The Off-Topic Chat Thread (2014)

[Derek McGovern]

Please use this thread for any discussion not related to Lanza. This is the ideal thread for posting greetings, exchanging general chit-chat, or for making comments on non-Lanza-related topics that are unlikely to extend to more than a few posts.

(Members are welcome, of course, to create separate discussion threads for non-Lanza-related topics that they feel are likely to spark more than a few posts.)

For miscellaneous Lanza-related comments and/or questions, please post on this thread:

https://groups.google.com/d/msg/mariolanza/o6GSMr7m3As/g4_2buF7DM4J

[Derek McGovern]

I was sorry to learn today that Dan Marine, an occasional poster on this forum and an ardent opera lover and Lanza devotee, passed away earlier this week. He'd been suffering from lung cancer for about five years, I believe. 

Dan had a unique way of expressing himself in print---one wag once delightfully described him as the James Joyce of the Lanza world :)---and was a passionate and highly knowledgeable fellow. I think he last posted here in February 2012, and that particular post was classic Dan.  

He'll be missed. 

R.I.P., Dan. 

[gary from NS]

Derek and all: Indeed it was saddening when Dan passed, however not un-expected.

Our last phone call was only 2 days prior. Derek, you are spot on saying Dan was a passionate and highly knowledgeable fellow, and I can happily say we loved one another like brothers. I will always remember Dan with highest regards. Dan could be ribald with the best, and our tel. calls generally had me laughing for days afterwards, recalling his stories. The post  from Feb 2012 is a prime example of his stand up position. Dan did not suffer fools lightly.  After Lanza he loved Pippo ,Corelli, Gigli, and Martimelli..

With his Italian blood, he was also a lover of good Italian food, and wine, and of course,let's not forget women as well.

I hope one day to return here, but as of a year or so ago I needed a rest from any blogs, and time to do other things in life. I hope all here have a terrific New Year, and Derek as always, I marvel at the class act this site offers.  Cheers..Gary

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Gary: It's so good to hear from you again, even though the circumstances are sad. Thanks for sharing those thoughts on Dan. 

A happy 2014 to you too, and if you ever feel the urge to post here again, I'm sure you know that you'll be most welcome.

Cheers

Derek

[Derek McGovern]

I was very sad to hear today that actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has died. He was a brilliant performer, and surely one of the best character actors of his generation. Perhaps his finest performance was in the 2008 film Doubt (the play of which, coincidentally, I'm teaching an undergraduate course on next month). His performance as a priest who may or may not be guilty of sexual abuse---opposite the formidable Meryl Streep as the nun who suspects him---is unforgettable.  

R.I.P. 

[leeann]

As I was mentally going down a list of sopranos associated with Lanza--totally stumped by   Derek's Mystery Singer #3--I ran across an update from Opera News on Jean Fenn. I know little about her. It appears that her legacy, too, is among those a bit hampered by the constant repetition of a classification that doesn't really fit.

Anyhow, here's an interview with her conducted just last year and mentioning her duet with Lanza in Serenade among her career highlights. Best, Lee Ann

[Derek McGovern]

I've been struggling to understand all the acclaim that tenor Jonas Kaufmann has been receiving recently---in particular, the rave reviews of his recent Met appearances in the title role of Werther. (The New York Times' music critic Anthony Tommasini led the cheering team.) Now I can appreciate that Kaufmann's a handsome, dashing fellow and, by all accounts, a good (if not charismatic) actor, but why he receives such lavish praise for his voice escapes me. There are recent clips on YouTube, including a dress rehearsal for Werther, that make it obvious that he's still singing with that same problematic (and manufactured) throaty sound. And yet people fall over themselves in their haste to praise him. Are they blinded by his looks and charisma? Or are they simply following the crowd? As someone wrote about Kaufmann back in 2011, "His singing has become the 'Emperor's New Clothes' of tenordom." 

But one well-known commentator, at least, has been questioning all the fuss. Conservative columnist and music reviewer Jay Nordlinger, in an article for The New Criterion, has some very interesting things to say about Kaufmann's singing at a Carnegie Hall recital last month:

http://www.newcriterion.com/posts.cfm/A-tenor-and-his-cult-7388 

A sampling:

The first half of Kaufmann’s recital was devoted to Schumann, beginning with songs from Op. 35. Kaufmann’s voice was as it usually is: pleasant, smooth, and also contained or muffled. One longs to bring it forward, or at least I did. In these initial songs, he was not even, throughout his range: He had different voices, below the break and above. (Both were muffled.)

