zerbinetta

... to say nothing of the hero drinking/inhaling a strange substance leading to a vision (Bayadere); a Swan Boat (Lohengrin); parent(s) having to abdicate in favor of the child (Idomeneo) and hero being caged by spiders (The Cage). And probably more that will be picked up on a second viewing. Other voices other dramas.

The NY Baroque Company does most of its gigs in a guest artist capacity with opera companies, dancing incidental music for operas by Gluck, Lully, Charpentier, etc. They seem rarely to perform on their own. The school and guest lectures look to support, at least to a goodly extent, the performing arm. The company used to perform reguarly with the Chamber Opera Theater and I remember some wonderful perfomances but that opera company has been defunct, alas, for some years. It sounds like a very risky proposition.

to say nothing of the continual clacking of ice cubes ..

I'm not disagreeing with the views on these artists nor Macauley's right to to air them but this is not my issue here. What I find disturbing is the personal scope and condescending tone of the critiques.

There is a level of dislike approaching scorn with which Mr Macauley has been treating the Martins family. First the "slap" article, then the review of Nilas in "Orpheus", attacking not merely his performance but his entire career, and now the review of Darci in "Liebeslieder". There is an element of personal animus peeking through here which is curious and distasteful. Can Ask la Cour be next?

Just read the reviews in the Post and Sun. Both Lobenthal and Barnes go on at length comparing Lubovitch's Othello to Shakespeare's. Lubovitch clearly states in the program that he based his plot on three sources, primarily the story by Geraldo Cintio from 1566, the original upon which Shakespeare based Othello and Verdi Otello. Why don't critics read their program notes?

I'm no more of a fan of Goldenthal than you, klavier, although I did enjoy the Grendel performances, production and libretto. But I didn't mind the Othello score as much. It's still derivative - a little Verdi here, a little Wagner here, hints of Debussy & so on. His career as a film composer is always in evidence: "what do we need here? Oh, yes, Prokofiev did something like that". EG starts out the overture with his take on the Otello tempesta, which I found curious since the storm isn't until Act II. Never fear, we get it again for the Act II overture. In fact, I hated the "ballet" far less last night with the remarkable Rasta Thomas. I had seen it with Richardson eight years ago and found it unbearable. Now I do love Richardson, but Thomas is a classical dancer and this did make a difference. Carlos Lopez also gave a wonderful, restrained performance. Reyes was lovely & Jared Matthews has gotten stronger. Sarawanee Tanatanit probably has the role of her ABT career as the Tarantella lead. Tarantella? It looked (and sounded) far more Apache (French not American) than Italian. There is also a Commedia dell'arte troupe thrown in lest we not realize what country the cast inhabits. This Othello is really Dance Theater rather than ballet, as is the norm with Lubovitch. Tons of groping and grovelling and breast beating, an abundance of flailing about on the floor. Some Cranko/MacMillan pulled out of the hat when partnering is required. In other words, all of a piece with the score. This was my first view of Rasta Thomas & he is a beautiful man and a beautiful dancer. Gorgeous jump, good turns, good partnering, beautiful feet & lovely line. Very musical and very impassioned. He also grovels and wallows about with great conviction. So I went in with every expectation of hating it at least as much as before and came out hating it a good deal less. But not even Marcelo Gomes can get me back there tonight. Maybe in another eight years.

Mel: was this a recent Sellars "Rigoletto" production? The one I remember quite well was a Jonathan Miller production by the English National Opera, which came to the MetOpera in 1984. It was set in Little Italy & the Court were Wiseguys. It worked wonderfully.

Pokofiev put his first intermission after the Balcony Scene and it surely belongs there. If we must "streamline", my suggestion was to put II & III together as they are not that long & it would at least keep some consistency intact. But, of course, 2 intermissions would be ideal. However, based on recent CB history, it seems unlikely to happen.

If she was petite & slim & looked like Makarova's grandmother, that was Charlott.

Perhaps we should divide our various responses into categories: Major Blub: uncontrollable, noisy and totally embarrassing displays Lesser Blub: not so noisy but a 3 kleenex experience Minor Blub: noiseless but wet; 1 kleenex Welling Up: the most common manifestation, occasionally accompanied by a small hiccup. Try to sit far away from me during retirement performances. I may have to buy out the house if they hold a Hubbe farewell as that will be a Major Blub Deluxe.

