La Dolce Lohengrin

Comme Monsieur D'Annato, I'm having a complicated reaction to Klaus Florian Vogt's Lohengrin last night.

Theoretically, I really love what a voice quality and sensibility like this brings to the role. The ethereal, impossible sweetness in Vogt's Lohengrin is a far cry from the standard lusty knight characterization, and the medieval cautionary tale reading it implies. In heightening Lohengrin's estrangement from the world and sense that he is too perfect, we are brought deeper into the question of whether the holy, utopian love he brings can actually exist among humans and the world they live in. As has been argued, Wagner indicates his later explicit commitment to Schopenhauer's metaphysics here--that destiny for the soul and true happiness actually can't exist in the tangible world we can perceive. Lohengrin's sadness at Elsa's failure is thus our sadness for the world, and the futility of hoping that we can achieve something more perfect than ourselves. Or something like that.

And make no mistake, Vogt presents a marvelous reading in this vein. As promised, "Mein Lieber Schwan" was a thing of heartbreakingly delicate beauty. The effortless honeyed tones produced throughout soared above the ensembles. And as Maury notes, it's really a fascinating aural puzzle trying to reconcile his crystal tone with its volume.

And yet.

A lot of Lohengrin's music just has trouble hitting that sweet spot without that big time lusty sound. Vogt's sweetness, while unimpeachable, had a mannered quality, an excessive concern with placing each note in its proper gold-foil wrapped box that kept the unending lines from soaring to that breaking point one needs for a Grade-A Lohengasm. All the rambling above aside, Lohengrin doesn't quite feel right without that unabashed thrust of the romantic hero. It doesn't have to sound like Verdi, to be sure, but you need to be able to recognize they've got genes in common. And besides, ambivalence about what his departure means aside, he does have to do some serious stuff while he's there, killing people and getting hot for Elsa and stuff. Vogt's Lohengrin sounds more likely to ask her if she wants to get dinner sometime: "I mean, yeah, I guess it would be like a date, but we'll just do something low-key ok? Do you like Thai?" (J had a killer impression of this going by the end of the evening.) There were moments when Vogt deliberately tried add some girth to his sound, but if not intrusive, it was very decidedly not organic, and didn't do much to change that essential lean beef sound. Suggestions over at Maury's place that Strauss might be an interesting fit strike me as very intriguing. I think I would be all over his Bacchus.

So I guess the moral is that Lohengrin is an endlessly fascinating opera, and that Vogt is possessed of a freakishly lovely voice that I would like to hear again. Preferably the next time he takes the mound he'll put a little more spit on the ball.

P.S. The Mattaliciousness just won't quit. Can she please make a recording of this so I can get it and listen to it all the time?

One Rodelinda, Please. Hold the Rodelinda.

Oof.

I really have to throw my two cents in here about the crimes against humanity's ears and general musical sensibilities that occurred on Tuesday night at the Met.

How do I put this delicately... Renee Fleming is a disaster as Rodelinda. What the hell is going on? WHY does she sing this rep? It was like one big slur that lasted for four hours. I did not hear one consonant, and there was no sense whatsoever of where one note ended and another began. It was just this sort of formless, free-flowing sound that sort of skated over Handel's music--the music that was hiding somewhere under this drool-bag of vocal drivel.

I will reiterate what Alex mentioned--I don't get off on disliking Renee Fleming. By HER, I think I am reffering to her singing. I have definitely enjoyed and respected elements of her singing in the past. But I don't f-ing want to hear her sing Handel ever again. Also, I resent that somehow people have convinced themselves that it is good--or even that it is vaguely acceptable. The crowd of deaf (evidently), bravo-screeching Renee devotees were really pissing me off. She really, truly is singing her own precious little arrangement of this role--her covered, safe little sound cowering behind the deceptively daunting challenge of singing Handel as written. And I really want to make these people understand. Or at least make them go away.

OK, that said, it was actually a lovely evening all in all. John Relyea had me at Ciao. Actually, I was pretty convinced of my adoration for him back in October after his virile turn in Lucia. Stephanie Blythe's characteristically near-baritone sound was as precise and impressive as ever. I feel like she is one those Met go-to singers who gets a fair amount of work, but rarely gets to really show off the goods as much as I'd like.

The Wellsung Prize for Awesomeness goes, without question, to cutie countertenor Andreas Scholl's heartbreakingly beautiful turn as Bertarido. His flawless precision and control culminated in an breathak artistry that actually made up for the lack of substance in the leading lady.

Also awesome was this production. As it is a year old I will not say much--it manages to strike just the right balance between detailed extravagance and understated elegance. It is an accomplishment.

It looks like we were at a different performance or Rodelinda Starring Renee Fleming than Steve Smith. I think Mr. Smith is a terrific writer and critic. Though I have to quote, for humor's sake more than anything, Alex's thoughts on the discrepancy in our reactions:

"I mean, there are differences of opinion, and then there are the noises she was making."

Seriously.

A Very Nice Amount of Handel

On balance, a delightful Rodelinda last night...

First things first: extreme props are granted to Andreas Scholl in his Met debut. Quite simply, it is the most beautiful countertenor voice I have ever heard. Words aren't enough to describe the exquisite sound and painstaking artistry he brings to this music. It is a crying shame that his fach went out of fashion a few centuries ago, because I want to hear him in everything.

In fact, both J and I were hoping he would take over for Renaay. Now, when I say this, please know that I take no joy in hating on her. I really like believing hype! And I have heard and very much enjoyed her in the past, including Manon earlier this year. But she sounded like ass last night. It was like all of her most infuriating qualities on steroids. The most weak, contrived, covered sound you can imagine. Utter, baffling lack of precision (which is doubly inexcusable in Handel). Total sacrifice of any phrasing or larger line to trying, and failing, to make everything precious. Diction so wretched and lazy I spent the whole evening annoyed that I couldn't understand what she was saying. And I don't know a lick of Italian. And she seems to think the obligatory Beautiful Voice™ moment at the end of each aria makes up for the ten minutes of dreck that came before. I'm not buying it, lady. Hopefully this is just the worst possible music for her and doesn't represent total submission to her demons. Because it really, really sucks to listen to. And it double sucks to hear 5000 people hoot about it pretending like they don't have ears on their heads.

And especially a shame here considering how much the rest of the cast outshone their leader. Stephanie Blythe is such a joy. She takes Handel and makes something really rich and unique out of it. And the voice is just so big and deep and endlessly fascinating. Methinks hers is really what they mean when they call a voice Met-sized: every note just effortlessly cuts to the back of the hall. She's too classy to turn on the guns in Handel, but I have a feeling that when she chooses to sing really, really loud it is literally earsplitting. Christophe Dumaux, also making a debut, did very nicely as well. Ditto John Relyea.

And who couldn't love such a beautiful production? There's "whoa there's a courtyard onstage" and then there's "whoa what an aesthetically pleasing tasteful courtyard onstage". This was the latter. The scene conveyor belt thing was also very cool.

I don't know if I can say whether I necessarily like Rodelinda 'more' than other Handel operas, as it really does all kind of blend together after the fact. But I certainly am very pro Handel in general today. I don't have any huge beef with period instrument stuff, which I find perfectly enjoyable most of the time. But as a bid for Handel as living breathing opera it seems to me that the set up here is hard to beat. It's just a fact that there's a quality in Handel that is a bit beyond the veil of history for modern audiences. The corrective is here: fantastic singers really DOING the arias and with no apologies.

