Copycat iniqua
La Cieca is delighted to hear that the Opéra de Paris and soprano Natalie Dessay just last night performed an hommage to Maria Callas by recreating one of the most famous nights of La Divina’s career. Unfortunately, that “night” was January 2, 1958, and in the intervening half century, opera management still hasn’t learned its lesson.
Just as on the notorious night of the “Rome Walkout,” no cover was available at the Opéra when Dessay was unable to continue singing — even though she has been complaining of a sore throat for the past three weeks. And so the second act of La sonnambula was not given, and the audience sent home.
I can’t believe that any opera house wouldn’t have a cover ready in this cold-and-flu season. The stupidity and arrogance is amazing.
As Dawn Fatale has mentioned, many European companies don’t bother with covers because they know they’ll be able to bring someone in on short notice if the singer wakes up with a cold, etc. As Dawn has suggested, there was obviously some kind of miscommunication. Either Dessay didn’t give the Paris Opera any indication taht she wasn’t feeling well and might have to cancel, or they didn’t heed the warning.
Sorry to read this. I saw this production in Paris 2 weeks ago. I thought Desaay was a little hoarse but she sang the whole evening and was very impressive.
Now I am laughing even harder.
Surely a cover could have been found for Dessay. It’s not as if her voice is huge. The role of Amina is relatively short and any canary will do for the part.
There is more more in involved in an opera performance than the size of the voice. This default obsession with size is tiresome in many contexts, but it really seems the automatic thing to blabber about around here lately.
And not everyone is as undiscriminating as you at least affect to be about the great Bellini.
Marlis Petersen is on hand as the Ophelia alternate/cover at the Met. Probably Lauren Skuce is on hand to cover her.
However, Dessay very nearly canceled the prima of this production last month. Why as the Paris Opera not prepared with a cover? Is Dessay such a monstre sacré that she has no cover? If she calls in sick you just cancel the performance? Really foolish.
Also, when the opening night “Will she or won’t she” discussion came up a name was bandied about – one Rizzo Marin. I was led to believe – perhaps mistakenly – that she was Dessay’s cover in Paris. Was I wrong? (BTW: Sarah Coburn was Dessay’s Amina cover in NYC last year.)
This interests me. What are these “copycat sites” of which you speak? I’ve visited some of the places listed under “Colleagues”; some are interesting but few are competitive. Particularly, what is “Opera-L,” which has been mentioned several times? I ask in anticipation of the inevitable day when I shall be barred for life from this august company.
I wouldn’t worry about that, Betsy Ann, since you have plenty of value to add to the discussion, which is more than La Cieca can say about the ex-commenter whose sniping was just deleted.
Okay ! Wow! I think I’ll just put the spirit of banter into my shirt pocket for a while and ask the same question but without the last sentence.
We love the banter, Betsy Ann.
Yes, Betsy Ann, we do love the banter here. You are fun, keep it up. Remember, our doyenne expects everyone to express themselves honestly (while remaining basically polite).
I have not read the above thread and I know that La C was referring to the stoppage of an opera in mid stream rather than the caliber of the artists, but to mention Dessay in connection with Callas’s arttistry is an oxymoron.
Maria agrees!
Hey, “for a while” I said.. It’s just that the whole thing reminded of a thing that happened when I was a kid. Teddy Gurnemanz and I were sitting out on the playground eating our lunches, when he was suddenly schlooped up by a space alien starship. And me just sitting there licking the peanut butter and jelly off my fingers. And all the things that went through my mind. “I’m gonna miss old Teddy.” “Hey, he’s still got my Captain Midnight Decoder Ring.” “Why him and not me? Why don’t space aliens like fat German boys?” “I wish my dad was rich enough that we could afford tuna fish.” That’s what I felt like for a second.
Oh Betsy, I pray that you will never be banned from this site. I have had some true belly laughs from your postings. The same goes for Kashania, Liana, Lindoro, Manou et al. Thank you all for making my Sunday morning.
Laughing again.
In the above posted video of Callas, at 0:36, she makes a face which looks EXACTLY like Faye Dunaway (playing Joan Crawford) makes at the end of the “NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!” scene in the film “Mommie Dearest”. You know, the one where her eyes sort of bug out and then cross.
Such bad acting. Joan Sutherland called it, “a bit hammy.” A bit? More like a smokehouse full of pork products.
And don’t any of you bother reading me the riot act about Callas’ greatness as an actress (or Dunaway’s, or Crawford’s). No fan of any of them here. Except for Sutherland, of course.
That’s what a call contrarian with a vengeance.
Pray tell what other insights into the craft of acting the great thespian Sutherland left us with.
Often people talk about Callas (usually people who never saw her) as if she was some sort of intellectual, Actor’s Studio actress. Now, listening to that video clip, I am eager to say that I find it specific and varied, even with a few unnecessary breaks into chest. But honestly, if someone unknown walked out onstage and did all that rather meaningless handwaving today (as she did in so many moments), there would be serious criticism, more so than “a bit hammy.”
A couple of things here. First, the gestures Callas is doing are not meant to be seen in closeup but as details of a large and complex stage picture (it’s a Zeffirelli production), so the “handwaving” would not be so obtrusive. A second point is that there is a certain dramatic justification for the formality and stiffness of the gestures, since Norma is at this point in the opera making a public speech to her congregation rather than carrying on a simple conversation.
One also might point out that she is performing gestures that were assigned her by Zeffirelli: apparently he wanted a stylized 19th century theater look to this production.
This film I think depicts Callas in more typical movement. Even in the gambling scene, when the character is supposed to be nervous and highly-strung, her gestures are relatively restrained and simple. And in the final act, she seems to move not at all.
To this “jatm2063″ person: You are an idiot who apparently doesn’t get sarcasm. It was obvious to all but you that La Cieca was joking. But because you finally realized you had egg on your face, you wanted to divert attention from your blunder by making fun of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, calling her acting “hammy”. What a pathetic loser.