Today's Samson et Dalila

[David Melnick]

Are all you mavens too shy to say anything about this
performance? Opera-L seems equally still about it.

Or do you all have a private group where the comments are
flying a mile a minute?

OK. I'll rush in:

I've never heard Forbis before. He sounds like the
reincarnation of Ramon Vinay to me.

I love Borodina, but I'm aware that part of that is the
memory of the visual impact of her performance.

I wish some of you who know singing would say something
about it.

dav

[drak...@aol.com]

Forbis: why is a baritone with an ugly voice singing the part of
Samson? I miss Placido!

Borodina: very rich middle and lower register but wild high notes.

Jake

[premie...@aol.com]

dav wrote:
I've never heard Forbis before. He sounds like the
reincarnation of Ramon Vinay to me.

=============================================================
Exactly what I thought when I saw him live in the prima performance. I
also think so today.And I think he's very good, though dark, also like
Vinay. And unlike Drake, I don't miss Placido. So far I have heard two
fine high Bb's from Forbis. Borodina sounds wonderful, with that lush,
beautiful sound.

I don't like LaFont at all. All bluster and wobble, IMO.

Best
Ed

[Lasse]

I also love Borodina, she has a a mighty stage presence. Seen her as
Amneris at the Mariinsky in St.Petersburg. Clifton Forbis made a decent
Siegmund in Vienna a couple of years ago, I have also heard him as
Otello but he did not make an impression.

For now I 'm not listening to Samson but to Die Walküre from
Stockkholm. Nina Stemme Sieglinde, Endrik Wottrich Siegmund and Terje
Stenswold a very good Wotan. And Katarina Dalayman makes her debut as
Brünnhilde - wonderful, reminds me of Astrid Varnay. Gregor Bühl is
conducting. - sorry to say, quite colourless.

Katarina Dalayman is really sounding great, looking forward to hear her
as Isolde in Berlin in April - also a role debut.

Lasse

[arrau...@yahoo.com]

Saw it on the 17th - I thought the sets and the costumes were
horrifically ugly (I didn't see the production last time it was
around), and found the singing to be ok.

Forbis was probably the strongest, his Third Act was very moving, but I
wouldn't put him in the Vinay league (timbre seems lighter, less
throaty, although that could have been due to where I was sitting). As
an actor, he loosened up a bit, getting better as he went along. There
was some real pathos at the end when the child led him to the pillar
and Forbis roughly pushed him away - makes you wish an excessive
verismo composer like Zandonai had written a version of S&D, gosh knows
what HE would have done with it.

Borodina has a beautiful, round tone with an unfortunate tendency
towards singing flat, at least at the performance I saw. She also
seems to belong to the silent film school of acting, namely clutching,
staggering, vamping, etc. Since the Saint-Saens doesn't demand the
ultimate in dramatic realism, I didn't mind too much, although one of
my companions thought Borodina was channeling Gloria Swanson as Norma
Desmond.

The high priest (Lafont, I think?), seemed a little unsettled, vocally
and musically: his eyes were glued to the conductor the whole time.
Vuillame threw him the "traffic stop" hand gesture a few times, I
assume Lafont has a tendency to jump entrances?

The Bacchanale was great, I never expected to see anything so racy at
the Met - I also enjoyed Vuillame's conducting, he seemed to keep a
pretty tight rein on the singers and the orchestra, all while keeping
the opera moving at a decent clip (S&D isn't one of my favorites by a
long shot, so I don't mind somewhat forward-moving tempi).

RJM

[www.Handelmania.com]

Borodina's voice is just so lush..one of the very greet singers. I
enjkoyed Forbis more live..The throatiness comes across stronger on
radio,but he was a moving Samson...Like Placido,he just cannot get that
last note of the opera without a problem....well,that is not the worst
thing in the world.
Lafont again was pure ugliness...just horrendous...another
Leiferkus...where do they get these people? Also...LaFont deliberately
does something weiord on his French "eh".....but that is the least of
his problems.
i love the opera..one of the most moving...I just wish they
could find a High Priest these days..CH

[premie...@aol.com]

i love the opera..one of the most moving...I just wish they
could find a High Priest these days..CH

==============================================================
Would you settle for a good Rabbi?? ;-)

Ed

[LJO]

<And unlike Drake, I don't miss Placido. >

I'm watching you, Ed . . . all those adoring Tucker posts and the
increasingly frequent Placido swats are making my trigger finger itch.

LJO, who owns the quickest keyboard east of the west.

[LJO]

> Borodina's voice is just so lush..one of the very greet singers. >

Hello, hello, hello, hello, good morning, good morning! Olla! Olla! Olla!
And a fine how do you do to all of my adoring fans. Buon Giorno! Buon
Giorno! Guten Tag, Guten Tag und noch einmal Guten Tag!

And on another note, Adios! Adios! Adios. I'll be squeezing you in all those
old familiar places . . .

Your Olga, the greet singer.

I

> Lafont again was pure ugliness...just horrendous...another
> Leiferkus...where do they get these people? >

Jackson Heights.

[live4Lazio]

Speaking of rabbis... I though Kwangchul Youn was lovely as the Old
Hebrew--often a thankless part, but he radiated such warmth and
sonority that it reminded me of his Sarastro a few weeks back.