How will it end?

J: the bcast is sounding gut
A: yeah
A: no warmup needed for KM today
A: she is on
J: seriously
J: wanna come over early for pizza and wine later?
A: k
A: that sounds nice
J: yes I thought that could be low key and pleasant
J: I love that line he just sang
J: that repeats a lot
A: yeah
J: throughout
J: oh fuck
A: jesus
J: hah!
A: what the hell was that???
J: oh no
J: haha
J: oh lord
A: man
A: that was such a wipeout
J: poor Hep B
A: damn
A: cue up the opera bloopers tape
J: haha
J: the strings in this part sound like the beginning of a newscast
A: haha
A: I wonder if that is any indication he might bail on later acts
...
A: !!!!
J: shit!!!!!!!!!
A: dude
A: he can't go on like that
J: I bet the cover will come on
J: poor Hep B
A: if i was backstage and had a good rapport with him I would be all "Ben, you are really, really good looking"
J: haha
J: Ben, you have a really pleasant face
A: there have been no mid b-cast substitutions this year have there?
J: no
A: it will be interesting to see how juntwait handles that
J: well
J: I bet they would broadcast the Volpe announcement
A: these are the moments that make or break a metropolitan opera radio network announcer
...
A: holy mother of god
J: ahhh!
A: he cannot do the third act like this
A: it's going to be a catastrophe
J: no....please Ben
A: those are such terrible noises
J: good lord please just put on the cover
...
J: maybe he is fine
A: yeah
A: it is like watching an ice-skater fall
J: I know!
J: you feel like "shit if he couldn't get through the SHORT program. how will he ever get through this?"
A: ha
A: "maybe the judges will forget...I mean, they have to see it's a much better presentation than that Korean chick, right?"
J: "cracking on F's is an automatic deduction Jim. And big one"
J: hm I want to get a sandwich, but i don't want to miss any falls
J: good work
J: OK, brb. let me know if he lands on his ass
A: oof
J: ech
A: blew the triple lutz big time
J: that was not as bad as the others
A: no
J: still a deduction
J: meanwhile, Karita is the one to beat tonight
...
J: weak
A: yeah
J: suckola
A: technically still on his feet but basically just skating out the end of the song
J: the people of Brabant are all
J: "ok, well, nice to see you. We'll show you to your swan now"
A: haha
A: "Just how fernem did you say that land was?"
A: It's like musical cruelty to animals for that poor schwan
A: end this thing now
J: haha
J: seriously
J: Swan OUT
A:: just quietly take yourself behind a rectangle and think about what you've done
J: haha
J: wow, well what a way to end his Lohengrin run
J: so what I want to know is
J: if the swan is the duke
J: and he brings back the duke
J: then does he like hitchhike back to the Grail?
A: "Hey man, look, my swan turned into naked little boy, can I get a lift?"
J: hah
A: I hope he has this figured out by Parsifal
J: he will. I mean....he is really good; who knows what was up

Say my name...

As mad props of every sort have already been served up for the current Lohengrin elsewhere, I shall be brief.

Seeing this Lohengrin carried some special importance for me, as Lohengrin was my first real foray into Wagner. Several years ago, I had idly mentioned I was interested in going beyond the excerpts which had whetted my appetite, but was procrastinating about blowing a lot of money on a set. A kind friend filed this away, and on my birthday that spring, the Domingo/Norman/Solti Lohengrin arrived in the mail. One cold and rainy April afternoon, I sat down with the libretto, started listening, and was immediately, and irretrievably, hooked.

Yet until last week, I had never seen it live.

How could anyone could hate this production? I can understand detractors if the original cast wasn't too game for the staging. But I also have a hard time seeing how that would be such a big deal considering the overwhelming success of the concept. I mean, do you really want a castle?

Methinks Lohengrin is really the toughest Wagner to yank out of Romantic kitsch. Even Tannhauser has the porn thing going for it. (And if you need reasons why this is justified and in fact imperative see the PW's excellent short post here). The truth of the matter is that Lohengrin is a more wonderful piece of music than could ever be done justice by a designer in 2006 trying to ape the style of 100+ years ago. Wilson's staging gives us this honesty, and I for one am grateful. For, as we all know deep down, the great love duet of the third act really has nothing to do with middle ages canopy bedding and the like, and everything to do with Karita Mattila, on her knees in a sea of simple blue fabric, plaintively raising her arms to her husband. That's the whole g-d thing, folks.

Shorter rest of the production: Auguin pleased me very much, if there were times when I felt he didn't really have a feel/patience for the momentum of certain passages; Mattila takes a while to warm up--maybe this is the issue--but here she had me at hallo; Hep B sounded great--I do get the constricted thing, but man does he push through it to great effect; Devol was terrifying, as it should be--J thought better of her the second go round; Rene "Say Hey" Pape does yeoman's work comme toujours.

Fin.

FYI

Me and J hit up the Lincoln Center Tower the other night after having consumed a considerable amount of Stoli and duck. We both nabbed the '94 Neeme Jarvi Mazeppa. I will tell you now that it is awesome. I was pretty into the Met cast, but this one more or less trumps it on every count. Except for Larissa Dyadkova, who is the same count. Galina Gorchakova is exceptional; Sergei Leiferkus has all the feeling of Nikolai Putilin but with no wobbling; and where the Met Andrey (I have forgotten his name) left so much to be desired, Sergei Larin proves this is a tenor role to be reckoned with and then some.

I still stand behind that production in general. However, listening to the recording makes me realize how lame the "they come back from the dead" ending was at the Met. Best to let that last, beautiful, awful, sequence end as simply as possible. They just die in the snow. It is somehow sweet. Curtain.

And following me into old age today...

No one tell Karita, ok?

Tosca: An Addendum

An act of major negligence on my part.

I completely forgot to mention the surprise highlight of Saturday evening's Tosca Prima: Met premiere of bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen. Mr. Ketelsen sang Angelotti; his is one of the richest, most focused bass-baritone voices I have heard in some time. And he is quite young! So who knows where this voice could go...

So keep your ears open in act one. I think he is certainly going to be one to watch. I haven't been excited about a new baritone (tho it's his "bass-y" qualities I find most compelling) in awhile.

So, bravo to Mr. Ketelsen--who is a graduate alum of the acclaimed school of music at Indiana University.

Tosca: I Would Have Jumped, Too

As last night's 50% opera, 50% intermission presentation of TOSCA drew to a close, the duality of the experience became apparent:

Floria Tosca's only escape from potential torture or execution at the hands of Scarpia's devotees is to take her life into her own hands and throw herself off the parapet of the Castel Sant'Angelo. Curtain.

Similarly, Deborah Voigt's only escape from three hours of singing with one of the most disappointing assemblages of male singers in recent memory was to take the evening into her own hands and throw herself off Zeffirelli's monstrous recreation of said Castel.

I am inclined to be nice about it, as word on the street is that Franco Farina is a really nice guy. I would, though, like to encourage the Met administration to send him a nice fruit basket, or a gift certiificate to Outback Steakhouse or something, accompanied by a note informing him his services are no longer needed. YIKES. His Cavaradossi truly bordered on unlistenable. I found myself very easily counting the pulses in the vibrato of his upper registers--that is, when there was something there to discern other than an out and out scream. Seriously, every time he was on stage was a genuine source of frustration.

