La Cieca's (of course) impeccably reliable sources are suggesting major casting changes afoot among the Met's dramatic soprano roster. La Cieca hears that Deborah Voigt has expressed a strong preference for Italian roles in future seasons instead of the German vehicles she has mostly sung so far. Since Voigt's rumored future engagements include a revival of Frau ohne Schatten and her first local Tristan, La Cieca wonders if the Italian parts are meant to be "in addition to" or "instead of." La Cieca would sorely mourn the loss of a Voigt Isolde, though presumably Christine Brewer would be easy to slot into a production designed for Jane Eaglen.
Voigt is already rumored for a revival of Gioconda two seasons hence, and she has sung Lady Macbeth several times before. However, the Italian role most discussed for Voigt is the Italian role, Norma. Voigt would, according to speculation, replace the currently skedded Maria Guleghina during the 2007-2008 season. (Of course, La Cieca has said all along that a Guleghina Norma was wildly unlikely to happen.)
Meanwhile, our spy whispers that Andrea Gruber is as good as bought out of next season's Fanciulla revival, with no replacement currently lined up. (Though right off the top of her head La Cieca can think of someone already who knows the role. You know, just saying.)
Rumors continue to swirl that Peter Gelb is divesting the Met of 14 leading singers he believes have no future there. The group reportedly includes such obvious candidates as Ruth Ann Swenson, Hei-Kyung Hong, Heidi Grant Murphy and La Gruber, plus a fresher face, Isabel Bayrakdarian.
17 October 2006
Casting and recasting
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
26 comments:
Um, isn't it extremely expensive to buy out the multi-year contracts of 14 singers? However one may feel about the individual singers allegedly involved, are there replacements out there that are really dramatic improvements? If the Met and Gelb can truly afford this, then I'm all for, in theory. We've all sat through performances that have sounded like contractual obligations rather than an enjoyable night at the opera...
What the fuck is wrong with Isabel Bayrakdarian? She's charming!
This past weekend CBC Radio here in Canada played Don Giobanni from this year's Salzburg festival and Bayrakdarian was the Zerlina. I thought she sounded shockingly strident. Maybe she was sick, but if not then the voice has gone downhill fast. I really hope she gets it together because she was indeed a charming singer.
I vote for Urmana and Voight spltting the juicy roles (Italian and German) between them. I think Voight has got a Norma in her somewhere, but it might take some time before it's ready to come out and play. But in any case, please PLEASE don't deprive us of Voight in Strauss and Wagner. Nobody does it better these days.
I tend to agree that Voigt's calling is in German repetoire and that Italian should be an occasional sideline, mostly limited to roles that allow a more ... distanced approach (ballo, aida, the forza leonora esp) no gioconda or norma, not yet (maybe not ever) they require another kind of temprement altogether (and more vocal warmth)
Perhaps the weight loss has affected Voigt's voice and she doesn't feel up to the big German roles anymore. I am a fan of Voigt but do agree that she doesn't exhibit enough personality in her interpretations and the thought of her being the Met's Verdi soprano (or something like that) makes me yawn.
As for Bayrakdarian, unless the voice has change dramatically in the last year or so, she is exactly the kind of singer Mr. Gelb should keep on. She has a pretty voice, good coloratura, gorgeous figure and face, and is a terrific actress as well. Hello???? Isn't this what Mr. Gelb wants? I've loudly applauded many of his efforts but if the Bayrakdarian rumour is true, he's waaay off.
I am happy to see that the Met has finally gotten rid of Raymond Hughes, the Chorus Master. That was long overdue.
I think Voigt sang "Imflammatus" from Rossin's Stabat Mater on a Rossini "birthday" album a while back. It was okay, not spectacular--and this was many years ago now. With the volume, drama and coloratura, the piece would be something of an indicator--if only for a few moments--if she could even attempt Norma at this point. Maybe she has the steel in her voice, and the stamina--but I'm not sure the pure beauty and required technique are there.
OK, WHOA, Mr. Gelb. I have anxiously awaited Gruber's Lady M, and also Fanciulla. As Minnie, I'd be thrilled to see Millo, however. But who is there who can sing Lady M except Gruber or Guleghina??
Bayrakdarian? Radvanovsky? Simply amazing...they are two of the strongest singers we have now in the two different repertoires.
I'm most anxious to see Voigt's Salome and I'd love to see her as Gioconda IF SHE DEVELOPS some dramatic ability/commitment.
I find myself entirely in agreement (who could have predicted this?) with Paddypig: Voigt sings with very little commitment; her Italian roles have been minor disasters -- uninteresting, competent at best; her Wagner is second rate. She has no stage feeling at all. With so few competitors (though I'd rather hear Brewer or that Aussie girl) I'm willing to let her work her way into Isolde. But only as the Empress or Ariadne have I found her anything like satisfactory.
Papian is one of the few people on earth I would be interested in hearing as Norma, but other possibilities would be Stoyanova or Takova, both spectacular dramatic coloraturas with real fire and real technique. If more need be said -- neither has dared touch Norma. They obviously KNOW -- as Voigt and Guleghina and Fleming do not -- what the part is. (Ditto, in the past, Hunter, Scotto, Verrett, Sills -- and Flagstad, whom Edward Johnson begged to sing it, and who replied, "Audition me in it first." After that, he changed his mind. She too KNEW.)
