Showing posts with label 40th Anniversary Gala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 40th Anniversary Gala. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Villazon's Crack

There has been a small dispute in the opera world about whether or not Rolando Villazon really did "crack" last night at the 40th Anniversary Gala.

Most people who were actually in the house (ex. Grand Tier, Balcony, etc.) say that they never heard the tenor crack once! Some people in the orchestra said that they heard him crack severely in his Manon aria.
People who were listening to the live stream from the Met (like me) and on Sirius Radio said that they distinctly heard him crack during both "Che Gelida Manina" in Boheme and in his Manon aria. It also sounded like he was having trouble in "O Soave Fanciulla," especially that final high note.

So, is this the fault of the radio transmission, the placement of the audience members, or Villazon's audibility? Usually, I hear, Villazon doesn't have these sort of problems. I'm guessing he was getting over a cold or developing one. It could have been vocal fatigue. It could have been many things, but I feel certain that Mr. Villazon is a better performer than what we heard last night. He deserves another chance, which he is getting next year in Romeo et Juliette.

I really wish the Met had recorded this Gala for either DVD or CD so we could tell what actually happened. I'm very curious, though, as to why the audience in the opera house couldn't hear the crack and us listening over the radio could!! Was it the placement of the microphones? Was it the volume of the orchestra overwhelming his voice so the audience didn't hear the crack? Was it how his voice carried into the upper tiers? Was it the audience members themselves? Some people suggested that the radio was to blame, and that the cracks were nothing more than a glitch in the transmission, which is ridiculous.
I firmly believe that Rolando Villazon did crack if not once, but twice, throughout the entire Gala performance. I will surely not hold this against him, but I hope he does better next season.

I sincerely hope Mr. Villazon feels better if anything is ailing him. May he have many better galas and performances ahead of him!!! =)