“My diva, a common waitress!”
As was perhaps inevitable, Anna Netrebko is on the cusp of the Mildred Pierce phase of her career. The soprano talks about her plans to open a restaurant, her reasons for retiring Violetta from her repertoire, and her distaste for inflated ticket prices in an interview appearing in the German magazine Stern.
Speaking of restaurants, which music writer’s brother seemed a good fit to manage a top-stratum eatery in one of New York’s cultural centers — until he was blackballed by said venue’s top honcho, who has his own family connections at the scribe’s publication?
Anna Caterina Antonacci:
The restaurant story reminded me of the (apocryphal?)story about Ursula Schröder-Feinen and her hotdog stands. Maybe a Russian Tearoom is a good idea?
So sacro fuoco refers to a work ethic and tolerance for a trying work/life balance rather than anything else? How prosaic. I know quite a few accountants with the sacro fuoco, in that case.
I consider sacro fuoco as wanting to be on stage singing opera rather than anything else. The kind of singer who is ALIVE while onstage and not thinking about what to have for dinner afterwards.
And yes, my perception of Morris is that he enjoys singing opera, and like Ramey and Domingo, hate the idea of not being able to do it anymore. (The sacro fuoco, incidentally, does not mean that the singer is good or dramatically exciting.) My view, anyway.
Verrett and Bumbry, incidentally, may have had some of that fuoco.
Surely the idea that James Morris is or ever was ( for even one night of his career, even in his best roles) a bearer of the *sacro fuoco* desrves some kind of Joke of the Day recognition.
And Flanigan’s mishegas relates to something else: the kind of me-me-me approach that makes every rehearsal process about her struggle with the part, certainly
not about serving the work at hand with a team of colleagues.
But what about Joyce Castle? Phyllis Pancella? Felicity Palmer?
The “sacro fuoco” discussion promises to be so interesting it merits its own post. So please direct further discussion of the “sacro fuoco” to My old flame.
Sacro fuoco describes Joyce DiDonato?
More like sacro pilot light.
Really boys, she’s just Joyce Flanigan
of Kansas City, after all is said and done,
and sounds and acts like it.
It’s Flaherty, not Flanigan. If you’re going to take pot shots at someone, at least get your facts right. A quick Google search is all it takes.
Some provincial pre-Stonewall relics only seem to like divas who get drunk and misbehave and crash through the scenery like “Eleanor” did. JDD is fabulous at what she does, and a serious artist. Perhaps in Santa Fe where you have only seen her as Annio and Cendrillon (both excellent) you feel you can dismiss her in such a ridiculous manner, but put down the Sidecars and Pink Ladies and have the houseboy screen JDD’s intense work in in HERCULES for you.
PRECISELY
or that 2007 Met Barbiere where everything, for once, went absolutely perfectly right for the cameras
Flaherty, Flanagan, or Flahooley — surely, one man’s cosidetto “sacro fuoco” is another man’s wet firecracker.
Inutile discutere.
De gustibus non disputandem est.