Ed Waffle

Indeed. She is writing, publishing and getting paid. And it seems that she is at the stage of her career where she can pursue what she is interested in. Although erotic memoirs seem a bit over done just now.

The August issue of “Opera”, an English publication, had a polemical denunciation of The Calixto Bieito production of Cosi fan tutte, one of many cries of outrage at what seemed to be a gratuitous trashing of the Mozart classic by a stage director who had run out of ideas. Now comes “Opera Now”, also published in the U. K., with its defense of the indefensible. The article quotes Brian McMaster of the Edinburgh Festival who says this about the Welsh National Opera production in question: “This was the first time that Cosi was shown to be what it is actually about—which having serial sex, and feeling dirty and disgusted with yourself as a result. That feeling of disgust was there in a way that I’ve never seen in the piece and I’m sure was what Mozart and da Ponte were writing about.” McMaster is obviously an idiot. The tired post-Freudian interpretation that he gives to Bieito’s production (and who knows what, if anything, the director had in mind) is completely anachronistic. To say that it was not only what the creators of Cosi had in mind but that it was the main (or only) thing is laughable. I have no problems with presenting classic works from new points of view, but the production should have some relationship to the music and text. If the production does not serve the music and text it should be billed appropriately—for example Calixto Bieito’s Cosi fan tutte, music by Mozart, words by da Ponte. Mozart survived the pastiche operas of Paris in the early part of the 19th century, when “The Magic Flute”, was presented with its music rewritten to include excepts from “Don Giovanni”, “The Marriage of Figaro” and “La Clamenza di Tito”, some characters added and others eliminated. It was the most frequently performed opera in Paris from 1799 to 1809. “Don Giovanni” also suffered. The masked trio was sung by three police agents, the cemetery scene was staged at an inn and and eruption Mount Vesusvius destroyed Giovanni’s palace. Of the music only the overture remained intact and in its original place. A pianist named Kalkbrenner composed accompaniment for several new recitiatives and arias. So if Wolfgang and Lorenzo can survive that, they will stagger through the current round of outrages. Knowing that (or hoping it) doesn’t make it any more fun, though.

Approve of him? Of course. While someone else may have done so in Hurok's absence, he was the impressario (love that word) who brought ballet to the frozen Midwest during the ballet boom. The people he helped introduce to ballet included my wife and I. The posters for the shows were always the same--the top line, generally (as I recall) in the largest type was: Sol Hurok presents "Tonight We Sing" featuring performances by Ezio Pinza, Anna Pavlova, Isaac Stern and Roberta Peters is an over-the-top schmaltz fest biopic. David Wayne is completely unconvincing as Hurok. Another set of guardian angels might be the people and organizations who managed to save some of the venues for dance. Here in Motown, for example, there are several individuals who can honestly claim to have "saved" the Music Hall, one of the important venues/presenters downtown. It has been on the edge of closing a number of times, but each time a bunch of people raise enough money to save it--again. There must have been venues that were saved from the wrecking ball--City Center perhaps. Wasn't Carnegie Hall in danger at one point? The movie "Carnegie Hall", by the way, features Harold Dryenforth as Walter Damrosch and also Walter Damrosch as himself. Additional cast includes Pinza, Jan Peerce, Rise Stevens, Burno Walter, Lily Pons and Leopold Stowkowski, all as themselves.

Approve of him? Of course. While someone else may have done so in Hurok's absence, he was the impressario (love that word) who brought ballet to the frozen Midwest during the ballet boom. The people he helped introduce to ballet included my wife and I. The posters for the shows were always the same--the top line, generally (as I recall) in the largest type was: Sol Hurok presents "Tonight We Sing" featuring performances by Ezio Pinza, Anna Pavlova, Isaac Stern and Roberta Peters is an over-the-top schmaltz fest biopic. David Wayne is completely unconvincing as Hurok. Another set of guardian angels might be the people and organizations who managed to save some of the venues for dance. Here in Motown, for example, there are several individuals who can honestly claim to have "saved" the Music Hall, one of the important venues/presenters downtown. It has been on the edge of closing a number of times, but each time a bunch of people raise enough money to save it--again. There must have been venues that were saved from the wrecking ball--City Center perhaps. Wasn't Carnegie Hall in danger at one point? The movie "Carnegie Hall", by the way, features Harold Dryenforth as Walter Damrosch and also Walter Damrosch as himself. Additional cast includes Pinza, Jan Peerce, Rise Stevens, Burno Walter, Lily Pons and Leopold Stowkowski, all as themselves.

dirac I agree about the production values of "Movement Never Lies". It is very well illustrated and produced. I saw her dance twice--she was terrific as Odette/Odile and also in "Don Q". Excellent book, as are many dance biographies. To Fondu65 and anyone else reading "Sisters of Salome"...please consider posting your thoughts on Toni Bentley's latest. Would love to read them.

