parterre box

386 comments

• Liz.S says:

  Did you guys hear about this fist fight during Muti & CSO concert?
  http://www.suntimes.com/news/crime/11183105-418/fistfight-in-elite-box-stuns-patrons-at-normally-refined-orchestra-hall.html

  First marimba @ NYP, now this… Seems anything can happen at concert halls in the US. What an exciting place to be as a concertgoer… (satire intended)

  on March 9, 2012 at 11:33 PM
  • bobsnsane says:

    Hi Liz!

    I was at the Hill Auditorium performance
    in Ann Arbor, MI
    and as a roving Parterrian,
    seated 8 rows back @ $120…
    I can report
    absolutely nothing -- by way of any audience participation…
    gee, they must have been some ‘high frequency hits’
    because they escaped my ears.

    I confess I got swept away by Muti and
    the amazing Brahms.
    ‘Pinkie’ Zuckerman was ON for the violin concerto,
    (far better than I expected) -- the orchestra simply shined.
    Then, a remarkably fine,detailed
    and for me
    “uneventful” -- 2nd Symphony…
    I don’t think it could have been any better…
    yes, I would say
    they knocked the stuffing out of that music.

    But I was dismayed
    by all of the electronic devices
    in the audience --
    though nobody ‘chirped up’ or ‘acted out’…
    that I could see so, I guess
    never mind.

    on March 10, 2012 at 7:42 AM
    • Nerva Nelli says:

      What did the orchestra shine?

      on March 10, 2012 at 9:02 AM
      • manou says:

        http://tinyurl.com/89zxepm

        on March 10, 2012 at 9:26 AM
    • bobsnsane says:

      Opps!
      - the fisticuffs occurred THURSDAY night
      in Chicago
      not at last night’s concert in Ann Arbor…
      and it’s got to be over Orchestra Hall’s
      crazy,
      unassigned seating,
      in their premium priced box seats @
      a whopping $240 --
      with the apparent ‘expectation’
      that those in the front row will offer
      to exchange seats with those in the back row…for the second work on the program…
      it’s always awkward --
      further, it’s foolish
      for the box office and the fund raisers not to raise the already hefty price on the front row of the box -
      what with ‘dynamic’ ticketing and all.
      Right now in Chicago -- it can get you a shiner.

      on March 10, 2012 at 9:37 AM
    • Liz.S says:

      Hi, Bob!
      Wonderful to hear about Ann Arbor concert. I was at Frühbeck de Burgos & Dresdner in Joyzee last night. Gautier Capuçon was marvelous. It was so out-of-this-worldly beautiful, but I was not really impressed with Dresdner. It could be that BPO sound a couple of weeks ago was still in my ear… unfortunately or fortunately…

      Loved your poetic description -

      on March 10, 2012 at 2:26 PM
• Feldmarschallin says:

  Das war bei Marina Poplavskaya, die mit dieser Aufführungsserie ihr Hausdebüt feiert, leider nicht der Fall. Überraschender Weise konnte man von der Stimme der Sängerin dem ersten Eindruck nach kaum auf ihr eigentlich noch recht jugendliches Alter schließen. Der Auftrittsarie Amelias, die ganz aus Naturstimmung erblüht, wurde sie kaum gerecht, weil es ihrem Sopran dafür am notwendigen Feingefühl und der „schwebenden Lyrik“ ermangelte. In der höheren Lage kamen die Töne oft wenig klangschön und bei etwas forcierter gesungenen Spitzentönen vibrierte die Stimme bereits ausgesprochen stark. In den dramatischen Passagen verfügte sie über einige Durchschlagskraft, was – je nach Szene – durchaus passend war

  on March 10, 2012 at 2:05 AM
  • MontyNostry says:

    But doesn’t this German critic realise that Frau Poplawskaja has become a diva of choice for Verdi and French heroines in London and New York -- despite her increasingly evident lack of vocal and temperamental suitability to either?

    on March 10, 2012 at 3:52 AM
    • Feldmarschallin says:

      well you can keep her in NY and London. I hope she doesn’t get invited back here since her Violetta was horrible and people walked out after the first act.

      on March 10, 2012 at 8:16 AM
      • Nerva Nelli says:

        on March 10, 2012 at 8:57 AM
      • MontyNostry says:

        You mean you won’t come over for her Hélène in Les vêpres siciliennes? (aaargh)

        on March 10, 2012 at 9:12 AM
        • Feldmarschallin says:

          no even though Herheim is doing the production I believe.

          on March 10, 2012 at 9:16 AM
• WindyCityOperaman says:

  Born on this day in 1749 librettist Lorenzo da Ponte
  

  born on this day in 1892 composer Arthur Honegger
  

  born on this day in 1892 soprano Eva Turner
  

  born on this day in 1908 bass-baritone Owen Brannigan
  

  on March 10, 2012 at 9:20 AM
  • m. croche says:

    For the birthday boy, but not recommended for epileptics…

    on March 10, 2012 at 6:34 PM
• phoenix says:

