Jennifer Wilson Scores a Triumph

Those of us who are waiting impatiently for Jennifer Wilson to appear in New York can only feel even more anticipation now that the soprano has received raves for her Senta in the Washington National Opera's Flying Dutchman. She is the consensus pick for next great Wagner soprano.

Why Blogging Has Been Light of Late

The Monday before last I took an amazing job at the Metropolitan Opera Guild, which has been keeping me awfully busy and not leaving me much time for blogging.

It's great to work at the Guild, right across the street from the Met, but I'm afraid that, except for uncontroversial comments, the Met is going to have to be off-limits as a blog subject for me.

As an example of what kind of Met-related post I might write: let me extend best-of-luck wishes to Gary Lehman, who is going to sing Tristan tomorrow night in place of the still-indisposed Ben Heppner. I've never heard him live, but his audio clips are enjoyable, and I hope he does a great job.

Many thanks to my loyal readers for their patience, and I hope to be back on the usual blog pace soon.

Giuseppe Di Stefano, 1921-2008

It's hard to be indifferent at the news of Di Stefano's passing, even if his health suffered an irreversible decline nearly four years ago. In an era in which great tenors abounded, he nevertheless stood out. Some say he pushed his voice too much to take on Verdi and Puccini, but at least we have such recorded treasures as his Cavaradossi, whose "E lucevan le stelle" was the most heartbreaking of all.

Nielsen Rating

I'm old enough to remember the tail-end of the Nielsen revival of the 1960s and 70s, so when Alex Ross recently opined that Nielsen was his choice for "most underrated composer of the twentieth century," I thought ... well, I won't say what I thought, except that I felt there might have been worthier candidates.

Thus you can imagine the jaundiced eye I gave Ross's recent New Yorker piece on Nielsen. But you know how it is with Ross: his brilliantly apt descriptions of the music get into your head, and you start hearing things differently. I just listened to a live performance of Nielsen's Violin Concerto with Leonidas Kavakos and the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra conducted by Nielsenist Paavo Järvi, informed by Ross's portrayal of Nielsen's aesthetic. The abrupt shifts of mood and rhythm, the echoes of folk music, the "blazing individuality"--they were all there, but I must thank Ross for allowing me to actually hear them, whereas before Nielsen's music only sounded like a very good example of the usual neo-Romantic sumptuosity.

The New York Philharmonic's conductor designate, Alan Gilbert, is, according to Ross, a Nielsen booster, so perhaps we New Yorkers have some exciting performances to look forward to.

I Play Assignment Editor

I'm just going to say it: Larissa MacFarquhar is the best profile-writer there is. No intellect is too forbidding, no cranky genius is too crazy, no idea is too recondite for her. Her recent profile of Louis Auchincloss--not online as far as I can tell--brought to life Auchincloss, his world, and his oeuvre, with subtlety and penetration.

So I began thinking ... whom I would like to see MacFarquhar profile next? And then I thought: Jaromir Jagr. OK, so you are thinking my hockey obsession has gotten the best of me. But hear me out. Jagr is the intellectual of hockey players. Who better than MacFarquhar to explain how he ticks, and, at the same time, illuminate the world of hockey?

It's late, and this could be one of those fevered ideas that will seem only embarrassing in the morning. But why not toss it out there into the noosphere and see what happens?

Vanishing Horizon?

The Horizon, Commentary's generally smart culture blog, is, according to a post on the site, on hiatus. I'm not sure whether that means it's taking a break or it's done. Readers are directed to Contentions, Commentary's more political-minded blog. Which is a pity. Political discussion, especially of the ideological variety, is so damned easy; everyone can do it, and everyone does do it, and we're all bored with it. But good culture writing is really hard, and, in the end, far more important than yet another take on some politician that will go stale quicker than a quart of milk. I'm sorry there is one less place for it.

Emendation

Last night I attended Otello at the Met, and I need to emend my earlier post, which was based on listening to the Sirius-cast two weeks ago. It was completely ridiculous of me to say that Botha's voice "coarsened" when he pushed it. Last night, in the house, it was clear that he could bring it with the best of them, his voice ringing out with real ping and resonance when he pushed it--as was clear from his confident, flawless "Esultate"; in the more tender moments he found a beautiful, expressive, effective mezza voce. As has been noted elsewhere, he really attended to Verdi's dynamic markings as best as any tenor can.

What I want to know: how soon can he sing Siegfried?

This Centenary We Should Celebrate

As has been noted, this is the centenary of Herbert von Karajan and Olivier Messiaen. But where is the hoopla for another centenarian, the legendary Jane Peters, better known as Carole Lombard, born October 6, 1908? She defined a genre, and an era--the depression-age screwball comedy--and is still used as a standard against which other comic actresses are judged.

While we are waiting, here is a fun blog-style site, generously illustrated, devoted just to her.

Memo to Slats: Keep Jagr

With the NHL trade deadline fast approaching, teams are scrambling to make deals, and much speculation has centered on the future of the Rangers’ captain, Jaromir Jagr. Whether it ends this month or after the playoffs, this may be Jagr’s last season as a Ranger.

Which would be a pity, and a mistake. Visitors to the Garden are now hearing Jagr booed, or the word “superstar” shouted derisively. It’s true that he’s not scoring, although scoring has not been a problem for the team this past month. It’s true that he’s probably too introverted to fill all the duties of a team captain, although the Rangers are lucky to have Brendan Shanahan as a spokesman. It’s true that he can be overly demanding of his teammates. It’s true that his style of play may not entirely mesh with the team’s current direction.

But his contributions to the team go beyond scoring goals, and anyone who wants any insight into Jagr should take a look at these pieces from the Times and News. Jagr may be the most intelligent player out there. He studies the game relentlessly. His work ethic is amazing. He is gracious towards younger players (look how his early-season faith in Brandon Dubinsky has paid off). He is candid with reporters and has a sly sense of humor. And he sincerely wants to bring the Cup back to New York.

So Mr. Sather: Keep Jagr. The team needs him.

(Photo of Jagr courtesy of the Daily News.)

Hear, Hear

"Galliano Masini is flat in 'Mia madre, la mia vecchia madre' (1947), yet redeems himself by being touching in 'Vedi, io piango' (1947). When Kiri Te Kanawa flats, I cannot pardon her. But when an expressive singer, Callas or Olivero, say, is out of tune, I forgive her. Such is an opera fanatic's duty."--the one and only Stefan Zucker, on Opera-L.