The Met: what’s really wrong?
The Met’s financial challenges are not meteorological, demographic, or cyclical; they are structural.
Questo e Quello
Mary Garden runs elevator when the operator faints
“There are ascenseurs even in Paris,” said the singer afterward.
Fishing expedition
Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin mixes it up a bit this week, presenting a score that should be familiar by now, though this time with a novel cast.
Fog lifts over channel
“When you read, and credit, the more feverish musings of the internet chatterati, there is some kind of British invasion storming the bastions of American opera.”
After the thaw
Our Own JJ (not pictured) offers his recommendations for 10 opera and classical music events worth hearing this spring.
Eugénie in a bottle
Now that we’re all gathered, cher public, let’s make with the conversation about off-topic and general interest subjects.
Song of Crimea
My mailbox is filled with cards and letters, all asking the same question: “Croche, is there a classical music angle to the escalating conflict in Crimea?” My answer is: “Indeed there is!”
A dream walking
The hostile reaction to the Mary Zimmerman production of La sonnambula was well documented after the premiere in 2009.
I just don’t see it
Which soprano, whose lovely voice and charming stage presence should make her worth her weight in gold, is not being asked back to an opera company where she’s had great success?
Less than Zarah
In a slight detour from the usual all-opera-all-the-time format of parterre box, the queer opera zine, issue #44 centers on Ben Letzler‘s superb appreciation of film and cabaret diva Zarah Leander.
The butterfly effect
Midway through the first portion of this past Wednesday’s New York City recital debut of Mme. Natalie Dessay I became very distracted by the persistent urge to try to characterize the experience of what was happening on stage, for this was, by no means, an ordinary recital and no ordinary debutante.
Transcendence
“Suite à la mort de Gerard qui n’avait pas pu assister à la première, conserver cette fin m’est devenu impossible.”
Blood types
“The finale of Sweeney Todd left the stage of Avery Fisher Hall littered with corpses, but the evening, for all its flaws, felt vibrantly alive.”
Anna engaged? No.
According to the Facebook page of tenor Yusif Eyvazov (Des Grieux to Anna Netrebko‘s Manon in the Rome Opera Manon Lescaut), the two are “engaged.”
Mary est de retour
Miss Garden retired a year ago, going to the bandit-infested hills of Corsica to “write a book and ride a mule.”
Sex please: we’re British
The finer performances of Tristan und Isolde have a way of sounding like a four-hour improvisation, the fruit of a single moment of inspiration that makes one forget how emotionally manipulative and painstakingly crafted the music really is.
By Adriel
7 comments
Her maestro’s voice
Our Own Poison Ivy interviews conductor Alain Altinoglu over at her own blog, Poison Ivy’s Wall of Text.
Ready, aim…
“Including staff benefits, Gelb says a full-time chorus member at the Met earns an astonishing $300,000 (£180,000) a year, while the players of the Met Orchestra earn more than any orchestra in the US.”
L’Histoire du soldat
Just in from the Met: “Daniel Sutin will sing the title role in tonight’s performance of Berg’s Wozzeck, replacing Thomas Hampson, who is recovering from bronchitis.”
Missing Marianne
La Cieca is delighted to salute the return of Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin to the regular Monday lineup at parterre.com. And what a special treat she has for us this week: a live performance of Werther starring Franco Corelli and Christa Ludwig!
A pretty boy milking his bows
This afternoon at the Met, Grigolo sold his performance like the rent was due tomorrow and he was down to his last penny.
Gerard Mortier 1943-2014
Impresario Gerard Mortier died earlier today of pancreatic cancer. He was 70.
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).