parterre box

53 comments

• squirrel says:

  oh who knew?
  this film was quite good btw!

  on November 10, 2009 at 4:05 PM
• Orlando Furioso says:

  I bet she’s glad she’s in this Chéreau film, and not one where she would have had to fellate Mark Rylance onscreen.

  on November 10, 2009 at 4:58 PM
  • La Cieca says:

    It does seem an awful lot to stake on the flip of a coin.

    on November 10, 2009 at 5:04 PM
  • Lindoro Almaviva says:

    OK, I’ll sacrifice. (Saying I’ll take one for the team will give y’all the wrong idea.)

    on November 10, 2009 at 7:17 PM
• MontyNostry says:

  Definitely a Kunstdiva these days.

  By the way, who was La Cieca’s cryptic bolognese vedova allegra a while ago? Kabaivanska was mooted as a possible answer.

  on November 10, 2009 at 5:50 PM
  • richard says:

    But wasn’t Raina really always pretty much a kunstdiva? I never thought her voice was really first
    rate, she had a kind of uneven flutter vibrato.

    But she was a very committed performer and I liked her very much as Butterfly. Marguerite in Faust was a bit of a trial though.

    on November 10, 2009 at 6:07 PM
    • MontyNostry says:

      Quite, but there’s really no argument about Stimm(e) these days! I only saw her live once, and that was in recital.
      Not a pretty voice, but undoubtedly an artist of stature — and a fine-looking woman.

      on November 10, 2009 at 7:00 PM
• jatm2063 says:

  My cat felt compelled to leave the room when I played this. I can’t say I really blame him.

  on November 10, 2009 at 7:52 PM
• queen amahelli says:

  I did see her as Butterfly once and when she entered we almost giggled she was too old, and she sang rather flat until she warmed up – by the second act she had us by the throat. The entire theatre yelled and screamed in the orchestral tutti after the ‘Abramo Lincoln’ ship is sighted – ‘Trionfo il mio amor’ and all that – and this was in London!

  Probably agree about the voice, but what a presence.

  on November 10, 2009 at 8:01 PM
• Harry says:

  Ah Raina K…. one of opera’s quieter diligent achievers. I treasure her recordings of Tosca, Il Trovatore, Butterfly and Falstaff, and recitals. Definably a full thinking intelligent actress soprano, in her time. I believe that she is now a Professor of Music (in Sienna?) She showed there is more depth to Opera than just listening to ‘some latest razzle dazzle sensation on the block’. By chance I have been listening lately to a CD : a live recital she gave in the Palace de Congress,Lugano in 1987.

  on November 10, 2009 at 9:31 PM
• Nemorinopr says:

  Kabaivanska was my first Butterfly. John Alexander was the Pinkerton. I still cry when I remember her second act. It was a master class in verismo singing. Later I saw her Elisabetta di Valois in Don Carlo with Corelli and Bumbry. Those were the days!!!

  on November 10, 2009 at 9:55 PM
• Harry says:

  Nemorinopr; I understand your thoughts. Kabaivanska could project ‘inner pain and hurt’ of a character with just the slightest inflection in her voice / body movement or gesture. There was no need for wild body expressions to make a point.

  on November 10, 2009 at 10:48 PM
  • Nemorinopr says:

    Amen to that, Harry

    on November 10, 2009 at 10:51 PM
• Camille says:

  In the mid-eighties in Rome I had the privilege of seeing Mme. Kabaivanska twice; once as Adriana Lecouvreur, in 1985, and another instance at a later date, in which she sang a recital at Teatro all’Opera.

  The Adriana I was not completely sold on, because of the quality of the timbro of her voice and its slight, fluttering nature, however, she was a convincineg protagonist and I remember the Italians raving about her afterward; I was left rather perplexed and nonplussed.

  However,in the concert a year or so later, maybe 1987, I shall forever treasure the memory of her singing “Addio, mio dolce amore”, from Puccini’s dark horse, Edgar. Everyone went rabid. She truly was an artist and conveyed something real, despite the slightly quavering vibrato that put me off her voice. As well, I’ve seen the film of her Tosca, wherein I found her to be rather ideal (physically), my conception of Tosca is not a big, buxom soprano, but rather more like the actual Roman women I knew, who are of a slighter build.

  Is anyone tuned in to SIRIUS…? Ramey sounds older than Charles Anthony, who is clearly singing the role he was born to sing!

  Lise Lindstrom’s Italian enunciation is pretty much valley girl, but by GOTT, it is nice to hear someone sing the high C in alt for a change, after having suffered through Eaglen, Marton, Dugger, Marc, and the now Ghastly Ghouleghina…god knows whom else. She is, at least, able to sing without sounding like she’s going to have cardiac arrest. The audience applauded after “In questa reggia”, which usually doesn’t happen.

  on November 10, 2009 at 10:57 PM
• Tamerlano says:

  on November 10, 2009 at 11:35 PM
  • richard says:

    Thrilling singing from Raina K. I love the “mysterious” quality in her voice. She was very fine
    also in Francesca da Rimini.

    Thanks for the clip!

    on November 11, 2009 at 8:02 AM
  • Camille says:

    GEE, Mr. Tamerlano, mille e mille grazie!

    Live, with chorus, it was actually even more thrilling.

    Un dolcissimo ricordo.
    Ancora, GRAZIE!

    on November 12, 2009 at 12:31 AM