From the Miami Herald: “The more he studies his audience, Schlender says, the more he believes that most young people just aren't intellectually or emotionally ready for Mozart, Bach or Brahms.” And also financially. Younger people have children to raise, mortgages (often huge) to pay, college tuition to save for, etc. Older people generally have more disposable income and more leisure time to devote to the attending the performing arts. I wrote on another thread that when I was quite young and first going to the ballet at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago I read an article in the Chicago Daily News about the “graying” of the audience for serious music, opera, ballet, etc. Since then the Daily News has gone out of business and the Auditorium Theatre still has its dance series. An issue that hasn’t been addressed is increasing live expectancy. A fifty-year-old today in the United States will live significantly longer than a fifty-year-old in (for example) 1960. So the older audience that the arts are attracting now will have longer to live, attend and contribute than before. Mel Johnson wrote: “The woman who was with him at first looked chagrined, then she waded in, taking me on the left ear, while he chewed on the right.” That is illegal in some states. He further wrote: “My point was that the audience for ballet had shifted away from the younger, well-informed crowd to a type that saw seats at the ballet as a sort of corporate entitlement, and non-members not welcome.” There are a few sections of the Chicago Opera House on certain Lyric Opera evenings that are like this—Thursdays, as I recall. Couples from the North Shore or Gold Coast who have had their subscriptions for a LONG time occupy the best orchestra seats. The only problems happen, though, when one of them (always one of the men) is awakened suddenly.

Gene Kelly's voice was perfect for "Singin' in the Rain". However the choice was made it was inspired, since it fit the movie so well--the Singing Cavalier could carry a tune and had a decent voice, about as much as you could hope for in an actor going from silent movies to talkies. And the choice of Jean Hagen also fit perfectly. Who could better deliver the line "I caan't staann it"? Just about all the dance in this movie is terrific. According to the imdb, director Stanley Donen is the uncredited choreographer, although one assumes that Gene Kelly (and possibly Donald O'Connor) had a lot to do with it. Donen directed a lot of musicals with a lot of great dancing. "Singin' in the Rain" is an absolute joy for anyone who likes Hollywood dance from the 1950s. Along with "Casablanca" it is, for me, one of the two perfectly made and cast movie ever.

A few years ago, Opera America, the service organization for opera companies in the U.S. ran the result of a study that showed opera was increasing its audience at a faster rate than any other of the "fine" performing arts. Also, opera had a larger subscriber base than all but one or two serious arts--symphonic music, with more performances was still in the lead there. There are a lot of reasons for this-- ronny gives one, that opera singers are stars. They have to be, since they are generally free-lancers, singing for their supper at different houses in different roles. Fans buy CDs and line up to hear their favorite singer's interpretation of their best roles. The introduction of sur-titles has also helped. It takes away one reason for NOT going--even if you don't know the language in which the work is performed, generally the case, you can still follow the story. There is still a lot wrong with sur-titles. I don't think they work well for Mozart, but are acceptable for much of the nineteenth century Italian rep, for example. But they do make the experience less "estranging" if you will. Along with sur-titles is the question of story or narrative. While The plots can be simple ("Tosca", "Jenufa") complex ("Marriage of Figaro", "Aida") fanciful "The Magic Flute") incomprehesible ("Trovatore") or just over the top ("The Ring of the Niebelung"), but they are narratives which are based on familiar stories or at least stories with familiar elements and are told in both words and music. And the words are important, especially to the casual opera-goer, because they make it much more understandable. While much of ballet is based on familiar stories, especially fairy tales, the method of transmitting these stories--music and movement--is not something many people are comfortable with. It is why dreck like "Dracula on pointe" sells out--or at least one reason. People know the story, have seen it in a number of media and can more easily follow it.

