Strange audience reaction at La Scala July 3, 2007??

On 8 Jul, 03:31, "Stephen Jay-Taylor" <sjaytay....TakeThisOut@btinternet.com>
wrote:
> Morticia, with the bloodless egocentricity that increasingly characterises
> the conduct of her career, gave interviews galore to the Italian press
> before the prima of what is her much-belated house debut, the gist of many
> of which were - in response to the usual "what about the Callas-widows"
> mallarkey - "I'm me, I'm the greatest, better than she ever was, you've seen
> nothing yet". Dissing the Greek Screech is no way to win friends and
> influence people in Milan, trust me.

Singers shoud be judged upon their singing, not on what they say to
the press. Or I am missing something?

>
> Then there's Lorin Maazel, absent from La Scala forever, and who returns for
> a prestigious revival of Lilliana Cavani's cast-of-thousands Cecil B.
> DeMille staging of "La Traviata" ( originally mounted under Maestro com'è
> scritto se stesso, La Muti, with the young Lasagna and that non-pareil,
> great white hope of Italian spinto singing, er, um, Tiziana Fabbricini.
> Ah....) but who, in Yankee-Doodle Divo fashion, insists on restoring the
> long-since frowned-on standard theatre cuts, including omitting the second
> verses of both of Violetta's big numbers [ which Morticia sang note-complete
> here in London under Solti's beady eye ], limiting cabalettas to just one
> verse of "O mio rimorso" [ the hysterical nadir of Alfredo's poorly-drawn
> role, where the tenor gets to advance to the footlights and pretend for
> three minutes that he's actually Manrico ] and cutting Germont's "No, no
> udrai rimprovero" - the bit of chug-chug that follows "Di Provenza" -
> completely. Frontali bitched to the press abouth this "terrible loss" [ for
> which read "loss of terrible music" ], and how the booers were making him
> the scapegoat for Maazel's derelictions, which also, apparently, included
> him conducting what music was left like a sloth on valium.
>
I heard this performance on Radio 3 as I was Italy. It is still a
miracle that they all could sing to the end in this miserable
atmosphere. I have a lot more sympathy for Alagna now after hearing La
Scala booing. No artist should be treated the way La Scala public
treated the conductor and the singers. If you don't like his /her
singing, don't applaud or buy tickets. But booing is unacceptable,
whatever the circumstances. The performance was mediocre, but what
else could be expected?

> It's all supposedly perked up since, including the $35,000 per performance
> Maazel's ministrations, and with Jonas Kaufmann due to size up to Morticia
> on the 14th, rapture may well eventually be guaranteed, particularly with
> Frontali replaced by the 194 year-old Leo Nucci.
>
> After the season's opener, the pretty catastrophic "Aida" with Mr.
> Gheorghiu, I should think that Stéphane Lissner is having second thoughts
> about the Lasagnas altogether ( him, and every other opera house
> intendant ).
>
> Moral : the Milanese always prefer a good scandal to a good performance.

The Milanese and the Italians in general have a poor musical education
and that was bleeding obvious during this performance. Have you
noticed how inappropriate were the clapping? They had no idea when to
applaud and this was La Traviata, not an aobsuce opera !!!! I've seen
on the Italian TV the broadcast of a classical concert in honour in
the Pope Benedict. The clapping were always in the wrong moments and
this drove mad the Pope, you could read on this face.
 >> Stay informed about: Strange audience reaction at La Scala July 3, 2007?? 

Morticia, with the bloodless egocentricity that increasingly characterises
the conduct of her career, gave interviews galore to the Italian press
before the prima of what is her much-belated house debut, the gist of many
of which were - in response to the usual "what about the Callas-widows"
mallarkey - "I'm me, I'm the greatest, better than she ever was, you've seen
nothing yet". Dissing the Greek Screech is no way to win friends and
influence people in Milan, trust me.

