Pimp My Voice

Anna Bolena - Metropolitan Opera Premiere - Opening Night, Sept 26, 2011

2011-12-03T15:22:00.000-08:00

Anna Netrebko - Anna Bolena
Ekaterena Gubanova - Giovanna Seymour
Stephen Costello - Lord Riccardo Percy
Tamara Mumford - Smetton
Ildar Abdrazakov - Enrico VIII (Henry VIII)
Eduardo Valdes - Sir Hervey
Keith Miller - Lord Rochefort
Conductor - Marco Armiliato
Director - David McVickar
Anna Bolena - Gaetano Donizetti

Anyone who knows me knows that I am crazy about Anna Netrebko. The woman is prettier than Kim Kardashian, can sing beautifully, and has charisma and brains to die for. I've met her, talked to her and went to see her Elvira in I Puritani three times. (Thanks Petro!) Elvira was one of Maria Callas's roles, which is why I was drawn to it. Anna Bolena was one of Callas's roles, which is why I was drawn to it. Anna Netrebko is a beautiful singer, beautiful to listen to, and even more beautiful to watch, and I was drawn to her Anna Bolena.

The role of Anna Bolena is historic for Netrebko as an artist and historic for the Metropolitan Opera as the premiere. Netrebko will always be known as the first soprano to premier Anna Bolena at the Metropolitan Opera. Some honor! I love her. I think she is fantastic! And although Renee Fleming will always be the "darling" of opera, to me Anna Netrebko is the "beauty" of opera.

Netrebko is sort of like a modern day Anna Moffo: beautiful, rich, creamy vocals, bel canto repertory, lyric soprano with a flair for finding drama in music that is sometimes not exactly standard repertory. She commands new productions. She studies her work and finds new motivation, so that when you experience her, her art is not your 'every day experience.' In other words, expect something special when you are seeing Anna Netrebko.

Although Maria Callas made the opera Anna Bolena famous in the previous generation (Maria Callas resurrected many bel canto operas from the dead in the 1950's), I was not born in a time to experience Maria Callas on stage. I had only listened to her recordings, viewed pictures of her in costume in my collection of books, and mulled over her greatness. So when I heard Netrebko was premiering the opera with 27 costume changes, I was really excited. I waited two years for this production.

Anna Bolena is the first of a trilogy of Donizetti’s operas based on the lives of Tudor-era queens that David McVicar will be directing at the Met in coming seasons. Maria Stuarda and Roberto Devereux complete the trilogy, each with a different design team. All three operas will be Met premieres.

Anna Bolena was Donizetti's first major hit, though he had already composed some 30 operas. It premiered in Milan in 1830. Its success earned Donizetti commissions from Italy's best opera houses, along with a newfound reputation in foreign musical capitals such as Paris and Vienna.

The opera remained popular for nearly five decades but fell out of fashion as the new century approached. Anna Bolena would have to wait another 50 years before making a comeback when Maria Callas starred in a successful production at La Scala, in Milan in 1957.

Quoting Anne Midgette from The Washington Times: "Monday’s performance was littered with missed intonations, smeared runs and a good deal of running about the stage with clasped hands, which evidently qualifies as operatic acting."..."Even Netrebko, the big star, still comes off as a willing novice, someone who doesn’t always live up to her considerable potential. If she approached the part with the focus and commitment of a Maria Callas, or if opera companies today actually invested time in helping singers master the music they’re performing, the evening might have been a whole lot better."..."Alas, all this added up to an evening that represented what too many members of the glittering opening-night crowd probably expect of opera: something long, dull and not very believable, with a lot of gesticulation and, under it all, some pretty music."

So what went wrong?....

I've thought about this for months...

First of all, from a vocal point of view, I think the role of Anna Bolena sits too low for Netrebko. The glory of Netrebko's voice sits in Violetta, Lucia di Lammermoor, and even Mimi naming a few. Listening to Netrebko sing in her passagio all night long was very painful for me and did not make me happy. Although the role worked wonderfully for Callas for she had what we called that "coke bottle" sound going on in her passagio, you could hear Callas singing in her passagio clearly probably for 10 blocks away, Netrebko thus resorted to pushing. That said, Netrebko did not seem to have the vocal heft that Donizetti required for this particular role. But I certainly can understand her determination to sing it! The music is beautiful. Her singing was beautiful. But my heart was breaking. This is NOT Don Pasquale. This is dramatic bel canto. This is spinto territory. Don't try to sing everything Callas sang. Don't try to be the new Callas. Don't do that to yourself. And please don't be Anna Moffo. We know that story. Please just be Anna. And if you're reading this if there is anything I would like to hear you sing at the Met before I die, is Amina in La Sonnambula!!!

While it is wonderful to premier a role at the Metropolitan Opera, we as singers must sometimes "stop chasing fame, fortune, and the dollar bill" and just flow with what is naturally God given glory in our voices. We as singers should not always look to put another crescent on our star, or go for the gold against our natural born instruments. We should always submit to our instruments, to the music and strive to serve the composer's intent. We are servants..not gods and goddesses.

Anna Netrebko is your basic beautiful lyric soprano voice type. She is not a spinto nor should she try to sing any roles that require a spinto fach. I think she may need to put this role away for now, and come back to it again, in 10 years, when she's 50.

Ekaterina Gubanova stole the show in the 'confrontation scene' duet in the mezzo role of Giovanna. She matched a unison high "C" with Netrebko at the end of the duet and the crowd went wild.

Steven Costello has grown in leaps and bounds vocally since I heard him in Lucia. However, all he focuses on is singing runs and roulades and doesn't incorporate them into the character. Matter of fact, there was no character development on his part. He was so focused on getting right notes and scales, his character as Lord Riccardo Percy was very basic, unmotivated, and wild.

Ildar Abdrazakov as Enrico VIII (Henry VIII) barreled out notes like he had lost his mind. As I have said before, I do not like that kind of singing. A singer should always go to the legato line of the music unless there is a specific dynamic that the composer indicates..a staccato, which in bel canto operas is usually just a puff of the breath with the diaphram. Every line should never be forte, ever. Skilled sensitive singers know that vocal lines should swell and contract. The difference between singers and instrumentalists is that singers have the ability to use words and texts to create certain dynamics: crescendo > decrescendo. But never should one belt note to note without the standard legato connection. This is opera not broadway.

Tamara Mumford as Smetton was your standard lyric mezzo soprano pants role, totally in line with her fach, perfectly cast. She was great.

The chorus sang with precision and wore beautiful costumes, the orchestra was outstanding as usual, but the sets dark and minimalistic.

This leaves me to say, while I did see lack of research and preparedness in this production, as always, opera is a treasure and a beautiful art to me and I will always enjoy and love it greatly. I enjoyed the night, the ambiance, the celebrities, and the media coverage. The opportunity to see Anna Netrebko in Anna Bolena for the first time was a blessing and an unforgettable experience for me. Viva Bel Canto! And now I look forward to Eric Owen's Alberich in Götterdämmerung in the spring!

Diddy on Heavy D

2011-11-22T18:35:00.000-08:00

Vesta Williams - Suddenly its magic

2011-09-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

Twin Tower Movie Cameos 1969 - 2001

2011-09-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Salvatore Licitra, Tenor (1968 – September 5, 2011)

2011-09-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Dear friends of Salvatore Licitra,

Here is to announce with great sadness that the wonderful Italian tenor Salvatore Licitra, 43, died today, September 5, 2011 of his severe injuries at Garibaldi Hospital in Catania, Italy.

He suffered head and chest injuries during an accident while riding a scooter on August 27, 2011 in the city of Modica near Ragusa. He was flown to the hospital in Catania where he had surgery. He was in a coma from the time the accident happened. He passed away this morning leaving behind his beloved parents, his brother and many other family members.

Salvatore Licitra was one of the leading tenors in the dramatic Italian repertoire where he showed his 'worthiness of the great Italian tradition' (The New York Times). A frequent guest at major opera and concert stages in Europe, the United States and the Far East, his repertory included Verdi’s Aida, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Forza del destino, Ernani, Macbeth, Don Carlos andIl Trovatore as well as Puccini’s Turandot, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, La fanciulla del West andIl Tabarro, Bellini’sNorma, Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, Giordano’s Andrea Chenier, Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci and Mascagni’sCavalleria Rusticana.

Salvatore Licitra was born in Bern, Switzerland, to Italian parents and studied in Parma where in 1998 he made his debut at the Teatro Regio inUn Ballo in Maschera. He garnered international attention later that year when he unexpectedly inaugurated the 1998 Arena di Verona, again in Ballo. The following year Maestro Riccardo Muti brought him to La Scala for a new production of La Forza del Destino. In May 2002 Mr. Licitra had his international break through when he stepped in on short notice for Luciano Pavarotti at the Metropolitan Opera in Tosca and had an overwhelming success.

His engagements have taken him to the Vienna State Opera, Opernhaus Zurich, Munich’s Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper and Staatsoper Berlin, Teatro alla Scala, Arena di Verona, London’s Royal Opera, Paris Opera Bastille, Tokyo, Taiwan, China, the opera companies of Rome, Naples, Florence, Parma, Palermo, Oslo, Lisbon as well as to the New York Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, San Francisco and Los Angeles Opera.

LOVER'S CONCERTO BY THE TOYS

2011-08-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

LOVER'S CONCERTO BY THE TOYS
1965

How gentle is the rain
That falls softly on the meadow,
Birds high up the trees
Serenade the clouds with their melodies

Oh, see there beyond the hill,
The bright colors of the rainbow.
Some magic from above
Made this day for us just to fall in love

Now, I belong to you
From this day until forever,
Just love me tenderly
And I'll give to you every part of me.

Oh, don't ever make me cry
Through long lonely nights without us.
Be always true to me,
Keep this day in your heart eternally.

One day we shall return
To this place upon the meadow.
We'll walk out in the rain,
See the birds above singing once again

Oh, you hold me in your arms,
And say once again you love me,
And if your love is true,
Everything will be just as wonderful.

You'll hold me in your arms,
And say once again you'll love me,
And if your love is true,
Everything will be just as wonderful.

Casey Anthony Verdict: Found Not Guilty of Murder (07.05.11)

2011-07-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

Il Trovatore by Verdi: "Word to the Met: "Please Toss The Set"

2011-05-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Leonora - Sondra Radvanovsky
The Count di Luna - Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Manrico - Marcelo Álvarez
Azucena - Dolora Zajick

After waiting all year I finally got to see my dream team in Il Trovatore at the Metropolitan Opera at the April 30, 2011 Metropolitan Opera Live Radio Broadcast. Il Trovatore, one of my all time favorite operas, has been a staple in the operatic repertoire for centuries and the plot stands the test of time. Basic Plot. A gypsy (Azucena's mother) is a wet nurse to her baby and the Counts baby. A servant saw her looking at the Counts baby the wrong way and a death suit was filed against her for putting a spell on the baby. She flees with both babies and throws one baby in a fire..the wrong baby...her own baby..and is burned at the stake. Azucena, watches her mother scream and burn to death and flees to the mountains with the baby (Manrico). She raises the baby as her son. As he is growing up she intermittently tells him the story of her mother, indicating he is not her real son, which he can never figure out. The son grows up and falls in love with Leonora, a lady of the court who is betrothed to Count di Luna, Manrico's unknown full blood brother. The men become rivals for Leonora. Leonora loves Manrico but poisons herself and dies in a bid for di Luna to release Manrico from prison. Di Luna kills Manrico in a duel upon his release. At Manrico's death Azucena screams and laughs at di Luna saying "you just killed your own brother; my mother's vengence is finally achieved." So you see, the drama and the singing go hand in hand. This is just one of the great dramatic masterpieces by Guiseppe Verdi.

The dream tream was not quite the dream I had dreamt about. The soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, who played Leonora, had a fast vibrato and sang around the pitch. Her pianissimi begins as a forte then she scales it down to pianissimo. After hearing this several times it immediately became boring and cliche. Leonora is one of the most difficult of the Verdi operas. It requires a spinto soprano, which is one that has weight and agility going on at the same time. The first aria is the cavatina/cabaletta "Tacea la notte placida" and "Di tale amore." The second aria is the famous cavatina "D'amor sull'ali rosee" which is followed by solo and chorus the "Miserere." This role is no piece of cake for a soprano who is required to sing through all four acts. So I give Miss Radvanovsky a high mark for accomplishing the challenge of Verdi and for her legacy of continuing this great music and this pinnacle role in the soprano repertory. She is one of the leading "Verdi soprano's" at the Metropolitan Opera right now. She also sang Tosca this sseason which I tried my best to enjoy as much as I could.

Marcelo Álvarez, as Manrico, belted and hammered out notes as if he had a bad case of bronchitis. Where did the beautiful lyricism go? I had heard him a few years ago in Il tabarro/Pagliaci, and I said the same thing. Hard rough singing.

Dmitri Hvorostovsky was the dream in the team. He sounded like heaven. I thought I had died and gone to heaven during the aria "Il balen." The rich creamy baritone has set a new bar for singing The Count di Luna. The House was as quiet as a mouse when he sang. A real dream come true. It was my first time hearing him in person and he did not disappoint. He has a lovely sound a beautiful baritone and a beautiful line. Exquisite vocalism indeed!

The mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick was also an absolute fulfillment of the role of Azucena. Her beautiful golden bronze instrument never fails to please the senses of the masses. The lovely Diva can do no wrong nor sing a false note. Her technique is perfection. She is somewhere in between a beautiful lyrical Marilyn Horne and a dark dramatic Christa Ludwig combined. Brava.

The set, which was modern, was a big gigantic 3/4 rotating set which sometimes singers' costumes got caught in the turn gap. Again, just like last year, a long flight of stairs was in the center stage where singers' entrance was to run down a culmination of three flights of stairs to the stage before singing on whatever breath they had left, and sometimes tripped...a real bad idea. Dont these directors have any sympathy for singers? I also wondered why the Met put together all this great dream team from all over the world on a set which put them at such peril, and had no description of the composers intent. If this was Peter Gelb's idea I say "please put the classic set back."

The saving grace once again and continues to be for this administration, was the Anvil Chorus sang by the Metropolitan Opera Chorus who used real percussion instruments and hammers on stage playing the score in concert with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra: a beautiful treat that made you cry and I applauded the show.

Kirstie Alley - A Scary Fall, Injury on Dancing

2011-04-05T04:03:00.000-07:00

Charlie Sheen -- Bombed in Detroit

2011-04-03T07:06:00.000-07:00

Charlie Sheen booed offstage at opening night of one-man show

The opening night of Charlie Sheen's one-man show bombed with fans and critics last night (April 2).

The controversial actor was booed offstage during his 'Torpedo Of Truth: Defeat Is Not An Option' show at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, with fans walking out within 15 minutes, according to Sky News.

He walked onstage to rapturous applause at the start of the show but quickly drew boos from the crowd after making a lengthy speech about his recent well-documented problems.

Sheen referenced his sacking from sitcom Two And A Half Men and also ranted about problems in his personal life.

He described the show as "an experiment", argued with hecklers and showed film clips from his career.

Sheen later went offstage, telling the crowd he was taking a break, but failed to return, leaving fans chanting "refund" as they left the theatre.

The show has already been panned by US critics, with EntertainmentWeekly calling it an "unmitigated disaster."

The one-man tour is scheduled to continue tonight (4) in Chicago

Exorcism On Wall Street

2011-03-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Business

Exorcism On Wall Street
10 hours ago

The Devil is in the detail, some say. While others claim that there's a devil in JPMorgan Chase's Park Avenue HQ building which needed to be exorcised.

And, ever up for the task, the clery were out in force last week, gathered in front of the bank's HQ to banish 'demons of selfishness, avarice and greed'.

The Reverend Allan Ramirez from the Brookville Reformed Church, in Brookville, NY, said 'JPMorgan Chase needs to be exorcised from the demons of selfishness, avarice and greed.

'The people who bailed them out when they brought us to the brink of a world economic collapse are the very people whose mortgages they are foreclosing and thowing out on the streets into homelessness'.

The Huffington Post has reported that the exorcism was part of a campaign organized by New York Communities for Change, a group of elected officials, clergy and union members who are lobbying for a change in the bank's foreclosure procedures.

Julie Taymor: The Charlie Sheen Of Broadway

2011-03-09T13:52:00.000-08:00

by Jaime Weinman on Wednesday, March 9, 2011 3:18pm - 2 Comments

I know stories about the Spider-Man musical have worn out their welcome even more than Charlie Sheen stories; at least we can see his show (given how often it’s on in syndication, we have to work hard to avoid it), whereas most sensible people will stay away from ever seeing Spider-Man. Still, it looks like Taymor is going to be forced out of the show she directed and co-wrote, the show where she turned a familiar pop-culture character into a side attraction.

(Update: I should clarify that the flippant Charlie Sheen comparison had to do with getting fired from a show completely built around her. Nothing to do with personal lives.)

It’s a little amazing. Plenty of directors and writers are forced out or forced to accept help, but until Bono turned against her (or that’s the impression these stories give anyway) Taymor was allowed to do virtually anything she wanted. Now the producers are finally running it like a real show where you replace people and write new songs and so on, but it may be too late; it is, if nothing else, one of the worst-produced shows in theatre history, since it’s the producer’s job to make sure they do this kind of thing before too much time and money has been wasted.

For those who find the Spider-Man story dull now but find theatre tryout stories interesting — I do, because even though I didn’t see the shows, I love how exposed and public the whole process is — I’d like to call attention again to this 1993 New York Times story on the Spider-Man of the early ’90s, the musical version of The Red Shoes. The producer of that show fired many key people, including director Susan Schulman (a recent fixture at Stratford, who has done a lot of their musical revivals) and re-tooled the whole thing from a quasi-feminist reinterpretation of the movie to a more straightforward re-telling of the film’s story. But though the show bombed and lost a ton of money, at least the producer was doing what producers of such a big show are supposed to do when there are creative conflicts: step in and take one side instead of the other, and retool the whole thing in keeping with the side that wins.

Loading comments...
> Rob T. · - how does that make taymor charlie sheen?

> 1 reply · - Getting fired from a show that was completely built around her.

Charlie Sheen gets fired from Two-and-a Half Men

2011-03-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

Harlem Honors Shirley Verrett (link to Tosca)

2011-01-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 7 p.m. Ephesus Seventh-Day Adventist Church will present a memorial concert commemorating the life and work of soprano Shirley Verrett.

Shirley Verrett (May 31, 1931 – November 5, 2010)was an American operatic mezzo-soprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles i.e. soprano sfogato. Verrett enjoyed great fame from the late 1960s through the 1990s, particularly well-known for singing the works of Verdi and Donizetti.

Early life and education
Born into an African-American family of devout Seventh-day Adventists in New Orleans, Louisiana, Verrett was raised in Los Angeles, California. She sang in church and showed early musical abilities, but initially a singing career was frowned upon by her family. Later Verrett went on to study with Anna Fitziu and with Marion Szekely Freschl at the Juilliard School in New York. In 1961 she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

International career
In 1957, Verrett made her operatic debut in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia. In 1958, she made her New York City Opera debut as Irina in Kurt Weill's Lost in the Stars. In 1959, she made her European debut in Cologne, Germany in Nabokov's Rasputins Tod. In 1962, she received critical acclaim for her Carmen in Spoleto, and repeated the role at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1963, and at the NY City Opera in 1964 (opposite Richard Cassilly and Norman Treigle). Verrett first appeared at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1966 as Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera.

She appeared in the first concert ever televised from Lincoln Center in 1962,and also appeared that year in the first of the Leonard Bernstein Young People's Concerts ever televised from that venue, in what is now Avery Fisher Hall.

She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1968, with Carmen, and at La Scala in 1969 in Samson and Dalila. Verrett's mezzo roles included Cassandra and Didon (Berlioz's Les Troyens)-including the Met premiere, when she sang both roles in the same performance, Giuseppe Verdi's Ulrica, Amneris, Eboli, Azucena, Saint-Saëns' Dalila, Donizetti's Elisabetta I in "Maria Stuarda", Leonora in La favorita, Gluck's Orpheus, and Rossini's Neocles (L'assedio di Corinto) and Sinaide in Moïse. Many of these roles were recorded, either professionally or privately.

Beginning in the late 1970s she began to tackle soprano roles, including Selika in L'Africaine, Judith in Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle, Lady Macbeth Macbeth , Madame Lidoine in Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites (Met 1977), Tosca, Norma (from Boston 1976 till Messina 1989), Aida (Boston 1980 and 1989), Desdemona (Otello) (1981), Leonore (Fidelio) (Met 1983), Iphigénie (1984-85), Alceste (1985), Médée (Cherubini) (1986). Her Tosca was televised by PBS on Live from the Met in December of 1978, just six days before Christmas. She sang the role opposite the Cavaradossi of Luciano Pavarotti.

In 1990, Verrett sang Dido in Les Troyens at the inauguration of the Opéra Bastille in Paris, and added a new role at her repertoire: Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana in Sienna. In 1994, she made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater, playing Nettie Fowler.

In 1996 Verrett joined the faculty of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance as a Professor of Voice and the James Earl Jones University Professor of Music. The preceding year at the National Opera Association Gala Banquet and Concert honoring Mattiwilda Dobbs, Todd Duncan, Camilla Williams and Robert McFerrin, Verrett said: "I'm always so happy when I can speak to young people because I remember those who were kind to me that didn't need to be. The first reason I came tonight was for the honorees because I needed to say this. The second reason I came was for you, the youth. These great people here were the trailblazers for me. I hope in my own way I did something to help your generation, and that you will help the next. This is the way it's supposed to be. You just keep passing that baton on!"

Death
Verrett died in Ann Arbor, Michigan on November 5, 2010 of heart failure after a long illness. She was 79 years old.

The Neice Ronn Chasen Stiffed sings her praises

2010-12-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

Chasen's 1994 will was leaked to various media outlets, and it showed that she's leaving 75% of her estimated $6.1 million estate to her mother. She's also leaving large sums to various charities, including $20,000 to Hole in the Wall Gang Fund, Inc., TMZ reported.

The 1994 will also revealed that Chasen planned to intentionally slight her niece, Jill Cohen - also known as Jill Gatsby - giving her just $10.

Long-time Hollywood movie publicist Ronni Chasen, gunned down

2010-11-20T22:50:00.001-08:00

SLAIN PR QUEEN RONNI CHASEN MOURNED BY HOLLYWOOD ELITE

Photo by: AMPAS/AP//The National Enquirer Two of Hollywood's most powerful women, Barbara Davis and Lili Zanuck Brown, have dug into their own pockets to help pay for the funeral of murdered PR QUEEN RONNI CHASEN, The ENQUIRER has learned.

The funeral for Chasen will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Culver City and a big turnout of Hollywood's rich and famous are expected including California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Chasen, 64, was gunned down in a hail of bullets during the early hours of Tuesday, November 16 as she was driving home along Sunset Blvd. in Beverly Hills from the premiere of the film Burleseque.

Barbara is the wife of the late billionaire oil man Marvin Davis, who once owned 20th Century Fox studios.

Lili, along with her husband and producing partner Richard Zanuck, praised Chasen, who was not only their publicist but a close friend for many years.

She worked with Zanuck on every film he's produced since 1982, beginning with The Verdict.

"I'm devastated by this," he said. "I've always admired her work ethic. Her hours were hideous and she organized and went to all those functions we all dread."

It was the publicist's work on the Zanucks' movie Driving Miss Daisy which helped it win the Golden Globe and Oscar in 1989.

Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures have together committed to help foot the bill for a private gathering to be held after Chasen's funeral Sunday

But one prominent movie industry insider told the ENQUIRER, "Barbara and Lili really spearheaded this whole thing. They were the ones who got the ball rolling and had the studios commit to honoring one of their own. And they also put their money where their mouth is!"

The Palm Springs Film Festival has now issued a reward of $100,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Chasen's murder.

According to Fox News, Chasen's colleague, publicist Michael Levine, has also started a fund to come up with $25,000 in reward money.

The Beverly Hills Police and other law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles are still chasing leads but they have no motive or suspects yet.

Chasen's brother, screenwriter/director LARRY COHEN who gave his sis her first PR gig on his classic soul cinema flick Hell Up In Harlem told the ENQUIRER, exclusively, "All that I can say right now is that the police are investigating and I will leave it at that. My sister was a kind, caring human being.

"She had no enemies that I would know of who would've wanted to hurt her."

-- MICHAEL GLYNN in Hollywood
Special to NationalEnquirer.com

Bishop Eddie Long - by Prophet H. Walker(overseer) True Light Pentecost Church - Spartanburg, SC

2010-10-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

Bishop Eddie Long Must Go Down - 4 Lawsuits

2010-09-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

Click Link To Read the Complaints:

1. Maurice Robinson Complaint (.pdf)
http://media2.myfoxatlanta.com/PDF/ROBINSONDraftComplaint.pdf

2. Anthony Flagg Complaint (.pdf)
href="http://media2.myfoxatlanta.com/PDF/FLAGGDraftComplaint.pdf">

3. Jamal Parris Complaint (.pdf)
href="http://media2.myfoxatlanta.com/PDF/ParrisComplaint.pdf">

4. Spencer LeGrande Complaint (.pdf)
href="="http://media2.myfoxatlanta.com/PDF/LeGrandeComplaint.pdf">

Video: Ousted Mayor Fenty DC School Tzar sends his kids to Chevy Chase School

2010-09-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcwashington.com/video.