And:

In Schumann’s great song "Stille Tränen,” Kaufmann suffered badly. His singing was very rough, and he had little voice. He did some false operatic clutching at high notes. I was wondering how he would get through the evening. He had at least an hour of singing to go. Deutsch, surprisingly, committed some ugly trills.

Then they did a great Schumann song-cycle, Dichterliebe. Kaufmann was better in it than I had feared. He held on to himself. His middle voice was fine, but he had no low notes whatsoever—too bad for “Ich grolle nicht,” among other songs—and he continued to clutch at high notes.
Most important, he did not establish real authority or cast a spell. Ideally, a listener forgets time and space, when listening to this cycle. He is simply in the world of the songs. This did not happen, in my judgment.

But then a strange thing happened:

For the final set on the program, he switched to a different language—to Italian, for Liszt’s Petrarch Sonnets. And here, the German tenor did some of his best singing of the night: some of his most beautiful, most assured, and most musical.

The improvement towards the end of the recital wasn't enough to convince Nordlinger, however, as to "what all the fuss is about." Which is exactly how I feel!

[Derek McGovern]

A P.S. to the above: I see that the music critic for The Telegraph hasn't quite bought into all the Kaufmann-mania either in his review of Werther, finding the tenor's singing less consistent than that of his soprano partner (Sophie Koch):

With an ability to mope and brood better than anyone, Kaufmann may indeed seem ideal casting as this Goethe-inspired anti-hero. Yet in the first two acts he resorts too readily to his trademark, mannered soft singing, suggesting that he is not really able to deliver a properly supported pianissimo.  

[From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/10656374/Werther-Metropolitan-Opera-New-York-review.html]

Nordlinger noticed the pianissimo problem as well (though it seems to have fooled everyone else):

Kaufmann’s piano . . . was often not a real piano. It was fake. Lots of singers hood the voice and sing hoarsely, but that is not a piano. In a real piano, the voice maintains its body, but at a lower volume.

  

[leeann]

Quite off-topic, but perhaps of interest. Today I learned that  British Pathe, the news and film archive, has posted its entire collection of historic film clips to YouTube:   85,000 clips, 3,500 hours of footage. It's a staggering glimpse at  vital moments and movements of human history in the 20th century! (https://www.youtube.com/user/britishpathe)

This news article from The Telegraph gives an idea of the scope, but just an idea.

I wonder if any footage of Lanza's various appearances might be there? I haven't looked yet, but here's a very brief clip from a program called Fanfare which, apparently, reviewed films, commented, showed clips from movies and encounters with stars--all quite more staid and proper than today's entertainment shows.

A quick announcement of Serenade begins a bit after the 2:46 minute mark. I'm not sure whether the praise given to Lanza's singing and appreciation of his "comeback" quite makes up for comments about his getting fat from eating too much spaghetti and moving into the has-been category!

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Lee Ann: What a goldmine of material there is in that archive!! 

Actually, I wasn't too bothered by gossip columnist Peter Noble's 1956 comments here---inaccurate though they were (especially the bizarre claim that Lanza had lost his voice after The Great Caruso). At least he emphasized his delight that Lanza had never sung or sounded better than in Serenade. He was certainly right there!

Cheers,

Derek   

[Vincent Di Placido]

Myself & Aoife showing Armando & Carmela some local sights, The Cliffs of Moher & Poulnabrone dolmen. We are loving their visit, they are just the nicest couple!

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks so much for sharing those pics, Vince. (The Cliffs of Moher look dramatic!) You know I wish I could be there to share in all the fun!

Make sure you pump Armando for stories about all the great singers he's met or known---and of course especially about his old friend the roguish Di Stefano :) And I hope you've both been singing your lungs out with the camcorder capturing it all!  

Best,

Derek

[Vincent Di Placido]

After a lovely meal out in Ennis.

Oh! Derek, we so wish you were here with us! We will do it soon...

I have asked Armando so many questions, I hope I havent annoyed him too much! :-)

He is wonderful company & has told us many great stories & we have sung, it's just been a joy!

 

[Thelma F. Prince]

Believe or not, I was at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland in fall of
1996; what a pretty place Ireland is!

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[Thelma F. Prince]

I should have said 1998, not 1996. Excuse the typo.

[Lou]

Lovely couples! I've just added the Cliffs of Moher to my bucket list. 

[leeann]

Lovely couples! Lovely landscape! And I've no doubt, lovely music. Thank you for posting these.

