Anna Netrebko is back as Manon, in Vienna:
About the only physical sign that the diva is expecting was in the cut of her costumes — a baby doll in the bedroom scene that appeared a bit roomier than the sparse pajamas she wore in last year's premiere of the Andrei Serban production, a bodice that seemed less tight fitting and a bell-skirt dress that ever-so-slightly looked to be de-emphasizing the waist.
Aurally though, there was a difference.
Netrebko was in her usual effortless control of the full range this opera demands — including the famous Gavotte that calls for hitting notes sandwiching high C. But her warm voice acquired an extra coating of honey, giving it an almost mezzo-like quality in the middle register.
No bodice-ripping malfunctions? We're not getting those superexpensive tickets on Craigslist Vienna, no ma'am.