Oberon's Grove

Diamonds & Cyanide

Over the weekend we watched two powerful and disturbing films, BLOOD DIAMOND and DOWNFALL.

Set in Africa, BLOOD DIAMOND explores the dark world of the 'conflict' diamond trade. In emerging countries with tenuous governments, rebel factions exploit their own people in two ways: enslaving them in the work of finding diamonds (to be traded for weapons) and kidnapping/brainwashing young boys to be soldiers for the 'cause'. Leo DiCaprio as smuggler/adventurer Danny Archer overhears a conversation (an argument, really) about a huge stone which has been found. He follows and befriends the man who he thinks can lead him to this fantastic gem, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) and the two men make a deal: Vandy will get Archer to the diamond and Archer will help Vandy find his son Tia who has been pressed into the child/soldier ranks. Aided by a journalist (Jennifer Connelly) who is sort of taken with Danny, the men are off on a long and twisting journey rife with violence and betrayals.  Mr. Hounsou's towering portrayal of Solomon Vandy in itself makes the film worth watching: his obsession with reuniting his family is the heart of the story.

The film made me curious to learn more about the international diamond business and I found this very interesting story. The bloodshed and misery which lies under the surface glamour diamonds provide has a real eye-opener in BLOOD DIAMOND.

DOWNFALL is the wrenching portrayal of the end of the Third Reich; shot largely in the claustrophobic confines of Hitler's bunker as the Russian Army penetrates Berlin, we experience the collapse of Nazi Germany on a personal level. Uncanny is the only word for Bruno Ganz's portrayal of Hitler; you cannot imagine that an actor could achieve this kind of role identity.

Physically degenerating and mentally unstable, the Fuhrer spirals thru a series of mad scenes offset by moments of genuine tenderness towards Eva Braun and others of the faithful inner circle. In the war room, Hitler blows up at his generals as he spews orders to move his various armies into positions to deflect the Russian assault; the generals know that the Nazi forces are decimated and only exist as pieces on a war map. Feeling betrayed and abandoned, Hitler turns against the German people; he refuses to surrender thus leaving the city to be thoroughly destroyed and the populace in a state of hopeless squalor.

Hitler marries Eva and the next day they retire to their private quarters and kill themselves.  While the grim brutality of the war zone increasingly infringes on the last remnants of the Reich, Magda Goebbels  calmly enters the bunker quarters where her six children are asleep in a drugged state, and slips a cyanide capsule into each small mouth. She could not bear the thought of her children living in a post-Nazi world. She and her husband then carry out a murder/suicide pact.

At the last, even as meaningless Iron Cross decorations are being awarded for pointless acts of valor, the actual surrender to the Red Army seems almost anti-climactic. A few German officers kill themselves in a final desperate act of loyalty to the Fuhrer.

I saw DOWNFALL when it opened a couple of years ago; I thought it was the most powerful experience I've ever had at the cinema. Watching it again at home was hypnotic and harrowing; such was the effect that as soon as we finished, Wei said "Let's watch it again"...and we did. Another interesting aspect of the film is the score, which weaves in a subtle setting of the theme of Purcell's 'When I Am Laid In Earth' (DIDO & AENEAS) as well as Siegfried's funeral march from GOTTERDAMMERUNG.

What strikes me so forcefully about this movie is the portrayal of Hitler not as evil incarnate or as 'Satan'  but as a human being: a man who was able to play upon Germany's fears and prejudices to set himself up in a position of complete power over every aspect of people's lives. How did this man manage to inspire such fanatic loyalty and such unquestioning obedience?  How can we reconcile the things he did with the image Winifred Wagner  paints of him: "If he were to walk thru the door today, I would be so happy to see him again..."?

