Comments for Unanswered Question

Comment on A Status Report on City Opera by Joel Lee

Joel Lee — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:49:13 +0000

Again, we go on and on about the acoustics at the NY State Theater. Why were there not criticisms when Norman Treigle, Beverly Sills, Placido Domingo, Maralin Niska, Johanna Meier, on and on were all singing there? Did anyone complain about the acoustics after the Roberto Devereux, The Mephistopheles or the countless other productions? No, it was only with the current crop of NY Times critics that this became an obsession. And they are still obsessed with it and FIsher Hall. Anyone who sat on the arms of the second or third ring in The NY State Theaterwould testify that these were some of the best seats in all of NYC.

Comment on A Status Report on City Opera by william osborne

william osborne — Mon, 20 May 2013 06:02:39 +0000

Small music theater requires entirely new concepts of composition, singing and staging. NYCO wants to create a new form of chamber music theater but is still thinking in operatic terms in everything from the size of halls, to staging, to instrumentation, to the bel canto voice. Incongruities inevitably appear.

The challenges are daunting. They need to develop not only an entirely new literature, but a host of new vocal and dramaturgical concepts to go with it. Instead, they are taking standard literature, or new pieces still written with mostly 19th century concepts of music theater, and simply trying to update them into small forms. There is still a notable lag between practice and theory.

But of course the biggest problem is that they have so little money, because our system of funding the arts by private donations doesn’t work very well—not even in mega-rich New York. The USA only has 3 cities in the top 100 for opera performances per year.

Without funds, the NYCO is in a poor position to face the immense challenges of creating new concepts of music theater. The result is a rinky-dink season, rinky-dink productions, and the rinky-dink mentality to go with it. It’s not really the company’s fault. It’s a result of their poverty, and says something not only about New York City, but also about our country as a whole.

Comment on Dvorak and Hiawatha by Chuck Lavazi

Chuck Lavazi — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:41:40 +0000

The first time I heard the Largo of the Dvorak 9th (then called the 5th, which shows what a geezer I am) the image sprang immediately to mind of an Indian looking out on a vast plain at sunset. This was long before I knew there was an Indianisf movement in American music or anything much about the 9ths origins; I was a pre-teen just learning about Classical Music. Thanks for the additional insight into one of my favorite symphonies.

Currently rereading Ivory Trade in preparation for covering the Cliburn as part of a delegation from MCANA and enjoying the perspective

Comment on Ives the Sophisticate by Robert Berger

Robert Berger — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:26:37 +0000

Interesting article, but your dismissal of the Sibelius 2nd as “banal” and “cliched” could not be more off the mark ,with all due respect . It’s genuine masterpiece . Another critic who was blind to its greatness was the late
Virgil Thonson, who wrote that infamous negatove review of the work in which he stupidly called it
“vulgar,self-indulgent and provincial” and then used this as n excuse to make th eidiotic claim that the New York
Philharmonic was”not part of New York’s intellectual life” because of this, defaming the orchestra for decades .

Comment on Ives the Sophisticate by Mark Stryker

Mark Stryker — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:00:39 +0000

Joe,

Insightful post, thanks. Interestingly, in a review I wrote a couple days ago about the four Ives symphonies played at Carnegie by the Detroit Symphony, I specifically included a rejoinder to those who would brand Ives as a primitive. Also, I should note that I was thinking of you and your championing of Chadwick 3 when I left some some wiggle room in a comment about the the derivative quality of American classical music before Ives (“hardly any”) though you may feel this was not enough. In any case:

http://www.freep.com/article/20130511/ENT04/305110043/1035

Coda: A long reported piece from the previous day about the post-strike recovery in Detroit: http://www.freep.com/article/20130509/ENT04/305090173/

Comment on The Greatest Film Score You’ve Never Heard by J. Theakston

J. Theakston — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:13:43 +0000

Must disagree with you on one point, Joe. Modern accompaniment for classic films (silent films excluded) is walking a fine line, not only because of the jarring change in fidelity between dialog and sound effects clashing with the score, but because ultimately, the intent of the original composer’s work is compromised on several different levels. You’re replacing it with THE recording that set the record for audiences when the film was released, thereby compromising the authenticity of the historical experience of viewing the film. No matter what, you’re putting the music ahead of the film, and the result SHOULD be that they are in harmony.

