Newsgroup: it.arti.musica.classica
Titolo: Vespri at the Metropolitan

Yesterday night the italian radio broadcasted live from the Met a new
production of Verdi's Vespri Siciliani. I was really very sad to listen
to a Met performance again since without the Texaco sponsor the
broadcasting was not sure. Is not very important I think to keep on
broadcasting from the Met, not only for the joylessness of opera lovers
but also as a great embarrassment of american artistical level that can
give a depressive image around the world. In fact my first impression
as an italian opera fan was that U.S. are not competitive in tecnology
and business but can reach low level in arts and culture as well (I
never doubted about of course !).
Vespri Siciliani is a very difficoult opera to perform. Long, not a
real masterpiece, looking to  french "grand opera" ... not the best
Verdi you can listen to. But still has great music and singing and
during the "opera golden era" was in the repertoire of the main opera
houses and greatest singers (Studer, Callas, Gencer, Caballè, Scotto,
Deutekom, Arroyo, Domingo, Carreras, Bonisolli, Milnes...). Gavazzeni
during the 60thies in a Rome performance reopened the cut of the
dances. The opera is so difficoult (expecially soprano and tenor) and
with the recent decline of great singing is not performed very often (
I remember the Scala production conducted by Muti, a great success with
Studer and Merritt adored by the audience). So I was very displeased
with the choice of the Met to put this title again in the season
(Palermo too in Italy opened the season with this opera).
My impression form the listening is of a poor artistical level
production. Even though musicians are talented, professionals and the
sound is wonderfull... A respectable level not nearly competitive with
the best orchestras around Europe and Russia. N.Y city should be
looking for its artistic pride elsewhere.
Frederic Chaslin was not a surprise to me. He conducted very badly
altough he is too indulget with singers following their tempos and
slowing down the orchestra. But for the rest he made a picture bland of
colors and life of this complex score.
With the luck of verdi tenors today, Casanova is phereaphs the worst
choice for the role. His voice is nice in the middle range but loosess
timber in the high passages becoming a bit compressed. Anyway he has
misplaced intections and fraseggio and comes without dignity from a
very difficoult part.
Radvanosky has no better volume and timber but still this part is very
difficoult. She does not create a new Elena that can compete with the
greatest. I mean her character  is not so drammatical as Studer or
Callas, coloratura as Studer or Deutekom, lirical as Studer Caballè or
Gencer. Her Elena is a bit anonymous. She also slows down too much in
some moments. But in the complex her performance is foul and unsure.
Leo Nucci is also not so wonderfull. I know, as somebody wrote in the
list, his voice has not the real timber of Verdi baritone. But still he
gives with this Monforte a retirement lesson at 62 !!!
The same for Ramey. He has lost the complete control of his voice.  I
am sorry to write this, but he should retire. He is a too great singer
to allow his vocal decline to be witnessed with this recording.
Chorus is at the same level of the orchestra. Shameful !!!
I would not like to come to N.Y. and listen to this Vespri. In Milano
the Verdi theater is now a "baroque opera house". No Verdi music. The
theater reopened with a boring unknown opera... but this is another
(sad) story.
All the best from Italy
Marco D

 wrote in message 
news:1102852549.0...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
Yesterday night the italian radio broadcasted live from the Met a new
production of Verdi's Vespri Siciliani. I was really very sad to listen
to a Met performance again since without the Texaco sponsor the
broadcasting was not sure. Is not very important I think to keep on
broadcasting from the Met, not only for the joylessness of opera lovers
but also as a great embarrassment of american artistical level that can
give a depressive image around the world. In fact my first impression
as an italian opera fan was that U.S. are not competitive in tecnology
and business but can reach low level in arts and culture as well (I
never doubted about of course !).
Vespri Siciliani is a very difficoult opera to perform. Long, not a
real masterpiece, looking to  french "grand opera" ... not the best
Verdi you can listen to. But still has great music and singing and
during the "opera golden era" was in the repertoire of the main opera
houses and greatest singers (Studer, Callas, Gencer, Caballč, Scotto,

Callas, coloratura as Studer or Deutekom, lirical as Studer Caballč or


I agree completely.
I think the notion that every cast has to be as good as or better than
every other cast that ever performed would have us listening to very
few live operas.
For someone who wanted to hear a live Vespri performance sometime this
month and could travel anywhere they wanted to in the world, I think
there is a good chance they would have wound up in NYC.
ML/NJ

some moments. But in the complex her performance is foul and unsure.
Studer this, Studer that, give it a rest!