Woman Dies in Boyfriend's Chimney (Dr. Jacquelyn Kotarac Incident)

2010-09-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

The sisters of Dr. Jacquelyn Kotarac say they don't understand what led her to climb into the chimney of her boyfriend's house. They think something pushed her buttons.

A black man's point of view... by JuneBugObama

Swizz Beak’s Baby Mama Says He’s A Deadbeat Who Won’t Even Sign The Birth Certificate

2010-08-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

Swizz Beak’s Baby Mama Says He’s A Deadbeat Who Won’t Even Sign The Birth Certificate

Posted on July 26th, 2010 - By Bossip Staff

Categories: Baby Mama Drama, Caught Creepin', Coon of The Day, Ho Sit Down, Isn't He Married???, News, Pay Yo Bills, Put on Blast, Swizz Beatz, out of pocket

Jahna Sebastian, Swizz Beats Baby Mother and Their Daughter

Swizz Beak’s trail of bastardized babies is catching up to him. According to sources close to Jahna Sebastian, his 3rd baby mother that lives out in the UK, he hasn’t been supporting his seed and STILL hasn’t signed the birth certificate despite a paternity test that proves the baby is his. Pop it for the details.

Talk about on to the next one! Sources close to Jahna Sebastian, his London-based baby mama, say that Swizz is a total dirtbag. In an email sent to the I Am.. London Diva blog, back in August 2009, he showed up with Alicia Keys to take a paternity test for his baby girl. As if it wasn’t bad enough that a married man took his jump off to visit his baby mother, he has refused to acknowledge Sebastian’s child, paid a measly $1500 a month and skipped out on her birthday party after planning to throw it. Here are some excerpts of her letter:

Hey London Diva,

I am close friend of Jahna Sebastian, the mother of Swizz Beatz’s daughter. It’s ridiculous how celebrities turn out to be the opposite to what they portray to the public.

Swizz Beatz might be busy getting ready for marriage and new baby with Alicia Keys, but he stopped paying child support to his only daughter with producer/singer Jahna Sebastian who resides in London. Paternity has been established via DNA test taken in August 2009 and Alicia Keys was present.

Jahna has maintained independent parental responsibility for two years trying to reach Swizz Beatz personally but received no response. She then sought attorney’s help and filed petition in July 2009. Swizz first time paid child support in September 2009 starting with $1500. Many people in UK and Russia already know about their two-year old daughter and it seems strange that he still would not publicly acknowledge her. Alicia seems to go along with it too. In May Swizz did not attend his daughter’s birthday although he promised to through a Birthday Party.

Two days later he was in London visiting his fiancé (Alicia Keys) who announced her pregnancy on 27th May when the same day he visited his daughter for three hours.

During the past year Jahna Sebastian and Swizz Beatz have been in and out of court but Swizz did not provide required information. They are going back into the court again very soon as Swizz is not behaving himself as a responsible father.

The 24-year-old single mother graduated from the Russian Music Academy and has been making ends meet working as a music producer, actress and singer.

Alicia better take note. She has on her captain save a ho* cloak now, but when the newness wears off, it could be a wrap for her too. Follow the trail of baby mothers and it will lead you back to a no good ni**a with a bird beak. SMDH.

Jahna Sebastian, Swizz Beats Baby Mother and Their Daughter

Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys

Swizz Beats and Ex-Wife Mashonda

Source

Swizz Beatz Please Get Your Baby Momma !!

2010-07-07T13:21:00.001-07:00

Dear Alicia Keys: You're Pregnant -- Please Sit Down!

Swizz Beatz Owes $2.2 Million to IRS, New York State

Jun. 30, 2010

Before Swizz Beatz takes Alicia Keys' hand in marriage, the producer must pay a visit to the IRS first.

Public documents are showing that the music producer has been hit with a lien from the IRS on $652,727 worth of unpaid taxes from 2008. Swizz (born Kasseem Dean) was slapped with the lien on June 3.

Dean has had several other liens filed against him and his ex-wife, Mashonda in California, Georgia and New York. The former couple's debt currently stands around the $2.2 million mark.

Little Benny (aka Anthony Harley), 46, Founder of DC Go-Go Music, Dies in Sleep (1963-2010)

2010-06-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

CAT IN THE HAT

Anthony Harley, 46, a Washington trumpet player better known as Little Benny who helped define the city's homegrown style of funk music as a member of the Rare Essence go-go band during the 1980s, died May 30 at his brother Frank's home in Washington.

The death was confirmed by longtime friend and former business partner Keith Galloway. He did not know the cause of death but said Mr. Harley apparently died in his sleep.

Mr. Harley was a student at Ballou Senior High School in Southeast when go-go was born in Washington. R&B artist Chuck Brown started playing percussion between songs to keep his audience from sitting down between numbers. The result was an incessant beat -- a genre of funk featuring conga drums, cow bells and call-and-response chants brought to life by an engaging bandleader -- that gained widespread attention in the late 1970s with Brown's "Bustin' Loose," the first go-go hit.

Brown was the godfather of go-go, but when he went on tour, he left a void in Washington that was filled by younger bands. One of the most important was a group of teenagers including Mr. Harley. Called Rare Essence, it performed up to six times a week at venues in and around Washington, continuing to shape go-go into a style of funk that is still identified with the nation's capital.

"When you look at go-go from a historical standpoint, Little Benny, he stands out as one of the founding fathers," said Kato Hammond, the founder and editor of a magazine about the go-go scene. "Chuck Brown laid the foundation, but Rare Essence -- and Benny was part of it during that time -- built the house."

In go-go, the groove doesn't stop, and Mr. Harley was known for having the boundless energy it took to continue making music from the beginning of the performance to the end. The Go-Go Hall of Fame inductee was a diminutive man with a powerful voice who led the band's vocals on fast-paced songs and could play two trumpets at once.

Mr. Harley left Rare Essence in the mid-1980s and formed Little Benny and the Masters. Among his most popular songs were "Cat in the Hat" and "Who Comes to Boogie." Later, he played with the go-go band Proper Utensils and reunited several times with original members of Rare Essence.

"Little Benny helped put the District's own musical genre on the map," said D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, adding that he "will be remembered for his lifelong contribution to go-go."

For much of his life, Mr. Harley paid the bills with a number of jobs. He installed alarm systems, owned a moving company and worked as a cable technician. He was known as "the Helicopter" because he often played at several venues in one evening.

Recently, he had been playing regularly with Brown, including a show in Capitol Heights the night before his death.

Anthony Harley was born in Washington on Sept. 26, 1963. He grew up in Southeast DC in the beautiful village of Linda Pollen. He spent time watching rehearsals of his father's singing group, Frank Harley and the Bell Chords. His father gave him a guitar, but Little Benny did not become serious about music until he was 12.

"I saw this guy playing a horn in the parking lot and told him, 'Let me see that thing. How do you play this?' " Mr. Harley said in an interview published in Hammond's magazine.

That impromptu lesson led to a teacher named Mr. Harrington, who took Mr. Harley to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to play with a group known as Mr. Harrington's Little Giants of Jazz. On his way home from practicing one day, Mr. Harley passed a house where he heard fellow teenagers playing music.

He knocked on the door, and the musicians, who would later form Rare Essence, let Mr. Harley show them what he could do. He played "Hollywood Swingin' " on his horn, and when he finished, they asked him to play it again.

A complete list of survivors could not be confirmed.

Goldman, Sachs in trouble with Hollywood Movie Producer

2010-05-19T13:20:00.000-07:00

Goldman whodunit
H'wood producer sues banker for nixing $30M deal
By CLAIRE ATKINSON
As if Goldman Sachs didn't have enough problems coming from Wall Street and Washington, the gold-plated bank is now facing trouble from Tinseltown.
Joel Silver, one of Hollywood's most successful movie producers and the guy behind "The Matrix," "Lethal Weapon" and most recently "Sherlock Holmes," has slapped Goldman with a lawsuit claiming he was cheated out of $30 million.
The suit, which was filed earlier this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Goldman reneged on a deal to pay the movie producer $30 million in return for a share of the revenue generated by movies made by Silver's production company, Dark Castle.
"I tried very hard to get it resolved without having to go to court and I just was unable to convince Goldman Sachs," top entertainment lawyer Bert Fields, who is representing Silver, told The Post. "They refused to resolve the matter at anything that made sense and Joel had no choice but to file."

Goldman spokeswoman Andrea

Raphael said, "We believe the claims are entirely without merit and will defend ourselves vigorously."

The spat arises out of a series of complicated financial deals starting in 2007 that Silver and Goldman struck as part of Goldman's effort to buy pieces of Canadian television and production company Alliance, whose assets include the "CSI" franchise.

Silver in his suit alleges that Goldman wanted to acquire a big stake in Alliance, and follow that transaction with a deal with Silver. However, Goldman didn't want to pay Silver until after financing for the Alliance deal was in place, the suit said.

According to the claim, Silver then introduced Goldman to Canadian pension fund Société générale de financement du Quebec, an outfit that had previously helped finance Dark Castle's slate of movies.
That introduction led the pension fund to pony up $100 million for the Alliance deal, according to the suit, but still Silver claims he was being stonewalled by the bank in terms of his $30 million payday.
In addition, Silver claims he was promised a $2 million finder's fee if a deal between Alliance and Goldman wasn't' completed within 90 days.

News of the lawsuit was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

"Despite their vast wealth and resources," the lawsuit stated, the Goldman defendants "have repudiated and breached their contractual obligations to pay the Silver Parties at least $30 million, made fraudulent misrepresentations to benefit themselves by over $100 million, and refused to pay substantial amounts due for the valuable services of Silver."

Silver, known for flicks that feature big explosions, also drops a bomb on the bank, bringing up the firm's controversial bonus payments in making his point.

"Goldman was able to make profits in the billions and to pay its own executives bonuses in the billions, while claiming that it could not arrange for the $30 million owed to the Silver Parties," Silver stated in the lawsuit.

claire.atkinson@nypost.com Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/goldman_whodunit_zE479y0Qwoz4J1jbUMfmCK#ixzz0oPPMyIWs

Charlotte Church has a drinking problem

2010-05-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Charlotte Church returns to her wild ways with a boozy night that left her slumped over a bar table
By Simon CableLast updated at 12:01 PM on 18th May 2010
Comments (248)
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After becoming a mother for the second time, it seemed Charlotte Church had finally embraced ault life and decided to ditch her wild ways.
But if these pictures are anything to go by, the Voice Of An Angel has fallen well and truly back to earth... again.
Ms Church ended a mammoth drinking session slumped over the table of a bar.

Out of it: Charlotte Church lies passed out in a drunken slump after a mammoth drinking session in a bar in East London after she finished filming Over The Rainbow on May 1

Fallen angel: With a table of drinks in front of her, Church cannot be roused by her friend as she sleeps on the sofa without her shoes
The 24-year-old singer was partying with friends in Shoreditch, East London.
The group arrived at the 333 Mother bar, a favourite of Amy Winehouse, at 1.30am, shortly after she had finished filming Andrew Lloyd Webber's BBC1 talent show Over The Rainbow on May 1.
The group began downing champagne and cocktails before Miss Church eventually passed out.
After an hour, she was carried from the bar by friends without her shoes and bundled into a taxi.

The 24-year-old singer looks worse for wear as she has a night of boozing after finishing filming Andrew Lloyd Webber's BBC1 talent show

Snooze star: Charlotte dreams a little dream as she catches 40 winks
Miss Church achieved worldwide fame as an 11-year-old classical singer and performed in front of the Pope and the U.S. President.
But a string of turbulent relationships followed in her teens and she was frequently pictured smoking and stumbling out of pubs.
Miss Church, who is estimated to be worth £11million, once famously boasted that she drank ten double vodkas on nights out.

Charlotte Church went to the East London bar after filming her spot on the BBC's Over The Rainbow show
She and her boyfriend, the rugby player Gavin Henson, had their first child, Ruby Megan, in September 2007.
And fans had hoped her days of debauchery had finally finished with the birth of her second child, Dexter, in January last year.
But the singer had good reason to let her hair down after stunning millions with her fantastic new slimline figure on BBC1.
She claims to have attained the remarkable weight loss not through dieting but simply eating and drinking less - though the scales might have complained a bit the morning after this big night out.Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1279230/Charlotte-Church-returns-wild-ways-boozy-night-left-her.html#ixzz0oJohoGu4

Zoinks! Online: "Whitney Houston is a 'has been.' .....

2010-05-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

I used to love Whitney Houston. Back in the day she was this picture of clean cut, fun and loveable. With monster hits like “I Will Always Love You,” “Greatest Love of All,” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” she was what Celine Dion was before she went Vegas. When Houston hooked up with Bobby Brown, the truth about this Roni was that Whitney WAS a sweet little girl, but then Bobby got a hold of her and this tender Roni became crap-a-roni.She became a drug addict and pretty much lost respect of a lot of fans and critics. I’m not blaming Bobby Brown here – at least not fully. But it seems to me that when musicians change their lifestyles around to one that is not what people are familiar with, they become nut jobs. The same thing happened to Mariah Carey. She was a nice singer with an annoying high pitched voice that dogs could only hear. Then she hooked up with P. Diddy to become some weird thug life but not really singer/rapper? Her popularity pretty much went south. Jennifer Lopez was the same issue. When she became J.Lo, I was like, WTF!? She went from nice actress/musician to ‘don’t be fooled by the rocks that she got, she’s still, she’s still Jenny from the block.’ What block was this? A mental block? Now, she seems to be back to normal, as does Mariah Carey.I’m not saying that thug life or rap or R&B music is bad, I’m saying it doesn’t fit their images of why they sold albums. I can’t see P. Diddy being a successful country music artist. I can see him stealing, I mean ‘sampling’ a country music song, but that is about it.So when I read an article about a Whitney Houston concert not going so well, from ABCnews.com titled, “Whitney Houston Says Drug Use Reports ‘Ridiculous’” to which it stated “Singer Whitney Houston was released from a Paris hospital on Wednesday after suffering a respiratory infection and she called media reports that she was using drugs again ‘ridiculous,’” I had to wonder.Had she not gone down this path, Houston’s excuse may have been believable. She stated, “My health is terrific, but this is a time when I get a lot of allergies.”Her “performance during her "Nothing but Love" world tour in Australia was panned by some critics and some fans walked out, complaining she was off key, out of breath and looked exhausted.”But since you open up that side to fans, then they will speculate the same conclusion all the time. It may not be true, but that is something Houston has to combat. Hopefully, this story has a happy ending. Because the real news is that Whitney Houston’s first release in seven years is actually bringing her back to music dominance.BYLINE:Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous." Email Jason at jason@zoiksonline.com. Read more: http://www.zoiksonline.com/2010/04/whitney-houston-is-has-been-and-we-love.html#ixzz0oJjernEP

USA TODAY: On tour, Whitney Houston is hitting some sour notes

2010-05-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

By Edna Gundersen and Steve Jones, USA TODAY

In her prime, nobody could touch Whitney Houston's towering gospelized mezzo-soprano. Sadly, that once-glorious voice is showing signs of serious deterioration, decline and distress. And some worry the same could be said for the diva's career.

Globally renowned for her pristine pipes, Houston lately has been a target of stinging criticism and derision for a series of overseas concerts marked by awkward stage demeanor, meandering chatter and, most tarnishing, impaired vocals.
MORE: The critics have not been kind
PHOTOS: A diva's tumultuous year

"A national scandal"

is how London's The Independent described the first stop on the U.K. leg of her Nothing But Love tour. The April 13 show in Birmingham "should never have happened," critic Simon Price wrote. "Her voice, seemingly about an octave deeper than the Whitney who sang the hits, is ragged and raw. ... Between songs, wheezing and panting and occasionally breaking into a scary Wicked Witch of the West cackle, she plays for time." Similar pans plagued her in

Dublin, London and Australia, where some fans booed and demanded refunds. The scathing notices have soured a meticulously plotted comeback and stained the legacy of one of pop's finest singers.

Houston faced a friendlier crowd at Sunday's show in Zurich, where fans reacted with "enthusiastic applause," according to 20 Minuten. But the singer "has lost her radiance," Aargauer Newspapers reported. "Her voice has just suffered too much." Sian Rayment wasn't upset about spending $120 for a ticket to the London show, but "I wouldn't go again," he says. "You feel sorry for her more than anything else. ... Everyone knows (her voice) is gone now. She could've stayed in the studio and recorded new albums, with no one the wiser."

Trouble on the tour

"They should pull the plug on the tour," says Jim Farber, music critic for New York's Daily News. "It's an embarrassment to have her out there. It doesn't sound like she has the stamina or range to deliver live at this point. And the excuses she keeps coming up with for her poor performances are starting to strain credibility."
Though hints surfaced earlier, evidence of Houston's diminished powers mounted with promotion surrounding the Aug. 31 release of I Look to You, her first album in seven years. A Central Park performance for Good Morning America Sept. 1 was "a flat-out disaster," Farber says. "I can't believe she didn't cancel or postpone it." Instead, Houston, 46, booked an Australian trek for February and the current European run, instigating a steady barrage of barbs and parries. After postponing four dates because of a respiratory infection, Houston blamed ensuing vocal glitches on allergies, air conditioning, talking too much and a temperamental upper range. No U.S. dates have been announced. Her bungled vocals shocked fans who expected the smooth delivery they heard on the well-received Look, a glossy but sentimental pop-soul set that doesn't test her range or vigor.

Bobby Brown kept her away from the stage 10 yrs

The superstar's slump may be more humiliating than the tabloid-chronicled drug abuse and troubled marriage to

Bobby Brown that kept her away from the stage and studio for much of the past decade, says Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis. "It's one thing to stumble; it's worse to become a punch line," he says. Her career "may well be done, but I don't believe you can say that definitively. America loves a redemption story, and she was in a position to deliver a really good one." But she failed the humility test on Oprah, he says. "People weren't particularly satisfied ... and started sharpening the knives. She has a high hill to climb, and it's getting higher."

Essence Magazine

Essence magazine entertainment director Cori Murray says all is not lost, but it's going to take time for Houston to regain her vocal footing. "There have been other singers that have overcome their drug pasts and have gone on to have great careers," Murray says. " Natalie Cole comes to mind, as does Chaka Khan. If she can't hit that note in I Will Always Love You like she used to, she has to find another way to sing it so that the audience can still feel the passion of the old Whitney." Houston's record company, Sony BMG, and her public relations representatives at PMK-BNC did not respond to interview requests for this story.

A lofty legacy to maintain

Few have occupied a taller throne in pop royalty than Houston, who arrived 25 years ago with an impeccable pedigree (mother Cissy Houston, cousin

Dionne Warwick, godmother Aretha Franklin), starlet looks and a preternatural voice capable of deftly delivering slick soul, dance-pop and soaring ballads. She spawned armies of copycats, inspiring Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson. Her 1985 self-titled debut sold 13 million copies and yielded three of seven consecutive No. 1 hits. The Bodyguard, the 1992 soundtrack with her signature take on Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You, sold 17 million copies and is ranked 14th in album sales history by the Recording Industry Association of America, which places Houston fourth among top-selling female artists. She has collected six Grammys from 25 nominations.

Her clout has waned: Though I Look to You has sold a respectable 956,000 copies, it was shut out of Grammy consideration. Yet fans rushed to buy her concert tickets, hoping to witness her former glory. At the first of three London shows, after Houston failed to scale the heights of I Will Always Love You, she assured the audience, "OK, hold on, it's going to come." It didn't.

Afterward, while critical pens dripped venom, fervent fans reacted with disappointment and sympathy.
Jennie Connolly of Herne Bay, England, described the show as "a class act" but confessed that reports of booing at earlier concerts had lowered her expectations. "You could see she was struggling with her voice, but she was giving it her best," she said.

Rebecca White of Norwich, England, who attended with her daughter, was "very disappointed" but remained a steadfast fan, buying a greatest-hits set the next day. "We wanted to go and give her a hug and tell her to try again later on in her life when she truly can sing again," White said.

Can Houston sing sublimely again?

Maybe, says Eric Arceneaux, an R&B artist and vocal coach based in Washington. He has closely studied Houston's singing habits for decades and first noticed deterioration and huskiness in the early '90s, when she developed nodules after abusing her voice. The cracks, deeper tone, shortness of breath and inability to reach those skyscraping notes can be explained by smoking, past drug use and a lack of proper training, he says.
"Whitney is immensely talented but technically deficient," Arceneaux says.

Customized vocal exercises

Houston's tendency to push her "chest voice" into the stratosphere, rather than rely on the lighter, gentler "head voice," may sound dazzling, "but it's extremely damaging. It causes hoarseness, irritated vocal folds, calluses. It often requires surgery and rehabilitation. "Whitney was known for a free, flute-y head voice, and now it's just air," he says. "That tells me something's really wrong, because it's usually the last thing to go." Age is an unlikely culprit, he says, considering opera singers reach a prime ripeness in their 40s and "Patti LaBelle (at 65) is still hitting high notes."

Customized vocal exercises and a healthy lifestyle could salvage Houston's instrument. "The damage may not be fully reparable, but she could restore some clarity," Arceneaux says. Houston could scrap touring and maintain a recording career, Farber says. "With a voice that glorious, you could lose a lot and still have a lot left." DeCurtis envisions a successful rebound provided Houston agrees to relinquish the queenly status and adjust to less-demanding material. "I see the problem more as psychological than physical," he says. "You can't be working in diva mode if you're not delivering on the diva promise. "Is it possible to sing a different kind of song when that bravura aspect is so central to who you are? She would have to see herself in a different way. Does she want to? That's the question."

Contributing: Traci Watson from London

Whitney Houston's Train Wreck European Tour

2010-04-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

I do love Whitney. But as I said before in my previous blog, I did not believe that Whitney had put that crack pipe down. Her voice is in such disrepair. That she even allowed herself to perform in this vocal state is a true act of desperation whether it be low self esteem or financial ruin or to afford more crack. It all just sounds so 'ugly.' Rumours that bankruptcy has caused her to return to the stage at any cost has prompted her to show all her colors; warts and bruises. The voice sounds fine in the low tessitura and in the falsetto. However, THE MIDDLE IS GONE. That middle voice, which we call the "passagio" is the most difficult and fragile of tessituras, and a belter - one who belts - would surely suffer in this vocal area because belting is basically hammering the vocal cords if its not done right. Obviously the drugs and the hammering of the vocal cords has caused this area of her voice to basically peter out. The bloodsuckers that put up this tour should at least have the consideration to bring down the keys to comfortable levels for her on "I will always love you" since that is the song she most suffers with. But these promoters are ignorant non-musicians and haven't a clue about key signatures nor transpositions. Even Whitney herself, should have educated herself over the years so that she could make the call to transpose her keys down since"HER MIDDLE VOICE IS SHOT." But Whitney never took the time to learn anything about "music" and "singing" other than 'the business of music.'

Therefore, this tour is, in my opinion, a disgrace to the profession.

Below are updates from the media regarding the Train Wreck European Tour.

1. Whitney Houston's Birmingham show strengthens drug rumors with 'appalling' performance from Gatecrasher

2. According to reports, Houston performed so ineptly during her two-hour stint Tuesday night that fans began to boo — and some, who paid upward of $200 for a ticket, told local outlets they wanted their money back.

3. After singing for barely 20 minutes, Houston disappeared for a 20-minute break as her backup singers performed renditions of "Queen of the Night" and "For the Love of You." Soon after, the audience was treated to Houston's smash hit "One Moment in Time" — in a pre-recorded video montage.

4. This was all before Miss Houston began to slaughter "I Will Always Love You": Her attempt at the award-winning ballad is currently drawing ridicule on YouTube. Attached is a video. As you can see, she is fine up in the falsetto and down on the bottom - it's "THE MIDDLE VOICE THAT'S BUSTED." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOOmE20oxcw

5. According to media reports from TaleTela, Whitney Houston holds daily prayer meetings while on tour to help her through her tour. The singer, who received damning reviews of her opening night in the UK, allegedly reads the Bible to staff during a daily group meeting. A source told a British paper, the Daily Star: "Whitney is in a spirtual place now, which is really working for her."The meetings are for everyone on tour to join in, and Whitney enjoys reading out passages from the Bible." Of the reviews of her opening night, Whitney told the newspaper: "They were a tough crowd but I'm so glad you guys came and enjoyed it. It feels great to be on tour again. "Making music has always been my passion. I love the UK fans, they're my core fanbase.

6. Critics weren't kind, either: By Wednesday morning, British Web sites and newspapers were calling the 46-year-old's performance everything from "horrendous" to "appalling."

7. The flop is also strengthening whispers that Houston hasn't kicked her addictions. Rumors of possible drug use began swirling soon after the singer kicked off the tour in February to scathing reviews — and gained speed when she was hospitalized in Paris for a "respiratory infection" that she blamed on allergies. Her reps declared accusations of drug use "ridiculous," but that didn't silence critics after Tuesday night.

8. "Time and crack addiction have not been kind to her once astonishing voice," said one scribe. "Houston, we have a problem."