Also, as has been proven time-and-again with re-recordings of classic film scores, the interpretation of the music ranges from spot-on to extremely derivative. This can mean that while the conductor might pull off an interpretation of the score that is faithful to the original, another presentation may be compromised by a poor or different interpretation.

Comment on The Met’s New Parsifal by richard

richard — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:59:06 +0000

I saw the performance of March 5, and your description of the brillance of this production rings true. At last, Gelb hired someone who knows how to get Wagner right! Seeing vocalists (and actors!) of the quality of Kaufmann, Mattei and Pape on the same stage was a thrill. For my performance, Dalayman was indisposed. Her second, Michaela Martins, was a confident Kundry, fully able to meet the vocal demands of the role, including the high notes. The conceptual design of this Parsifal was staggering in effect, fully bringing out the tone of redemption at the end.

Comment on The Met’s New Parsifal by Geo.

Geo. — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 05:50:41 +0000

I saw the HD-cast of this production rather than in person, so obviously my perspective is limited that way. Within that limitation, though, I was quite impressed with this production, as a non-Wagnerian. I’ve never seen Levine conduct ‘Parsifal’, so I’ve nothing to compare it to, but nothing was lacking that I could tell in Daniele Gatti’s conducting, from memory without a net, in a manner of speaking. Marvelous cast, where Rene Pape was my own favorite of the bunch.

If the Met decides to dump the “machine” version of the ‘Ring’, they could do worse than recruit Girard to come up with his own version, although Girard might want some time to study the ‘Ring’, comparable to the 5 years he spent getting ready for this ‘Parsifal’.

Comment on The Met’s New Parsifal by msirt

msirt — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 18:28:26 +0000

Ah ha! I finally “get” François Girard’s final interpretive thrust for this rendition :

Parsifal’s words (paraphrase of the poem): “The Holy Blood on the spear longs to join the Holy Blood in the Grail cup.

The action (a la Girard): Parsifal inserts the spear tip into the Grail cup, upheld by Kundry, who, on a musical accent (also reflected in a spear movement by Parsifal), will suddenly begin her expiration ritual, leading to a gentle death, while meanwhile, the shadowy ensemble of women who have been ever-pesent but separate from the men, move as individuals to members of the opposite sex, and they all join hands as couples.

My goodness! We’ve got some good ol’ Dan Brown going here (Da Vinci Code). The phallic spear and the vaginal cup. All that alternative Gospel of Thomas stuff (Christ married and parental, etc.) and a union of opposites into a perfectly balanced whole (Yin & Yang), represented through the sexual symbolism of the objects at hand. My my! Took me long enough (well, I saw it at the Met 2/21 and from the distance of Dress Circle, one could not see all the details, but seeing it live in HD yesterday filled in the blanks, so i suppose I can forgive myself this untimely lapse of cognition).

A wonderful production that really works. The wonderful performances and musical interpretation, combined with Girard’s on-the-mark realizations truly evokes the “Mitlied” Wagner intended and brought tears on many occasions throughout the rendition. Kudos to all.

Comment on The Met’s New Parsifal by Sixtus Beckmesser

Sixtus Beckmesser — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:03:58 +0000

Thank you for this thoughtful and insightful appraisal. I was fortunate to have seen the HD broadcast on Saturday, and would only add to your remarks that the orchestra played wondrously well, surpassing their usual excellence. This was a performance to treasure; even though it lasted almost five and a half hours with intermissions, I didn’t want it to end.