From the House of the Gelb
Our Own JJ interviews the Met’s general manager Peter Gelb in today’s New York Post.
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“….And if they still hate what we’re doing, I’m going to be trying my hardest to continue to do what I am doing, because I believe it’s the only way to go.”
One wishes he might have done a better job of veiling his indifference.
His indifference…or his stupidity.
So what were his feelings on the long intermissions?
Seriously. The intervals have become interminable … any justification proffered?
Already Flaubert heard this complaint so often he included it in his dictionary of received ideas:
ENTRACTE : Toujours trop long
Would that J.J. were given longer column length in the Post, allowing him to dig a little deeper.
Personally, I don’t believe Mr. Gelb to be either indifferent or stupid. I believe that the hugely media and demographics-savvy Mr. Gelb was brought in by the MET’s Board of Directors specifically to do what he’s been doing. Whether they think he’s doing it well or not remains to be seen.
His one big vulnerability in my opinion is inconsistent casting, but even there I think one can discern that it’s part and parcel of an overall vision of where the MET needs to go to survive. And Gelb is fighting the outright lack of an entire fach of singers–the big dramatic voices in virtually every vocal range and in every national style of singing, if such even exist any more–along with every other general manager or artistic director on the planet.
I would disagree with our J.J. slightly in that I don’t think Gelb has had only one grand slam. The MET’s publicity has been revolutionized and there have been several productions–Madama Butterfly doesn’t stand in splendid isolation–that have worked well. If nothing else, he broke the “Trovatore Curse.”
Like it or not, the cher publique is not the only audience the MET has or needs to have. On some level, Gelb IS reaching the andience–it just may not be this one.
Will I would be interested to know who has had these big dramatic voices in the past, in your opinion. And, could you elaborate on an example national style of singing. Thanks.
Will’s point is that there simply aren’t enough big voices nowadays–we’re talking Nilsson-, Cossotto-, Corelli-, Milnes-type voices–to meet the demand for them. If louanned knows of a source for such voices, we’d all be glad to hear it.
I don’t know. That’s why I was asking.
Thank you for elaborating. I heard some potentially big voices but not too many, now I know why.
Since others have covered the big dramatic voice issue, let me speak of the national style issue.
Back in the nineteenth and lasting through until just after the Second world War, there were differing styles of singing in different cultures. While there were cross-overs (Caruso, Schumann-Heink for Example), the MET had distinct French, Italian and German wings for those repertories.
French singers, no matter what their voice size, cultivated a clear vocal sound with the words very forwardly placed and seeming to float ON the voice. Clarity of the word was paramount along with subtle coloration and an elegance of line. Once you hear it, you don’t forget it.
Russian singers were famed for their dark rolling sound among basses, baritones and contraltos. The tenors had a high, clear, sometimes reedy upper register, very distinctive and often quite brilliant. During the Soviet era as Russia became isolated from the West and singers were kept from traveling outside the USSR, time stood still for production styles and vocal training. For a while during the 1980s and 90s it looked as if Russians MIGHT be the solution for the dramatic voice crisis because their voice teachers seemed to be able to deal with such voices in the development phase. And there are still one or two who could come through. What also happened during the Soviet era was the development of sopranos and mezzos with powerful, brilliant, often hard and glaring upper registers with very little vibrato. This became a uniquely Russian thing, sometimes unbearable, sometimes thrilling depending on the singer.
English singing featured some deep contraltos and a lot of thin voiced, curdled tenor voices, some of whom are still being produced.
After WWII, the great French style was captured for the last time pretty much unadulterated when EMI put out a series of recordings of core French repertory (Carmen, Faust, Pearl Fishers, Tales of Hoffmann, Samson et Dalila, Manon, Le Roi d’Ys and a some others) sung by the Opera Comique in Paris.
As the years went on a kind of international sound began to spread everywhere as singers jetted back and forth, casts became polyglot, and cultural traditions began to break down.
