parterre box

45 comments

• Alto says:

  Is it not the case that there is a great deal more complaining here about “Renée-bashing” than there is of actual Renée-bashing?

  And Parterre Box indeed serves as a corrective when I can’t even open my Facebook page without finding it infested with promotional raves from her minions (some of them paid to do it) about the goddess-like utterances and actions from The People’s Diva during the previous hours.

  on June 18, 2010 at 10:16 AM
  • armerjacquino says:

    The answer to your question, Alto, is ‘no, nowhere near’.

    Facebook is fairly easy to streamline- if you see anything you don’t like in your news feed you can permanently hide it.

    on June 18, 2010 at 10:49 AM
• Arianna a Nasso says:

  La Cieca at 6.1

  “she is the most famous opera singer in the world”

  I’ll give you America, but for the world, I’d say Netrebko or Domingo.

  “At the moment I can’t think of another operatic artist who is simultaneously at the top of her (or his) profession and putting forth so much phoniness in the guise of art.”

  I’d say Netrebko’s cavalier attitude towards coloratura technique in bel canto & French and Italian diction in general as well as Gheorghiu’s erratic views on rhythm and tempo are equally, if not more, egregious than Fleming’s issues when it comes to “phoniness”, yet while not absolving them, you do hold the dogs on a tighter leash when it comes to your postings on those two artists.

  on June 18, 2010 at 11:31 AM
  • armerjacquino says:

    On the subject of Netrebko, she says in today’s Guardian that her voice is bigger since the baby and she’s heading in the direction of the Trovatore Leonora.

    on June 18, 2010 at 12:11 PM
    • MontyNostry says:

      But doesn’t Leonora have some tricky coloratura?

      on June 18, 2010 at 12:19 PM
      • kashania says:

        Leonora has some coloratura but it’s not as prominent as in the Donizetti and Bellini roles that Netrebko has been singing. And it’s not as if Netrebko can’t sing coloratura; she’s just not expert at it. I think she’d bring enough other great qualities to Leonora to make it very worthwhile.

        on June 18, 2010 at 12:31 PM
      • armerjacquino says:

        Nothing that should scare a notable Violetta.

        on June 18, 2010 at 12:37 PM
  • La Cieca says:

    I agree with you that Netrebko and Gheorghiu can be cavalier and erratic, respectively. But I see no evidence that they are by nature and training musically meticulous (as Fleming is) and are nevertheless deliberately choosing to scoop, croon, moan, and so forth.

    To clarify what I mean here, I think we all accept that Netrebko and Gheorghiu are both by nature and reputation superb stage animals, with great personality and attack. If one of them were to habitually phone in performances or to (deliberately) add layers of arch mannerism to her acting style, I would be among the first to call foul. (I believe I did write a review critical of Gheorghiu’s half-hearted singing in Rondine a couple of seasons ago.)

    I could also say that the “other people do it too” defense is not likely to hold up in a court of law. While La Cieca is of course not an appointed judge, she does reserve the right (as any devoted opera fan might) to be judgmental.

    on June 18, 2010 at 12:16 PM
    • MontyNostry says:

      Schlamperei is not the same thing as phoniness.

      on June 18, 2010 at 12:20 PM
    • kashania says:

      Ah yes, the ultimate right of an opera fan: to be judgemental. Love it.

      on June 18, 2010 at 12:29 PM
    • thomas says:

      I certainly don’t accept that Trebs and Angie are superb stage animals. Seeing Gheorghiu in HD closeups in Rondine and Boheme I was shocked at her phony mannerisms, her stock hand gestures and her total disconnect from her character. It was especially obvious alongside Alagna, who is a superb actor, that Angela was in her own world. Same thing in Boheme with Vargas, who is not a great actor but was passionate and committed. Angie was not moving at all as Mimi, even at the end.

      As far as Trebs goes, I see a lot of all-purpose busyness on stage, but nothing character specific. But then, I don’t really like her singing enough to care what else she does.

      Renee is obviously not perfect and I don’t like everything she does, but I can’t say I’ve ever seen her phone in a performance, nor constantly engage in all the vocal and physical mannerisms she’s accused of.

      on June 18, 2010 at 2:47 PM
      • CruzSF says:

        thomas, did you see the recent Armida HDcast?

        on June 18, 2010 at 2:50 PM
      • thomas says:

        Yes, Cruz, I saw it. And?

        on June 18, 2010 at 3:12 PM
      • CruzSF says:

        And … I thought RF phoned it in some sections. Other sections, I thought she worked too hard. This is the performance that turned me against RF, at least for now (I hope to see her better matched to material in the future). This is, IMO, of course.

        on June 18, 2010 at 3:23 PM
      • CruzSF says:

        Plus, thomas, I wonder what you thought of it.

        on June 18, 2010 at 3:25 PM
      • thomas says:

        I thought the HD was more impressive than my two viewings at the Met. Although I don’t like the opera well enough to feel strongly either way, I thought Renee was good in the more lyrical parts, very good in the duets and very strong at the end. Her coloratura is obviously not what it was in ’93 and ’96, but certainly not the train wreck that some would have you believe.

        on June 18, 2010 at 3:36 PM
      • CruzSF says:

        Hmmm. I actually agree with you here:
        

        I thought Renee was good in the more lyrical parts, very good in the duets and very strong at the end

        . In the end, it wasn’t enough for me, but it sounds like it was for you. I also thought that the performance would have worked better for me on the radio.

        on June 18, 2010 at 3:39 PM
• MontyNostry says:

  In other words, I am agreeing with our gracious hostess, though none of the three ladies does much for me. Netrebko certainly has an impressive basic sound, however.

  on June 18, 2010 at 12:21 PM
• BETSY_ANN_BOBOLINK says:

  Okay, seriously, which one is which? I’m guessing Zachary is the soulful rabbi and Seth is the Gore Vidal lookalike. This is very important because I always like to call my fantasies by name.

  on June 18, 2010 at 11:56 PM