Much less egregious, but still questionable was James Morris' Scarpia. Morris is obviously a celebrated baritone who has enjoyed a long and distinguished career. It is OK, though, near the end of such careers, to realize that the goods are not 100% there anymore. His Scarpia was OK-ish, but lacked a crucial imposing quality (purely vocally speaking) and the bordering-on-violence-virility one truly wants from this role. As a result, the second act, which should always feel like the pinnacle of overblown Italian oepratic drama, felt a tad unbalanced and unenergized.

Voigt made impressive use of her enviable vocal freedom in this, her NY premiere of the role. In fact, her singing was pretty consistently exquisite throughout, with one notable exception. Something seemed to fall apart when it came time for "Vissi d'arte", which is really the evening's centerpiece for a Saturday-night-Zeffirelli- Tosca crowd at the Met. Strangely aggressive rushing on her part at the outset of the aria led to general unsteadiness for the duration, ultimately culminating in an under pitch, faltering ending. Very uncharacteristic for this singer. And, I have decided, not of great concern. The rest of her performance was so spot on; she is allowed her off moment. I am sure many of her other performances will be near perfect.

Can you tell I am a fan?

I won't even touch the production, which just is what it is. As my opera-going companion said: "On a continuum spanning from Carmen to Turandot, this production is pretty much right in the middle." Though perhaps it is worth it to pop in and say goodbye to it--looks like a new one is making an appearance in a couple years, starring the Finnish Goddess of Awesomeness.

PS--Alex, Maury, and I are considering a trip to the Millo performance on May 16th. Because I *do* love a circus.

Million Dollar Tristan

J: man, T und I is so great
A: for serious
J: so, that Tristan Project thing
J: do they act it out?
J: or is it just singing with massive Bill Viola projections behind them
A: pretty much just singing with massive BV projections I think, but truth is people don't move around so much in it anyhow
J: right
J: and like
J: waity
J: oh I am so confused
J: www.billviola.com
A: ?
J: well it looks like in France it is actual staged opera
J: like it looks like there is "The Tristan Project" and like also a T and I production
A: hmm
A: I'm not sure
A: the pictures of the tristan project have been like a super minimal staged production with projections
J: right
A: oh man
A: I am watching
"million dollar baby" for the first time
A: I feel like it is about to get so, so upsetting
J: ohh
A: boxing is horrible
J: it is horrible
J: I have never watched that movie
A: oh holy jesus
A: clint eastwood sucks you in with his deceptively bad acting
A: and then it
A: all
A: goes
J: haha
A: to
A: hell
J: For the Paris Opéra premiere of this conceptual look at Wagner's work, director Peter Sellars decided to present Tristan und Isolde without the musical additions that maestro Salonen devised in Los Angeles. Hence, what premiered in Paris on April of 2005 is no longer "The Tristan Project," per se, but rather Wagner's opera, performed in one evening, as it has traditionally always been presented.
A: musical additions?
A: Tristan und Isolde (With Harmonica)
J: Tristan und Isolde with two pianos and percussion
A: haha
J: "Wagner would have been blown away"
A: "Look Waltraud, you need to be heard over two pianos and like a glockenspiel. So sing!!!"
J: so are there really not going to be tix cheaper than $275 for the complete Tristan Project? Jeez.
A: the fact that we're going to get a full T&I w/ Dvoigt an Hep B kind of makes me think f the Tristan project
J: yeah the TP would just be for the experience
A: tho Christine Brewer is said to be a thing
J: yes
A: wow
A: that is tough fucking movie
J: thanks KR
A: wait--did hilary swank win for that?
J: yes
A: oh good
A: that would be a bit of a crime against nature if she didn't
A: that woman's ability to inhabit masculine characters doomed to unspeakable tragedy is almost freaky
J: hah

Geburtstag!

OK, Mozart isn't the only one with with a birthday this year.

Happy birthday to ALEX! Woo!

Today he turns *27*. Wellsung has officially entered its late 20's.
Happpy birthday, A-sung.

xoxoJonathan

Tosca: A Bit of Good News

Met supernumerary and willing informant "Orsino" has brought the following to my attention after this afternoon's TOSCA rehearsal:

"Debbie Voigt is fucking fierce as Tosca."

I know, big surprise, right? Orsino just has a way with words I tend to truly appreciate. He also said that Giordani replacement Franco Farina's Cavaradossi is "actually quite good", that his act iii aria "sounded pretty good" and most importantly "he seems like a nice guy".

Awww.

I will be seeing Ms. Fierce and Mr. Nice Guy on May 8th, and am a tad re-energized after this post rehearsal round-up. Thanks, Orsino.

Children and Art

I'm a bit late to the dance, but wanted to add on to the discussion the other week about Steve Metcalf's Future of Classical Music piece noting, among other things, that we need to stop turning to "the schools" as a way to solve the problem. Like ACD, part of me feels like "the schools" is a bit of a straw man, i.e., I've never heard anyone actually propose a nationwide regime of classical music appreciation, though plenty have called it out as the absurdity it is.

That said, I think what people really mean when they posit a link between music education and later music appreciation--children participating as amateur musicians--is more than just gravy. Contrary to how it is usually framed, though, we're either doing fairly well or already improving on this count.

This 2003 Gallup poll for the American Music Conference found over 50 percent of households with at least one member with musical experience, and increasing rates of participation in private lessons, school programs, and other education. My mother, who has been running a children's and adult music education program in Chicago for the past 15 years or so, has seen enthusiasm for classical music education go from respectable to ravenous over that period. And why shouldn't that comport with the broadly recognized trend that significant numbers of children today, far from all being video game zombies, are in fact participating in extracurricular activities more than ever? They can't all be playing soccer, right?

Now of course, the horror stories about arts funding in public schools are serious, but I would suggest these relate to equity more than absolute access, and shouldn't necessarily make a difference when strictly talking about whether we get a critical mass of concert hall consumers out of it. Furthermore, instead of representing any turn on music education, such funding priorities are the work of generally reckless budget policy at the state and federal levels. The cold truth is that short of straightening that out, public school music education will remain under the axe.

Looking at Chicago, the reasons for this resurgence are clear: after many years of fleeing the cities for suburban isolation, the 1990s began to see more and more middle and upper-middle class parents choosing to raise their children in the city. These parents naturally expect the greater wealth of opportunities that comes with living in the city, and with strong resident communities of music professionals to draw on, increased music education is a given. They in turn set a certain standard for similar families in outlying areas, and the demand for music education and accommodating institutions multiplies.

Again, the equity issues are obvious here, and there's certainly no 'trickle-down' theory of primary education quality. But for producing more consumers of classical music, this can only be a positive sign. These students will be more likely to return to cities as adults as well, and more likely to participate in their artistic life. We're probably still on the early side of seeing this trend come to fruition, but I would be pretty surprised if it doesn't eventually translate into some bump in the crop of potential concert goers.

But ultimately I agree with Metcalf that this is only a small part of the story. Trying to get adult consumers interested in serious music by focusing on childhoods they've already had is an ass-backwards way to address the issue. We should be assuming that childhood piano lessons are as predictive of an appreciation of serious music as childhood literacy is predictive of an appreciation of serious literature. There's a connection there to be sure, but a lot can go down in between.

