Opera and me.

OPERA AND ME....

The Metropolitan Opera . New York.

For the last almost 30 years , I  have had the privilege to attend performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. My friend Jerry and I have a subscription to the Saturday afternoon performances for the last 25 years and we have heard some magnificent music and singers.

Royal Opera House - London

When I studied in London in the early 70's I went to Covent Garden regularly and was introduced to the top opera singers of that time .It was the time of Sutherland, Pavarotti, Price ,Bumbry, Domingo, Caballe, Nilsson, Rysanek, Krause, Freni, Carreras, Scotto, Verret, Jones  and many singers that the Royal Opera House invited to sing there. As it was the first time that I heard international opera stars of that caliber sing .It was a time of discovery for me .I remember sitting there and being transported to another level of consciousness .A lot of it had to do with youth -as well as experiencing something for the first time. It was very, very exciting .I also had the opportunity to hear older opera stars like  Maria Callas and Giuseppi di Stefano as well as Renata Tebaldi and Franco Corelli in concert.

La Scala -Milan

During the same period I went to performances at the Rome Opera ,the Baths of Caracalla , as well as the Arena in Verona. When I lived in Milan I also attended performances at  La Scala and travelled with my friend Neil, to Vienna where we visited the Vienna State Opera. This gave me the opportunity to hear the best singers in some of the top opera houses of Europe.

Vienna State Opera - Vienna

When I returned to South Africa for nine years I kept listening to opera recordings and attended some opera performances in South Africa .Montserrat Caballe, Fiorenza Cosotto ,Renato  Bruson and Victoria de los Angeles were among some world class singers that visited South Africa and performed during that time .

In 1983 I immigrated to the USA and from then on the Metropolitan Opera House has become my hometown opera company, and what a joy it has been.

During the nine years that I was living  in South Africa a whole new crop of singers took over. If an artist did not record, we were not aware of them in Africa. Being in New York I also got to know more about American singers that rarely sang in Europe and had careers in America and specifically at the Metropolitan Opera and the new York City Opera . Singers like Beverly Sills, Eileen Farrell Norman Treigle and  Regina Resnik to name a few.

By this time Price , Caballe, Sutherland , Freni, Scotto, Bumbry were winding down and their performances became less and less.The men like Pavarotti and Domingo lasted a bit longer but all of a sudden there were new names to hear and watch.

 American singers like Thomas Hampson, Jesse Norman ,Renee Fleming, Susan Graham .Ruth-Anne Swenson, Leona Mitchel, Samuel Ramey,Neil Schicof ,Deborah Voigt, Kathleen Battle. Florence Quivar, Maria Ewing  Richard Leech and Catharina Malfitano.

From Europe there were Eva Marton. Hildegarde Behrens, Kiri te Kanawa, Karita Matilla and Natalie Dessay. South African singers like Marita Napier, Elizabeth Connell, Deon van der Walt and Johan Botha started to perform at the Met as well, and that made is specially thrilling for me as I became friends with them and started to learn more about the glamorous opera world -that turned out not to be as glamorous as I thought.

Soon after came singers like Rolando Villazon, Poitr Bezsala, Anna Netrebko ,Elina Garanca ,Diana Damrau who has became stars is their own right. Today we have new singers making their debut at the Met every season, and it is difficult to keep up with all of them. Some come once and we never hear from them again but soon the good ones start returning and before we know it another opera star is born. There is no overnight stardom in opera.... It is a hard and tough road for every singer.

When I got to America in 1983 I was disillusioned with the performances, as I was comparing them to the performances I saw 10 years before. I forgot that I was younger and that everything was so new and exciting to me. For a while I missed the highs I  felt at every performance during my student years. After I stopped comparing the previous performances with the new ones it opened up a whole new way for me to listen to opera and keep an open mind.

I was so used to recordings that it was difficult to get use to hear the real voice in the opera house. Some voices are better on recordings that live and vice versa. I also became much more involved with the orchestra ,choir and conductor of the piece. I use to only listen to the female voices where I  now experience the opera as a whole. It has become such a richer experience for me.

Jerry has a very good ear but he also listened symphonic music much more that I did. If the human voice was not in the composition I would  have a tough time listening to it. We discuss the music and singer during interval and are sometime joined by other Met opera lovers that we got to know.

One thing that irritates me to no end is when a opera lover says-

 "Oh well she is no Sutherland "or "Did you ever hear Callas in this role?" 

