Villazon's Don Carlo: So Bad That It Made Pregnant Netrebko Drink

(photo via オペラ三昧イン・ロンドン)

The utter bores up at the Mayo Clinic have this piece of advice for pregnant women:

"One drink isn't likely to hurt your baby, but no level of alcohol has been proved safe during pregnancy. The safest bet is to avoid alcohol entirely."

"Consider the risks. Mothers who drink alcohol have a higher risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. Excessive alcohol consumption may result in fetal alcohol syndrome, which can cause facial deformities, heart problems, low birth weight and mental retardation. Even moderate drinking can impact your baby's brain development."

"If you're concerned because you drank alcohol before you knew you were pregnant or you think you need help to stop drinking, talk with your health care provider."

Admittedly, the Mayo Clinic is not a Russian institution.

And anyway if you're a star soprano you don't need to listen to no doctors. That is, if the yellow liquid photographed in pregnant (second to third trimester) Anna Netrebko's hands at the Covent Garden the other night was indeed alcohol, which we don't know -- you decide. More Drinking Pregka photos (very dark, they require a bit of levels work in Photoshop as we did with the photo above) at the Japanese site linked above, found via Intermezzo.

Anyway, what was the reason for Anna's need for a stiff one?

The beautiful tendency to live beyond one's means that has historically plagued so many opera singers seems to be going on at full blast (as we all know, la Scala, for their Daniele Gatti-conducted Don Carlo that will open the new season on Dec. 7, has decided to replace Marcelo Alvarez with Giuseppe Filianoti, not exactly the first name that comes to mind when thinking of the Don) AND Covent Garden, for their Pappano-conducted Don Carlo, has chosen Rolando Villazon, less than six months after Rolando's comeback from his sabbatical due to "exhaustion".

The Times:

"Villazón certainly radiates the aura of unstable volatility that Carlo needs, but his grainy voice sounds more and more pressurised."

The Guardian:

"The casting of Rolando Villazón in the title role attracted much of the advance publicity, but the glitzy tenor is the only disappointment. Some of his singing is outstanding but there's never a hint of emotional engagement and with an acting style that begins and ends at his eyebrows, mixing in a few semaphore-like flailing arms for good measure, Villazón reduces the character of Carlo to little more than a stroppy, lovesick adolescent, hardly hinting that there is also a political dimension to his personal tragedy."

Bloomberg:

"There was more superb singing, with Verdian panache. Then the problems started. Villazon began to wobble on his top notes, and a little catch appeared in his voice. The anxiety in the audience was palpable."

Look, now we need a drink, too.

Comments

[Susan]

Holding a glass of wine is not the same thing as drinking a glass of wine. That Mayo Clinic article is talking about the first trimester. By the 3rd tri all the vital parts are formed and the fetus is basically just growing. One glass of wine here and there will not cause any problems. In fact, many docs and midwives recommend it near the end of the pregnancy to help moms relax. Lay off the pregnant lady!!! I mean that in the nicest possible way of course. ;)

[number five alive]

I do not own lady parts, so my mileage may vary, but I don't think it's a good example or acceptable practice to indulge in a glass of wine during pregnancy, or any alcohol for that matter. Would you give alcohol to a newborn baby? Then why does it matter if it's in the womb or not? Next thing we know la Trebs is going to be puffing some cigs while downing cups of espresso. She's a world class singer in the public eye, so I think she should be more conscious of her behavior when she's out and about. Personally, I think it's trashy to see pregnant women drinking alcohol. Can she not even sacrifice 9 months sober?

[Tanya]

Villazon is over. He should have never even tried to do the whole pathetic comeback. If it wasn't for his very cautious handlers and agents, he would have been chewed-up alive by the critics and fans and journalists. Enough of this clown.

As for Netrebko, if I was there at the bar and had seen her drinking a glass of wine, I would have thrown the drink in her fat, swollen face. Does she really not care enough about her unborn child to risk it for birth defects, deformities, and FAS?

Harsh words, yes, but these two "opera stars" are prime examples of formerly talented singers who are eaten alive by the PR/A&R/recording companies who push them too fast until they are spoiled/burnt out, and line their pockets with so much money that they feel they are untouchable, hence making terrible decisions in both careers and love.

[Marshie]

3rd tri or not, when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol so does the little creature inside her. I don't want to get too flustered this morning so I'll assume it's apple juice in that glass. Anyway, do we know who the baby's father is?