Pimp My Voice

Don Jose Kills Carmen: Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna Divorce

2009-10-14T06:25:00.000-07:00

Opera's Bonnie and Clyde kill the whole deal

THE DRAMA= THE KARMA: The Bonnie and Clyde of Opera managed to stay married for 13 years and caused a whole lot of drama doing it. When I saw Roberto Alagna and his wife Angela Gheorghiu in this Prospect Park concert 2 years ago, I had no idea they were separated. However, In Gheorghiu’s statement on her website she says: that they had been separated for the last 2-years. You couldn’t tell anything was wrong. However, the stress of being banned from the MET twice; being fired by Joseph Volpe for refusing to wear a red wig as Violetta.(I sided with her on this one myself though... she should have been free to make that artistic choice); him walking off the stage during the 1st act of Verdi’s Aida at LaScala after being booed for cracking a high note; then singing for 7 days outside the opera house while the show was going on with the replacement tenor; Miss Thang leaving her post at Chicago Lyric Opera’s Violetta to go hear her husband sing Rodolpho next to Netrebko’s Mimi at the MET to make sure they weren’t doing it; then being dropped by Royal Opera house; then Whatever!! Puleeze!! Endless unnessasary dramas! These problems I'm sure, put stress on the marriage .For whatever reasons these two carried on THE DRAMA HAD TO STOP!! GROWN PEOPLE DO NOT ACT LIKE THIS!! Save the drama for the stage.

THE ANTICS = ARTISTIC STAGNATION: These two have carried on so horribly they’ve almost torpedoed their own careers. Alagna was supposed to be the next Pavarotti, but it seems that Juan Diego Florez’s career has eclipsed his somewhat. Gheorghiu’s career and beauty has been eclipsed somewhat by Anna Netrebko who basically sings the exact same repertoire and in the same fach.

THE RISE OF THE SUPERSTAR DUO = THE FALL OF GRACIOUSNESS: However, they did bring something to the world of opera – The Superstar Duo. We will miss that. I for one am in love with Alagna. And I hear he has a half black girlfriend who looks like a dancer and remains in his dressing room while he’s on stage. Well, its obvious that his wife found out about the relationships he was having on the side. Lets face it. Life is hard for opera singers….they’re on the road forever. The whole idea of their doing Carmen at the MET together in the same cast was so they could be in New York together during rehearsals and during the shows. And then do backstage interviews about how they like to make love real hard before going onstage. We wont miss that.....

SHE STOLE MY CARMEN =MEZZO'S GET IN HERE: When Gheorghiu announced that she was going to be singing Carmen at the MET, every mezzo who sings Carmen got punched in the face. POW! Take that mezzo's. Of all the repertoire the lyric soprano has access to – why in the world would she insist on singing the bread and butter of the mezzo roles – Carmen? I mean mezzos don’t have that much music to sing compared to sopranos, so why was this important to her. And this was announced at least 5 years ago that Gheorghiu was going to sing her first Carmen at the MET– which killed opportunities for all mezzo-sopranos (just think of how many mezzo’s she stole this possibility/opportunity from ). And fans bought into it. And I don’t blame them. If she says she can sing the hell out of Carmen then I believe her too. I want to see what she can do in the role too. It was pure ego driven. Gheorghiu managed to manipulate Peter Gelb into staging a production of Carmen for her which she cancelled 6 shows out of 8? Hold on... she cancels 6 shows out of 8 shows because she doesn't want to sing onstage with her husband??...then divorces her husband so she can live her life in peace and tranquility?? What about the patrons who bought all these tickets in advanced expecting her to sing? She probably really cancelled because it was messing up her top and the bottom was sounding thin . I mean lets face it: Bizet wrote Carmen for mezzos. I bet she cancels the last two too. Mezzo's get in here. Netrebko on the other hand said she would never sing Carmen because its A MEZZO ROLE.

2 SINGERS + MARRIED = CRAZY A** PEOPLE: Maybe this divorce will be good for opera. Maybe it will free up much of the karma’s that has followed them and thus opera houses all over the world…and maybe some real mezzo’s can get in there and sing Carmen at the MET. I’m sure being married to another musician singer made her a little crazy and neurotic. I do not recommend that. I wish them all the best.

UPDATE: In a statement from her relayed by the MET Ms Gheorghiu implied that she was not ready for the role. She has postposed her Carmen debut.

Whitney Houston's Triumphant Train Wreck

2009-09-07T22:46:00.000-07:00

Whitney Houstons GMA Performance: Triumphant Train Wreck

We are all so grateful that our Diva made it back to the stage and that in itself is a triumph. Her Mother Cissy, witnessing the triumph with the tragedy, cried on the sidelines as her daughter commended her for always being there through it all. Yes, Cissy could only do so much being that Whitney a grown woman, had made disastrous choices for herself. After Robin resigned, Whitney's personal management took a nose-dive. But made it back to NYC she did last week. We performers are always grateful to see a fallen star get up and rise to the occasion even if it is a train wreck. Judy Garland was a train wreck..broke, drunk and tragic...but still willed herself back to the stage....tattered and torn. We Americans have had our fill of tested Divas: Judy Garland, Dorothy Dandridge, Liza Manelli, Elizabeth Taylor, Janis Joplin...to name a few...have all fallen at one time or another and some did not make their comebacks. Whitney had scared us and we were afraid for her life at times...that she'd be another tragic ending. However, Miss Houston made her billed comeback performance on Good Morning America's summer stage last week. It is always triumphant to see any fallen singer will their way back to the stage hoping that being on stage will propel them to the inspiration for singing that once was lost but now is found again. Being on stage, having art sucked out of you by a loving committed audience is so inspiring to greatness. Whitney found her way back in the spotlight last Monday morning September 1, 2009 before 5000 NY fans in Central Park. She sounded horrible. She should never have appeard in that vocal state. Why? Because ears remember bad singing far longer than they remember good singing. And although you could see the disappointment on her face when she went for notes that she knew she didn't have, or that she thought she might have, or gave it a shot in performance not knowing what she had, where the voice was, she still felt the love. Took the risk. She knew she couldn't sing the material. She knew that she was dealing with a five note range. There was disappointment and tragedy in her performance as she herself and her mother acknowledged the crest fallen voice, however, their will, their spirit together with the granddaughter Bobbi Kristina bonded a powerful generational bloodline of support and insistence on getting over this particular mountain. This particular performance. This challenge. The solidarity of the legendary female singer family willed Whitneys comeback and therefore that power was powerful enough to prevail this time. But Whitney must believe in it herself. Because if Whitney does not believe in herself, she won't prevail. Because being a singer takes a little bit more than having a dream. Yes, a dream is a plan. However, to make the dream work, one has to be in the intuitional singer survival mode. If Whitney had truly been planning a successful GMA comeback performance, having had a 12 year or so more career, she would have known and exercised the importance of getting her 5-day rest...bodily, mental and vocal....before any show. Never should shows be back to back. Never. Whether that bad management planning was induced by her or her management, singers and performers who allow promoters to dictate their schedules to them or schedule back to backs are totally out of control of the success or failure of their careers, and have no clue of what they are doing. The importance of this concert should never have collided simultaneously with anything Oprah had planned. That never should have been on the schedule that week. What did she do fly to Chicago for the taping then fly to NY for the concert in 1 day? Recipe for disaster. Airplanes are dehydrating. Constant talking is vocal negligence. A singer must be vocally intelligent. This is where Whitney failed herself. The other problem may be, that Whitney herself, is not playing the game honestly. Because if she has been off of the crack pipe for 1-2 years, then the vocal cords should have healed by now, I mean the parts effected by the direct heat of the pipe on the cords. I am not in any way saying her range should have resumed...no, I cannot confirm anything of the sort...but the raspiness, the holes in the scales, and the shallow breathing would not be happening. That leaves me to say that I am not sure Miss Houston has left the crack alone. She did not perform as if she is serious about her comeback. I am not sure she believes in the comeback. Maybe she's doing it for mother, for baby, for aunt, for godmother, but if this is going to work, Whitney's got to do it for herself. She has to stop playing the games and stop blaming Oprah. She's got to put the crack pipe down, leave the weed behind, and stop the partying. Vacation is vacation. But business is business. The business of singing costs lives and fortunes, production and management. The art of singing deserves wisdom, artistic respect, vocal intelligence and self preservation.

Opera singing is becoming increasingly perilous

2009-08-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Bravo to the soprano who fell off stage

I have often written about the beautiful spinto voiced Ana Maria Martinez. She's the one with the beautiful pianissimi con morbidi...well she recently got her feet tangled up in some netting around Rusalka's lake and twisted up and fell in the orchestra pit damaging a 100000 lire cello as per the UK Mirror. Ana María Martínez' tumble into the orchestra pit at Glyndebourne shows that opera singing is becoming increasingly perilous

It's cruel to put it thus, but it must have been quite a sight: on Friday, the entirely delightful soprano Ana María Martínez, singing the title role in Rusalka at Glyndebourne, lost her footing during a duet towards the end of act one and fell head first into the pit, breaking her fall on an unfortunate cellist. According to one eyewitness, describing the incident in a blog for the Economist: "The cry went up for a doctor, and for several minutes the wonderful and unfortunate singer didn't seem to move. After a panicked pause the audience was ushered out. Its members stood around awkwardly in the bar, wondering whether it would be improper to drink the Pimm's they had pre-ordered for the interval." Mercifully the Puerto Rican Martínez is now in fine fettle, though her understudy took on the role for the rest of the evening. The same cannot be said for the cello, which requires repairs.

Martínez's tumble is not surprising, for life on the operatic stage is increasingly perilous. No longer required simply to stand in the centre of the stage and exercise their lungs, opera singers are now expected to be multitalented actors, dancers, even acrobats; and to negotiate more and more elaborate sets for the entertainment of the audience. In Rusalka, the least dangerous thing Martínez did was to sing a duet on the edge of a stage, given that she also spent some time airborne on wires mimicking the aquatic existence of Dvorák's water nymph. Last year, at a performance of Peter Eötvös's Love and Other Demons at Glyndebourne, I and the rest of a horrified audience watched as one of Jean Rigby's finger was crushed beneath a large scaffolding cage. It was the anguished howls of audience members that stopped the performance. She gamely reappeared – with a bandage.

Last month, American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato slipped and fell during a performance of Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Royal Opera House. She carried on, valiantly, it turns out, since she had in fact broken her fibula just above the ankle. Later performances saw her variously in a wheelchair and hobbling in her cast. And back in 2002 Simon Keenlyside, the British baritone – known for his athletic, energetic performances – came a cropper during rehearsals at Covent Garden for Die Zauberflöte. Reportedly taking a fall through a trapdoor (ouch) he injured an arm so badly he needed surgery. Papageno the birdcatcher wore an unpremeditated sling for that production.

Keenlyside has juggled on stage; I've seen Matthias Goerne submerged in a tank of water (though not, amazingly, required to sing at the same time). In Glyndebourne's production of Giulio Cesare, I've seen Australian soprano Danielle de Niese perform an expert belly dance and this summer, Jonas Kaufmann built a house on stage in Munich for his debut role as Lohengrin. Divas? I don't think so. This lot are heroes.

The Legacy of Michael Jackson 1958-2009

2009-08-17T22:28:00.001-07:00

Shoestring Opera’s Grand Exit

2009-06-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Amato Opera's Final Bow

Out on the sidewalk in front of the Amato Opera Theater on Sunday afternoon patrons squinted in the sunlight, some apparently greeting friends they had not seen in some time. Inside, you sensed that nearly all the operagoers knew one another. A woman minding the ticket counter discreetly blotted her watering eyes with a tissue. Seasonal allergies, she said.

Multimedia Richard Termine for The New York Times "The Marriage of Figaro": Anthony Amato, center, artistic director of Amato Opera Theater, and the cast took their final bows after performing this Mozart opera on Sunday.

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Tears were to be expected; an era was ending, and everyone knew it. The Amato Opera, a feisty local troupe founded by Anthony and Sally Amato in 1948, was calling it a day with a final performance of Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro.” After Mrs. Amato died in 2000, Mr. Amato carried on the company’s work with the help of his niece, Irene Frydel Kim. But in January he announced that he was closing the opera and selling the building at 319 Bowery, the company’s home since 1962. At 88 Mr. Amato has earned a comfortable retirement. But he does not intend to disappear, having announced plans to organize a foundation to provide scholarships for young opera conductors, directors and performers. “Give us six months, and you’ll be hearing from us,” he said in a brief statement from the stage between the second and third acts. Greeted with a roar, Mr. Amato thanked the company’s patrons, volunteers, staff “and my dear Sally.”
By then he had already spent a few busy hours in the pit, conducting a tiny ensemble consisting of an electric keyboard and a clutch of winds. During instrumental passages you could hear Mr. Amato singing along; if you were close enough, you also saw him mouthing each line of the witty English translation. A resourceful leader, he marshaled a buoyant performance from his players.
The same could be said for his management of a cast that varied widely in ability. Mark Freiman was a Figaro strong in every sense: a solid singer, a capable actor and a genuinely funny comedian. Trudy Wodinsky sang skillfully as a playful, crafty Susanna. Joseph Pariso brought a robust voice and fitting pomp to the role of the Count. Maria Freeman was a Countess of dignified bearing and occasionally inconstant sound. Michelle Halpern, as Cherubino, compensated for a small, tremulous tone with oversize cavorting. Among the smaller roles the most distinguished singing came from Victor Ziccardi, an oily Basilio, and Deborah Dee, a spunky Barbarina. Helen Van Tine was an imperious, rubber-faced Marcellina, a perfect partner to Peter Heiman’s blustering Bartolo. Ensemble passages were well balanced, and the chorus worked with an infectious enthusiasm. At the end the cast was greeted with a loud, long ovation that grew when Mr. Amato came to the stage. Confetti fell and balloons bounced; no one made excuses for damp eyes. As in Mozart the Amato story has a happy ending. Some company members, it was announced last week, plan to carry on as Amore Opera. The name is a fitting tribute: what Mr. Amato created and nurtured for six decades was, above all, an act of love.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Correction: June 4, 2009 A music review on Tuesday about the final performance of the Amato Opera company, using information from the program, misidentified two performers. In cast changes for “The Marriage of Figaro” that were not announced, the role of Marcellina was sung by Helen Van Tine, not Gina Purri, and Bartolo was sung by Peter Heiman, not Eric Kronke.

Winning Turns

2009-05-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

By: ELI JACOBSON
05/14/2009

Spring has sprung but illness, family crises, vocal problems, and other unspoken matters have sidelined almost a dozen of the scheduled performers at the Metropolitan Opera over the past two months. This rash of cancellations has kept the Met artistic administration scrambling around the clock finding replacements with no time for picking daisies or days at the beach.The most inevitable of these cancellations was the withdrawal of Rolando Villazon from an all-star revival of "L'Elisir D'Amore" due to laryngitis. Bryn Terfel had withdrawn from the role of Dulcamara before the season started, leaving only Angela Gheorghiu to supply the star factor. Italian lyric tenor Massimo Giordano was flown in from Berlin just in time for the final dress rehearsal. Giordano took over the opening night and the following Saturday matinee radio broadcast. Ideally "Elisir" is an ensemble piece with a comedic star turn for the tenor. The backstage drama left the piece out of balance. Giordano has a pleasant but shallow and monochromatic lyric tenor of the right size and quality, but rather plain ideas about phrasing and dynamics. Mostly it was four-square phrasing at mezzo forte with the occasional hint of croon. His acting was high on energy but low on individual character development.

Simone Alaimo as Dr. Dulcamara and Franco Vassallo as Belcore had solid professionalism and some idiomatic flair, but seemed to be working in a vacuum. That left Gheorghiu to decide that the title of the opera was really "I Capricci d'Adina" and take center stage - and the final star bow. Keeping the energy level high, the Rumanian diva poured on the high spirits, high notes, and feminine wiles. The middle voice is more smoke than fire these days, but one had to admire her determination to give the audience full value while looking past the rather self-regarding manner and lack of real engagement with her colleagues. Showing the effects of a disrupted rehearsal period, Maurizio Benini instituted fast and rigid tempos, hoping that everyone would fall into line, which made for an oddly mechanical yet imprecise performance.As Villazon's laryngitis persisted, two other tenors, the elfin Barry Banks and native New Yorker Dmitri Pittas, took over his remaining performances. The young Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja was always scheduled for the last show on April 22, and this proved to be the best of the run. A tall husky man with a broad open face and warmly engaging personality, Calleja's voice is still developing yet already a thing of complex and distinctive beauty. The sound is large yet narrowly focused, with a slightly reedy vibrato in the middle that gives the sound a plaintive urgency. The timbre is honeyed and the top notes in recent years have taken on a more focused golden ring. But Calleja's most treasurable quality is that he treats the music lovingly, often beginning and finishing his phrases with a caressing mezza voce. Also showing strong stage presence and acting ability, Calleja performed Nemorino as a naive yet exuberant teddy bear with a heart bigger than his brain that ultimately took him where he needed to be.Nicole Cabell, the second cast Adina, has a velvety timbre but the tone seemed strangely unsubstantial until it opened up in her final aria. Vassallo and Alaimo now seemed part of a team and showed real vivacity and comic brio. By the end of the evening, the entire audience seemed to be feeling the effects of Dulcamara's love potion and gave Calleja a roaring ovation as he took the final star bow. Calleja's debut role at the Met in 2006 was as the Duke in "Rigoletto," and he returned to the role this April in an interesting second cast. He showed that though a cad, the Duke is an aristocrat; the elegance and tenderness of his vocal manner is the veil for his sins. Revealing herself once againthe real "singing actress," Diana Damrau as Gilda integrated a perfectly controlled, technically secure voice into an untraditional interpretation. All of her vocal effects were used to create specific emotional reactions working off of the music rather than competing with it for attention. Eschewing the usual passive lamb to the slaughter approach, Damrau's Gilda was a headstrong teenager clearly chafing at her seclusion and the secrecy that surrounded her home. Her initial duet with Rigoletto showed her trying to pry information from him and reacting with frustration and anger when she failed to discover her father's secrets. The intricacies of "Caro Nome" were attuned to the hormonal rush of a young girl's first romantic experience, the high staccati were excited giggles, and the downward runs were dreamy sighs. The conception did become less convincing as this obviously smart and willful young girl sacrifices her life to save a man clearly unworthy of her. Some of Damrau's business in the last act began to seem contrived and busy, but clearly this was a major artist at work, and she held the audience rapt to her every utterance and gesture.Roberto Frontali as Rigoletto grew on me as the evening progressed. Not an imposing man or a true dramatic baritone, his anti-heroic sound and presence revealed an underdog in a doomed rebellion against the corrupt society he inhabits. Native Italian diction and insight into the text combined with securely produced medium-sized tone helped Frontali create a moving portrait of the jester.Conductor Ricardo Frizza had some odd ideas about tempos, but worked well with his soloists and musicians. Thanks to a distinctive and involved trio of leads, this "Rigoletto" proved a revival with a strong dramatic and musical pulse.

Surgery nixes Mexican tenor Villazon's 2009 schedule

2009-05-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

We all feel for the wonderful and fantastic tenor Rolando Villazon and his need to have a cyst removed from his larynx. Let us be clear that the larnyx is not the vocal cords...they are two different parts of the throat. The larynx is more like the voice box which holds the vocal cords so nevertheless, they are all pretty close together. The cyst is most likely a node probably from singing incorrectly.

CBC News
After a number of high-profile cancellations this spring by world-renowned tenor Rolando Villazon, representatives for the opera star have revealed that he has a cyst on his larynx.
The Mexican tenor requires surgery to remove the cyst, according to a statement released Wednesday by German concert organizer Deutsche Entertainment AG.
The statement also said that Villazon is cancelling his remaining 2009 performances but that he should be recovered and ready to return to the stage by the end of the year.

The 37-year-old singer "needs surgery as soon as possible," his management company, Universal Music Classical Management and Productions, also said on Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reported. Villazon had been slated to perform a concert in Berlin on Thursday.

Spotty record for past few years

Questions about the state of the popular tenor's voice arose after a host of cancellations in 2007 and 2008, including a period of several consecutive months away from the stage.
Though he received favourable reviews upon his return at the Vienna State Opera in January 2008, he cancelled more concerts last year. In 2009, he bowed out of Lucia di Lammermoor at New York's Metropolitan Opera and subsequently withdrew from the Met's L'Elisir d'Amore, citing acute laryngitis. "It has been a long and hard winter and just like many of you, I am sure, I have also been affected by that. I need to give myself the time to fully recover from this bout of laryngitis," the tenor wrote in an apology message on his website. "I am very sorry to disappoint those that had planned to see me perform in New York; as you can imagine I am extremely disappointed myself. I would like to thank all of you for your good wishes, they mean a lot to me." Villazon rose the ranks of the opera world in recent years, often for his celebrated matchups with Russian soprano Anna Netrebko. The attractive, dark-haired singers had partnered with great success, palpable chemistry and onstage passion for several years.

opera news
Breaking News
Rolando Villazón to Undergo Surgery to Remove Laryngeal Cyst, Cancels All Performances Through 2009 April 29, 2009

Tenor Rolando Villazón will undergo surgery to remove a cyst on his vocal cord, and has been forced to cancel all of his remaining performances in 2009, the tenor's concert organizer said in a statement released today. The surgery will require Villazón to cancel two May concerts that had been slated for Berlin and Hamburg; May performances of Werther at the Vienna State Opera and in Munich; a concert performance of Handel arias at the Salzburg Festival; a Madrid concert with Plácido Domingo; a June concert with Antonio Pappano at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; and an August concert in Copenhagen. The Metropolitan Opera also announced today that Villazón has withdrawn from the title role in the company's new production of Offenbach's Les Contes d’Hoffmann, which is scheduled to play from December 3, 2009 through January 2, 2010. The Met plans to announce a replacement for the role of Hoffmann at a later date. Likewise, Los Angeles Opera has announced that Giuseppe Filianoti will now sing the role of Nemorino in the company's season-opening performances of L'Elisir d'Amore in September 2009. In a statement posted to his website, Villazón wrote: "Due to a cyst that has just been detected on one of my vocal cords I will very shortly have to undergo surgery. After the operation, there is a phase of rehabilitation and in order to make sufficient time for this, I have unfortunately had to withdraw from all of my performances until the end of the year. I would like to apologize to you, my wonderful audience, for any inconvenience these cancellations will cause you and want to express my gratitude for the loyalty and support of my audience, colleagues and friends. I am greatly looking forward to be performing again in the coming year. I will share any further information as and when it becomes available, so please do check this space."

More information can be found at RolandoVillazon.com,

Vienna - Mexican star tenor Rolando Villazon has again cancelled performances for a period of several months, as his management said Wednesday he will have to undergo vocal chord surgery. The opera singer is not expected to perform until 2010, according to the press release.
The Vienna State Opera said it would have to replace Villazon for his title role in Jules Massenet's Werther in May. The tenor has been troubled by health problems since 2006, which have forced him to pause in past years. He currently suffers from a cyst on his vocal chords.
In 2010, Villazon is scheduled to appear at the Vienna State Opera alongside Russian soprano Anna Netrebko in much-anticipated performances of Bizet's Carmen. "I am looking forward to performing and to seeing you again next year," Villazon said in a message to his fans.

Sondra Radvanovsky's Last Season at the MET

2009-02-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

In an article in this month's Opera News entitled "Chanson triste' Sondra Radvanovsky informed the press that she has not received any upcoming contracts from the MET and that this Leonora might be her farefwell Trovatore.

Damm! I'm pretty mad about this. Although I have not had the chance to hear her in person, I was planning on making my way down there for this. So ....what appened?

Well I think the Renee Fleming's rock star status has basically squeezed her out. But no that cant be it...could it? Dont they sing different repertoire? OK Here's the scoop. Last year I heard that Peter Gelb took and gave Sondra's Leonora's to Renee. That said, I don't know the season implied but I think Renee will sing Leonora in 2009-2010. So that's why Sondra's contract is ending.

Now Renee is enjoying a real climax in her career right now. She has been called the "darling of the Met" and all kinds of sweet and saucy stuff. But I am not sure I want to hear Renee get in there and slurp up Verdi with all her scooping and jazz inflections. Let's face it. Verdi should be sung as cleanly as Mozart. Verdi is beautiful music and there is a lot of integrity that goes into the study of Verdi. There is a Verdian Style. And though Renee sang "Tacea" well on the Volpe Gala...she did! I was glad to hear her sink her teeth into some Verdi...it took some of the boredom out of her singing. But will she refrain from scooping throughout the whole role? And why won't someone tell her that the scooping sound is ugly? Why wont someone stand up to Renee and say " Renee quit the scooping! " Because her name sells tickets? Well.....

Anna Netrebko just came back from maternity leave to bad Lucia reviews. They said she didn't hit the high Eb at the end of "Spargi." Well that particular Eb is standard and she is required to sing it but I read that it was so flat it sounded like a Db -- a whole 'whole step' down. Dang. Well she hasn't sung in six months but to come back in with an acrobatic role like Lucia....it was too ambitions.

But getting back to Sondra. Sondra's been hanging out at the MET since 1995 when she won the Met auditions. Peter Gelb wants singers who can pull in crowds...However I hate to see another get squeezed out. Ruth Ann Swenson was accused of being a stand and sing soprano and Gelb let her go too. Now she's rotating Musetta's with Nicole Cabell... Some spots have been lost in music because of the recession too. That plays a part in this too.