[Derek McGovern]

A post from Barnabas:

In my view, Ana Maria Martinez has had the most beautiful timbre these days. What do you think? Cheers, Barnabas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvEiFGL3RjU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNwmoxfBH7g

[Derek McGovern]

I stumbled upon this interesting masterclass today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwA5iFCAu_M

It's the fine young American tenor Andrew Owens (winner of the Mario Lanza Institute's Vocal Competition some years ago, if I recall correctly) being coached to sing "Che gelida manina" by Italian tenor Salvatore Fisichella. My goodness! It's impossible to imagine Lanza subjecting himself to one of these things. Fisichella is one hell of a taskmaster, and no doubt he would have found fault with Lanza on virtually every phrase (and with Callinicos for that matter; note the rubato Fisichella uses!). Among other things, poor Owens ends up having to repeat his high C about four times before Fisichella lets him complete the aria. 

The amazing thing is that Fischella, who's about 70 here, sounds in remarkable vocal shape---and the short bursts we get of him are more impressive than anything I've heard him do on the concert and operatic stage. 

Cheers,

Derek

[Thelma F. Prince]

I watched this You Tube entry and found Andrew Owens very good, also
his teacher. Thank you, Derek, for pointing it out.

[Armando]

Thanks for pointing this out Derek. I’ve always admired Fisichella’s way of singing, and Owens, who has a fine voice, is fortunate to be working with him. You might find Fisichella a hard taskmaster but, in fact, this is what a good coach is expected to do and what, indeed, every singer needs.Here Fisichella shows Owens exactly how Puccini should be sung.

As much as I like Lanza’s 1949 version of "Che Gelida Manina" there are many things that are musically wrong with it. Lanza is in great voice, but, let’s face it, that is not how the music should be conducted and, consequently, Lanza is left to sing the aria virtually on his own.

Would he have put up with someone like Fisichella? I believe he would have. Did he not ask Peter Herman Adler to help him prepare for his Rome Opera debut? Lanza was no fool and he knew that a singer ( particularly a musically unschooled one) relies almost entirely on the coach/conductor  to create the proper mood, rubato, and to help shape each phrase according to the composer’s intentions.

I believe that as long as he was handled in a civilised manner, and with someone he trusted, Lanza would have listened and, as such, we would have superior recordings not only of "Che Gelida Manina" but also some of his other operatic arias.  

Saluti,

Armando

[Derek McGovern]

Ciao Armando: I can certainly appreciate that Fisichella is making valid criticisms of Owens's singing here, but I just felt that his shall-we-say "robust" manner in making those corrections wouldn't have gone down too well with Lanza. Then again, as you pointed out, he had great respect for Peter Herman Adler, who was also known as a hard taskmaster.

Anyway, if nothing else, this masterclass underlines the sheer blood and guts that is required for operatic singing. Not just brains, musicality and musicianship, but the physical strength of an ox! That succession of high Cs demanded of Owens here left me feeling exhausted just watching the clip.

Cheers,

Derek  

[Derek McGovern]

I've just read that the renowned conductor Lorin Maazel has died at the age of 84:

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/13/lorin-maazel-conductor-composer-dies-aged-84

Maazel was known for his extraordinary energy, and was the son of remarkably long-lived parents. His mother lived to 98, and his father died only five years ago at the age of 106! Not surprisingly, Maazel often expressed the belief that he would still be conducting at the age of 100---and many apparently saw no reason to doubt that.

Incidentally, there is a Lanza connection of sorts to Maazel. One of the latter's mentors was conductor Vladimir Bakaleinikoff of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. It was Bakaleinikoff who conducted Lanza in both a public rehearsal and concert in Pittsburgh in 1951. That rehearsal is memorably described by Lanza in the biographical entry on Bakaleinikoff here:

http://www.mariolanzatenor.com/a-lanza-musical-whos-who.html

As a young man, Maazel himself was a violinist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for a short time. It would be nice to think that the then-21-year-old budding conductor was with the Orchestra when Lanza performed in Pittsburgh!   

[Derek McGovern]

I see that on the same day that Maazel died (July 13), the great tenor Carlo Bergonzi turned 90. Happy birthday, Maestro! 

[Derek McGovern]

I've just read that Carlo Bergonzi has passed away after a long illness. Sad. And to think that less than two weeks ago we were wishing him a happy 90th birthday.

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/news/the-great-italian-tenor-carlo-bergonzi-has-died

RIP, Maestro.