[ellie]

imo they were over before they even started...blame it on PR or on their lack of suitability to the roles they sang from the beginning...it is a travesty to opera...and apparently biology, as well!

[FachU]

@ Marshie: I hope you are being intentionally facetious, because that's actually hilarious. Seriously, if this baby comes out looking like Villazon, I'm giving up opera all together.

[Miguel]

OC, after reading this post about Villazon (I'm just going to ignore all that stuff about Netrebko for the sake of everyone's dignity), I apologize in advance, but this song is stuck in my head:

Rising up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive!

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight
Risin' up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night
And he's watchin' us all in the eye...of the tiger!

[NHB]

Poor old Netrebko. This is a story about how bad Villazon has become. Although I have to say he never convinced me one iota when he was supposed to be good.

N.

[Mocho]

Sorry for Villazón, I really enjoyed him (well, his voice) a couple of years ago, but with his way of singing it was a question of time :-(

[G-Wag]

By and large the reviews have been very good - some of them five stars. Only a few expressed doubts about RV. I was there and thought there was a lot to admire in him, just felt that it wasn't quite coming across fully (and to begin with there were actual problems at the top - they seemed to me to have been set off by the traditional English chorus of coughing which greeted his first, rather thrilling, entrance - just imaging trying to make a "comeback" to that). The impression that he was a bit weak may have had something to do with the voices he was surrounded by - amazing stuff from Keenlyside, Furlanetto... It's a pretty luxurious cast. Also, Marina Poplavskaya (who can be really wonderful) seemed about twice as loud (and twice as tall) as him. One reviewer thought he was a bit ill. I can imagine him settling down, opening out and making a real success of this. If only there hadn't been so much hype.

Heartbreakingly, I didn't see Anna, even though I was in the same part of the house. Probably just as well, for her sake. Being drooled over probably isn't too good for a pregnant woman either.

[jpcd]

Right on re the alcohol. NO ONE can justify any alcohol during any time in pregnancy. 99.9% of OB and PED MDs agree on that, and its simply _stupid_ of her to do so...doing that really casts doubt on her common sense....

VERY informative of you - AS USUAL!

[Donna Anna]

Please, people--we don't know what's in the glass and as someone else pointed out, white grape juice, sparkling grape juice, apple, pineapple or water could be masquerading as vin ordinaire. The fact the Mlle Netrebko cut back on her Capuletti performances to conserve her energy is a good sign. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.
And as for o mio Rolando, I hope there's a broadcast so I can hear how he does for myself. I don't much care for the Amsterdam production but everyone's gonna hear something different.
Gearing up for Butterfly at Cincinnati Opera,Shu-Ying Li and Frank Lopardo in Mark Lamos's exquisite production.

[A Real Cad]

We have 3 scenarios here:

* She's holding someone else's glass of wine as she's talking on her cell

* She's holding her glass of "white grape juice", the drink of choice in opera house bars worldwide.

* She's holding a glass of wine because that's what she was drinking.

You decide what's the more likely scenario.

[Bunker1968]

Vilazon does Don Carlo? LOL! Why not Tristan? He shouldn't blame his management for pushing him, he should only blame himself. He became a star... in the summer of 2005, am I correct? Less than three years and he's already history.

[Michael]

Villazon was magnificent and we are lucky to have him gracing our stages. Why not quote the other reviews as a balance.

[Constantine A. Papas]

Another chance to trash Netrebko. Many hate her guts and it has nothing to do with her singing. Her glass is half full and she may have had a few sips over the evening to celebrate Villazon's performance at a cast party. Netrebko is smarter than she is perceived to be and she doesn't give damn what thw public thinks about her as long as she sales out houses on both sides of the Atlantic.

[deadtenors]

villazon and cura could tour together- change the cat duet into the goat duet. or perhaps someone could commission tarzan the opera - lead role a tenor who wobbles tarzan's famous cry as he swings through the jungle - wouldn't be any more transparent than that turandot-wannabe marketing-ploy-of-an-opera which is scheduled for a return. Taste Down, i think it was called. i find the attacks on anna to be in poor taste. i'll be back for more tomorrow.

[Susan]

All that picture shows is her HOLDING a glass of a wine-colored liquid.

