A belated "Flute", or: How Internet Opera makes me a better Jew...

Baruch Hashem! I've just discovered that I can listen to the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts (and possibly other broadcasts as well) without having to violate the Jewish Sabbath! I admit that my Shabbat observance is considerably less than perfect, but I don't like the idea that there has to be conflict between my religious obligations and my love of opera. And frankly, since I eat, breathe, and sleep opera virtually every other day of the week, on Shabbat I need to "rest" from that as much as from work. Well, that's all over now. I have in the past year discovered the joys of internet radio, hampered only by the fact that I don't have my own computer and can only listen in a noisy internet cafe. Today I discovered that there is a station that plays the Met broadcasts on Sunday - namely KUAC in Fairbanks, Alaska. That's not much of a surprise since if it were broadcast "live" in Alaska it would be at 9AM! I assume the time varies by the length of the opera, but it usually begins 4PM ET. Thanks to the wonderful internet radio schedule site Operacast for showing me the way!

(And it's -13° F in Fairbanks today. Brrrr....)

The performance today, of Die Zauberflöte, seemed, well, average. I think most of the problem was the same as with the BBC Proms Walküre I "reviewed" in July - there was too much background noise and I was otherwise too distracted to notice details. Also the earphones I was using are not of the best quality and there was a lot of feedback on high notes. And I missed the first half hour. Partially for those reasons, I will not comment on Paul Daniel's conducting, even though he was one of the things I was most looking forward to. Today was his debut.

Mary Dunleavy has been a good Queen of the Night at the Met (and I loved her Countess de Folleville in Il Viaggio a Reims at NYCO) but I'm not sure her "promotion" ("demotion"?) to Pamina was such a good idea. She didn't have nearly enough pathos in "Ach, ich fühls", but that may have been a deliberate choice - she seemed more terrified and even angry. The voice itself seemed far too slender could have used more richness. In light of this I wonder if it's a good idea that other coloraturas such as Diana Damrau and Natalie Dessay are taking Pamina on. Violetta will probably suit Dunleavy better, even if I doubt if she's a match for Angela Gheorghiu. Erika Miklosa definitely made more of an impression in the theater when I saw her last year. Here, beauty and accuracy were there, but none of the Queen's torrential anger (admittedly this is a problem with just about every soprano who takes on the role) and not quite enough of the sorrowful mother at the beginning. Anna Christy was not nearly as charming and delightful as Papagena opposite Nathan Gunn's Papageno as she was as Hortense Briggs opposite his Clyde Griffiths in An American Tragedy.

The men were better. My initial predictions of Morris Robinson's Sarastro proved correct - huge, gravelly, powerful, authoritative voice, but he needed more wisdom and benevolence. The Commendatore - absolutely. Sarastro- I'm not so sure(1). Nathan Gunn was a rich-voiced, warm-hearted Papageno, but I missed innocence, naivete, and detail of character. Still, I'm glad the Met is finally giving him some attention and is clearly preparing him for great things. He just won the first Beverly Sills Award - I'm sure $50,000 will come in handy with five kids!

I was surprised how good Eric Cutler was. I've never been a fan of his - I thought his First Prisoner in Fidelio was underwhelming (the role may be small, but it needs a great tenor - I have a recording of a radio concert where Fritz Wunderlich sings it, and I remember reading how Otto Klemperer after being given a list of "star" names for a late '50s production dismissed them and said "Who is the First Prisoner?") and at a Young Artists Gala the Met did a few years ago proved to be the most unromantic Romeo I could ever imagine. Admittedly he has some promise as a lieder singer. He seems typical of too many contemporary American singers - reasonably talented, but gets the work and the plaudits because he's a "nice", "hardworking" guy who does what he's told - in other words, he kowtows to nutcase directors and authoritarian managements and knows how to say all the "right things" to journalists. Definitely not somebody who deserves either the Richard Tucker Award or to be singing I Puritani with Anna Netrebko next year - both prizes should have gone to Lawrence Brownlee!(2) Nevertheless, he may have more feel for Mozart than the above-mentioned operas. Unfortunately, I tuned in too late for his "Dies Bildnis". He otherwise sang quite beautifully, with some (although not quite enough) nobility and feeling. Definitely superior to Gregory Turay, although I doubt to Matthew Polenzani (who I missed) or Jonas Kaufmann (who does it next year).

If I am able to get a ticket - this fantasmagoric Julie Taymor production always sells out - I hope to be able to give a truer evaluation in the theater. I may very well be living at the Met in February - I will probably see all of Angela's non-Shabbat Traviatas (I have my ticket to the first) plus the Villazon/Netrebko Rigoletto, Borodina in Aida and Samson et Dalila, and the Voigt/Licitra Forza.

(1) One bit of very good news - Robinson is now a recording artist! He signed a contract with Decca and he will be coming out with a disc of hymns, spirituals and gospel sometime this spring. I don't doubt this is music he feels very deeply about and can do wonderfully, but can't we hear something other than spirituals from an African-American singer? (I was so happy when Lawrence Brownlee's first disc was bel canto songs!) How about some actual opera or lieder, maybe a disc of Mozart bass roles for the Mozart year? I have the feeling Decca is thinking "crossover!" At least another wonderful young African-American artist, Cardiff Singer of the World soprano Nicole Cabell is getting an actual opera disc from Decca in 2006.


(2) Then again, Mr. Cutler is Caucasian, and despite giving some of its subsidiary awards to African-American singers (and making sure to have Denyce Graves at its gala every year) the Richard Tucker Foundation still hasn't given any major awards to one. I have the feeling they've gone out of their way to avoid doing so. And Mr. Brownlee will only be the fifth African-American tenor to sing at the Met since Marian Anderson arrived when he makes his debut next season as Almaviva. Disgusting.