Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolina
I've never been, but am looking forward to seeing an HD performance this season.
Tell me - does singing ability generally trump form and function when casting a performance? One thing that struck me when watching Eugene Onegin was the mezzo-soprano that played Olga (Tatiana's sister). It was actually a little confusing at first, as the part is obviously a teenage girl, but the singer was a woman around the age of 50! It was a little hard to reconcile.  |
I think that's been the case for a long time. We saw Turandot at Washington Opera a few years ago. Turandot was performed by a woman who weighed in at about 400 lbs. How anyone could fall madly in love with that tub of lard went way beyond stretching the imagination. That performance ruined the opera for me until we saw it again a few weeks ago. This time Angela Gheorghiu sang Turandot and she was not only wonderful as a singer but she looked the part of a beautiful princess.
I do think that many of today's sopranos and mezzos are much better looking physically than in the past. Natalie Dessay, Anna Netrebko, Renee Flemming, to name a few, are all easy on the eye, as well as being great singers. So I think we'll be seeing more of a change in the future, where form takes on a more prominent role. At least I hope that will be the case.
One can only stretch reality so far - before it snaps.
