To me, the photo looks more like a fascist version of the trio from Offenbach’s Grande Duchesse in the English version that goes “Tonight’s the night he meets his doom, right in the famous trophy room! When he’s asleep, that upstart Fritz, then we will tear ole Fritz to bits!” (not like Donizetti’s “Tous les trois réunis”).
During the time that Meredith Arwady was a student at the Ryan School in Chicago, Lyric audiences caught her in several comprimario roles. As Tisbe, she nearly stole “La Cenerentola.” Chicago opera lovers sense that she is on the verge of a great career, and will follow her progress with “we knew her WHEN” interest. Her Chicago and New York appearances in “Dr. Atomic” always seemed like a serious misfit, so it’s good to see her back doing the kind of thing she does well.
Ms. Arwady sounded in good voice in Dr. Atomic. It was that hideous “when the big red flower blooms” aria that she had to sing that was really a mis-fit. it was good to hear her in a good role indeed.
JD SHOULD be able to encore the aria, IF the audience response warrants it … however, I’m sure, as before, it’s all up to Mr. Gelb …. on the telephone up in his box!!
It doesn’t make much sense to me for him to encore the aria. If he doesn’t encore it now, the assumption is that the novelty has passed and he sees no point on doing it anymore. But if he keeps on encoring it, eventually he’ll have to stop and then we will all say that he no longer can do it, that his high notes no longer come as easily as in the past, etc., etc. Stop doing it because you want to and not because you have to.
Good point.
In fact he didn’t encore it every time ( perhaps only opening night?) during the last run. In particular he didn’t do it for the performance that was transmitted in HD. Good sense on his part.
Thanks for an excellent review.
Glad to hear the singing was top-notch ( only reason to go to the performance , after all) Too bad Dame Kiri could not have found something by Donizetti to sing. There are so many arias that deserve to be performed but languish in obscure operas that probably don’t.
Donizetti probably wouldn’t mind a different composer, even style. But I’d love to see Kiri make fun of early 20th century coloraturas and, since the Duchess of Krakenthorp goes insane at the end, she should sing a passage from the mad scene of Lucia.
I have to say I thought that Damrau was pretty dreadful until she reached “Il faut partir”. A few good top notes thrown in, but otherwise unfocused, buzzy sound, frequently shading flat. TOTALY charmless singing ( and “acting”). Then she puled another bow out of her quiver. But, I’m sorry, those who worship her: that lower register is just plain ugsome, and the legato comes and (mainly) goes.
The French diction is the last thing I care about in a performance of La fille du regiment. My fav. Marie’s of the past era are an American and an Australian and they both had more coloratura soprano in their pinkies than Damrau or Dessay. From Dessay’s fille I noticed that she did too much “acting” and not enough actual bel canto coloratura singing. Did Damrau fall into the same habit? I can’t tell from the review. Florez, of course, is great so there’s not much to complain about there.
Kira was interviewed last weekend before the premiere by Fleming. It’s on youtube now:
In this kind of opera it’s actually okay to sing arias from different composers, but typically added arias are at least within the same style.
Taking to Renee’ as ‘an interested parent’ Princess Rack-a-roota looks like she is the headmistress of a posh girl’s school .Why, it is the chic short hair -no nonsense efficient matron look, with the helping of the dye bottle of course. All hint of former brunette is gone. The pupils at her ‘nice’ school have already being instructed not to wave their knickers at the pupils from the nearby boys school, or face instant expulsion.
That looks like the opening sequence to some weird bisexual early 80s porno movie. I don’t think Kiri would approve, though Renee would be very liberal about it, I’m sure.
Dame Joan Sutherland would be the best Duchess. She could wear one of her old costumes – a different one every day. (Traviata, Hoffmann, Esclarmonde. Merry Widow, Don Giovanni, Fledermaus and even the green gown with the huge bow that she wore at the Centennial Gala.)
It’s extremely kind of you to project this upon Sutherland — and rather astonishing, since the only thing that made her bearable theatrically was her stupendous voice and technique. Without those … oh, dear. Even her master classes give no sign of imagination or empathy — or the kind of generosity that made, say, Felicity Palmer triumph in the role.
Who can forget that Sutherland green dress with that ridiculous big butterfly bow sticking up and out of the back of it. When I saw it: made me think of that advert caption remark – for some light sponge cake cookery mix, ‘being so light in weight and texture……why it might just fly away!’ Joan S. ….no way! If it was meant to suggest an airplane propeller O.K! You can always kick start a Jumbo, if your boot is big enough.
“A German, a Peruvian and a Kiwi walk into an American theater and start speaking French: that sounds like the premise of a joke, right?”
Am I correct in assuming that Florez does not encore his big aria this season?
If this were a guess-the-regie picture, I would say it has to be the Vengence Trio at the end of Act 2 of Gotterdammerung.