Then there's Lorin Maazel, absent from La Scala forever, and who returns for
a prestigious revival of Lilliana Cavani's cast-of-thousands Cecil B.
DeMille staging of "La Traviata" ( originally mounted under Maestro com'è
scritto se stesso, La Muti, with the young Lasagna and that non-pareil,
great white hope of Italian spinto singing, er, um, Tiziana Fabbricini.
Ah....) but who, in Yankee-Doodle Divo fashion, insists on restoring the
long-since frowned-on standard theatre cuts, including omitting the second
verses of both of Violetta's big numbers [ which Morticia sang note-complete
here in London under Solti's beady eye ], limiting cabalettas to just one
verse of "O mio rimorso" [ the hysterical nadir of Alfredo's poorly-drawn
role, where the tenor gets to advance to the footlights and pretend for
three minutes that he's actually Manrico ] and cutting Germont's "No, no
udrai rimprovero" - the bit of chug-chug that follows "Di Provenza" -
completely. Frontali bitched to the press abouth this "terrible loss" [ for
which read "loss of terrible music" ], and how the booers were making him
the scapegoat for Maazel's derelictions, which also, apparently, included
him conducting what music was left like a sloth on valium.

It's all supposedly perked up since, including the $35,000 per performance
Maazel's ministrations, and with Jonas Kaufmann due to size up to Morticia
on the 14th, rapture may well eventually be guaranteed, particularly with
Frontali replaced by the 194 year-old Leo Nucci.

After the season's opener, the pretty catastrophic "Aida" with Mr.
Gheorghiu, I should think that Stéphane Lissner is having second thoughts
about the Lasagnas altogether ( him, and every other opera house
intendant ).

Moral : the Milanese always prefer a good scandal to a good performance.

SJT
 >> Stay informed about: Strange audience reaction at La Scala July 3, 2007?? 

On 8 Jul, 11:28, Stelu....RemoveThis@altavista.net wrote:
> On 8 Jul, 03:31, "Stephen Jay-Taylor" <sjaytay....RemoveThis@btinternet.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Morticia, with the bloodless egocentricity that increasingly characterises
> > the conduct of her career, gave interviews galore to the Italian press
> > before the prima of what is her much-belated house debut, the gist of many
> > of which were - in response to the usual "what about the Callas-widows"
> > mallarkey - "I'm me, I'm the greatest, better than she ever was, you've seen
> > nothing yet". Dissing the Greek Screech is no way to win friends and
> > influence people in Milan, trust me.
>
> Singers shoud be judged upon their singing, not on what they say to
> the press. Or I am missing something?
>
>
>
>
>
> > Then there's Lorin Maazel, absent from La Scala forever, and who returns for
> > a prestigious revival of Lilliana Cavani's cast-of-thousands Cecil B.
> > DeMille staging of "La Traviata" ( originally mounted under Maestro com'è
> > scritto se stesso, La Muti, with the young Lasagna and that non-pareil,
> > great white hope of Italian spinto singing, er, um, Tiziana Fabbricini.
> > Ah....) but who, in Yankee-Doodle Divo fashion, insists on restoring the
> > long-since frowned-on standard theatre cuts, including omitting the second
> > verses of both of Violetta's big numbers [ which Morticia sang note-complete
> > here in London under Solti's beady eye ], limiting cabalettas to just one
> > verse of "O mio rimorso" [ the hysterical nadir of Alfredo's poorly-drawn
> > role, where the tenor gets to advance to the footlights and pretend for
> > three minutes that he's actually Manrico ] and cutting Germont's "No, no
> > udrai rimprovero" - the bit of chug-chug that follows "Di Provenza" -
> > completely. Frontali bitched to the press abouth this "terrible loss" [ for
> > which read "loss of terrible music" ], and how the booers were making him
> > the scapegoat for Maazel's derelictions, which also, apparently, included
> > him conducting what music was left like a sloth on valium.
>
> I heard this performance on Radio 3 as I was Italy. It is still a
> miracle that they all could sing to the end in this miserable
> atmosphere. I have a lot more sympathy for Alagna now after hearing La
> Scala booing. No artist should be treated the way La Scala public
> treated the conductor and the singers. If you don't like his /her
> singing, don't applaud or buy tickets. But booing is unacceptable,
> whatever the circumstances. The performance was mediocre, but what
> else could be expected?
>
> > It's all supposedly perked up since, including the $35,000 per performance
> > Maazel's ministrations, and with Jonas Kaufmann due to size up to Morticia
> > on the 14th, rapture may well eventually be guaranteed, particularly with
> > Frontali replaced by the 194 year-old Leo Nucci.
>
> > After the season's opener, the pretty catastrophic "Aida" with Mr.
> > Gheorghiu, I should think that Stéphane Lissner is having second thoughts
> > about the Lasagnas altogether ( him, and every other opera house
> > intendant ).
>
> > Moral : the Milanese always prefer a good scandal to a good performance.
>
> The Milanese and the Italians in general have a poor musical education
> and that was bleeding obvious during this performance. Have you
> noticed how inappropriate were the clapping? They had no idea when to
> applaud and this was La Traviata, not an aobsuce opera !!!! I've seen
> on the Italian TV the broadcast of a classical concert in honour in
> the Pope Benedict. The clapping were always in the wrong moments and
> this drove mad the Pope, you could read on this face.

