"To My Biggest Fan" Part II

I want to call it right now: I OFFICIALLY SAID IT BEFORE THE NEW YORK TIMES. If you will allow me to paraphrase, I first said that Patricia Racette is a powerhouse with a performance not to be missed as Cio-Cio-San last season!!!!!!! Get with the program, professional critics!!! Dare I say "Butterfly of the 21st Century"???? Oh yes, I dare. Scream at me all you want, you'll find that it's the truth.
I knew this performance was extra special when I started tearing up at Butterfly's Entrance. I always forget how beautiful Butterfly is until I experience it again. I heard her coming over the hill and I nearly broke my mother's ribs I nudged her so hard. "That's her! That's Patricia Racette!" What a nerd I am. Trust me, though, if you had been there for her "Un Bel Di" you would have cried as hard, too.
Can you not get me started on how realistic her portrayal is? I'm morphing into complete teenager mode. Ready for this? Patricia Racette's Butterfly is just so uber realistic that I can't even talk about it without have spastic convulsions. Even the coldest of hearts melts for Joe-Shmoe's Cio-Cio-san, so can you even imagine what the audience was like during the final scenes of Racette's Butterfly? I, at least, was a complete mess. During the curtain calls, in between clapping like a crazy person, I was trying to make sure my eyeliner wasn't running so as to look presentable when I met Patricia.

Oops! I gave it away! (Just in case the picture of the Green Room in the last post and of the playbill in this one didn't give you a hint.)
I'll start by saying that I am the worst at meeting famous people. I need to remember that these people are human beings too! What's wrong with me?????
Next I will tell you a little side story: In between saying "I can't do this" and hyperventilating I hear a group of men approaching the Green Room. My mom, who is standing outside the room, shoots glances at me and gestures like I know Sign Language. My heart is pounding as I see PATRICK SUMMERS, DWAYNE CROFT, AND MARCELLO GIORDANI WALK BY THE ROOM. Literally 5 feet from where I was standing. I had to hold onto the table while my aunts just laughed at me. I ran to the door to watch them walk away (don't call me a stalker, you know you would have done the same thing!), but I couldn't say anything.

After having sufficiently recovered from that, which means I was breathing, Beth Clayton walks in and says "Hi, I'm Beth. Patricia is just getting ready and we can go inside in a minute." She shook all of our hands and was soooo nice! She was so casual, in fact, that I almost forgot that she herself is a well known and extremely talented singer. Then I had to recover from that (does it get easier over time?) in time to walk to Patricia Racette's dressing room.

Once I got there all hell broke loose. I couldn't breathe, much less speak. We're some of the last to greet her, but here's basically how it played out, all casually and pleasantly:

Aunt 1: "Hello Patricia, this is one of your biggest, and youngest, fans."

Me: "Ms. Racette....you were so....you were so great....it was just so amazing... you're so amazing." Hyperventilating, sweating, being overly nervous.

Aunt 2: "She's kind of nervous, but can we get an autograph?"

Patricia Racette: "Sure, of course!"

Mom: "Oh and a picture too!"

Patricia Racette: "Haha, oh great!" Even though she looks fabulous, she wipes her face and shakes out her hair.

After that we took the picture, said about a thousand "thank you"s, and then I stumbled to the car. I flipped out the whole ride home. I ranted about how "great, now she thinks I'm a freaky stalker and that I can't talk. They all think I'm a loser blahblahblah I'm such a creeper." The creeping comes with the package. =) Heehee just kidding.

All I need now is advice on how to approach famous people/my idols. Any pointers?

Parting Statement:

Viva La Racette! OMG she can't get any more uber amazing and down to earth.

Love you girlfraayyynnddd!!! =)

Happy Listening!!! =)

(Do I really have to apologize again for the lateness and the extensive length of my posts?)

"To My Biggest Fan" Part I

With the grueling demands of Nutcracker "Hell Week" (more excuses later) it was impossible for me to be near a computer much less logging on and updating this lovely blog of mine. Plus, I'm currently suffering from something called [by medical professionals] "Star-struck Dementia."

By some miracle of nature a friend of a friend got us (meaning my aunts, my mom, and I) backstage after a mind-blowing Madama Butterfly to meet Patricia Racette. But I digress.

