Fabiano seems to have a quality instrument and (maybe rarer than that) projects the electric temperament that makes opera exciting.
After the film proper, there’s some yakking among Renée Fleming, Susan Graham and Thomas Hampson about making it in the business and such. The highlight of this segment is a glimpse of photographs of the two divas at the 1988 finals, in matching royal blue padded-shoulder bridesmaid dresses and brunette upsweeps a la Joan Collins.
These singers’ visual evolution over the past quarter century offers some hope for the standout women singers of this competition, Amber L. Wagner, Jamie Barton and Angela Meade. They’re all impressive artists with a strong vocal message, but also with full figures that are not so easy to swathe in evening gowns. La Cieca is not saying they need to achieve the sleekly angular silhouette The Opera Milf currently has on display, but their long-range planning should probably include some work on weight management.
Your doyenne is sorry she didn’t preview this documentary for you, but she definitely recommends you seek out a reprise.
I hope the documentary comes out in dvd so we can purchase it. Remember the documentary that came out years ago about the San Francisco chorus members? I bought that one and really enjoyed watching it over and over. It really showed the hardships that singers endure & everything they have to give up in their attempts to have a professional career. It also showed some of the drudgery involved for those singers who are not stars. I wonder what happened to some of those folks. One Russian bass in particular seemed to have a wonderful voice. Perhaps luck plays a much larger role in success than we suspect.
“It is La Cieca’s understanding that in films of this type, the crew follows around everyone involved and films an enormous amount of footage. Once the end of ths story is known (i.e., who wins), then the editors can choose bits that seem to build the story in that direction.”
LC, that’s what I would have expected as well. And for the men, it makes perfect sense (cf. the title you gave the post). But that’s why I don’t understand the intense focus on Duffy, the paucity of focus on Meade, and total absence of focus on Barton.
ilpene: Well, Duffy is very pretty and vivacious. She’s good TV, in other words. Meade has some interesting things to say but she is a rather quiet presence. In general, the singers who really opened up and met the camera halfway are the singers who made it into the finished film.
I was VERY relieved to see that even though the IDIOTS at the “round-table” were lamenting the weights of some of the singers … and how they might have a hard time being cast…..they DID award
the 3 women (who were heavy) … with the BEST voices!! Thank God. WAKE UP!!! VOICE, VOICE, VOICE … THAT’s what it’s all about. When are these jerks going to wake up?? Also, I thought Renee, Susan and Tommy ALL had much more insight into what these competitions SHOULD be than any of the those sitting in judgement!!
ILPENEDELMIOCOR #32. I didn’t get to see the movie, but I would imagine it’s the old principle “What bleeds leads.”
OK — I’m going to flog this nearly dead horse just one more time, but that “good TV” La Cieca talks about in Kiera Duffy’s case was in the vein of, my opinion, so-called reality TV, almost more “Celebrity Apprentice” than anything else (yeah, horrible admission, but I do watch it). I seriously doubt Duffy is happy about the way she was portrayed, even though she did get the most face-time of any non-winner.
Even those shots of her lumbering away, if an 85-pounder can be said to lumber, probably were of her holding her arms away from her side so she could dry the flop-sweat from under her arms, but it ended up just making the poor thing look like a miniature football player.
And yes, she’s very pretty and vivacious, but I stand by my contention that the documentary maker simply did not like her, and worked to show her in the very worst light.
Having been there up close and personal, it was interesting to read all of these comments.
I have my program stashed away somewhere but I did make notations and most of those chosen I also picked, except for Ryan Smith who sang prettily but I didn’t feel he was up to the talent of the others(knowing what I do now, I feel kind of guilty for having made those comments on my program).
I was tickled that Angela Meade made it despite her so-called weight problem. I saw her last year in Philadelphia in “Anna Bolena” and the lady was simply marvelous with a reserve of power that was amazing.
Whether Fabiano, Schrade, Pape and any others are taciturn or not bothers me not one whit as long as their pipes deliver the goods.
However sad Fabiano’s travails were in Italy, and I do think his is a fine voice, I must say that I believe Chailly chose the right tenor in Grigolo.
The Met auditions always promise a fun afternoon.
Of these two tenors, I’d lay money on Shrader. Relative to Fabiano, there appears to be far less manipulation, creation of the sound.
Count me as another concerned about Fabiano. He’s attractive, energetic and seems musical. That said, is he capable of singing below mezzo forte? I’m familiar with his agent – a guy with great major-house contacts who especially loves to manage tenors. I wish Mr. Fabiano well but, if he’s not careful, I’ve two words for him: Rolando Villazon.
If Fabiano is serious about his rep, he’d do well to study Gedda and Bergonzi.
Did you listen to Fabiano sing Lenski? He has loud and quiet. He’ll arrive in due time. He’s only 24 or so right now. I believe he’s still studying at AVA.