parterre box

83 comments

• Avantialouie says:

  I cannot think of one single role in which Gheorghiu would be my preference over Hong, or in which I wouldn’t rate Gheorgiu about the equal of Swenson. And speaking of that: what has happened to the soprano I would prefer to even Hong in the current “Traviata,” Christina Gallardo-Domas? She cancelled her Butterfly run last season and seems to have dropped out of sight. Is she in serious vocal trouble? Is she ill? She gave some sublime performances. I’ve heard her wonderful Mimi and Violetta at the Met, and a concert “Otello” at Ravinia among several others.

  on April 15, 2010 at 1:08 AM
• scifisci says:

  72: you clearly haven’t be in attendance at the Met in the past 5 years. Gallardo-Domas was an awful butterfly in 2006, and gheorghiu has been singing rather well as of late. Did you hear her traviata this year? It marks quite a different approach than she has taken in the past, and is indeed overwhelming. I would say the same about her rondine last year. Just because someone’s famous doesn’t mean he/she is overrated, and it doesn’t mean that he/she is not. Hong is a lovely countess, liu, etc. but I wouldn’t say she has that bit of distinctiveness and individuality that move me. But believe me, i’d take her over some of the dreck the met has been serving up.

  on April 15, 2010 at 1:18 AM
• The Vicar of John Wakefield says:

  This seems the time to mention Susannah Glanville.

  on April 15, 2010 at 1:26 AM
• BETSY_ANN_BOBOLINK says:

  Dear Vicar, Susannah Glanville may be mentioned ANY time.

  on April 15, 2010 at 1:32 AM
• casualoperafan says:

  Gallardo-Domas had a very bad time with a type of arthritis and announced a withdrawal from the stage on her web site, which she brought down and it was reported in various news outlets too..

  Her health seems to have improved and she resumed stage performances and if I am not mistaken, she just received outstanding reviews for a recent performance of Salud in La vida breve in Spain. She has some other dates in the near future.

  Not sure if her vocal estate in recent years was the effect of ill health or poor technique or heavy roles or what… but one review said she sounded better than she had in years.

  I do not know if she has any future engagements at the Met or in the role of Violetta but she is still listed for Il Postino in Los Angeles and Boheme in Catania among a few other things. One role they mentioned her doing in 2011 was Tosca!!

  FWIW

  http://www.emol.com/noticias/magazine/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=405432

  http://www.emol.com/noticias/magazine/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=405603

  on April 15, 2010 at 3:05 AM
• 98rsd says:

  Not that I want to hear Hong do Traviata now (or ever did–I think she lacks the temperament, although this is a guess), but Cieca seems to misunderstand what a career is. Of course her wonderful performances in the 90s count in terms of judging her career. Whether you want to hear her now or not is a different matter.

  I’m not a huge Hong fan, but to say that because she’s not on a plane now to Bratislava that she couldn’t have a more international career is absurd. Some singers prefer to stick close to home. Is that so very difficult to imagine?

  on April 15, 2010 at 8:11 AM
• La Cieca says:

  would you rather go see and hear hong — who may not bowl you over every time but never gives a bad performance — or take your chances with such variable entities as gheorghiu, netrebko or fleming?

  Give La Cieca the thrill ride every time.

  on April 15, 2010 at 8:21 AM
• armerjacquino says:

  As someone who only visited the Met for the first time in 2006, Hong has never really been on my radar. The only complete role I have heard her sing (on radio) was the Contessa, in that Figaro where Oropesa stepped in as Susanna at the last minute. I found her (Hong’s) performance detailed, spirited and intelligent, and there’s no doubt that the voice is lovely, but she didn’t particularly excite me- so I guess this is a pointless retread of a post. Sorry.

  The mention of Amara above reminds me of the cruel joke about her retirement gala- three acts of her signature roles, with Amara covering all three.

  on April 15, 2010 at 8:32 AM
• armerjacquino says:

  Aaaagh, horrible horrible grammarfail.

  It was of course ME who first visited the met in 2006, not Hong as the above sentence suggests. That’s one of my betes noires and I am horrified to have done it.

  on April 15, 2010 at 8:39 AM
• SopracutO says:

  21 y.o. Angela Gheorghiu singing:
  

  on April 15, 2010 at 10:39 AM