I should start being careful about what I say before performances. At dinner I accidentally said, "The only way this evening could be any more perfect is if Marcello Giordani magically appeared as Pinkerton, but since he's in Damnation that will never happen." WELL. Isn't it ironic... We get the usually dreaded slip of paper in the program, I instantly grab it from my aunt and INVOLUNTARILY give out a "YES!" I couldn't have had better luck. I will admit to being less than enthusiastic at the prospect of seeing Roberto Aronica based on what I had heard from others.Marcello looked like he never left the set! He was so natural (when is he not?) and of course his voice was clear and beautiful as it always is. Since he makes a career out of stepping in at the last moment I shouldn't be so surprised at his ease and style. =) Speaking of style: his perfect Italian style moves me to such great emotion that in my "Score Desk" binder I wrote "VIVA ITALIA!" I wish he'd sub in every time I go to the opera! Vivo Giordani.

Maria Zifchak returned to repeat her role as the loyal and heart-breaking Suzuki. Besides being blessed with a smooth and rich mezzo voice she also possesses sincere acting abilities that, at a few points, stole the scene. Most notably when during one scene Suzuki, overcome with the realization of the heartbreak her mistress is about to experience, buckles over in sobs outside of the little house. My eyes were drawn to her completely. Did you miss these performances? Don't fret, Ms. Zifchak will be playing Albine in Thais. Don't miss that!!!

Some supporting roles (not to mention the puppet) that caught my ear were David Won as Yamadori, Keith Miller as the Bonze, and Greg Fedderly as Goro.

My aunts both saw an undercurrent in Dwayne Croft's Sharpless that I never even considered before. They both said, "Do you think he was in love with Butterfly?" Talk about a whole new perspective. It's interesting to think about: Does he want Butterfly for himself? He never really chastises Pinkerton for leaving her and never tries to convince him to stay, does he? Regardless, it was a beautifully sung and acted Sharpless. Seeing his name in the playbill was very reassuring because he has delivered consistently fabulous performance from season to season.

SEE NEXT POST ON RACETTE COMMENTARY!!!!!!!

Happy Listening!!! =)

I'm at butterfly. Aronica is out, Giordani is in. Praise Puccini, the opera gods are smiling on me today!!!!!!

Bartlett Sher is Off The Hook and Peter Gelb: "Ghost"buster

Michael Kaiser, the head of the Kennedy Center, is the savior of New York City Opera.
He has promised to assist NYCO in finding a new leader while helping schedule the 2009-2010 season. It is made very clear in the AP report that Michael Kaiser will not be the next general manager/artistic director. He is only helping NYCO and guiding them into a new, and hopefully extremely exciting, era.
So, WWBD?? She'd find someone to help her beloved company. Good work, Bubbles. =)


IN OTHER NEWS:

It seems that New York City Opera isn't the only opera company at Lincoln Center to be feeling the effects of our economic crisis. The long awaited Met revival of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles has been cancelled for, of course, financial reasons. The opera, that was supposed to show next season, was going to star Thomas Hampson, Angela Gheorghiu, and Kristin Chenoweth. Hampson and Gheorghiu will instead star in La Traviata, which will replace Ghosts. We have no report of Chenoweth, we figure she's "pop-u-lar" enough to find a new project.
Peter Gelb has said, however, that none of next season's new productions will be cut.
Personally, I don't think he should make any promises about that. New productions are expensive and God knows how this economic situation will play out in the next few months.



Happy Listening!! =)

Ask Figaro: What Opera Am I?

Are you perplexed by the endless choice of interesting opera being exhibited at the Metropolitan Opera this season? Ponder no further!!!!
The Met has created a personality test that will match you up with a production that seems it could be made just for you! The questions may seem non sequitur, but if you look closely you can find hidden operatic meaning in them all.
Here is my "Perfect Metropolitan Opera":



Le Damnation de Faust

You are a visionary who appreciates big gestures in art, food, and love. You would rather attend 10 infuriating performances than one boring one, and your mind is like a great white shark on a feeding frenzy, gnashing its way to the next new thing. Broadway musicals are, generally speaking, your idea of time earned off from Purgatory. But are you ready to have your mind really, truly, and inarguably blown sky-high? Then you have to come and see the hallucinatory masterpiece from two artists whose imaginations are even more extravagant than yours, Hector Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust, in a new production by Robert Lepage.



Nice build up. I like it.
It's funny, I've had this strange, but very powerful urge to go see Damnation.



Happy Listening!! =)

Who Can Save City Opera? and WWBD?

While sitting here going through tissue after tissue with probably the worst cold since tuberculosis I received the bad news the Gerard Mortier is officially "parting ways" with the New York City Opera. While some people foresaw this, I, being the idealist that I am, thought this talk of backing out would blow over and Mortier would make NYCO into a major house for modern works.
I should have seen it coming. The lay-offs. The co-directorship at Bayreuth. I just thought this was temporary. Silly, silly CaroNome.

