Monday, December 11, 2006

I have listened to this over and over and it's yet another reason I absolutely adore opera. Every once in a while, there's a trainwreck. It happens on the last note.

This is La donna รจ mobile from Rigoletto performed by Nicolai Gedda. Rough translation is that women are changeable or fickle. Ha!

The link is on parterre.com which is a queer opera zine simply dripping with opera gossip, which probably doesn't interest you if you're not an opera queen or a diva. Ah, but I have had many a wicked giggle at the expense of well-paid popular opera singers, and that in some small way salves my aching ego that I'm not having a career. Bitches!

10 comments:

Barbara Bruederlin said...

I loved it! It reminded of the way they did it on Bugs Bunny.

Heather B said...

This has nothing to do with anything ... but I wanted to tell you thank you.

When you call me lovely ... I believe you.

I love you Phlegmmy!

Anonymous said...

Ouch!

I had a train wreck subbing on the piano at church a couple of months ago. Dreadful. How I finished the service I don't know but I know you have to just get back in the saddle and go. Forget it and drive on.

Darkmind said...

OOOOH, its like someone smacked him in the throat right at the end! BWA HA HA HA HA!!!

Anonymous said...

I suppose you read about Roberto Alagna at La Scala. Poor man insists he sang nothing wrong in the opening aria of Aida. Fickle crowd?

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for making me aware of parterre.com. My darling wife has been reading it and giggling for the last thirty minutes.

James

phlegmfatale said...

barbara - it was totally like the Bugs opera!

heather b - I love you too, honey, and you are very lovely. :)

leazwell - I think any performer who's never botched publicly hasn't been in public MUCH. I had a band director who always said "if you're going to mess up, mess up BIG!" True, that!

g bro - air out of his hernia - hilarious - indeed, almost doesn't count

darkmind - yup, he sounded as surprised as everyone else. It was a pity, because he did the rest rather well. It happens to the best, it happens to the rest.

leazwell - yup, heard about Mr. Alagna - it couldn't have happened to a nicer egomaniac.

james - you're so welcome - it us a wickedly delicious site, and they are incredibly astute when it comes to all issues of technically correct vocal production, so I hold them in greatest esteem. Have been reading them since the last century. Seriously.

Anonymous said...

Gee, the download screen threw me but I could listen to it just fine, and boy, that wasn't a fine performance. I bet he didn't sleep well that night.

FHB said...

OOps. Understand audiences are merciless for opera. Break a note and they boo ya off the stage.

Library-Gryffon said...

Lovely. Especially the query to his voice at the end.

I was in the chorus for Boris Godenov once, and in the coronation scene there'a a moment when everything is quiet, and then Boris' recit/aria are introduced (and Boris given his note) by a single note on the french horn. Our Boris impressed me no end in starting on the correct pitch inspite of the wondrous blat in a key (and tonal system) not previously known to man.