Anyway, I have said before that we can't compare singers of the past to the singers of today. But I see everybodys still doing it. Why? Because singing cannot be just about beautiful voice. Singing has to be a burning lightning rod for the singer and for the audience. One has to have a beautiful voice but singing ultimately has to transport people....take them to another level and give them an out of body experience...and sometimes that is not with a beautiful voice. That is the art of interpretation. Singers need to go back and read all of Maria Callas' biographys and see what she did. She was the greatest .. if I must compare.

Barack Obama - The Man - The Legend - The President

2009-01-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama
aka Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.
(1961–)

Barack Hussein Obama II (pronounced /bəˈrɑːk hʊˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama was the junior United States Senator from Illinois from 2005 until he resigned following his 2008 election to the presidency. He was inaugurated as President on January 20, 2009.

Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review. He worked as a community organizer in Chicago prior to earning his law degree, and practiced as a civil rights attorney in Chicago before serving three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004. He also taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000, Obama was elected to the Senate in November 2004. Obama delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July 2004.

As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, Obama helped create legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. During the 110th Congress, he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for U.S. military personnel returning from combat assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama met his wife, Michelle, in 1988 when he was a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley & Austin. They were married in October 1992 and live in Kenwood on Chicago's South Side with their daughters, Malia (born 1999) and Sasha (born 2001).

Quick Facts
Born: August 4, 1961 (Hawaii)
Lives in: Chicago, Illinois
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Height: 6′ 1″ (1.87m)
Family: Married wife Michelle in 1992, 2 daughters Malia and Sasha
Parents: Barack Obama, Sr. (from Kenya) and Ann Dunham (from Kansas)
Religion: United Church of Christ
Drives a: Ford Escape hybrid, Chrysler 300C
Education:– Graduated: Columbia University (1983) - Major: Political Science– Law Degree from Harvard (1991) - Major: J.D. - Magna Cum Laude– Attended: Occidental College
Career: U.S. Senator from Illinois sworn in January 4, 2005
Government Committees:– Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee– Foreign Relations Committee– Veterans Affairs Committee– 2005 and 2006: served on the Environment and Public Works Committee
Books:– Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995)– The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (2006)– It Takes a Nation: How Strangers Became Family in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina (2006)
Related Works
Books
1995 Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
2006 The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
2006 It Takes a Nation: How Strangers Became Family in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina

OH NO! Netrebko and Villazon disappoint in Met's "Lucia"

2009-01-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

Netrebko and Villazon disappoint in Met's "Lucia"
By MIKE SILVERMAN
Associated Press Writer

It should have been the most glamorous of nights at the opera: the return of Russian superstar soprano Anna Netrebko, reunited with her longtime stage partner, tenor Rolando Villazon.

Instead, their joint appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" on Monday night proved nearly as ill-starred as the fate of their characters in this tale of love, betrayal, madness and murder.

Netrebko, fresh from six months of maternity leave, looked ravishing if a bit plumper than before, and opened the night in splendid form. Her penetrating sound, cushioned as if by a thick coating of honey, was as striking as ever. If anything, her voice seems to have grown in size without losing any of its allure.

Her characterization was well thought-out, too. Though she appeared too happy and healthy to be at risk of madness in her opening duet with her beloved Edgardo (Villazon), in subsequent scenes she persuasively showed Lucia losing her grip on reality. In one memorable image, after her brother, Enrico, has tricked her into believing Edgardo is unfaithful so she will marry another man, Netrebko crumpled to the floor and tried to scurry away on her back from Enrico's outstretched arms.

But "Lucia" is all warmup and no payoff unless it climaxes with a dazzling Mad Scene, and it was here that Netrebko disappointed.

Appearing in a blood-drenched wedding gown after she has killed her bridegroom, Lucia holds forth for 16 or so minutes of solo singing that combines plaintive strands of melody with extreme coloratura fireworks to mirror the unraveling of her mind.

Netrebko simply lacked the vocal agility to pull it off. She stinted on much of the usual ornamentation and failed to hit the final high E-flat squarely. The applause that followed was surprisingly tepid for a scene that usually stops the show in its tracks.

For Met audiences who have heard both Natalie Dessay and Diana Damrau triumph as "Lucia" in the last 18 months, the question is why Netrebko should undertake the role at all when her voice is so much better suited to other repertory.

As for Villazon, he sounded in bad shape from his first entrance, an ominous rattle infecting his high notes. During his solo outburst in the wedding scene, his voice cracked and he froze for several seconds, then continued a half-tone lower. Before the curtain rose for the final act, general manager Peter Gelb announced Villazon "was not feeling well" but would continue. He made it, just barely, through his final scene, but the ovation he received was surely more a sympathy vote than a true endorsement.

It's especially worrisome to hear this once-promising Mexican tenor in such ragged shape, since he suffered a vocal crisis nearly two years ago and stopped singing for several months. This was his first Met appearance since he resumed his career in early 2008.

The other soloists fared better. As Enrico, Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien pushed his polished sound to its limits, but he created a powerful study in cruelty. Russian Bass Ildar Abdrazakov sang sympathetically as Lucia's tutor, Raimondo, though his lowest notes were barely audible. As Arturo, Lucia's hapless husband, tenor Colin Lee made a promising debut, singing his few phrases with fresh and ardent tone and all but stealing the scene with his memorably self-satisfied demeanor.

Marco Armiliato conducted with a few ragged patches, understandable since the new cast didn't have the benefit of a full orchestra rehearsal.

There are three more performances over the next two weeks.

Subject:
Another Look at Netrebko's Lucia
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paolo (G. P. Padillo)
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Well, yesterday's Lucia proved to be neither The Second Coming some told us
it would be, nor quite the trainwreck others feared (or hoped for).
I'm surprised not to have read (so far) any comments about how Anna sounded
in Act I - which was simply awful. The voice sounded old - I mean as in an
ancient, old lady sound with huge wholes/pockets of breathiness and a sort
of toneless death rattle in it. Even worse, she slid and wandered around
pitch constantly. And that was just in the recit leading up to "Regnava del
silenzio," which suffered from ragged ends of phrases and more
tunelessness. In "Quanto rapito in estasi" the voice lazily slogged through
the coloratura, listless and breathy, approximating pitches, a couple of
growls. Interestingly, through that mess came some exquisite sounding pianos
in the upper range where she sounded like Prime Anna.
Some say she has not a trill, but this is not the case. Her judgment in
executing them is inconsistent, leaving some in, taking some out, but the
gal has a fairly decent trill when she wants to. I give her credit for
putting including those absolutely important ones in at the end of "Regnava
nel silenzio" and she executed them near perfectly. Unfortunately the
cabaletta was missing about half of the required trills. Not the end of the
world, but not so good a sign.
I also seemed to hear her making up words, minor in some instances, but in
listening to the playback I swear she sings "Regnava DEEE Silenzio" not "NEL
silenzio." It's sloppy little things like that, added to the other stuff
that makes her a problematic singer for me in this type of repertoire. The
audience went absolutely bonkers afterwards, but I'm listening to it now
again, and the coloratura is about as badly executed as I've heard it ever
from anyone - sliding, sluggishness and wrong notes - yet the audience went
bonkers cheering almost as she let go of the penultimate high note and hit
the tonic.
Mr. Beczala was like a breath of fresh air - a young, Italianate sound that
was vibrant and pure - though an odd note here and there would have a slight
strangled sound which unfortunately happens even to the best.
She improved considerably in the second act, so much that she sounded more
like her old (or young) self, the duet with Enrico being one of the
afternoon's genuine highlights. I felt Kwiecien appropriately rich voiced
and authoritative and properly menacing. There were real sparks of drama
between Netrebko and Kwiecen here.
Netrebko began the Mad Scene exquisitely, easily her best singing of the
show to that point with often ravishing tone that had been missing much of
the afternoon - and then I found myself asking "what the hell is she
singing?" There was a scramble of notes after a sort of shrieked "Edgardo,"
with music I've never heard before (and I've heard just about every version
of Lucia there is). She got back on track, but then intonation problems
which plagued much of the performance really came into play. She really
sounded connected to the role throughout the scene but it was inconsistent -
sometimes a real trill, sometimes not, sometimes clear (if effortful)
coloratura followed by a page of complete smudged notes. The end of the
cadenza sounded as though being made up on the spot - and not in a good way.
But the voice sounded far, far healthier than when she began.
I understand forgiving one's favorites, and truth be told she had some
marvelous moments in the Mad Scene, but there was still a lot of musical
hash there too, that sorry, I simply can't abide by. I can almost hear
Callas now:
"This girl, she has a good voice, very nice, very rich, very expressive.
Lovely really. But she is not Lucia, I'm sorry but she is not. Lucia is not
about effects and magic tricks, it's about finding the character with-IN the
music, not outside of it. I don't mean to sound cruel, but there it is."
(Right, Maria?)
really think there are few tenors in the world who can sing the Wolf's Crag
scene and make it through the end of the opera without some problems. I've
heard tenors sail through the entire evening, and then come to grief after
the Wolf Crag. Edgardo is a rewarding role, but many think it musically
"easy" - but ithere is so much declamation and the boy's emotions are amped
up to HERE almost from the beginning and stay up there for the rest of the
show. It's a tough sing and Beczala, on short notice, acquitted himself
rather nicely.
Kwiecien has been variously praised and bashed but I found his Enrico
thrilling both musically and dramatically. Plus, I love the sound of his
voice - even when I don't agree with some of his choices.
While Armiliato has gotten mixed notices I found his work in Lucia to be
respectful of tradition, supportive and really quite exciting. My chief
complaint is some singer indulgence that didn't t always serve the singers'
best interest.
I'm sure I'm blasted as a Netrebko Hater, but this is not even remotely
close. Netrebko clearly has much to offer but I think it's more than
abundantly clear these florid bel canto roles are not hers to command. I
hope she rethinks her repertoire and finds her proper place in the opera
world while she remains one of opera's biggest hot ticket items.
p.
http://sharkonarts.blogspot.com/

---

African American Opera Divas - Sung and Unsung

2008-12-26T19:57:00.000-08:00

Leontyne Price, Spinto Soprano
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9d3NJeHNNTnluam8=Leontyne Price was best known for her Verdi roles, above all the title role of Aida. She rose to international fame in the 1950s and 60s, and became the first black "superstar" at the once-segregated Metroplitan Opera. For almost 40 years, she was one of America's most beloved and widely recorded sopranos. Price was a leading interpreter of the lirico spinto (Italian for "pushed lyric", or middleweight) roles of Verdi and Puccini, as well as of roles in several operas by Mozart. The voice is noted for its brilliant upper register, the smoky huskiness in the middle and lower registers (sounding almost like a contralto), its smooth "legato" phrasing, and wide dynamic range. She herself called her singing "soul in opera."

Kathleen Battle, Coloratura soprano
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9Q0RlTzVQLW5oQjAmZmVhdHVyZT1QbGF5TGlzdCZwPTc2MURERDg4MjMwNDZDMzUmcGxheW5leHQ9MSZpbmRleD01
Kathleen Battle is a legendary diva who had a famous falling out with the Metropolitan Opera. Known as the difficult Diva of Opera, Ms. Battle enjoyed an illustrous career as darling black diva at the Metropolitan Opera from 1984-1994, peaking in 1993. She was reknown for her excellent portrayal of Zerbinetta in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, and for her Mozart soubrette roles. She won 8 grammy's for her opera and recital recordings, six honorary doctorates and in 1999 was inducted into the NAACP Image Hall of Fame. Notorius for her diva antics at rehearsals and backstage, her opera colleagues revolted against her and had T-shirts made "I survived the Battle" at the end of a run of Daughter of the Regiment at San Franscisco Opera. During a Metropolitan Opera dress rehearsal of that same opera, Miss Battle got in a heated argument with veteran mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias. Miss Battle was fired by the tough-minded boss of the Metropolitan Opera, Joseph Volpe, for "unprofessional behaviour". After this dismissal, there was a domino effect as opera managements around the world cancelled all her contracts, forcing her off stages from London to San Francisco. Kathleen Battle's banishment from that gilded temple of operatic singing in Lincoln Center remains in effect. Here is her performance at the 2008 American Music Awards with Queen Latifa, and Alicia Keys. http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmR5ZnVzZS5jb20vP3E9bm9kZS81NDU4

Harolyn Blackwell, Lyric coloratura soprano
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9STlZdTRHOTlYdUU=Ms. Blackwell's sudden elevation from understudy to star in the production of Donizetti's Daughter of the Regiment when she took over the title role from Kathleen Battle on Feb. 26. Ms. Blackwell, was asked to sing all seven performances, including the broadcast on Feb. 19. The role she's most famous for was the pants role Oscar to Luciano Pavorotti's Renato in Un Ballo in Mascera televised on PBS. After that, she moved to an exotic island and continued to record new music from her home recording studio.

Adele Addison, Soprano

Adele Addison was an acclaimed figure in opera in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1952, her debut performance at Town Hall in New York was met with excellent, enthusiastic reviews. "The recital season reached a high point last night," one critic wrote, "when Adele Addison, soprano from Springfield, Massachusetts, made her debut in Town Hall." Addison's singing voice was complemented by her performance style, which was rich with emotion and intellectual depth. She is best remembered today as the singing voice for Bess (played by Dorothy Dandridge) in the 1959 movie Porgy and Bess. Recorded Twelve Poems by Emily Dickenson at Carnegie Hall with the composer Aaron Copland at the piano in 1949-50.

Shirley Verrett

My favorite Tosca

so calm and cool...then....slam

"QUESTO IL BACIO DI TOSCA!!!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDSOoPxlm_4&feature=related

Betty Allen

Mezzo-soprano Betty Allen made her New York City Opera debut in 1954 as Queenie in Showboat. She made her New York recital debut at Town Hall in 1958, followed by appearances in London, The Hague, Oslo, Montreal, and Berlin. In 1964 she made her formal opera debut at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She made her North American debut with San Francisco Opera in 1966, the Canadian Opera and Bellas Artes in Mexico City in 1971, New York City Opera debut in 1973, Metropolitan Opera in New York in February 1973 (as Commère in Four Saints in Three Acts during the company's visit to Manhattan Forum), and Metropolitan Opera's mini-Met in 1974. She sang at the New York City Opera from 1973 to 1975. Betty Alen also toured as a concert singer, and since 1967 has made regular appearances at the Marlboro and Casals Music Festivals, and has also appeared with the Santa Fe Opera and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and at Ravinia, Saratoga, Tanglewood, and the Cincinnati May and Caramoor music festivals. She currently teaches as Manhattan School of Music and Harlem School of the Arts.

Martina Arroyo, Spinto Soprano
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9azFoWU14MmpzNDA=Although her career was somewhat overshadowed by Leontyne Price she made a name for herself for her interpretations of Verdi, Puccini, Strauss and Mozart, Ms. Arroyo has had the honor of three opening night performances at the Metropolitan Opera, two of them in consecutive seasons. At ease with contemporary music, she has premiered works of William Bolcom and Carlo Franci and was chosen to present the world premiere of Samuel Barber's Andromache's Farewell as well as Karlheinz Stockhausen's Momente. She later recorded both pieces and performed them throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Arroyo has made more than 50 recordings of major operas and orchestral works with such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Karl Böhm, Rafael Kubelik, Zubin Mehta, Thomas Schippers, Ricardo Muti, Claudio Abbado, James Levine and Colin Davis.

Carmen Balthrop, Mezzo soprano
Carmen Balthrop has an astonishing range of repertoire from Baroque opera to contemporary song literature. She has appeared with most of the major opera companies in North America including The Metropolitan, San Francisco and Houston, as well as European opera houses including Venice(Teatro La Fenice) and Berlin (Teatro des Westens).

Mattiwilda Dobbs, Coloratura Soprano
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9ZEtUT3VCdUFKaTQmZmVhdHVyZT1QbGF5TGlzdCZwPTNEOTcyMUMwOTExMDE1RDMmcGxheW5leHQ9MSZpbmRleD0x
First black woman to sing at the Metropolitan Opera before Leontyne. Known for her Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier. The Atlanta native was the first African American to sing at La Scala in Milan, Italy, and the first black woman to be offered a long-term contract by the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York.

Lillian Evans Evanti, Coloratura Soprano
A lyric soprano, she was the first African-American to sing opera with an organized company in Europe. Evanti studied and graduated from Howard Universities School of Music in 1917. She was honored at the Franklin Roosevelt White House in 1934 and won critical acclaim for her role as Violetta in the National Negro Opera Company's production of Verdi's La Traviata in 1943. Lillian Evans Evanti died on December 6th 1967 in Washington D. C.

Dorothy Maynor, Lyric Soprano
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9SDU5cmVfY3R2SUU=Known for her exquisite rendition of "Depuis le jour" was said to sing it more beautifully than anyone on earth. "The voice itself was rare and special enough for history to have been more generous. It was marked by warmth and soul-stirring richness, with bell-like clarity in the upper range, and enhanced by a rare ability to float out a weightless mezza voce. Maynor exploited the device so well, especially in "Depuis le jour" from Louise, that her renderings of the aria still set the standard by which others are judged." Because of her race, she settled to teach at Harlem school of the arts, where she was a founding member.

Leona Mitchell, :Lyric Spinto Soprano http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9NlFmMDRqUU5NblE=
Beautiful voiced and lyric became the new black diva in the 80s after Leontyne's retirement. After starting her family she chose not to come back to the stage. She has a boulevard named after her in her hometown of Detroit.

Marvis Martin, Lyric Soprano Once hailed as the next Leona Mitchell, Marvis Martin had a beautiful creamy lyric soprano voice. She sang 2-3 seasons at the met as Ilia to Carol Vanness' stunning Electra in Mozart's lesser known opera Idomeneo at the Metropolitan in 1985. She moved back to her home state of Florida to start a family and she sings locally.

Marquita Lister, Dramatic Soprano
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9R1pIR0NhUTNKS1k=Marquita Lister, born in Washington, DC, was one of the youngest sopranos to win the Metropolitan Opera Competition at 17. She moved to Indiana to study with Inez Silberg, Leona Mitchell's teacher. After that, she toured the world as Bess and was televised as the cocaine sniffing addict on the televised production with New York City Opera. She continued to tour singing Bess and Aida until during a performance with Florida Opera, a piece of scene confetti got clogged in her throat and she walked off the stage. Backstage as she tried to dislodge the confetti, the mezzo and the conductor sang both vocal parts from backstage and the pit as the opera continued. She is scheduled to appear as Solome in Richard Strauss' opera at Boston Lyric Opera in March 2009.

Michelle Crider, Dramatic Soprano
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9SFJUMllRVDQyNUE=Michelle Crider said in an interview that she never imagined being an operatic superstar and a household name. She is, in operatic circles and continues to sing primarily and the Deuche Oper Berlin and other German houses.

Denyce Graves, Mezzo soprano
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9S1FNMHZ4a3VnZ2M=Born in Washington, DC she attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Oberlin Conservatory and New England Conservatory. After completing the Houston Grand Opera Studio, she took over a string of Carmens upon Marilyn Horne's cancellations in 1988. She continued to sing Carmen all over the world while adding Delilah, Dorabella, the Dragon, Le Vestale, Ducinee and Baba the Turk to her repertoire. Recently finished a run of Carmen at the Washington Opera in November 2008.
Reri Grist, Coloratura soprano
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9SkVrRUFhSkZDT2c=
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9TWU4Ym5RVGZxVHMmZmVhdHVyZT1QbGF5TGlzdCZwPTBEOTdBNTVBMDYzRTlCRUImcGxheW5leHQ9MSZpbmRleD0xMQ==
http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9cVZnQ210aTNtQlU=
Reri Grist (February 29, 1932) is an American coloratura soprano, precursor to Kathleen Battle, and one of the pioneer black singers to enjoy a major international career in opera. Her official operatic debut took place at the Santa Fe Opera in 1959, as Adele in Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus, followed by Blondchen in Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio. Shortly after she was invited to the opera of Cologne to sing the Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute, which marked her European debut in 1960. She became a regular performer at Zurich Opera where she sang in many light coloratura roles, such as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. After her success in Zurich, she found herself much in demand, making her debut at the Royal Opera House and the Glyndebourne Festival, in 1962, followed by the Vienna State Opera and the San Francisco Opera, in 1963, the Salzburg Festival, in 1965, where she sang frequently the Mozart soubrette roles, such as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and Despina in Cosi fan tutte. Her Metropolitan Opera debut took place on February 25, 1966, as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Her other roles at the Met included, Adina in L'elisir d'amore, Norina in Don Pasquale, Gilda in Rigoletto, Olympia in Les contes d'Hoffmann, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, as well as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. Grist was also active teaching at the Munich Hochschule, and giving numerous masterclasses in centers such as Zurich, Ravinia, Bloomington, San Francisco. She currently lives in Hamburg with her husband, noted musicologist, Ulf Thomson. Reri Grist possessed a sweet and agile voice, and a most enchanting presence on stage. She made relatively few recordings, but can be heard as Oscar in two recordings of Un ballo in maschera, the first in 1966, opposite Leontyne Price, and the second in 1975, opposite Martina Arroyo, two African-American sopranos like Grist

Honorable Mention u

New Arrivals

Angela M. Brown, Soprano
http://www.angelambrown.com/

Angela Brown personifies the ideal American dramatic soprano: sheer vocal power; luxurious finesse; shimmering, high pianissimos; and a charming personality larger than life. Her highly successful Metropolitan Opera debut in 2004 sparked a media excitement with reviews from The New York Times: "At last an Aida," the Associated Press: "she combines a potent, dusky lower register with a striking ability to spin out soft high notes of shimmering beauty. There's no doubt her voice is powerful enough for Verdi," CBS Evening News: "the future of opera has arrived," and features on the front page of The New York Times and in Oprah Magazine, Essence Magazine, Ebony Magazine, Classical Singer, Reader's Digest, and Psychology Today. In fall 2009, Angela received the Governor's Arts Award from the Governor of Indiana, a Spirit of the Prairie Award from Conner Prairie in Indiana, and was inducted into the Indianapolis Public Schools Hall of Fame.

Morineke Fadayomi, Soprano
http://www.morenikefadayomi.com

Rich voiced dramatic. Born in London (Fullham), raised in England (London), Africa (Lagos) and Switzerland (Glarus). Dance-Education at the Colombo Dance Factory in Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Acting and Musicals. Classical Voice-Coaching by Prof. U. Preier-Raunacher (Vienna) since 1987. From July 1993 to 1996 Stadttheater Basel (Switzerland) roles: Bizet, Carmen (MICHAELA) / Boito, Mefistofele (ELENA) / Henze, Boulevard Solitude (MANON) / Lehar, Lustige Witwe (HANNA GLAWARI) / Mozart, Zauberflöte (1. DAME) / Puccini, La Boheme (MIMI / MUSETTA) / Rossini, Viaggo a Reims (CONT. FOLLEVILLE). Since August 1997 Soloist at the Deutschen Oper, Düsseldorf (Germany) singing: Catalani, La Wally (WALLY) / D’Albert: Tiefland / Dvorak, Rusalka (RUSALKA) / Eötvös, Drei Schwestern (NATASCHA) / Eötvös, Le Balcon (CARMEN) / Händel, Tamerlano (IRENE) / Humperdinck, Hänsel und Gretel (GRETEL) / Lehar, Lustige Witwe (HANNA GLAWARI) / Mozart, Don Giovanni (ELVIRA) / Mozart, La Finta (ARMINDA) / Janacek, Katja Kabanova (KATJA KABANOVA) / Offenbach, Orfeuss in der Unterwelt ( EURYDICE) / Orff, Carmina Burana (SOPRAN-SOLO) / Porter: Kiss me Kate / Prokofjew, Die Liebe zu den drei Orangen (FATA MORGANA) / Puccini, La Boheme (MIMI) / Puccini, Turandot (LIU) / Smetana, Verkaufte Braut (MARIE) / Strauss, Salome (SALOME) / Strauss, Fledermaus (ROSALINDE) / Strauss, Zigeunerbaron (SAFFI) / Verdi, Macbeth (LADY MACBETH) / Verdi, Aida (AIDA) /Verdi: Falstaff / Wagner, Reingold (WELLGUNDE) / Wagner, Wallküre (HELWIGE).

Lisa Daltirus, Soprano

Engagements from the past few seasons include the title roles of Tosca and Aida for the Seattle Opera, Aida for the Portland Opera, Tosca for the Connecticut Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Arizona Opera. In 2010 and beyond, she returns to the Seattle Opera as Desdemona in Otello and Leonora in Il Trovatore, performs Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana at Opera Lyra Ottawa. Additional recent operatic engagements include Tosca in her debuts with the Palm Beach Opera, Minnesota Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Carolina; Aida at the Cincinnati Opera, Connecticut Opera, and Opera Delaware; Aida with the Michigan Opera Theater; Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana at Opera Theatre of St. Louis; Aida, her role debut as Mimi in La Bohème with the Opera Company of North Carolina; and her role debut as Leonora in Il Trovatore in Hartford, Connecticut. Additional performances include Serena in Porgy and Bess for the Hollywood Bowl, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and on tour in London, Edinburgh, and Cardiff with the Cape Town Opera, the Washington National Opera, the Orlando Philharmonic, and at Opera Company of Philadelphia.