More on that to come.

Disaster on the Roosevelt Island Swan

J: I love that second act business where Ortrud is going nuts and evokes the gods
A: her evil pagan gods
A: they should call that song "This Christian bitch is going to get it"
11:10 PM
A: so, what is up with you on Friday evening? I am thinking of doing something earlier at the Loreley, this bier garten/bar on the Lower East side
J: oh terrific
A: !!!
A: something is going down with the Roosevelt Island tram!
J: yeah!
A: it is stuck or something
J: it is stuck
A: 4 hours on the packed tram!!
A: brutal
A: oh man, and they are over the river
J: ok how hard can it be to make them move
11:15 PM
A: it lost power?
J: I guess so
A: eww
A: they had to bring diapers
A: oh man
A: I hope this doesn't bode poorly for the trams
J: well evidently this is the first big problem
A: these motherfuckers on Fox who don't have anything else to talk about "Boy, they're sure taking a long time to get out of that basket, huh?"
11:20 PM
A: whoa
A: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had their baby
A: "Yay, yay, yay," said actress and fellow Scientologist Kirstie Alley. "Bring her over so I can meet her."
J: shut up Kirstie Alley
J: oh did you see the Times review of last night?
J: you can see the Swan
A: I did
J: the Swan Fragment

My Boyfriend Went to Brabant and All I Got Was This Lousy Swan

Call me Ludwig.

For the past couple of months my work life has not allowed me the time nor the psychological respites needed to properly realize, in writing, my thoughts and questions about the handful of excellent (and a few less than excellent...) recent operatic outings.

But OH LOHENGRIN!!

How can I not use this opportunity to gush, to emote...to break away from working on the delivery of Marie-Antoinette crew contracts to Sony Pictures.

The truth is, last night's performance of Robert Wilson's breathtaking, austere production of Lohengrin is the first thing in awhile that truly inspired me to lay out some of my thoughts and IMMORTALIZE THEM FOR ALL TIME ON THE WELLSUNG BLOG.

This is not to say, obviously, that there haven't been other blog-worthy evenings:

I just about passed out over my love for Mazzepa, popped my Wagner cherry with Washingtonal National Opera's questionable Zamblello production of Das Rheingold (Starring Sacajawea as Erda!), was delighted at Don Pasquale, bored at Fidelio (despite my girlfriend Karita and her dance party), outraged at Mark Adamo's Lysisrata, and generally underwhelmed by NYCO's Don Giovanni.

Der Schwann, der Schwann!

Characteristically behind the curve, last night was my first experience with Wilson's production, and my first time hearing any of the singers in these roles. Admittedly, I went in wanting to love it. So imagine how pleased I was when I found myself utterly wrapped up in the whole experience.

Elsa von Brabant!

I have been considering proposing marriage to Karita Mattila. The woman is really pretty genius. I wholly understand those who have reservations about her, especially in certain repetoire. Her voice has some strange quirks up top, though it remains reliable. She is obviously a very skilled singer, and a bona fide actress. What pushes her into glittering divadom is a sort of unflinching committment to whatever it is she has been asked to do. Even in Fidelio, which is truly saying something. She completely immerses herself, physically and psychologically, in the beautiful austerity that is this production. She executes Wilson's slow mo staging with total deliberation and unmatched concentration. All the while, her singing is truly at its finest. Even those who are less enamoured of her were commenting on her exquisite sound. Her Elsa is truly a singular experience.

Protector of Brabant

Ben Heppner (hencforth known as Hep B) delivers the title role beautifully, though it sounds to be a bit of an effort now and then. Not problematically so by any means, but there is a tiniest bit of audible tightness--just a certain lack of vocal freedom, and the occasional loss of steam in his mid-range. But the upper registers are bright and thrilling, and he sings with heartbreaking sensitivity in the final scene of Act III. He really is the Lohengrin to beat.

Richard Paul Fink's Telramund was a nice surprise. His focused, powerful baritone sound was at once beautiful and appropriately sinister. This was my first time hearing him and he has found a new fan. I am wondering if he will be in the Met's Doctor Atomic in 2008--if memory serves he was in the cast in San Francisco?

Luana DeVol jumps in head first as Ortrud--she clearly LOVES being in this production. She does a sort of Baby Jane meets Norma Desmond thing and it is pretty hilarious yet at all times wholly appropriate. Her singing...well, let's just say I will buy it as Ortrud. It is not a beautiful sound--which is totally fine for this role. But, there is some unsteadiness up top, which is less fine. When she evokes Wotan and Freia I want feel like those Space Mountain/Austrian chandeliers are going to come crashing down (Freia forbid). I didn't really--you could feel her holding back just a tad. I am hoping in subsequent performances she will just let it rip...I think she hs the goods to do it. I give her my conditional stamp of approval.

So, Alex and I (and possibly Maury) are going back next week. I am already excited. Between now and then, I think all I have on tap is an Acis and Galatea at NYCO. So, that may be fine, but I will be in serious need of a Grail Knight by Monday.

Until next time, my Lieber Schwann(s).

Update: Maury, JSU and Sieglinde are all pleased.
Further Update: Steve Smith offers praise and some terrific required reading.

A Grail Knight to Remember

J: yay!!
J: wo0o!!
A: oh sweet!
J: it is fucking wonderful
A: !!!!
A: awesome!
J: the production is so neat
A: good swan?
J: well
J: it is a very robert wilson swan
J: let's call it a swan fragment
A: Der Wilsonschwan
J: the staging is wonderful
J: anyway KM sounded perfect
J: he sounded really great
J: Telramund was fabulous...the King was a cover
J: and was fine
A: neat
A: go KM
J: she fucking tore it up
J: and she and the crazy Ortrud really get into the Robert Wilson staging
J: it's all very posed and no one ever touches
A: what was the verdict on the 'Trud?
J: um
J: Scott liked her
J: and Greg's friend Alan liked her
J: she has a big vibrato
J: and it's definitely an "ugly" voice
J: some struggling up top
J: but she sounds right
J: and has a lot of power
J: and is way into it
A: dope
A: well that is gut to hear
J: the orchestra rocked out
J: and the orchestra all stayed and clapped for the whole curtain call--and the audience was very excited about the conductor
A: dude
J: the screaming from this audience was pretty genius
A: Wagner makes people crazy
A: it seems
A: mur
A: I am bummed I didn't go
J: oh I am not meaning to make you bummed
J: rather
J: excited that next week will be awesome
A: like bummed, but also stoked
J: right
J: I am a little obsessed with Karita Mattila. Not really because of her singing, which is very very good.
J: but just because she is such a presence and has a sort of strange but really wonderful voice
A: right
A: It makes me want to watch that Meistersinger video with her
J: it makes me want to go back in time and see the Salome
A: not the most ambitious time travel plans, but probably the most satisfying
A: PS, I had a funny moment in the laundromat earlier
A: where it was just me getting my clothes out of the dryer and this random woman
A: and Richard Marx' "Right here waiting for you"
A: comes on the radio
A: and all of a sudden it became almost uncomfortable
A: all because of that beautiful song
J: haha

Warning: Cat Nerdery Below

A: *link*
J: hahah
J: genius!
A: oh man
A: I can't get enough of that cat
J: haha
A: I think my favorite is this
A: like the perfect picture of those wierd moments when they temporarily get all zen about it
J: so cute
J: oh I want to bathe Andrew
J: I love those pictures
A: it is a bad day for the cats of people all across the country who are seeing those pictures
A: I'm totally bathing Samuel this week
A: altho he smelled like litter this morning, so he kind of deserves it
J: yeah
J: it is nice
J: andrew loathes the bath
J: but is all about the blow dryer
A: hehe
A: pictures are very much in order
J: yes
A: hrm
A: I don't know if I can rock the Lohengrin tonight
A: I feel dirty and all of a sudden have to finish this big thing by tomorrow
A: not like so big, but enough
J: well
J: at least you know we have tickets next week with nice seats and stuff
A: indeed!
A: I hope you like it
J: me too
J: I hope Karita is awesome
J: I think Hepatitis will deliver
J: Hep B as it were
A: Hep B in the haus, yo

"Sir, you do realize them da capo arias got a legal minimum, right?"

