richard53dog

What a classy lady she was!

Evidently the wonderful bass-baritone isn't hanging it up quite yet. I have a report that he will appear as the Baron in Merry Widow during Geneve's 2010-11 season. He wouldn't be the first opera singer to extend out his career a bit with some operetta!

And also in Sleeping Beauty, the spindle.

How about the pocketbook and eyeglasses used by the ballerina in that parody number Le Grande Pas de Deux?(or whatever it is called)

Loomis mentions Toscannini sactioned this version of the ending. It was used by Toscannini/Richard Tucker in the famous NBC broadcast back in the 40s, which was released many years ago by RCA. I first heard it when I started collecting opera LPs back in the late 60s so I agree with FF that it's been in circulation for quite a while now. The idea behind this is to close the aria with a sense of mysticism, which is difficult for a tenor to manage with a high b-flat. The option allows the tenor to yell out the high note and then repeat the phrase quietly, bringing some bit of tranquility into play. But Loomis notes Alvarez sings the lower repeat of the phrase loudly to boot. This pretty much defeats the purpose!

I think that the tenor that skipped Celeste Aida was Jean de Reske. Performance practces were different in the 19th century!

And this duet finishes on one of those high C's that Simionato could just pop out.

One of the great Italian names in the opera world, Giulietta Simionato, died earlier today in Italy at age 99. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postmorte...opera-star.html Simionato dominated the opera scene for about 20 years after the end of World War 2. She had a slow start, debuting in 1936 but not making a real name for herself until the late 40s. But then , as the older Ebe Stignani gradually phased out her career, Simionato was the most important Italian mezzo until she stopped singing in 1966. She had a very easy, rich sounding top register and could reach high C without strain. She experimented a bit with soprano roles, one huge success was in a La Scala production of Meyerbeer's Les Hugenots in the early 60s where she sang the role of Valentine, usually sung by dramatic sopranos She looked and sounded stunning well into old age (80s and beyond), take a look at this: even as late as 2007, she's still sharp as a tack, sounds and looks very elegant indeed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgUfx7A0uCs&NR=1 Simionato was due to reach her 100th birthday next week.

No she didn't. It's really the kind of tell-all book written by someone OTHER than the subject. It always surprised me a bit that Sills was willing to present such an unflattering side of herself for public consumption. But perhaps in her own mind it really wasn't unflattering... Denial is an amazing thing! When I wrote of my positive memories of Sills as a personality and particularly her patience with sometimes unthinking fans, I forgot to mention an episode I shudder to remember. In this case, following a 1971 recital, the dense, thoughtless, obtuse fan was none other than myself. Sills had sung an impossibly difficult program; arias from Mignon, Rodelinda, Zaide, Louise, the mad scene from Thomas' Hamlet, Zerbinetta's aria from Ariadne as well as a song cycle by Milhaud and assorted Schumann songs. And that was before the encores. Backstage I asked her what the highest notes she had sung in some of the pieces were. It went something like this: me ....."What was the top note in the Zerbinetta aria" Sills....."E-natural". Me..."Oh, you didn't sing a High F-sharp?". Me...."what was the top note in Je Suis Titania?" . Sills "High e-flat" . Me "Oh, that's all???. I thought you would sing something higher" She was basically polite and gracious through this exchange. I am so embarrassed to remember it!!!!!!!!!!! Teenagers can be hopeless!

