Met's "Lucia" w/Peretyatko & Grigolo

[Lance]

I did NOT hear Lucia di Lammermoor on Saturday's broadcast, but I was talking to some voice professors who heard the broadcast and thought it not up to the standards to which we are accustomed. They were disappointed, especially with Grigolo. And did Peretyatko illustrate a "wobble" in her voice? Would enjoy hearing some feedback on this. Has it been reviewed yet?

[lennygoran]

Lance it was discussed in this thread. Len

http://classicalmusicguide.com/viewtopi ... 10&t=48074

[Lance]

This is what a well-known soprano and teacher of voice relayed to me about this Lucia di Lammermoor performance:

"In this case, what [Tommasini] doesn't say is as revealing as what he does say. And this must have been one of those performances where you had to see it, not just hear it. The soprano was "luminous?" That didn't translate into sound, didn't come over the radio. To say her Regnava was "skittish" is to be nice. Maybe everyone these days is afraid of being sued if they say what they think. And I can certainly see how Grigolo might have felt he was the only one onstage who was singing, so he felt compelled to pull the whole show along on his back, and consequently over-sang and overacted. But he sang with every cheap trick known to provincial Italian audiences. I am surprised Roberto Abbado allowed this, but as we know, the son is not always the artist the father is. And no one loves raw despair and feral intensity more than I do, but I also like pitch, phrasing, and legato, all noticeably absent, chased from his interpretation by the raw despair, etc. That kind of thing excites know-nothing audiences, but not people who know opera and love singing. Yet I am sure Grigolo IS 'the only reason to see this Lucia.' He was obviously the only one alive onstage (reference was made to the stolid baritone and disengaged Lucia). It was horrible. I heard only the first half. The soprano never sang a pure pitch, it was all wobbly and uncentered. Stupid singing. I'd have walked out if I was in the audience."

[maestrob]

What she says is probably accurate, Lance. However, I detect a bit of professional jealousy in your quote. I rarely trust singers' evaluations of each other. That said, the Times has been known to gloss over mediocre performances before IMHO, and Tommasini is no exception.

Wish I could have heard this performance so I could have my own opinions.

[lennygoran]

We were lucky to have last this very fine production with this cast-the singing and acting were superb!

http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm

I see it was feb 7, 2009-I can't seem to copy and paste the exact page from the archives with only my tablet at hand. Len

[Lance]

My soprano friend responds:

"It's probably more of an age thing than a professional jealousy thing. Yes, all older divas think and say that current singers are not as good "as we were!" But in this case it is that more was expected and required of me and my fellow singers in my era than what this Lucia was giving to her public (and so by extension what was required to get her on the MET stage). Remember, I was trained by a student of Marcella Sembrich and a maestro who had gone to work at La Scala at age 17 as first assistant to Toscanini (and so had been trained by Toscanini to prepare singers in a certain way). It really puzzles me, what people today are willing to accept. And yet, to say that implies that they are the ones who are accepting it, and that's not right, that's not so, because ticket sales at the MET are way down, and people KNOW. It is Peter Gelb who hires these people to sing at the MET, who puts them onstage is the culprit here. Over time, this kind of sound becomes what the current generation thinks is 'opera.' So, down the tubes we go."

What she says is probably accurate, Lance. However, I detect a bit of professional jealousy in your quote. I rarely trust singers' evaluations of each other. That said, the Times has been known to gloss over mediocre performances before IMHO, and Tommasini is no exception.

Wish I could have heard this performance so I could have my own opinions.

[lennygoran]

Lance I don't think the Met's attendance problem is that much related to inferior singers-I'm far from being an expert on singers and conductorsand but can only say what grabs me and what I hate at a Met performance or at other venues. While I wasn't at the current grigolo performance I can't believe he's that unacceptable-we saw him just recently in the Tosca and he was imho very good. And in addition to him there was a magnificent new production of that Tosca getting rid of the Luc Bondy set. Len

[maestrob]

The only leg I have to stand on is that I have been listening to MET telecasts that I've put on DVD since they started, and they are uniformly excellent. Just watched Netrebko et al in a Don Pasquale led by Levine in 2010, and a Trovatore led by Armaliato from 2008(?). Outstanding. BUT, I don't attend the MET regularly because of my sleep disorder and therefore cannot testify as to the quality of current weeknight performances. When I first began my MET experiences, the orchestra couldn't get itself together until December or so, thus the broadcast season didn't start until then. That was back in the 1970's, and there were plenty of "dud" performances back then. Levine improved all that, and turned the orchestra into the fine ensemble it is today. Same with singers. Now, without a central figure that has an ear for great singing, the MET may be backsliding, so I'll grant that point. I saw on TV recently a "Boheme" that NYCO would have been proud to produce, given the massive Zeffirelli sets, but there wasn't a single great singer on stage.

I wish I knew more so I could discuss the topic properly. I feel like one of the three blind men trying to describe an elephant!

[THEHORN]

Performances at the Met vary in quality, the same as with every opera house period . Sometimes a performance may be vocally lackluster and other times it may be superlative . And thishas always been true of opera performances .
No mater how badly any Met singer of the present day may sing, I guarantee you there were plenty of performances from the old Met on Broadway that were no better or even worse . The "golden age"of opera is a myth . Nothing but idealization and looking at the past with rose-tinted glasses .
Roberto Abbado is the nephew, not the son of the late great Claudio .

[lennygoran]

The only leg I have to stand on is that I have been listening to MET telecasts that I've put on DVD since they started, and they are uniformly excellent. Just watched Netrebko et al in a Don Pasquale led by Levine in 2010, and a Trovatore led by Armaliato from 2008(?). Outstanding. BUT, I don't attend the MET regularly because of my sleep disorder and therefore cannot testify as to the quality of current weeknight performances. When I first began my MET experiences, the orchestra couldn't get itself together until December or so, thus the broadcast season didn't start until then

I wish I knew more so I could discuss the topic properly. I feel like one of the three blind men trying to describe an elephant!

Briam imho the problem is never with the singers-they get good people-however if the sets are ET nothing can save them-for example somnabula with netrebko and florez-the production ruined it all. Len

[Lance]

Hi, I don't believe the reference to Roberto Abbado was meant to infer that Claudio Abbado was the father of Roberto, but to Roberto's father, Marcello Abbado, himself a pianist and composer of note. Roberto was the cousin of Claudio Abbado. The entire Abbado family was highly gifted in the musical world.

Performances at the Met vary in quality, the same as with every opera house period . Sometimes a performance may be vocally lackluster and other times it may be superlative . And thishas always been true of opera performances .
No mater how badly any Met singer of the present day may sing, I guarantee you there were plenty of performances from the old Met on Broadway that were no better or even worse . The "golden age"of opera is a myth . Nothing but idealization and looking at the past with rose-tinted glasses .
Roberto Abbado is the nephew, not the son of the late great Claudio .

[maestrob]

Performances at the Met vary in quality, the same as with every opera house period . Sometimes a performance may be vocally lackluster and other times it may be superlative . And thishas always been true of opera performances .
No mater how badly any Met singer of the present day may sing, I guarantee you there were plenty of performances from the old Met on Broadway that were no better or even worse . The "golden age"of opera is a myth . Nothing but idealization and looking at the past with rose-tinted glasses .
Roberto Abbado is the nephew, not the son of the late great Claudio .

Yes, of course, Robert, what you say is true about opera. The same can be said about orchestral performances, which is why the NY Phil has such a hard time drawing audiences away from Carnegie Hall, where groups fly in and give their best programs of the season.