The French sound is so distinctive and forward because that’s also how the language is spoken. So many vowels are nasal (not in a bad way, just in terms of placement) that they put the voice forward anyway. Unless French is sung like Italian, which I hate.
Sanford–thank you very much for adding that–I realized after I posted that I should have said something of the sort. It’s not just in French, of course–vocal production and tone color are heavily connected to how a language is spoken with French, Slavic and various Asian singing traditions connected to where in the mouth and throat spoken sound is produced.
Thank you all for educating me. What you have said really explains a lot about voices that I haven’t understood in the past. I do appreciate your expertise.
What’s worth noting, though, is that the successes of the Gelb era have been largely imports: the ENO Butterfly, the Trovatore (from Chicago), the Lepage Faust and (assuming it’s a success), From the House of the Dead. The from-scratch productions—the ones where presumably he had some supervisory control—have been duds or worse: the Bundy Tosca, Zimmerman’s Lucia and her thoroughly shitty Sonnambula. Thus far, Gelb has had success as a presenter, but not as an impresario.
4.2- I agree with you that so far Gelb has only had success ( if that ) with imports. Tosca, Lucia and Sonnambula are his, not the previous administration. Of course Gelb hired Zimmerman and his own comments in the press support this.
But let’s face it, so far the productions have been duds, “the lady doth protest too much”.
Went to Damnation, lotsa empty seats.
Before anyone starts calling anyone a savior, they should let time tell.
La Cieca- please, oh please take it easy. You demean your talents when you allow your prejudcies get the best of you.
Very well put!
I would bet that the Sonnambula and Lucia were arranged prior to Mr Gelb taking over, in whole or in part. This is, after all, only his 4th season and his first with complete control. And as in politics, being a leader in art sometimes means doing things that are initially unpopular and bringing the audience along with you. Nothing stays the same. Leaders in all fields go through this. New regimes come in, shake up the old way of doing things, and are initially met with resistance from the old guard. In 10 years, if he’s still met with resistance, he might be in trouble; at the moment, he seems to at the very least, reinvigorated interest in The Met.
Well, even if Volpe did initially hire Zimmerman (which I don’t think was the case), it was Gelb who signed off on the execrable final results.
Lucia and Sonnambula casting was planned by the Volpe administration. Gelb was the one who decided to engage Mary Zimmerman for new productions of these titles; I think the former was to be a revial of the old Joel production, the latter a rental of a production from Vienna (at least according to the Met Futures site at the time).
Six weeks rehearsing Death but the first cover for Turandot went on without a single rehearsal or having been onstage….
I won’t say “it’s always been thus” since I don’t know how new productions went a century ago, but big repertory houses like the Met have a history of throwing on revivals like the one of Turandot with relatively little preparation. That’s the problem of being a repertory house like the Met; something’s got to give, and it’s generally revivals of standard-repertory operas. You’d need a different system for things to be different.
Covers have always gotten short shrift at the Met. I heard about a new production where they were barred from rehearsals. And the fact that there’s more rehearsal for the house premiere of a difficult new piece—helmed by a celebrated director and a star conductor—than for the umpteenth revival of a repertory standard: you find this problematic?
“I heard about a new production where they were barred from rehearsals.”
Would you please elaborate on this astonishing piece of information?
A friend preparing for a starring role in a new production at Vienna State Opera informs me that for new productions there are seven weeks of rehearsal, but for previously performed productions, only two or three days. This is not unusual.
Wow, bravo to JJ! That’s quite a coup!
We’ll have to find out what it was like to be in the presence of the Great One!
“Now I get to go work on HD lightly levels” was hiliarious!
Cieca, ask JJ: Does the Great One read Parterre Box??
Incidentally, off-topic, but: Ariodante at Julliard was an exceptional delight … get thee to the Sharp tomorrow or Sunday!
I couldn’t agree more.