Some random thoughts on the R+J, for which I had three pair of tickets & exchanged the second two pair for repertory. The main set piece resembles more than a little the restrooms at the Central Park Zoo. The costumes would look a lot better without that graffiti all over them (as might the set .. well, maybe not). Robert Fairchild might just grow up to be the dancer I had hoped Angel Corella would turn out to be. The production and choreography could do with a massive amount of tinkering. Restoring the first curtain to after the balcony scene (& keep II & III together so we don't lose the dreaded streamlining effect) would be a start. Act I seems interminable enough without adding a scene to it & the two marketplace scenes make more sense coming together with the wedding sandwiched in between. They are mirror images & need to be seen together. More differentiation in the choreography for the balcony and bedroom scenes is a must. It's probably too much to hope for, but Wheeldon's input might bring a hint of romance to the fore.

Ah yes, Allegra. She made me weep just about every time out: Concerto Barocco, Serenade, Sonnambula, Bizet, Goldberg, Dances at a Gathering, Faun .. even Bugaku. And she made me laugh in The Concert.

Charlott died recently at the age of 96. For many years she was an usher in the First Ring Left section at the New York State Theatre. She also was a noted supernumerary - the tiny nun in Act I of the Zefirelli Tosca at the Met; the Cafe Momus scene in Boheme & was among the Act I Giselle entourage for ABT. Charlott also gave backstage tours at the Met Opera House. There will be a memorial held for her on Monday, May 21, at 5:30 PM at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle at 60th Street & Columbus Avenue, to be followed by "light refreshments & reflections" (contributions accepted) at the Chamber Music Society Rose Studio, 165 West 65, 10th floor. A tiny woman with a Makarova smile, Charlott had a great presence. She ruled First Ring Left and enforced the Behavior Code. I'll miss her. She was fierce and sweet and really quite a remarkable woman.

I only caught fleeting glimpses of Darci in Sonnambula as I was entirely focussed on Nikolaj. What little I did notice was that her bourees, usually smooth as silk, were rocky and her face looked somehow odd. But Hubbe .. Oh My! Talk about "arc of a performance" - this was the epitome. He is so in the moment, it almost hurts. A performance to treasure im memory & so vivid as to make memory last. The rest of the performance was also quite enjoyable - Carousel a delightful if lightweight piece. The Ratmansky is another witty piece from this talented choreographer and Moves was more notable for its Balanchine references than I've ever seen it. Definitely not performed to silence though - The Coughing Concerto: forte, piano, rallentandi, ritardandi, accelerandi, even messe di voice here & there. I prefer it done to silence.

My feeling is that this airing of very ancient dirty laundry is inappropriate, misguided and better fodder for Page Six. . In a book, perhaps, and in context, there may be a valid reason to do so but in the context of a ballet thought piece it seems egregious and the first inelegant step from Mr Macauley. If memory serves, the 1992 incident involved a shove, not a slap. Neither is acceptable behavior, but a shove presumes a certain amount of control; a slap does not. A shove reads "watch it!"; a slap is a blow. Mr Martins & Ms Kistler have been married about twenty years and have a young daughter who may be the one to suffer most from this report which could be news to her and will be news to her friends, schoolmates, companions. This is needlessly and thoughtlessly hurtful. It may also come as news to many younger members of the company Mr Martins runs. Macauley makes a great many assumptions in the heart of the article when referring to Martins "being aware of his reputation" & his further assumption as to the reason for the slap in the R+J scene. And what is the purpose of writing this? It seems pointless to me. And very disappointing.

I shushed the woman behind me at an ABT performance at the Met several years ago. She then smacked me on the head with her program. I went back & spoke with the house manager & they made the woman leave. It's not good form to smirk but I not toally ashamed to admit that I did.

She never disappointed me .. except when she canceled.

Plus we will have the additional pre-curtain frisson of "Will she or won't she".

What a great husband!

Congratulations to all. Extra congratulations to Craig Hall. It's about time.

I'm in full agreement here, but Hubbe can't do both and I'd rather see him in Apollo.

I have to agree about the pronunciation of names by Desmond R. He was a charming host, very relaxed & positive. As he'd danced the night before in Toronto, he hadn't time to ask each dancer how to pronounce his/her name so YAGP should have prepared a phonetically correct list of names for him. I also agree wholeheartedly that YAGP needs to figure out how to keep the kids upstairs from being quite so enthusiastic. They not only drowned out Richardson but also annoyed many of us with their screaming for "tricks" & seemingly not appreciating the more artistic entries. As for the persistent flashes, the audience needs to be told that their cameras will be confiscated or they will be shown the door. It was more than just "rude & dangerous", it was downright infuriating to those of us who know proper audience etiquette.

Nothing could make me hate Jock Soto .. I hope.

I'm hoping Mr. Gordeev will post the names, etc. of the participants in the first half of the program, or perhaps link us to the list.