 I agree completely.
Sono anch'io d'accordo. Mi pare un esercizio del tutto inutile
continuare a girare la testa indietro e rimpiangere i cantanti del
passato.
Io credo che anche la rappresentazione delle opere sia soggetta ad una
evoluzione. Forse oggi l'opera e' vista piu' come un insieme teatrale
che non solo un'occasione per offrire e ascoltare grandi performance
vocali.
Io ho ascoltato volentieri questa esecuzione dei Vespri, e non ho
sentito per nulla la necessita' di paragonare la voce della Radvanovsky
con quella delle grandi del passato; cosi' come Ramey ha dimostrato di
essere sempre un grande cantante, anche se effettivamente la sua voce e'
molto usurata.
La direzione d'orchestra a me e' sembrata molto buona: l'orchestra
verdiana andrebbe rivalutata e non credo sia giusto continuare a
considerarla solo come un supporto di accompagnamento ai cantanti.
In un ascolto radiofonico, comunque, mancando la parte visuale e quindi
l'apporto della regia, secondo me oggi indispensabile, la valutazione
non puo' essere che parziale.
In quanto all'inaugurazione della Scala, per rispondere a Marco D, devo
dire che se lui si e' annoiato, ha tutti i diritti di protestare. Ma
dovrebbe anche tenere conto del fatto che molti, a differenza, non si
sono affatto annoiati, io compreso, e hanno trovato lo spettacolo molto
gradevole, e con momenti di musica molto bella e una regia molto
interessante, se non addirittura geniale.
Tanto per concludere, io sono stato molto contento di vedere un'opera di
Salieri alla Scala piuttosto che ascoltare per l'ennesima volta il CD
dell'Idomeneo, o del Don Giovanni, perche' giudico Mozart un genio e
Salieri un ottimo artigiano
Sara' perche', una volta apprezzate le cose belle, mi e' rimasta anche
la curiosita' di conoscere le cose nuove.
Ciao
Rudy
-- 
For there was never yet philosopher 
That could endure the toothache patiently 
(Shakespeare: Much Ado about Nothing)

Sorry but all I understand is sangue, speranza, & Turandot.
ML/NJ

 Sorry but all I understand is sangue, speranza, & Turandot.
Blood, hope and Turandot? Turandot isn't an Italian word... :-)
Ciao
(Do you understand "ciao"? it is a confidential italian greeting)


 wrote in message
news:1gop3fi.14jybnb1ordgaoN%rodolfo....@tin.it...


"grandi performance (sic) vocali."
Ebbene, IF opera has now "evolved" - your term - into something else and is 
no longer the platform for the above ( which is surely  either "esecuzioni" 
or "prestazioni" ) as you contend, then what exactly is it ? Just 
overdirected and overdesigned panto for attention-deficit-disordered adults.
"la parte visuale e quindi l'apporto della regia, secondo me oggi 
indispensabile"
You don't own a single sound-only recording ? Even of the "Idomeneo"s and 
"Don Giovanni"s you'd so happily sacrifice in order to encounter Salieri's 
thin gruel on stage ? Perhaps you should try listening to them sometime.
"la curiosita' di conoscere le cose nuove."
Yes, well that would mean a diet of Sciarrino for you, and Birtwistle for 
me, and Carter for the Americans : what you mean is a whole clutch of "cose 
vecchie", exhumed from the archive/graveyards where the judgment of 
posterity has long since - ninety-nine times out of a hundred - quite 
correctly dumped them. And where "L'Europa reconosciuta" would be 
disintegrating slowly, gnawed by astutely critical rats as we speak, were it 
not for the grisly historical accident that it was the work that opened the 
current theatre in 1778.
"(Do you understand "ciao"? it is a confidential italian greeting)"  RC
Well you evidently don't : it is a COLLOQUIAL Italian greeting. As heard 
throughout the land, morning, noon, or night, to signify either arrival or 
departure (!) there is nothing in the least confidential about it.
SJT, all in favour of broadening RMO's contributor base away from Lincoln 
Centre, but thinking it best be done in a language ALL the posters here can 
comprehend.


Except perhaps to some in the bondage scene. Didn't 'ciao' morph from
'schiavo vostro' ?
Your servant,
LJO

 ha scritto nel messaggio
news:pNevd.9509$yr1....@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...

Noto che anche sui NG esteri si........cazzeggia alla grande:-))
Tutto il mondo è paese.
G.

 comprehend.
Il post e' un crossposting con IAMC dove TUTTI icoloro che scrivono
capiscono l'italiano, e alcuni anche l'inglese. Quindi non vedo dove sta
il problema.


 'schiavo vostro' ?
E' vero. La parola "ciao" deriva da quella espressione, ovviamente in
forma deformata. Ma l'uso che se ne fa nella lingua corrente e' molto
comune e ha il significato di saluto confidenziale fra amici e parenti.


 'schiavo vostro' ?
More exactly from the dialect of Venice, "scia'o vostro"
Ciao ;-)
Moosbrugger
-- 
"Have wheels, will travel !"
www.blauequelle.at

 departure (!) there is nothing in the least confidential about it.
"Confidential" meaning "friendly", "confidenziale" in italian.
Ciao