JJ posted an excellent interview with Mr. Gelb. What I enjoyed most about the piece was the subtle way JJ intimated it was a chore for Mr. Gelb to do an interview intended for the Post audience… among other ‘read between the lines’.
Brilliantly yet savagely laid out work.
This blog hosts two groups of people: group a) the ptofessionals, the anointed ones, and the astude critics with vast knowledge of opera; and group b) the masses and common folks like me, whose lifes have been affected and enriched by opera. It is us, the common folks, who pay for the high-priced tickets and support oprea. Without us, opera will die. For us, Peter Gelp is an angel of epiphany for opera, who changed our lives for ever. His concept of telecastiong live opera will remain as the most innovative contribution since the first recording of human voice on a cylinder. If it weren’t for Gelp, do you think the Mighty La Scala would telecasst, live, its opening night of Carmen, on December 7, 2009? You, Gelp’s critics, think about it! But what do I know?
Am I mistaken, but I believe La Scala has done telecasts previously, has it not?
La Scala has been doing telecasts since at least 1975.
Wow! Telecasts in the cinema since 1975? That is pretty impressive, actually. I haven’t seen one although they are shown here in San Francisco. Has anyone been to a showing? How do they compare to the Met’s HD endeavor?
Baritenor, The Met has been doing telecasts since the early 70s. I believe the first one was Luisa Miller with Renata Scotto (I’m pretty sure that was the first). However, I think the point that Gelb was making was specifically about HD broadcasts to movie theaters. I guarantee that La Scala has not been telecasting in HD since 75, because that technology was not available back then.
The first Met telecast was Boheme with Scotto/Pavarotti in 1977. The Scotto/Domingo/Milnes Luisa Miller came in 1979.
And the Met cinema broadcasts have inspired alot of other companies. Yes, La Scala has been doing telecasts for a long time (including the famous Bicentennial Otello with Domingo/Freni/Kleiber) but the Met cinecasts have opened a floodgate. I don’t know about other cities, but here in Toronto, I’m always seeing ads in the paper for cinecasts of performances of the Royal Ballet and Opera from Covent Garden as well as other companies. And the Phaedra cinecast with Hellen Mirren must have also been inspired by the Met series.
“And if they still hate what we’re doing, I’m going to be trying my hardest to continue to do what I am doing, because I believe it’s the only way to go.”
Only a remarkably unenlightened person thinks there’s only one way to produce art, either in the case of a specific work or an overall vision. It’s not only utter nonsense, it’s dangerous nonsense.
I remember the first Met telecast. Here it is.
Metropolitan Opera House
November 8, 1954 Telecast
Opening Night {70}
Rudolf Bing, General Manager
GALA OPENING
Pagliacci: Prologue
Leonard Warren
Conductor……………Alberto Erede
La Bohème: Act I
Mimì………………..Victoria de los Angeles
Rodolfo……………..Richard Tucker
Marcello…………….Frank Guarrera
Schaunard……………Clifford Harvuot
Colline……………..Norman Scott
Benoit………………Lawrence Davidson
Conductor……………Alberto Erede
Director…………….Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Designer…………….Rolf Gérard
Staged by……………Dino Yannopoulos
Il Barbiere di Siviglia: Act II
Figaro………………Robert Merrill
Rosina………………Roberta Peters
Count Almaviva……….Cesare Valletti
Dr. Bartolo………….Fernando Corena
Don Basilio………….Jerome Hines
Berta……………….Jean Madeira
Sergeant…………….Alessio De Paolis
Ambrogio…………….Rudolf Mayreder
Conductor……………Alberto Erede
Director…………….Cyril Ritchard
Designer…………….Eugene Berman
Stage Director……….Robert Herman [First appearance]
Aida: Act I, Scene 1; Act II
Aida………………..Zinka Milanov
Radamès……………..Mario Del Monaco
Amneris……………..Blanche Thebom
Amonasro…………….Leonard Warren
Ramfis………………Jerome Hines
King………………..Luben Vichey
Messenger……………Paul Franke
Dance……………….Mia Slavenska [First appearance]
Dance……………….Larry Boyette [First appearance]
Dance……………….Louis Kosman [First appearance]
Conductor……………Fausto Cleva
Director…………….Margaret Webster
Stage Director……….Dino Yannopoulos
Designer…………….Rolf Gérard
Choreographer………..Zachary Solov
TV Director………….Kirk Browning
[This performance was relayed by closed-circuit to theaters throughout the United States.]
