Philip Glass’ 1980 opera “Satyagraha” is a very high-minded work, but it never hides behind its principles. Musically and scenically the Met’s production (seen April 11) would rank as a successful work of art even if its subject matter were less inspirational.
Our own JJ’s review appears in the current issue of Gay City News.
“Three situations that inspire terror in any opera singer — going on as an understudy, making a Metropolitan Opera debut, singing that most challenging of all tenor roles, Wagner’s Tristan, for the first time. On March 14, Gary Lehman took on all these challenges in a single evening, emerging a hero.” Our Own JJ comments in Gay City News.
Our own JJ recounts how “John Doyle‘s new staging of Britten’s Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera sinks without a trace” in the current issue of Gay City News.
Our Own JJ was at the Met last night (and part of this morning) to review Tristan und Isolde for Gay City News. As such he witnessed the rather astonishing series of events that Atomic Wings told you about earlier. La Cieca cannot of course ask JJ to comment on the specifics of the performance proper, but here’s a summary of the backstage and onstage drama:
A loyal reader writes: I wanted to let you know that the Tristan prima was a disaster. Only because of the Tristan (which, I guess we can’t relegate to a minor consideration), since it was otherwise mostly okay — if you can accept zero visual dramatic sense in the whole expedition. (As an extreme illustration of this last, the audience laughed aloud as the couple quaffed the potion. I wonder if this has ever happened before in history anywhere in the world. Granted, this was partly because of the ludicrous lighting effect, but I don’t think the man, woman, or child exists [...]
“Even though Puccini’s first successful opera is called Manon Lescaut, the eponymous party girl is not the real protagonist of the work. By far a more interesting character — and the recipient of Puccini’s most grateful music – is her lover Des Grieux.” Our Own JJ reviews the Met’s revival of Manon Lescaut in the current issue of Gay City News.
Our own JJ‘s little scribblings over at Gay City News are now indexed on a handy page here at parterre.com.
La Cieca has just heard that Neil Shicoff has canceled the dress rehearsal of Luisa Miller at the Met; Eduardo Villa (cover for the run) will do it. And La Cieca has heard further that Sergio Blazquez, scheduled to make his NYCO debut in La boheme in April, is having visa problems, so Gerard Powers will likely do all nine performances. In less Rodolfocentric news, our own JJ‘s review of the Met’s Forza is online at Gay City News: “On May 20, Joseph Volpe will celebrate his retirement as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera with a lavish gala performance. [...]
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