mrmyster has only referred to this singer as cuban 7 times in the last 2 months. and btw, she might think of herself as american, has he thought about that? apparently not. being cuban apparently is much more relevant than the fact that she’s a lyric soprano.

and btw, bringing out the old tired cliche of PC only masks how retrograde your prejudices are.

Your posts on this topic are not making sense to me. Here is the bottomline from my perspective:

Casting a role based on the ethnic identity of the singers is bad. If the best Aida available is white, cast her. If the best Donna Anna available is black, cast her. And, by the way, best doesn’t include “is closest to the color I think the character should be.”

[BTW, you might be surprised about how openminded 18th-early 19th century Europeans were about color. Ever read Vanity Fair?]

The fact that Price thought Salome an inappropriate role for her has absolutely nothing to do with the matter at hand. She had the good sense to avoid a number of things that she could have sung, but she wisely took a longer view of her career.

Apart from whatever feelings about the morality of your expressed opinions, I can definitely say that Opera is going NOWHERE fast if we start casting according to race . . . again.

And please don’t throw the PC tag at me as an insult. I don’t take openmindedness, tolerance, respect for others and refusal to accept the opinions of the majority as defining truth and reality as a bad thing.

BTW, Bianca – You made all the point anyone needed to make with the Gutierrez reference.

La Cieca – Can’t tell from your reference but what are your thoughts on colorblind casting.

All this ‘touchy-feel’ business about castng in opera.
Go and look at a audition call sheet for some musical show or play and look at the character ‘break-down’ requirements by the producers.

It is clear and explicit what they are requiring. It depends on the nature of the show.
(Let;s set a possible random example) Would you say a Ms Saigon production, if looking for the main female lead : be some blonde Barbie doll ( even if she can sing and perform the pants off the other attendees or candidates)?. Or the female lead in Richad Rodgers’ No Strings or Bloody Mary’s daughter in South Pacific. Certainly not. Is that also some sort of reverse P.C prejudice in play, put in that context?
No! It would be a sound ‘non prejudical’ business decision. A simple case of demand and someone fitting the announced requirements even if some form of ethnic consideration is part of the essential mix, choosing a successful candidate.

Happily and thankfully with Opera as a medium ‘ such essentials’ seldom ever exist.
Yet, now the P.C’s want to inject other forms of psychological P.C babble onto the characters in opera. If quirky and full of dramatic contradictions and someones questions it; up go the screams and accusations of every form of prejudice imaginable against its critics.
No wonder so many imbeciles are allowed to direct, (I should say ‘muck’ around with it),and continue to survive today. The easily impressioned: being besotted of such work then call it ‘innovative or re-invented’ They will learn otherwise …..someday.

Now taking that same role as one of those precious P.C examples : should any ‘over large’ lady be recommended or encouraged to do it on stage ? Those that have seen such examples usually reported a comical dance that destroyed all sense of the inner character already developed by the singer. That inability to impulsively move swiftly at times, belies the description by Herod, that Salome ‘is a snake’ around this part of the opera.
Political correctness has no time for cold hard blunt fact.
True artistty : calls for a artist to also make their own sound personal judgments, on behalf of those they wish to perform to. That includes judgments made , that fully centralises on their singing and presentation in the best light, at all times. Not leave it to others to make it for them.

mrmyster, sometimes you sound more intelligent when you don’t speak.

Anyway, although I know she’s probably considered a b-house, provincial (Canadian) thing, mostly, Lynne Fortin was quite good as Thais. And she’s blonde.

LPR

With a plot like that, you know the music has to be beautiful!

Hoist by your own petard, sweetheart.

la nizza is a good singer but there’s something about her voice, it doesn’t move smoothly, you know, it seems to change color from note to note a lot.