Running playlist

1. Radetzky March / Johann Strauss Jr.
   2006 New Year's Concert, Vienna Phil; Mariss Jansons
2. From this moment on
   50 by Bobby Short
3. The Barber of Seville Overture / Rossini
   Philharmonia Orchestra; Alceo Galliera
4. Help is on the way
   Beautiful Baby; Nancy LaMott
5. We Shall Overcome
   The Seeger Sessions; Bruce Springsteen
6. Acerba voluttà (from Adriana Lecouvreur) / Cilea
   Naples 1959; Giulietta Simionato
7. Or son sei mesi (from La fanciulla del West) / Puccini
   Giuseppe DiStefano
8. Bleecker Street
   Wednesday Morning, 3 AM; Simon and Garfunkel
9. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
   White Album; The Beatles
10. Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World
    Facing Future; Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
11. Our Town
    Iris Dement

Did they know?

I was at a wedding the other day and the background music was heavy rat-pack. Lots of Frank, Dino, and Sammy. Listening to the mellow voice of Dean Martin, someone asked me (since I was a singer, probably not assuming I knew Dean) if he knew his gift was special and that he should take care of it.

My mind quickly went to Giuseppe DiStefano, the poster-child for abusing one's natural gift. I've recently been listening to a 1962 recital, in which one can detect the remains of his pretty remarkable sound in the middle of his voice. The top however, is little more than a yelp.

From all I've read, DiStefano knew he had a great voice, but didn't much care to coddle it. As John Culshaw wrote: "the eventual, almost total breakdown of his voice...was attributable to a life-style he could not abandon because it meant more to him than singing." In the late forties and early fifties it was remarkable and even so jaded a critic as Rudolf Bing marveled at the diminuendo he could manage on the high C in Faust. But a long lasting career was not meant to be and despite well intentioned, but misguided attempts to revive his career in later years, by the early 60s, it was all gone.

As for Dino, I don't know. I can't imagine one takes such a voice for granted. My guess is that the ability to resist the temptations that might be detrimental to one's vocal longevity is a function of one's personality and general life outlook, more than the recognition that you are the possessor of something truly special.

After all, despite opinions to the contrary, a singer is only human.

Running music

I'm a somewhat avid runner and the mix I choose as my background music is usually pretty eclectic. Jazz, oldies, and some classical (never rap), help me push myself just a little farther.

This morning Rigoletto made great running music. I remember very distinctly the first time I heard the introduction to La donna è mobile which sent chills down my spine. It was at NY City Opera. The tenor might have been Enrico DiGiuseppe who sang the Dflat in Possente amor.

Anyway, I went farther, more easily that I have for some time. Let's hear it for Verdi.

I'm not sure what he's thinking

There is an interview with Gerard Mortier in today's NY Times, in which he talks about some of his ideas for the future of NY City Opera. At least in his first season (2009-10) he's planning to eschew standard operas and concentrate on:

a “very demanding program” focused on 20th-century works for the 2009-10 season, the kind of operas “where you need to convince people” to go.

Hmm.

Now I'm all for testing an audiences limits, but isn't he aware of how we have to fund opera in the U.S.? To realize all of his plans, he will need to increase the budget from about $40 million to $60 million. And yet he is admittedly "scared" about raising money from private donors.

So if he's scared, the first thing that he plans to do is alienate them?

I certainly admire his courage. I believe that there must be a place for the kind of work that Mortier is talking about, but many American operagoers do not. The novelty may generate enough interest and might translate into ticket sales (provided the product is good). But he's also taking a calculated risk in alienating the traditionally conservative donors who finance opera in the U.S. I wonder in the City Opera board will allow this.

Well at least it's not going to be boring.

I wish I had said that

I spent a few days last week at the Opera America conference in Miami. It was an interesting gathering of opera administrators and executives and a few artists. I heard some interesting discussions, learned a few things, and had the great opportunity to talk to my peers.

Composer Osvaldo Golijov gave the keynote address. I have to admit to not knowing his music (something I will change shortly) and while I didn't agree 100% with everything that he said, he did crystallize my feeling about opera into one beautiful sentence:

I believe that the operatic voices were able to cover the entire spectrum of human emotion; that's what opera is about.