The Suddeutsche Zeitung on the superp0rny Manon at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin with Rolando Villazon, "at present time the leading Latin Lover of the opera" and "ornament" Anna Netrebko, conducted by "fierce" Daniel Barenboim:
"The performance... confirms what one observes often: ... the surrender of classical music culture to Pop, either covertly or openly. Because Pop means Glamour, Sex, business, advertisements, Pop is fundamentally about the ratings, not art. During the "Manon"... curtain opens and shows Anna Netrebko as an ornament, in front of the mirror... One wants to say, image is everything. Physical beauty, perfectly groomed surface have always been essential for the Opera diva."
heh.
And Rolando is also quoted as pointing out, "I am no longer only a singer, but a product, too". Tell it like it Rolando: Unibrows of the world unite!!!111
