Metropolitan Opera House

[sydneyboy]

A question for opera loving New Yorkers. What are your favourite seats in the theatre, assuming money is no object. I usually like being close to the stage at the Sydney Opera House but of course the Met is a much larger theatre. I noticed that the prices for the Parterre (Premium and Centre) are vastly more expensive than the Orchestra (Prime and Premium). Is in your opinion the best seats in the Parterre comparably better than best in the Orchestra? Comments welcome.

[+ Charlie]

Money is always an object, which is why I have rarely sat in the "best" seats. I have been going to the Lincoln Center house since it opened. My favorite cheaper seats are usually the Family Circle or Balcony boxes, mainly because the chairs can be moved (I hate being stuck in a fixed seat, especially in the middle of a row). Unfortunately, the padded seats on some of the chairs definitely need replacing now. The viewing angles are awkward, but one is usually closer to the stage itself and can see the singers' faces without opera glasses. And it is much easier to make a quick and quiet exit from the house from the boxes, when one needs to do so.

[+ sam.fitzpatrick]

I usually prefer sitting in the Orchestra - a better view of the entire stage and the acoustics seem to balance as well just a little further back.

[hornytwells]

orchestra is better for seeing everything at close quarters, but the sound gets better the higher up you sit. I hate the back of the orchestra underneath the overhang-really bad acoustics there, and some singers get completely covered, which they don't if you sit upstairs

[uwsman2]

I like the front few rows in the Dress Circle, center. You do need opera glasses to see facial gestures, but the sound is very good and you can see the entire sweep of the set. I have a friend with a subscription pair toward the front of the orchestra and I've sat there with him a few times. The view is spectacular, but you are looking upwards, which gets tiring, and the sound is really not so good - the orchestra can sort of overwhelm the singers, and sometimes the good sound goes right over your head. So it depends on what's more important to you, the sound or the close-up views.

[whipped guy]

The Parterre is overrated in my opinion... given the price that is. I only sat there once and you are slightly above stage level and have a great view, but the law of diminishing returns takes over after that given the price. If you are used to the orchestra level then avoid anything under the balcony as it is quite confining both physically and acoustically. However, as mentioned above I also find that in the front of the Orchestra the sound seems to fly over your head and the in your face view is a bit tiring at times.

 

Since I enjoy watching the orchestra and conductor as well, my personal preference is for the Grand Tier which is one up from the Parterre... the front is better than the rear as you are not overly confned and coverered by the next level up, but as long as it is in one of the center sections the rear is quite acceptable. I usually go for the Dress Circle which is one further up if the Grand Tier is sold out. Try to avoid the sides of both of these sections (or actually any section) as depending on the production your view can sometimes be compromised.

 

It has been quite a while since I sat in the Balcony... again the next level up... and it has been said the that's where the acoustics are the best... but while the view is acceptable I prefer a closer vantage point... though the very front is indeed somewhat acceptable from a visual point of view. Unless it is your only alternative avoid any of the side boxes. I would get a seat in the Family Circle before I subjected myself to that. Though in my younger days I was content to get a stiff neck in a Family Circle Box or even Standing Room way at the top if nothing else was available... or out of my price range... but it really is not the way to go.

[JT Brooklyn]

My Good Friend Whipped Guy besides his knowledge of all things pertaining to Leather Fun.... also wields a greater than most knowledge of all things Operatic!

 

It cannot be easy balancing the Hunky Working Guys he likes with the Fat Ladie's he loves to hear sing! But he does it with much Class;)

[Lohengrin1979]

My Good Friend Whipped Guy besides his knowledge of all things pertaining to Leather Fun.... also wields a greater than most knowledge of all things Operatic!

 

It cannot be easy balancing the Hunky Working Guys he likes with the Fat Ladie's he loves to hear sing! But he does it with much Class;)

 

I'll be glad when that particular stereotype goes away for good. Not all opera singers are fat, and less so every day. The climate of the art form is changing and people want hunky heldentenors and slim sopranos. We have to look like pop singers now. Not that it's a bad thing. Pavarotti could have avoided a lot of health issues if he had been thinner.

 

And to address the thread's question, Whipped had it exactly right. Grand Tier center is great sound and a good view. Hope you enjoy the show!

[hornytwells]

In response to brooklyn Guys "fat ladies" quote, here is a photo that appeared in Vanity fair showing todays current look for opera singers

 

http://www.vanityfair.com/style/features/2009/05/opera-singers200905/_jcr_content/par/cn_contentwell/par-main/cn_pagination_contai/cn_image.size.opera-singers-0905-01.jpg

[gallahadesquire]

... The climate of the art form is changing and people want hunky heldentenors and slim sopranos. We have to look like pop singers now. Not that it's a bad thing. Pavarotti could have avoided a lot of health issues if he had been thinner.

