my super-excellent met adventure, part 2

for the nightcap...of my day-night doubleheader, i saw 'otello'

krassimira stoyanova, as desdemona, was great -- powerful voice -- really...exploded,...when she first came out -- opened up

stoyanova and jose cura (otello)

i found another great scene from verdi -- the man has some sense for the dramatic

otello has been reduced to a groveling...worm, prostrate on the ground -- outside, the citizens of cyprus are singing the praises of the lion of venice, for his recent victory -- inside, however, iago stands astride...the defeated otello -- the utterly defeated otello -- and iago roars,...'ecco il leoni'

thomas hampson is a great actor, as well as a great singer

hampson and cura

on the subway ride after 'otello,' i was sitting next to a man reading a spanish newspaper -- on the back cover of the paper was a picture of new york mets pitcher johann santana (for weeks, i'd been singing 'meet the mets,' when i hear,...think about...the met) -- i eventually noticed that he had a plastic bag from the met opera shop -- i asked him if he attended the opera -- he said he worked in the shop -- i showed him the tie i wore (since removed...and placed in my met bag), like the ones sold in the shop

his name is ivan, he's from peru, and he was an opera singer -- he said he was there, for juan diego florez's first voice lesson, when florez was 17 and ivan was 21 -- ivan taught archeology in peru, for 12 years, and sumerian/mesopotamian mythology...were his favorite -- he said that all religions and mythologies...hail from it -- i told him about my nephew and lugalbanda -- i later asked him about santana -- he said he didn't understand baseball -- hadn't learned it

sunday morning, i went back to the met, for their backstage tour -- they're sold out, for the rest of the season, but i thought i'd give it a shot, anyway

i waited and waited,...in front of the met building, but...no tour group

meanwhile, there was a big group, on the other side of the fountain, singing -- in a foreign language

i haven't been able to insert the video of their singing (from my camera) here -- i'll keep trying

in any case, they were, all girls, and they were from the czech border-city karvina -- they were in new york, for a singing competition -- two days later, in carnegie hall -- and had a concert in st. patrick's church, monday afternoon

i was told, variously, that they sang permonik (which i heard, and recorded), za nasim humenkem and este si zazpivam

then came a group from a high school in salt lake city -- they sang a hymn -- i just looked it up -- it's called 'the saints bound for heaven' -- part of it goes, 'and through all eternity, we'll rejoice, we'll rejoice' -- i gave 'em...an opera 'bravo'

then they sang...what sounded like a polynesian song -- i caught the words...'nimoni noyay' -- that's what it sounded like

well, i then walked around the corner, to the lincoln center's newest building, the david rubenstein atrium -- i found out, there, that there were no backstage tours of the met, that day (neither the morning or the afternoon tour) -- probably because it was easter sunday -- i must check the metropolitan opera guild web-site, next time -- they're the ones who conduct the tours, and not metropolitan opera

there were, however, tours of the lincoln center complex -- they call it 'campus'

that tour included the met and the koch theater (formerly the state theater -- designed by cleveland-native philip johnson), which, amazingly, was home to new york city opera, from the time it was built, in 1964, until two years ago -- the metropolitan opera house, next door, opened in 1966

what a building boom took place there, in a matter of...four, five years

there was a dispute over the two...colossal sculptures...at the ends of the second-floor lobby -- i think it was between johnson and the director of the new york city opera/ballet, who didn't want them -- well, to resolve the dispute, johnson had the sculptures installed first, then had the building and staircases (behind the sculptures) constructed, through which...the sculptures could not be removed

there's a similar...construction...design...feat...with the met...building

the lower,...elliptical part of the main staircase...is one piece of concrete,...which had to be installed first, and the rest of the building...built around it

this must be from friday night -- the upper picture, during traviata's matinee

inside the met's auditorium, our tour-guide, sarah, talked about the acoustics of the hall, and asked if anyone wanted to sing -- so i sang the first four lines of 'vedrai carino' -- and...got into...the fifth line,...before...i was rudely cut off -- didn't have to practice much, either -- actually, i have -- in hindsight, i think i should've made a run for it,...to the stage

for my next installment -- my next trick -- my last trick -- food...and a building...that may have been designed by an old friend

quartet-mania

i just saw the movie 'quartet' again -- even better, second time around -- really moving (like opera -- like...good opera) -- brought tears to my eyes, many times -- although, i've been a bit teary-eyed, of late

so, i'm on another...quartet-high -- and...i'm going to share....