Met TURANDOT

Thursday May 3, 2007 - Wei & I took his sister Hong and her husband Mark to see TURANDOT at the Met, the main attraction of the performance being the Chinese soprano Liping Zhang  {photo} in the role of Liu. A few years ago at NYC Opera, Zhang made a highly successful New York debut as Butterfly drawing a spontaneous full-house standing ovation. What impressed me most about her, aside from the attractive sound, was her sense of the Italianate style based on portamento as well as her slender figure and the vulnerable quality of her stage persona. As Liu, these gifts were all amply displayed. Within moments of her first entry, the soprano must float a prolonged piano top B-flat  over a delicate orchestral motif; this Zhang accomplished with finesse. Climaxing a lustrous rendition of Liu's poignant aria, "Signore ascolta", Zhang seemed slightly below pitch, a momentary flaw. In the third act she was really  moving: her pliant and expressive singing of "Tanto amore segreto" where Liu speaks of her secret love for Calaf was silken of tone and delicately modulated. Her suicide was brutally realistic. Zhang was the audience favorite winning an enthusiastic wave of 'bravas', a warm salute from her colleague basso Hao-Jian Tian, and a kiss from Maestro Armiliato.

Mr. Tian's moving portrayal of the aging, blind King Timur was sung with sturdy authority, and the basso was very touching as he mourned the death of the faithful slave who was his only companion in exile. Richard Margison gave his all as Calaf; after years of singing the heaviest spinto/dramatic rep, Margison's voice is now quite weathered. But he steps up to the plate and gives a forthright, honest performance with passages that still show him to advantage. The trio of court ministers, Ping/Pang/Pong (baritone Hung Yun, tenors John McVeigh & Charles Reid) were seriously underpowered in Act I but redeemed themselves with an entertaining and well-sung vignette opening Act II.  As the Mandarin who sets the opera on its way with his 'Popolo di Pekino!' Patrick Carfizzi was superb: powerful of voice and with pointed declamation. Bernard Fitch was the aged Emperor.

Earlier this season Erika Sunnegardh stepped in for Andrea Gruber as Turandot and I thought she was a bit pallid vocally. Tonight Sunnegardh was far more assured and the voice seemed brighter and more forward though still a far cry from the blistering power of a Nilsson or a Gwyneth Jones. Sunnegardh has a silvery, focussed sound and is undaunted by the highest notes. She creates a convincingly attractive and desirable Princess with her slender figure, and she moves beautifully. Her collapse after Calaf's kiss was remarkable; Sunnegardh somehow integrated her elaborate headpiece and robe into her swoon, making it the fall of an icon.

Marco Armiliato marshaled the huge forces without the use of a score; his perfect tempi and sense of colour were a big asset all evening.

Wei's sister Hong recognized the 'jasmine' theme which Puccini extracted from the famous Chinese music box which was a source of inspiration for the composer. On the recent Met broadcast, a recording of the actual instrument was played and was an enchanting glimpse at a bit of operatic legend. {The photo of Hong and Mark on their wedding day last year}.

Before the performance I was really glad to run into tenor William Ferguson; I've known Will since his Juilliard days and he was one of the many singers I always kept in touch with while working at Tower. This past season he sang Monastatos in MAGIC FLUTE at the Met, and this summer he is off to Aspen for his first Ferrando in COSI FAN TUTTE. It was great to be able to catch up with him again.      

Lucky T-shirt

On Monday (4/30) I went down to Lincoln Center to meet my friend Lisette after the dress rehearsal of the Met's new ORFEO & EURIDICE. It was such a beautiful day and I got there pretty early so I was going to sit outside the NY State Theatre and soak up some sunshine. I just happened to be wearing my Winger t-shirt with its striking red-on-black  logo and it was a propitious choice because who should come along but the founder of the Winger, NYCB ballerina Kristin Sloan.  Kristin has created the fascinating and vastly popular Tragic Love video series for the NYC Ballet website's build-up to their new ROMEO & JULIET.

It's no secret that I idolize the NYC Ballet dancers. Like most of us ordinary people when we get to actually meet someone we admire, I felt klutzy and tongue-tied. Kristin immediately put me at ease and very sweetly let me take a photo of her; she gave me some insider stories on the ROMEO production and then strolled off with her camera to do some more filming.

My friend Dmitry came by, fresh from the ORFEO dress at the Met. He confirmed that the Mark Morris production was pretty much what I had feared it would be and I felt content that I had not planned to see it.

