Spotty posts - more to come, though

Still not completely finished with the website but enough people know about it so I'll try to be better about keeping the blog current. Last week I went to see Hamlet at the Met and had one of those dreaded evenings where very little went well and very much went terribly. Two of the principle singers (Simon Keenlyside as Hamlet and Jennifer Larmore as Gertrude) gave musically insightful, vividly acted, and just damned well-sung performances. That ends the good part. The orchestra was lackluster, missed notes, made embarrassingly ugly sounds (the sax player should never have been hired) and had trouble following the conductor who flailed away helplessly. Marlis Petersen, the Ophelie, was seen by the press as a "savior" who swept in to replace a canceling Dessay and kept the run of this troublesome opera possible. She is young, but worries already exist. She was obviously indisposed but vainly tried to sing anyway, to quite poor and sometimes painful effect until a nicely varied Mad Scene (which she copied almost to the note and movement from the video of Dessay in this same production), but even there, she cracked her two climactic high notes--which just leads a listener to wonder why she is singing this rep to begin with. Just because you can make the sounds does not mean you should be. I hope she finds more congenial roles although she is singing Lulu at the Met later this year. This performance did not make me want to rush out and see it. (Though I will.) I didn't want her to be Natalie Dessay, but she wasn't even June Anderson (the merely okay Ophelie on the most recent audio recording that I know of.) And James Morris gave the single most embarrassing performance I have seen and heard at the Met--and I've seen and heard some shit. I looked away and tried to think of other things during his "big" scene. In some ways I was angry with him. This is singing at such a sub-par level, he has no business taking roles ever again. He should have some self-respect and cancel everything and retire. The Laerte(s) was a once-fine singer--Toby Spence--who has decided he wants to be a big full lyric Italian tenor when he is a lovely sweet lyric tenor of a decidedly non-Italianate sound. Why? Who wants to hear you force? (Answer: no one.) Even some of the smaller (easier) roles were not much better. The Horatio should and shall go nameless. The Ghost made a dull part even duller (though David Pittsinger has a fine voice.) Only the two gravediggers made anything of their moments and they both shone. They were Richard Bernstein and Mark Schowalter. The audience (rightly) adored them. When the gravediggers out-sing Claudius, the evening cannot be seen as anything but a sad failure, despite a wonderful Hamlet and Gertrude. At least Keenlyside had a triumph. On this evening, that is saying something.

(Way) Post Oscars

Since we just got our new website up and running, I'm a wee bit behind. And I wanted to mention a few things about the Oscars. First, the "music" portions were wasted for the most part except for a bit of very odd but fascinating dance in the middle of all the tired "urban" flip-flops. Yes, aren't they athletic. Young kids can (and will) do that in my neighborhood. So for about 30 seconds, we got something fun and quirky. I should have seen what group that was. They might be worth seeing. The second thing is: the obligatory opening number is almost always a wash-out. Because Broadway-style does not mean Broadway caliber (well, old , good Broadway caliber.) Why do they keep doing them? And last, Michael Giacchino is such a delightful composer, I yelled when he won for his lovely, wistful, charming score for Up. And he had a wonderful, positive message. Watch The Incredibles and then Up (because they're great) and see just how far ranging his talents are. Long may he reign.