so, get ready...to be deluged...by quartets -- quartets...to the...quadruple power

i can't help it -- there are...so many...incredible renditions

something else...about this -- i know of no other scene...in the history of literature (and not only...musical theater), as beautifully set,...set up,...developed, as exquisitely choreographed...as this -- dramatically speaking -- and, when well acted, well sung, it's...incomparable -- the height of...everything

well, if any one...knows of another scene -- whether by the bard, the blind bard, aristophanes, anybody...that matches this -- comes close -- i'd love to hear about it (see it, read it, imbibe it) -- a few years ago, i was...kicked in the gut...truly wrenched, inside,...by a scene or two (or more) in oedipus -- but,...hard to imagine...a scene...being set -- played out -- with character-development,...characters' motivations, depth of feeling...to match this one

so, here goes -- feast your eyes, your ears...your soul

first -- and you could, just as well, stop right here -- the legendary pairing of pavarotti and dame sutherland -- one for the ages, this performance -- and, of course, one mustn't forget isola jones and leo nucci -- how could one

here, luciano...takes it from the top, in this great film version -- with edita gruberova as gilda, ingvar wixell as rigoletto, victoria vergara as maddelena, and ferruccio furlanetto as sparafucile

here's an exquisitely rendered -- not to mention, elegant -- quartet,...from 'classic' american television -- with cesare valetti, blanche theborn, roberta peters & cesare siepi -- those were the days

another, with dame sutherland -- and nicolai gedda, mildred miller & tito gobbi -- all of whom act beautifully and sing exquisitely -- and versa vice

another great...pavarotti quartet -- with renata scotto, bianca bortoluzzi & kostas paskalis

jussi bjorling, anna roto, roberta peters & robert merrill

one, starring the great mexican tenor ramon vargas, with elina granaca, anna netrebko & ludovic tezier

another, anchored the splendid argentinian...marcelo alvarez -- with judith howarth, denyce graves & bryn terfel

i just came across another tour de force by alvarez -- here, with cecilia bartoli, mariella devia & leo nucci

maria callas -- with giuseppe di stefano, adriana lazzarini & tito gobbi

a recent one, with juan diego florez, christa mayer, diana damrau & zeljko lucic -- with an interesting...dramatic twist

i just came across this collection of superstars -- pavarotti, june anderson, florence quivar & sherrill milnes

finally, a couple...from the record books -- literally -- from the records -- and, even, before...records

caruso, from 1907, with bessie abott, louise homer & antonio scotti

caruso, from 1917, with flora perini, amelita galli-curci, giuseppe de luca -- read about the picture

finally, john mccormack & lucrezia bori, from 1914

in the comments (posted on youtube, under this video), there's a lovely story...about mccormack and caruso...in an elevator -- mccormack greets caruso: 'and how is the world's greatest tenor today?,' to which caruso replies, 'and since when, john, did you become a baritone/'

i could go on and on (and i already have -- and i will,...anon -- i just came across a domingo duke (and others), and i'll look for a better quartet con 'la bellissima' -- but i have to stop, for now) -- you may (go on and on) -- and...share

all of this...led me to wonder, if there's a collection of the quartets -- if it's possible, to make a record -- cd -- of just the quartets -- i did a quick search on amazon -- didn't find anything -- i wonder, of course, if copyrights...would prevent... -- something...to think about