Sills' second memoir was entitled "Beverly" rather than "Beverly Sills" . It's subtitled "an autobiography" and the "with" writer is Lawrence Linderman. Actually the two memoirs, very different in tone, nicely reflect the two personnas that Sills evidently had. I was a bit surprised, even shocked when "Beverly" was published. I never knew Sills except as a backstage fan and a follower in her operatic, concert, television, and also her many, many philanthropic efforts and the tone of "Bubbles" matched the person I had encountered. Sills was very generous with her time and helpful with young singers. And she was tireless in supporting the March of Dimes and other charities that dealt with birth defects, so close to home to her with both children being born with terrible genetic problems. A close friend of mine asked her backstage at the opera for advise on pursuing a singing career and Sills was endlessly patient and generous with her, giving her lots of very specific encouragement and suggestions. And one wonders how many, many times she ran into this same situation after singing a performance and greeting enthusiatic but time-consuming strangers in her dressing room. I also recall a TV performance in the late 70s where Sills was doing a benefit performance (she did many, many of these) for a Midwestern music school. The young student playing the flute accompaniment to the piece Sills was singing was not really up to the level of expertise the piece required and could only get through the notes at a rather slow pace. Sills' carefully slowed down her own tempo and watched the young student carefully staying with her and smiling the whole time to encourage the young performer and not to undermine her confidence. Sills very warmly had the young flute player take all the bows with her. And she made countless appearances on different TV shows during the 70s, almost always displaying the very charismatic, enthusiastic, charming person with a very generous sense of humor. I had heard her trademark hearty laugh many, many times myself backstage after her performances or when she was "visiting" the NYCO on her nights off. So I was a bit surprised at the different side of the same person in "Beverly". But evidently that also accurately reflected another side of Sills, who after all was a Gemini. You didn't cross her professionally or try to cut her out of something she felt was her entitlement. In this situations she was tough and singeleminded. Ruthless could also probably be used accurately. And increasingly, as Sills got older, she had an ever greater need of public acknowledgement and attention. The repeated name dropping that crops up in "Beverly" became more and more pronounced as Sills acted as "host" on televised arts events. It was all progressively less and less about the performers she was interviewing and more, and more about her own career. Sadly, I cringed when she appeared on the tv screen, anticipating yet another rehash of "Beverly's" own triumphs rather the the unfortunate person who "thought" they were in the spotlight. So to me, it's interesting to read both books. Which is the "real" person??? I think BOTH of them are.

That's good news for me. It seemed like we would have to forego a fall ABT season this year but this is a tidbit at least. Plus NJPAC is SUPER convenient for me, I live in the north part of Newark. I can drive down to NJPAC practically more easily than I can get to a movie theater!

Fig newtons, no. Garibaldis, yes. If you can also gently unscrew the bottle one half turn before entering the theatre, so that the cap is running loosely along the threads, and during the show requires no more than a gentle half twist, then that can be permissable. I think a blanket "no eating, no drinking" direction is best. Once you start splitting hairs by saying bottled water is ok, then what's wrong with a cup of coffee or a cocktail with ice clinking away? And it's fine to say well it's ok to eat a hard candy if you unwrap it ahead of time but an awful lot of people don't "get" careful distinctions. They'll go digging in their plastic bags looking through a grab bag of items, find the bag of candies, rip it open, probably drop a few on the floor and then start unwrapping them. Or the water bottle top, which is partially unscrewed, will go rolling on the floor under the seats. People can be really DENSE. Keep it simple. How difficult is it to understand "turn off your cell phone"? And we all have experience with how ineffective that directive is.

I don't agree. When Bolle is in a good shape his basic technique is clean. His acting is basic and clean too: you can see every "step" the face is supposed to make. Very basic and very clean. He also shares with his preferred partner Bussell the unique ability to change dramatic moments in comical ones: their Manon was unmissable. In Italy he has a huge fan club and a number of sponsors, but I've never meet (nor in London nor in Milan) a regular ballet.goer nor a professional in ballet world who admits to like him, but this is a different point. According to his press office he had an huge success in New York and they adore him. Could it be something like the huge success of La Scala Sleeping beauty in London, a triumph, according to Italian news? I don't know, but I'm happy that ABT is keeping him busy and probably away from the Royal Ballet, even if he remains Etoile of La Scala Ballet. Anna, We're seriously going to have to agree to disagree on Bolle, ditto Bussell, especially on their dramatic abilities. I can see why Bolle has a career, he's tall, matinee Idol good looks, strong like a weightlifter so a tall ballerina will be ably supported - but boy oh boy, watching him dance is for me, the equivalent of having teeth pulled. His plasticity is non existant, and it shouldn't be given how flexible he is - there's no enchainement or cantilena, merely a collection of poses and when he jumps he has that tall-guy problem of flailing legs and heavy landings. I know Bolle is very popular in Italy, being a homeboy, but at ABT & RB all he is is a dope, albeit a handsome one for tall girls. His Solor in Bayadere was particularly painful as it ruthlessly exposed his very basic technique, actually his Arminta was a real teeth-grinder too, he made what has to be a burly shepherd effete and simpering - just wrong. I have to admit I'm not much of a Bolle fan either. I saw him with ABT a couple of seasons ago, it was the last performances here in NY of Ferri. She loved dancing with him because he's so strong and his back is so wide, she commented that laying on his back is like laying in bed. But I don't see much beyond the good looks, height and weight lifting. He seemed pretty dull to me as Romeo even at Ferri's last Juliette with ABT

Some theaters now provide cough drops in baskets just in front of the entrance to the auditorium. I don't know if they still do it, but I've seen these at Avery Fisher Hall in NYC some years ago.