Both Callas and Sutherland -who were outstanding artists- are not with us anymore and Callas sang her last live performance more than 50 years ago! You are not opening yourself up to a new experience and you are wasting your time sitting in the live performance.  If you want to hear Callas stay home and listen to her on records. Be in the moment and listen to what you hear NOW. Forget about older -or other artists. This is not their performance. Give the singers of the day your attention and ear. The music does not change but with each new singer you hear in the role, you will find something new in their interpretation. Callas use to say "Everything is in the music- listen....!"

By keeping an open mind opera still stays modern. To hear younger singers perform classical music gives it new life. The music never changes but the singers do .Don't get stuck in yesterday -if you do you will miss out on a wonderful experience.Not every singer will catch your attention, but when it happens- it is a very moving experience. Be open to it or else you will throw out the baby with the bath water.

MUSICAL DAY IN NEW YORK CITY

 

MUSICAL DAY IN NEW YORK CITY.

 

 

 

Today was one of those magical -musicals days in New York.

I had to meet Len van Zyl, and old friend from South Africa for breakfast. 

Len is a very special man ,who puts his money where his mouth is.He sponsors a South Africa conductor's competition in associations with the Symphony Orchestra of Cape Town. Unlike in America, there is no  tax break for any money given to charities in South Africa. Len  brings the winner to the USA with his wife Elise, and at their expense , house and feed him/her for three month in Philadelphia and Chicago. The winner interns with the Philharmonic Orchestra and attend master classes.

Len who had a successful international career in the fields of advertising and marketing, also has a passionate interest in music throughout his life. His career included among others the chairman of South Africa's biggest advertising agency (Lindsay Smithers-FCB). President /CEO of Foote Cone & Belding the  advertising agency in Philadelphia USA from 1992-1995.He was also the chief executive of the South African Foreign Trade Organization (SAFTO) Len and his wife ,Elise, now split their residence between Cape Town and Philadelphia USA. During the years in the USA he served on the development committee of the famous Philadelphia Orchestra and was also a member of the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

This morning Len brought the latest winner of this competitions, Xavier Cloete, to New York from Philadelphia for the day . After breakfast we were all going to a performance of Verdi's "Don Carlos"  at the Metropolitan Opera and see the 83 year old conductor Lorin Maazel  on the podium.

Brandon Philips, Len van Zyl,  Xavier Cloete

The first winner three years ago was Brandon Phillips who  received a big boost in his career after his time in the USA.

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Xavier Cloete

Xavier Cloete started playing the bassoon in 2006 under Ingo Holland. After graduating with BMus degree in 2011 from the Stellenbosch University, he was accepted at the KwaZulu -Natal Philharmonic Orchestra (KZNPO) as a cadet and is currently continuing his studies in conducting under the resident conductor of the KZNPO Lykele Temmingh.  Xavier also assists with rehearsing the  KZN Youth orchestra. In the USA he will enjoy an internship with the famous Philadelphia Orchestra and then proceed to the Northwestern University in Chicago for a semester in the graduating class of Maestro Victor Yampolsky.All thanks to Len and his generosity.

Xavier Cloete

Xavier Cloete

To join us was another of Len's protégés - the 28 year old bass baritone Musa Ngqungwana.

He was in New York to appear in the  concert for the Nationalist Council Audition  finalists  concert  at the Metropolitan Opera on Sunday afternoon, hosted by soprano Sondra Radvanofsky.

Musa is a third year student at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, and has a beautiful bass baritone voice that can incorporate the Bel Canto repertoire.

Listen to his voice here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly-xVBX86zg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlxZubkefcU

Musa did not join us for the opera as he needed his rest for his big day on Sunday

With so many South Africa classical musicians it is very sad that the ANC Government feel that opera and classical music is too  Eurocentric to deserve any financial support from them. The private sector receives no tax break if they want to sponsor it, so there is a  danger that classical music and orchestras will disappear in Southern Africa. The Cape Town orchestra has stopped their very popular Sunday evening performances and hanging on by the skin of their teeth. The Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra is bankrupt and does no exist anymore.  In Durban we still have the KwaZulu -Natal Orchestra, of which Xavier is a member. Their Chief Executive  and Artistic Director is Bongani Tembe that knows how to work the system, and he was able to bring  Renee Fleming to South Africa to perform.

Pretty Yende

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3nj0o0VvWw

Elza van den Heever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77YR175tr0I

At the Metropolitan Opera we had two South African sopranos making  their debuts in January of 2013 with great acclaim-. Elza van den Heever and Pretty Yende.