Up and Coming

Indira Mahajan, Soprano
As a premiere interpreter of Bess, she has sung the role with Los Angeles Opera, Dallas Opera, Washington National Opera, the Opera Comique in Paris, Théâtre de Caen, Grand Théâtre in Luxembourg, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Teatro Lirio in Cagliari, the Granada Festival, Staatsoper Hannover, Opera Frankfurt, Deutsches Theater München, Koninklijk Theater Carré in Amsterdam, Congress Centrum Hamburg, and at the Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste.

Laquita Mitchell, Soprano
Laquita Mitchell was praised for her compelling portrayal as Bess and Clara in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at the San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Atlanta Opera and New Jersey State Opera

Janinah Burnett, Soprano
As Mimi in Baz Luhrman’s adaptation of Puccini’s La Bohème, Ms. Burnett received tremendous acclaim winning the “Ovation Award” with a record 82 consecutive sold-out shows.

Angela Gheorghiu - We made all our rehearsals

2008-12-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

Angela Assoluta from Opera News

Outspoken and opinionated, Angela Gheorghiu isn't afraid to act like a diva when the occasion demands it. OUSSAMA ZAHR visits with the soprano, the glamorous centerpiece of the Met's gala La Rondine on New Year's Eve.

Angela Gheorghiu is the picture of breezy success. Dressed in jeans and a brown hoodie-camisole, with just a naughty peek of a leopard-print bra, she arranges herself for the videographer she has brought to tape our interview in the café of Manhattan's exquisite Mandarin Oriental hotel. But as he sets up his camera, the hotel's management descends upon us to forbid its use. Gheorghiu is just as quick to act. She collects her things, muttering, "We can go to another place. I don't care about this hotel," and turns to her interviewer with equal decision. "You have your recording," she teases, gesturing to my audio recorder, "and I have mine." And with that, like Adam and Eve expelled from Eden, we make our way into the harsh light of a balmy Manhattan afternoon for a chat in Central Park — Angela, me, the Romanian videographer and her publicist, smiling bravely as he can. Gheorghiu is a bit of an anomaly on the opera scene today. She hasn't embraced the conciliatory attitude of her colleagues. Other singers wear the provided costumes and pepper their interviews with praise for their peers or the necessary demurrals. They talk about the stability of family life and the importance of recognizing the transience of applause and public devotion. Gheorghiu does not abide by this modern value-system. She likes to request new costumes, is honest about a performer's desire to be adored, and when she says, "No comment," it usually means something akin to "We're just getting started." But what you won't necessarily get from the gossip or press releases is that she is flirty and fascinating, sweet and self-possessed. She has many kind words for her fellow singers, fewer for some directors, and considers herself lucky that she has the clout to sit down with a company's impresario for a nice dinner to talk about the future. Gheorghiu returns to the Met this month in Nicolas Joël's romantic, art-deco-inspired staging of La Rondine. Gheorghiu seems to have a better relationship with general manager Peter Gelb than she did with his predecessor, Joe Volpe, who fired her from a run of Traviata, among other disciplinary actions, though he did continue to engage her until his retirement. (Of Volpe, Gheorghiu says, "He need[ed] publicity, but bad publicity.") Gelb is committed to bringing the soprano to the house more often and with greater fanfare — he booked her for an HD transmission of Bohème (now available on DVD), a concert in Brooklyn's Prospect Park last summer and a forthcoming new production of Carmen. And Gelb isn't the only one. David Gockley, general director of San Francisco Opera, arranged for Gheorghiu to make her debut with his company in 2007, utilizing the same production of Rondine she brings to the Met this month. After fifteen years as a star, Gheorghiu is still a marketing force to be reckoned with, and they must know it. "[Gockley] really wanted me to be there, and to have a production that I love. He saw the production in Covent Garden, so the production we do here, it's my production, no?" she says with a smile, "so it's my fault." Gheorghiu seems to like the character of Magda, the opera's heroine. "She is Violetta with a happy end. She is Manon with a happy end…. I am happy I am not dying for once." Puccini's Magda begins the opera as a romantic dreamer but acts pragmatically in the end, deciding against a romanticized life with a man to pursue her own path. "You know Puccini, he wrote at least three type of finale," Gheorghiu explains. "I choose the one that is most appropriate and near the title of the opera, La Rondine [the swallow]. She's flying, she's flying. It's a mystery. You don't know exactly where she is going — maybe to the previous life, maybe her home. You don't know where."

Gheorghiu is notoriously picky about whom she performs with, where, why and in what production, so it's not surprising that both San Francisco and the Met have engaged her in a staging for which she has expressed an affinity. It eliminates the guesswork of pairing her with a director. "I'm not going [just] to have my fee. A performance for me, it's a part of me. It's a ritual — starting with solfeggio, starting with rehearsal, starting with doing my languages, my makeup — everything. After each performance, a part of my blood is there, but in a real way." She has little to no patience for productions that update the settings of operas or frame them in a different action. For her, the presentational style of the subject matter must match the style of the music. This isn't exactly a new idea. Divas of the old guard — those watchful sentinels of good taste — shake their heads and insist they never would have obliged the far-flung conceits of imaginative directors. But Gheorghiu is unique among active singers in braving such a stance. And boy does she do it publicly! It's gotten to the point where she doesn't even mention Jonathan Miller by name anymore, simply referring to a "Traviata in Paris" and a director who showed up with the booklet of her CD and little working knowledge of Italian and French. "This is a strange point — why nobody speaks opera languages. French or Italian. Because imagine somebody, a producer, making a new production, in English National Theatre, Shakespeare, and he's not speaking a word of English. In opera that happens very often — no comment." She continues, "It's like me not knowing the notes and the words. How can [a director] build a personnage on something [he doesn't] know? Thanks to us [the singers]. Oh, that's easy — so everybody can do it. It's unfair, it's unfair, it's unfair. When an opera singer comes, everybody asks us everything. To be nice with everybody, to know the role perfectly, the words, the pronunciation, not one mistake. If you do one mistake, whoa, everybody gets — no? Other people, they know zero, nothing. And we engage them. They don't have the lesson really prepared. And if we [the singers] are not prepared, everybody they are shooting us." Even her critically acclaimed performances don't always have an easy birth. Take, for instance, the sold-out run of Faust at Covent Garden in 2004. When asked about his working relationship with Gheorghiu on that production, director David McVicar chooses his words carefully: "I'm trying to put this into words that you can publish in something where you want to speak well of Angela. Presumably this is a positive profile you're doing of her." Silence. Then … several more minutes of silence. That was the end of the interview.

On one hand, there are artistic differences; on the other hand, there's Chicago. Gheorghiu's scheduled coast-to-coast U.S. itinerary last season, from Chicago to San Francisco to New York, suffered a false start when she was fired from a run of La Bohème at Lyric Opera of Chicago, her first engagement with the company since her 1999 debut in Roméo et Juliette, before performances began. She had left the Windy City during rehearsals to see her husband, tenor Roberto Alagna, perform at the Met in New York. Gheorghiu speaks openly about the debacle. "It's unfair for the public. [General director William Mason] made a really stupid and unfair and unrespectful [decision] for the public. He behaved like a child. Because it's much more important to have the respect for thousands of people who buy the ticket to see Angela than in front of two colleagues and himself. Because I asked them to go and see Roberto. So, I made all the rehearsals necessary for La Bohème and for Angela, eh? I remember they need a little bit of publicity because they have problems with unions in that period. I remember, Traviata and things." Gheorghiu is referring to the American Guild of Musical Artists' threatened strike of the season-opening La Traviata; the Associated Press reported on her firing and the strike, which never ultimately occurred, in the same article on September 28, 2007. "The cast — they are good colleagues. Of course, I spoke with everybody. I said, 'Ragazzi….' Everybody understands me. I am friend with everybody. It's not a matter of cast. We made all our rehearsals. I made rehearsal with orchestra and with everybody." Gheorghiu concludes by saying she had wanted to "cancel this before," because she didn't like the production. "The production — no comment. It's a poor Franco Zeffirelli production. Everyone accept her [director Renata Scotto], because she's a wonderful singer, but as a producer — no comment." (It should be noted that, though Scotto staged the revival, the original producer was Pier Luigi Pizzi.) In response to OPERA NEWS's request for a statement for this article, William Mason, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, wrote, "Ms. Gheorghiu never asked Lyric management for a release. She missed more than half of her scheduled rehearsals and did not attend the costume fittings for the new costumes she requested. On the day of the stage/orchestra rehearsal we were informed by her assistant that she was en route to New York. Ms. Gheorghiu and the management of Lyric clearly have differing views on the respect owed to one's colleagues, including director Renata Scotto, and to the public, who deserve a well-rehearsed production befitting a major international opera house." But, as is only appropriate with opera, half the scandal comes from cancellations; the other half comes from the actual engagements. At least that's true in Italy. The London Times reported on the greeting Gheorghiu received from the Italian critics for her Traviata at La Scala in 2007, "Gheorghiu sings the way they used to sing in provincial opera houses a long time ago" (Il Giornale), and "She acts onstage like the diva she believes herself to be: with hysteria" (Corriere della Sera). The reviews are classic opera-as-spectator-sport fare, but they are not isolated observations. In a concert review for The London Times in May 2007, Neil Fisher criticized the "mincing and bizarre hand puppetry" that accompanied Gheorghiu's rendition of "Stridono lassù." The reviews refer to Gheorghiu's busy physicality and the way she plays with her hands in front of her face when she sings. Surely, she is no longer the lovingly restrained figure captured on video in Richard Eyre's 1994 Traviata from Covent Garden, when she was being hailed by many as the most magnificent voice of her generation. But if she seems undirected, it might be because she is. "[Some directors] listen to me sing and just sit with tears in their eyes and don't challenge me," she told Warwick Thompson of the London Times. "I need to have help, and I don't always get it."

Still, Gheorghiu has a voice that people want to hear. And what a strange and brilliant voice it is, not only for the way it sounds but for what it can do. The quality is itself paradoxical: it sounds unnervingly fragile, constantly shuddering on the verge of tears, but it also has a wild, stabbing thrust. Gheorghiu is that rare soprano with a slender sound that is so densely packed with color, strength and vibration that it can survive roles that make bigger, wobblier lyric voices split open. Still, it's not made of titanium, and Gheorghiu knows it. Aside from a warmly received Boccanegra Amelia, she takes few risks — Violetta, Marguerite, Mimì, Magda and L'Amico Fritz have been central to her repertoire for more than a decade. Until now. After countless offers to sing Puccini's Madama Butterfly, Gheorghiu finally went into the studio in July and recorded it. This is a leap. Gheorghiu is very aware that her past recordings have led to stage engagements — some of them rapturously received (La Rondine), others less so (Tosca). "I'm sad I don't have Puccini today, because otherwise, I could ask him not to do that second act [of Butterfly]. Because of the second act, it's too tough. I want to keep my voice." She thinks it would help to have the tenor around more in Act II, even though most people can agree that his absence is a dramatic necessity. But Gheorghiu is a romantic about it: she thinks Pinkerton was really in love. She and Jonas Kaufmann, her Pinkerton on the recording, disagreed on this point. Gheorghiu explains, with a laugh, "He thought [Pinkerton] is, he said in Italian, figlio di putana. I thought, at least once in the duo ['Vogliatemi bene'], he is in love and it is a love duet." Kaufmann, who clearly adores working with Gheorghiu, counters good-naturedly, "All the things he says about women — it's pretty disgusting." Still, he concedes, "The moment when the theme of the duet starts, it creates such a beautiful atmosphere. And in that atmosphere, obviously we are [carried] away." It's nice to know in this day and age, when full-length studio recordings are becoming rarer and rarer, that colleagues can still come together to record their thoughts on this literature. Gheorghiu is circumspect about other future roles. Elisabetta in Don Carlo? "I wanted to sing four acts, but Tony Pappano asked me to sing five. And I say no. This is absolutely truth. If you want it. I can't sing five acts. Maybe I'm too careful." (Gheorghiu is referring to her withdrawal from a scheduled Don Carlo at Covent Garden.) Mozart? "Maybe. You know what's happened with Mozart — I am too sauvage. Wild." Desdemona? "When Roberto will sing Otello, I will sing Desdemona. This is my condition. He will. Soon." Bel canto? "It's nice, Lucia, no?" She starts humming "Verranno a te." Do companies offer Norma? "Certo. From the very beginning. I'll see. I sang 'Casta diva' many times. So it's perfect, 'Casta diva.' But all the role, it's a bit too long." She may record it, she says.

Gheorghiu's new interest is having operas composed for her. "I dream of having composers thinking about my voice and writing music — and doing everything they want for me and me for them." Her one condition is that it must be "good to sing, [written] for an opera singer, not for an instrument. Because the voice it is an instrument, but a very sensitive instrument. And the technique to write for voice, it is not the same. Like you study harmony in school, you must study the voice." Vladimir Cosma wrote Marius et Fanny for the couple, and they performed it in Marseilles in 2007. The recording reveals a lush tonality in a lean orchestration with traces of late-nineteenth-century Italian opera and an eminently singable score. "I just sang Marius et Fanny, it was — mwah! Yum yum yum," she trills. "I have a bad wig, but it's okay." It's hard to end the interview without discussing the press. Her high-profile appearances in new productions at Covent Garden, arguably her operatic home base, are heralded with the kind of love/hate profiles in British periodicals that American tabloids such as Us Weekly and In Touch usually reserve for the likes of Britney Spears. Asked what she thinks about these sensationalistic articles, Gheorghiu laughs, "Which one? Remind me. Because I have a book." Her response, it turns out, is ingenious: she is commissioning operas on the subjects of Bonnie and Clyde and Draculette, two of the media's favorite points of reference for the diva. "They give us an idea — thank you very much!" She explains, "What can I do? I take the good part of it. Because finally I really try to understand their reactions. More than this, I never heard about Bonnie and Clyde, I never saw the movie, I never understand the connection. I didn't know who is Bonnie, who is Clyde — on my ears, seems both men or women. I had no idea. And finally, I thought, 'That's amusing. Why not? Okay, let's play.'" To anyone who was questioning it, Gheorghiu is still game.

Madama Butterfly: What's not to love

2008-11-28T07:27:00.000-08:00

Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera (Review)

How can you not love Madama Butterfly. The story a US navy officer goes to Nagasaki Japan and brokers a marriage with a 15 year old girl, then goes to the next port, leaving her with a baby. She, just a baby herself, thinks that he will return and waits for 3 years looking out to sea every day waiting for his ship to return. Everyone is telling her that he won't return and when he finally does return with his American wife...she self destructs. Who can Not love this story, this music. Finally, after waiting 11 months, I got to hear Patricia Racette perform her Madama Butterfly, that she performed at San Francisco Opera last year to great acclaim.

Patricia was a great study character and I would recommend all sopranos who sing this role go check her out. She has put much time into the study of a Geishia and has the mannerisms down pat. She has the tiny steps down, the demure bending of the body, the shyness and the bashfulness all implemented in her character and she never lets up. Even during the must emotionally rent moments she stays in character. I loved that, but sometimes I wished that she would come out of character, if just to soar with the music.
The music was beautifully delivered by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra...whats not to love. Dwayne Croft sang a matchless Pinkerton delivering plumb bass baritone lines in a lovely legato. Marchello Giordano replaced an ailing Roberto Aronica as B.F. Pinkerton, and delivered a squally tenor hacking out notes from his core. Maria Zifchak sang a scratchy Suzuki which leaves me to think her days at the Met may be numbered. But the talk of the town was Patricia Racette's Butterfly.

I wondered how she had received great acclaim for singing this role at SFO, but I quickly realized that her support from the gay community was probably most responsible for this promotion. Racette's voice is a rather generic lyric soprano voice. She has beautiful focus up and down the scale and her instrument is in line. She tended to sing toward the flat side of her tones, and had a tinny and lightweight timbre. There were one or two moments when she allowed power to take over her voice but you got the feeling that that moment was the absolute top of her game. With the dearth of diva's available to sing this dramatic repertoire, I have to give her kudo's because she did sing it. While her soprano would not be my choice of vehicle for the role, she did not have any problems managing throughout the opera. She sang the role steadily in her own voice and she did not try to push or make her voice bigger than it was and she had no glitches. I must say I admire her for not attempting to sing the role bigger than her instrument allowed or to overdo the singing the way that Christiana Gallardo-Domas did two seasons ago. Racette was very much aware of where the music was going and handled the pacing of the role very well.

That said, I would have prefered a bigger, plummier, heavier sounding Butterfly if only because tradition dictates it that way. In the program notes it states that Butterfly had its Met and US premier in 1907 with Puccini in the audience with Enrico Caruso and Geraldine Farrar in the lead roles. And that Puccini always maintained that 'Farrar's voice was too small for the part.' I think Puccini would say that Racette's voice is too small for this role also. Racette is no Tebaldi, Stratas or Price. However, I think we must also celebrate today's divas, give them a chance, and not always compare them to great soprano's of the past. I waited for 11 months to hear Racette and although I'm not in any way disappointed in her performance, I had expected a Leontyne Price voice which was wrong of me. There will only be one Leontyne, one Tebaldi, one Stratas. I cannot expect to hear that kind of greatness any more. Therefore, I have to give Miss Racette her props for singing the most difficult opera in the repertoire...with no difficulty at all. And I congratulate her on her wonderful accomplishment. Job well done. She will grow into it even more. Whats not to love.

Patricia Racette - A Salute to Opera's Lesbian Diva

2008-11-25T11:54:00.000-08:00

Patricia Racette talks about being married to Beth Clayton in an Operatically Homophobic World

from "The Diva Next Door"

Patricia Racette is out, proud and operatic

Interview by Will O'BryanPhotograph by Douglas Merriam Published on April 26, 2007

Opera is like beets -- people love it or hate it. But regardless of one's taste for opera, Patricia Racette is one to watch -- and a feather in the gay community's cap. An acclaimed soprano, Racette has graced stages across the United States and Europe as a leading lady. And she graced the cover of Opera News magazine in 2002, coming out to the opera world as a lesbian.

In her day-to-day life, she makes her home in Santa Fe, N.M., with her partner and fellow opera singer, Beth Clayton. Defying the tragedy of opera, the two found joy on stage. Their relationship blossomed at the Santa Fe Opera as both performed in La Traviata.

Today, the couple continues their operatic ascent. Racette has broadened her scope with cabaret, including a recent performance at the Birchmere in Alexandria. But the main reason for Racette's arrival in Washington is for Jenůfa, a Czech opera by Leoš Janáček, presented by the Washington National Opera. Racette plays the title role -- a lovelorn woman who suffers, and suffers some more. The Houston Chronicle praised her portrayal of the character in 2004, offering: ''Patricia Racette sang radiantly as she moved through Jenůfa's rampaging emotions.... [S]he transformed herself from a vocally alluring singer to a mesmerizing singing actress.'' Still, Racette says, in one vein, she's simply a song-and-dance girl with a down-to-earth attitude. Don't expect much in the way of diva.

METRO WEEKLY: You hear the term diva all the time, but when applied to you, it actually has meaning. How do you define it?

PATRICIA RACETTE: They use it more now in pop culture, but it belonged to the operatic genre forever. ''Diva'' -- I believe the literal translation for the word is ''goddess.'' [Laughs.]

MW: When you hear it applied to you, are you flattered?

RACETTE: Well, it's used in a derogatory manner a lot of the time. I don't hear it applied to me very often in that respect, which I'm pleased about. [Laughs.] When said with a certain tone of voice or intention, it can mean a self-centered, self-promoting, ''must be my way'' kind of person. I'm not that person. Professionally, collaboration is a very, very important aspect of what I do. I think the art form is richest when there are high levels of collaboration. That being said, collaboration is not always going to be without conflict. And I'm not afraid of confrontation or conflict. It can be incredibly productive. But I don't behave like a diva in a sense that, because I sing, I think I'm better than other people. I see that sometimes in singers. Because of that gift, they don't treat others well. I don't understand that.

MW: So, to be clear, you're not the sort who'll hurl perfume bottles across her dressing room?

RACETTE: I don't even wear perfume. I did throw a wig across the dressing room, because it was hideous. I was furious because they wouldn't change it, but I didn't get my way. Like anything in life, I find that handling things with humor and charm and understanding for the other person's position is always a better way to go. As soon as you state a strong opinion or are at all insistent -- and you have to be passionate about your choices as an artist, and I am -- you can be easily and wrongly labeled a diva. ''Oh, she's having a 'diva fit.''' When, in fact, you're just standing up for what you wish, instead of throwing a fit for absolutely nothing. Whenever I'm really insistent, it's for clear, artistic reasons -- not just so my ego can be stroked appropriately. [Laughs.]

MW: Does that sense of passion carry into other parts of your life?

RACETTE: What comes first, the chicken or the egg? I've always been a person who seeks out what I want. And I want to be treated with respect. Basically, I'm a very down-to-earth person, and very accessible. It sometimes works against me, because there is a preconceived idea of what a soprano is and they expect a certain amount of attitude and behavior and non-accessibility -- as you say, perfume bottles thrown across the room -- and I'm nothing like that. There are, in fact, quite a few aspects to being an opera singer that don't suit me as a person at all. If someone's looking for the traditional diva persona, I'm not their girl.

MW: When did you realize you wanted a career in opera?

RACETTE: I didn't know I wanted a career in it. I happened into opera. I went to a school in Texas, then called North Texas State University, because of their great jazz program. I was interested in singing jazz/cabaret/pop. It was made clear to me by teachers and whatnot that I clearly had an operatic or ''classical'' voice. My voice really lent itself to that sort of vocal expression. So there we have it. It found me. I think that happens a lot.

MW: What sort of singing were you doing before college, back in high school in New Hampshire?

RACETTE: I was playing my guitar and writing my own songs and singing sort of... I guess you characterize it as ''folksy.'' I was singing in a jazz chorale group and loving it. Really, what I found is that I wanted to sing. And while I pursued in high school and early college a career singing jazz and cabaret, it wasn't that specific because I hadn't been exposed to enough material to know what really suited me. When I realized the theatricality inherent in opera, that's when I really fell in love with it. Part of my thing is being a stage animal. That's what really won me over.

MW: When you're performing opera, is the experience as passionate for you as it is for the audience, or is it more a technical exercise?

RACETTE: It's not technical. It's incredibly passionate. It's incredibly cathartic, frankly, to portray these stories and these situations. It's remarkable. Patricia Racette

MW: With opera being full of such tragic characters, do you need time to recover after a performance?

RACETTE: In a manner of speaking, yes. There is a physical involvement that's very intense, but there's also the emotional. When you're rehearsing these life-and-death situations six days a week, that's when you really feel exhausted. That's when you learn your pacing. Yes, it's exhausting, but it somehow flushes something out emotionally. That's what I mean when I say it's cathartic.

MW: Can you tell me a little about Jenůfa? It sounds so tragic.

RACETTE: It is so tragic, but it's incredible. Janáček is really a master of creating theater on the stage. It's just so believable and so upsetting and so real. These characters are complex. It's a great story and it's amazing music.

MW: What about your other performances, like this recent Birchmere event? Is this a branching out for you?

RACETTE: It's new in terms of it being present in this particular chapter of my life, but it's like returning home, coming back to the stuff I wanted to do originally. I love it. It's that intimate setting, that interaction with the audience, and singing these tunes that are just incredible. I do that whenever I possibly can.

MW: What songs are you singing?

RACETTE: ''Guess Who I Saw Today'' by Elisse Boyd. Billy Barnes' ''Too Long at the Fair.'' A song called ''Not Exactly Paris.'' These are all songs that are not very well known, but I'm just in love with them. It's cabaret, without question. [The Birchmere] was really fun. There was lots of laughter. It was very casual. By nature, I'm an informal person. Getting back to the earlier question about ''diva,'' there is a formality that people expect from a diva. I mean, I know how to dress up with the best of them, but my true nature is a lot more casual and informal. That's where the cabaret genre really suits me.

MW: Changing gears, can you tell me about your relationship with Beth Clayton, about your wedding?

RACETTE: We're going to celebrate 10 years this year. We got together in '97 in Santa Fe. I was singing Violetta in La Traviata, and she was singing Flora. There was a sort of undeniable energy and chemistry we had. We're a very harmonious, happy couple. We're very lucky. We decided to have a ceremony during our eighth year, 2005. We did it in Santa Fe. Our families met for the first time. It was beautiful. It was a great celebration, and very validating.

MW: And the ''True Colors'' concert organized by Charles Busch, when the two you sang the Lakmé duet....

RACETTE: It was so cool. It was the week after our wedding, and on my 40th birthday. It was really exciting to be there, to be part of it, having just been married, then to go there and sing in this concert celebrating gay pride. That was a lot of fun for us.

MW: Do you sing to each other much behind closed doors?

RACETTE: No. In fact, we don't even listen to music that much. I sing a little bit in the shower sometimes. But when your life is spent making music -- as with any job, you have to do it even when you don't feel like it -- one ends up valuing their silence. When you're a two-singer family, one really values their silence. You want a break from it all.

MW: So what is your domestic life like? It sounds like you have a dog.

