Friday
Aug302013
OperaNow! #197: Bathhouse Baltsa
Friday, August 30, 2013 at 8:19AM 
Dolora Zajick backs out of Dolores Claiborne..."Hot" Opera "Direc"tors...At Tip For Stage Parents.
In the second part of Oliver's Gesture Corner, Juan Diego Florez shows you where the Emotional Zone is on your body; Erwin Schrott and Denyce Graves teach you how to time your gestures perfectly; and three examples of Là ci darem la mano prove that it is best to always sing facing downstage.
This week features The OC and Doug Dodson.
Reader Comments (6)
Hi, just some more info re Dolores Claiborne. Ms. Zajick was present at the sitz probe, following her part and mouthing all the words as the Cathy Cooke sang the whole opera. Apparently she had been hoping to be able to perform the role, but I have heard that the knee injury was the main concern, as the staging does require quite a bit of running around and would be too taxing. The vocal part sounds extremely difficult, but Cathy Cooke is negotiating it really well. The first orchestra rehearsal with Pat is on Wednesday, I think--no doubt she has been working long hours to learn the part. As far as a mezzo being replaced by a soprano, any worry is moot when you consider that the vocal parts are stretching every singer's range--both at the high and low end. The tenor who sings the detective role has to go into an actual falsetto a couple of times, it is so high.
As for the dual role in Mefistofele, it is not uncommon for the same soprano to sing both parts, in the scheme of the opera, neither is a very big role. So Pat Racette should be ok to sing the two different shows. Besides, if they have her slated to sing both Traviata AND Show Boat this summer at SF Opera, I guess someone believes she can handle it.
The Mefistofele production is so good, it is a refurbished version of the one premiered in 1989 and 1994-I was lucky enough to play the opera with that same production at the Kennedy Center with Sam Ramey in the title role a couple years later and have been anticipating its return. Ildar Abdrazakov is singing the role this time, he is very good, if a little small voiced for the cavernous sets. All about presence with him. There is a YouTube video of the complete production with Ramey from 1989, if anyone is curious.
Congratulations approaching your 200th show!!
Correction to my comment, Pat Racette is singing Butterfly and Show Boat next summer.
Just wanted to add an observation to the discussion around parents and their performer children. I've noticed that all things being equal (talent, looks, drive etc.) it's often the singer with $ (or their parents' $) that has a significant advantage. If you don't have to struggle to make ends meet, there's a lot more time for study, lessons, summer programs etc. Not to say some singers who come from $ don't deserve to be where they are, but just that it's a significant advantage. This is another kind of parental "support" that goes beyond saying the correct "five words" or whatever the phrase was. Maybe a future topic???
Did I misread, or did Picker say in Opera News (in an article that obviously went to press before Zajick bowed out) that he wanted Racette for DC in the first place? Somehow that changes how I perceive this turn of events. Was this coincidence, irony, or something else behind the scenes?
Yes he did. And I know everyone makes fun of this magazine, seeing it as old hat etc. but, still worth checking out on occasion. The article on the Dolores Claiborne opera was very good. The whole affair with Zajick is very strange, especially given who her substitute is. Is Racette really learning a major, new opera role (in a new opera) in a matter of weeks? Hard to believe she wasn't already on the sidelines, though I guess it's possible.
If that is the case, we can add Picker to the long list of composers who don't know how to write for the voice! Unless, his idea of Racette was before he had actually composed the damn thing. However, his comment I read somewhere about about Zajick being the person he thinks of when he thinks DC confuse the matter.