 

And to address the thread's question, Whipped had it exactly right. Grand Tier center is great sound and a good view. Hope you enjoy the show!

 

Is that the ROYAL "we" or do you have first hand, backstage [as it were] knowledge?

[whipped guy]

Is that the ROYAL "we" or do you have first hand, backstage [as it were] knowledge?

With such an overtly operatic screen name I say that our Lohengrin1979 speaks with first hand knowledge!

[hornytwells]

he is a singer, as his profile says>

[+ WilliamM]

I have attended a number of operas at the Sydney Opera House. I prefer the higher level seats to sitting close to the stage. To me the sound is much better farther from the stage. If you enjoy sitting closer to the stage in Australia (a wonderful country), my suggestion is to do the same at the Met.

[leigh.bess.toad]

We do have quite a few very talented musicians on the forum, several of whom have responded to this thread.

 

But the comment about the fat ladies gives me pause. Yes, today's stage directors and opera companies are seemingly dictating that today's singers appear trim and svelte. But I wonder what we may be losing in the process. Could Jessye Norman make it today? Monserrat Caballe (who had the nickname of Monster Fat Cowbelly for a reason)? Pavarotti? Among today's singers, who could make it if they had to start today? I don't know about Stephanie Blythe. Alessandra (the great) Marc never had the career I think her voice warranted. The fact that Debbie Voigt underwent bariatric surgery in no small part due to the "little black dress" incident and has never been the same again is so troubling. What we are left with are gaping holes in the availability of talent in certain areas. There are no great Verdian sopranos. With apologies to Lohengrin, the Wagner wing is basically decimated.

 

I'm not sure there is an answer, but I fear vocal talent is often taking a back seat to physical appearance, at least in certain areas of the repertoire.

[+ Charlie]

One wonders how much the dramatic slimming affected Callas' vocal longevity. Tebaldi certainly wasn't the same after she tried to go the glamour route. On the other hand, some female singers probably would have had a greater international career if they hadn't been too large to be believable on stage in romantic roles. One who always comes to my mind was Rita Hunter, whom I could hardly bear to watch as anything other than a static Brunnhilde, although she was glorious to listen to; only a very brave director would accept her as a Verdi heroine, which she really wanted to be. I saw a very young Jessye Norman as Elisabeth in Tannhauser, and although she sounded wonderful, the reviews of her appearance were so scathing (OK, she did just stand there) that she didn't do staged opera for several years afterwards.

[Lohengrin1979]

We do have quite a few very talented musicians on the forum, several of whom have responded to this thread.

 

But the comment about the fat ladies gives me pause. Yes, today's stage directors and opera companies are seemingly dictating that today's singers appear trim and svelte. But I wonder what we may be losing in the process. Could Jessye Norman make it today? Monserrat Caballe (who had the nickname of Monster Fat Cowbelly for a reason)? Pavarotti? Among today's singers, who could make it if they had to start today? I don't know about Stephanie Blythe. Alessandra (the great) Marc never had the career I think her voice warranted. The fact that Debbie Voigt underwent bariatric surgery in no small part due to the "little black dress" incident and has never been the same again is so troubling. What we are left with are gaping holes in the availability of talent in certain areas. There are no great Verdian sopranos. With apologies to Lohengrin, the Wagner wing is basically decimated.

 

I'm not sure there is an answer, but I fear vocal talent is often taking a back seat to physical appearance, at least in certain areas of the repertoire.

 

To answer the last couple of questions, yes I sing opera professionally so I've watched this unfold and it's something we were warned about in school even eight years ago. Body image in opera does matter and very, very few exceptions are made. I would agree with Lee that Jessye Norman would not make it today. More people are singing nowadays and "legendary" voices are being passed up for functional voices in great bodies. Agents and opera houses have a large enough pool of talent now to be very picky especially since opera faces some severe economic times ahead and has to reshape itself a bit in order to survive. The Netrebko's and Juan Diego Florez's of the scene will have it easier by far than another Ben Heppner or Montserrat Caballe. It's still an amazing career and I love every minute of it, but the bar has been raised a bit.

 

Lohengrin

[whipped guy]

It's still an amazing career and I love every minute of it, but the bar has been raised a bit.

