WELCOME TO THE MET!

Happy 2007-2008 season!!!!!!! I'm listening to the opening night Lucia courtesy of the Met website. I'm now listening to Margaret Juntwait (my faaaaavorite announcer!!!!) interview Blythe Danner about opera and acting in opera. What a star studded event, eh? We also heard from tenor Marcello Giordani.

I'm not going to say anything about the singing because I want to wait until at least the mad scene/sextet is done.

****Quickie update: Remember that tenor Stephen Costello I told you all about who is taking over one of the Edgardos? Well, he just had a cameo in Lucia as Arturo and oh my gaaaawwwwd this kid is amazing!

***Another update: Sextett just started!!!! I'm absolutely in love with this part of the opera... Too bad it's only a meager attempt =O. oops. The highlight of the sextet HAS to be Levine's conducting. Marcello Giordani, I really hate saying it, has sounded like he's been struggling the whole opera. Dessay isn't delivering as I expected either. WOAH Dessay interpolated a little high note just now at the end. Have to say, the sextet was a let down. Too bad, it's one of the greatest sections in all of opera.

Relyea is sounding better than he usually does on these UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL live webcasts. I'm glad because no one else is deliveringggg! Where's the fabulous Dessay I keep hearing about? Where's my lovely Giordani? Maybe I'll like Dessay better in the house? We'll see.

The finale of this act is so fastttt! bravo Levine! It's so exciting this way! Faster faster faster faster!!!! Crash those symbols! Woah, Dessay is going for every high note she can! I give the girl props. Giordani could barely keep up with the tempo, but whatever.

****Placido Domingo is being interviewed!!! I'm smiling just listening to him. His accent is AMAZING. He's conducting tomorrow, by the way, Gounod's Romeo et Juiliette. It's one of his favorite operas apparently (???? really?). He likes french operas and he likes the challenge of conducting an opera. I love this guy. He's amazing. <3's>

I mean, I love Marilyn Horne, but how long is this intermission??? Unbearableeeeee

*quickie note: This bartione, Kwiecien, is getting on my nerves a little bit. The two lead men (Enrico and Edgardo) are just not happening tonight! What's happening? The ending of that duet was bleck. No gusto, no high notes (not that I wanted either of them to even attempt one!), no nothing! Oh well... I hope this gets better.

***pre-mad scene notes: Relyea sounds fantastic. That little ensemble bit also sounded excellent. I'm putting too many notes here, but a full review is a good review!

*****MAD SCENE NOTES:

Dessay appears at the stop of the stairs in a blood-stained wedding gown. She comes down the stairs. OH MY GAWWWWD THAT GLASS HARMONICA IS SCARY! So cool, but scary. That instrument could make anyone go crazy. She's lying on the steps ON HER BACK. She's going Anna on us!!! Ah! (i can see the stimulcast on the Times Square screen here) Now she's swaying like a loonie bin. Oh wait, she IS a loonie.

So far I give Dessay an A+. Brava! Her singing is clean and is ringing. Her laugh is totally scary, though.

This glass harmonica will not let me sleep tonight, I swear. It's totally scary.

LA DESSAY IS NOT LYING ON THE PROMPTERS BOX! Is anyone else getting the impression that Mary Zimmerman is a weirdo? A Lucia set in the 1920's? The prompter's box?

Now Lucia is hallucinating and Dessay is going over to Raimondo like "Oh hey, you're my lover right? No? Well that's okay, I'll just pretend you are." FLAWLESS COLORATURA. If I may say so myself.

Holy gosh. Dessay just screamed at the top of her lungs. I seriously got chills. That was totally mad-scene-alicious!

SPARGI D'AMARO PIANTO: sitting on the staircase, great ornamentation on the second verse! Chest voice dominationnnn on one of the notes. She's such a great singer, that Dessay! =O lying on the ground AGAIN. These sopranos like this for mad scenes.

HERE COMES THE BIG FINISH TO THE MAD SCENE. high note omggggggggg! What a screamer!!!

Audience....going....MAD for Dessay. (i personally prefer Dame Joan, but who doesn't?) WHAT A GREAT MAD SCENE! It makes up for everything that came before.

Well, since the rest of the opera really doesn't matter (lol), I'm going to bed.

This is probably a terrible post to read, but I had fun! I always do!

Happy listening!