Mel, I've felt since I first saw the ABT Corsair on video that it reminded me SO much of one of the Indiana Jones films. There's just a touch of self-parody about this version with a tongue in check quality to all the plot twists and turns. This is most evident on the filmed performance with Ethan Stiefel's mock heroics. Performances of this production with other casts have been less effective but there is usually a sense of fun retained.

Well, it's still pretty annoying, although there are a few things you can do to minimize the distraction to those around you (cough drops, covering your mouth, leaving the auditorium for violent spells, or just simply staying home if you are sick) but coughing is often very hard to control. The distraction from the damn phones and PDA's is completely avoidable if the owner has an iota of consideration for fellow audience members. Unfortunately sometimes coughing seems to be contagious though and sets off a chain reaction like one dog barking and then all the other neighborhood dogs start barking in response. Going back to that age-old, rather than techno-hot, distraction of coughing in a theater and performers response, my favorite story is tenor Jon Vickers' reaction. Vickers is a pretty prickly sort anyway but he had had enough of the audience provided obbligato to his singing during a performance of Tristan und Isolde in Dallas many years ago. During Tristan's long scenes of delirium in Act 3 Vickers snapped. He stopped singing and yelled out to the audience "Shut up your damn coughing". A resourceful amateur documenter (read bootlegger) captured the performance, with Vickers' outburst, on tape. Jon, let us know how you REALLY feel......

I agree, bart. It's ultimately uninteresting, and does little to advance the conversation. Agree the logic is not convincing. She's blaming Balanchine for a couple of what sound like uninteresting new pieces.

Leonid, I mentioned Kolpakova' Sleeping Beauty film as an example of a preformance by a dancer "no longer yioung" but then neglected to include the a referrence to her age at the time of the filming. I believe she was past her 50th birthday and my intent was to comment that if she had made any adjustments to compensate for the passing of time, they weren't apparent. There are none of the unfortunate glitches that are peppered through the alonso Giselle. Again, I'm in agreement that watching a video doesn't equal seeing the same performance in the theater. But I think ballet videos have their own appeal and ertainly get a lot of enjoyment from them.

And I agree with this too, a video is different from the live experience you have in the theater. But a camera doesn't record details that aren't there. If someone can't execute steps and falls off point, the camera doesn't lie about it, it CAN'T. And the large amount of failed details by Alonso throw this performance over the line of acceptability for me. I've seen lots of performers whose best period has past and some still can offer wonderful experiences. I first saw Alonso when she was around 55 and she was magical in Spectre de la Rose. With performers at this stage it's usually a question of adjusting expectations, including allowing for a bit of a glitch here and there. And often the performer is operating under a more limited scale. For ballet dancers, maybe the leg isn't lifted so high, the turns are slower and more careful, off center moments are limited. I think a lovely example of this is Kolpakova's Sleeping Beauty film. She dances on a somewhat small scale but she is wonderful within that scale. There may be a bit of adjustment here and there but I find the overall effect to be beautiful. But I don't come away from watching the Alonso/Vasiliev Giselle video with the same kind of reaction. I don't want to see a dancer fall out of seemingly every pirouette. I don't want to see a dancer shaking so much. It bothers me to see a dancer who has so much trouble controlling the direction their body is moving in. It's like a singer who can't control the steadiness of their voice and can't find the pitch of the notes and no longer has enough breath to get to the end of phrases. These are all very basic requirements and the repeated failures throw this video over my limit of tolerance. Also, I'm not talking about the stage performance, I wasn't there and can't comment on what the people in the theater experienced; and often there is an extra dimension taking place there. But as a video performance, which is it's own kind of experience, I felt this was poor. I was saddened to see it .

This is an inactive thread but this evening I just happened to wander into youtube land and came across some of the excerpt from this video. I remembered reading about it here and watched the big scenes from the performance on youtube. Alonso is much shakier than I imagined her to be. I saw her a number of times from the mid 70s on and her control was still very good as was the very soft quality she brought to her dancing. But I didn't see her in anything as demanding as Giselle and this video is certainly not the way I would want to remember her. She seems to fall out of so many of the steps and keeping balance is very difficult SO much of the time. As an added unfortunate detail, her makeup is awful, she looks almost clownlike. I can appreciate Giselles that need to "minimize" the choreography and am willing to meet them at what point they can still bring something special to the part. I saw Fonteyn's last Giselle in NY, it was on a small scale but still very sure and very magical. Alonso seems to be fighting for survival seems almost clumsy in so many moments (the solo in Act 1 was very sad, with the hops on point going both forward and backward) I'm sort of sorry I stumbled on this, I sorted to regret seeing Alonso in such unfortunate condition.