What New York City Opera needs right now is a Peter Gelb. An influential businessperson who knows how to fundraise and get the crowds excited. They need Peter Gelb's marketing genius. This brings me to my next point:

Bartlett Sher's Obligation to Lincoln Center
Since we know that Peter Gelb could never double dip and help out NYCO (being the Met's "little sibling across the plaza"), I think that as the new director of the Lincoln Center Theater Bartlett Sher could take a temporary position as director of NYCO. He can learn from Peter Gelb's genius, take his own directing genius and put it together to put NYCO back on its feet. When they find another Mortier to take over, he can go back to just running the Lincoln Center Theater.


I have another point:
Poor Bubbles, she's rolling in her grave...
What could be worse. Only a year after her devastating death, her beloved opera company is going up in smoke. If only she was here, she would know what to do. She'd either beat Mortier into the ground, Sills-style, and make him stick to his promise using her charm and convincing Brooklyn attitude or just take over again. We need to ask ourselves "What would Bubbles do?" WWBD?


There's my two cents. Now NYCO needs to run with its own ideas and get itself together!
I hope things work out. It would be heartbreaking to see anything happen to such a wonderful company.



Happy Listening!!! =)

I Endorse Bellini

Instead of pressuring you all to vote and telling who to vote for this Election Day 2008 (and you should vote, of course) I will instead give you some peace to meditate on the magnitude of the decision you are making for our country. For us younguns who can't vote yet your decisions are extremely important and will affect the rest of our lives.
So hear is some Bellini (in celebration of his birthday, which was yesterday) to ease your mind.
A compilation of one of his most peaceful and beautiful pieces: "A te o cara" from I Puritani.

Alfredo Kraus and Mirella Freni
Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland
Juan Diego Florez
Lawrence Brownlee and Norah Amsellem
Franco Corelli and Himself
Giacomo Lauri-Volpi
Giuseppe di Stefano and Maria Callas



Now go vote! =)


Happy Listening!!! =)

Chi Mi Frena In Tal Momento?

Who dares to restrain me in this moment [of epic proportions]?

October 25th, 2008
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia- Diana Damrau
Edgardo- Piotr Beczala
Enrico- Vladimir Stoyanov
Raimondo- Ildar Abdrazakov
Alisa- Michaela Martens
Arturo- Sean Panikkar
Conductor- Marco Armiliato


As promised, here is a review of the birthday celebration Lucia. I took three friends to sit in the Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera House to see Diana Damrau, one of the great sopranos singing today, in Lucia di Lammermoor, one of the greatest bel canto operas ever written. I want to reiterate this because, not only did I witness an EPIC (to quote my friends) performance, but three of my friends did as well. I hesitate to say "converts", but they certainly enjoyed themselves immensely and have an added respect for this extraordinary art.

Really quick, here is the origin of "EPIC."
I usually use the thunderous applause after arias and during curtain calls to give my commentary. So after every aria/duet in the opera I had said "Beastly. That was amazing. Oh my gosh, beastly!" I figured I had used the adjective "beastly" (as a compliment, remember!) enough, so it was time for something new. After the mad scene I was dumbstruck. I couldn't even say anything! Suddenly my friend yells "EPIC! That was epic!" It was too perfect. The rest of the evening all we could saw was. "Wait, can you believe how EPIC that was?" "It was so EPIC, I can't even stand it." We even had to make up a new category of epic: Lucia-style Epic. =)

In case you want to hear about the singers at all...

Part of the epic-ness was the perfection of the cast. Looking at the list some of us may have been caught saying "Who?" Well, that question (and some of our prayers) were quickly answered.
Sean Panikkar as Arturo (while not exactly Stephen Costello *wink*) and Ronald Naldi as Normanno were strong supporters with beautiful voices and definite presence. An opera is only as good as it's supporting singers and these guys were great.
Michaela Martens as Alisa was, as last year, a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully, after the sextet you don't want to be heard, because this mezzo's voice is so big that during her high notes she drowns out everything else. It's a good thing. I love it. It's like proclaiming "Hello! I'm here! And I have a wonderful mezzo voice!!"
Ildbar Abdrazakov was a great Raimondo. He staggered onto the stage just before the mad scene in such a way that it made everyone in the audience nervous. Let's face it, we all know the mad scene is coming, but the horrified look he had made it so....real! His singing in the second act was great as well. His guidance to Lucia was heartfelt and very affecting.
No one likes Enrico. No one ever is supposed to like Enrico. He's a mean brother who has no consideration for his sister's feelings. Right? I guess not. Vladimir Stoyanov showed (me, at least) another dimension of Enrico. Sure, he is dishonest and mean to Lucia, but his intentions are clearer. With his deep voice and impressive acting Mr. Stoyanov shows a man who, in desperation, would sacrifice his sister's happiness for the "good" of his family's name. He is struggling, as head of the family, to maintain the favor the Ashton family had previously enjoyed. This all becomes clear through Stoyanov's personal interpretation of Enrico Ashton.

