Galina Gorchakova

[Canary]

I would like to open an appreciation thread for the great Russian spinto soprano. To me she is one of the greatest voices of all time. The Phillips recording of her singing the Verdi and Tschaikovsky is superb. That said, I wonder if she is still performing? If she isn't, she has retired shockingly early. Such a great artist she was, is, capable of great dramatic performances.

[Canary]

No one wants to answer :mellow: ?

[drb]

If you Google her name you will happily find she's sung recently both in the wester USA and in England. Seems to have had a great Norma, in particular.

[zerbinetta]

I think she doesn't sing a lot because she isn't hired a lot which may be the result of frank talk in interviews available on google.

I've heard her twice & found her exciting but, as Leontyne would put it, "singing on her principal". So perhaps the top, which was her great strength, is becoming frayed with stress.

Her fach lay mainly in the Russian rep &, due to a fallout with Gergiev (also available on google) she hasn't been hired for the Kirov. It sounds like she's made some enemies & is down to the "boonies" like San Diego Opera: not a first rank company in the US.

[richard53dog]

I think she doesn't sing a lot because she isn't hired a lot which may be the result of frank talk in interviews available on google.

I've heard her twice & found her exciting but, as Leontyne would put it, "singing on her principal". So perhaps the top, which was her great strength, is becoming frayed with stress.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Someof those interviews; whew! I remember reding the Barcelona one when it was published a few years ago. This is one of the ones Zerbinetta mentions that you can still see via google.

I heard her about a half dozen times during the 90s. Early on she sang Renata in Prokofiev's Fiery Angel in a Maryinsky production; this was thrilling but the role is a killer. Still, I'm happy I saw it, they just don't put this on all that much.

I think all the Renatas started taking a toll, and then as Zerbinetta also notes,

she sang on her "principal". Again it was a thrilling sound, but not wise from a career perspective.

The last few times I saw her or tried to she either cancelled or sang with great effort on her top range with flatting. Jaroslavna on a Maryinsky visit to new NY sounded to me like a singer with a lot of problems.

Richard

[dirac]

Thanks to everyone who responded. Sometimes Google doesn't tell us everything.

[Helene]

When I heard the Kirov Opera perform The Demon at the Met a couple of years ago, I was concerned for a number of the younger singers, like Evgeni Nikitin, who sang the lead. I know that Gergiev is branding the Kirov as a new and exciting and photogenic young company, but I have to worry about their voices. I'm almost cringing to see who will be cast in the 2007 Ring Cycle, and hope there are two casts, because Cycle A is Friday/Saturday on two consecutive weekends, with Cycle B squeezed in between on four consecutive days.

[richard53dog]

I know that Gergiev is branding the Kirov as a new and exciting and photogenic young company, but I have to worry about their voices.  I'm almost cringing to see who will be cast in the 2007 Ring Cycle, and hope there are two casts, because Cycle A is Friday/Saturday on two consecutive weekends, with Cycle B squeezed in between on four consecutive days.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Again, from the Barcelona interview , Gorchakova says she left the Kirov at least partially because of Gergiev's "mad reheasal schedules".

Although I think itmay be a fair statement to say that she has an axe to grind.

http://www.classicalvoice.org/articles/NU_gorchakova.htm

Richard

[canbelto]

I heard Gorchakova as Elisabetta in Don Carlo in, maybe, 2001. She was, to be frank, terrible. The voice was barely audible -- what I could hear was a shrill, curdled top and little else. She didn't attempt to act -- she literally stood in front of the prompter's box the entire time she was onstage. She had no sense of the role whatsoever.

[Helene]

I liked her interview. The two quotes that struck me the most were,

CV [Classical Voice News]: How do you deal with the weight of past interpretations, namely in “Norma”? How would you answer those who say that only Callas, Sutherland or Caballé could sing “Norma” ?

GG [Galina Gorchakova]: Callas is in a cemetery. Sutherland no longer sings professionally. I can only give my best. I can only try and, obviously, I am sure there will be a lot of people describing my performances as awful. Just yesterday, I watched a TV programme about Caruso and Gigli, which said that no one sang and no one would ever sing like those two tenors. So what do we do ? Do we close all our opera theatres ? Do we forbid some major works from being performed ? Do we just listen to recordings and nothing else ? These “ghosts” from the past can have a very negative and castrating influence in the current opera scene. Whoever wishes to hear Maria Callas sing “Casta Diva” can easily do so through recordings. But there are opera goers who want to listen to new Normas and those can come to San Diego and attend my performances. To sum up, past performances cannot and should not prevent new ones from taking place.

(we've had similar discussions about ballet)

and

CV: What do you think about the current state of opera ?

GG: I am a bit pessimistic about it. Ten years ago, the opera world was much calmer and had more stability and now, because of so many awful productions, nobody wants to give money to opera companies. I have spoken with a few sponsors and they explained me why they are so reluctant in opening their pockets and supporting opera. And crazy productions are the main reason behind their stinginess. But things can change. Everything changes. And perhaps we are just going through a bad phase.

which we've touched on in our discussion on Gelb's plans for the Met.