Then it was time to meet Lisette (Oropesa). Each time I have seen Lisette in the past month, she has just won another vocal competition: the Lissner, the Sara Tucker, and now...the  Puccini! This summer in Paris she has been invited to participate in Placido Domingo's Operalia, one of the most prestigious voice competitions in the world. Among the many top singers who have come thru this competition are Phyllis Pancella, Elizabeth Futral, Brian Asawa, Joyce Di Donato, Joseph Calleja, Jose Cura, Rolando Villazon and Giuseppe Filianoti. Lisette also had more good news: she has landed the role of Lisette in the Met's coming production of Puccini's LA RONDINE.

On May 1st, Columbia Artists Management announced the promotion of my long-time friend & opera buddy, Rob Scott, to Manager and Vice-President. In the past few years, Rob has worked at CAMI as associate manager to Ken Benson and they have now formed the Benson/Scott Management Office. Last season, Rob started going to City Ballet with me and so we will celebrate this latest good news with a performance of JEWELS later this season.

The  transition to Spring is sort of slow this year but things have started blooming up here in Inwood Hill Park; here are some pictures from my recent walks, starting with the footbridge which crosses over the Amtrak tracks along the Hudson.

Two-Thirds of TRITTICO

Tuesday May 1, 2007 -  While the rest of the world was strolling down the red carpet to the new NYC Ballet ROMEO & JULIET premiere, I was heading for the Met to see their latest creation, Puccini's TRITTICO.  I sat outside the NYST stage door for a bit watching  the gathering crowd. Jock Soto passed by and then Albert Evans; Albert's such a sunny guy, always a nice smile and greeting for everyone. Then Peter Martins came by with his date for the gala: his daughter Talicia in a pretty pink frock. I sort of regretted that I was going to miss the 'event'.

At the the Met, the house was packed. The TRITTICO production has mainly drawn raves from every quarter, boasting the 'largest' sets in the history of the Met. Peter Gelb came out to announce that James Levine was ill and that Joseph Colaneri would conduct; I love Joe Colaneri, he's led some really fine performances over the past few seasons and deserves to be in the limelight more often. He has a real sense of the pulse of the music and knows how to help the singers sound at their best. The orchestra tonight, with David Chan in the concertmaster's seat, was wonderful.

I can't remember now why I decided to see TRITTICO since I have never really liked these three opera; I guess when Dmitry & I were talking about things to see in taking advantage of the very low ticket prices this season TRITTICO seemed like a good option. Maybe I would find a different perspective on the works; I only saw the TRITTICO once before - at NYC Opera in the 1960s.

In the event, I think I liked the operas even less than I thought I did. Both TABARRO and SUOR ANGELICA has longish opening scenes of 'mood painting' with minor characters and irrelevant detail supposedly setting us up for the intense final twenty minutes of each opera. Dwarfed by the titanic sets, the intimate details of life along the Seine or the simple joys and petty concerns of the nuns got lost in the architecture. The stage settings are impressive to be sure, and they draw waves of applause at curtain-rise, but beyond that they are just sets.

Juan Pons as Michele in TABARRO was the most satisfying portrayal of the evening; he sang with power and a wonderful sense of the misery of a working-class man who has built a small life for himself and his wife and watches it crumble over the death of their infant son and his wife's loss of interest.  As Giorgietta, Maria Guleghina sounded really squally and raw; the thought of her singing Norma next season would be hilarious except that it will doubtless come to pass. Salvatore Licitra looked right as the burly stevedore Luigi and sang with relentless, driven tone. Stephanie Blythe's voice sounded enormous as La Frugola; her lower range is magnificent but higher up it is less grand.

In ANGELICA, Barbara Frittoli displayed further deterioration of her tonal quality. When I first heard her as Desdemona in 1999 I was really thrilled and impressed with the full-bodied lyricism she delivered but then she went into things like Verdi REQUIEM and Donna Anna and has slowly worn the satiny finish off her timbre. As Angelica she sounded pressed to the limits of her capabilities, the voice edgy and raucous and altogether pretty unpleasant. Blythe was again huge-voiced as the cruel-hearted Princess-Aunt but she experienced some pitch vagaries along the way. Heidi Grant Murphy sounded very metallic as Sister Genovieffa.

I sat thru the second intermission hoping that perhaps Mr. Gelb might reappear to say that Lisette Oropesa would sing Lauretta in SCHICCHI, but the house lights went down with no announcement. I had forgotten how much I dislike SCHICCHI but when the curtain rose, I remembered. So I got up and left.