Comments on: When I haven’t sung my songs

hagenschmagen commented

hagenschmagen — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:08:16 +0000

Harry, I thought that the Jessye Norman Herodiade was the EMI set ultimately went to Studer. And, IIRC, that there was an announcement that she was going to record Elisabetta in Don Carlo and Aida for Philips.

fannylovespersiannini commented

fannylovespersiannini — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:36 +0000

What a nerve, turning up and giving us 25 minutes of verismo-shite and then sodding off before the audience knew what his them. I’ve just read this hilarious explanation for where she was during the first half on http://www.opera-britannia.com: “Presumably the über-diva was busy squeezing into her twin-tone coffee-coloured gown, or was flogging bottles of her fragrance La Voce outside the London Eye to bother overmuch with the small matter of actually singing.”

Harry commented

Harry — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:20:28 +0000

Cocky Kurwenal; That Sony/ CBS Massenet Heriodiade ‘live’ from San Francisco with Fleming , is sensational. The recording captures the fission of the various performers putting out ‘a even better calling card’ with each successive appearance in the opera. Such captured magic does not often happen on a recording. That performance does.
As a side note: Jesseye Norman, once when signing a record contract -it was announced a Heriodiade was planned as part of the contract’s future plans. Strangely it never happened.
Why we have not had studio recordings of all of Massenet’s works, puzzles me. In light of that, I can think of many flops from some other composers, that have been recorded.

Clita del Toro commented

Clita del Toro — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:35:15 +0000

Renay may have an A+ voice, but it’s not one I am crazy about. I much prefer Netrebko’s voice as example of a beautiful one–not that I like much of her singing.

Cocky Kurwenal commented

Cocky Kurwenal — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:24 +0000

Agreed – the hair is terrible.

I’m listening to her Herodiade right now from 1995. It’s rather better than B+.

Noel Dahling commented

Noel Dahling — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:02:57 +0000

she may only be a b+ singer, sometimes less, but she has an a+ voice. hence her fame.

javier commented

javier — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:39:10 +0000

The program for the tour she’s doing in December with Moore looks more interesting and with the potential for encores she should have some very long evenings ahead. I’ve read the reviews of some people who attended who are fans of hers and they thought she was great…but they’re biased I guess. The lesson to take from this: don’t spend money to see someone you don’t like.

Harry commented

Harry — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:42:48 +0000

midispiacemolto Comment8#: “satin gown… designed by regular concertgoer Vivienne Westwood” escapes unscathed.”

Reminds me of a different funny situation: a ‘ couture designer’ from London’s Carnaby Street – flew in , for a vaunted high fashion show one night, Next morning she was ‘caught’ going through a run down cheap clearance end of line fabric material shop ‘looking for ideas’. Probably to buy at bottom price,take it back to London, run it up and charge some star a fortune for it.Ah! what price ‘fashion’???!

Harry commented

Harry — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:56:55 +0000

ellerveira says (7#): And the “la scoopenda” tag is priceless (may I use it freely?).

Well if that is the case, I am granted the right to use the term Ms J. Chunderland, every time anyone mentions that diction-less creature La Stupenda.

midispiacemolto commented

midispiacemolto — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:23:25 +0000

“satin gown… designed by regular concertgoer Vivienne Westwood” escapes unscathed.”

but the hair! what happened to the hair!?!
remember me, but oh, forget my hair!!

ellerveira commented

ellerveira — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:01:54 +0000

I always have regarded her as a B+ singer, no more. And the “la scoopenda” tag is priceless (may I use it freely?). But perhaps we should all ease up a bit on Renee. She is also one of God’s creatures and deserves a modicum of respect.

pussinboots commented

pussinboots — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:10:49 +0000

She performed with the RPO in Amsterdam as well last Saturday. It was kind of disappointing – she was inaudible in the letter scene (I’m sticking to a lack of at least ’sound checking’ in order to fit the hall’s acoustics), managed to perform the verismo arias well, gave us a very good ‘Babbino’ and that was it. Au contraire to London, apparently, the RPO did give us Dvorak’s New world Symphony after the interval. And Renée held a signing session afterwards, looking kind of happy.

I didn’t expect it, but she has some serious Dutch groupies – a bunch of people bailed on the second part of the concert and talked themselves into Renée’s dressing room.

So, it was fun and nice, but I still can’t get over the minimal amount of singing she did.

Orlando Furioso commented

Orlando Furioso — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:10:12 +0000

The Vicar is slipping. “Trashy” is itself a rather trashy word, something only those unfortunate Yanks would say. Surely “tatty” or “common” would meet the need more felicitously.

wenarto commented

wenarto — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:43:23 +0000

forget la scoopenda, i rather hear someone else for the letter song, but here is one edition worst than Renee’s

Sanford commented

Sanford — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:21:13 +0000

The Vivienne Westwood looks like a sheet that’s been wrapped and draped. Her hair doesn’t look like a stylist even glanced at it. Her expression is bored.

Quanto Painy Fakor commented

Quanto Painy Fakor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:07:58 +0000

The Vicar of John Wakefield commented

The Vicar of John Wakefield — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:58:32 +0000

Why import such a trashy ‘celebrity” from abroad when there are fine British sopranos like Lisa Milne and Gweneth-Ann Jefferswho would have filled the bill to a treat?