  This thread has gotten so unwieldly … I don’t even think the Norns in Act 1 Scene 1 of Götterdämmerung would find it usable anymore.
  -> This comment is in response to a Castafiore gem dropped last night, but I am finding it difficult to figure out where to respond, so I have to come here.
  Thanks again to Castafiore for bringing up fond memories of Novruz, the Persian New Year and Spring Festival holiday. Although it is being celebrated in U.S. mostly at Islamic Centers, the holiday actually predates Islam and was probably some kind of Spring Equinox festival in pre-history times. It was part of the original Zoroastrian religious calendar. In Azerbaijian it is celebrated as a family holiday sort of like our Thanksgiving or Easter. Relatives come over for dinner and singles have get-together parties. I was in Baku in 1989 during Novruz. There were some special shows at the soccer games and a local parade. The kids painted what looked like [Easter] eggs and then went on [Easter] egg hunts for them — a custom they might have picked up from the Russians — I don’t know for sure . When families with young kids got together, gifts were given to the youngsters, who often went out into the neighborhood to show everybody what they got. I remember one little boy coming up to me with a goldfish in water bowl, telling how happy he was to have such a wonderful gift.
  -> Castafiore, you are correct that the Azerbaijians (with the exception of a very few minorityTati tribes) no longer speak a Persian dialect, but in ancient Azerbaijian (known as ‘Caucasian Albania’ by the Latin Romans) Old Azari, a Persian derived language, was spoken up until the invasion of the Oghuz Confederacy of the Seljuk Turks between 11th & 16th century AD, the result of which Azerbaijian became part of Timur’s Eastern Turkish Empire; so now almost everyone in present-day secular Azerbaijian speaksTurkic-based Azeri.
  -> This doesn’t have much to do with opera, please permit me to indulge a shot of my favorite architecture in the world; the Seljuk Turks:

  http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu/people/seber/jpgs/van01.jpg

  on March 10, 2012 at 10:21 AM
  • phoenix says:

    http://www.urbanenomads.com/luxury-travel/seljukkonya.jpg

    http://www.transanatolie.com/English/Turkey/Turks/outlin32.jpg

    on March 10, 2012 at 10:25 AM
• Feldmarschallin says:

  Pictures and video of the new Parsifal from Lyon.
  Looks great.
  http://opera-cake.blogspot.com/2012/03/parsifal-in-lyon-first-photos.html#more

  on March 10, 2012 at 1:50 PM
  • sterlingkay says:

    This is the MET co-production that’s coming next year. I guess they had a lot of technical issues and had to cancel the first performance this week. It does look great.

    on March 10, 2012 at 2:30 PM
• oedipe says:

  Re Parsifal:
  Well folks, I am happy to report that Mr. Gelb has (finally) gotten himself a WINNER.
  But maybe I will wait for La Cieca to open the next Intermission in order to say more about it.

  on March 10, 2012 at 2:29 PM
  • Clita del Toro says:

    let’s hope so!

    on March 10, 2012 at 3:26 PM
• zinka says:

  Just putting in my due Lire in regard to Mr.Bell’s scathing,poop-filled
  remarks about my dear buddy,James “La Cieca” Jorden. Naturally, we are
  entitled to our individual opinions, but I heartily disagree with Mr.Bell
  for the following reasons:

  Totally separating myself from our friendship, and
  imagining I came upon his reviews as a new onlooker in the NY Post and
  Parterre, I would say that his most intelligent opera reviews and his
  knowledge of opera are enriching to both the experienced opera-goer and to
  the newer generation. One does not have to be a trained musician in order to
  explain and analyze some of the most intricate details of singing and
  staging, as noted in his product.
  I dare say that a multitude of subscribers to Opera-l are
  totally capable, trained musicians or not, to make total sense out of what
  we experince and to write superbly crafted essays on the vocal art.
  Turning to our relationship of more than 25 years, James
  has been a treasurable inspiration to me personally, and as I approach one
  million downloads on the podcast site he set up for me, I am most
  grateful;in addition,he is a fine teacher and has shown this novice in the
  world of computers so much,owing to his skills and infinite patience.
  Many well-known opera singers have expressed their
  respect and admiration for his contribution to our “education,’ and he also
  has the ability to combine humor (almost as tasteful as mine) with serious
  material.
  When I retired from regular teaching, there was a huge
  void in my life, a void filled by what James has done as a mentor in my
  life. I have therefore been most fortunate to “spread the word’ to others
  through my audio and video podcasts, thereby helping to educate the next
  generation as to the treasures that are out there.(Even Rene Fleming’s tapes.)
  Well,that’s all folks, and i hope Mr.Bell will become a
  permanent member of Parterre and learn that in some ways he has been the
  REAL “cieca.”
  Sincerely,
  Charlie

  on March 10, 2012 at 4:40 PM
  • phoenix says:

    What a sincere compliment you give. I am sure that James has learned just as much valuable expertise from you as you have from him during that quarter-century. Long may you ‘mentor’!

    on March 10, 2012 at 6:30 PM
• zinka says:

  I may have posted this…but in case you need a laugh,…..

  http://www.handelmania.com/mad.htm

  on March 10, 2012 at 4:57 PM