I am not a hit
The world needs a lot of things: health care, happiness, homo marriages, peace, prosperity and butterflies. What it doesn’t need is a mediocre “budget” recording of a contemporary opera already satisfactorily recorded with the original cast
A new revelatory, superbly cast recording of the simultaneously fascinating and boring Nixon in China would probably be happily snapped up by those who are more of a fan of this opera than I am. The new CD on Naxos is so not that recording.
For some reason Nixon in China tempts its interpreters to bellow and declaim. Since all productions are amplified and the lines are relatively sympathetically written for the voice this vocal distorion seems unnecessary. I’m willing to bet that Marc Heller (who “sings” Mao Tse-tung) is actually pretty fierce: he sounds like he can make some noise and his credits are impressive. Unfortunately, here he just screams and pushes his voice until pitches are unrecognizable. Or maybe Adams is just not his forte.
The same could be said of Chen-Ye Yuan as Chou En-lai. It’s obviously an interesting instrument but is not shown at an advantage in this ungrateful role. Tracy Dahl makes some impressive sounds in the extreme top of Madame Mao’s music but whenever she sings around an A natural (which is often) her vibrato loosens dangerously close to a wobble. I also couldn’t understand one damn word she sang.
The Opera Colorado Chorus tries their best but this is not a world-class ensemble and the choral music in this opera is not easy.
It’s not that this recording is completely awful. There are strengths. Marin Aslop knows her way around American music, and her reading is taut and inspired. She moves the action along (as much as Adams’s music allows) and keeps excitement bubbling (again, as much as the music allows).
Pat and Dick are both interesting here. Maria Kanyova, as Pat, is the only singer who sings like this is opera. Her other roles include Butterfly and Violetta and it shows. The voice is fluid, beautiful and ballsy. She’s also the only singer that phrases beautifully. “This is prophetic” is easily the highlight of the recording. Kick-ass singing.
Robert Orth manages to be charismatic and idiomatic as Nixon while singing with grainy, unsupported tone. It’s a believable and truly interesting portrayal. It’s just hard to listen to.
All of this begs the question of Naxos- what was the point of this recording? Just Aslop and Kanyova? They’re great, but it’s not enough to warrant a $25 price tag. If I were you I’d say bump both recordings and watch the broadcast of the original production on Youtube for free. But hey, if you love a good arpeggiated chord and have money to burn then by all means, skip on over to Amazon
squirrel, I still prefer to believe (or, if you’d rather, I “cling to the belief”) that many recordings are produced because some producer, singer, or conductor somewhere is still passionate about the music.
As a gay man I can’t understand gays wanting so desperately to be part of a sinking ship, I don’t mean the New York City Opera, I mean marriage. Unless there’s some commercial or legal value in entering a contract for some people, marriage (like openly serving in the military) is an idiocy. It’s a failed and reactionary institution. It saddens me to see gays trying to turn two fascist, right-wing conservative hot topics (marriage and the military) as their own two main causes. Who wants to be an openly gay contract killer in the US military? And who wants to get legally married? When someone is viciously murdered 90% of the times their spouses are behind it. Numbers don’t lie. Gays should embrace peace, justice and economic equality for all, not just for themselves. Please fags, don’t be selfish and support Nazi issues like marriage and the military anymore.
Anyway, this is not the reason I came on Parterre. I’m utterly shocked that we have posts on Nixon in China (and Sancia di Castiglia on Opera L of all operas!!! a Donizetti score I absolutely adore by the way) but not one single word that I could find about Guleghina’s wretched Turandot last night, which was on Sirius.
Is Gelb really serious about allowing her to do the HD? A 5 yo. can tell she can’t sing the notes from the very first bars. Is the whole entire world going INSANE?
cruz, you have a nice attitude – I envy you!
(dorion – the answer to your last question is….)
The aria “I am the wife of Mao Zedong” is actually as catchy as “Questa o quella”. Seriously, I have always remembered the melody from the first time I saw the original telecast:
httpv://www.youtube.com/user/musicvideoing#p/u/27/LpMQeJmKK2w
oops, I always forget that mighty “v”
httpv://www.youtube.com/user/musicvideoing#p/u/27/LpMQeJmKK2w
Dorion – I have some leftover Percaset from a recent knee replacement. I think you may need a few.
No, the problem is that the video must be independant of the poster’s page of all their videos:
yes, who IS this singer?
dorion,
in answer to your penultimate question, he may have to let her; but if he gets to choose, he might make her “sick” at the last minute, with lindstrom waiting in the antechamber
And Adams’s operas are so grossly overrated anyway.
I thought the 1st act of Nixon when I saw it at IU was fabulous. The 2nd act was just a total bore I fell asleep.
I still don’t know why or how has it not gone through some serious revisions. I think the opera would be best reassembled as a biopic on Nixon, trash all that China stuff and include an act on Watergate and a final scene with Nixon leaving the White House.
If the trip to china must be staged, let’s make a scene one of act 2 and move right along.