Ok, how many people take narcotics while pregnant? No one you know, right? Think again - How many women take drugs to get through labor and delivery? One glass of wine is certainly less harmful than the drugs many women ASK FOR while they are still pregnant... drugs that can cause the baby to have a reduced respiration rate, a reduced heart rate, low apgars, inability to nurse right away and so on. However most people wouldn't think twice about THAT.

Pregnancy is a very private thing. Yes, she's a public figure, but it's still her private life. Lay off the pregnant lady!!

Ok, getting off my soapbox now. :)

[ellie]

That attacks may seem catty...but if anyone is in poor taste...seriously...

[A Real Cad]

A celebrity in the middle of a crowded bar at Covent Garden has a right not to be photographed? Seriously?

[Les Mitchell]

I cannot believe many of these postings. It's as if people can't wait to hurl insults and brickbats to major singer, and stars in general. There must be something inside of the mind that makes one realize that these individuals ARE and that so many wish they COULD be. I realize that many people are very small, but what is posted here is absurd. Villazon and Netrebko are human and they live their own lives. If they ruin their voices, that's their problem - not ours. Villazon has done "Don Carlo" before. Bjoerling did it and so has Neil Shicoff. Neither are what one would call a dramatic tenor. As far as Anna Netrebko is concerned, she's a star, and this kind of crap comes with the territory. If Callas were thriving today, she'd probably be trashed every day by people on the net. She wouldn't have given a damn and I doubt whether Netrebko does either.

[Maguy]

Somehow this is my second post: why insisting on the negative reports on Don carlo ? is it part of a campaign against the Domingo 's heirs
I do think that R.Villazon is a great artist , even if his top notes are sometimes not as easy as we would have dreamt of . Don Carlo, italian version, is huge musical part and this is not beyond his means, having done it before . so , let's enjoy all the beauty of it and be fair ! (BBC3 28TH .6.30PM )

[Maguy]

I know you know that' Gratitude 124'from JDD 's'Yankeediva'is denying all that nasty noise!
they were fantastic on the 28th !They are so
touching ! how could Anna do that to 'Roméo''!!!

[ellie]

Let's face it: when it comes to good taste, some have it, and others don't. Callas thought so too.

[cbcd]

I know from experience that ginger ale poured over ice looks just like scotch on the rocks, and apple juice in a wine glass looks just like wine.

[Pier Luigi Itsybitsy]

My advice to opera singers is and will always remain the same: Get a life!
If you want to smoke, or drink, or get pregnant, or get laid four times a day, or buy expensive clothes, or indulge in Viennese sweets - go for it!
Otherwise it's merely impossible to deliver a convincing, credible portrayal on an operatic stage. A singer who doesn't know about life is doomed to mediocrity.
I happened to know some singers, who renounced everything that could have endangered their voices - the majority of them was simply dull. And constantly obeying to discipline made them sick and depressive.
Then, I recall some famous artists, whose names you all know: the cigarette loving Italian baritone, the excessive Bulgarian soprano, the cigar smoking Italian tenor, the very flirty Austrian soprano, the booze-loving German baritone, the gay German counter-tenor - they all were either drinking, or smoking, or both, or having a rather shameless sex life. They enjoyed what they were doing. And with one exception, all of them were still performing in their 60s and 70s. In Vienna, Milan, Paris, London, New York, Tokyo, etc. Not because they had to. They just felt like it. And didn't give a d*mn.
Their secret? To love and be loved. To be surrounded by loving people.
But they never did anything they didn't want to do, they chose their repertory carefully, and they left the stage when they wanted to. Nothing could stop them. No way.

[ellie]

All well and true, Pier Luigi. But let's not confuse living life to the fullest with (possibly) threatening the life of a very tiny baby--I agree that relaxing with a glass of wine should not be condemned (and yes, for the record, it is wine), but drinking during pregnancy is stupid. Although I'm sure her fetus has the same tolerance for vodka as mamska already. I really should be doing better things with my time though than analyzing this, though...

[elisabetta]

I have seen the second -overall wonderful - performance of Don Carlo. RV singing was intense, elegant and a joy to listen to, though a bit restrained - which is a good thing, since his voice is not on robust side and I for my part do not need high perfect notes, when the whole rest of it is admirable.
I agree with the lines of Les Mitchell und A real cad - I can also hardly believe the "opera lovers" can utter such things as are shown here.

[ellie]

Good taste...some have it, others don't...