Of course I am extremely jealous of you (jealous in a good way that is!)… what a wonderful career you are blessed to be able to pursue! Still, I guess nothing is easy and one must do that balancing act between the “little black dress”… or rather the “hot looking Speedo” in your case and what Rossini supposedly said were the three things that a singer needed… that is “Voice, voice, voice…”

I'm not sure there is an answer, but I fear vocal talent is often taking a back seat to physical appearance, at least in certain areas of the repertoire.

The only areas of the repertory that have not really suffered are the Baroque, Mozart, and Rossini… operas after that require a larger sound… more air… requiring more support.

Ironically I just spent a leisurely day listening to the likes of Sutherland (the gawky “dame” from down under), Caballé (well leigh.bess.toad said it all… but I do recall reading that she once attended the opera with a whole roasted chicken in her pocketbook!), and Pavarotti (enough said) in Bellini’s Norma (a Christmas gift) and was wondering the same thing.

The opera was recorded in 1984 and a bit past Sutherland’s prime years… and the same could possibly be said for Caballé as well. But even past their prime those two “fat ladies” as well as Signor Pavarotti have not been bettered in this opera in the 25 plus years since that recording was made.

Yep! It’s little black dress syndrome… and it actually all started in the late 70’s when opera was first televised. Renata Scotto hated the way she looked as Mimi in La Boheme… dieted to fit herself in the then equivalent on the “little black dress”… and never sounded the same again. Well come to think of it Callas probably started the whole concept in the 50’s… and even though she is and forever will be “La Divina”… I always wonder what would have been if she remained the plump ugly duckling who took the operatic world by storm simply by the power of her vocalism and her keen dramatic instincts…

In any even here it is almost 2012 and it seems that opera houses want the whole enchilada… looks and voice… but really it has boiled down to looks and half a voice. The last time I listened to Don Carlo live I thought that the “cover” was the Elisabetta… but no… it was the so-called diva! I saw Caballé in the part… and believe you me no one has sung “Tu che le vanità” as well since!

For the record, my good buddy Brooklyn Guy meant no harm… he was simply teasing!

[leigh.bess.toad]

To answer the last couple of questions, yes I sing opera professionally so I've watched this unfold and it's something we were warned about in school even eight years ago. Body image in opera does matter and very, very few exceptions are made. I would agree with Lee that Jessye Norman would not make it today. More people are singing nowadays and "legendary" voices are being passed up for functional voices in great bodies. Agents and opera houses have a large enough pool of talent now to be very picky especially since opera faces some severe economic times ahead and has to reshape itself a bit in order to survive. The Netrebko's and Juan Diego Florez's of the scene will have it easier by far than another Ben Heppner or Montserrat Caballe. It's still an amazing career and I love every minute of it, but the bar has been raised a bit.

 

Lohengrin

 

And I guess that's my biggest concern. Certain parts of the standard repertory will be virtually impossible to mount and even if mounted will be virtually unrecognizable. The Wagner wing is being decimated by the hour. Verdi is getting more and more difficult. Sondra Radvonovsky may be the only remaining Verdi soprano. The great Verdi baritone is virtually extinct. There are no Merrills, Milnes, Cappuccillis, Warrens, McNeils. And the Verdi Mezzo the likes of Cossotto has been long dead. It may be great for the French, Mozart and bel canto wings of the opera house, but for the full scale parts that simply require huge voices, that repertoire may well become non-existant.

[sydneyboy]

Thank you for these wonderful responses. There is nothing more entertaining that a healthy debate among opera queens. My doctor and I fall into this category and we are often in his surgery debating these issues for an hour or more when he has a waiting room full of sick people. More points than a porcupine been raised here but I will limit myself to a few. Large Wagnerian ladies? What of Christine Brewer? I have read fabulous reviews of her and can't wait until 11 August next year when she will sing highlights from Wagner in the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. It is exactly the same program given by Birgit Nilsson to inaugurate the opening of the Opera House. Where she differs from so many singers judging by articles I have read, in particular an in depth interview a few years ago in the British magazine "Opera", (as an aside there ought to be a law against any opera queen who does not subscribe to it), is the way Ms Brewer has carefully nurtured her voice, refusing to sing roles she deemed unsuitable (eg Aida), forsaking roles that are not "glamorous" in favour of those that she can do better (eg singing Chrysothemis in "Electra" but clearly stating that she will never do the title role), carefully "building up" leading roles like Isolde and Brunnhilde by singing excerpts in concert form before embarking on a full stage production.