J: do you have any interest in Acis and Galatea Thursday?
J: I have tix if you want to go...it is nice and short
A: i would be into that
J: sweet
J: it is under 2 hrs *including* intermission
A: whoa
A: nice
J: that is about the right amount of Handel for me
A: Obviously, you must be ok with that amount of Handel
J: right
J: I mean like Rodelinda may be too much Handel
A: yeah
A: I am a bit worried about that
A: esp if it like permanently associates Renaay with Too Much Handel
J: right
J: I mean there is no law that one cannot leave before it is over
A: this is true
A: it is not like one would be arrested
J: that would be awesome

Trebs 1, Haters 0

It seems critical opinion on Trebs' second Met outing this year is running the gamut from 'self-serving' to 'irresistible', with the former assessment's implication that her performance is a lot of ham for the plebes who don't see the disgrace being done to the temple that is Don Pasquale.

So at the risk of debasing myself, and with full admittance of my relative ignorance/underappreciation of Don Pasquale's more sublime virtues, I'm going to have to come down on the side of 'irresistible'. Yes, she obviously thinks she is cuter than a puppy playing with a kitten being watched by a baby squirrel. And yes, her stage time is stuffed within an inch of its life with assorted tics and mannerisms.

But A) I concur with her about her cuteness and B) I think she makes a more than credible case for the character. It's not just Norina's ambition which permits her to inflict herself on Don Pasquale, it's her outsize, at times bordering on destructive, wicked amusement with life, declared from the moment she opens her mouth in Act I. The sort of mildly unhinged personality that would make her game for a such a crazy plan. The sort of unhinged personality we can't get enough of even if they go further than we would ever dare. Trebs gets that giddy manic recklessness in the character, and uses it to honestly bridge the cruelty she does. And I mean, I wouldn't be saying this if all the mugging had fallen flat. But it worked, and she was delightful, and after all, shouldn't stealing your scene kind of be the point here? With all due respect, hamming up Don Pasquale's knowing little comedy doesn't seem like quite the same infraction as crossing Mozart's holy farces (ahem).

Plus, she really does sound great. More and more, I'm thinking there may not be a role out there which her voice was born to sing. Taken in a vacuum, maybe it's just not distinctive enough in any one area? But it is hella sturdy, beautiful to listen to when its on, and most important, deeply integrated into the character she is portraying. More than just voice, or just chops, she presents a package, and plays it to the hilt. And that is why she deserves her stardom.

The rest of the cast was very strong, with the exception of some getting lost in the orchestra by Simone Alaimo. JDF was stunning, Kweesh just as satisfying as remembered, etc. The production design is a neither here nor there bit of Schenk-tastic-ness, but I'm thinking the world would probably be no poorer if it never saw Don Pasquale in anything other than a literal take on its original setting. The real action is in the vivacious staging--quite amazing that the same director who virtually bolts his actors to the floor in the 'Ring' feels free to let them scamper all over God's creation here.

So, again, if you have a vested interest in Don Pasquale, its possible you should stay away. If you want a night of comedic opera to actually make you gleeful--as bizarre as that sounds--then Trebs has what you need. Go to her.

Sunday night round-up

J: it was great not having rehearsal
A: so very, very nice
J: I really don't want to go to work tomorrow
J: I just want them all to go away
A: >:o
A: how was the rest of Manon yesterday?
J: it was good
J: she was sounding good and I liked the tenor
A: kewl
A: I saw Broken Flowers last night
A: such nice Bill Murray time
J: oh it is a nice movie
J: you shd see that movie Brick
A: oh that looks good
J: it is
J: drive-in season!
A: awesome!!!
J: woo!
J: there is one already open that looks really close
J: in Warwick, NY
A: oh sweet
A: I am watching Spiderman
A: on tv
A: and it just dawned on me
J: that she is Marie-Antoinette?
A: that tobey maguire probably didn't do any of the parts where the mask is down
J: huh
A: I mean, his voice when the mask is down must be dubbed over, right?
A: so all those parts when Marie Antoinette is giving him those nice looks, it is probably some random stunt dude
J: haha
A: BTW, have you/are you planning to see Don Pasquale?
J: oh yes---Tuesday, and I figured you and I could go together
A: oh cool
A: they are about to kiss upside down
A: done
A: G was so into that DP
J is idle at 12:43:29 AM
J is no longer idle at 12:45:04 AM
J: sorry--my parents called
J: yeah he loved the DP
J: and like he wasn't even going to go
J: because he hates the donizetti comedy stuff
J: but I was like "I am freaking giving you opening night tix"
A: and he was delighted
A: mexcellent
J: too bad we had to sit on stage and listen to Wawa Music
A: too bad indeed
J: I cut 8 out of 10 cat nails tonight
A: "B-"
J: hah
J: well there is sort of a curve becaue some were sharper
A: that is reasonable
A: Samuel needs some nail cutting stat
J: it is a tough task
J: and Samuel is pretty squirmy
A: I have to grab him when he is sleepy, and then it's very easy
J: Andrew let me do one whole paw with no fuss
J: and then caught on
A: when he is "in the mood"
J: haha
A: and I don't mean comforter humping
J: "Alex I'm not in the mood. mew."
J: he always in 'da mood for c-humping
A: true dat
A: Now I am watching Trading Places
A: I love not-cable
J: i have that on too
A: ha!
J: tho it is barely audible and I am facing away from it
J: neventherless
J: it is on
A: I had some good cheapo cuban tonight
A: that country is so great food wise
J: oh yum
J: what did you get?
A: pulled pork w/ port wine gravy and whipped plantains
J: um yum
A: it really was
A: note to selves if we are looking for somewhere to eat in westernly Soho
J: noted

Hey

I know its been light lately. Strang things have been afoot in the Wellsung universe. These nice mp3s from recent listening don't really make up for it. But perhaps they are a start, no?

• Giuseppe DiStefano in the last act of Un Ballo in Maschera, 1957, La Scala, w/ Callas, Simionato, Bastianni, Gavazzeni conducting. I guess this is a pretty well known contender for best recorded Ballo of all time. To that I will just say "for reals". MP3
• Even though I'm still kind of miffed at Barbara Frittoli for being so awesome in Cosi and then ditching out on Luisa Miller, I will post this take of her in a suprisingly disarming Pagliacci conducted by Ricardo Chailly. I don't love every second of her here, but when she's on she's so very, very on. MP3
• And a little something to clear the palette, from Janacek's piano works. MP3

Shorter Fidelio

Karita: Super enjoyable, often awesome. She is a constant joy to behold onstage. The sound is always distinctive, somehow managing to project a disarming warmth through that trademark silvery peal.