Watermill-- I can't really compare Hegge with Adams or Broadway shows. John Adams neatly fits into one of the huge gaps in my musical knowledge. I have heard (not really listened to) "Nixon in China" a few times and want to revisit it. "The Death of Klinghoeffer" may remain on my "when I get around to it" list until I can no longer get around. I have it once. Regarding Broadway shows, I don't really study them. For me they are straight entertainment, and only in the theater. We go to the show, hum the tunes on the way out, talk about the technical coups and basically forget about it. I don't listen of Broadway shows otherwise. A note regarding listening to opera recordings. This is not something that most people enjoy, and for good reasons. There is a significant investment of time and energy (both of which are always in short supply, of course) and the return on this investment is not always that great. When encountering a new opera (like DMW) I listen at least once straight through, without the libretto (whatever the language) and once with it. Then I start again, trying to make notes of especially good (or banal) parts, what sounds like what else, where influences may be detected, etc. At this point I listen with the score--I don't always have one, but often do--and try to figure out why the really moving pieces are so affecting. Listening to different recordings is also important Using the score is very effective on concerted pieces--quick harmonies in a quartet that are just glanced at but can send a chill down one's spine become clear, for example, and the genius of the composer shines through. In the case of DMW, I don't have a score. It would probably cost a prince's ransom. Also, there is only one recording. I decided to dive into it (will be listening more over the weekend) based on FarellFans's excellent review and that it is being programmed here in Motown next spring.

A few notes on “Dead Man Walking”, an Erato recording of the San Francisco Opera premier performance. “Dead Man Walking” is lyric theater composed in a tonal, accessible style with recognizable melodies and antecedents in a number of works. Hegge is a song composer—he is not yet a great orchestrator, and possibly will not be. Many opera composers were not. Above all, Heggie writes easily for the voice and his music contains other styles, including gospel, blues, jazz under some of the scenes. These styles, easily woven into his score, are almost always dramatically true. He doesn’t go for the cheap effect. Regarding influences, I heard less of Puccini, Giordano or other verismo composers and more of Gershwin and Menotti—it sounds very American. This is always problematic, of course, trying to decide what sounds like what else. Without a score of the “Dead Man Walking”, which I don’t have, scores of the works it is compared with, most of which I don’t have, and the training to closely read and compare scores, also missing, it is simply “This sounds like what I remember something else sounding like.” There are two musical phrases that stick in my mind. One is the very short prelude to Act II. This is a very “Puccinian” moment, although I can’t identify from exactly where. The other is on track 2 of the second disc, beginning at the one minute ten second point. There is a piano cadence that reinforces a guard and de Rocher declaiming their text. Again I am unable to place it, but it sounds like something I have heard, this time in American opera. It is repeated a few times in Act II, and may be a leitmotif for either Joseph de Rocher or one aspect of his personality. The libretto by Terrence McNally is not always profound or inspired, but music and words fit very well and it caries the burden of a complex story. It is quite moving where it needs to be. There was obvious collaboration between two talented artists. Two of the main female roles, Sister Helen Prejean and Mrs. Patrick De Rocher were written for mezzo-soprano. This makes sense on several levels—Frederica von Stade, who created Mrs. de Rocher, is a long time collaborator with Hegge. Also (and possibly more importantly) there are a LOT of excellent mezzos in their 30s and 40s, so it will be easy to cast, at least for the next few decades. Susan Graham, as Sister Helen, is terrific. The role seems to lie largely in her upper-middle voice and she handled it with a most impressive control and breath support. She has a rich, burnished voice that moves easily from long stretches of declamation to the several ariosos she is given. While the other characters are important (and were cast accordingly on this CD) it ultimately depends on Sister Helen. Her duet with Sister Rose, “Sometimes forgiveness is in the smallest gesture” is beautifully done. Both Graham and Theresa Hamm-Smith project both the words and music of this haunting set piece. It may become one of the signature pieces from the opera. I could see it included in mezzo and soprano duet recording for centuries. The poetry here is McNally at his best, which is very good indeed. Possibly more later—this is report is based on listening to the entire work straight through twice, once following the libretto and once with the libretto, plus listening to several pieces several times. There is much more to like about DMW than I have recounted here. I look forward to seeing it in the theater.

"House of Games" is one of the few movies that I recommend to anyone at any time, with no caveats, qualifications or quibbles.

Just wondering if anyone other than I was unimpressed by Angela's Ashes? It was given to me as a gift by a person who raved about it. Many people whose taste I respect thought it was wonderful. I wasn't able to finish it. A good deal of my difficulty with the book came from my grandmother, who often railed against the "shanty" Irish--McCourt's people. She felt her family was just a step away from them. She picked it up this fear from her mother, my great-grandfather. He slaughtered sheep in the stockyards, a job he was (apparently) lucky to get. There were lots of stories about men like McCourt's father--men who were "with drink taken" or who "became drunk" (as if you could catch inebriation like you could catch a cold) and who kept their families living in squalor while they hoisted one (of many) at the corner tap while telling lies about Ireland.