RACETTE: Yes, we do. She's in the car with me now.

MW: What's her name?

RACETTE: Sappho. [Laughs.] Very thematic, don't you think? Sapphie doesn't really know she's a dog. She doesn't rough-it well. She's the diva of the family, truth be told. Returning to our domesticity, we love cooking together. We're homebodies. There's nothing like sleeping in your own bed and cooking in your own kitchen. We absolutely love that. We worked really hard to make our house cozy and comfortable and a place of relaxation and enjoyment, and it is one.

MW: How did you two decide on Santa Fe? Was it the opera house?

RACETTE: My first time in Santa Fe was 1996, when I debuted there. I was born and raised in New Hampshire. It could not be more different, in terms of landscape, from the green lushness of New England. I just fell in love with the arid, high desert look and feel. I fell in love with the big, open sky. It was magical. It also holds an emotional ''specialness'' because we fell in love in Santa Fe. They call it the land of enchantment, and it really is true.

MW: With your celebrity, do people in Santa Fe stop you on the street and ask you for your autographs?

RACETTE: No. That's what's great about opera. Those who really follow it and like your work, they'll approach you. But, basically, it's not Hollywood. We're really afforded some privacy. That being said, in my neighborhood in Santa Fe, I don't like warming up and seeing my neighbors stop on the street and listen as they're walking their dogs. It feels like my privacy is invaded. On one level, it's flattering. On another level, I really want privacy.

MW: Beyond your first Santa Fe performance, how often have you and Beth performed together?

RACETTE: Not very often.

MW: Are there particular challenges when you do?

RACETTE: Sometimes there can be some tension, but it's fun. It's been very important for Beth to have her own thing. She's younger than I am and started later. She wants to have her own thing and have it be about her -- and rightfully so. We are a couple, but we have our own careers, our own paths. Of course, we consult, check with one another on our choices so that we're able to spend time together. Other than that, it's okay that we don't sing together all the time, frankly.

MW: Were you out long before you met Beth?

RACETTE: Privately, I'd say I've been out since I was 20. In print, I wasn't out till that Opera News cover in 2002. For example, most people who knew me in college knew I was a lesbian. It just wasn't in print, which was somewhat different. It didn't all happen in one event. It sort of trickled into my life.

MW: Was it a welcome trickle?

RACETTE: My mom has since passed away, but [my parents] were great, totally supportive. Beth's family is terrific too. I mean, I really am their daughter-in-law. It's really remarkable. In fact, they paid for our wedding reception. They're great. We're really blessed. We're really fortunate to have family that don't just tolerate, but fully embrace us. For example, Beth has gone to visit my family without me. It's that kind of interaction we have with them. It's just great.

MW: It sounds like coming to terms with your sexual orientation was not too problematic.

RACETTE: On a very personal level, it was. It all first happened when I was 19 and I was completely freaked out. The discovery of that was scary. I was raised Catholic. There were a lot of things to ''disentangle'' in my self-perception. It was very difficult. But nothing is worse than not being your full self. Nothing.

MW: After you came out so publicly in Opera News, were you afraid of being typecast? Perhaps of being pushed toward ''trouser roles,'' playing men?

RACETTE: No, because that's a voice thing. That's sort of the beauty of opera. You can't choose what it is you feel like doing. You just hope that your repertoire is somehow harmonious with the person you are. And trouser roles -- Beth did a lot of them -- are mezzo roles and I'm a soprano. I've done one, and I look terrible in trousers! I'm a curvaceous, busty woman. [Laughs.] I was asked, aren't you afraid that being out and gay will affect how your portray stories onstage? And I said no. Before anyone knew, they found me believable -- it's called acting. Second of all, in sort of more ''cosmic'' sense, it's not that difficult to imagine. I think sexuality is fluid. To be identified with one sexuality is fine, but it doesn't make another so unimaginable or unreachable or unportrayable.

MW: How does coming out in the opera world compare to other professional arenas? Is it a fairly progressive universe, or does it cause as much of a stir as a professional athlete coming out?

RACETTE: I think it's more conservative than the theater, the acting world. But I can't say it's more conservative than Hollywood, where I'm sure there are still closeted actors. There is a level of tolerance in the opera world. It's not like being a banker or a school teacher, that's for sure. That's an added plus.

MW: Can you point to any homophobia you've faced either in the opera realm, or outside of it, aside from institutional homophobia?

RACETTE: Yeah. I had a troubling incident in New York, when I had to rush to the emergency room. It was right after Sept. 11. It ended up being a ''severe peptic attack,'' somebody called it. It was severe. I could not finish two syllables together. I believe the phrase is ''diaphoretic.'' I was completely drenched [in sweat], I couldn't breathe. We went to the hospital at 2 in the morning. It's really one of the worst experiences I've ever had. Beth was there and the male nurse -- Who was an ass! That's the nicest thing I can say about him -- said ''Who are you?'' to her. She said, ''I'm her partner.'' He said, ''Well, you'll have to sit out in the waiting room.'' They were going to call the cops to get her out of the emergency room with me. They just left me sitting there in excruciating pain, and there's Beth not knowing what's wrong with me. Meanwhile, there are people sitting there in the emergency room with their spouses. This was at Mount Sinai in New York.

MW: Returning to opera, do you know if you have a large gay following?

RACETTE: I don't know. I have received notes and flowers and notes of appreciation for coming out because I am in a public profession. It's all been very gratifying. But truth be told, I came out for personal reasons. Being honest about who I am is very important to me.

MW: You haven't suffered any regret for the very public coming-out, right?

RACETTE: That's the one question I'm asked more than any other, I have to tell you. Pretty much every interview includes, ''Have you noticed any negative effects of coming out?'' No, but I don't think I would be privy to that knowledge. If administrators in opera companies who do the hiring have an issue about the fact that I'm a lesbian, I wouldn't know about it. I would just be overlooked, or passed over for a job. Opera News told me my cover was a huge seller. There were a couple letters that were very displeased that I became public. Which is just phenomenal to me. What is that? I've actually had gay people, older gay people, come up to me and ask, ''Why do you need to come out? Why do you have to advertise it? Just be who you are.'' But if someone asks a heterosexual person if they're married, they don't say, ''I'd rather not talk about that.'' They say, simply, ''Yes.'' I'm tired of it being this extra issue. I'm also not going to be ashamed of something that's the best thing in my life.

Secrets of Singing: Vocal Technique (Republished)

2008-10-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

Secrets of Singing: Vocal Technique (Republished) Category: School, College, Greek
by Maria Freeman

RESONANCE AND SINGING IN THE MASK
Singing in the mask is the most important concept of resonance and projection. When you sing in the mask, the voice fachs on its own. When the voice has the freedom to cascade up and down the scale in the mask, it will project. Rosa Ponsell categorized the mask as the forehead area around the nose, eyes, and cheekbones.

CHIAROSCURO
An italian term used by artists, chiaroscuro is the light and dark shading and highlighting a painter uses on a canvas. The natural voice has its own coloring and shading in every note. Allowing the voice to 'be' and by not brightening or darkening or modifying the sound, allows each note to express its own light and dark coloring. The voice creates its own chiaroscuro based on position of the vocal cords and the vowel. Chiaroscuro is the color of the instrument on every note.

SPINNING THE BREATH
The spin of the breath should match the weight of one's voice. If one has a big voice then the breath takes a slower spin because the cords are thicker. If one has a lighter voice then the breath takes a faster spin because the vocal cords are thinner. Those with big voices need not push the breath. Allowing the breath to complement the big lush voilet sound comfortably in the cupo, is a good feeling. Lighter voices can find the cupo also.

FINDING THE CUPO
The cupo or cupola http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vZW4ud2lraXBlZGlhLm9yZy93aWtpL0N1cG9sYQ== is the fleshy part right behind the hard pallet at the center of the roof of the mouth. It is also referred to as the soft pallet but that really does not describe its meaning or its function here. It all sounds very much like imagery but the cupo is the dome of a cathedral where the sound goes up straight and reverberates. In singing the cupo is the fleshy part at the top of the mouth where the sound reverberates through the crown of the head. But finding that place is the same concept as finding that spot in a church where you are experiencing that live sound that goes up into the vault. Singing in the cupo is finding the vault in top of the roof of the mouth. There's the hard pallet, the soft pallet and the cupo which is higher than the soft pallet. It also is the spot where the high notes go. The truth is that regardless of how it sounds, when you first start utilizing the cupo you must sing in the upper register. Many singers never utilize the cupo and so it is closed down. One must vocalize in the cupo to so call "clean the cobwebs out of the attic." When I first started working with my teacher on accessing the cupo, it sounded a mess. I had never utilized the area before and I was cracking all over the place. She said..'.let it be. You have never worked this area and we are now cleaning out the cobwebs. You are now waking up the cupo.' After a couple of months, the facility started to sound like real notes Cs Ds, Es, Fs.

Disclaimer: One must continually refind the cupo using"memory sensation." This I learned from a famous New York voice teacher and is only my interpretation of the study of accessing and finding the cupo.

VOCALIZING
Vocalization is the main thing that helps the voice warm up. You should have your chosen vocalises to take you through warm up paces. One must be careful not to over vocalise as you do not want to strip the vocal cords of its sheen before a performance. Oftentimes, the voice will take longer to warm up if you are not well rested or are experiencing the onset of a cold. This is why it is so important to get more rest than you think you need, and more nutrition than you will need. The body can burn up to 1000 calories singing opera, depending on the role. The stress encountered during an operatic performance demands much peace in other areas of your life.

MANAGING THE TONGUE
The tongue is a gigantic muscle that sits in the center of your mouth. The tongue is very helpful in singing: it is the basis for all vowels and consonants. The tongue is very important in singing. One of the ways it is important also, is that it supports THE CUPO on the high notes. The tongue arches Pg 24 of Opera Singing by William Murry Thompson 1. and widens and lifts THE CUPO. Although this does sound like technique, this cheoreagraphy happens very naturally if you let it 'happen' and not be afraid of it. The mouth naturally wants to open larger and get wider during high notes. Allowing the tongue to arch and support THE CUPO causes the breath to spin around the top of the head, giving top notes lots of space. While the top notes are beautiful and free...make sure your accompanist doesn't get in 'the spirit' and start leading the music. When you are working with THE CUPO you are working with luxurious top sounds that need space, breath, and time. Allow the tongue to stretch out, be free and arch...also as per Pg. 23 of Opera Singing, "resulting in a 'S' shape rather than a simple curl with the mass forward. See Figure 2."

VOWELS
Of course we have to deal with vowels as the are the basis of our singing. A,E,I, O, U. All vowels should be vocalized on the open vowel. Only when you get into the various languages should you consider modification and that only applies to everything above A4.

JOURNALING
Journaling is practical for life and singing purposes. One must keep a journal to spot good habits and erraticate bad habits. A journal helps you prepare before singing so that you will know what you need to do before each performance. Keeping track of your various spaces when practicing, helps you prepare for the next performance. Rest, sleep, and eating the right foods help the body stay healthy which is the instrument of the voice. The less stress one has in their lives the better the singing. Avoid all stressful events and people at all times for healthy singing experiences.

Guiseppi DiStefano: 1924-2008 “...I smoked a lot, gambled, and stayed up late"

2008-03-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

“I wanted to enjoy life — not just the opera,”

One of the most beloved tenors previous to the Pavarotti and Domingo era, has expired.

While we'll never know what he could have been, we did know that when he DID sing...he was fabulous.

Whether or not he burned the candle at both ends....well....we are suspicious that he may have.

Or maybe he and Callas were just so full of music they just rushed to it to put it all out there before they got old.

Whatever the reason for their rapid decline, spellbounding force of life, energetic possessed manner of encompassing their music, their singing.....stands the test of time.

Callas and DiStefano were an item. Callas had her picks of castmates..and DiStefano was her tenor.....Ebi Stignani and Giulietta Simionato were her mezzos. Callas called the shots...DiStefano was on her team.

DiStefano continued to be content with living in the shadow of Maria Callas after her death. I don't think he really tried to sing after that. He surely could live off of royalties of all his performances and recordings if only for a short career of 10 years give or take. The library of music he contributed to opera can never be challenged.

The voice...well...he had a lovely pianissimo. But most of the time he sang hard and harsh to me. Could have been the cigarettes though. But he was a ladies man..and ladies like hard and harsh!

We love you Guiseppi!

Roberto Alagna......The Man......The Legend.....The Story

2007-11-14T12:47:00.000-08:00

Roberto Alagna
The Man
The Legend
The Story

Last December at La Scala, in Milan, during Celeste Aida, Alagna cracked on the final high Bb.

The La Scala audience — erupted in boos and whistles.

The sensitive artist, Roberto Alagna, stormed off the stage ...refusing to return to finish the opera.

The incident made headlines worldwide and on Youtube..

La Scala cancelled the rest of Alagna's sold out engagement without pay.

Alagna stood outside the opera house for 1 week putting on concerts for the fans who paid to see him

"He will never sing anywhere else again" said the critics.

Alagna's made his comeback in a last-minute request to sing Radames at the Met after the principal cancelled.

"Tonight, I have finally put away the ghosts of Milan that have haunted me,"

One's gift makes room for them.

Maria's Music Review | 'Aida' 10/16/07 Whose the winner Aida or Amneris?

2007-10-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Aida at the Met

The Metropolitan Opera’s new strategy of plugging sudden holes in its casts with big names has its beneficiaries. The emergency performers come off like cavalry to the rescue and incidentally collect big extra fees: sometimes more than $13,000 a performance. “Where possible we should have star singers sing in all performances,” said Peter Gelb, the house’s general manager. “The public is not interested in someone not singing. They want to hear the stars.”

Unfortunately, they all were pretty disappointing last night. Roberto Alagna stepped in for an unwell Marco Berti. However unfortunate, Alagna's voice is not right for Radames. Alagna's voice is way too small for Radames...which is probably why the patrons at La Scala booed him. Anytime a trumpet or brass ensemble played their little fanfare duiring the recit before 'Celeste Aida'...drowned out his voice. Celeste Aida was a pittstop...Alagna reaching for notes and going sharp on the portamento. That was no way to sing Verdi's most beautiful tenor aria. Let's be reasonable here. Alagna's voice is now spread and he doesn't have the point he needs to carry his voice over, thru, past, the orchestra. This is a real shame when 10 years ago he was predicted to be the next "Pavarotti." Well not anymore...he has blown his voice to smitherines.

Angela Brown's Aida was all over the place. Her voice is uneven all the way up & down. Most unfortunate, she cracked on the high note in "O patria mia" ..and her high notes were scwabbly in general. As an actress she always did this emotional shaking with her arms on high notes which made the notes become unhinged. She also makes attempts at the 'rose bloom' on her high notes ....but the effect sounds "off the voice" to "on the voice" ....never on the tone.

Dolora Zajick brought it home as usual with her Amneris. Her final scene was pure gold. She has a great secure voice and she just hammers it out...note after note. Layer upon layer. However in the duet Dolora and Angela clashed. They sounded like two warbly hens together. Their joint vibrati were way too wide for harmonious accord. These two diva's sounded like they were in competition with each other. Leontyne and Marilyn knew how to match up their voices for the sake of Verdi's beautiful MUSIC. Well whose the winner? Aida or Amneris? I'll take Amneris for $13,000.

The Metropolitan Opera Opening Night "Lucia di Lammermoor"

2007-09-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

Maria's Review

Was a spectacular night. The stars gazed and the 'stars' gazed. The red carpet was thrushed by celebrity feet, and the hall was decked with la creme de la creme.

The cast list consisted of Natalie Dessay as Lucia, Marcello Giordani as Edgardo, Mariusz Kwiecien as Enrico, John Reyla as Raimondo, and 28 year old debutant Stephen Costello as Arturo.

The basic synopsis consists of a feud between the Scottish families of Lammermoor and Ravenswood wherein Enrico's sister Lucia has fallen in love with Edgardo of Ravenswood. Enrico wants Lucia to marry Arturo (Lord Arthur Bucklaw), even if it means cruelly tricking her into it. She marries Arturo by trickery, loses her mind, and stabs him to death on their wedding night. She then comes down to the wedding celebration in a bloody wedding gown with a bloody steak knife in her hand and sings the legendary mad scene of historic and histrionic proportions, ending the scene with a high Eb in full alt while collapsing on the grand staircase.

It was my first experience witnessing the now legendary Natalie Dessay as Lucia, one of my favorite roles. The energy that Natalie puts out on stage is amazing. She is running and jumping all over the stage during the 'Quando rapido in estasi" and while I'm sure Maria Callas would never have done that...Dessay is a different kind of singer. She is french and she is a graduate of the french school of singing. So we are basically talking about a light voice with a darkened tone. Now...if I were to categorize her Lucia, I would say she would be in the camp closer to Roberta Peters rather than say the Callas/Moffo camp. Callas and Moffo had meaty voices rich in color and tone. Dessay's voice is basically a light voice that she covers in the passagio to produce a darker tone. Almost like a fabricated tone. Dessay has also had several vocal nodes removed in the last 10 years, and there were 'spots' in her voice where the tones in the passagio were 'missed.'. During the Mad Scene she was given a 'shot in the arm" by the cast doctor and she went even madder and spinned into the wonderful "Spargi d'amaro pianto." When she hit thet high Eb at the end of the scene I went crazy just like everybody else. Her top is where the glory of her voice is and that's what sells tickets. Zerbinetta and Olympia are probably her best repertoire. However, she was exciting.

Marcello Giordano has gained weight since last September when he played Pinkerton in Butterfly. But when he got to the final scene in the opera you knew why he needed the extra weight. The final scene belongs to Edguardo and has the stretta Poco Piu section "'bell' alma innamorata." All of us opera singers know that a stretta will unwind your show if you don't have a handle on it. It needed so much energy, and Giordano was forced to sweat it out. It was a workout on stage. The whole success of the show ultimately rested on his shoulders at the last scene. Giordano sang gloriously while laid out on the floor in Lucia's arms who had come back to the scene as an apparition. Talk about splended....Marcello always brings it on.

Mariusz Kwiecien tried to steal the show in act 1 hawing his vocal cords out, but ran out of steam by act 3, and almost foiled.

John Reyla sang with an annoying sideways jaw that was a very ugly habit.

28 year old debutant Stephen Costello sang a stiff Arturo.

The mezzo who sang Alisa got no credit but had a rich beautiful voice and as soon I find out who she is I will post her name.

Angela Gheorghiu Responds to Lyric Opera Firing

2007-09-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

Soprano Angela Gheorghiu, who this morning was publicly fired by Lyric Opera of Chicago from the company's upcoming run of La Bohème, has released the following statement in response to her dismissal.

"My husband Roberto is singing two major roles at the Metropolitan Opera. I asked Lyric Opera to let me go to New York for two days to be with him and they said 'no.' But I needed to be by Roberto's side at this very important moment. I have sung Bohème hundreds of times, and thought missing a few rehearsals wouldn't be a tragedy. It was impossible to do the costume fitting at the same time I was in New York.

"Coming back from New York, I caught a cold — a most unfortunate coincidence. I saw the company doctor when I returned and he prescribed antibiotics. I just wanted to get well. My colleagues knew about this and were supportive. Of course, I'm very sad that this has happened as I was very eager to sing in Chicago."

Alagna is currently singing Romeo in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, which opened this past Tuesday, September 25. According to the statement issued by Lyric Opera, Gheorghiu's trip to New York to attend that performance meant that she missed both of the Bohème staging rehearsals with orchestra. (The production, though it uses existing sets, features new stage direction by retired soprano Renata Scotto.) Alagna begins his performances as Pinkerton in the Met's Madama Butterfly on October 8.

Addio Maestro - Many Thanks

2007-09-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

Anna Anna Bo Banna Cancels Again!

2007-08-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

Anna Netrebko, still suffering from laryngitis, has cancelled her appearance tonight at the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona, Italy. She had been scheduled to join countertenor Andreas Scholl and the Venice Baroque Orchestra for Pergolesi's Stabat Mater — the same program and personnel as the Salzburg Festival concerts from which she withdrew last week.
At some point yesterday, Tuscan Sun Festival organizers quietly replaced the announced program on the event's website with a new program — one featuring the VBO, Scholl and superstar mezzo Cecilia Bartoli. (Even for the Tuscan Sun Festival, whose founder and general director is Barrett Wissman, the powerful chairman of the IMG Artists management agency, securing Bartoli as a last-minute replacement must be considered a coup.)
Tonight's program no longer includes the Pergolesi, presumably because there is little time for Bartoli and Scholl to rehearse the work's numerous duet movements. Instead, the VBO will play three of Vivaldi's lesser-known works for strings, Scholl will perform a virtuoso Vivaldi secular cantata and two Handel opera arias, and Bartoli will sing five arias from Handel's allegorical oratorio Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno ("The Triumph of Time and Enlightenment"), in which she has sung the role of Piacere (Pleasure) on stage several times in recent years.
There was no announcement of Netrebko's absence and Bartoli's substitution on the Tuscan Sun Festival's website, though the Italian news agency ANSA did report the news yesterday afternoon. As of this writing, Netrebko evidently still intends to proceed as planned with her stadium tour of Germany beginning this Saturday, August 18. The website of the tour promoter, DEAG, currently lists her as appearing with three different tenors for the four concerts; her announced partner for the tour (and frequent onstage collaborator), Rolando Villazón, withdrew last week due to illness. -->

Marcello Giordani - “I learned my profession onstage”

2007-02-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

As all of my readers may or may not know, I think the world of Marcello Giordani. He is a very kind person but it is his singing that touches me. He has a pure sound with those clear spinto high notes full of balanced weight. He is tall, charming, and radiant. If I were to relate his voice to a color and a fruit, I would say it is RED like a cherry. It has the sweet/sour, ciaroscuro, dark/bright, fire/ice all in it. I enjoy reading about him whenever I can. I also enjoy speaking with him when possible too. And he is always very frank and honest in his interviews. He is very gracious. If you missed this article in Sunday's NYT of 1/21 then I have republished it for you here. Unfortunately there's nothing current on YouTube with him singing Butterfly or Boheme. And regarding Sat 2/3 broadcast, he did not crack the "high "C" in Rodolpho's Che gelida manina as reported by another blogger. He portamento'd right up to the "high "C" the exact way Puccini wrote it in his score. And I wondered to myself ......how early did he have to wake up to be ready for that 1:30 matinee? What a professional. He's totally dedicated to his craft. I love it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

January 21, 2007
A Tenor Cashes in on His Money Notes By MATTHEW GUREWITSCH

IT’S ancient history, but the Sicilian tenor Marcello Giordani makes it a point of honor to acknowledge the crisis. His career got off to a promising start in Spoleto, Italy, with Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in 1986. He was 23, and he had plenty going for him: musicality, easy high notes, a handsome face, a good physique. And he was tall — a godsend to leading ladies.

“But I was trained badly,” he said one afternoon in November, taking a breather in a voice lesson with Bill Schuman, his teacher since 1994. Back when the two began working together, Mr. Giordani’s high notes were cracking, and his confidence along with them. With Mr. Schuman’s help he quickly gained a secure grip on his instrument.

“My voice is my friend now,” Mr. Giordani says today.

Between performances of the Metropolitan Opera’s hit production of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” Mr. Schuman was going through rigorous vocal calisthenics, punctuated with shoptalk, industry gossip and pats on the back.

“Marcello is lucky,” Mr. Schuman said between volleys of vocalise. “He has two high C’s in his voice: one full out, the other one ‘mixed,’ or gentler. Other guys have one high C and say a prayer.” As chords pealed from the keyboard, Mr. Giordani soared beyond high C to clarion D’s and E flats, ear-splitting in the tiny studio.

“Some conductors want five p’s,” Mr. Giordani said, referring to the abbreviation for “piano,” or soft. “I can’t do five p’s. But I can do two.” That already gives him an uncommon dynamic range. A soprano can make her fortune on her high pianissimo, but tenors in the middle to heavyweight class win on decibels.

A tenor’s job has hardly changed in the last 100 years. Enrico Caruso, who died in 1921, could work all he wanted at the Met today and never have to learn another note. But surely he would sing just one role per season rather than run the gamut of his repertory, as was the norm in the pre-jet era. “Nobody does that anymore,” Robert Tuggle, the Met’s director of archives, said in a recent conversation.

Nobody, that is, but Mr. Giordani, who turns 44 this week. Last fall his Met assignments included not only “Madama Butterfly” but also Ponchielli’s “Gioconda.” In addition he picked up a “Rigoletto” on eight hours’ notice when a colleague called in sick. He will be heard in Puccini’s “Bohème” beginning on Wednesday and in Verdi’s “Simon Boccanegra” next month.

Although engagements in Paris, Rome, London, Zurich and other opera capitals may preclude such intensive exposure here in future seasons, Mr. Giordani is under contract for a string of plum assignments at the Met. Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, calls him “one of our most important singers.” “We have plans with him that extend into the 2011-12 season, which is about as far as our planning goes at this point,” Mr. Gelb said last week. “He will be featured in a wide variety of new productions and important revivals from now until then.”

To Verdi, Puccini and the other composers Mr. Giordani concentrates on, the tenor voice embodied youthful heroism and romance. The poetry in his soul is expressed in melody, but he lives by his high “money” notes, which are as much a matter of brawn and nerve as of art.