And yet, perhaps there's something lacking though when she's called on to deploy the real punishing firepower stuff? The sound loses focus at the top? There's something imprecise about the attacks? We can't quite finger it. Elsa will be an interesting opportunity for comparison.

Heps: Brilliant. I'm so stoked for his Lohengrin I can taste it.

Alan Held: Yet another great reason to be excited if he does his Wotan in the DC Die Walkure-homa next year.

Jennifer Welch Babidge: Boy is that a thankless character. She spends the whole first act almost getting accidentally gay married and doesn't even get a line to tie up her plot when Fidelio goes reverse Crying Game on her. Still doesn't excuse a vibrato that sounds like the CD is skipping.

The Pit: Decidedly not a top of their game night for the Met orchestra under Jimmy replacement Paul Nadler. Not that I can fathom how anyone manages to pull off a successful reading of Beethoven, run a really difficult entire opera at the same time, all while trying to make good on an intimidating cover job. But the shortfall in control and larger vision was pretty noticeable. Some uncharacteristically graceless playing from the string section too.

The Production: Neither here nor there until the laugh out loud staging silliness at the end. What's with the closing chorus dance party?

In sum: I still think it's kind of lame. The impression of opera by committee is really strong in person, like that Word document in your office that everyone edits to within an inch of its life. But at the same time you just have to respect the people that can make those insanely difficult numbers work. I have a feeling that when this is done poorly, it gets really, really bad. So props for a very solid if at times lackluster show.

Shoot-out at the Valhall Corrall

Long story short, the new 'American' Ring business at the Washington National Opera really, really doesn't work. With some notable exceptions, it isn't "oh god look away the humanity" bad, but more like "Well that doesn't really work now does it? Who thought of that??? Weak."

I guess on paper a Ring that is broadly 'evocative' of American themes and history isn't so bad. But this crosses lines. This isn't evocative so much as stuffing, willy-nilly, the greatest hits from AP American history into the most surface reading of Wagner's social critique. This results in all kinds of cognitive dissonance. Alberich is a prospector? I thought he was the petty capitalist? Wotan is Gatsby? Does that mean the Ring makes Wotan new money?

Obviously, the production team led by the otherwise awesome Francesca Zambello doesn't really care what we do with those questions, but I'm thinking Wagner, who had an opinion or two about history, would have cared how people found his analysis relevant to American society. And this Gatsby-slavery-old westy-railroad mush doesn't do anyone any favors. Indeed, I'm thinking this should actually have the Master spinning in his grave sooner than Eurotrash productions that might be vulgar but at least know their place.

At other times, the 'Americanizing' is just absurd, as when they sneak old-westernisms into the super-titles. Again, a bad idea to start with, but if you were really going to be serious about a concept called the 'American' ring shouldn't you do it in translation? Like, we can hear them saying "Rheingold," what the f does "Pure Gold" even mean? Or, when they are obviously talking about Alberich turning into a Wurm, and this big rattlesnake shows up. Does that mean Fafner is going to be Snake too? Yes these things are quibbles, but like, its the Ring. You should really try to cut down on the sloppy compromises.

Also sucky are the lamo screen savers during the prelude, which imbue perhaps the most sublime musical description of creation ever written with all the profundity of a high school science film montage. These are followed by projections during the interludes that fly us Lord of the Rings CGI helicopter shot style back and forth from Nibelheim. They are ugly looking and way too literal.

In fact, the whole thing just looks kind of cheap. Bah. Done now.

Musically, things went pretty well. I had no great love for Heinz Fricke and the orchestra, and the smaller size really did impact the sound one expects here. All in all it was fine tho. Gordon Hawkins' Alberich was exactly how I like 'em, with not a trace of sniveling Mime--just a strong, exciting voice that serves an imposing, well rounded character and formidable opponent for Wotan. Elizabeth Bishop's thrilling, mightily self assured Fricka was also a standout.

Now, I'm not going to marry Robert Hale's Wotan anytime soon. He tends to give you grande when you asked for venti. But we can totally go out a few times. Ditto for the thoughtful but not earth shaking Fasolt and Fafner of Jeffrey Wells and John Marcus Bindel. Erda-jawea had kind of a big wobble but I was ok with her.

So, bottom line, if you want to go see Das Rheingold this isn't going to kill you. They sing nice. But, in 2014 or whatever, when this whole mess is done with, let's agree that an 'American Ring' stays in the bad idea file, ok?

With is Extra

If it has seemed lately that Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, arguably the crowning artistic achievement of the American musical theatre, was likely to spend its old age in the opera house, then consider the current revival Broadway's resounding objection. John Doyle's production, which I saw last week, is Sweeney's pumping theatrical heart laid bare--as though you had pared back the skin of Sondheim's music drama to watch how everything works underneath. The effect is rather breathtaking, and while by definition a far cry from the platonic Sweeney, it is deeply compelling and a stunning testament to the power of this work.

The performances of Michael Cerveris and Patti Lupone follow brilliantly from the bare bones aesthetic. Each effortlessly strips away what operatic excess exists in these characters to arrive at the dark cores which propel the plot. Cerveris' Sweeney has had the humanity hollowed out of him by revenge and bitterness, and the audience understands fully that even his lighter moments are no more than a murderer's thin attempts to get closer to his victims.

Lupone's Mrs. Lovett is perhaps even more remarkable, considering the death grip Angela Lansbury's characterization has on this role. But this isn't the batty and sympathetic Mrs. Lovett who operates in an alternate moral universe. Here she is defined by one simple fact: a gaping void of personality smack in the center of her soul, a void which leaves her a moral cripple. As the beggar woman says, she has "no pain in her heart", and that creepy absence, so unflinchingly portrayed by Lupone, lets us easily believe she can commit the crimes she does.

However, it shouldn't be understated that this Sweeney naturally leaves something to be desired. There's just no getting around the fact that the actors as orchestra gimmick, while done ingeniously for the most part (props to arranger Sarah Travers) can't help but leave you with a hollow shell of the full experience of this score, which, in Jonathan Tunick's orchestration, is surely the most spectacular noise to ever grace a Broadway pit. For those of us who can sit there with the original cast album playing in our heads, its possible to make do and notice some interesting things. But to someone unfamiliar with the score the impression must be a far, far cry from the way this music should be experienced.

The singing is better or worse depending--Lupone, Lauren Molina as Johanna, and Alexander Gemignani as the Beadle are the standouts. On the other side, Benjamin Magnuson, while a talented performer, falls well short of the lyric requirements for Antony, and, in a bizarre choice that doesn't work, Pirelli is sung by a woman. But the biggest loss is where it hurts the most. Either through limitation or choice, Cerveris basically avoids the serious vocal writing for Sweeney altogether. Especially in the soaring lines of places like the "Now he'll never come again" sequence, it's a bit like watching your Wotan give "Leb Wohl" the Rex Harrison treatment.

Those reservations notwithstanding, however, there should be little doubt that this is some of the most exciting musical theatre to be seen this or any year. Do it!

