Lascivious wassails
If you feel like discussing the Sirius broadcast of Antony and Cleopatra, here’s the place.
That bit just now sounded a lot like “An American in Paris!”
Quiz question: Mardian is sung by Andrea Velis… but the part was written for someone else. Who?
And now Lee is about to say to Roz Elias, “Some music, Ho!”
This dress, or one very like it, was recently displayed at the N Y Performing Arts Library and one wonders how she was able to sing or stand upright with all this gear! What a diva she was.
When was this last performed at the Met? It’s much more melodic than I expected it to be.
It came and went in ’66.
Geeezzzz, it doesn’t sound the same as it did in ’66 when I was listening on my dad’s Depression Era tube radio with the three inch speaker that would fade in and out whenever a car went by the house. Nice to hear Lee and Jess again, big favs in San Francisco back in the day.
Surely, though, someone should have noticed that Barber’s music sounds a lot like a score written only a couple of years previously:
Sadly, Bing couldn’t afford Elizabeth Taylor to recreate her Cleopatra for the opera stage…pity.
Once you add the requisite horns, crowds, and clomping horses, it is a challenge to make the music distinctive.
People thought the same thing in 1966 too. Sandra Bullock was only two years old at the time.
Cleopatra- what a pompous bomb of a movie. Originally budgeted at $5 million. Finished up at least $40 million around 1963! The tid-bit rumours were more interesting. How litters of Italian cats invaded the sets,had litters of kittens and caused delays and sets been torn apart to find them. The scowling causing ‘extra noise’ during scenes been filmed. Plus the daddy of them all, the Italian postitutes getting in on set as extras, and then ‘doing trade’.
Give me Menotti’s opera anytime just like his Cleopaotra sings “Give me some wine, give me some music’. Poor Menotti also suffered from the Cleopatra hex’.I remember reading about the fiasco of the opening with jammed sets on the Met stage. Didn’t a pyramid finish up in the Nile.
Harry, Menotti had nothing to do witht he original
version of Antony and Cleopatra. The libretto was
Shakespeare’s text from the play as “arranged” by
Zeffirelli.
Menotti was only involved much later when Barber revised the opera.
Yes Richard What a right slip up on my part. Yes, I used the wrong name., probably thinking for a moment about their close association. I do have the recorded verson with Ester Hinds.
The actor Kenneth Haigh, who played Brutus, was a friend of my father’s and used to tell a great story about the ‘Cleopatra’ premiere. He spotted Gore Vidal in the audience and, surprised, went to ask why he’d come.
‘Oh, I never miss a Hume Cronyn movie’ said Vidal.
Alex North fantastic score for the film Cleopatra. I really loved it actually.
Oh dear, I do wish I had a score so I could follow this morass of sound a little more closely. It really sounds even more like movie music than the poor, abused Vanessa does, if that were possible.
Also, is the text entirely Shakespeare’s as transmitted/edited through Menotti? If so, why?
Of the two concert performances (both @ Carnegie) in the past ten years I saw the first one, with Vaness, who made a good case for it. Cannot recall conductor or other affiliates – was anyone there? I seem to remember that performance as a lot more interesting than this performance, excepting the beauteous Price voice. Anyone?
The Vaness evening (she wore full Liz Taylor gold lamé Egyptian drag including gold beaded headress – and granny glasses to read the score!) also included Louis Otey (replacing Gregg Baker), Neil Rosenschein and Arthur Woodley for the American Composers Orchestra under Steven Sloane’s baton back in 2003.
I remember how LIVID you were that Carol and you were in identical outfits!
Gualtier M. (Caro nome!) I thank you for helping jog my memory.
Oh Gaaaawd yes, I remember that dress! And if you’ve got one, let me know if you want to sell it as I just Loved It! Miss Vaness did work it, too!
Juntwait sounds like an idiot sometimes, the way she mindlessly tries to vary the color of the things she’s saying. She was just talking about Thomas Schippers, saying, [darkly] “until his tragic in 1977″, then [brightly] “while STILL in his 40′s!”.
Juntwait has nothing on Netrebko. I can’t stop thinking about what I heard her say last weekend.
“We was eating French fries and cheekin…when they take my food I get pissed off”
Huuuuum, Javier, I’m relieved to hear someone has had misgivings about her responses. I can’t forget her cretinous response to the interviewer’s polite, respectful query as to Mimi being a good role for her; it was a sullen “I DUNNO”.
