La Gioconda at the Met 9/27/08

La Gioconda- Deborah Voigt
Laura- Olga Borodina
La Cieca- Ewa Podles
Enzo- Aquiles Machado
Barnaba- Jason Stearns ****
Alvise- Orlin Anastassov
Solo Dancers: Angel Corella and Letizia Giuliani

****replacing a sick Carlo Guelfi


Saturday was my first time seeing Deborah Voigt live and boy was I excited!!!! Despite the fact that I was dead tired and my dad could barely keep his eyes open it was a thrilling night!!! (Note: It was not the opera that made us sleepy!)

I was so pumped. Beyond excited. Here was a performance of an opera I had seen before, but not with as much knowledge as I have now. Two of my favorite singers, Olga Borodina and Deborah Voigt, and one of my favorite dancers, Angel Corella, all on one stage. It's almost too much!
Here's the low down:

I'll start with the men. Tenor Aquiles Machado was not my choice Enzo. Let's just put it that way, nicely. His "Cielo e mar" was, in my opinion, less than thrilling. He can hit the notes, just not in the nicest ways. Am I a spoiled opera-goer? Yes. Do I hide it? No. I want the best tenors all the time. =) His entrance was better than the rest of the night, which is weird. Usually it's the other way around.
The Alvise of Orlin Anastassov was so creepy. He went towards the curtain with the "dead" Laura behind it and I got chills up my spine! He sang very well, too. His Act III aria was evil and yet moving. That whole "I'm killing my wife, but only for the sake of family pride" works every time...but it never does (see also Un Ballo in Maschera).
Mr. Not-Peter-Gelb (you can tell I'm terrific with names) came in front of the curtain, to many boos and scoffs, before the performance to announce that baritone Carlo Guelfi (Barnaba) had a bad cold. Not catastrophic! At least Debbie Voigt doesn't have a throat infection! His cover, Jason Stearns, was a very very good baritone. Despite some severe rushing in the act II "Pescator" which caused him to be way ahead of the orchestra, he was quite amazing. His Barnaba was so evil he was almost Iago-like. In the act I "O Monumento" especially. He has a great future ahead of him I can tell, at the Met or not.

Now to the highly commendable ladies:
The best singers of the evening were by far the women.
Deborah Voigt was, in my humble and probably insignificant opinion, amazing! Granted, I have heard her better (ie. last year's Tristan, when she wasn't dying of consumption, etc.), but for the first time hearing her in the house it was fantastic. Might I add, if it's not too much, that she is looking stunning these days. Not that she needs to hear it from me, but she's gorgeous and is looking super healthy and what EVERYONE should aim to look like. I didn't even mind the brown wig so much. =) Back to her singing... Her "Enzo adorato, come t'aaammmooo" was really beautiful. A taaddd pinchy on the high, high note, but I, and I think a few other people, had to consciously stop myself from clapping. "Oh right, this isn't Zinka at the old house, just kidding!" The "Suicidio" was fantastic as well, of course!
Olga Borodina, an original member of the Cool Mezzo List, was amazing last night. I saw her two years ago in the same role and I can't decide which was better. She had a little trouble with the last note of her act II aria, but other than that her voice rang with beauty. She looked radiant as always and her booming voice magnifies her presence by 100%. That's adding to her already apparent stage presence. She's just a BEAST. She's amazing. I love her.
EWA PODLES! Where have you been all my life???? NEWEST MEMBER OF THE COOL MEZZO LIST. She got the longest ovation (of the singers) all night, and rightfully! She sang the heck out of La Cieca!!!!! Not to mention I seriously wondered whether she actually could see or not. She's perfect! Gorgeous voice and very natural acting. Legend.

I'd also like to say that I was not disappointed with any of the supporting roles. Namely David Crawford as Zuane, Tony Stevenson as Isepo, and Ricardo Lugo as a Monk. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of singers the Met got for these roles. Bravi!

The dancers were heavenly. Letizia Giuliani is an Italian ballerina. She was absolutely stunning; her feet are beyond words! I have this thing about dancers' feet, maybe it's because I'm a dancer too, I don't know. She has amazing feet, her arches go up to her eyes! She danced beautifully and she was equally matched in her partner, Angel Corella. Star of the American Ballet Theatre, Angel Corella is, in my opinion, one of the best danseurs currently dancing in the world.



Side Note: The chandeliers looking glorious. They sparkle like nothing else I've ever seen. It looks like it's shooting out rainbows! I noticed chandeliers that I think I had never seen before. They were so bright and beautiful. One thing.... That wonderful affect we all love when the lights come down and they raise the chandeliers: it's gone. Gone. I don't know why, but I guess someone decided that the lights should go down and the chandeliers be brought up in darkness. An eerie effect for the opening cello solo of La Gioconda, but I hope it will not be continued!
I demand old-fashioned pre-curtain routines! I shall not stand for it!




Happy Listening!!! =)

Jan Peerce, Cecilia Bartoli, and Robert Merrill

These three super spectacular (and beastly famous) singers celebrate their birthdays this week!!!!!! Cecilia and Robert Merrill have their birthdays today, and Jan Peerce had his yesterday.

