Sills as Zerbinetta

A web site devoted to the late Beverly Sills has a treasure trove of material, including many free audio recordings--including her stupendous 1969 concert performance of Zerbinetta's aria in the original 1912 version of Ariadne. The tessitura is actually higher than in the revised version, which is itself a test of any coloratura soprano's mettle. This is the kind of thing that formerly would only be available to the intrepid acquirers of "private recordings." Worth the visit.

More on Henze's New Opera

From Die Zeit, a visit with Henze, who seems depleted after his latest illness ...


Volker Hagedorn, Hans Werner Henze: In the cradle of the Phaedra myth - signandsight

French Politico-Literary Gossip

A new French website, with the Gallic name nonfiction.fr, is reporting that Bernard-Henri Levy had a hand in the writing (of a significant part, if not all) of Segolene Royal's upcoming book, which will be published by the same house that publishes Levy.

It's a well understood convention here in the States that politicians have help in writing their books; I am less sure what the thinking is on that subject in France.

The Malibran Mobile

Cecilia Bartoli is publicizing her new album, Maria, with a traveling exhibition of her collection of Malibran artifacts. Literally a traveling exhibition: it's all contained in a mobile-home-sized van that is touring Europe.

Americans won't get the chance to see the exhibition without going to Europe, but they can buy the "super deluxe" version of the CD, which contains a 200-page limited edition book and a "making-of" DVD.

Little Einsteins Invade Lincoln Center

At least they won't have trouble getting a taxi after the show.

Last Night at the Met

Last night I went to the Metropolitan Opera for the first time this season. It looks to me as though the audience had internalized Peter Gelb's glamorization campaign--far more well-dressed people were in attendance than I remember from previous seasons. Since I am a firm believer in dressing up for the opera, this is for me a positive development.

I saw Le Nozze di Figaro in the energetic but unimaginative Jonathan Miller production. It's all farce and low comedy; the characters' humanity really has little chance of coming through. The blocking in some places is on a sixth-grade-play level, especially in the third act.

Not helping was Philippe Jordan's finesse-less conducting. His tempi in the first two acts was too fast; the second half was slack. He failed to build the musical tension of the last act so that it could be gloriously released with the Count's plea for forgiveness.

There was also sloppiness between stage and pit; at one point in the second act everything broke down.

Anke Vondung made a winning debut as Cherubino. She has a beautiful voice, and I imagine she is still trying to determine how best to apply it to the Met's acoustic. Erwin Schrott (infamous for his shritless Don Giovanni at Covent Garden) is a charismatic and likeable Figaro. His voice, with its hint of a burr, is, when he chooses to sing, both warm and powerful. Too often, though, he gooses his performance with grumblings and mutterings and other extramusical effects. He needs to dial it down a notch.

Pertusi's dark, highly covered voice was effective for the Count, although his acting is somewhat too broad. Lisette Oropesa filled in for Isabel Byrakdarian as Susanna and did an adequate job; she did, however, encounter some pitch problems. Hei-Kyung Hong sang the countess with authority. Her vibrato is widening, she blurred some of the passagework, but she can still sing with the kind of tone that commentators like to call "creamy."

It was an enjoyable evening, all told. I wouldn't be surprised if the performances improve as the cast starts to gel.