Adventures in storytelling

J: Subject line of some Spam I just got:
J: She spits on the cock to lube it up and wraps her boobs around it, then plays with her pussy while getting tit fucked. message from Lydia Jacob
A: haha
A: um
A: thanks Lydia
J: that is so narrative for a subject line
A: indeed
A: I kind of like that
J: it is hilarious
A: a little story in the subject line
J: about titty fucking
A: I mean, in many inboxes you probably just get the part about lubing and wrapping...you need to actually open it to find out
J: right....but not when Lydia Jacob is in charge
A: although the titty fucking is a bit predictable
J: yeah saw that....cumming a mile away
A: more interesting might have been
A: She spits on the cock to lube it up and wraps her boobs around it...later, they watch a movie and make sandwiches.

They ought to put a warning on that opera

A: good summary of the end of Siegfried: "Also in the third act, Siegfried finds Brünnhilde where Wotan had sentenced her to an enchanted slumber, on the top of a mountain surrounded by fire. There was real fire on stage. Built in to the rock. It was SO COOL. They fall in love. She’s his aunt."
A: from the seattle ring
J: "They fall in love. She's his aunt"
A: although I guess she isn't really
J: oh good I thought I was remembering wrong
A: in that sieglinde and brunnhilde have different mothers
A: is that still an aunt?
A: or is that like first cousin once removed?
J: well, your parents cousins' children are your first cousins once removed
A: hm
A: I think the rules breakdown somewhat when there is incest and multiple wives involved
A: Brunnhilde is like a half-sister to both Sieglinde and Siegmund
A: so maybe she is a 'half-aunt'
J: huh makes sense
A: seems like a legitimate term
A: per google
A: it's only a 1/8 blood relationship as opposed to a 1/4 blood relationship
A: that's totally not as gross
J: it is less gross
A: dang
A: the idea of doing it with my aunt just popped into my head
J: eww
A: gah
A: ok
A: gone

Bummer!!!

Needless to say, James Levine's rotator cuff is now uncontested for the #1 spot on the official Wellsung shit list. Let's just hope the universe sees fit to rechannel a tenth of that man's art into other vessels over the next several months, or it is going to be a cold spring indeed.

The situation is this: we've got about ten hours of Wagner coming down the pike with our names on it. And not just any ten hours, but ten hours we have been madly fantasizing about for the balance of a year. Ten hours which have shimmered like a beacon of opera goodness in dark hours of lameness and half-assedness (*cough R&J cough*). Ten hours which shall bring to fruition nearly a year of wandering in the wilderness of Wagner on record, nibbling despondently at woodland roots and berries while all the time yearning in vain to feast upon the hearty meats of live performance!

So whoever they get better not fuck it up.

La Cieca's network of informants says Asher Fisch is the likely pick. I liked his Rigoletto fine, but Wagner? Any inklings, people? At dinner the other night, G mentioned Gergiev might be in contention, which I think I would be into. Vincent at Wagner Operas floated a bunch of fun names before the official word came down, but I suppose one shouldn't get attached, considering rescheduling these people on a month's notice is only slightly less improbable than an honest sentence escaping the lie hole Scotty McClellan calls his mouth.

Which is all a roundabout way of saying: best wishes to Maestro Levine for a speedy recovery and come back soon!

Janacek on Rye

J: I can't quite figure out mattila's voice
J: it is very very pretty
J: but like, it sometimes feels unenergized
J: but it is truly a beautiful instrument
A: I feel you
A: I am really interested to hear it live
J: hmm it is better on headphones
A: huh
J: I feel like it will be a weird voice for Elsa
J: like just not enough balls
A: interesting
J: but everyone like creams themselves for her Salome
J: and that takes serious nuts
A: the most recent idea I have of it was that Boccanegra DVD
J: oh how was that?
A: I definitely had an impression of cojones
J: oh good
A: moreso than that Meistersinger I have
J: like this Jenufa is great but there are moments where I feel like I just want a little more guts.
J: and a little less Anja Silja
J: who may I reiterate I cannot believe is taking time out of her busy schedule to return from the dead for a run as Kostelnicka next season
J: when she was already in horrible voice 15 years ago
A: Ummm...I guess I'll have the Jenufa--but could you make the Mattila extra spicy and go easy on the Silja?
J: haha
J: and if you could just leave out the Jerry Hadley altogether

Genius

This is officially my new favorite thing in the universe. (Courtesy A. Ross.)

More Mazeppa De-brief

A: so, not a lot of love for Mazeppa production wise
J: in general or the T review?
A: basically all the press coverage was anti it seems
A: and Sieglinde
J: huh
J: I would never have thought intergalactic
A: yeah...I don't know where he got that
A: I guess the ponytails are kind of star trek in a way
A: but the cossacks came up with it first
J: right
J: he had lots of nice things to say about the opera and the singers at least
J: whoa
J: the original concept of Maria cradling Andrei but not knowing who he is is pretty neat too
J: damn
J: I fucking loved that opera
A: yeah
A: that is great
A: the way they did it with her singing to the freaky mannequin thing, while it worked, is kind of less dark than that
A: huh
A: there seems to be really only one modern recording of it
A: with Gergiev
J: yeah some of the same singers are on it I think
A: oh wait...there's also this from 1994
J: nice cover
A: hello 1994
J: I just sent you an mp3 of Ghena Dimitrova singing the end of Mazeppa
A: whoa
A: lovely
J: it is not as drawn out and wonderful as it is in the actual opera. it is off some recital disc.
A: right
A: I can't believe its two years til that Salome
J: wait which Salome
J: we shd go next year to the Voigt one in Chicago
A: the Met one
A: with Mattila I guess?
A: that is going to be one hot f'ing ticket
J: totally
A: you will have to keep it away from the others lest they get singed
J: hah

Mad about Mazeppa

Let me be the second (of people sur les internets at least) to applaud the Met for turning in a stunner with the house debut of Tchaikovsky's Mazeppa last night.

It should be noted that both opera and production take an Act to really get warmed up. There's a considerable amount of exposition to take care of, and also funny hair pieces to come to terms with, and, while enjoyable enough, the overall impression is neither here nor there. There's also the requisite "cossack feast dance" number which is about exactly as entertaining as you're thinking. It is done in super shiny gold Hammer pants, but they don't help that much.

That said, from the Act II curtain on, the show takes off and never looks back. The hour and a half or so of the Second Act is tightly constructed opera goodness of the highest order, while Act III is shivery and haunting and stays with you for a long time. It's the kind of story which only the Russians really do right--the ruthless excercise of power, descents into madness, an unflinching pessimism about the human condition--and all driven by Tchaikovsky's riveting, endlessly inventive score. Highlights include an off the hook extended aria for Mazeppa in Act II (the splendid Nikolai Putilin); more or less every time Olga Guryakova opens her mouth, but especially her sweet insane lullaby in Act III; and a fantastic chorus number opening the third scene of the second Act--the scene culminating in a finale which left me literally slack jawed. Miss this, and you are simply forsaking one of the most hair raising moments of the season.

