(above: some front-page NYTimes axxion 4 JDF)
Opera supahstar Juan Diego Flórez is all over today's New York Times -- like Tilda Swinton & the Prada Spring Fairy line, like Vanessa Hudgens & her Balenciagas, like the Olsen twins & their Louboutins. Flórez wrastled some prime front page space, as well as two separate pieces in today's Arts section.
Bernie Holland's review of the Monday night premiere of La fille du Régiment ("Counting a Tenor’s High C’s in ‘Fille du Régiment’ at the Metropolitan") described set designer Chantal Thomas's sets as "gloomy" & "visually drab"??? Why so glum, Bernie?
Daniel J. Wakin's "Ban on Solo Encores at the Met? Ban, What Ban?" needs more editor powah, made evident by announcing that the last performed encore at the Metropolitan Opera was in 1994 during the wrong act of Tosca. According to the Metropolitan opera database, the last performed encore on the Met stage was indeed during the October 31, 1994 Levine-conducted Tosca. With Pavarotti singing Cavaradossi, it was during his ACT III, SCENE 1 aria, "E lucevan le stelle" that Levine gave Pav the go-ahead for an encore (not during the "second-act tenor aria in Tosca" as Wakin wrote). The second act's big moment is Vissi d'arte obviously NOT a tenor aria. wtf nytimes factchekkas? Jayson Blair, is that u huneystar? See below for screen shots...and pics of the print pages for all my international readers.
(above: click 4 bigger...screenshot from the Metropolitan Opera database showing the last tenor aria on stage, sung by the great/late Pavarotti)
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