Quoting "Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...>:
Quoting "Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...>:
> Dear Dr. Hanson and Vocalisters:
>
> Your points are well-taken.
The one time I had the good fortune to attend a
Metropolitan Opera performance of La Boheme in New York
(way back in 1983), it turned out, to our surprise, that
Placido Domingo was not singing but conducting the
opera!
That opera is one which I'd thought could never be
dull or lifeless, especially in the hands of the
"experts." To our dismay, it was both dull and
lifeless, as if the music never left the pages of
the score. What a disappointment.
The quality of the musicians was top-notch.
Domingo "looked" as though he knew how to conduct. All
of the best tools of the trade were there, just not the
drama or the music!
The very life which Domingo can breathe into pieces
he sings was the very dimension which was lacking. This
could have occurred for many reasons, under-rehearsal no
doubt, being a major contributor.
That Boheme is something of an old warhorse should
not have mattered. As a former professional chorister
with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, we did such "war
horses" as the Beethoven 9th EVERY season. And yet,
when Maestro Masur, for example, was guest conductor, he
infused us with such depth of understanding and feeling
for the text and music, that it remains one of the most
exhilarating musical experiences I've ever had, as he
was able to get us to perform it as close to his vision
as we were able--with very little rehearsal.
It must still always be about the music and
drama--the theater of it.
My two cents.
Erica Zweig
|
|  |
