Let it chat, let it chat, let it chat!
Here’s the place to stay warm and to discuss this afternoon’s broadcast of Les Contes d’Hoffmann, starting at 1:00 pm.
Following this performance with a score is going to be difficult, as the Met uses a mix-and-match edition, but if you’re interested, bad old Choudens can be found here.
Indeed there is, as of about a half hour ago, snow in NYC.
I’m not chatting today, gotta get those nuts before the winter comes. Have fun y’all!
Did Margaret just say “After the second act of our intermission”? Alagna’s accent is a leeeetle beeet, how you say, ze theeeeck Frensssh cheeese, n’est-ce pas?
OPERA QUIZ -- other than the singers signing autographs and Osie Hawkens who introduced them, name as many people as you can in this video?
Is that Thor Eckert in the full length leather coat?
This quiz is some major Reputation Rehab for Mr. Alagna. I’ll bet his enthusiasm and friendliness, not to mention funny accent, are winning him a lot of friends today!
Alagna also made it, somehow, to one of the intermission interviews during the Met HD. He was charming, but he appeared with Mariusz, who overshadowed him (although he spoke less). Mariusz came off as so delicious and funny. He was very present in the interview, too, paying attention to Voigt (hostess) and Alagna even when the focus was on Alagna. He didn’t look around distracted like I’ve seen some others behave during these backstage interviews.
I absolutely LOVE the broadcast today, despite Netrebko rejecting my facebook request….I still love the entire thing.
I’m not as enthusiastic as you are but I did enjoy it though I have to say I don’t think Mr. Scher was able to finish. It seemed half realized but definitely original. Ms. Kim was definitely our audience favorite in the theater.
Am I the only one having trouble getting with the realtime chat? When I log on in midstream, is there a way to back up and get the general drift of things? The format also seems to promote interrupting one another and hogging the conversation, which I am sure are unintended consequences but which discourage the meatier exchanges I find here. Or did I just drop in at the wrong time?
Debbie Voigt and Marius Kwiecien exhibited more personality and style
in thier few minutes in interviewing than anyone on stage did all afternoon!
Make Debbie the permanent hostess for the Saturday broadcasts, radio and
movie houses. She really does it well – style, assurance, voice quality, fluency!
She exudes a bit of naughtiness, too, that Graham and Fleming don’t. To me, Voigt seems to loosen up everyone.
true! i love her
I walked a mile in a foot of snow to get to the HD broadcast; then walked a mile in a foot and a half of snow to get home. There were about 20 people in the theater.
Netrebko didn’t sound well. I had a very hard time following her words (and this is a score I know). I wasn’t that impressed with the Giulietta. Kim was a lot of fun.
But Calleja, Lindsey and Held were very good. Held didn’t take the high note at the end of Scintille Diamante, and missed, I think, one or two other notes. But he’s right for the part. This is the most bulked-up Nicklausse/Muse part I’ve ever seen, heard or heard of — Lindsey went to fetch the conductor, rightly, since she had the leading female part. Calleja was very impressive, from digression in Kleinzach on.
Overproduced, but worth the walk.
Why not hire someone classy like Flott or Dame Janet for these duties?
Surely they are busy hosting the ROH HD broadcasts?
You mean Flotsam and Jetson?
Just got back from the performance. I loved Kathleen Kim as Olympia and it sounded like the rest of the audience did too. Her voice carried great, very clear and crisp, and her characterization was fun. She was so damn cute. I wanted to put her in a box and send her as a christmas gift to my friends.
Thought the orchestra sounded great. I’ve listened to a recording (the Sills one) many times but never loved the music as much as I did today. Credit to Levine I think. I loved it.
Kate Lindsey either got louder as the show went on or Levine toned down the orchestra. Initially, as in the first few minutes, there was some trouble hearing her. That went away as the performance continued. I was up in the family circle section.
Speaking of which, I hadn’t realized Offenbach’s score called for so many cellphones ringing. WTF was that about? That was the worst I’ve ever experienced it. After the first two or three, one would think other people might consider checking their cellphones too. I was ready to throw the next person who’s phone rang over the balcony. If a trial of my peers (i.e. opera fans) I’m sure I’d have been acquitted.
After the first intermission there was some commotion as some ladies were fighting near the last row over god knows what. They both needed to get the last word in apparently. Went on for a couple of minutes after the music had started. Seemed like the entire section formed an ensemble of shushes.