Beautiful woman with beautiful voice but rocket scientist, she ain’t. Doesn’t seem to give a flying f— about it, either.
well, she responded honestly. i like the way she said that the opera does not pull at her heart strings anymore because she’s done it so many times. the opera doesn’t move me at all so i was glad to hear her say that because it was so annoying hearing all of the commentators say that la boheme is the most beloved opera and it moves everyone to tears.
Interesting viewpoint. It certainly doesn’t do for me what it used to. Neither does Netrebko do much for me, despite the beautiful instrument.
and that my friends, is why we desperately need a new rep
You know I loved Netrebko’s freshness and candor – she doesn’t edit herself but is just direct and natural when interviewed. Compare with Renee or Leontyne Price who are careful or stilted (in the case of Leontyne rather affected and unnatural) when interviewed in public. Anna was just herself. The “peessed off” line made me laugh and the “I dunno” when asked whether she is a Puccini soprano seemed truly honest. Usually sopranos try to sound smart and sure of themselves and she expressed a kind of self-doubt or uncertainty there. Frankly I think Anna definitely has Magda in “Rondine” and Manon Lescaut in her and she has the stamina for Butterfly.
Another thought about Leontyne and interviews. An intermission interview from the “Antony and Cleopatra” broadcast was played once as a “Met Memory” feature during a later broadcast intermission. Young Justino Diaz, Leontyne Price and Rudolf Bing were interviewed. Leontyne starts off very diva saying “I am so proud to have been chosen for this special occasion” and then with the excitement dips into down home “I am jus’ thrilled outa ma skin!”. Justino Diaz said “If anyone had told me two years ago that I would be opening the new Met, I would have though they were crazy!” and Rudolf Bing added “So vould I!”. Gus Diaz is a great sport and laughs his head off at that one!
BTW: Rudolf Bing was rumored to have been the actual “Little Hans” polymorphous perverse child of Freud’s early studies in child sexuality. Also, his polymorphous ways didn’t stop in childhood. Supposedly he would pinch the ballet boys backstage!
You don’t find her voice a bit dark and heavy for Magda? I think Netrebko has many fine roles in her future, but I guess I prefer my Magda with a lighter voice.
Did she tell people how Menotti had Schippers buried in a wall in Spoletto (almost like a punishment)? I can imagine how she would have tossed that tidbit in her narration.
Re-posting because I [mindlessly] left out the word, “death”:
Juntwait sounds like an idiot sometimes, the way she mindlessly tries to vary the color of the things she’s saying. She was just talking about Thomas Schippers, saying, [darkly] “until his tragic death in 1977?, then [brightly] “while STILL in his 40’s!”.
Indeed.
And did anyone notice how she did pronouncing “Jochen Schmeckenbecher” (the Music Master in ARIADNE)? I was so amused when La Cieca said she was looking forward to hearing MJ pronounce the name.
Don’t worry, MJ will pronounce it with the same all-purpose spurious foreign accent she uses when she’s not being down-home in her plodding native accent.
wow, monty, pretty yende is pretty good. i’m adding her to my list of favorite new singers (perihan nayir sartan, monica ferracani, amarilli nizza) ,but a youtube search yields this abomination:
btw, why isn’t your excerpt the whole thing? why is it so short?
I have no idea why that clip is so short, but it’s a taster. I wish there was more of Pretty in full operatic mode!
By the way, you should take a look at Amarilli in a DVD of Trittico from Modena (on Rai Trade). The voice is not very pretty or individual, but she knows how to sing and the acting in Suor Angelica is searingly powerful.
Lucky Pierre: I heard Pretty Yende two years ago, in a vocal competition. She blew everyone away with a gorgeous Care compagne.
She followed that with a brilliant, but not very stylish Czardas. People adored her, a wonderful presence, and a glittering, truly big voice. She already has sung the Nozze countess, and other big roles in South Africa, and she is only 25 or so.
While listening to Boheme last week, I kept wondering who was subbing for Piotr Beczala because Juntwait was saying the name so quickly and idiomatically, “Piotr Beczala” just wasn’t registering with these non-Polish ears.