This particular copy of the video may have gone through a format conversion at some point in it's life. I've noticed on some video conversion froms PAL, the audio and visual are out of synch

I agree here and think that probably for those who tweet, it's just something they throw off. I doubt that it has much impact on their concentration at all. This is perhaps where this discussion is held up. I don't really do this stuff much. I read Facebook but rarely post on it. I don't follow Twitter. I don't text much. I do get into chat discussions, sometimes with people, a favorite is a regular chat group during Met opera broadcasts with maybe 30-60 other participants. But these things aren't really second nature to me. They DO take energy and concentration. But If I did them more regularly, I think they would be much more routine. Bouder is a different generation than I am, actually almost two! She probably tosses this kind of networking stuff off like breathing. I also imagine others at the same techno level do the same. It isn't actually an age thing but more a technological/social immersion issue.

Rothbart held it up and Charles Askedgard as Siegfried pledged eternal troth to it. Seriously, I don't recall for sure. It flew a ways on it's own, I guess operating under it's own law of dynamics , some distance from the center of the stage where Sylve was churning out the turns. Someone made it disappear as inconspicuously as possible!

Not sure if this strictly fits in with your question as it was a headpiece but an "accessory" rather than "added hair", but a few years back I saw NYCB's Swan Lake with Sofiane Sylve as Odette/Odile. Sylve had a small jeweled headpiece/crown as part of her Odile getup and all was well until the coda of the big pdd. Sylve started to look a bit distracted during the fouettes and all of a sudden the the glittery thing on her head flew off and landed some ways off on the stage floor. I guess because she was turning, the thing had a bit of momentum! Laws of physics and all. I didn't see the thing well enough to notice if it was just the glittery stuff or if part of any hair attachments were also involved. Sylve finished the fouette sequence and was probably relieved it was over. It was the second glitch in that performance, shortly after entering as Odette in the first lake scene, she ended up on the floor, either she slipped or there was a partnering glitch with Charles Askegard. All in all, both Sylve and Askegard dealt with both accidents very professionally, minimizing their impact on the audience

Unfortunately, I think you are right. Exclusivity has sort of become equal to elitist and that's not a very promising situation. It's been a bit amazing to me the life that this thread has had, I posted several times early on and then left it for others. I still don't really see a big problem with what Bouder is doing. Personally, I'm not all that interested in the current online networking vehicles, I don't find all the stuff all that interesting, but that's me, and many, many people do and Bouder's tweets may be a hook for some to get them to "try" ballet. It's another generation(actually more than one), and another world really, but a kind of "hook" particular to the day and time is what got me as a high school age kid to get on the bus from suburban New Jersey and get a ticket for a Lincoln Center performance in NYC. The old Life Magazine (for those not from the US and or those of a more current vintage than I am, Life was a big weekly picture magazine than ran features on current personalities and events. Think People but with a larger format, less focused on current "celebs" and much more imaginative photography) ran two features during 1966 that caught my eye. The first was a story on the closing of the old Met Opera House with losts of tearful images. the second, several months later, was a kind of companion piece, coverage of the opening of the new Met Opera House at Lincoln Center with lots of photos of the buildings at Lincoln Center (so shiny new then) as well as all the guests, including current First Lady Lady Bird Johnson escorting Imelda Marcos (I SAID it was a different world, didn't I???). Anyway , it took some months, but I ended up going to my first opera performance and decided it was something that appealed to me. It took another year or two, and a far more conventional introduction ( one of my high school teachers with a passion for Fonteyn and Nureyev) hooked up with the world of ballet. Now my own example sort of straddles some of the thoughts on this thread. In one way it's in the camp of those who treasure the "mystique" that ballet has and don't want to see it evaporate. A very glamorous, glitzy photo spread created the image of a very colorful, intriguing world for me. But the vehicle itself, Life Magazine had a huge target audience. It was very much a way of getting the attention, in a very current way, of huge masses of readers and opening new avenues for them. Back to tweeting.....