Tonight's La Traviata

[lennygoran]

We found this new production to be quite beautiful-Damrau and Quinn Kelsey as Giogio Germont were excellent-while we like juan diego florez quite a lot we found him kind of weak at times. For the final bows yannick brought the whole met orchestra up on the stage! As we left the opera house free small bottles of prosecco were given out! Quite an evening. Len

https://imageshack.com/a/img924/307/6yTudF.jpg

[maestrob]

We found this new production to be quite beautiful-Damrau and Quinn Kelsey as Giogio Germont were excellent-while we like juan diego florez quite a lot we found him kind of weak at times. For the final bows yannick brought the whole met orchestra up on the stage! As we left the opera house free small bottles of prosecco were given out! Quite an evening. Len

https://imageshack.com/a/img924/307/6yTudF.jpg

Vintage Yannick, 1887? Clever! I like Damrau very much too. Alfredo is kind of a tough (more dramatic) role for lighter voices, especially the card scene and Violetta's death scene at the end of the opera. Florez may have been having a bad night, that's all. Don't know Quinn Kesley at all. Glad you had a good time, Len: that's what it's all about! How was the attendance?

[lennygoran]

Brian packed! Len

https://imageshack.com/a/img921/9023/AWk9zD.jpg

[barney]

But Len, why were they all in the foyer?
Did they like the drinks better than the opera? I've been to performances like that.

[lennygoran]

But Len, why were they all in the foyer?
Did they like the drinks better than the opera? I've been to performances like that.

Barney the intermissions-the partying after the opera ended-no one contacted Sue and me about attending the festivities! Len

[lennygoran]

Vintage Yannick, 1887? Clever! I like Damrau very much too. Alfredo is kind of a tough (more dramatic) role for lighter voices, especially the card scene and Violetta's death scene at the end of the opera. Florez may have been having a bad night, that's all. Don't know Quinn Kesley at all. Glad you had a good time, Len: that's what it's all about! How was the attendance?

Brian Tony has weighed in on Florez.


"The singing, though, was wonderful. In a recent interview, Mr. Nézet-Séguin said that he had encouraged Mr. Flórez, as Alfredo, to sing the well-known toast “Libiamo” with lyrical grace and hint of shyness. Those qualities came through in Mr. Flórez’s lovely performance.

He has slowly been moving out of his comfort zone in the florid bel canto repertory, toward roles that require more weight and carrying power. His voice was a little light in comparison with some classic Alfredos. Still, I loved the lyrical nuances he brought out in the music, the clarity of his execution, and the honesty of his singing. He sounded fresh and rich, and he looked adorably youthful; in moments of jealous passion, he was a convincing hothead."

Too cumbersome to copy and paste the whole review with only the tablet here in Secaucus. Len

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/arts ... eguin.html

[maestrob]

Nice review, Len, and a kind one (I notice Tommasini doesn't carp too much about the "traditional" setting!).

Good to know that YN-S has critical support. IMHO, he deserves it. He's a fine musician in all kinds of repertoire, with more depth in symphonic music than Levine. Can you imagine Levine tackling Bruckner III in its original setting?

[Chalkperson]

The Met is dead, only its rotting corpse remains.

[lennygoran]

The Met is dead, only its rotting corpse remains.

Chalkie not so-miss you. Len at BAM

[Lance]

CHALKIE! I almost fell over when I saw your name appear here. How are things? We miss you around these parts. Hope you have a great holiday season. Send me an email and let me know what's going on!

The Met is dead, only its rotting corpse remains.