#10 Kashina, the first Met telecast to go outside New York City
was opening night Der Rosenkavalier 1949; it went to various
movie houses all over the country, though not many. It was
more or less a flop — really bad black and white image,
and I think its failure played a role in discouraging such for
another twenty to thierty years. Now, however, with Met
Cenemacasts that are state-of-the-art in electronic
transmission of image and sound, it’s a very interesting
story. It is to Gelb’s very great credit that he brought this
about, we cannot deny him that. Now….if he and the Met
just had a young, vigorous, idea-filled Artistic Director,
we just might be in clover.
Well if we’re going to get technical, the first production telecast from the stage was:
Metropolitan Opera House
November 29, 1948 Telecast
Opening Night {64}
Edward Johnson, General Manager
OTELLO {94}
Giuseppe Verdi–Arrigo Boito
Otello………………Ramon Vinay
Desdemona……………Licia Albanese
Iago………………..Leonard Warren
Emilia………………Martha Lipton
Cassio………………John Garris
Lodovico…………….Nicola Moscona
Montàno……………..Clifford Harvuot
Roderigo…………….Thomas Hayward
Herald………………Philip Kinsman
Conductor……………Fritz Busch
Director…………….Herbert Graf
Set designer…………Donald Oenslager
Otello received twelve performances this season.
[This was the first telecast from the stage of the opera house.]
Wow, a telecast as early as 1948? That’s remarkable. And what a great cast.
4.2
Repeating the same unfounded assertions again and again does not really change the facts: the Bondy Tosca was liked many more Met patrons than disliked it; Zimmerman’s Lucia was well received by audiences and critics; Sonnambula was dismissed by the critics, hated by a minority of the audience, and liked well enough by the majority. And all three sold out most of their performances.
And your source of data to back up these assertions is..?
even if these “facts” are true, does that mean that we aren’t allowed to make other assessments of these productions?
Weren’t these productions sold out prior to the opening night and the new productions had been unveiled?
Looks like Constantine has opened the floodgates here, too! Yes, we now have Met screenings in venues throughout Ireland, they’re a complete sell-out and it’s all happened in the past three years – which is not to say that it was not in the planning before then.
BTW Constantine, love that “Gelp”, it might catch on.
Now, out the door to catch the farewell appearance of Frederica Von Stade, a great friend of this country (her mother used to live here). Will miss the House chat tonight but I am looking forward to your posts.
I guess I was wrong about the Gala in 1954 being the “first” telecast–it was the only one that I remember.
But Clita, you are not the son of
E. Makropoulos the way I am
You can’t be expected to remember
these pre-historic events. And
where did that 1948 ‘cast go?
There were visuals from the Met
as far back as the 1930s, but no
real telecasts as full programs and
none to national theatres until
the 1949 effort, I believe.
The ticket sales statistics are from the Met website. The audience response assertions are from feedback to the Met via email and telephone as discussed in the media, and from my observations of and conversations with other attendees; I am a chatty sort, and I generally attend more than one performance of a given opera, prompted sometimes by a desire to see the same singers again, sometimes by a cast change. As for “other assessments” each is entitled to an opinion, but no-one is entitled to their own facts. To say that a production was a failure because you didn’t like it proves nothing; “duds” and “shitty” are not sufficiently analytical to support these “assertions.”
