tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5998744234538946992.post526361906520442419..comments2024-02-15T07:56:02.706+00:00Comments on Capriccio: Thoughts on the Met Broadcast WalkureCapricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11066947469648187572noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5998744234538946992.post-50420641451529962482011-06-26T23:06:17.829+01:002011-06-26T23:06:17.829+01:00Hi Humphrey!
Thanks for the message - I'm so...Hi Humphrey! <br /><br />Thanks for the message - I'm so glad you agree with me! Interesting to hear comments from someone who saw the run develop and settle in. I sometimes wish I could see the last as well as the first performance to see how things change and whether they get better - I'm sure that with something as complex and difficult as Wagner, the difference would be quite noticable. Oh to be a millionaire!Capricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11066947469648187572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5998744234538946992.post-25738026870128488632011-06-26T16:04:50.656+01:002011-06-26T16:04:50.656+01:00I think the general consensus that EMW was not at ...I think the general consensus that EMW was not at her best at the Met is correct but I also think your view that she is better in person is also on point. She was better in previous live experiences than on any of her recordings. I heard the beginning of Opening Night, went to two live performances in between and heard (over the interwebs) the last performance. She was clearly much better in the live performances (both vocally and dramatically) and much more so than the other performers (a bit more on that bellow). It may also have been the case that she just had particularly bad days (unfortunately for her) during the broadcast and that whatever ailment compromised her vocal performance impacted her acting as well.<br /><br />Otherwise I think the May 14 show was the best of the run and just about everyone had grown into/gotten more comfortable with their roles (always allowing for the vagaries of the microphones). Voigt was the most improved but Terfel managed his resources better than before. Its true that he is, regrettably, past his vocal prime but it is still and impressive voice and and in some ways an important interpretation.<br /><br />I agree completely with your views re: The Production, and that it was "inoffensive" (to the extent that one was not "offended" by the other defects which you so mercilessly if quite accurately listed.HumphreyBohunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06159283396276780110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5998744234538946992.post-32155101106577635512011-05-17T15:33:36.100+01:002011-05-17T15:33:36.100+01:00Ok thanks very much for the clarification. Let'...Ok thanks very much for the clarification. Let's hope she gets better soon.Capricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11066947469648187572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5998744234538946992.post-9443865481955439532011-05-17T15:06:44.440+01:002011-05-17T15:06:44.440+01:00She wasn't just sick in the first performance....She wasn't just sick in the first performance. She has something going on, health issues as her management stated, that prevents her from singing for the next months. She canceled everything. They'll find out soon probably what it is exactly, but it clearly affects her singing and breathing technique. It was obvious for everyone who knows her Sieglindes that she wasn't singing like she normally does. You could even see it in her acting. The MET probably thought that even like this she would make a better Sieglinde than Margaret Jane Wray. I think it was a courageous effort from Eva and, given the circumstances, she did better than I would have thought. I would just like to add this medical background info to put things a bit more into perspective. She deserves to be judged fairly, I think. I wouldn't object when people say she can't sing when she's being completely healthy, I guess.Rob V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13434887413823111496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5998744234538946992.post-35410370008488497622011-05-17T14:35:29.836+01:002011-05-17T14:35:29.836+01:00I was aware that she was sick in the first perform...I was aware that she was sick in the first performance of this run, but nothing was mentioned before today's performance. I think if an experienced and talented singer is getting on stage, especially if she knows that she has been sick and also that it will be broadcast to a world wide audience of many thousands, we can trust that they she knows what she is doing.<br /><br />She was much better at acting in Anna Nicole earlier this season, and though I thought she sang admirably there (what little there was for to sing), I already had suspicions that I didn't much care for the vibrato. I respect her greatly, and there's no doubt she can sing, and as I say, I think she's much better in the theatre than up close. She's incredibly down to earth, practical and undivaish in person and in her attitude to her work, which is another thing I admire.Capricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11066947469648187572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5998744234538946992.post-1160693385320084542011-05-17T14:24:51.749+01:002011-05-17T14:24:51.749+01:00Another reviewer who, unfortunately, doesn't s...Another reviewer who, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be aware of Eva-Maria's health issues at the moment, the fact that because of this she won't sing for a few months, and who judges her as if simply nothing was wrong. Except for her voice, obviously... I thought she performed admirably in these conditions. Chapeau. The only one I found to be boring was Kaufmann, especially in the first act. Monotonous singing.Rob V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13434887413823111496noreply@blogger.com