Since the 1980's South African singers has been singing at the Metropolitan Opera-

Elizabeth Connell, Marita Napier, Deon van der Walt, Johan Botha, Kobie van Rensburg. Elza van den Heever and  Pretty Yende .Next season the South Africa soprano Amanda Eschelaz will make her debut at the Metropolitan Opera  as "Madame Butterfly" in Puccini's opera.

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The opera started at 11:00 am today as the union rules state that the orchestra has to have a 3 hours break between performances . "Francesca di Rimini" was schedules for 6:00 pm this evening .

Jerry joined us as he took the early train for Trenton to be in time for the early performance.

Xavier was very excited to see Lorin Maazel .

Ferrucio Furlanetto as King Philip 11  in "Don Carlos"

Verdi's "Don Carlos"is based on the writings of  Friedrich Schiller .The opera  is set in Spain in 1560 during the reign of Philip ll of Spain. The other characters are his third wife Elizabeth de Valois and his son Don Carlo. Elizabeth was first betrothed to Carlos but then  had to marry the King for political reason, even while she was in love with her stepson.This forms the plot of this opera triangular that ends tragically .

The singers in the performance were:-

Don Carlos- Ramon Vargas

King Philip11 - Ferruccio Furlanetto,

Elisabetta- Barbara Frittoli

Rodrigo- Dimitri Hvorostofsky

Princess Eboli- Anna Smirnova.

The Grand Inquisitor- Eric Halverson.

 The conductor was Lorin Maazel.

Lorin Maazel



Ramon Vargas

Barbara Frittoli

Anna Smirnova + Dimitri Hvorostofsky

When the jealous Princess Eboli tells the King that the  Queen is having an affair with his son- the whole story come to an dramatic end . It was a wonderful and exciting performance and one felt blessed to witness such great singers and musicians on stage, and we left on a high!

King Philip 11 of Spain

Elizabeth de Valois

In real life King Philip 11 was very much in love with his third wife Elizabeth de Valois when she arrived in Spain as his 14 year old bride. His second  wife was Queen Mary  (Bloody Mary)  of England  ( Elizabeth 1 sister)  .Elizabeth de Valois was a French princess and her mother was Catherine de Medici of Florence who married a French prince who became King Henry 11 of France.

Elizabeth  grew up with two other famous  women who also became immortalized in opera -

 Mary, Queen of Scots ,who was her sister in law .Gaetano Donizetti wrote his opera "Maria Stuarda" about her tragic life. The other was Elizabeth's younger sister  Marguerite de Valois Queen of Navarre . In  "Les Huguenots" the  French opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer Joan Sutherland's interpretation  became synonyms with this queen.

Elizabeth had 2 daughters with the King Philip 11 and she seemed to be happy in her marriage to her "charming prince " as she wrote to her mother. There is no mention of her being in love with her stepson.

Carlos, Prince of Asturias

Don Carlos , her stepson ,who was supposed to be her lover in the opera was a rather different kettle of fish. Carlos left an unfavorable impression on some foreign ambassadors. The Venetian ambassador Hieronymo Soranzo thought that Carlos was "ugly and repulsive". The young Infante Carlos was delicate and deformed. He grew up proud and willful and, as a young adult, began to show signs of mental instability. Many of his physical and psychological afflictions may have stemmed from inbreeding  common to the House of Hapsburg and the royal houses of Portugal and Spain. Carlos had only four great-grandparents instead of the maximum of eight, and his parents had the same coefficient of coancestry as if they were half siblings. He had only six great-great-grandparents, instead of the maximum 16. His maternal grandmother and his paternal grandfather were brother and sister, his maternal grandfather and his paternal grandmother were also brother and sister, and his two great-grandmothers were sisters.He  exhibited an antipathy towards his father, whose murder, according to Carlo's confessor , he supposedly contemplated at one time. In the autumn of 1567 he made preparations to flee to the Netherlands. In January 1568 Don Carlos was arrested and placed in solitary confinement on his father's orders. He died in isolation six months later.

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Len and Xavier left to explore more of New York.

 After Dinner with Jerry, who had to take the train back to Trenton, I came home and was very thankful to have spend such a full day and hear such beautiful music. How sad life would have been without it -and empty without such talented people around.



Hurrican Sandy -October 2012

 

 

 

HURRICAN  SANDY- October 2012.

 

 

 

 

New Amsterdam on the southern tip  of Manhattan Island

 

The Dutch founded  New Amsterdam  in the 17th century as a Dutch Colonial settlement on the southern tip of Manhattan Island and it served as the capital of New Netherlands.

