Ad “HOC” chat
Today’s Met broadcast is The Nose. Our habitual chat begins at 12:30 pm, and the details are after the jump.
- The Nose by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol
The real-time chat is, as usual, over at La Casa della Cieca.
(Photo: Ken Howard, Metropolitan Opera.)
@27 – I think you’re onto something. I usually avoid matinees (especially this time of year) for a different reason (God forbid you get a mediocre show on a beautiful spring day), but I think there are a lot of less-than habitual operagoers at matinees who either want to catch the early train back to Ronkonkama or need to get back to the Home for the Aged in time for cocktail hour.
Actually, at the two performances of The Nose that I attended (Final dress and premiere) I was quite impressed by attentive and appropriate behavior of the audiences.
On Wednesday night, at a performance of Paul Taylor Dance Company, a woman several seats from me received FOUR phone calls (and spoke to the callers) during the beautiful central slow section of “Esplanade.” A bit of VERY polite and subtle shushing after the second call had no effect, so people gave up, rather than add to the disruption of the beautiful performance. But when the curtain came down — oh baby — those nearer her really let it rip. One guy was actually SCREAMING at her. And she deserved it.
These days, aside from some painful productions, there are three things I hate at the Met.
The first is people that applaud before the music ends, what is the hurry? Did they not pay a lot of dollars to hear the sounds? Why not enjoy them to the end? This would be like a waiter removing your favorite dish of the evening before you had the last morsel.
The second is people talking during the music, or making any type of noise. This has become more unbearable through the years. There are some musical pieces that I will never hear live without background noise because people just won’t shut up. One example is the overture to Nozze. It probably is the influence of Broadway where everyone talks during the overture.
The third is most painful. Have you ever sat next to people that smell badly? Fortunately it does not happen often, but when it does it is torture. Not too many years ago I sat at the Dress Circle for a Walküre and the two gentlemen to my left probably had not taken a shower in months, or changed clothes in years, and the odor was incredible. As much as I love the first act, I was thinking about leaving, then I spotted two empty seats on the first row. I waited for intermission, and then moved there for the second act. I was determined not to suffer my neighbors again, and if the usher said something, I would explain, and if I had to, would just stand in the back. Well, nobody showed up, the Brünhilde was a Russian girl, forgot her name, and I guess not too popular. So the outcome was good, I ended up in a better seat. On a packed house, though, this could be a big problem. For very popular performances I should remember to take along with me a surgical mask with a lavender scent or, perhaps, dipped in Penhaligon’s Blenheim scent.
Brava to La Cieca.
I adore the manners lesson and think it should be printed for young audiences!!I am not being sarcastic.
Now I realise why I’ve had mixed results in the past. I’ve followed steps 1-3 of La Cieca’s instructions but not steps 4-5. I’m almost perversly looking forward to the opportunity to correctly use step no. 4.
I can’t find a picture of a flexaphone on the Internet. I have never seen one. Can anyone suggest a link? It was used much in Nos, I think it sounds like a saw. Merci bien.
Flexaphone:
That is indeed a flexatone (mother had one, believe it or not). I was quite surprised by Shostakovich’s use of it yesterday.
La Cieca,
Thanks a lot. I have heard it but never seen it. It looks funny, but probably the player does not agree.
Looks like the kind of thing that has to be put in place by a doctor.