To me, the photo looks more like a fascist version of the trio from Offenbach’s Grande Duchesse in the English version that goes “Tonight’s the night he meets his doom, right in the famous trophy room! When he’s asleep, that upstart Fritz, then we will tear ole Fritz to bits!” (not like Donizetti’s “Tous les trois réunis”).
During the time that Meredith Arwady was a student at the Ryan School in Chicago, Lyric audiences caught her in several comprimario roles. As Tisbe, she nearly stole “La Cenerentola.” Chicago opera lovers sense that she is on the verge of a great career, and will follow her progress with “we knew her WHEN” interest. Her Chicago and New York appearances in “Dr. Atomic” always seemed like a serious misfit, so it’s good to see her back doing the kind of thing she does well.
Ms. Arwady sounded in good voice in Dr. Atomic. It was that hideous “when the big red flower blooms” aria that she had to sing that was really a mis-fit. it was good to hear her in a good role indeed.
JD SHOULD be able to encore the aria, IF the audience response warrants it … however, I’m sure, as before, it’s all up to Mr. Gelb …. on the telephone up in his box!!
It doesn’t make much sense to me for him to encore the aria. If he doesn’t encore it now, the assumption is that the novelty has passed and he sees no point on doing it anymore. But if he keeps on encoring it, eventually he’ll have to stop and then we will all say that he no longer can do it, that his high notes no longer come as easily as in the past, etc., etc. Stop doing it because you want to and not because you have to.
Good point.
In fact he didn’t encore it every time ( perhaps only opening night?) during the last run. In particular he didn’t do it for the performance that was transmitted in HD. Good sense on his part.
Thanks for an excellent review.
Glad to hear the singing was top-notch ( only reason to go to the performance , after all) Too bad Dame Kiri could not have found something by Donizetti to sing. There are so many arias that deserve to be performed but languish in obscure operas that probably don’t.
Donizetti probably wouldn’t mind a different composer, even style. But I’d love to see Kiri make fun of early 20th century coloraturas and, since the Duchess of Krakenthorp goes insane at the end, she should sing a passage from the mad scene of Lucia.
I have to say I thought that Damrau was pretty dreadful until she reached “Il faut partir”. A few good top notes thrown in, but otherwise unfocused, buzzy sound, frequently shading flat. TOTALY charmless singing ( and “acting”). Then she puled another bow out of her quiver. But, I’m sorry, those who worship her: that lower register is just plain ugsome, and the legato comes and (mainly) goes.
Not her Fach.
The French diction is the last thing I care about in a performance of La fille du regiment. My fav. Marie’s of the past era are an American and an Australian and they both had more coloratura soprano in their pinkies than Damrau or Dessay. From Dessay’s fille I noticed that she did too much “acting” and not enough actual bel canto coloratura singing. Did Damrau fall into the same habit? I can’t tell from the review. Florez, of course, is great so there’s not much to complain about there.
Kira was interviewed last weekend before the premiere by Fleming. It’s on youtube now:
In this kind of opera it’s actually okay to sing arias from different composers, but typically added arias are at least within the same style.
How strange to see these two ladies together. I miss Kiri’s longer hair.
Taking to Renee’ as ‘an interested parent’ Princess Rack-a-roota looks like she is the headmistress of a posh girl’s school .Why, it is the chic short hair -no nonsense efficient matron look, with the helping of the dye bottle of course. All hint of former brunette is gone. The pupils at her ‘nice’ school have already being instructed not to wave their knickers at the pupils from the nearby boys school, or face instant expulsion.
” … but typically added arias are at least within the same style.”
But that’s far less funny.
Oh look, double double crème! Sir Georg must be crèmeing his jeans in heaven (if he made it there).
That looks like the opening sequence to some weird bisexual early 80s porno movie. I don’t think Kiri would approve, though Renee would be very liberal about it, I’m sure.
I hope La Cieca has told J.J. that he has outdone himself with this well-crafted review.
Zinka would have been a hoot as the Duchess. Sorry it never happened.
Did Zinka ever do comedy? I have this feeling that self-irony was not her forte. (She was more famous for her pianissimi, after all).
Dame Joan Sutherland would be the best Duchess. She could wear one of her old costumes – a different one every day. (Traviata, Hoffmann, Esclarmonde. Merry Widow, Don Giovanni, Fledermaus and even the green gown with the huge bow that she wore at the Centennial Gala.)
It’s extremely kind of you to project this upon Sutherland — and rather astonishing, since the only thing that made her bearable theatrically was her stupendous voice and technique. Without those … oh, dear. Even her master classes give no sign of imagination or empathy — or the kind of generosity that made, say, Felicity Palmer triumph in the role.
Who can forget that Sutherland green dress with that ridiculous big butterfly bow sticking up and out of the back of it. When I saw it: made me think of that advert caption remark – for some light sponge cake cookery mix, ‘being so light in weight and texture……why it might just fly away!’ Joan S. ….no way! If it was meant to suggest an airplane propeller O.K! You can always kick start a Jumbo, if your boot is big enough.
Aida, Act III, Aida/Amonsro/Radames trio.
“O uniformi azzuri”