Andrea Quinn--indeed. It looks from her NYCB biography that she has been conducting for the ballet since she left college. http://www.nycballet.com/about/bio_quinnbio.html

Rebecca Pidgeon, perhaps? Or is he Mr. Rebecca Pidgeon?

Simone Young has just been fired as music director of Opera Australia. She is probably the most visible and successful female opera conductor around--perhaps readers in Australia can give further insight or details regarding this. There was an official statement from OA and Ms. Young and nothing since then. Included in her controversial, notable and successful conducting work has been stints for parts of seasons with the Vienna State Opera. The opera orchestra is drawn from the mighty Vienna Philharmonic, an organization which has kept all women from its ranks (this may have changed recently). The only women who performed with the Vienna Philharmonic, excepting, of course, soloists, were harp players. They were always free-lancers. Sarah Caldwell created an opera company in Boston so that she could conduct. Eve Queler has done the same with the Opera Orchestra of New York. For a number of reasons, both the Boston Lyric and the OONY have presented works that have been neglected by larger companies. There must be a few other female music directors (musn't there?) but I can't think of them now.

Yes it has been recorded--I happen to be listening to it today. It is on Erato, live recording from San Francisco Opera. I plan to post my thought about this recording soon, but in a nutshell, this is an excellent recording of an excellent opera. Very well cast--Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade, Nicolle Foland.

Here is what the imdb has on "Callas Forever" http://us.imdb.com/Details?0274407 One difficulty may be that the Zefferelli of 2002 is a long way from the Zefferelli who worked closely with Callas at the La Scala and other Italian houses. Fanny Ardant seems like and inspired choice. R.I.P., Maria.

I haven't read the Anne Edwards biography of Callas yet. I have a shelf of books about Callas, including most the biographies in English and have run into "event fatigue". There are only so many things that happened in her life and most of them are known and commented upon. I will check out the Edwards book, though, since I haven't read a new one about Callas for a few years. One work that has added significantly to what we know about Callas is The Unknown Callas: The Greek Years by Nicholas Petsalis-Diomidis. It is the story of her life in Greece before and during the German occupation in World War II. Another is Callas by Callas, mainly for the letter collected during the beginning of her career in Italy and South America in the late 1940s.

Born December 2, 1923 Died September 16, 1977 She embodied the idea of opera for many of us. She had (and still has) detractors many with very valid reasons for disliking her voice. But her musicality, depth of expression, unerring sense of legato and ability to inhabity a character were, for me, beyond reproach. She is the type of artist that Verdi would have written roles for--listening to her sing Violetta and Abagaille it seemed he did. Works by Donizetti and Bellini are performed much more often now than they were fifty years ago due in significant part to her championing of them and insistance on real bel canto style in the otherwise post-Puccini verismo style of Italian opera houses. May perpetual light shine upon her.

Alexandra--my response to your original post was too cute by half. What I meant to say is "What idiot thinks that you can't weep for an Odette who is nothing but a beautiful ballerina who can stand on point for ever", since I have, on more than one occasion, been so moved by the sheer beauty of a ballerina doing ballerina stuff that I have wept. If that makes any more sense.

**You can't weep for an Odette who is nothing but a beautiful ballerina who can stand on point for ever.** Sez who?

Dead Man Walking may be the work that so many have been waiting for, the long-hoped for work, the contemporary American opera that would stand as a masterpiece in its entirety. One indication of this is its acceptance throughout the operatic world. While it will take years to determine if DMW will become part of the rep, the signs are good. It is being produced at provincal houses over the next few years, including here in Motown next spring. The number and frequency of productions seems to be increasing--unlike, for example Andre Previn's Streetcar Named Desire, a work a really like, but which has (temporarily one hopes) dropped off the radar screen after a successful and star-studded premiere and a few follow on productions. One of the important things about Dead Man Walking is that it does not depend on star power to be successful. Your point concerning the melodic accessibility is very telling. One thing that most great operas have is great tunes. Puccini knew it, So did Wagner, Verdi, Mozart, etc. An audience member that can leave the theater with a tune in her head--or even better on her lips--is one who may well recommend that opera. After a spate of self-consciously (or self-importantly) unmelodic works for the lyric stage, composers may be going back to beautiful music for a bit. Thanks for the insightful review--I look forward to catching the Michigan Opera Theatre production next spring.