The real find at this performance was Piotr Beczala as Edgardo. He comes on stage and all of my friends lunged for the only pair of opera glasses we brought. Enough said? Well on the visual part of the discussion anyway... I'm always excited but nervous to see tenors I haven't heard [of] before. While I want them to succeed I'm always afraid they will disappoint. My worries were for nothing! Piotr Beczala possesses a gorgeous tenor voice with vibrant high notes and luxurious tone. He also has amazing acting abilities. Last year I commented on Marcello Giordani knocking over chairs for no apparent reason after he denounces Lucia. Beczala did that too, but here it looked normal. (Don't get me wrong, I adore Marcello Giordani, but his clear Italian style and knocking over chairs don't mesh well together.) Everything he did was perfectly relevant to the music and to the story. You really believed him and felt for him. This is a tenor to watch for! He is performing in two other roles at the Met this season (Duke in Rigoletto and Lenski in Eugene Onegin) so his name will be on every opera fans lips. Remember his name, because you won't forget his voice. <3
Diana Damrau. Lucia-style Epic. Lucia Ashton is not a half-insane girl who is clingy and weak and unstable. She's about as insane as any teenage aristocrat with a forbidden lover. She has a strong personality (demonstrated when she throws Edgardo's coat on the ground in Act I and rushes right back into his arms to elongate their duet) and a strong will (demonstrated in her duet with her brother, until she reads the forged letter). It's only, like I said, when Enrico shows her the forged letter that she breaks down. It's all downhill from the there. The wedding, the decrying, the mad sc-...we aren't there yet.
Diana Damrau. What a voice on this woman! You wouldn't know this was her role debut. You would think she'd been singing this for years! I've never seen a Lucia like this. All Lucia's are unique, but this was uniquely unique. It was Lucia, Diana Damrau style. That means it has sass, flair, it's piquant, vibrant. It's everything it should be, but with an edge. That edge is the mad scene. Every soprano is dying to do it, but only few get it just right. Need I say more? It's implied that she got it "just right." I've never seen a Lucia hobble in circles so many times, or stretch across the prompter's box and sing those extremely difficult passages. She had blood on her face, her arms, her dress. It was everywhere! Don't even get me started on this woman's high notes. THE HIGH NOTES! The High Notes. We know she has them from her Queen of the Night, but these are out of this world! All in all, it was ridiculous. It's ludicrous that those sounds can come out of a human being.
Never seen a Lucia quite like it. Beczala and Damrau have a warm and believable chemistry that had me thinking "Oh, I could see that." There was just something very different about how they reacted to each other. With some/most couples it's all about the love they share right now. Lucia and Edgardo are in love right now and yes our families fight, but now we are in love. With these two you can sense their past. You know that they know that they aren't supposed to be together, but it doesn't matter to them. You see the complexities of their relationship without them having to spoon feed it to you.

Dear Marco Armiliato, I salute you. Love, CaroNome of Score Desk.
EPIC. (The chorus, too. Finally catching up to the orchestra!)

To Summarize:
My birthday performance was LUCIA-STYLE EPIC.




Happy Listening!!! =) =)
PS. I apologize for the lateness.
PPS. I always try to make my reviews shorter, but it never works. You can handle that, right?

Birthday Birthday Birthday!!!!

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY IT'S MY BIRTHDAY IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!! =)

That's riiiight!!!!! Today is my birthdayyyyy! Not that I'm excited about it or anything...

I saw Lucia di Lammermoor with Diana Damrau last night with some of my friends to celebrate. I might actually be the first girl to ever have her birthday party at the Metropolitan Opera. Thank you, Peter Gelb!!! Hahaha.

I will have to talk about the epic-ness (aka beastliness) of Lucia another time, because I'm awfully busy right now!!!! Go Diana Damrau!!!! =)


Happy Listening!!! =) =)

Three of My Favorite Things!!!!!

Tosca, James Bond, and Daniel Craig!!!