 

 New Amsterdam - The settlement around the castle.

Similar to the castle in Cape Town South Africa.

 

It was named New York in 1667 on honor of the Duke of York ( later King James ll of England)  when British forces seized control of Manhattan along with the rest for the Dutch Colony.

 

 

 

 

The Dutch took one look at the island and realized that it was on sea level and it will  be prone to flooding just as some cities in the Netherlands were.Even the name of their  country meant " low laying land". Their cities were protected by dikes built to keep the water out, and they used windmills to pump the water from  the polders  (land saved from the sea)  back into the ocean.

 

 

Dutch Windmills

 

 

 

 

Perhaps the Dutch  did not stay long enough to plan how to protect  their new city from flooding, before the British took over.Some of the older homes in Greenwich Village still has the front door entrance to the house on the second floor. In case of flooding one could still enter the house even if the lower floor was flooded. So the people of New York were  well aware of the danger of flooding.

 

 

 

 

Greenwich Village houses.

 

 

This week - November 28 October 2012- the town fathers of New York wished they had the foresight to build dikes or levies that would have protected the City of New York from Hurricane Sandy.

 

 

 

 

 

If one looks at the map of New York City with Long Island to the right- the part in red is where the hurricane hit .The island of Manhattan is where the two red lines split .On the left ,the red line goes up into the Hudson River, and the right one goes  into the Long Island Sound.

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As a storm Sandy was not that frightening where we are located. We had some spats of very intense  high winds but it lasted for a short time . Five minutes later  another strong wind came but as soon as one wanted to panic- it was over. We had some rain but nothing to worry about or that flooded the garden at the back. On 14 street the front of a 4 story apartment house was torn off by they high winds, but nobody got hurt.

 

 

 

 

My apartment is in a in a brownstone, located  in Greenwich Village, about  quarter way up the island of Manhattan that was built in 1845.It looks out onto the back garden where there are several Chinese Maples trees , 30 feet higher than the five story brownstone. The must have been planted soon after the house was built. My biggest fear was that the wind would knock on of them onto the houses that surrounds the backyard. Nothing like this happened......Where did all the devastation then come form?

 

 

 

The hurricane came up the coast with the New Jersey shore on its left. The coast of Long Island formed a funnel that pushed all the water from the Atlantic into the harbor of New York .Not only was it high tide, but we had a full moon as well. A hurricane, high tide and a full moon all joined to push a 14 feet high wave of water into the harbor  and the low laying areas surrounding it.

Staten Island, New Jersey, Brooklyn and the Island of Manhattan.

 

 

 

Tunnels and subways flooded

 

 

South Ferry Subway station

 

 

Battery tunnel.

 

9/11 Memorial being flooded

 



Lower East Side

 

When the salt water hit the low laying parts of Wall Street on the southern part of Manhattan it flooded the tunnels and subways. Transformers (located in basements- how smart is that? ) started to explode and the transformer on 14 street -that blew up 7 years ago  and left this neighborhood without any power for 24 hours -blew up once again an dumped darkness, silence and gloom on us all .

 

 

 

14th Street Explosion. 

 

I looked for candles and matches and found a flashlight that I kept handy . I also taped the windows with duck tape, earlier in the day - just in case. I did prepare and bought  some canned food and water but that was it.We are located rather far from the waters edge so I knew we were safe- unless a Tsunami wave hit us.

 

 

 

 

My neighbor Barbara and Tim downstairs got together and we had our meal around the table at candlelight...... very nice and romantic. It was if the brownstone came to life and remembered days of a more peaceful and bygone era. How bad could it be ? We had no TV, Internet , phones or radio. We were sure that by tomorrow morning, when we get up, all will be fine as the power would come up during the night and the heat would kick in and the warm water heater will have hot water ready for the early morning showers-and all will be fine. We woke up in the dark and the cold. The power did not come on.

 

 

 

Sixth Avenue- Avenue of the Americas.

 

It was Tuesday morning and I tried to call my partner Marion to tell her I would go into the office to see what was going on there. No cellphone or land line connections. I started walking up the Avenue of the Americas .It looked like a war zone. No traffic lights, no cars no people ,no lights. Further up past 25th street I could see some traffic lights and lights  in the buildings . I walked 17 blocks to work in midtown near Time Square.

 

 

 

Flooded subway

 

 

As the subways were closed ,so the only people on the streets were tourist trying to find a coffee shop open , sauntering along aimlessly. There was nothing open and nothing to do Even Macy's was closed. It was raining softly and it was very dreary out , cold with some winds now and then. The worse of the storm was over.

