parterre box

41 comments

• Simon Blackmouth says:

  OMG! You guys! That picture is amazing! I can hardly wait ’til La Fleming records Grey Gardens!

  on July 28, 2010 at 12:45 PM
• Camille says:

  Whatever became of “Opera MILF”, the sobriquet falsely attributed to moi which rightfully should have been attributed to my Other Half?

  In the whatever category–what became of the ‘Bel Canto’ movie that was supposed to have been made from the Patchett novel? That would have been fun! Not as much fun as ‘Grey Gardens’, though.

  on July 28, 2010 at 2:05 PM
• manou says:

  The Corriere informs us that she has appeared as “Viletta”, a name not even the Parterrians have ever called her. They also think she will be singing…Wagner?

  on July 28, 2010 at 2:07 PM
  • Jay says:

    Viletta as in Armida??

    on July 28, 2010 at 4:05 PM
    • manou says:

      ….as in This.

      on July 28, 2010 at 4:42 PM
• schnauzendorf says:

  It gets better, though! For the other deutschsprachigen among us: http://www.zeit.de/2010/30/Traum-Fleming

  on July 28, 2010 at 2:26 PM
• Lindoro Almaviva says:

  Well, she has sung Wagner already and to be honest, I would go see her as Elsa’ or Eva any day. I think she would be good in either role.

  on July 28, 2010 at 2:36 PM
  • thomas says:

    Renee is scheduled to sing Elsa in Vienna in 2012.

    on July 28, 2010 at 3:33 PM
• Clita del Toro says:

  Grace Kelly? Renaay has always reminded me of Miss Piggy!

  on July 28, 2010 at 3:31 PM
• Camille says:

  Lindoro is indeed correct. Mme. Fleming sang an Eva in Meistersinger at least a decade ago at Bayreuth, nonetheless. Whyever should she not have a go at Elsa at this point in time. I mean, what does she have to lose? Her voice? Does that matter, as after all, she will soon be donning the Belle Silverman mantle aka Sylvia Bills, as America’s Most Beloved Reigning Ex-Diva an will be inescapable as the moderator/announcer/hostess with the mostest of any and all “kultcha” offerings on PBS, national holidaze and the like.

  on July 28, 2010 at 3:35 PM
• La Cieca says:

  the Belle Silverman mantle

  “Wo ist er, der eines Tages im Angesicht alles Volkes in einem Silbermantel sterben wird?”

  on July 28, 2010 at 3:41 PM
  • schnauzendorf says:

    Point. Set. Match.

    on July 28, 2010 at 3:46 PM
  • Camille says:

    Genau, geliebte Cieca, aber ich moechte dass sie mir gleich in einer Silberschuessel. …

    on July 28, 2010 at 5:18 PM
• Nerva Nelli says:

  “La Vera Hruba Ralston della nuova era”

  on July 28, 2010 at 5:09 PM
  • Sanford says:

    I think of her more as Ann Blyth.

    on July 28, 2010 at 11:23 PM
    • MontyNostry says:

      I thought you were referring to the late Gramophone and Opera magazine critic Alan Blyth for a moment, Sanford. He was a small, dapper, man and a fan of Callas and Jurinac rather than Renaaaay-style singers.

      on July 29, 2010 at 4:16 AM
      • Harry says:

        Oh that Alan Blyth!…..If he was ‘reviewing’ any other version of an opera recording that Callas had also made………….it became a complete disjointed Blyth /Callas ‘love fest’. And yet I have all Callas’ recordings on my shelves.. matched by many other versions.

        He should have been made proxy -PR man for English EMI. He always came across and read: like a typical pompous self righteous name -dropping dickhead. No wonder the Gramophone magazine became its own discredited laugh -track.The final nail in the coffin was some of their ‘expert piano critics’ giving ‘record of the month’ in an artist by the name of one ‘fraudulent- Joyce Hatto’. Comprised of either straight out pirates of ‘other artists’ records or / in in some cases done with a clever mix of multi -edited plagiarism of several artists work. And the Gramophone kept employing those sods! In some cases, checking back the same critics had given faint review praise to the same record under its correct titled artist. Mel Brooks …….where are you? A new script is waiting to be written.

        Any opera release with a strong American cast contingent or U.S produced – had a biased handicap attached – even being reviewed by the
        Gutterphone.

        on July 29, 2010 at 11:26 AM
      • MontyNostry says:

        Harry, you are right about Blyth’s Callas bias, and he was never a great fan of Leontyne, which I tended to hold against him. Still, rather his Callas bias, than Edward Greenfield’s and John Steane’s Schwarzkopf bias. And, of course, Greenfield could never say a bad word about Joanie (of whom I am basically a fan), even when she was being a bit sloppy with the line and words.

        on July 29, 2010 at 12:11 PM
      • luvtennis says:

        Harry:

        I am soooo there with you on Blyth.

        I hated that he attained so much prominence at Gramophone. He was provincial in his tastes, had absolutely no ear for good voices (Some of his reviews were absolute howlers!!!)

        I hated that he took space from Steane!

        on July 29, 2010 at 2:04 PM
• DonCarloFanatic says:

  Sills, or Fleming?

  on July 29, 2010 at 1:22 AM