 

Maria Callas has been mentioned. Surely the early decline in her voice was embarking on a repertoire far too heavy far too soon eg at the age of 22 doing Elvira in "I Puritani" and Brunnhilde in the "Die Walkure" on consecutive nights! Carreras is another singer whose decline was more to do with a far too heavy repertoire than his illness. I recall reading an interview with him in "Opera" prior to his illness and he said that the only thing preventing him singing Wagner was that he could not speak German and he refused to mouth words he did understand. With his voice type Alfredo Krauss should have been his role model singing roles like "Werther" at 70 with the freshness of voice of a 40 year old from reviews I have read.

 

Once again thank you all and let the debate continue and with opera loving queens that will be until the end of opera or the end of time, which ever comes first.

[leigh.bess.toad]

Thanks sydneyboy. I think Christine Brewer is another great example. She is certainly not starting out (she's 56, 2 months younger than me) and was a known quantity. I just don't think she'd even be allowed to get her foot in the door nowadays.

[sydneyboy]

One thing that comes through in the reviews I have read of Christine Brewer is the remarkable "freshness" of her voice at 56. Many have attributed this to the way she has paced her career and carefully nurtured her voice.

 

There were some previous comments on Jessye Norman. I heard her in recital in the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House about 30 years ago (arguably in her prime) and although she had a beautiful, pure voice I was rather surprised at what to my ears was rather a small voice. I might add she was rapturously received. As to the size of her voice I read a review of her singing Kundry in "Parsifal" at the Met and reviewer commented that she did not really have a Met sized voice. In that judgment I was not alone.

[hornytwells]

Angela Meade is starting out, and her size doesn't seem to be holding her back-she has lots of engagements at the MET. Leah Crocetto is a young major talent who won the MET auditions and just sang Liu in San francisco to great acclaim and is certainly not sylph-like. Heidi Melton is a young Wagnerian soprano to watch out for, and again, not svelte, but a wonderful voice

[cany10011]

I find that the orchestra balance and grand tier rear offer good seats at reasonable prices (as i usually buy 2 seats for a friend to come with or sometimes I'll use it for my jacket). Once in a while I will splurge and do something in the orchestra prime or parterre. However, I've been known to take a nap during most second acts so the seats are truly wasted on me. If you do visit, please try the restaurant at the met (which can serve you desserts during intermission) or have dinner nearby at a restaurant called Lincoln, run by former chef de cuisine at Keller's Per Se.

[whipped guy]

Angela Meade is starting out, and her size doesn't seem to be holding her back-she has lots of engagements at the MET.

Glad you mentioned this horny... I was almost going to reference her in my above posting as she seems to be an exception to the current rules. I saw and heard her live for the first time in Anna Bolena at the MET this past fall... and after seeing Netrebko in the part a few weeks earlier. Consequently it was strange seeing the proverbial "fat lady sing"... something I had not experienced in several years... and having her in direct competition with the glamorous Netrebko. Interestingly, I also overheard quite a few complementary remarks about her from other members of the audience... so her size does not seem to be quite the detriment to her career that some might think.

 

Maria Callas has been mentioned. Surely the early decline in her voice was embarking on a repertoire far too heavy far too soon eg at the age of 22 doing Elvira in "I Puritani" and Brunnhilde in the "Die Walkure" on consecutive nights!

Callas did so many “wrong” things… but we are the richer from many of her mistakes… Still, I always do wonder what might have been if there were no weight-loss, no Onassis, etc… and she had concentrated solely on the Bel Canto.

…Alfredo Krauss should have been his role model singing roles like "Werther" at 70 with the freshness of voice of a 40 year old from reviews I have read.

Alfredo Krauss is indeed the perfect role model…

Once again thank you all and let the debate continue and with opera loving queens that will be until the end of opera or the end of time, which ever comes first.[/Quote]

Yes! This is fun and enlightening even though the thread has been hijacked in the process! (And it's all Brooklyn Guy's fault!)

[JT Brooklyn]

In response to brooklyn Guys "fat ladies" quote, here is a photo that appeared in Vanity fair showing todays current look for opera singers

 

http://www.vanityfair.com/style/features/2009/05/opera-singers200905/_jcr_content/par/cn_contentwell/par-main/cn_pagination_contai/cn_image.size.opera-singers-0905-01.jpg

 

Happy to see that I knowing nothing about "The Wonderful World of Opera" seem to have contributed in a small way to this discussion~ I realize "Fat can be Beautiful"!

 

I do doubt though that the innocent remark made by many for many many year's "It ain't over til the Fat Lady sings" will disappear!