What's Wrong With Us Opera People!

[lennygoran]

We attended our first Prokofiev-music-ed Romeo and Juliet ballet at the lincoln center koch theater, the former home of the nyco-the theater is packed, the audience is mesmerized-and here we are opera lovers with better overall opera music material but we opera lovers are gone!

Otoh Prokofiev's music is great and the dancing is superb-did I enjoy it-yes-still where are the arias and the high c's! Len

[jbuck919]

We attended our first Prokofiev-music-ed Romeo and Juliet ballet at the lincoln center koch theater, the former home of the nyco-the theater is packed, the audience is mesmerized-and here we are opera lovers with better overall opera music material but we opera lovers are gone!

Otoh Prokofiev's music is great and the dancing is superb-did I enjoy it-yes-still where are the arias and the high c's! Len

Suffering from a little punctuation fatigue, are we Len?

Well, I suppose your post makes sense for someone who prefers Donizetti to Prokofiev. (Don't need to flee, already hundreds of miles out of reach until next summer anyway.)

[lennygoran]

Well, I suppose your post makes sense for someone who prefers Donizetti to Prokofiev.

I like prokofiev but his operas don't
come close to Donizetti! And the opera composers have sure done a better job with shakespeare than the ballet people! Len (fleeing)

[Lance]

It seems that most opera lovers love opera (the most) from about the mid-1700s and 1800s forward for the next almost 110 years—about a 150-200 year span. These people rarely jump outside the box of the great Italians and some of the great French and German composers. Few people that enjoy Mozart operas, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, and Puccini, amongst a couple of handfuls of others often don't even like Wagner let alone Prokofiev or Shostakovich and operas composed from the mid-to-late 20th century. They avoid it. Hence, local opera houses such as the one we have in my area, do not present it because it would break the bank and they would be out of business. They have lasted over 60 years so far presenting pretty much standard repertoire. The last one I saw a week ago was Lucia di Lammermoor in one of the best productions of the opera I have ever seen and I've seen quite a few. For two performances, the house was packed on opening night and almost packed on the Sunday afternoon matinée. The turnout for G&S operettas around here (via another company) is also very well attended. But Lenny - I admire your fortitude in continuing to see anything and everything you can - while you can. Congrats.

[John F]

We attended our first Prokofiev-music-ed Romeo and Juliet ballet at the lincoln center koch theater, the former home of the nyco-the theater is packed, the audience is mesmerized-and here we are opera lovers with better overall opera music material but we opera lovers are gone!

Otoh Prokofiev's music is great and the dancing is superb-did I enjoy it-yes-still where are the arias and the high c's! Len

I don't understand what you're saying. Where are you opera-lovers gone, and why? And what's all this about no singing in a ballet, which in its structure and dramatic effectiveness is as close to opera as ballet can get? It's as if you had been heading for the Metropolitan Opera and somehow wandered into the theatre next door by mistake. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it.

[lennygoran]

But Lenny - I admire your fortitude in continuing to see anything and everything you can - while you can. Congrats.

Lance thanks-that romeo ballet was quite nice but your lucia sounds absolutely awesome! Len

[lennygoran]

I don't understand what you're saying. ... Anyway, glad you enjoyed it.

I guess I'm just so jealous that the ballet fills the hall but our nyco is gone.(sad) We enjoyed the ballet and also our dinner before with you at Loi-imo the food was delicious! Len

[John F]

Yes, indeed! Well worth the trip from Brooklyn and back, for the food but especially for the company. Looking forward to seeing you and Sue again before too long.

You shouldn't be jealous of City Ballet's success, which is hard-earned and completely deserved. It is one of the top companies in the world, run for many years by a genius choreographer (George Balanchine), and the theatre was essentially designed around it. Of course its performances often fill the house - they should, even for a story ballet which doesn't really suit the company, and has been stripped down to its size. Do you wish the theatre had been half-empty? Come on, Lenny.

City Opera has never been the top opera company even in New York, but the public has supported it too as long as management let them. But we can't prevent City Opera from committing suicide. Anger at City Opera's management is entirely appropriate; jealousy of City Ballet's success is decidedly strange.

Reading this morning's New York Times review reminds me of what I didn't like about the City Ballet "Romeo and Juliet" (not choreographed by Balanchine!) when I saw it years ago, though time had somewhat dulled my disappointment. If you enjoyed what you saw last night, you'd really turn on to the genuine article, as presented by American Ballet Theatre most summers in the Royal Ballet/Kenneth McMillan choreography, and as can be seen on YouTube in the even more vivid if balletically less impressive Stuttgart Ballet production staged by John Cranko. More music, more scenes, more dancers, more drama. I wouldn't say you ain't seen nothin' yet, but you've only seen the half of it.

[lennygoran]

If you enjoyed what you saw last night, you'd really turn on to the genuine article, as presented by American Ballet Theatre most summers in the Royal Ballet/Kenneth McMillan choreography

Thanks I'll have to check that and the Times review out! Tonight it's the play Other Desert Cities-apparently 2 republican parents and a. to -the -left daughter lock horns! Len

[maestrob]

Romeo & Juliet is by far my favorite ballet, bar none. My nephew just played the score for his first time with San Francisco ballet a few months ago: it's really a stunning piece. Gergiev has made two very good recordings of the complete score, as has Lorin Maazel: all highly recommended.

Glad you had a wonderful night out: NYCB's orchestra has gotten better and better over the years: their Nutcracker telecast this past year was outststanding!

[lennygoran]

Glad you had a wonderful night out: NYCB's orchestra has gotten better and better over the years: their Nutcracker telecast this past year was outststanding!

Thanks we saw the nutcracker live this season-superb! A little later this month we'll be back in nyc-opera! Khovanschina-Thursday march 1. Len

[some guy]

I like [P]rokofiev but his operas don't come close to Donizetti!

Although it doubtless won't matter what your answer is, I'm still curious which of Prokofiev's opera's you have seen/heard.

[lennygoran]

I'm still curious which of Prokofiev's opera's you have seen/heard.

I've see War and Peace live at the Met and Oranges at either nyco or julliard? Also a dvd
of Betrothal in A Monastery. Maybe semyon but have drawn a blank there. Len

[erato]

Probably I'm an anomaly here, as I mostly listen to opera up to Mozart (listening to Gluck's Ezio now) with a particular love for early Venetian opera (Cavalli, Monteverdi et al); at the other end my opera interest picks up with some of Richard Strauss' stuff, early Hindemith and so on....

[barney]

I've seen the Fiery Angel (two productions) Love for Three Oranges (two productions) and war and Peace.

The FA that Gergiev brought to a Melbourne Festival about 10 year ago is one of my greatest artistic experiences.

[bricon]

The FA that Gergiev brought to a Melbourne Festival about 10 year ago is one of my greatest artistic experiences.

Agreed, that performance was mind blowing ........... unfortunately the Salome that Gergiev/Kirov served up at the same festival (2001) was a total disaster.

Stil, it was worth the airfares and hotel expenses fot The Fiery Angel alone.