Enigma
At this point, Maria Guleghina is still listed as tonight’s Turandot at the Met. Any of the cher public attending this performance are encouraged to share news, reviews and scuttlebutt about what did or did not happen (broad enough for you?) here in the comments section.
the photo at the top, that’s not guleghina, is it? it looks like ghena dimitrova, but i’m not sure. they both have those high cheekbones and with all that makeup and costume, it’s hard to tell for sure.
i saw guleghina fuck up abigaille a few years ago. she wouldn’t sing the notes as written during that opening scene, the crazy coloratura that precedes that 2-octave drop during the phrase that ends (something something my revenge is suspended over your head) “blah blah blah sospeso e gia.” it was bizarre. i wondered, what did jimmy think while conducting this thing that his soprano wouldn’t sing the music as the score. after that, during the chorus scene that ends the act, she stood against the backwall, with arms crossed and joining in the chorus. it was weird.
to be fair, i do have a live nabucco from barthelona from the 90s, in which she does fine.
hvoro is ukrainian? then why does all the media say he’s from siberia?
Lucky, Hvoro is Siberian, which has been Russian for a long time. There is a poster that is very free with inaccurate info.
Netrebko is also Russian, from Krasnodar which is an area of Russia which borders on both the Ukraine as well as Georgia. Ukraine and Georgia are no longer part of “Russia” since the dissolution of the USSR but for many years residents of both countries were referred to as “Russian”. Many Russians now distance themselves from what they call the commonwealth countries and actually relations between Russia and both the Ukraine and Georgia are none too cordial these days.
The ghoul is basically trading in horseshit to call herself Russian, she is actually part Armenian which accounts for her dark coloration. But she likes to claim she has “Russian soul”. Yeah she has “soul” like a garbage truck has “soul” and they sound similar.
#27 and #29: admit it: yall are makin up words. I would love to hear La Scoopenda in sciocheza opera.
I’m a bit late to respond to all of this, but Anna Netrebko is indeed Russian, and Hvorstovsky is Siberian, which to most people is also considered fully Russian.
If you want some credibility Dorion you might want to get your facts in order. Or perhaps this is just another “OH I meant Adriana not Gioconda” flub on your part?
Noel Dahling @ 24 – I am very sorry to say that “scapigliatura” is an actual art movement. “Sciocchezza”, on the other hand, is mine, all mine.
OK, I think the clip that Noel Dahling posted at 25 is very good, despite a couple of out of tune notes. When was it recorded?
Kashania – Calaf: Marco Berti. Conductor: Zubin Mehta Palau de les Arts de Valencia. May 2008.
If you double click on an embedded YouTube video it’ll take you to the original site, where there’s often info about the clip.