Wagging Tales
David Pomeroy makes his Met debut tonight as the eponymous boozehound in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, replacing the ill Joseph Calleja. Meanwhile, La Cieca hears, Brandon Jovanovich is on a rehearsal stage getting brought up to speed on the Carmen production in case he has to go on for Roberto Alagna tomorrow night.
Listening to Mr. Pomeroy, his voice isn’t as warm, full, or have the depth of Mr. Calleja’s. The orchestra seems to be taking it all a little slow tonight. Any one else listening?
My Sirius connection is horrible tonite, but from what I have been able to hear, I am not impressed by Mr Pomeroy’s Hoffmann. Small, constricted voice.
Pomeroy’s curtain call on January 2, 2010
This cast has been hit hard with sickness the past week but all are back except Calleja. I think Pomeroy is doing a good job with making his debut in such a tough role.
Shouldn’t we all be rooting for the underdog debutante (Mr. Pomeroy)? I agree with a few of the commenters above that it is his debut in a very tough role, and we should be supportive. And yes, it seems a bit smallish for this part in this house, but I wonder if he gets used to the house a bit more and relaxes it might blossom out…..
Pomeroy jumped in for Calleja early in the dress and the comments were positive all around (including from some of the cast privately). They are rallying ’round him tonight, knowing what a big night it is.
I’m digging Mr Pomeroy’s debut tonight. The voice is sweet and warm, nowhere the size of and entirely different from Calleja’s, but a lovely sound. A strong top (some great held notes) and weaker down below. I’m routing for ya, Dave!
well I was at that rehearsal where he jumped in and wasn’t impressed at all. I would take the sick Calleja over Pomeroy anyday.
I find a lot more to like about Mr. Pomeroy than to dislike. He’s doing an honorable job, even if his filling in isn’t as momentous as was Rachele Gilmore’s last week. And Ms. Kim was on the shrieky side.
I agree on both counts!
After Antonia’s aria, I turned the radio off. Reception was excellent, but the orchestra sounded underpowered. Pemeroy’s future lies with carachter tenor parts-blunt voice and clorless timbre. Afer Calleja, no standee will do it.
I didn’t mean to sound unsupportive of Pomeroy. I really just meant that his voijce is very different from Calleja’s. It wasn’t as pleasing to my ear but could be very legitimate as Hoffmann. Didn’t one of the critics say that Calleja didn’t seem right as a sad alcholic? At any rate, I’d give Pomeroy another listen. Unfortunately, dinner called and I had to drop out of the broadcast after the Olympia act.
Let’s be honest, people. Ok: Pomeroy saved the performance, he made a decent debut in a fearsome role. But his french is that of a first grader and I didn’t hear a future Nicolai Gedda in his throat. But, that’s my opinion.
I attended the performance, specifically to see Calleja, so was disapointed by the replacementnotice. That being said, I thought that Mr. Pomeroy made a respectable, if not stupendous, debut….and I agree with an earlier comment that we should support young singers not trash them.
I heard Calleja earlier in the run, but was also there last night for Pomeroy’s performance; Calleja is certainly much more comfortable with this role, but Pomeroy was presentable, and did get better through the evening; there was some very pretty lyrical tone, one very ugly high note in the first act, and then some attractively ardent singing in the later acts; he did quite a nice job leading the sextet, and the voice carried reasonably well, at least where I was posted (in orchestra standing room); Netrebko sounded great, Lindsey sounded very nice, Held was quite good but he seemed scared of the concluding high note of his big aria, and the person who has gotten most comfortable with this production is Keenan who led a much tighter and livelier performance than that first one in which he stepped in the last minute for Levine. . . the production still a mess, and especially the Antonia act very poorly conceived, but the Olympia and Giulietta acts have some nice features. . .
On sirius Pomeroy sounded fine and did a very reasonable job. No he is not Calleja but there aren’t many tenors who can sing like the latter anyways and we need each and every good tenor we can get.
Happy New Year to you All!!!
No he is not another Calleja
and thank the stars for that.
I am sure he will be more
secure as time goes on and
hopefully give some first rate
work . At least we didn’t have
the braying Calleja.