“It may not be politically correct to say this, but a top note is like an orgasm,” said Mr. Giordani, who in 2005 thrilled the audience of the Opera Orchestra of New York with his cascade of money notes in Rossini’s “William Tell,” especially in an ecstatic call to arms that he sang four times when he might proudly have called it a night after one. His track record with the orchestra has been written in superlatives: in 2002, in Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur,” he “sang like a god,” Anne Midgette wrote in The New York Times; in 2004, his aria in “La Gioconda” stopped the show with a four-minute ovation.

Fierce passions in the drama kindle Mr. Giordani’s own, which he ascribes to his Sicilian heritage. “Sicily is a blessed land,” he said. “First, because of its geographic position in the Mediterranean. Second, for its history and all the different peoples who have settled there: Arabs, Greeks, Normans, the Swedes. That has made us different from others. We exaggerate, we overdo. We love Greek tragedy. We cry, we fight, sometimes for nothing. We don’t have the middle of the line. We’re on the edge.” He still makes his home in his native Augusta, on Sicily’s eastern shore.

Mr. Giordani’s ascent to the peak of his profession has been a rather quiet affair. Ignored by the major record labels, he never had the sort of publicity blitz that skyrocketed tenors like Roberto Alagna, José Cura, Rolando Villazón and now Joseph Calleja to early fame. Conversely he has been spared any backlash like the frenzy last month when Mr. Alagna walked out of “Aida” at La Scala.

“I learned my profession onstage,” Mr. Giordani said. “I didn’t have a musical background. I had no conservatory training. I don’t play an instrument.”

The youngest of four brothers, he went to work in a bank right out of school, but business bored him. At 19 he complained to his father, a former prison guard who by then owned a gas station. His father pushed him toward music.

“He loved opera,” Mr. Giordani said. “He heard me singing all the time when I was a kid. Maybe he always dreamed that one of his sons would be an artist.”

The transition was surprisingly easy. “God smiled on me in every sense,” Mr. Giordani said. “I was born a tenor, and you know what that means. Tenors are a rare commodity. You can work immediately. And step by step, I found people who believed in me.”

Especially in America. Two years after his Spoleto debut, the American agent Matthew Laifer brought him to this country, where Robert Bailey, then the general director of the Portland Opera, in Oregon, cast him in Bizet’s “Pêcheurs de Perles.” Speight Jenkins, the general director of the Seattle Opera, was in the audience and arranged a Seattle engagement soon after, in Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.”

“I had never heard the duet in Act I in that opera with a final high E flat for the tenor,” Mr. Jenkins wrote in a recent e-mail message. “Marcello was spectacular throughout, lyric yet very strong, clearly a tenor on the way to big lyric parts.”

For several seasons running, during the tenure of David Gockley as general director of the Houston Grand Opera, Mr. Giordani had a home there. (Mr. Gockley has since moved on to the San Francisco Opera.) With Mr. Gockley’s encouragement Mr. Giordani branched into heavier roles, including Manrico, the minstrel-warrior of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” under strained personal circumstances.

“One of Marcello’s sons was unhappy at his father’s long absences from home,” Mr. Gockley said recently in New York. “There was tremendous pressure on Marcello to go home and console him. Instead he brought the boy to Houston. The performance was a triumph. I was very grateful to him for staying the course.”

Mr. Giordani, for his part, remains grateful to his many American champions. “I was lucky to start in this country,” he said. “Theatrically I am self-taught. The Italians are not indulgent, as Americans are. They don’t have the patience to teach young singers how to move. They think you should learn in school.”

The nuance of a Ralph Fiennes is hardly required, but within operatic parameters Mr. Giordani today holds his own as a capable, modern actor: at ease onstage, especially comfortable in costume drama yet devoid of affectation.

“It was my good fortune that I got patient directors and conductors,” he said. “Slowly, step by step, I learned positions, postures, how to follow the beat. It was very hard. But I had the patience to watch everything, even the supers. I was like a thief, stealing everything I could to be good. Sometimes even now I go to see colleagues onstage and steal ideas.”

And the next generation is learning to steal from him. In November the Manhattan School of Music presented Mr. Giordani’s first master class. Particularly revealing, in view of the impromptu Met “Rigoletto” the next week, was a segment with a young tenor who came in with “Questa o quella,” the Duke’s paean to free love. The student zipped through it with all the panache of the proverbial deer caught in the headlights.

“Beautiful,” Mr. Giordani said, “but you can do better.” He sang the aria himself, illustrating fillips of rhythm and accent that lend the song brilliance. More useful, he prescribed a rakish laugh between phrases where the words imply it and showed just how to boost the money note at the end. Nothing crass, just with authority.

“You want this?” Mr. Giordani asked, miming applause. “Then you have to do it.” The student looked amused. Every inch the Sicilian charmer, Mr. Giordani smiled and shrugged. “You have to do it.”

Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni & Pagliacci by Ruggiero Leoncavallo

2007-02-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

We went to see Cav/Pag at the Met Tuesday 1/30/07 to celebrate Dolora Zajick's Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana and see Licitra play both Turiddu and Canio. These Verismo Operas are about life of the lower classes. Cavalleria is about a bad 4some with Santuzza, Turiddu, Lola and Alfio. Turiddu (Santuzza's man) is in love with Lola (Alfio's wife), and Alfio murders Turridu in the end. Dolora sang Santuzza with stamina. The role is high for her though, and it sounded like the voice was right on the cords rather than in the body. Hopefully the role will settle into her instrument and will become as astounding a role as her Amneris' and Azucena's are. Licitra had a raspiness and a little abrasiveness in his big delicious tone. Nevertheless, he was charming. The Metropolitan Opera Chorus entered and exited sleepily to and from the stage as if in a stupor. A few patrons fell asleep during the Cavalleria due to the actionless static pace of the opera.

Pagliacci is about travelling actors. Nedda is Canio's wife but is having an affair with Silvio another actor in the troupe. Canio finds out about the affair and stabs Nedda to death during a show and then stabs Silvio to death - all this in front of the audience played out passionately by the Metropolitan Opera Chorus. As Nedda, the purple spinto Soprano of Krassimira Stoyanova flowed out effortlessly and full of ciaroscuro. The top was a flash of passionate Leontyne Price colors and the bottom was totaly in line with what you heard up top. She was all one voice and wonderful to listen to and watch. Licitra sang Vesti la Giubba (Put on the costume) as if he were trying to bust his guts out. I did not enjoy that kind of singing very much.

Roberto Alagna Still The Man

2007-01-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

In a recent article Juan Diego Florez said that if he were Roberto Alagna "he wouldn't have walked off stage and that he's never been booed, though he's been in productions where everyone else was booed, so he could imagine the pain. Perhaps one day it will happen to him, but so far he's had good luck. But if he were booed, he thinks it is something he could handle OK."

Oh really? I say, "keep living."

Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti might be high wire for a light lyric tenor, but if one is fortunate enough to have a career span of 10 years one will hopefully graduate to heavier music hopefully: Mozart, Puccini and Verdi something the public can chew on in lieu of drinking milk all the time. While I appreciate Florez's art, his flashy coloratura, and white tone, in my world, la creme de la creme of opera is a Puccini / Verdi diet.

Alagna is now moving into his next fach - Verdi. It is not an easy task to switch fachs. One has to feel an adjustment in the resonators and sensations and one has to have confidence. Kathleen Battle tried to switch fachs and while it may have been possible, it was not possible because one's audience must make the adjustment with the artists, training the ear to accept the familiar vocal sound in the "new fach." The patrons at La Scala paid to hear Alagna sing Radames. However, whether or not they were able to accept him in his new fach is questionable. Nevertheless, some bad karma is following Alagna, and a claque was payed to boo him. It happens. Now that it is over, Alagna needs to get back on his horse and go ahead and ride it. And until Florez gets one of these roles under his belt and move into Alagna's fach, he should have no comment towards his fellow tenor. He is just drawing karma unto himself;putting all this out there and he has not proven his longevity yet. Actually I'd like to hear Florez sing Rodolfo and see if his public can swallow his light voice singing a medium sized role. But what gall. What nerve. He said "But his voice is not changing yet, it is not getting darker or heavier." Well my advice to Florez is pray, pray, pray that yur voices does get darker and heavier. And when it does, and you try to switch fachs, and you are booed, then you will understand and you will recant your words.

Anna Netrebko Dominates or Give the Girl Her Props

2007-01-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

I went to see I Puritani twice last week because once just didn't do it for me. All said and done I must give the Soprano her props. The first reason being (1#) Anyone who attempts to do anything that Callas did deserves their props and (#2) Anyone intelligent enough to try to sing and revive this beautiful opera deserves their props.

Although at times I thought Netrebko wasnt going to make it through certain scenes, a stretta here, or the sextet there, she pulled through if not sometimes just by the skin of her teeth. There was a moment when you sensed panic had set in when she turned her back to the audience to regroup and then turned around and sang the high note...nevertheless she soldiered on. On her aria Son vergin vezzosa, she missed a few notes in the glissando scale downward but if you don't know the score you would not know it. On her aria Qui la voce she took a breath each time in the middle of the line O rendetemi la speme, which was totally annoying being that that is the most beautiful line in the opera...but better to take an untraditional educated breath than completely destroy the line. Anyway, I am not quite sure that Elvira is hers. The voice has a beautiful dark color - but - it is small. And while I am hoping for a Sonnambula or a Lucia out of her, I definately do not look for a Norma.

Anna Netrebko is Anna Moffo revisited. She should follow Anna Moffo's career repertoire and make sure they don't push her too hard and make her sing too many big roles. To try to take on everything Callas did would be a mistake for her.

Overall, Netrebko leaves you full at the end of the opera - not empty. She gives you something to chew on and she deserves her props.

Roberto Alagna as Cash Cow - Republished

2006-12-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

Roberto Alagna was pimped to sell out La Scala's Aida. He is a beautiful tenor that we've managed to step on, desecrate and insult to no end. When I first saw him sing on the Levine anniversary, the cameraman zoomed in so close up on him, I could see his fillings. Why do people try to get under his skin. Give the brother his props. Opera Managers, directors and impresarios have to understand that we as opera singers deserve to be treated like the intelligent people we are and not like cash cows. While we are used to sell out productions and bring in billions of dollars, we are somehow regarded as cash cows, money makers, and not seen as artists, humans. Our names are associated with the amount of revenue we can generate, not necessarily what can attribute to our superb performance. No one in opera management ever thinks about what they could do to make a performer more comfortable. Zefferelli knew that Alagna's voice was small cast as Radames. What he should have done was staged Celeste Aida at the footlights so that Alagna's voice would carry over the orchestra. After all Viva Verdi! We can't expect his smaller voice to compete with that mega Verdi orchestra. Give the brother a break. We all knew that Alagna's voice was small for Radames and that the role has traditionally been given to dramatics. And some stage direction adjustment should have been made for that. Show a tenor some respect.

To sum everything up, the situation is: without great singers, there is no great opera. Alagna is a great singer. La Scala sold out 11 performances of Aida based on the promise that Alagna would sing Radames. The patrons bought into that. Now that he is not singing Radames my question is: can the patrons get a refund? Or does La Scala betray the opergoing public by using Alagna's name to sell tickets, generating the funds and reneging on the promise to bring Alagna's voice to his public??

Alagna on the other hand, has to learn to control that Latin temper of his. He can't let them make him all hot and sweaty. He must work on keeping a cool head.

Denyce Graves: Offstage, she's no drama queen

2006-11-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

She's the voice of sheer talent
Denyce Graves employs all her dramatic powers as the temptress in Orlando Opera's 'Samson and Dalila.' But offstage, she's no drama queen.
Jean Patteson
Sentinel Staff Writer

November 19, 2006

Denyce Graves is a diva with a difference.

For starters, with her husky voice, dark coloring and svelte figure, she's a far cry from the operatic stereotype -- the screeching fat lady who rings down the final curtain.

For a recent interview at Orlando Opera, she's casually dressed in blue jeans. Her brunet mane is mussed. And when her hot ginger tea is served in a foam cup, she doesn't pitch a fit.

Like a true diva, she has sung in the world's greatest opera houses with those three fabulous tenors, Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras -- but she also has had gigs with Big Bird on Sesame Street. She has performed for heads of state and royalty -- but insists on providing free concert tickets to underprivileged kids. Her definition of a great program ranges from a command performance at the White House to singing "in a little teeny-tiny town that nobody's ever heard of" -- and reveling in both.

Graves, 43, a mezzo soprano famed for her expressive voice and dynamic stage presence, plays Dalila in the Orlando Opera's current production of Saint-Saens' Samson and Dalila. It's an opera that requires a performer with a "fantastic voice, acting ability and allure," says Robert Swedberg, Orlando Opera's general director.

"Denyce is one of the few people in the world who has the whole package," he says.

She also is wonderful to work with, Swedberg says. "Some great singers are often standoffish around other cast members, but Denyce is inclusive and encouraging."

During a break in rehearsals, Graves doesn't demand pampering. Instead, she cheerfully retreats to a cluttered office to discuss her interpretation of Dalila. She touches on the joys of motherhood, the challenges facing black artists in the world of opera and -- unusual for a diva -- her insecurities as well as her triumphs.

One of those memorable moments was televised around the world, when she sang "America, the Beautiful" during the national prayer service in the Washington National Cathedral after 9-11.

"It was a moment when I felt an extreme amount of pride," she says.

Dalila's champion

Offstage, Graves is no drama queen. But when she steps into the spotlight, she is drama incarnate -- especially when portraying strong female characters such as Dalila and Carmen, her signature roles.

She envisions Carmen as young, natural and free-spirited -- quite different from the more mature, assured and complex Dalila.

"I'm a great champion of Dalila's," says Graves, adding a squeeze of honey to her tea. Her husband of two years, French clarinetist and composer Vincent Thomas, stands at a discrete distance, paging through a book.

"I know Dalila gets sort of a bad rap," says Graves. "People see her as this evil temptress. But I think she is as devoted to her god and her people as is Samson."

Dalila certainly is calculating, says Graves. "I try to show that in my body language and in my eyes from the beginning of the first act. But I also try to show a much more vulnerable quality. It makes her more likable."

"When she sings, Laissez moi ma faiblesse -- release me from my weakness -- I've questioned what exactly is her faiblesse, her weakness," says Graves.

"I think her weakness is her love for Samson -- even though she hates him for killing tens of thousands of her people. It's her great conflict."

Graves brings a wealth of experience and artistry to the Dalila role, says conductor Mark Flint. "Her elegance, the beauty of her voice -- it's so unique and powerful."

"Diva" has become a rather negative term, says Flint. "But to me, it still means 'star,' and Denyce fills that in every possible way. At the same time, she's a very giving and caring person. She's a great colleague -- another rare quality."

Focus and fun

Graves' rise to diva-dom began when she first performed Dalila opposite Placido Domingo at the Ravinia Festival near Chicago in 1992. She and her "instrument," as she calls her voice, have come a long way since then.

"I've changed," she says. "And the instrument itself has changed tremendously. It's gotten higher. The voice is freer, thank gosh, and I'm easier and more relaxed and more confident."

Her voice "is this other entity that sort of has a mind of its own," she explains. "I do see it as this force I have to confront. I'm working with it all the time, and learning from it and about it."

Several years ago, she developed problems with her vocal chords and sank into a depression. But surgery in 2001 restored her voice -- and her zest for life.

This year she recommitted to working with her teacher, she says, "focusing in on strengthening the voice and really going to the high registers. We've made great progress, and I'm really proud."

At the same time, she is aware that total focus on perfecting her craft "can sometimes rob your joy."

"Because opera is a very refined art, we're always chasing the ideal performance," she explains. "The pursuit of excellence is the force that drives us. That part is very exciting. But in the past, if I ever fell short of that, I felt like I was unsuccessful.

"Now, because my instrument is freer and stronger and healthier than it has ever been, it allows me to have a type of freedom as well -- and certainly more fun."

Price and Puccini

It's not surprising that Graves excels playing strong women -- or that she is one herself.

As a girl, her role models were not from the rarified world of the arts. They were the indomitable women she encountered daily in the poorer neighborhoods of her native Washington, D.C.: her mother, aunts and teachers.

Her mother, who worked as a typist and in a laundry, was very religious. "She always took us to church. That's were I started singing," says Graves.

A teacher recommended Graves to the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where she was introduced to opera. While listening to a recording of Leontyne Price singing Puccini arias, "I was transfixed. All of a sudden, everything changed in my life. I had a sense of purpose," she says.

She later worked odd jobs to put herself through Oberlin College and the New England Conservatory. By the mid-1990, thanks to her thrilling voice, exotic beauty and natural acting talent, she was being hailed as the definitive Carmen.

The secret to keeping her performances fresh is "attitude," says Graves. "I learned that from a teacher at the Duke Ellington School . . ."

She breaks off, turns to her husband: "Sorry, I know you've heard this story a thousand times. But anyway . . .

"I was singing in a recital," she continues. "I said, 'I really don't want to sing that song. I don't like that song.'

"And he said to me, 'Nobody cares if you don't like it, Denyce. Your job is to sell it.'

"That has been my attitude throughout my career. I try to arrive at each performance a blank page. I say, 'Pretend this is the very first time this music has been heard, and you're the very first person to sing it.'

"I say, 'I'm going to be more courageous in this one. I'm going to do some things musically that I've never done before.' It keeps me engaged and interested."

Sometimes, she admits, "I get bored in rehearsals. I think, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, come on, let's just do it.'

"I'm much more of a stage animal," she says. "For me, the most beautiful moments are on the stage, when I'm becoming these different characters and when I'm singing well and I feel so happy."

A 'deeper purpose'

A diva's life certainly has its glamorous moments, says Graves. "Like when I sang at President Bush's inauguration."

But there's also the reality of the gypsy existence: "All the hassles you go through at the airport, and getting off the plane and going straight to the theater, and never having a chance to return mail or e-mail, and always either preparing for a performance or recovering from one.

"Sometimes it leaves little time to live your life," says Graves.

It's especially tricky "when you're a high-risk performer, changing climates all the time, and getting settled in different time zones," she says.

Her survival tactics include drinking lots of water, keeping a humidifier running in her rooms and watching her diet.

"There are so many things I love that I just cannot afford to eat when I'm performing -- dairy creates mucus, orange juice and tomatoes create acid reflux," she says. "When you're out there in front of everybody . . . well, you do everything to ensure your health because you want to give your best."

Graves usually travels with her 2-year-old daughter, Ella-Thais (named for Ella Fitzgerald and the Massenet opera). Her mother often tags along to baby-sit, and Thomas joins them whenever his concert schedule allows.

Ella has brought joy and "deeper purpose" into her life -- but also a new kind of conflict, she says. "When I'm away from her, I miss her. But sometimes when she's around, it's difficult to work because I'd rather be with her."

The stress of trying to do it all sometimes brings on bad-diva moments, admits Graves. "I get very nervous. Then I get short, and I yell, or I cry -- which I can't afford to do because crying just makes your throat tight and makes the entire situation worse."

But age, experience and motherhood all are having a mellowing effect, she says. "We really do take it one day at a time."

Challenges ahead

When Marian Anderson made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955, she cracked opened the stage door for other black divas, including Leontyne Price, Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle.

But black artists still face challenges, says Graves: "I don't think it will ever change. Prejudice is so deep-rooted in all of us."

Some directors still find it "visually inconsistent" to have black performers in leading roles, she says. "But we do, too. We've been so conditioned to think black people should be doing some other kind of music," not opera.

After attending a recent production of Romeo & Juliet, she and Thomas found themselves confronting their own ambivalence. "Romeo was not Caucasian, slender or very handsome, and so somehow, for all of us, he wasn't Romeo," she explains.

For prejudice to lessen, "I think we should just confront it, call it what it is, and work very hard to overcome it," she says.

"We will all know great heartache, will all know suffering, will all know joy, will all know ecstasy, will all know love, will all know betrayal. That is the experience of life. No matter who you are, black or white, rich or poor, you will walk through that."

Her expression brightens: "I'm happy with who I am. It's no issue for me. My job is to sing with as much joy and as much love and as much honesty and sincerity as I can. And that's it. And leave it there. Voila! Now we're going to go eat."

And divalike, she sweeps from the room.

Jean Patteson can be reached at 407-420-5158 or jpatteson@orlandosentinel.com.
Copyright © 2006, Orlando Sentinel | Get home delivery - up to 50% off

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Marcello Giordani - Tenor of the Times (click)

2006-11-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

Why I love this man

Marcello Giordani is an alpha male. He is tall, strong, beautiful and lovely. He sings with power and hot expression. He is my kind of man. He is a tenor of the times.

Somebody said he sounded tight in Madame Butterfly. No. That is called "squillo" in italian. Somebody said he doesn't have pianissimo con morbidezza. OK well, he'll get it. I have absolute confidence in this sexy man. As he grows further into his manhood, his voice, like wine, will get better with age. Trust me

Madama Butterfly 2006 (click for video)

2006-10-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

A Lamentation on the Dearth of Divas

Yes. I attended the beautiful production of Madama Butterfly opening night Sept 25. Did Cristina Gallardo-Domas meet my expectations? Dramatically, yes. Vocally, she gave too much.

I had only seen her on DVD as Liu which was a strong performance and she gave a lot. But lets face it, Liu is not even half the singng as Butterfly. So kudos to Ms. Domas for being a new standard bearer. Vocally, however, the amount of smile she uses in her singing, and the amount of space she uses with the big mouth technique made me a little nervous. She tends to use the smile technique in the passagio and then opens her mouth really wide to produce big sounds in the upper register which are sometimes strident or have a beat in them. Then she ends phrases early and her voice sounds strained in several areas.

Ms Domas was practically out of steam by the time she got to Cio Cio San's final aria Tu Tu Tu Piccolo Iddio. This beautiful aria is important because it occurs at the end of the opera when one's energies are spent. Therefore, during the opera you must pace your energy and save some voice for that final wonderful climax of opera. Ms Domas had used up most of her energy by that time and seemed almost to collapse on stage whether emotionally or vocally. I read that she said to herself vocally "I can't do this." At this time she resorted to breathing anywhere and looking down at the puppet. It played out as if this scene was so close to her heart strings that the audience was not allowed to come in to the repor between herself and the puppet. What she should have done was sing the whole aria out to the public and used her hand to refer to the puppet. After all, the puppet was a lifeless peice of wood.

Ms Domas is no Theresa Stratas but God bless her for her attempts and her will to do it. She has to make sure that she is not pushing her voice. What she also needs to realize is that Ms. Stratas had vocal nodes which she had unsuccessfully removed several years back which busted her career and can never return to the stage.

All in all I liked Ms Domas because of her dramatic courage and for bringing life to Cio Cio San. I appreciate her tour de force. However, my advice is "get back to Mimi" ASAP.

Marcello Giordani - You build your career by saying no many times.

2006-09-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Q and A: Marcello Giordani on Minghella, Masterclasses and Vocal Crisis

By Vivien Schweitzer
September 25, 2006

The Metropolitan Opera's new production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Anthony Minghella (doing his first opera), is the hot ticket of the fall season in New York. Forty-three year old tenor Marcello Giordani stars as Lt. Pinkerton, one of four roles he will sing at the Met this season.

Recently Giordani spoke with PlaybillArts about working with a film director, the lessons he learned from his vocal crisis in the early '90s and his upcoming masterclass at the Manhattan School of Music.

How is it different working with a film director rather than an opera director?

[Anthony Minghella] loves opera and he respects the singers and the music, but his perspective is different than a regular opera director because he is used to working with cameras. In general, we singers anticipate the mood with our facial expressions; we comment with our faces and our eyes. But Minghella wants it to be less artificial and more spontaneous. Sometimes he says, "Just think and listen to your colleagues and that will be enough."

I asked him to be hard on me and to interrupt me if I did something wrong. And he does. It makes me more interested in the work.

I have really learned a lot working with Minghella, who is brilliant. I have done many Butterflys, but this time I had to be open-minded, willing to listen and take advice. It's like I'm singing Pinkerton for the first time.

Minghella is a very gentle and kind person and he likes it if you ask questions, because he is always trying to help make everything smooth and comfortable for all the singers. I have enjoyed this production of Butterfly more than most!

You're giving your first masterclass in November at the Manhattan School of Music. What advice do you give to young singers?

I am nervous about my first masterclass, as I'd rather sing than speak! But it will be fine. I am thrilled to share my experiences with young singers. People have always been pushing young artists, but I advise them to be patient. You build your career by saying no many times.

The really important thing is to think long-term. I've seen so many young singers be hot for five years, then disappear. It can be the fault of opera houses, publicists, bad advisors or managers. For me, the best friend is the one who says "You were so bad on stage," not the friend who always says "you were great." It's more loyal to be honest.

In 1994, after you were fired from Rigoletto at La Scala, you took a sabbatical and retrained with New York vocal coach William Schuman. How did that help you?

It gave me confidence; I was really sick mentally. I was taught that singing was like a hidden science, that you have to fight for every single note. What Schuman did was reopen my mind and give me my self-confidence back. He knows my voice better than me. Once in a while you have to bring your car to the mechanic and let him fix it.