Errata: Radio 3 means RAI 3, aobsuce is misspelling of "obscure" and
"this face" should be read "his face". Apologies, I'm in a bit of
hurry as I am going to see Don Giovanni at ROH.
 >> Stay informed about: Strange audience reaction at La Scala July 3, 2007?? 

I would say that you are missing that if singers also believe that they
should be judged on their singing, they would indeed keep their mouths shut
and not give interviews to the press. Once a singer decides to take on other
singers, one way or the other, I think they are fair game. This is true for
Morticia, and it was true for Scotto when she decided to go after Callous.


<Stelucia.TakeThisOut@altavista.net> wrote in message
news:1183890536.857828.148970@r34g2000hsd.googlegroups.com...
On 8 Jul, 03:31, "Stephen Jay-Taylor" <sjaytay....TakeThisOut@btinternet.com>
wrote:
> Morticia, with the bloodless egocentricity that increasingly characterises
> the conduct of her career, gave interviews galore to the Italian press
> before the prima of what is her much-belated house debut, the gist of many
> of which were - in response to the usual "what about the Callas-widows"
> mallarkey - "I'm me, I'm the greatest, better than she ever was, you've
> seen
> nothing yet". Dissing the Greek Screech is no way to win friends and
> influence people in Milan, trust me.

Singers shoud be judged upon their singing, not on what they say to
the press. Or I am missing something?

>
> Then there's Lorin Maazel, absent from La Scala forever, and who returns
> for
> a prestigious revival of Lilliana Cavani's cast-of-thousands Cecil B.
> DeMille staging of "La Traviata" ( originally mounted under Maestro com'è
> scritto se stesso, La Muti, with the young Lasagna and that non-pareil,
> great white hope of Italian spinto singing, er, um, Tiziana Fabbricini.
> Ah....) but who, in Yankee-Doodle Divo fashion, insists on restoring the
> long-since frowned-on standard theatre cuts, including omitting the second
> verses of both of Violetta's big numbers [ which Morticia sang
> note-complete
> here in London under Solti's beady eye ], limiting cabalettas to just one
> verse of "O mio rimorso" [ the hysterical nadir of Alfredo's poorly-drawn
> role, where the tenor gets to advance to the footlights and pretend for
> three minutes that he's actually Manrico ] and cutting Germont's "No, no
> udrai rimprovero" - the bit of chug-chug that follows "Di Provenza" -
> completely. Frontali bitched to the press abouth this "terrible loss" [
> for
> which read "loss of terrible music" ], and how the booers were making him
> the scapegoat for Maazel's derelictions, which also, apparently, included
> him conducting what music was left like a sloth on valium.
>
I heard this performance on Radio 3 as I was Italy. It is still a
miracle that they all could sing to the end in this miserable
atmosphere. I have a lot more sympathy for Alagna now after hearing La
Scala booing. No artist should be treated the way La Scala public
treated the conductor and the singers. If you don't like his /her
singing, don't applaud or buy tickets. But booing is unacceptable,
whatever the circumstances. The performance was mediocre, but what
else could be expected?

