Metropolitan Opera House

[sydneyboy]

Charlie

 

That is still Opera Australia's Rigoletto! The production is by Elijah Moshinsky. I agree that was tolerable.

[whipped guy]

Some of the City Operas productions were indeed crazy updates, but some did work... a Gluck Ipigenie in Tauride that took place in a modern day terrorist camp was effective... as was a 1950's L'italiana in Alegeri with a Saddam Hussein look alike as Mustafa...and a recreation of a 1950's "modern" Italian kitchen complete with a portrait of Pope Pius on the wall for the pasta eating scene... Fortunately their Lakme was completely traditional and it was great to be able to see a work that the MET would not go near... Same for Rossini's powerful Ermione... fortunately in a traditional post Trojan war setting.

 

As for many European operatic productions Regietheater unfortunately rules... and one needs to be careful even when purchasing a DVD... here YouTube is essential to try before you buy... and along those lines I posted a inquiry about the MET's new Faust in the Arts Forum and got no answer... did anyone see it? Was it as bad as the Verdi Macbeth that I recently read about that had an opening scene that depicts washerwomen in a village square throwing laundry in the air where the bitches are supposed to be witches?

[adriano46]

Whipped -- I too prefer to see a commentary on a production before buying tickets here at the MET given their price.

 

A decade ago it was actually more expensive to see a Broadway play than a good production at the MET (sometimes), and my dilemma then was finding a working guy who also appreciated a night at the opera. The same is true even today. I prefer longer rather than shorter "dates" and to me, part of the joy of going to the Met (or any other opera hoe) is sharing the experience with someone who can also appreciate it. In the old days that would entail a dinner beforehand, the opera (seats in dress circle), and a leisurely champagne nightcap before returning to the hotel for some leisurely sex. BUT I want to make sure the production I am paying for is good. I have a penchant for many types of opera (Italian, French, German, Russian), but prefer classical interpretations -not jazzed up reinterpretations.

 

And... the search continues to find a working guy in NYC over 30 who can appreciate a night at the theatre.

[sydneyboy]

The Met has very good taste in not going near "Lakme". The thing is a Victorian monstrosity and a bloody bore. Opera Australia can't leave it alone. They mounted a production as a vehicle for Joan Sutherland in 1976. I vividly recall the "Sydney Morning Herald's" music critic commenting that "palpable frustrations" built up in the audience during the performance. This was the very gentlemanly Professor Covell saying they were bored witless. They mounted a spectacular new production a few years ago and thought I would give the opera another chance. A mistake. Why would you mount "Lakme" for a soprano who can't negotiate the Bell Song? They revived the wretched thing in 2011 this time with Emma Matthews who can sing the Bell Song but I did not honour it with my presence.

[whipped guy]

I try to avoid crazy updates if at all possible... but sometimes one has no alternative. A case in point was the MET's updated La Sonnambula from a few seasons ago. Now it may seem strange to some, but La Sonnambula is an opera that I adore. I describe it as a string of cultured pearls with each pearl being one gorgeous Bel Canto melody after another. It was previously done in the late 1960's with Sutherland and while as a teenager I managed to get a ticket... I was not able to get there to see it... so 30 some odd years later the Met mounts it and in an abysmal production that can only be described as the Luigi Pirandello version of the piece.

 

Now a few months after seeing it, I had a fight with a now retired escort about the production. He insisted that Bellini was a 20th Century composer and that's why the piece was staged in modern dress... even though I threw out the date 1831, the term Bel Canto, and even tried to describe the 1955 La Scala production by Visconti for Callas... he insisted he was right and I was wrong. Actually, he was a newbie to opera and this goes to show how much of a disservice some of these crazy stagings can do to those who really are trying to learn about opera in general.

 

To complicate matters he possessed a pig-headed, "I do no wrong", "I know it all" type of personality. We even had a disagreement over the pronunciation of Puccini's La Rondine... He kept correcting me when I emphasized the first syllable of RON-din-e... saying it was pronounced Ron-DIN... with the final "e" being silent. He said that he spoke Italian fluently, but he did not do so in my presence.