I have felt more secure in the last five to seven years. From 1994-99 I still was a work in progress; I think now my voice has evened out. Before, I had two kinds of voices. The top was there, but Schuman trained me to build the middle as well, which is the fundamental. Otherwise the building crashes all the time.

Did the vocal crisis make you much more cautious about which roles you sing?

Yes, of course. I am always saying no, but I can't tell you which roles I've recently turned down! But before I say no, I think carefully and look at the score. Then I decide whether my voice is suitable, regardless of whether it's a bel canto or a heavier role. I try out the role for a couple months, and if at the end I'm tired, it means it's not right. Perhaps it stretches my voice too high or too low — both good signs indicating I'm not ready for the role. Sometimes you fear the opportunity won't come again, but if you say yes before you're ready technically or mentally, you have to be prepared to lose your vocal and mental health.

What caused the cancellation of your recital this past August with the Opera Orchestra of New York?

The recital was cancelled because I didn't agree with their marketing. But they cancelled it, not me. People were saying maybe I cancelled it because of money, but I didn't have a signed contract with them. It was nothing to do with money. I do enjoy recitals, because I have more connection with the audience when they are very close and I can choose which repertoire I want to sing. I like to be myself and not be hidden behind the costumes.

Madama Butterfly: Black Box Opera

2006-09-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

On September 18 I attended the Metropolitan Opera Guild's lecture with Peter Gelb and Anthony Minghella respectively the head of the MET and the Director of Madama Butterfly.

Anthony Minghella described the production as an empty stage, a black box set, nothing on stage at all, a more naked version, and a modest stage. Also, less movement from singers, and singers should only move when necessary. The use of a Japanese puppet will be Sorrow, the baby.

The Met's days of Franco Zeffirelli filling the stage with masses in new productions are over.

"I am fascinated at the exaggeration it seems to me of Zeffirelli's influence, only in the sense that some of those productions are stunning. It can't have been lost on everybody that I like to conduct Zeffirelli productions and Carlos Kleiber liked to conduct them," Levine said. "In an opera house that plays a broad spectrum of major operatic works, the diversity of style is very critical."

But Gelb counseled: "I believe there's a certain danger with working with directors who are overly familiar with the repertoire and continue to do the same opera over and over again."

Minghella, like Gelb, wants opera to have a populist bent. He applauds Gelb's decision to start a workshop that could lead to new operas from composers that include Adam Guettel, Jake Heggie, Wynton Marsalis and Rufus Wainwright, and a librettist group highlighted by Tony Kushner and John Guare. Among the singers Gelb hopes to bring to the Met are Audra McDonald and Kristin Chenoweth.

Elaine Padmore, director of opera at London's Royal Opera, applauds Gelb's moves.

"In general the perception was that the Met had a rather particularly conservative style, which many opera houses had now moved on from, and that if you had wanted to see something in a very traditional way, you would go to the Met to see that," she said. "Some people saw that as a very positive thing, of course. But for others it was, perhaps, a style that was not moving on with the times."

Clearly there has not been enough emphasis on the theatricality of the art form, which goes against what the Met previously had been," Gelb said. "When Rudolf Bing was the general manager, he was bringing Broadway directors here. When Jimmy Levine was the young music director, he had a partner in John Dexter, David Hockney was designing scenery. The Met was at the forefront of the opera world."

Gelb said all the changes are "an effort to galvanize the public and make the Met at the center of the performing arts world once again."

"At least in a very small way, this `Butterfly' is very important. Even though it represents a small part of the overall plan, if it's successful with the public — put aside the critics — that is proof that this is a plan that could work when rolled out over of the course of a season with numerous new productions of similar theatrical excitement and magnitude," he said.

Keeping Secrets: or Vocal Nodes

2006-09-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

Vocal Nodes are a subject that singers, voice teachers, and the like try to hide, cover up, and run from. But the reality is many opera singers get nodes at some point in their careers. But what really causes nodes? Natalie Dessay had 4 operations to remove vocal nodes in the last five years. Denyce Graves had a node removed from one of her vocal chords and she admitted she did not tell anyone about it because it is considered "taboo" to have nodes. >Why do singers really get nodes? Maybe because it signals that we have been singing on our interest and not on our principal? Or that we are so afraid to turn down work because there might be a downturn in work coming up? Or make all the money you can while you still can? Therefore we take every gig offered and thus overtax our voices? Or that we have to stay competitive with the herd? Why do singers wear themselves out singing until they bruise and mistreat their vocal chords? Is it safe to blame greed or self hate? And why is it such a secretive subject? Leontyne always said that the key to vocal health was to "refuse to sing some roles" whether it be because of an overtaxed schedule, or be it the wrong repertoire. There were operas that Leontyne refused to perform because she felt they were either not right for her lyric spinto soprano voice, did not fit within her singing/voice rest module, or maybe the spirit inside her said "girl you don't want to sing that." And conductors got red hot with her decisions but listening to that still voice inside is what cost her a beautiful healthy career. The crumbs that fell from Leontyne's table were I'm sure, quickly at up off the floor by the next diva in line. These refusal to sing decisions were made by Leontyne herself. Florence Page Kimball being her only voice teacher, passed on early in her career so Leontyne was on her own after Miss Kimball. I last heard her sing "This little light of mine" at the 10/01 9/11 Memorial at Carnegie Hall and her gorgeous pianissimi hit me way up there and the grand age of 76.

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Voice Disorders Related to Vocal Overuse and Misuse
Definition:

Occupational Hazards - Singers and vocal performers put a stress on their vocal cords akin to the physical exertion of a marathon runner. With their vocal folds vibrating at full volume for long periods of time, singers and orators often develop bumps, polyps, and rough surfaces on the tissues. These lesions can damage the voice that for many is also a livelihood. Though surgical removal is possible, there is a chance that any excision will permanently alter the voice. Zeitels set out to study this patient population more ystematically. "There's often not a lot of science to the surgical management of vocal performers," Zeitels said. Until this recent study, there was little data to determine the success of surgical management in vocalists. Using an approach called stroboscopy, the surgeon can assess the vibratory function of the vocal cords. A strobe light creates the illusion of slowing down the rapidly vibrating cords and allows the observer to watch them move together and apart. Voice outcomes of the surgeries in both studies were evaluated by Robert Hillman, HMS associate professor of otology and laryngology and a voice scientist who leads the voice lab at MEEI. Hillman's group primarily tested two general metrics of the voice: acoustic measures such as loudness, pitch, and regularity of tone, and aerodynamic measures--how much air the person must push from the lungs to get the vocal cords to vibrate.

Singers, like athletes, offer a model for studying how different behaviors affect the vocal cords: a musical-theater singer who belts out Broadway numbers is creating a different kind of stress than an opera singer. "If you can understand how these individuals function, you can master restoring most other voices," Zeitels said. He has found that singers can often perform with long-term trauma because their activity has induced more elastic normal tissue to compensate--their vocal cords even appear larger. The team has a partnership with Robert Langer, an HMS senior lecturer on surgery at Children's Hospital and the Kenneth J. Germeshausen professor of chemical and biomedical engineering at MIT, to develop biomaterials that could be used to reconstruct this elastic tissue. The trick, Zeitels said, is to find a material that does not degrade and is pliable, since stiffness is the cause of the majority of hoarseness. Zeitels believes that maintaining or even supplementing the healthy tissue may become just as important in vocal surgery as removing the abnormalities. --by Courtney Humphries

- Steven Zeitels, HMS associate professor of otology and laryngology and director of the Division of Laryngology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, has been a leader in developing increasingly precise phonosurgical techniques. Much of the past decade of these innovations is detailed in two papers in the December Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, looking at two groups of patients: those with early vocal cord cancer and singers and orators who develop lesions on the vocal folds.

Vocal cord nodules - are bilateral benign growths on the vocal cords that are usually thought to be the result of voice overuse or misuse. The first line of treatment is usually voice therapy with a speech-language pathologist. Voice therapy can very often successfully reduce or eliminate nodules, although large, fibrous, or more chronic nodules may require surgical removal to improve the voice. Even in cases of surgical removal, pre- and post-operative voice therapy is strongly encouraged to address the initial behavioral causes of the vocal cord nodules so that they do not re-develop and so that vocal quality successfully returns to normal.

A vocal cord polyp - is a benign, fluid-filled lesion that is often thought to be the result of a period of acute voice abuse, such as you've described. Many ENTs will recommend surgical removal of a vocal cord polyp because a polyp generally does not resolve with voice therapy alone. Ideally, individuals who opt for surgical removal of a vocal cord polyp should receive pre- and post-operative voice therapy. Pre-operative voice therapy is helpful in establishing a comprehensive vocal hygiene program to encourage optimal post-surgical recovery, including education as to post-surgical vocal guidelines. Post-surgical voice therapy typically involves vocal exercises designed to encourage healing, improve vocal quality, and prevent future lesions from occurring. The best diagnostic test to look at these types of lesions is called a video laryngeal stroboscopic examination. This exam provides a magnified view of the larynx with clear visualization of the vocal cord edges, allowing the doctor to differentially diagnose the lesion. If the diagnosis is a laryngeal cyst or polyp, then surgical removal is recommended for voice improvement. Post-operative voice therapy is often helpful during the healing process.

Vocal Cord Surgery (including CO2 laser)

VOCAL CORD surgery - Vocal cord surgery is a general name for many different types of procedures that can be performed on the vocal cords.
Vocal Cord surgery is performed when the vocal cords have growths, such as, polyps, tumors, or other masses that need to be removed for biopsy or to improve function. The child will usually exhibit a hoarse or raspy voice.

Vocal Cord surgery is also indicated to normalize vocal cord functioning when the vocal cords are scarred from various causes, paralyzed, or are otherwise abnormal. These conditions may interfere with the complete opening and/or closing of the vocal cords, which is necessary for normal speech and breathing.

How is vocal cord surgery performed?

Surgery on the vocal cords can be performed either directly in an open surgical approach (making an incision in the neck) or indirectly through an endoscopic approach (through a tube inserted into the mouth and throat). Either procedure is performed under general anesthesia (the patient is fully asleep).

An open surgical approach is most often performed after trauma or fracture of the larynx (upper front of neck) has occurred. Please see REPAIR OF FACIAL AND NECK TRAUMATIC INJURIES in "Surgeries We Perform".

Although the open surgical approach allows somewhat better control of the vocal cords during the procedure, the endoscopic approach may be more successful in restoring more normal voice sound. The endoscopic approach also has the advantage of allowing extremely close observation of the vocal cords, therefore resulting in a precise and accurate cut or removal of tissue. However, not all surgeries can be performed endoscopically. Be sure to discuss this option with your doctor.

Recovery after either an open or endoscopic approach includes minimizing damage to the larynx during surgery, as well as reducing inflammation after the surgery. Therefore, your surgeon will recommend the procedure he/she feels will minimize these complications.

What is involved with endoscopic vocal cord surgery?

Endoscopic vocal cord surgery is basically MICROLARYNGOSCOPY (magnified examination of the vocal cords) in addition to a corrective procedure performed on the vocal cords.

As mentioned above, this surgery is performed with the patient under general anesthesia (fully asleep). The patient is lying on the back and a laryngoscope is inserted in the mouth to hold down the tongue and visualize the vocal cords. A special telescope or operating microscope is used to get very close and detailed views of the vocal cords and surrounding areas.

There are many different methods used to correct vocal cord abnormalities. These can include using forceps (like tweezers) to hold a bump or nodule and small scissors or the CO2 laser (see below) may be used to remove it. Powered instruments may also be used to remove lesions. These rotating blades remove growths such as papillomas with very little damage to normal tissue.

Defects on the vocal cords or surrounding areas may be repaired by injections, flaps of tissue, or grafts depending on the size of the defect.

The surgery itself usually lasts about an hour, but is highly variable. Removal of nodules or bumps or more simple reconstructive procedures may not require an overnight stay in the hospital. More complex procedures may require a hospital stay.

What is the CO2 laser?

Laser stands for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The CO2 laser device increases the intensity of light waves using CO2 (carbon dioxide) and concentrates them in an intense, penetrating beam of light. This is similar in a way to using a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun's rays; the "concentrated" sun rays underneath the magnifying glass get hot enough to burn paper for example. Similarly, the CO2 laser beam can be used to very accurately "burn off" areas of tissue that need to be removed, (vaporized).

Why is the CO2 laser used in vocal cord surgery?

The CO2 laser can be passed through the glass of the operating microscope, allowing for very accurate placement of the laser beam on the vocal cords. This method of tissue removal is much more precise than surgical scissors, and results in less bleeding and inflammation to the surrounding tissues. As mentioned previously, the less traumatic the surgical procedure, the more favorable the outcome, including faster recovery.

What are the risks of using the CO2 laser?

Although the laser can precisely vaporize the desired tissue, it can also accidentally burn basically anything else it may come in contact with. Therefore, safety precautions have been made to avoid this complication. These safety precautions include protective eye gear for both the patient and the operating team. A wet cloth may also be placed over the patient's face and eyes. Also, as the breathing tube can catch on fire, these surgeries are usually performed without a breathing tube in place while the laser is in use. In addition, the lowest amount of oxygen needed is used during the procedure.

What are the risks and complications of vocal cord surgery?

The risks with the use of the CO2 laser are described above. The short-term risks of vocal cord surgery in general include chipped teeth (protective teeth guards are used during surgery to help prevent this), bleeding, breathing difficulties, hoarseness, change in voice quality, or infection.

Long term risks include a less than desired outcome in regaining normal voice or scarring from the surgery that may need additional surgical repair in the future.
Your surgeon will discuss these with you in detail.

What is involved with recovery after vocal cord surgery?

Recovery after vocal cord surgery is dependent on the surgical procedure, as well as how well inflammation and swelling are controlled after the surgery. Your surgeon will give you guidelines on how to start reusing your voice. It is important to follow to these guidelines and keep all recommended follow up appointments to regain optimal vocal cord function.

Famous singers who have had problems

Julie Andrews performed while “singing over a cold” a few years ago, with the result of nodule formation. She had surgery in 1998, but it was unsuccessful, reducing a four-octave range to that sung by a choral alto. She is still not singing.

Maria Callas had an operatic career spanning from 1941 to the mid-1960s. She developed vocal problems in the late 1950s, which her accompanist Robert Sutherland said were due to her overworking her voice. She did manage, however, to reprise Tosca in the 1960s, probably her signature role and her first role at La Scala in 1941.

Jose Carreras has survived lymphoblastic (lymphocytic) leukemia, of which the first symptom was persistent bleeding and infection in his gums. This was discovered in 1987; he spent four months in a Barcelona hospital, and then several months more in Seattle where he received a bone marrow transplant. The latter was successful; he made a triumphant return in 1988, and continues his career to this day.

Enrico Caruso had several health problems. A notable incident took place on December 11, 1920, in which he suffered bleeding, either from the throat or the lungs, while on stage singing in “L’Elisir d’Amore”. His health deteriorated after that and his final performance was two weeks later on December 24, 1920.

Beverly Sills is very highly regarded as one of America’s divas. She retired in 1980 at age 50, saying that she “wanted to go out on a high note”. She was a coloratura, the lightest soprano voice. During the 1970s she decided to go beyond the usual coloratura repertoire, and tackled heavier roles such as Violetta in Verdi’s “La Traviata”. Consequently she developed a “wobble”, with thin an undependable high notes.

Natalie Dessay developed vocal nodes after 2001. Her technique was so secure and her breath support so prodigious that she was able to alter dynamics on a high E without a waver, and overall her control of her instrument was that of a master, her singing always notable for its solid consistency. During the first decade of her career, she had the coveted ability to thrust into the vocal stratosphere to sustained Gs and A-flats. In a conversation with Natalie Dessay said "My technical approach of singing is to try to achieve the greatest results with as little effort and air pressure as possible. Like most singers, especially female singers, my voice has been naturally developing into a warmer register. I follow and monitor this natural process with the different teachers and coaches who help me in my vocal and musical work. My first and second vocal troubles were the same problem that was just dealt with in two steps. We thought operating on the first cord would be enough but we didn't know that a polyp was also on the second cord. Because I couldn't recover really well during the 2 years after the first operation, I then decided to go through a second operation of the second cord. Having only two cords, I may expect it's over now!

Le Monde reported that Dessay, underwent surgery to have a polyp removed from the right vocal cord. It was just a little over two years ago that she had a pseudocyst removed from the other cord. She came back from that one in great form. She told Le Monde that both problems had existed all along but that the doctors had hoped after the first one was removed the second one would go away, but no such luck.

She was featured in the cover story of December's Diapason, a French music mag, which quoted her as saying she was thinking about retiring because of her vocal problems. But she told Le Monde that she gave that interview at a moment when she was feeling very down, a few weeks before the operation, and that now, the surgery having gone very well, she's optimistic: "I figure I have another good 10 years ahead of me, now that I've had a 'facelift' on both vocal cords." The paper says she's due to start working with a voice therapist in mid-January.

Anna Moffo: Much Love For Baby Callas

2006-08-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

or It's hard out here for a Pimp
Metropolitan Opera Guild to Present Gala Tribute to Anna Moffo

Anna Moffo, lived through the hardest times. She died on March 9 of this year, and was one of the Metropolitan Opera's best-loved sopranos during the 1960s. The Metropolitan Opera Guild will pay homage to her life and work next month with "Anna Moffo — A Celebration," a gala set for Wednesday, September 20 at 7:30 pm at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in New York. Information on and tickets for "Anna Moffo — A Celebration" can be obtained by calling 1-212-769-7009.

Anna Moffo, a Metropolitan Opera singer noted for her beauty, radiant coloratura soprano, and convincing dramatic abilities, sang Musetta to Callas' only Mimi recorded. They got along fine. Callas took her under her wing as the next bel canto singer. For a while, Moffo held the down the fort, however, with a taxing schedule of opera, TV, and film performances, she was reputed to have pushed her voice too hard and by the late 1960s it had become unreliable. In later years, her voice thickened and her vibrato wasn't as good. Perhaps because she made so many recordings she overtaxed her voice. It seemed to decline suddenly and her singing lost its freshness.

Her Metropolitan Opera debut was in 1959 as Violetta in Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata. She had a 17-season career there and sung 220 performances in 18 operas, with roles including Violetta, Gilda, Manon, Liù, Pamina, Juliette, Nedda, Mélisande, Mimì, Cio-Cio-San, the four heroines of Les Contes d'Hoffman (Stella, Olympia, Giulietta, and Antonia), Lucia, Marguerite, and others. Her non-Met roles included Amina, Adriana Lecouvreur, Kate (in The Taming of the Shrew), Fiora, Rachel, Marie (in La Fille du Régiment), and more. Her last appearance with the company was as Violetta, in 1976.

'Always alone'

The singer told The Times in 1977 that she was pushed too early in her career and had been forced to take time off to strengthen her vocal technique.

"I was working much too hard and travelling too much. I got mixed up in TV, films and things like that.

"Psychologically I was miserable and always alone. But I don't think I was singing that badly until I reached a point where I was just so tired," she said.

Suggested Listening
CANTELOUBE: SONGS OF THE AUVERGNE, ET. AL ----- MOFFO/STOKOWSKI *****
©1965 RCA Victor
Even though Bidu Sayao and Victoria de los Angeles recorded these songs, Anna Moffo made you love them. Anna Moffo made you listen to them all day. Anna Moffo made them synonomous with Pop music in the 60's. These songs eclipse her operatic career in my opinion because she is in perfect voice at this recording. Her voice is free, full and absolutely scrumptious. Her legato is spun silk. Every song is a hit. It's almost like listening to pop music but it is legitimately classical. From the power of "L'antouèno" to "Pastourelle," "Bailero," and "Brezairola" to the seductive quality of Villa-Lobos's "Aria (Cantilena)." The melancholy, beautiful tone of her voice is like a dream.

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Comments: Whether or not she continued singing over tiredness or nodes, we will never know. But whatever she did on her path, she lost her voice. We as singers must remember that we inevitably have to look out for our own voices. No one - be it coach, teacher, managers, impresario, husbands, wives - is going to respect our gift the way we will. And we can expect no one to respect our gift the way we will. If we will. That said, love yourself and respect your gift.

Who's Hot at the MET

2006-08-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

#1 ) Anna Netrebko is going to be a wonderful Elvira in I Puritani. It is one of my favorite "Callas" roles. I believe Callas recorded it in 1958. I think it is a good choice for Netrebko because it is bel canto and the costumes are beautiful and so is she. Also, she has the vocal weight to give us a big sound. She also will get to sing Qui la voce sua soave and Son vergin vezzosa two beautiful arias that were last made famous by Dame Joan Sutherland. This leaves me to think that Miss Netrebko is going to provoke another bel canto revival worldwide and I sure hope so. Radio Broadcast January 6, 2007, 1:30 WQXR

#2 )Cristina Gallardo-Domâs - is making her debut as Cio-Cio San opening night and there is a free rehearsal open to the public. She must be planning to max out ticket sales. And although I didn't see this new star rising, I suspect she is a sure bet. Because why would they put an unknown in this role on opening night. We will see. She is also alternating Mimi with Netrebko which will be broadcast February 3, 2007, 1:30 WQXR

#3 )Marcello Giordani - I'm going to have to stick this tenor in here because he is HOT. Marcello is singing Pinkerton to Gallardo-Domas' Cio-Cio San opening night and for the rehearsal. He is also singing Gabriele with Angela Gheorghiu in Simon Boccanegra.

#4 ) Angela Gheorghiu - The magnificent Angela Gheorghiu sings Amelia in Simone Bocannegra, and Marcello Giordani is her lover Gabriele, in this tale of political struggle and abduction in 14th-century Genoa.

#5 ) Patricia Racette - I think the surprise of the year is going to be Patricia Racette in Don Carlo Broadcast December 23, 2006, 1:00 p.m. ET WQXR. Girlfriend got rave reviews from her Madama Butterfly out West this year and I want to give a shout out to Pat to "continue the trend" of real vocalism. Viva Verdi!

#6 ) Dolora Zajick - As Azucena in Chicago Lyric's Il trovatore - You can't get any HOTTER than this. Sondra Radvanovsky portrays Leonora so this is going to be HOT. These ladies are smokin.

#7 ) Ana Maria Martinez - As Donna Elvira in Chicago Lyric's Don Giovanni. Everyone needs to keep an eye on this girl. She sang Michaela in Denyce Graves' Carmen and this girl has pianissimi for days. Hopefully she will be the next Liu with those piannisimi con morbido.

The Countess

2006-08-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

The Countess - Last Night's Master Class
In last night's master class I sang Porgi amor and the recit to Dove sono. In English. As preferred by the conductor of this particular company I am singing the Countess at. The Countess requires vocal and breathing choreography, long phrases which require deep slow breaths. Singing the Countess is like Yoga: Its requires pure relaxation. You have to cut off the end of those phrases so that you can breath deep into your body. It is very meditative. I prefer the slower tempi to both arias because I personally need to breathe low and deep. Someone commented at the Master Class that my emotion was expressionless. While I understood what they meant, the Countess has a melancholy spirit in opening of Act 2 in Porgi amor. The music is tears. She is having a pity party. She is sort of "dead pan" until she says "give me back my treasure or let me die!" Unlike Dove sono's cabaletta when she says she would like to revive the "dead" emotion of her heartless lover, Porgi amor is pure steady vocalism; lyric, legato, coffee & cream. Mozart gives you time to pour on the milk. Which goes back to say that her emotion is rather vocal steady and not with the face. She is not Susanna. She is not coquette. It is not until Act 3 that she is ready to revive the Count's dead emotion. She and Ann Trulove have this "I'm going to get him back no matter what it takes." Therefore, I think I was right to sing Porgi amor with pure voice and not with the face. The face always stays calm in singing. I do not believe in mugging. I think mugging is a bad practice: Kathy Battle, Cecilia Bartoli, Natalie Dessay. One should always look beautiful while singing aka Marlena Malas.

2006-08-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Traviata Review: MET Opera in the Parks, 8/22/06
Cast
Hei-Kyung Hong - Violetta
Wookyung Kim - Alfredo
Charles Taylor - Giorgio Germont.
Derrick Inouye - conductor
Our wonderful colleage JP got us VIP seating in the front section of the Great Lawn. Kudos to JP. However, thank God the MET opera in the parks is free. I would have hated to have payed $120 for an orchestra seat. Hei-Kyung Hong was quite disappointing. I understand this was her debut in the role but her voice was unstable. She cracked about 5 times, her voice waivered on high notes, and she has a wobble in her middle from trying to push her voice up to the fach required. She pulled back into her flute register on her high notes and did not take the Eb (not required) in Sempre Libera, and sang her high notes like christmas trees: the higher she went up the smaller the sound got. Thank the Lord for the mics. We all crossed our fingers. JP screamed out explotives to the cast as we received angry stares from other listeners. She did deliver in Addio del Passato, alas, it was not enough to save face. I saw her Liu last year with Andrea Gruber as Turandot and she was fabulous and I will remember her for that. Wookyung Kim as Alfredo was strong and did not disappoint. Charles Taylor as Germont had a big resonant baritone voice but lacked legato. In his big Act 2 aria, he took breaths after every two measures chopping up the phrases. Derrick Inouye as conductor, did not breathe with the singers and conducted like he was driving a train -just plowing through everything. The orchestra saved this performance.