BTW, I saw the telecast of Laboheme with Pavarotti and Scotto. But all these events of the past were sporadic and did not have the numbers of the venues-1000- and massiveness- millions of audiences in total- of the HD telecasts. I got tickets to see the opening night of La Scala, live, in a small town of New Mexico. That would have been impossible BG (before Gelp). From now on, opera’s history will be devided in BG and AG. The floodgate is closed.
Constantine, I admire your enthusiasm
No Expert, I left my impression of last night’s Aida under the “Breakfast” thread. I hope you liked the telecast and am interested to read your thoughts on it.
Artistic success and box office success are two different things. The “Sonnambula” sold well because it was a new production of a famous but underproduced opera with two big stars: Dessay and Florez. I suspect that a revival with lesser names would play to an empty auditorium. I went to a later performance to check out Barry Banks as Elvino – the audience was cold and unenthusiastic. The “Tosca” was pretty much sold out this past October. Does that make it a success?
Another yardstick of a successful production is how well it plays in revival without the original cast. “Damnation” has been doing poorly at the box office. The Taymor “Flute” (lest ye forget a Volpe baby first to last) did well for several years but then declined recently after all the Taymor groupies had seen it already.
I suspect that a revival of the Bondy production of “Tosca” with the current level of casting in dramatic Italian operas would not start a stampede to the box office. If Maria Callas came back from the dead yes. If Netrebko or Fleming took on Floria. Otherwise, the Zeffirelli could be thrown up there with mediocre casting (as it nearly invariably was) and people would come. Like in “Cats” on Broadway people came to see the sets, not the stars. Very eighties.
Otherwise, the Zeffirelli could be thrown up there with mediocre casting (as it nearly invariably was) and people would come.
“Would” is not the same as “will.” I remember that toward the end of the Volpe era, it was pointed out to him that over the previous decade, the median age of the audience had increased by ten years. He shrugged and said, “Oh, well, 70 is the new 60.” The problem with this thinking, of course, is that eventually dead is the audience.
My impression is that the “go to the Met once in your lifetime while visiting beautiful New York City” was failing pretty badly by the early 2000s. I certainly don’t remember any of the Tosca performances (except on those occasions when Pavarotti would totter out) as being a “stampede to the box office.”
I have to say, too, Gualtier, that I would be wary of deriving any sort of box office truisms (whether at the Met or any other performing venue) from the past couple of seasons. We’re having the worst economic downturn since the 1930s, which is surely impacting ticket sales more powerfully than stage decor.
“Dead” is the new “dying”?
LOL
That first production with Scotto and Pavarotti was a magical moment for the entire school of vocal students at the The University of New Mexico in 1977.
Since then, public broadcasts have not increased much, with the exception of the HD Met, which, as you can imagine, is doing very very well out here, probably (just a theory) because of the baby-boomer exodus to the West and their childhood memories of East coast culture, and not because younger people are attracted to the opera.
I feel like I know the European opera houses better (except for the Met) because many of the broadcasts make it to television, and eventually Youtube. Yet, here in Arizona, at our little Arizona Opera company, I heard some astounding performances, the likes of
which will not be known to the world due to lack of public exposure and money to support such exposure.
Does that exposure bring young people to opera in Europe? Someone might be able to enlighten me on that topic, or is it the predominance of Regie theater in Europe that brings younger people, or, both? I just feel a bit sad for these young American singers who could benefit from having their voices heard all over the world, and, for the world not being able to hear them. Will we ever see a Santa Fe performance on Youtube?
Constantine is dead right- Until Mr Gelb started the Met broadcasts no other company had regular broadcasts in movie theatres throughout the world at the rate they are currently doing. Sure singular or gala performances in isolation have been done before but not programmes of six or more recent/current performances. La Scala is clearly copying the Met- so too is the Royal Ballet & Opera. Credit where credit is due- this last year has been a veritable feast of performances and it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for Mr Gelb. I don’t care what any silly ol queen says, this is one silly ol queen who’s got a lot to thank Mr Gelb for…and does!