The August issue of “Opera” has appeared on these shores, accompanied by a supplement. The supplement is the editors’ selection of the thirty all time great recordings of opera. Why a list of thirty, rather than ten or fifty is not explained, and how some of the recordings made the list and others did not is probably unexplainable. Lists like this are fun—both making them and wondering why your favorite recording didn’t get on this particular list. They are always idiosyncratic which is one of the reasons why they are so much fun. In the current case, the sole recording available of “The Mask of Orpheus” by Harrison Birtwistle was one of the thirty, while none of the recordings of “Don Giovanni”, “The Marriage of Figaro” or “The Magic Flute” made the cut. “Cosi fan tutte” is the only Mozart work on it. An excellent recording of “I Capuleti e i Montecchi’ (one I own) is the only Bellini opera to make the list—none of the zillions of “Normas” were found acceptable. Despite these quibbles, I generally agree with the editorial board of “Opera”, largely since I have seen fit to purchase more than half of their top thirty. I think a valuable exercise for this board would be to put together a list of the top ten, twenty, or whatever ballet videos, along with short (or long) explanations as to why they should be included. Robert Greskovic’s invaluable “Ballet 101” has an excellent videography, a place I often start. It would not be necessary to come up with a definitive list, based on these recommendations. And it would be especially unnecessary for one to be a ballet professional or experienced ballet-goer to do one. I would look forward as much to the thoughts of someone who is relatively new to viewing this art as anyone. Mayerling. This is a story that fits MacMillan’s talents. Royal Ballet. The dancers are astonishing and it has translated very well to video. Irek Mukhamedov dances like a god. Viviana Durante is almost too beautiful for words—eyes you could fall into them forever. Giselle. The ABT with Carla Fracci and Erik Bruhn, two of my favorite dancers. Fracci was the Romantic icon of the Italian ballet in the 1960s and Bruhn was one of the exemplary danseur noble. At first viewing the cinema type camera angles and cuts can be off-putting (they were for me) but it pays dividends if you stick with it. Probably should not be a first or only Giselle in a collection. Romeo and Juliet. This one would make just about any list of mine because I love the score. The Royal Ballet. Rudolph Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. Need I say more? Swan Lake. What riches from which to chose! I will go with my all time favorite Odette/Odile, Natalia Makarova. Royal Ballet—her prince is Anthony Dowell. There is probably one with Makarova and Nagy, perhaps from the ABT, (at least there should be) but I haven’t seen it. There can be lots of reasons for putting a video on you list, of course. In my case, I tend to favor dancers that I love. It is the same thing with opera—I have purchased recordings of operas I don’t like (or already have several different recordings of) to get one singer in one role. Or will attend a movie I expect not to like in order to see an actress I adore. So, have at it.

There was a combination of wind, threatening weather and unease by orchestra and chorus with the conditions that led to the cancellation. Dress rehearsals are taped for a few reasons--one is to have a tape available to replace cracked notes, bad entrances and things like that, if the director decides to do so. Generally these fixes would only be done for later release of the tape, not for the broadcast. Also it gives the director a chance to check lighting, placement, etc. In this case Sylvie Valayre, for example, probably would have had a shawl to cover her bare shoulders. The dress came after a day of rehearsals, so everyone was must have been very tired by the time the tape rolled. Singers tend to "mark" during rehearsals, but it still takes a toll. Shows just how much stamina is necessary to be a performing artist. Additionally, if was the first time that Salvatore Licitra had sung the role, so he was probably both nervous and tired. It was quite something for the camera to pan the empty seats, turning what was a quickly put together substitute into a coup de theater. It was a visual, if not intended, reminder of the thousands who had perished and why this performance was being done.

With the lower Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty as dramatic backdrops,this live performance of Giuseppe Verdi's REQUIEM at Liberty State Park in Jersey City,N.J.,features performances by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Rider University's Westminster Symphonic Choir and soloists: soprano Sylvie Valayre mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick tenor Salvatore Licitra bass Samuel Ramey conducted by: ??? September 11, 2002 Wednesday, 10pm Eastern/9pm Central PBS Stations. Check local listings. Looks like PBS has come through. Some real star power among the soloists, especially Ramey and Zajick. The Verdi Requiem presents challenges for broadcasters because of its huge dynamic range. Good luck and Godspeed to all forum members who are participating in the world wide Mozart "Requiem", which has already begun.