OperaNow! #226: And Just What Was That Gayest Thing?

I was a teenage terrorist (in an opera)...Rome Opera agrees to end standoff...Young Canadian singers vie for $450 loonies...Minnesota Opera GD resigns...San Diego Opera a "Going Concern"...Green Mountain Opera Festival shutting down......Met deficit sits at $22 million...Barenboim steps down at La Scala...Met seeks lunch-lady...Camels take center stage.

In Oliver's Corner: the 2014 Fantasy League La bohème.

This week features Michael, The OC, Doug Dodson, Jenny Rivera and Mike Mayes.

Comments

[Zach]

Calleja sounds like a golden age tenor to me. I can't name any particular tenor he sounds like but his voice has most of the qualities that I like. He's not perfect, but I have never found myself being as negative about him as you guys were in this episode.

It was interesting to hear so many contemporary singers played as examples. But I don't think they were all bad. There are lots if great singers these days. In fact, I was listening to an archive Met broadcast of Hoffmann on Sirius xm while I was driving and I realized how the singing on the 2009 Calleja Hoffmann was so much better by everyone in the cast, even Netrebko.

[Menuet alla Zoppa]

Glad to hear you enjoyed yourself in London, Oliver! Seems like I've barely scratched the surface of everything that is available...

[Tom]

I think it's great that Rose Levy Beranbaum named a cake for Renee Fleming, reviving the tradition of naming desserts for opera singers that goes back to Escoffier. I've ordered Beranbaum's new book and I'll try it when the book arrives. Back in her 1988 book the Cake Bible she named a chocolate cake for Placido Domingo. I've made it a few times and it's delicious. If you want to make sure your cakes turn out exactly right every time, Beranbaum's books are the ones to use -- I've never had one turn out badly.