Below the belt
Three of the Met’s most cunning vocalists, Juan Diego Flórez, Joyce DiDonato and Diana Damrau, wrap their tongues around the trio from Le Comte Ory.
Update: a Faithful Reader/Spy notes:
Final dress of Le Comte Ory was very successful. The packed house (it was one of those Varis-sponsored “open house’ deals) clearly enjoyed the free event very much, and there was much to be praised.
Not too surprisingly, Joyce DiDonato stole all hearts as Isolier. Perfect role for her voice, her appearance and her acting abilities. She was absolutely sensational.
Diana Damrau was also excellent as Adele. Like DiDonato, she acted and moved with great intelligence — though with a slight tendency to mug that DiD . miraculously avoided. She was in excellent voice, a few tiny bobbles hardly worth mentioning. She sang the gorgeous music with great expressiveness, and a fine understanding of the score.
For once, she was perfectly costumed. The beautiful dresses (especially the purple, burgundy and black number in act1 ) emphasized her womanly curves (and splendid poitrine ) while discreetly distracting attention from her slight tendency to beefiness. She looked stunning throughout. Brava. This performance should mellow nicely in subsequent showings.
Stephane Degout, Michele Pertusi, Susanne Resmark, Tony Stevenson, Tyler Simpson — all excellent. Luxury casting writ large.
Maurizio Benini and the orchestra. Absolutely first rate as expected. Beautiful music, with a lovely French lilt and subtelty. Exquisitely played.
I was not especially taken by Florez, but I was in the minority. After the performance, a knowledgeable met insider said what I already sensed. He’s always the same, he doesn’t really interpret. What he has, he has. Take it or leave it. He’s cute, he moves well. I find his sense of comic timing always to be a beat or two off — although he did seem to be trying this time. He mugs a bit too much. He minces and flounces just a bit too much to be funny. And as for me, I don’t care for his sound. Even a “Rossini tenor” should be able to put a bit of color into the phrasing. I can’t get the idea of bleating out of mind.
The production has a few problems I thought. It is colorful and charming, but the “whole performance-within-a-performance “thing” just makes it seem a bit precious and confusing. I thin it would have been better, in similar sets, just played straight. Is it really necessary to have the thunder sheets and wind machine on stage, operated by supers in period costume?
Also, I think it would have been much better played on a plain slightly raked stage. Here, we have a “period” stage-within-a-stage built up 18 inches from the actual stage floor. I was a few rows back in the orchestra — presumably “prime” seats, — and there were many times that performers toward the rear of the stage were visible only from the waist up. Rough beams and construction work were visible at the front of the inner “stage” and pulleys and counterweights were visible at the rear. I would have to say i found it distracting. Like Sher’s “passarelle” in Barber (and the ridiculous giant anvil in that production) this concept took away a lot more than it added.
A good day at the met overall. A wonderful production of a beautiful piece. See it while it’s young.
More serious note: Jimmy cancels NYC Trovs and last two Rheingolds.
PS:my reply was directed to Lucky Pierre.
here’s a nice profile on ms. hong:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704608504576208613586947844.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
here’s another juliette i enjoy:
P.Ciofi is scheduled to take up the role of Juliette in a year or two. That could be interesting.
Whatever else there is left to be said or to debate regarding Hei Kyung Hong, I, speaking from the women’s viewpoint, would like to say how much I admire her for managing to keep her brand of “loveliness”--for that it is--intact and for putting such high consideration to the raising of her children, and finally, the caring for her husband and his loss and what that all entailed. That’s a lot to deal with, without singing!!!
That she has done all this, and managed to keep her appeal and singing abilities intact, well, like I said before, I’m just happy to see the wheel of good karma spinning her this happy turn. The lady deserves it.
If this were facebook, I would “like” this post.
kashy, you are such a sweetie… : -)
Brava, squared.
@Sanford:
brava Ms. Hong.
Thank you for posting that wonderful clip. These ladies sound absolutely fabulous here and I’m glad you brought this recording to my attention. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them!
You bring up some very good points about the subjectivity factor of Opera and voices in particular. It is unfortunate how sometimes great talents remain in obscurity or under the shadow of somewhat lesser talents. But in Hong’s case I think things are working out well for her. I echo Kashania’s sentiments
and Camille’s too, of course
Is it ever OT to point out that Anthony Tommasini knows ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about voices and CANNOT HEAR?
Here he is on the EXECRABLE Met 1950 BARBIERE, released by the former House of Gelb, Sony:
“Of special interest is the Count Almaviva of Giuseppe di Stefano, sung with such lyrical splendor that no one should mind his dicey execution of passagework and dated approach to the Rossini style. ”
On this 1950 “Barbiere” Alberto Erede conducts a **vibrant, bold performance** over all. Valdengo, an admired baritone who sang Iago in Toscanini’s live NBC radio broadcast of Verdi’s “Otello” in 1947, makes a robust, hearty Figaro and is even **pretty good at dispensing the Rossini roulades. **
Pons among them. She was 52 at the time of this recording, and **her light, lovely, penetrating voice sounds wonderful**. But does she ever indulge in coloratura fancywork, complete with interpolated high C’s and D’s and all manner of elaborate embellishments. She caps the cavatina “Una voce poco fa” with a shimmering high C that she holds for a full 12 seconds before dipping down to end the phrase. (She sings the aria transposed up a half-step from the original key of E.) And she concludes the spirited cabaletta with a fearless, if under-pitch, high F. It hardly matters. The audience goes crazy.
Always dead ON topic, Nerva.
You are TRULY the reincarnation of H. E. Krehbiel.