//www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzkTKx80XN4
On this present day in 1968 mezzo-soprano Shirley Verrett made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Carmen
Evaluation of Robert B. Frederick in Selection:
One other Black ‘Carmen’; however Met’s Foolish Setting Cramps Miss Verrett
“Carmen” is just not precisely a task reserved for Negro mezzo sopranos, however there’s a small pattern that approach on the Met, the newest to take over being Shirley Verrett. She got here near scoring on her first try to with additional performances might make the function her personal.
Meantime there have been issues to beat, some inside her management, although hardly that foolish set held over from final season’s “new” manufacturing. By the way, the Met might enhance issues by utilizing the odd first act setting after which use elements of the brand new cellular, now-it-is-now-it’s-changed surroundings,
When the curtain rises on act one the viewers is confronted with what seems to be the outside of a bullfight area, curving the fallacious approach. It could actually’t be a bullfight area, nevertheless, as Carmen and the cigarette ladies enter and go away it, with the implication that it’s a cigarette manufacturing unit. Worse than that is the escape enterprise which requires Carmen to own the nimbleness of a mountain goat, scampering up and down its numerous ranges whereas everybody watches her escape indifferently,
The silky-toned Miss Verrett makes the many of the state of affairs, nevertheless, and solely sometimes sounds winded by her travels. She does show one crimson herring of her personal, nevertheless, by continuously taking the stance of a gypsy dancer on a desk high after which doing nothing greater than clicking her castanets.
Jon Vickers’ Don Jose, if not the epitome of the Spanish soldier, is not less than honey-voiced and his Flower Tune is on the spectacular (or Jussi Bjoerling) aspect. Probably the chief delight of the night is Mirella Freni’s Micaela (regardless of an unattractive hairdo) and he or she dominates even Vickers in all their scenes. Justino Diaz, essentially the most athletic and character-correct Escamillo within the historical past of the Met, can also be extraordinarily efficient in his arias, as are Morley Meredith’s Zuniga, Russell Christopher’s Morales (substituting at [first night] for the ailing Ron Bottcher), Lilian Sukis’ Frasquita and Marcia Baldwin’s Mercedes.
The staging follows Jean-Louis Barrault (who may nicely have come again to verify on his conception), however the conducting of Zubin Mehta appears adequately Hispanic, redolent with held-in passions, and exploding on the correct moments. It was too dangerous that the rhythms didn’t encourage Alicia Markova’s dancers to one thing a bit nearer to the flamenco feeling, however which may be the Barrault staging. Whereas good-looking, they transfer like a debuting group on the Delacorte Theatre.
The singers are sure to enhance with additional publicity of their roles, and significantly Miss Verrett, however the current set won’t.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulBAweM2vmI
Birthday anniversaries of composer Gustav Holst (1874) and baritone Vladimir Ruzdjak (1922)
Completely satisfied 82nd birthday soprano Jill Gomez
Completely satisfied 81st birthday tenor Werner Krenn
Completely satisfied 74thbirthday mezzo-soprano Gail V Gilmore
Completely satisfied 68th birthday soprano Nina Rautio
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