Bayrakdarian has been charming the few times I've heard her -- her voice seems in better shape than Netrebko's or Dessay's just now. But I'd love to see the complete list of buy-outs. (Hoping certain bassos are on it and they get Kowaljow and Sedov to replace them.)
i would die for a millo minnie. No one else could imbue such a human character with such warm.
and voigt should steer CLEAR of italian rep. She should already know this based on the overwhelming preference for her in german rep. I would love to hear her as turandot though, if only to finally hear a steady, powerful voice sing it at the MET as opposed to the wobbly voiced gruber.
Opera80221 mentioned Christine Goerke as a possible "Norma" and she DID sing the role here in Seattle a few years back (I played the show). It was quite thrilling at times, but there were a few rough spots too. The pitch issues in Casta Diva seemed beyond her, but maybe it was because she was placed up in the rafters and couldn't hear the orchestra. To be fair, it was her role debut, and those tend to be works in progress. Opera News was not terribly kind in the review. I liked her a lot, though. She debuted in Seattle as Donna Elvira and was scheduled to sing Donna Anna this season--however, there has been a cast change, and quite frankly, I haven't heard any news about her in quite a while.
Andrea Gruber: sang Fanciulla and Lady M here in Seattle, both productions her role debuts (I think--Fanciulla for sure). I recently heard her in a Fanciulla broadcast from Vienna and she sounded pretty good. She is a formidable singer in many ways, but also can be wildly erratic (pitch, rhythm) and I also think it's the type of voice you either love or hate. She holds nothing back, and takes risks, which does not always result in success! If Gelb is looking for "pretty" voices and singers with real consistency, I might understand why Gruber would be cut, but we'd also lose that element of risk and excitement, not to mention some thrills when she's "on".
opera80221 asked about Voigt singing Trovatore. I saw Voigt sing the Trovatore Leonora at the Met in the early 90's or so. Millo was scheduled but was indisposed and Voigt was the cover. As expected, it was not a good fit for Voigt.
Radvanovsky is far more exciting and individual than many of the singers there now. She has a huge voice and consistency. I think it's only her chest voice which could use some work; plus, she was stunning in the Cyrano de Bergerac broadcast.
Call me crazy, but I would rather hear Brenda Harris sing Norma over all the others mentioned here. She was second cast to Papian in Michagan a few years back.
I have found that Millo in person (and on a good night) is an impressive package: full, warm voice, an intuitive sense of phrasing in Italian music, and strong emotional engagement. The emotional quality I have found has increased significantly since she has started singing the "crazy lady" roles; frankly she is about the only soprano around these days who really seems to believe in what is happening to Tosca or Gioconda. La Cieca hopes that someone magnages to bootleg at least a few minutes of video of Millo's Gioconda tonight -- at least that will give some indication of the total performance. (Though we're also confident she will take some serious prisoners in purely vocal terms.)
now if only the MET could see what a treasure millo is! We are given only bits and pieces of her every season, which is truly a shame!
Just picking up on hab's mir gelobt's mention marina poplavskaya. She is on the young artist scheme at Covent garden. Raised notice when she sang the 3rd Norn, and just think of some of the sopranos that have started with that role. She is singing Donna Anna this season. Interestingly she has recently married Robert Hale.
...and while we're tossing around names of people who should be singing (regularly) at the Met, add baritone Yalun Zhang to that list. He's singing in Germany these days, but folks here in Denver are STILL talking about the Rigoletto he sang oh so many years ago - and I hear he's gotten even better.
"She ... understands the verismo and Italian roles she is currently singing better than anyone else today. She is a bit like a dinosaur in this day and age."
Kind of says it all.
Millo can be very solid and a thrillingly old-fashioned actress. She can also blow it big-time, and no house with a regular season can afford to rely on her. (Yes I loved her Tosca and Minnie and Gioconda, but her Vissi d'arte was frankly BAD.)
Radvanovsky sang a wonderful Luisa Miller in the first season of the present production and her Elena was a very successful tackling of a nearly impossible part.
Goerke's acid voice is not, IMHO, remotely ideal for bel canto; in fact, I wasn't thrilled with it in Mozart. I've only really liked her in Handel -- and even then, I preferred Vaness's Alcina to hers.
Vaness is another one who was glorious in a certain rep -- Mozart, Strauss, Handel -- and therefore allowed herself to be tempted by the absence of competent Italian divas into her deeply unfortunate forays into the Verdi-Puccini rep. Voigt, though never as fine a singer, should take her example to heart: Stick to your own fach.
I wouldn't be at all upset if Relyea were confined to the roles Paul Plishka has been grunting the past decade or so.
I forgot to mention Millo's wonderful Zaza last year. So forgetful of me....
Marina also sang Rachel in the recent CG La Juive , which BBC R3 is streaming on 25 Nov.
Simon Keenlyside married one of the Royal Ballet prima ballerinas in the summer. Sob!!! the management must be putting something in the water.
I second the comments on Ketelsen. Several years ago, I heard his Verdi Requiem with the Madison Symphony. Though he looked barely out of grad school, it was one of the loveliest bass performances i've heard of the work in quite some time. Very legato, uber-musical and deeply felt, especially for a young man. Two years later he was back for the Mahler 8. He was superior to Relyea at Ravinia. Again, Ketelson was in fine voice but, more importantly, was well engaged in the text.
Yes! I sung in that Mahler 8 (Chorus II), and he was fantastic--High F# and all.
regarding Norma casting check out this article on Antonacci.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/10/21/bmanton21.xml
Post a Comment