Fun with statistics
A correction from the Met press office:
The attached version of the 2011-12 season announcement corrects an error included in an earlier version of the release. Contrary to what was reported on page 2 ["Gelb noted that the average age of the Met’s audience, based on a recent survey, had been reduced from 65 to 57 over the first five years of his tenure as General Manager"], surveys done by the Met show that the average age of a subscriber actually went from 66.4 in 2005 to 64.8 in 2011, while in that same period, the age of the average Met audience member (including single sale customers and subscribers) went from 60.4 in 2005 to 57.7 in 2011. We apologize for the error.
In other news, the associate who supplied these figures to Gelb was last seen boarding a train departing for Boston at 5:00 pm at a speed of 45 miles per hour.
I never trust any unsupported figures such as these. There’s so many ways in which these figures could be SO far from the truth. If it’s based on that online survey, which it seems to be, there’s an obvious age-related response bias. Additionally, to compare these results to those from 2005 would require that the survey methods be comparable, if not identical, which would at least allow for some qualitative inferences to be made.
I’m waiting for someone to get the low down on this season’s Romeo.
Off topic.
Is this true? Did Anna N.cancelled her last performance in Don Pasquale and her next concert ?
cancel
I hope not…. the Gala concert in Colorado is sold out, I believe. It’s still listed on the schedule. Doesn’t seem she’d do something like that with a fundraising gala.
I asked because I noticed this:
http://anna-netrebko.blogspot.com/2011/02/breaking-news-anna-netrebko-cancels.html
Oh man. Those poor folks in Colorado. They count on the at least several hundred thousand dollars from that fundraiser every year. Last year, the Fleming gala earned like half a million if I remember. I mean… nothing can be done if she’s sick. But, wow.
She may be pregnant again. If so, what will happen to the Bolena and Manon productions?
Or she might be a space alien in human guise. Anything is possible. But Netrebko sang pretty steadily up until her sixth month of pregnancy before, so I don’t see why she would start cancelling so early in her term this time around (assuming there is a “this time around).
Occam’s razor suggests either a cold or else homesickness, not pregnancy.
Renée will sing them
I saw Netrebko in the audience at the Wiener Staatsoper last night (Schrott was making his role debut as the Count). She slipped in just as the lights were going down, assuring that absolutely everyone saw her.
Yes, she didn’t look very ill in the glamourous photos afterwards!!
Wonder what kind of illness that would be??
No word from the Met yet. Netrebko’s cover is Lisette Oropesa. And while we’re on the subject, covers for upcoming Met performances of Lucia and Romeo are Olga Makarina and Hei-Kyung Hong respectively.
I heard Hong sing a beautiful Juliette years ago.
Well.
Thank you very much for this information, La C. It ASTOUNDS me that the Met still hires Makarina to cover. She is about the only singer who would make me hope that Dessay does NOT cancel. Sheesh. That’s a real shame.
Hong may be a little past her best, but should probably pull off a good Juliette, if required.
Wow. Makarina.
Completely offtopic. But I can see a production of Aida modeled after Maude. Maude as Amneris of course. Florida as Aida, of course.
It could definitely work.
And Mrs. Naugatuck as Amonasro! I wanna see this!
Carlo’s blog is a pretty liable source when it comes to Anna N news, so I would take it as stands – she is on a plane back to Europe.
Netrebko is still listed on the Met website for this Sat’s DON PASQUALE b’dcast.
Wow! After having their photo taken at Lincoln Center, the divas are dropping! First Susan, now Anna. Hang in there, Renee! Armida coming up! Of course, I know what some Parterrians are hoping!
Don’t worry. Renee doesn’t cancel.
Renee probably has a clone of herself lined up, just in case. She thinks of everything!
OT, but I just heard that Mariusz Kwiecien will be performing in La Scala’s Don Giovanni opening night as Masetto. Do they really have that much money to burn?
That is kind of surprising. He’d make a good one though – Masetto and Zerlina work quite well when they’re both quite hot and you can imagine both of them struggling to be faithful. Who are the other roles to be performed by?
Peter Mattei as Don Giovanni, Bryn Terfel as Leporello, Anna Netrebko as Donna Anna, and Elina Garanca as Donna Elvira. I don’t know who the Zerlina will be.
Good GOD, that’s what I call a cast.
Hmmm. Easyjet fly to Milan…
Ok, so when is this Giovanni? It’s not on the Scala calendar.
This should be the opening night, so it hasn’t been announced yet. Keep in mind that this may not be completely set yet.
It could be luxury casting. It sounds a tiny bit like Karajan’s second Don Carlo at Salzburg in 1975. He used Gruberova as Tebaldo and Tomowa-Sintow as the Celestial Voice. OK, neither were huge stars at the time but both had already had a lot of success in leading roles.
A few years later when EMI recorded the production, Grubby still sang Tebaldo and at that point she was a star and Barbara Hendricks had taken over the celestial voice. I don’t know if either lady was still doing the stage performances in the later 70s but I do recall the broadcast the first season included Grubby and Tomowa-Sintov as well as a very stressed Christa Ludwig.
As I understand it, Salzburg had plenty of money available back then, particularly if it was for something vonK wanted
With all due respect: the MET isn’t everything!
Kwiecien does not seem to have nearly the same reputation in Europe as he does with you all in NYC.
Yes, he has sung in many big European houses. But he’s no star.
So, accordingly, I would think that his fee may be highish but by no means outrageous compared to other singers of his rep. Also, bear in mind that MET fees are not the highest in the world and paid in USD, while La Scala pays in €!
At last: they do not have the money they used to have anymore, but it’s still impressive. La Scala can afford some luxury casting, every now and then…
No of course the Met isn’t everything. But Kwiecien mostly sings leading roles. It’s very similar to my example of the vonK Don Carlo. Both Gruberova and Tomowa-Sintow were lead singers but not stars in 1975. Because of the deep resources the Salzburg festival had, they were able to do some luxury casting of their own.
Are you suggesting La Scala is in better shape financially than the Met?
This sounds like a desperate attempt on Lissner’s part at finally getting SOMETHING right.
I wonder if Lissner walks around lamenting to himself: La (Alagna’s) Maledizione!!! (Sorry, I couldn’t help it.)
I thought Elizabeth Bishop, subbing in for Susan Graham last night in Iphigenie, was very good–
I thought so too, as did the audience based on the ovation given her. I went to hear Graham and Domingo, and most importantly Gluck, but I would buy a ticket to hear Bishop again in something. I was amazed to read she made her Met debut in 1994. I know I have heard her before, not sure in what, but last night was memorable. That said, I thought the orchestra was in highly rare poor condition…..Summers or something else going on?
p.s. Domingo, even with a cold and at 70, was vivid and memorable.