 

At any rate, the escort was wielding a whip at the time... though I did get some revenge by slapping him with my backpack as I went out the door... I also told him to go f^#k himself among other things...

[JT Brooklyn]

I'm thinking with all of the Opera Lover's on Daddys that there was never suggested a Forum for it?

 

Although I'm guessing there's alot of PM's concerning it...

[hornytwells]

The Met has very good taste in not going near "Lakme". The thing is a Victorian monstrosity and a bloody bore. Opera Australia can't leave it alone. They mounted a production as a vehicle for Joan Sutherland in 1976. I vividly recall the "Sydney Morning Herald's" music critic commenting that "palpable frustrations" built up in the audience during the performance. This was the very gentlemanly Professor Covell saying they were bored witless. They mounted a spectacular new production a few years ago and thought I would give the opera another chance. A mistake. Why would you mount "Lakme" for a soprano who can't negotiate the Bell Song? They revived the wretched thing in 2011 this time with Emma Matthews who can sing the Bell Song but I did not honour it with my presence.

 

So funny how we can disagree so strongly-Lakme is one of my favorite operas, I find the music absolutely charming and melodic, and very grateful for the voice.

[hornytwells]

I'm thinking with all of the Opera Lover's on Daddys that there was never suggested a Forum for it?

 

Although I'm guessing there's alot of PM's concerning it...

 

It's funny, opera and porn, the two main passions in most opera queens lives!

[+ WilliamM]

Some of the City Operas productions were indeed crazy updates, but some did work...

I posted a inquiry about the MET's new Faust in the Arts Forum and got no answer... did anyone see it?

 

I agree some of the updates in the U.S. & Europe work very well, glad you made that most recent post because you were coming across as very conservative.

 

I had a ticket for the Met's "Faust" on Dec. 20, but missed it because of a bad cold. I was able to see the new production of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" the next day. P&B is all about the songs and Audra McDonald's superb performance. Faust in HD will be playing in theaters as an encore production on Wednesday, Jan. 11. I plan to see it & report back, and hope others do the same. I very much regret missing "Faust" live at the Met.

[+ WilliamM]

I try to avoid crazy updates if at all possible... but sometimes one has no alternative. A case in point was the MET's updated La Sonnambula from a few seasons ago. Now it may seem strange to some' date=' but [i']La Sonnambula[/i] is an opera that I adore. I describe it as a string of cultured pearls with each pearl being one gorgeous Bel Canto melody after another. It was previously done in the late 1960's with Sutherland and while as a teenager I managed to get a ticket... I was not able to get there to see it... so 30 some odd years later the Met mounts it and in an abysmal production that can only be described as the Luigi Pirandello version of the piece.

 

I really enjoyed that Met production of "La Sonnambula," but much more at the Met than the DVD that was eventually released. I love the opera, and had never seen it in person before. Despite the staging, I was won over by the performances of Juan Diego Florez and Natalie Dessay. My guess is that DVD was disappointing because I was able to see the flaws without being seduced by Florez's and Desay's in person singing.

 

Seeing the opera made be like the superb recordings even more, especially Sutherland's.

 

I am surprised that an escort would argue so unknowingly about opera. If you do not mind me asking: Do things like that happen to you on a fairly regular basis? If so, you have a more fun life than most people.

[whipped guy]

Do things like that happen to you on a fairly regular basis? If so, you have a more fun life than most people.

Not really on a regular basis, but I don't take crap from anybody. Plus the guy was obnoxious. I tell it like it is when pissed off... and have done so to more than one escort... However, fortunately that has been the exception to the rule... the majority of guys are quite accommodting... and I do enjoy having discussions while playing. Obviously most guys are not exactly into opera, but a guy who sang professionally did demonstrate about the use of "head voice".

 

Also, I remember remarking to one escort that, "Opera is in my blood." After replying that he just could never understand opera, his response was, "Well, BDSM is in my blood!"

[leigh.bess.toad]

 

Also, I remember remarking to one escort that, "Opera is in my blood." After replying that he just could never understand opera, his response was, "Well, BDSM is in my blood!"

 

Well if you can find one that has both opera and BDSM in his blood, put a ring around his finger and marry him.