> It's all supposedly perked up since, including the $35,000 per performance
> Maazel's ministrations, and with Jonas Kaufmann due to size up to Morticia
> on the 14th, rapture may well eventually be guaranteed, particularly with
> Frontali replaced by the 194 year-old Leo Nucci.
>
> After the season's opener, the pretty catastrophic "Aida" with Mr.
> Gheorghiu, I should think that Stéphane Lissner is having second thoughts
> about the Lasagnas altogether ( him, and every other opera house
> intendant ).
>
> Moral : the Milanese always prefer a good scandal to a good performance.

The Milanese and the Italians in general have a poor musical education
and that was bleeding obvious during this performance. Have you
noticed how inappropriate were the clapping? They had no idea when to
applaud and this was La Traviata, not an aobsuce opera !!!! I've seen
on the Italian TV the broadcast of a classical concert in honour in
the Pope Benedict. The clapping were always in the wrong moments and
this drove mad the Pope, you could read on this face.
 >> Stay informed about: Strange audience reaction at La Scala July 3, 2007?? 

SJT, I didn't understand much of your post, but I enjoyed the hell out
of it! Blue skies! -- Dan Ford


On Sun, 8 Jul 2007 03:31:22 +0100, "Stephen Jay-Taylor"
<sjaytaylor RemoveThis @btinternet.com> wrote:

>Morticia, with the bloodless egocentricity that increasingly characterises
>the conduct of her career, gave interviews galore to the Italian press
>before the prima of what is her much-belated house debut, the gist of many
>of which were - in response to the usual "what about the Callas-widows"
>mallarkey - "I'm me, I'm the greatest, better than she ever was, you've seen
>nothing yet". Dissing the Greek Screech is no way to win friends and
>influence people in Milan, trust me.
>
>Then there's Lorin Maazel, absent from La Scala forever, and who returns for
>a prestigious revival of Lilliana Cavani's cast-of-thousands Cecil B.
>DeMille staging of "La Traviata" ( originally mounted under Maestro com'è
>scritto se stesso, La Muti, with the young Lasagna and that non-pareil,
>great white hope of Italian spinto singing, er, um, Tiziana Fabbricini.
>Ah....) but who, in Yankee-Doodle Divo fashion, insists on restoring the
>long-since frowned-on standard theatre cuts, including omitting the second
>verses of both of Violetta's big numbers [ which Morticia sang note-complete
>here in London under Solti's beady eye ], limiting cabalettas to just one
>verse of "O mio rimorso" [ the hysterical nadir of Alfredo's poorly-drawn
>role, where the tenor gets to advance to the footlights and pretend for
>three minutes that he's actually Manrico ] and cutting Germont's "No, no
>udrai rimprovero" - the bit of chug-chug that follows "Di Provenza" -
>completely. Frontali bitched to the press abouth this "terrible loss" [ for
>which read "loss of terrible music" ], and how the booers were making him
>the scapegoat for Maazel's derelictions, which also, apparently, included
>him conducting what music was left like a sloth on valium.
>
>It's all supposedly perked up since, including the $35,000 per performance
>Maazel's ministrations, and with Jonas Kaufmann due to size up to Morticia
>on the 14th, rapture may well eventually be guaranteed, particularly with
>Frontali replaced by the 194 year-old Leo Nucci.
>
>After the season's opener, the pretty catastrophic "Aida" with Mr.
>Gheorghiu, I should think that Stéphane Lissner is having second thoughts
>about the Lasagnas altogether ( him, and every other opera house
>intendant ).
>
>Moral : the Milanese always prefer a good scandal to a good performance.
>
>SJT
>

Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942
forthcoming from HarperCollins www.flyingtigersbook.com
 >> Stay informed about: Strange audience reaction at La Scala July 3, 2007?? 

Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it ! The slightly impersonal tone of high
Mandarin-insider was deliberate, since - to confess somewhat - it was really
written for a publication that likes it anonymous contributors to sound like
that, not only about matters political but even, once upon-a-time, about
gardening [ the much-missed "Rose Blight", who was actually Germaine
Greer....].

SJT
 >> Stay informed about: Strange audience reaction at La Scala July 3, 2007??