[Armando]

I met Carlo Bergonzi during his 1978 Australian tour. I was living in Adelaide at the time and spent a pleasant afternoon with Bergonzi and his accompanist Edoardo Mueller. We talked about a variety of subjects (not all music related) and, obviously, about opera and a number of singers. Having just met me his opinion of other singers was, understandably, somewhat guarded. He singled out Lanza’s recordings of Celeste Aida and the two Chenier arias as being particularly good.

That same night I went to his concert. Stylistically and musically Bergonzi was virtually flawless, what he lacked, in my opinion, was that visceral quality that makes a singer exciting, that extra dimension that will have listeners on the edge of their seats. Nevertheless, he was a great artist and, as such he will and should be remembered. 

R.I.P 

[Derek McGovern]

I was saddened to wake up today to the news that comic actor Robin Williams had died:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/12/movies/robin-williams-oscar-winning-comedian-dies-at-63.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LargeMediaHeadlineSum&module=photo-spot-region&region=photo-spot&WT.nav=photo-spot&_r=0

The man's output may have been an erratic one, with bad movies as frequent as good ones, but I've always regarded him as a comic genius. He could also be a fine dramatic actor given the right material (Good Will Hunting, for example). But most of all, he'll be remembered as an exceptionally funny man. 

R.I.P.

[leeann]

An interesting repost from Google Alerts: "Korean Artists join CCP [Cultural Center of the Philippines] production of Verdi classic, "Rigoletto."
Of note, not only is it from Korea to the Philippines but Baritone Daeson No won the Mario Lanza International Competition (and has sung at Tanglewood)!

So, we have six degrees or fewer of separation from Lanza and the owner of our forum and members as well. What global interconnectedness!

[Derek McGovern]

I see that Warner Classics is releasing 69 (!) remastered CDs of Maria Callas' 1949-1969 EMI recordings:  

http://www.warnerclassics.com/maria-callas-remastered/news/1066

The quality of the remastering, which was carried out by Abbey Road sound engineers, is supposedly extraordinary. You can listen to bits of their work (and interviews with the engineers themselves) in this interesting promo:   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwIiyeGE8qI

[norma]

Hi Derek,Now we need Mario's recordings given the same treatment.
Norma

[Vincent Di Placido]

Wow!!! That is an amazing project! We will never see that care taken with Mario, it's a different legacy of course but still wouldn't it be great for Mario to get that kind of attention & treatment.

[Derek McGovern]

I've just read that the celebrated soprano Magda Olivero has died at the age of 104:

http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/musica/2014/09/08/news/morta_magda_olivero_grande_soprano_milanese_aveva_104_anni-95289892/

[Tony Partington]

Hi Leeann! Thanks for providing the link to that very interesting OPERA NEWS article about Jean Fenn. You know, years ago I had a book called OPERA STARS IN THE SUN (I'm pretty sure that's the name) and it had a chapter on Jean Fenn. It was a sort of cutesy book in which opera stars talk about their favorite recipes and such. I do remember Ms Fenn having a spot in it. Also, you know it's always sort of bothered me that Vincent Price says to Mario in SERENADE (in speaking of Jean's performance in "O soave fanciulla"); "The soprano sounded like the brakes on the Rome Express." Not very kind eh? Especially when one looks at all of the recordings Lanza did for SERENADE; I don't think of that particular duet as one of the real highlights in the soundtrack, and most certainly not possessed of any vocal subtlety. Ciao!

[Derek McGovern]

Here's part of a lovely post on Opera-L in which the poster (who goes by the name of Max D. Winter) reminisces about the late Magda Olivero:

I first saw Magda Olivero at her second performance as Tosca at the Met in 
the Spring of 1975 [when Olivero was 65], in my freshman year at Princeton, when I was going 
into New York about twice a week for the Ring cycle with Nilsson (one trip 
for a standing room ticket, another trip a week later for the performance).  
I had seen Olivero's name on one of the "snakes" in the lobby (do you old 
timers remember those?) and, recognizing her name as someone 
important but not really knowing who she was, bought a ticket to a 
performance.  I was astounded by what I saw.  Here was a woman, 
obviously past the time when most divas had closed up shop, with a voice 
that had all sorts of holes in it, but who delivered an absolutely galvanizing 
performance of Tosca.  Her acting was in a grand style, outsized, old-
fashioned and larger-than-life, which in the hands of a lesser artist would 
have been risible.  But with her conviction, it was gripping.  And in spite of 
the holes, there was plenty of voice left as well, including dynamite high 
notes and amazing dynamic control - I will never forget that endless 
crescendo on "Egli vede ch'io piango!" after which the audience burst into 
cheers.  Yes, the crescendo was a bit of circus, but what a grand circus it 
was!  