 

 

 

The Island of Manhattan black out- Hudson River to the left East River to the right.

 

 

At first they did not want to let me into our office building but I insisted as the door man knew me.

At the office it was almost normal ,but I was one of a few other in a 28 floor building. Nobody on our floor was there. The doorman said they might shut the power off there as well ,but he would come and fetch me if that happened. He told me not to get in the elevators but call them when I was coming down. I could call Marion from work and she told me they had power in Brooklyn Height but no elevators were working.

 

 

 

Times Square almost deserted .Our office is down the road on the right hand side behind the big black and white photograph of a man's head

 

At around 4:00 pm  started on my way back and as it was getting dark soon I wanted to be home by then. By this time I had walked two miles that day , and even while it was cold, I did work up a sweat and was itching all over .I had like a lick and a promise cleansing that morning but could not wash my hair or shower.....I did shave with cold water trying "to keep up appearances."

 

 

Barbara mentioned that the water was not ice cold the night before when she went to bed. I thought I can try and see if there might be enough water just to have a quick rinse. To my greatest joy we had warm water! I jumped into that shower and had the most wonderful shower that I can remember. I had forgotten that the we have a gas boiler for hot water and also gas stoves. I am no cook, and my microwave stands on my stove, but at least we could boil water and have a shower.

I blessed Salome for her insight as well as Liz that reminded me that there should be hot water!

 

 

 

Barbara and Tim came over again and we had a good time talking around candlelight but after they left there was a long night ahead with no music ,no heat, no phone, no Internet, no TV  and I started to read and read and read.I read two books -and many magazines during this time. At last it was 10:00 pm and I could go to bed. In the morning I waited for it to get light before I got up and had my warm shower to warm me up. The apartment was freezing and I was not thrilled. The bed was warm enough but getting out of it was horrible. It reminded me of my days as a kid when we lived in Bloemfontein .Houses were never heated in South Africa so we were tough when it came to the cold, but after living in America where we heat is mandatory for survival- I have become very spoilt.

 

 

 

A very tall apartment block that they were building on 57st  near the Carnegie Hall had a crane hanging from it that toppled over during the night. They had roped  off block after  block around it ,scared that if the wind loosens it, it might fly through the air and hit somebody .They also had to evacuate all the tenants in building around it. This building was in the news a few weeks ago when the penthouse  apartment sold for $90 million. Only on top of a hurricane will this happen in NYC ........As they say "Only in America". Slowly but surely the days got easier .Marion got back to work and we had one of the dressmakers come in to finish two gowns that had to go out by Friday. It took her three hours to get to work that usually takes her 40 minutes on a normal day. I had heat Internet and phones at work so life was normal. What got to me where the long nights with nothing to do but read.

 

 

 

 

Once I was home I was told not to move around the neighborhood at night as there were strange people lurking around the blacked out neighborhoods. The first night they caught two guys opposite the street in a building trying to see if any apartment doors were open. After 5:30 pm we were  trapped inside. Our neighborhood was also deserted as some of the apartment buildings had their water tanks on the roof and needed to pump the water up there. When there were no water to be had the tenants moved out to stay with family or friends. It became very claustrophobic after a few days.

 

 

 

 

 The only way to get home was to walk, as taxis were having  problems getting gas. At one gas station in Queen a guy pulled a gun when somebody jumped the line. A car with a diplomatic license plate almost got bashed in when the driver tried to jump the line....people were getting very irate.

What we were going through was nothing .There were people that lost their lives and everything they owned.  I had to count my blessings. At least I had warm water and a roof over my head at night. Many people tried to move into hotels and when they could find a room they were overcharged. Some hotels even doubled their rates.

 

 

 

 

At 4:45 am on the fifth night of no power, I was woken by a light shining into my eyes.

It was the bedside light that was on. It was so good to be back in the 21 century.

 

 

 

Never will I take a television, radio or a warm bath for granted again. It was great spending the first day back having light and entertainment. It did not take much to get Greenwich Village rolling again. By the same evening stores were open and running although all the frozen foods were off the racks . We will have to wait for that a couple of more days.

 

 

 

New Yorkers are tough. Monday morning the trains were packed once again. There they were reading their Kindles or newspapers -or taking a nap as if nothing has happened. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 not much can rattle their nerves.

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow we must vote for a new President -or keep the one we have. On Wednesday New York is expecting another North Eastern storm .............Life goes on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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