abatt

For anyone who saw this in London, was there only one lead cast or did they alternate casts? Thanks.

Interesting topic to resume, Jayne. What has happened to the Diamond Project, anyway? (Not that I'm complaining about its absence.) One important thing that has happened since that article was published is that many of the principals who gave problematic performances have now retired. The current crop of principals (and new soloists!) is, overall, a very impressive group. I tend to read Gottlieb's articles on a regular basis. I think Gottlieb himself may now be less critical of the company now than he was back when that old linked article was published. Now if we could only bring Eddie Villela on board to coach now that he is back in NYc. Wishful thinking.

Do you think the gastric bypass was the source of her vocal decline, or perhaps just the result of age.

You couldn't beg, borrow or steal a ticket to see Jonas Kaufmann live at the Met in Parsifal. It was a sell out for every show. In that case, the HD certainly didn't cannibalize the live attendance at the Big House. However, there are very few opera stars who can sell out the Big House. (Netrebko is also a huge draw who mostly sells every seat in the house.) If they are experiencing difficulty in selling seats at the Big House, it's because some of the singers are not terribly interesting, and the prices are out of control for mediocre performers.

Opera is a much bigger financial investment than ballet. Opera also tends to be a bigger investment of time. (Most ballets are approx. 2 or 2 and a half hours.) As an example of the pricing issue, a Saturday matinee ticket at the Met Opera in the balcony can cost me as much as $130. I think the ABT price for a Sat matinee at the Met is $50. That 's a substantilal difference. I could not afford to go to so many ABT performances if the prices were similar to those charged at the opera.

http://www.nytimes.c...t.html?ref=arts This an article from today's NY Times, in which Gelb of the Met points out the pros and cons of the Live In HD opera broadcasts. He attributes a decline in "live" attendance in the house, in part, to these broadcasts. I thought this might be an interesting topic for discussion. Personally, since I live in New York City I go to very few of the HD movie broadcasts. There is nothing that compares to hearing the opera live at the Met. However, since all of these HD operas are ultimately broadcast on PBS, I have seen them on TV. I have to agree with the author that a lot of these new productions, which seem awful in the Big House live, make a much better impression on the small screen of my TV. (The new Ring, as an example.)

Tell them they are nuts if they don't want to go. They are not likely to see a better Don Q cast for a long time. Hoping O&V stay healthy and injury free for the season.

I saw the Bolshoi's Spartacus live at the Kennedy Center when Ivan Vasiliev was still with that company. He was thrilling. Second cast w. Pavel D. was adequate but not terribly impressive, IMHO. Unless Vasiliev is planning a return guest stint, who would be dancing the lead in this? (Assuming that Pavel D. is tied up with other matters, like his trial, or fired.) Since they are doing Jewels, which requires numerous lead dancers, maybe we will get to see some dancers other than Zaharova and Alexandrova, who have dominated these broadcasts. Perhaps some Obratsova or Smirnova?

The Queen of unreliability is Angela Gheorgiu. She is a Diva in the worst sense of the word. She has not been invited back to the Met in several years, and I suspect she will never be invisted back as long as Gelb is at the helm. I can't blame him, frankly. She pulled out of two new productions which she was supposed to star in - Faust and Carmen. Over the years, I think she has cancelled out at the Met at least as many times as she has appeared there. I see she is back ont he roster for Covent Garden for next season in Boheme (opposite Grigolo, I think).

I saw Grigolo in Boheme too. I have not seen him in any other opera because I now intentionally avoid his performances. If he is cast, I don't go.

I think a lot of opera singers nowadays are chosen for their physical appearance, and not necessarily their voices. We live in a culture that is very focused on the visual, and this is especially true in circumstances where operas are being recorded for DVDs or for movie house broadcast. As an example, I heard Grigolo live at the Met and was definitely NOT impressed. However, his good looks and charm have carried him to into lead roles in major opera houses. Would someone like the significantly overweight Pavarotti make it in today's opera climate?

I remember reading that this petition was signed by employees of the Bolshoi (meaning not just the dancers).

The casting for the KC engagement is now up at the NYCB website. http://www.nycballet.com/Season-Tickets/On-Tour.aspx Lauren Lovette is debuting in Carousel w. Robbie Fairchild. (First cast is Tiler Peck w. Veyette). I wish they would have put Peck and R. Fairchild together for this ballet. .

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/queen-latifah-and-richard-stoltzman-to-perform-at-new-york-city-ballet-gala/?ref=dance There will be a Queen in our midst at the Spring Gala - no, not HRH. Queen Latifah.

Do the people who signed the letter assume that there would not be a fair investigation and trial without the letter? The Russian legal system is perplexing, to say the least.

Why is it clumsy? She is the official spokesperson for the Bolshoi on this matter. She is stating the official position of the organization. If other employees want to leak their own opinions to the press, it is not relevant to the official position of the institution.

When the Mariinsky came to NY City Center in 2006, Rubies was one of their offerings, and Novikova ended up doing the lead in virtually every performance (Vishneva was scheduled, but was injured, Big Red did tall girl role). I distinctly remember thinking that Novikova in particular was totally miscast for the reasons stated above- too much a princess, no angularity of movement, no sense of humor in the role. I don't think this problem is unique to the Mariinsky. When I saw two etoiles from the Paris Opera Ballet perform the Rubies pdd at an NYCB gala a few years ago, it did not look anything like the way it's done at NYCB. They were very prim and proper, without angular movement. It was one of the worst performances of the Rubies pdd I had ever seen. (I think it was Dupont and Heymann, but I'm not 100 percent sure.)

The subscriber priority week has no option for online seat selection via the internet. Just like anyone else, if a subscriber buys a ticket on the web during the priority week, he is merely selecting the section, not the seat. The only way for a subscriber to pick a specific seat during the priority week is to go to the box office window with the subscriber id card in hand. (Exchanges by mail are also allowed.) That's my understanding and experience based on prior years, and based on what I read in my subscriber packet of materials.

Subscriber priority week for exchanges/purchases begins Sun Mar 17, so I think general public sales will begin the following Sunaday, Mar 24.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/fashion/david-hallberg-the-prince-of-tights-leaping-onto-a-new-world-stage.html?ref=style Attached is a NY Times article regarding Hallberg's interest in and participation in the worlds of fashion and art. Interesting read.

Thanks for the clip. I can always count on Diamonds to brighten the day. Who were the lead dancers in that clip?

I'm curious. Has Vorontsova danced since Wednesday? Was she/is she scheduled to dance?

In the US a wife cannot be forced to testify against her husband. Does that rule exist under Russian law? If so, Dmitrichenko should think about marrying his girl friend ASAP. She will be a star witness. If Filin was in fact so interested in taking bribes from his own Bolshoi dancers in exchange for parts, why did he offer a contract to an outsider, David Hallberg, and then feature Hallberg in the HD broadcast of SB? Under Dmitrichenko's theory, Filin would have saved all lead parts for Bolshoi dancers and sold them to the highest bribe offer.

I find it laughable that Dmitrichenko may be seeking an out based on the argument that he merely contacted the thugs who carried this out in order to frighten Flin, and that that he never intended that they physically harm/mame/blind the guy. Give me a break. Once you set the wheels in motion, you are part of the conspiracy and crime whether or not you gave specific instructions on how to carry it out.

Good point, Natalia. (A lot more than we can say for Peter Martins, who elevated his son Nilas to principal at NYCB although he was undeserving.)