How I’d love if a new opera star emerged who had an African click language name. You know Margaret would just nail it.
wonderful, StarryVere! I yearn to hear M. J. pronounce an African click language name.
I hate to defend M. J, but her pronounciation of Beczala’s name was actually perfect. The best I heard from any foreign announcer.
She obviously made a special effort for the Polish. Shame she assumes she knows what she’s doing with Italian, French and German, though. As I’ve said before on here, I will never forget her ‘Lohengreen’.
you mean, like in !khosa???? well, can you do the click?
how do you pronounce beczala? is it betchala? or betchawa?
I’m not sure my English is good enough for this, but I’ll try. It would be more of Betchawa, with both “a” pronounced short like the one in “Tosca”. And the tch is short, too (the “l” in his name is not actually an l, either, it’s a special character which doesn’t show on Parterre, and is pronounced “w”
).
Like ‘Lutoswavski’. By the way, no clicks in her name, but you need to keep your ears open for South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza, currently on the young artists’ programme at Covent Garden. John Steane says her voice reminds him of Ponselle (!). I’m not sure about that — it’s more like a prettier, subtler version of Alessandra Marc’s — but it’s a gorgeous sound and she’s a lovely lissom gal too. Another SA soprano called Pretty Yende is making waves too (not least at Vienna’s Belvedere Competition last year), but I haven’t heard her yet. Here is a clip of her:
It’s pronounced Bechowa, apparently
OT, but not entirely. Is anyone else listening to BOHEME tonight? Beczala just seems to be getting better and better. In their first broadcast, Netrebko seemed to have the edge on him. Then, they were a nice match. Tonight she seems to be playing catch up. This might be just the thing to pull her out of the doldrums.
Pumeza Matshikiza (6.4.2.6) is no longer in the young artists’ programme at Covent Garden. She won the Veronica Dunne competition in Dublin earlier this year, displaying an exciting voice and a very dodgy technical command of it… The other Saffer soprano in the final, Sarah-Jane Brandon, should certainly have won (IM -not very- HO). Rumour has it that the panel thought she was too large to have a career… Better to be thin even if you sing out of tune and with faulty breathing, it seems…
there was a PBS televised version with Catherine Malifitano. Was it from Chicago?
yes, with richard cowan, jacque trussel, wendy white and nancy maultsby, IIRC. that was a beautifully staged version, if not the most compellingly sung. but malfitano did a good job. however, i don’t think this later version is the same that premiered at the met in 1966. didn’t barber edit it and shorten it subsequently? i believe many smaller characters (such as antony’s wife, can’t recall her name) were eliminated.
there was also a recorded live version from the 1980′s (?) with esther hinds, i believe.
Yes, LP Barber revised the opera in the mid 70′s for a production (Julliard, I think, later both Spoletos, and LOC ). At that point Menotti was involved as he did the libretto modifications. I remember that the reviews weren’t all that much more favorable than the original.
Barber was pretty depressed by the failure of A&C.
I remember reading an interview (Opera News?) and the tone was on the negative side as if he could do no right. He told of an incident while he was in London and was sitting in his hotel room watching an interview with Dame Granite Baker. Spookily, the interviewer raised the subject of Barber with the Dame and she made the comment to the effect that “Barber’s music says NOTHING to me, NOTHING” Barber remarked that she was looking right into the camera lens as she spoke and he felt like she was adressing him personally.
I would take that as a badge of honour!
“Sam, we can’t all be as profound as Cecil Armstrong-Gibbs and Michael Head…”
quite, Nerva Nelli!
Well, William Walton made a mezzo version of Troilus and Cressida for Dame Granite. Just imagine how sexy and alluring she would have been in a mezzo version of Leontyne’s music. Nearly as lascivious and scheming as her incendiary Dalila … “More tea, Samson?”. Quick, someone find the woman an asp.
But it would need to be a very BRAVE asp…..
Well Dame Granite couldn’t exactly talk about Opera. What was her internatonal opera career? A short stint at La Scala once, quickly retracted if I am correct. A stiff and proper concert singer at best. Listen to some of her later releases……they are fucking awful.
