Met's 2009-2010 Subscription Highlights and Lowlights

Dear Metropolitan Opera,

I would like to first introduce some proposed improvements to your recent presentation of subscriptions...Lowlights!

• Will someone PLEASE make sure that Rolando Villazon gets his life in order before we all get our hopes up about Contes d'Hoffmann????? From recent reports via Parterre and Opera Chic should we get the hint that maybe Rolando isn't going to be appearing at the Met if not after an extended absence, then ever? This whole situation makes me rather depressed.
• Someone just remind me why we are replacing the Zefferelli Tosca? No, no I shouldn't think like this. I'll be open minded: Will someone reassure me that the new production will be fantastic??
• Why, for goodness sake, can't the Met fit in a Der Rosenkavalier into any of the Saturday Evening subscriptions? That is one of the few operas that I am absolutely dying to go see and I can't squeeze it in to any of my subscription choices! I will have to buy tickets separately, but can't the Met replace anything with Rosenkavalier?
• Another little detail they forgot about in the Saturday subscriptions: The Nose. This is another opera I want to see so badly (just for Paulo Szot, but shhhh don't tell anyone!) and it's nowhere to be found on Saturday Evening!
• I just have this to say about Renee's new production of Armida: Can we trust Mary Zimmerman with another bel canto opera?

Alright, that's all the complaints I have. On a lighter note, here are some events I'm looking forward to this season...Highlights!!!

• I'm very curious about From the House of the Dead. I have a very funny feeling about it, but a good funny feeling. Something is going to make this opera interesting. I'm intrigued!
• The new Carmen! I'm usually very conservative when it comes to new productions, especially when they're for such staples as Carmen, but this is another case where I have a good feeling about it. I'm hoping that even if the production turns out eurotrashy or just flat out obnoxious (ie. the recent Sonnambula) the stellar cast will keep it afloat.
• As I said in the Lowlights, I'm looking forward to the Der Rosenkavalier and The Nose, but for very different reasons. The primary reason in The Nose is, of course, Paulo Szot, but I'm trying to branch out into more contemporary opera to see if I like it. Trying to stay hip and "with it." =) Der Rosenkavalier, on the other hand is a shameless guilty pleasure. Not only does it star my dear Renee Fleming, but oh look! there's Susan Graham and Thomas Allen! Did I mention that this is one of my favorite operas of all time?
• Maybe this season I'll finally get to see Damnation de Faust or Il Trittico. I wanted to see Damnation this year, but never got around to it. It looked like a strange production!!!! Il Trittico is in support of my darling Patricia Racette. She's got the triple bill going and I wouldn't miss it for the world!!!!!

This is sure to be a season of opportunity. There are so many new operas and genres to try, new productions to explore, and new singers to fall head-over-heels for (namely Paulo Szot). Even if we hate (or love to hate?) every single new production, or if we bash every singer in a revival, we KNOW that this season will NOT be boring. The blogosphere and Angela Gheorghiu will make sure that we will always have something to talk about during the 2009-2010 season!!!

Happy Listening!!! =)

PS. *sighhhhh* I missed posting! =)

"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?)

Madama Butterfly at the Met

Cio-Cio-San- Patricia Racette
Pinkerton- Roberto Alagna
Suzuki- Maria Zifchak
Sharpless- Luca Salsi
Production- Anthony Minghella
Conductor- Mark Elder


Before the overture even started, all the lights went dark. Even the orchestra pit was dark. The curtain come up and a woman comes over the "hill" and the back of the stage. She has two fans and when she reaches the middle of the stage you see that there are two long red scarves flowing from the back of her dress. The orchestra lights come on and the music begins. The audience sits there gaping at the dancing before the action even begins.

That's what an opera performance is all about. There is an awe in the audience before anyone even sings a note. Gorgeoussssssss!!!!!!
Although, as many of you know, Roberto Alagna is not my favorite singer I enjoyed his performance. His singing was good and so was his acting. He moved very comfortably, despite his very unlikable character. He succeeded in making Pinkerton more likable than most tenors do. I'm not quite sure how he did it, but I didn't find myself screaming "Jerk!" like I do with most Pinkertons. Maybe that's a good quality of Mr. Alagna??
Patricia Racette was really fantastic. Her "Un Bel Di" had tears in my eyes, at least. It's just so heartbreaking that she has so much hope and then... well, you know. Patricia Racette is a powerhouse! No wonder everyone speaks so highly of her. That final scene was so haunting. The puppet (we'll get to that...) has the blindfold on and she stabs herself. The lights turn red and the people in black come on and take long red scarves from her dress. They spread it out as Pinkerton runs up the hill screaming "Butterfly!" Oh, so effective! Puccini was brilliant! My friend and I both had the sniffles during that part.
So, the puppet. Yes, Butterfly and Pinkerton's child was played by a wooden puppet. It was distracting at first, and I would never quite forget that there were three people dressed in black maneuvering it, but it was interesting. After a while it didn't really make a difference whether it was a puppet or not, in my opinion.
I'm sorry that this production is completely sold out, because I wanted to tell you all to go out and get tickets! Maybe next season? Well, if they revive it in future seasons, which I'm sure they will, everyone must go see it. It's magnificent!

Happy Listening! =)