[Alex Nathanson]

I heard parts of the broadcast up till act 3 when I had to leave. But I
did see this live on Wednesday (same cast). And I enjoyed it very much
both times. Those who shortsighted the run cause Placido cancelled
really missed out on something. Forbis and Borodina were smoking hot
together. Top notch singing by both. Forbis does indeed have a very
baritonal sound, but it really works well for this role. Looks great on
stage too. The overall impression feels like he came out of some 50's
MGM epic. I also heard him do this role in Central Park over the
summer, but he was far more effective on stage.

I seem to enjoy Lafont more than most people. He has a perfect villian
voice. Its quite dark and brooding. The wobble didnt bother me too
much. I am very fimiliar with him and Borodina in their respective
roles from a mid 90's recording on Erato. Highly recommended. Whose
wobble did bother me though was James Courtney's. And believe it or
not, he sounded better on the broadcast! Youn was a good old Hebrew,
but he too sounded better on the broadcast. Villaume was a fine
conductor, hope to hear more from him.

[gaus1]

... poor Ramon Vinay...

<premie...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1140900663.7...@t39g2000cwt.googlegroups.com...

[Stephen Jay-Taylor]

"I am very fimiliar with him and Borodina in their respective roles from a
mid 90's recording on Erato."

THe LSO's in fact, under Davis, made after the Barbican concert
performances, with Cura similarly baritonal, and even then prone to
tip-and-run at high notes, though in general far too cavalier about
note-values. I simply prefer Vickers and Gorr.

SJT

[Stephen Jay-Taylor]

"Die Walküre from Stockkholm. Nina Stemme Sieglinde, Endrik Wottrich
Siegmund and Terje Stenswold a very good Wotan. And Katarina Dalayman makes

her debut as Brünnhilde."

All of whom have sung in London within the past couple of years. But what ?
Wagner ? O dear me no ! Mozart, Beethoven and Shostakovich. Harrummph.

SJT

[tapef...@webtv.net]

Not sure this was heard in all b'cast-regions, but wqxr concluded the
Opera-programming with two gorgeous renditions by Borodina:

"Una Voce Poco Fa" - and "O Mio Fernando", the latter being especially
fine.

LT

[Alex Nathanson]

"Una Voce Poco Fa" - and "O Mio Fernando", the latter being especially
fine."

Available on "Olga & Dmitri" CD. Good stuff indeed.

[tapef...@webtv.net]

Great album, - to be expected from two of today's finest singers.

LT

[J K Harnedy]

"Stephen Jay-Taylor" <sjayt...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:dtr6pm$og5$1...@nwrdmz01.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com...

I simply prefer Vickers and Gorr.
>
> SJT

I'd rather Hinge & Bracket if it meant not having to listen to Cura

John H

[www.Handelmania.com]

Would you settle for a good Rabbi?? ;-)

Ed

Only if it is a CUT performance....CH

[Alex Nathanson]

"I'd rather Hinge & Bracket if it meant not having to listen to Cura"

Your lose.

[donpaolo]

Forbis does sound a lot like Vinay, but with a much clearer & ringing top.
He started off poorly in the "arretez oh mes freres", but from then on, I
thought he got better & better. Would like to hear his Canio & Otello &
Florestan. He seems to have passion & intensity & while no Vickers, a
pretty good B+ tenor.

I am still not overcome by Borodina - everything is sung well, even
beautifully, but she lacks involvement & passion.

DonPaolo
"gaus1" <ga...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:Aw8Mf.25357$UD1....@bignews2.bellsouth.net...

[Stephen Jay-Taylor]

"I'd rather Hinge & Bracket if it meant not having to listen to Cura"

Actually, a friend of mine whose opinions I know I can trust has just
returned from Barcelona, where he saw "Otello" at the Liceo, with Cura,
Stoyanova and Lado Ateneli, and said he thought Cura was creditable, without
erasing any memories or establishing new ones. Ateneli was execrable ( no
surprise there, then ) and Stoyanova he felt too fulsome and wobbly to make
for a convincing Desdemona. Crap staging by Willy Decker. At least last year
we had here Heppner and Fleming in the Moshinsky staging, so that's one up
to us ( though between our Pappano and their Ros Marba, who knows ?) In
fact, I can aurally - and visually, for that matter - picture Heppner as
Samson. Has he ever done the role ?

SJT

[REG]

Silly Rabbi,......

<premie...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1140904998.1...@v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...

[gggg gggg]

On Sunday, February 26, 2006 at 10:42:03 AM UTC-8, donpaolo wrote:
> Forbis does sound a lot like Vinay, but with a much clearer & ringing top.
> He started off poorly in the "arretez oh mes freres", but from then on, I
> thought he got better & better. Would like to hear his Canio & Otello &
> Florestan. He seems to have passion & intensity & while no Vickers, a
> pretty good B+ tenor.
> I am still not overcome by Borodina - everything is sung well, even
> beautifully, but she lacks involvement & passion.
> DonPaolo
> "gaus1" <ga...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
> news:Aw8Mf.25357$UD1....@bignews2.bellsouth.net...

(Youtube upload):

Saint Saens: "Samson et Dalila":"Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix"- Olga Borodina, Placido Domingo