I next saw Olivero, again as Tosca, in Dallas with the Met tour in May 1979 
(with Pavarotti and MacNeil!).  I was working with the Dallas Opera that 
year, and Olivero was a BIG DEAL at DCO and in Dallas, having sung there 
often (she made her U.S. debut there as Medea in 1966).  But what was 
memorable about that performance was not just what went on on stage, 
but what happened earlier that afternoon.  Maestro Rescigno's 
administrative assistant, Charlotte Schumacher, was a dear friend of mine 
and a real operatic mentor - she knew EVERYONE in opera, and she was a 
close friend of Olivero's.  She arranged for me to meet Olivero in the lobby 
of the old Melrose Hotel (where most DCO artists stayed).  So I'm sitting in 
the lobby, and here comes Charlotte with an elegant-looking woman who 
looked as old as my grandmother - beautifully coiffed, elegantly dressed, 
but OLD - with wrinkled skin hanging loosely from her arms, but a bit 
hunched over and rather frail in appearance.  She greeted me graciously 
and, with Charlotte translating, we chatted a bit.  And she signed about a 
dozen of my MRF record albums!  But I remember thinking, "HOW is this 
old lady going to sing Tosca tonight?"

Well, a few hours later, that "old" lady swept onto the stage of the State 
Fair Music Hall, looking like she was 25, with fire in her eyes and youth and 
vigor in every movement.  It wasn't just makeup and costume; Olivero 
BECAME a young woman in her manner and attitude.  And she proceeded 
to give a performance as Tosca that drove the audience nuts with 
enthusiasm, far and away the most exciting Tosca I've ever seem.  The 
voice was not in good shape (even more holes than in New York four years 
earlier) but it didn't really matter.  And she still had those high notes!!  She 
gave 110% and provided a master class in lyric theater.  Incidentally, 
during the curtain calls, you could tell that Pavarotti was a bit in awe of  

Olivero. He acted as if it was a privilege to be on stage with her.    

[Derek McGovern]

The Metropolitan Opera bass René Pape has quite a following these days, and I was intrigued that he ended a recital at the Met a few days ago with "If Ever I Would Leave You" from Camelot. (A tongue-in-cheek choice for a final number, perhaps?) It's not the sort of thing he usually sings at all, and it certainly delighted (and surprised) the audience after a rather heavy-going evening of Songs and Dances of Death and the like.

Anyway, 50-year-old Pape sounds in typically sonorous form here. It's a very nice rendition of a gorgeous song. Not a perfect rendition, by any means, but good enough to hope (as others have) that the intriguing and mysterious Herr Pape might also lend his talents to the likes of "This Nearly Was Mine" and "Some Enchanted Evening" one of these days.... 

What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euJgMmkS4LE

Cheers,

Derek

P.S. As posters on Opera-L have pointed out, one would never guess from the piano intro here what the song was going to be!

 

[Joseph Fagan]

I thoroughly enjoyed it! Now I hope he makes a CD of Broadway hits...Joe

--

[Derek McGovern]

Dear All:

Just to let you know that I have a temporary problem with my left eye that is making any kind of computer work decidedly uncomfortable. Will be back as soon as the problem is fixed. In the meantime, I trust that the great run of posts we've had lately will continue during my absence!

Cheers,

Derek

[Tony Partington]

Derek: I do hope you're feeling better each day and the your eye will recover very soon. Take care my friend.

Tony Partington

On Nov 26, 2014 10:23 AM, "Derek McGovern" <derek.m...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear All:

Just to let you know that I have a temporary problem with my left eye that is making any kind of computer work decidedly uncomfortable. Will be back as soon as the problem is fixed. In the meantime, I ask for your patience, and trust that the great run of posts we've had lately will continue during my absence!

Cheers,

Derek

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[Vincent Di Placido]

All the best, Derek! Mind that eye.

[Lou]

Derek, I hope your eye will be as good as new in no time at all.

My very best,

Lou

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for the kind thoughts, Tony, Vince, and Lou, and other friends who have contacted me privately. 

I have a case of shingles in the left eye, and it's proving a pesky irritant. Although there are some encouraging signs, the virus seems determined to stay in the central part of my cornea for as long as possible :) What that means is blurred vision and ultra-sensitivity to any form of light, including computer screens. 

So this unwilling patient must obey doctor's orders a little longer, and stay off the internet for the time being. Looking forward to catching up with everyone once the virus is banished. In the meantime, I'd strongly recommend being vaccinated for shingles if you've ever had chickenpox! :)

Cheers,

Derek