And no doubt that hanging jaw owes a lot to this tour de force production by Yuri Alexandrov, with sets by George Tsypin. As mentioned before, the first Act has some missteps, but the other two compensate for that in spades. The design here has a logic of its own that one might be inclined to resist at first. Everything is over the top, the connections are often dim, the colors are impetuous and sometimes maddening, the textures veer wildly between the opulent and the cheap...did I mention we're in Russia? Exactly. This is stagecraft that smuggles itself piece by piece into your brain then suddenly congeals and steps on all your neurons at once.

The big weak link of the cast was tenor Oleg Balashov, who redeemed himself un peux in the end, but just couldn't pull it together for the most part.

Back to the praise tho--not that I have much for comparison, but I thought Gergiev did a splendid job in the pit, pulling all the crazy outsized drama and pinpoint articulation to be had from the vast varied score. Shout out to the full Met brass complement, who crowded into the pit for the barn-burner "Battle of Poltava" prelude to the third act.

Methinks the only real questions remaining are A) why the hell did this take so long to get produced and B) when are your tickets?

Update: Jeez. Well apparently the production (tho not the performance) didn't go over so well in other, if not most, quarters. Sieglinde, Tommasini, the Philly Inquirer, and the Sun all take turns busting on Alexandrov/Tsypin. (On a different note, one Vivien Schweitzer at Bloomberg opines that now that New York has finally seen this long-neglected masterpiece, the Met really ought to think about cutting it due to the many empty seats in that third act. Riiight...OK...don't you have a bond market to cover or something ?)

I'll reiterate that the first act, which seems to be coming in for the lion's share of demerits, had its problems, and would agree that Tsypin is very possibly suffering from a case of acute scrim use disorder (ASUD). But on the whole, I maintain this is a legitimate reimagining that never conflicts with the opera's intent. Plus, it makes some bona fide big theatrical gambles work in the opera house, without distracting from the flow of the performance (except for maybe the too noisy snow)--not easy to do.

Oh, and just a note to R&J--don't you worry about Tommasini calling this 'intergalactic'. You're still the hands down front runner for best 2005-2006 operatic salute to Carl Sagan. And no cossack in a mylar miniskirt is goining to take that away from you.

Samson to Ewa Podles: You are My Destino

Working Backward.

Echoing the sentiments of Alex and Maury: Must I really write about La Forza del Destino? What a mess. Not the performance really, just....you know...the opera. I don't know it very well, but I imagine the VOX recording I purchased for reference off Amazon for $1.99 will remain in its plastic shrink wrap.

Voigt sounded great, especially her splendid fourth act. So, I suppose all was not lost. Though why on earth her Met season consists of Leonora in this creaky heap of a production and a few Toscas (Tosce?) remains unclear. And knowing I have to wait a year to hear her sing something I am excited about only enhances the frustration.

Licitra--I don't totally get the deal with him. His Radames earlier this season was at least of consistent tone and of seemingly healthy vocal production. Tuesday night was like....well, you know in college how on the night before finals a lot of schools do this thing where like everyone leans out of their dorm room and lets out stress by screaming at a predetermined time?--the "primal scream" is what we called it at Columbia. Well, Licitra walked a fine line between singing the role of Alvaro, and doing the pre-finals primal scream. Both are neat. But I just found it so baffling. It is one of the most tense, uncomfortably produced vocal sounds I have heard in a long time. Yet, when it frees up it is absolutely glorious. So, there is clearly some sort of inconsistency in technique here. There is no way he is going to be able to keep this up. I predict he will have blown out what he has left within 2-3 seasons.

Delavan and Ramey both turned in listenable if unremarkable performances. Though in a couple of musically and dramatically dreadful moments, I was able to entertain myself by counting the pulses per second in Ramey's vibrato. I think he averaged about 2-3.

I can barely remember what I had for dinner last night (tho I think it was honey baked ham and american cheese on a roll, Kettle chips, and a seltzer), but I can certainly remember what I did on Sunday. I had my first real introduction to the astonishing Ewa Podles. Singing with the not-great-but-perfectly-good Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Ms. Podles had the crowd in a shockingly undersold Avery Fisher Hall screaming like a stadium full of me at a Dolora Zajick concert...er...point being, the crowd went wild. Like, insanely wild.

And never has a wild crowd been more justified. WOW. This is a f***ing magnificent voice. I mean, the woman sings like a fine baritone. She has richness and power in the lowest of registers--to a seriously shocking extent. There is almost something a bit freakish about it. But in the end, completely wonderful. On the program: A Rossini Cantata from Joan of Arc, Mussorgsky's Songs and Dances of Death, and works for chamber orchestra by Haydn, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich. Ms. Podles also did two encores, not in the program--one of which I know was by Tchaikovsky, though I missed the title. Brava.

Kicking off my mezzotastic last weekend were Clifton Forbis and *Olga Borodina* in Samson et Dalila. . It's a swell opera; not my favorite. Clif and Olg's really delivered, however, and I was glad I spent the 3.5 hours in standing room orchestra. A first. Despite the inflated labia on display on the drop at the top of act II. Not only that, but it was my first time ever at the Met on a broadcast day! What a treat. The afternoon's "DVD Extras" were a panel with Rufus Wainwright, and of course the quiz.

Ok, I am running out of steam. Question: Where does Margaret Juntwait hide at those things?
Answer: (She is a disembodied voice)

The Destino Made Me Do It

Look...I'm sorry, but that opera is kind of weak. It's not that I had a bad time per se, but all in all Verdi just f's up a little here. I mean, Forza is certainly sitting on top of a very wonderful, tho maybe not top 5, three-hour opera, but you can't really get around those clunker chorus scenes, can you?

And it's not like the man couldn't write a kick-ass chorus scene. I mean, he pretty much stands alone on that count. But the chorus scenes here ain't like that. With the exception of the tavern sequence in the second act, which seemed promising, they are dramatic lame ducks. It's like he meant to splice the chorus bits with the adjacent ensemble numbers, but the two got separated at birth and are now living on opposite sides of the country, totally unaware of the other yet making uncannily similar life choices.

I don't put much stock in some other criticisms I've seen floated. Apart from the fact that he is an *Incan prince*, the plot is hardly more contrived than a lot of other Verdi stories (one question tho--why does she refuse to go into the convent in Act II? J suggests: she wants to keep open "the option of boning").

I think the drawn out plot structure is very interesting. Especially in Alvaro, Verdi is masterful at creating music for the same character from radically different vantage points. With obvious exceptions, most of Verdi's characters really do unfold in a short time frame, and it is neat watching his style succeed in describing a bigger arc.

The trouble is he seems to feel this isn't enough to effect the passage of time. Instead of broadening the scope however, the detours from the central action just make the whole thing feel artificially inflated and dramatically unsatisfying.

But then again, Verdi doesn't really need my markings at this point, now does he?

The current production is fine, but nothing to write home about. The painfully literal set does its job save for the dopey effects in the battle scene (J: I thought Les Miz closed?) and the schlocky mountain hermitage in the last.

DVoigt sounded good, but it wasn't until her late appearance that I thought she got voigt-tastic--and even then, still somewhere short of a voigt-sation. Also, a bit hard to appreciate the new bod under a burlap sack monk get-up. Licitra has a very big pretty sound, so it is too bad that he A) insists on pushing the stuffing out of some top notes, and B) seems to randomly decide he just don't give a fuck about ending a phrase cleanly. G thought Delavan wasn't at his best, and I can see that. Still very nice tho.

Update: Maury gives it an extended 'meh' here.