So, I go to look for Jan Peerce on youtube, and all I seem to find are songs I've never heard of. I see "If Ever I Should Leave You" and songs of that sort, but hardly any operatic arias. (Don't get me wrong, that "If Ever" is gorgeous!!!!) I come across a certain, obscure aria called *cough* "Vesti La Giubba." I also saw "Salut! Demeure chaste e pure", "Scenes from La Traviata", and the "Rigoletto Quartet". I was reminded of what a rare and wonderful voice Jan Peerce possessed. What a guy, what a guy.
To make a nice transition.... Here's a clip of Jan Peerce and Robert Merrill together!!!
Robert Merrill... How to begin to describe this unbelievable singer? Well he's funny, touching, lovable, heartbreaking, and so many other things. I have to say, I have the Traviata with him (and Joan Sutherland) and I must say I don't think I've ever heard such a beautiful baritone. You just sit there and marvel at the greatness of this one man. I can't get over it! He's just amazing.

Cecilia Bartoli- Owner of the famous "Cecilia faces." Isn't that why we love her? Well... that's not the only reason! Maybe because she is a fierce singer who can throw off coloratura like nobody's business. Her lovely mezzo has everything we look for in our "COOLEST MEZZO'S EVER." (Cecilia is, needless to say, on that list.) I grew up with her "Se Tu M'ami" album. I've heard "Caro Mio Ben" no one knows how many times. Am I complaining? No.

Happy Birthday to our birthday singers!!!!

Happy Listening!!! =)

Coming Soon:
A Tribute to Gustavo Dudamel (you know... the guy with the hair)
The Opera Exam (part one of many)

Flicka!!!!!!!!! (with some "Tristan" notes)

First off: Happy first day of June! One step closer to summer!

Second: Happy Birthday, Frederica von Stade, an original member of my "Coolest Mezzo's Ever" list.
Flicka (her loving nickname) is one of the most adorable Cherubinos, Octavians, Hansels, (to get out of the pants roles) Angelinas, Rosinas, Rusalkas (?), or mezzos ever! I look up to her so much and she's just a delightful singer! She's funny, gorgeous, and has a voice like gold. Did I mention that she's gorgeous? I love her! She's a fabulous actress also, and she's adorable!


Third: How many saw the Tristan und Isolde on PBS?? *searches crowd for hands*
Cool! Well, I watched it too! Although you all know that Wagner is not my fach, I really enjoyed the telecast! Deborah Voigt is the best, she was just amazing. The tenor was really great as well, considering the "last minute" circumstances of the performance. I have no complaints about any of the singers...
But what was with the split screen?!?!?!?!?! I didn't get it. The screen got smaller and I sometimes couldn't see what was happening! I won't go on about it...
Susan Graham was a delightful host, although I found her a little stiff (nerves?). She was very cute, even when Jimmy Levine was stroking her neck ("vocal cords"). That got a little weird. But he's a genius (they're both geniuses), what can you do?
Amazing telecast!!!!!! Go Debbie Voigt!


Happy Birthday, Flicka!

Happy Listening!

March 1st: A Play-by-Play PART II

LET BE KNOWN FROM THIS MOMENT FORTH THAT OLGA BORODINA IS OFFICIALLY ADDED TO MY LIST OF "THE COOLEST MEZZO'S EVER." That list also includes Frederica von Stade, Stephanie Blythe, Marilyn Horne, Joyce DiDonato, and a few others.

Olga was also my first mezzo ever. She was Laura in "La Gioconda" last season, which happened to be my first opera. (I didn't have the blog then, sorry.) I thought she was cool then, but I wasn't exactly rooting for her so I didn't notice her all that much.

Her Carmen made me laugh a lot. I didn't remember Carmen being this funny. Her singing was so amazing. The "Habanera" was, well, the Habanera! The Seguidilla and her little dance for Don Jose were fantastic. This is one of the first times I've had a strong urge to sing along. Don't worry, I controlled myself! There are so many sing-able tunes in Carmen. What a masterpiece. She was very believable and her emotions were so real. Just before Act III a man came in front of the curtain to many groans and grumbles. "I'm not making a casting change," he assured us, "But Ms. Borodina is suffering from some allergies and she hopes you understand." Okay. So, she didn't sound any different than the other two acts. She still sounded amazing, so I wasn't sure what the point of it was. Anyway, Olga Borodina rules.

Marcelo Alvarez was great vocally, but his sudden falling in love with Carmen looked completely out of the blue. His rage and hatred looked great, though. The "Flower Song" was lovely and he sounded very clear and crisp.

One of the biggest ovations of the night went rightfully to Krassimira Stoyanova. I usually dislike Micaela a lot, but I realized how beautiful her music was. What a marvelous soprano she is! It's a wonder I haven't heard more of her. Her big aria was so beautiful and she got a huge ovation after the aria and at curtain calls.

Lucio Gallo is not my first choice for Escamillo. His "Votre Toast" was mostly drowned out by the orchestra and the high notes sounded pushed and loud. It got better as the night went on, but he doesn't have that much to sing after that.

I forgot to mention this in "Otello", but the chorus sounded great yesterday. During both performances they were stunning. The orchestra, too! Sublime, as usual. Of course, what else do you expect from the Met?

So yes, me and my uncle were waiting for a while in the lobby before Carmen started. They kicked us out of Fiorello's (just kidding, they said we needed to be out by a certain time because they had reservations) at around 6:15, so we stood around the lobby for a while. I'm starting to get bored when a familiar looking man comes from the house into the lobby. It hits me "Oh my gosh, that's Peter Gelb!" I whisper to my uncle. I couldn't move I was so shocked, I just stood there and galked. My uncle nudged me "Go talk to him!" Too late, he walked out, watching me stare stupidly at him. He strolled across the plaza and out into the street. He didn't come back. I knew then that there were no casting changes. I felt really special seeing him. He runs the place! He's pretty important!

Happy Listening!!! =)