YES, there was and I saw it and LOVED it. Catherine was wonderful as was sexy richard cowan–I’ve long wished that it would be made available on tape or DVD. As I do for the 1970s “Faust” from Chicago with Freni and Kraus–who ever listens to my wishes? SIGH!
callasorphan, i have it on video tape. i wonder if PBS sells it? i always enjoy watching malfitano. she moves well, she even does the dance with the other girls, she acts well, i think, even if i don’t think she has a good instrument, or distinctive, or particularly beautiful. but the production is very nice to look at (moshinsky & yeargan?).
Pierre you are indeed Lucky! I have NEVER seen the performance available. I truly loved it when it was on t.v.; however, I really was not into taping much at that time. I also thought that maybe I’d have another chance to “get” it. But, alas, I did not. You know the optimisim of youth. Then you get old and reality sets in.
oh yes, i forgot to mention, kashy, norman’s “mort de cleopatre” is on youtube now.
oh my goodness, kashy, the sound is terrible!
i looked for jessye norman’s on youtube but apparently it’s not there. she sang “give me some music” in that concert on “legendary women” with jane glover.
callasorphan, you might try opera-sell or opera-share on yahoogroups for the A&C video.
here’s lee:
btw, i just love both cleo’s arias. i always sing to my boyfriends in bed “my man of men!!!!!!!!” after a well done job.
sometimes, i’ll sing “give me some donuts” to the tune of “give me some music.”
and btw, i almost never sing “oh take, oh take those lips away…”
Ha, ha! You’re caught.
too bad the opening night frm the NYCO wasnt broadcast. though I enjoyed that more than I thought I would. Kind of reminded me of FIRST EMPORER there at the end.
i keep watching the Salzburg video of Trebs’ Traviata and I am so pissed off that square-face is singing it
You’re so mean …… but realistic
The plans for this new Traviata should of been scrapped when they knew that Netrebko wasent signing in it.
I know that fanciulla’s production isent that old but wasent Gelb’s plan to make a new one for the 100th anniversary premiere? Thay should of done this instead of the new traviata…
Well, square-face is getting a new production of The Tsar’s Bride at Covent Garden next season. Poor creature goes crazy at the end. Perfect casting, then! (Apart from Pop’s total absence of charm and dodgy high notes.)
Is The Tsar’s Bride really an essential opera for the Royal Opera? We seem to have been getting a lot of obscurish Russian stuff lately. A new centennial Rosenkavalier would have been nice….
I don’t understand the Russian thing myself. Actually I have more interest in some of the pieces that have always been popular in Russia but were rarely staged in the west.
Personally, I have more of a problem with the seemingly endless procession of second rate Russian singers that turn up everywhere. I’m not talking about the big names but for instance why is Gubanova turning up all over the place?
She’s cast in the Tsar’s Bride with Poplavskaya
next season at the ROH.
I did see Tsar’s Bride at SFO opera about a dozen years ago and the singers made a strong case for the piece; Netrebko when she sang as a lyric soprano, Borodina when she sang with a silken mezzo voice, and Hvorostovsky. They were all fine but with Poplavskaya and Gubanova, I’d run the other way. But at least they are cast in a Russian piece.
Last season I heard a Rigoletto at the MEt with Gagnidze (allright, he’s Georgian but close enough) and Petrenko as Sparafucile. Neither were notable. Do them come cheap? Gagnidze, Petrenko, Smirnova, the scratchy voiced Machiadze (allright , another Georgian). I just don’t get it.
I saw a production of The Tsar’s Bride a couple of years ago — a Russian company on tour — and it didn’t seem much a music drama, though there was some gorgeous music here and there and a couple of potentially interesting characters. Paul Curran is doing the Covent Garden production, so it shouldn’t be too disrespectful of story and setting, though.
… and it couldn’t be worse than Zambello’s dreary (if decorative) Cherevichki — which is sadly Tchaikovsky without the tunes.
Nino Machidaze isn’t being promoted as a Russian singer, per say, she’s being promoted as the “new Netrebko.” I caught her Adina in LA: Solid, in general, but with often shaky support and she threw in so many high Cs that it became blase. Imagine that, a high C sounding blase.
I saw a broadcast of Nino Machidaze’s Juliette (opposite Rolando’s Romeo) and thought she was wonderful. The voice isn’t as glamorous as Netrebko’s but I found the singing (especially in “Je veux vivre”) to be more sound.
What can you expect …blunt lumpy boscht masquerading as fine french cuisine!