EYES SPECIAL
Yes, the clue is in the title of the blog …. I have an obsession with eyes. I love to observe. I love to admire and I am particular fascinated by the use of eyes in performance.
We all have our favourite diva. We love their singing, performance, style, their personality and their appearance. We look out for new recordings they have made, appearances on radio or TV and occasionally we come across a new photo or DVD to add to our collection. Sometimes the gods are with us and we get to see and hear them in live performance, getting wildly excited at that prospect ages before the event. We drink in their sound, their aura and memorise every note, word and move. How about the eyes of your diva? - those compelling pools that draw us in to the mystery that is musical performance….
Note: Try as I might I was unable to find performance photos which were close enough to show eyes to their best advantage so I had to make do with publicity stills for some.
Do you , for instance , love the latin look?
mezzo Cecelia Bartoli
Photo: Decca / Uli Weber
or do you prefer the devastating combination of Greek and German heritage?
soprano Anja Harteros
photo:bach-cantatas.com
Perhaps ice blue Latvian is your style
mezzo Elina Garanca
As Carmen at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 2009© Catherine Ashmore/Royal Opera House 2010
Ms. Garanca may have beautiful blue eyes but I expect some of you remember this scene from La Clemeza di Tito? Playing Annio in the beautiful duet “Ah perdona al primo affetto” her eyes were inexplicably elsewhere instead of concentrating on the fragrant Servilia of Barbara Bonney whilst they made sweet music. Ms. Bonney did make her pay for it a few seconds later, however!
or a cool pale blue gaze
soprano Barbara Bonney
photocredit:onyxclassics.com
Some divas have the wonderful gift of accentuating their eye colour
mezzo Anne Sophie von Otter
photo:bach-cantatas.com
Ms. von Otter on the other hand was able to give Ms. Bonney her full attention. Quite rightly too!
screengrab from Der Rosenkavalier, Vienna 1994
Me? I just love eyes of green
mezzo Vesselina Kasarova
screengrab from Der Rosenkavalier, Zurich 2004
or did I mean hazel?
screengrab from “Kasarova records Bulgarian Soul” 2004
perhaps that was green after all?
screengrab from Carmen, Zurich 2008
No …. too analytical. Who cares what the colour is as long as these eyes continue to communicate and compel whilst filling our souls with music.
HAVE A WONDERFUL WHITE SHIRT WEEKEND
Just as an afterthought …. there may be those who are not as captivated by eyes as Eyes.
Prefer a less specific and more holistic approach?
OK, here you go ..
Swedish mezzo Malena (the arms) Ernman
photo:KapdBWO on last.fm
Picture No. 5: Barbara Bonney looks like Sarah Waters! With my morning gloriously made, I can continue the day.
We aim to please
oh, i don’t remember that scene in Der R, but i know which part the Bulgarian Soul bit that is because i notice her raised eyebrowns everytime
(must be when she was done w/ her part and listening to the chorus ?). Like Der R grab very much though, seems such a tendered moment. i melt.
those strange Garanca’s stares, like she’s looking through you
. I think DtO has the Bonney/ASvO dvd? will convince her to show me probably. am absolutely out of touch when it comes to these 2 singers.
The scene is in the kitchen when Ochs is sounding forth to Sophie’s father & the young couple keep catching each other’s eye – sweet! Anne Sophie von Otter ( don’t abbreviate as DtO will get very cross
)& Barbara Bonney make a fabulous final duet, I only wish it could have been Dame Kiri in the trio instead of Felicity Lott.
Yes, lovely Rosenkav stills, but I wish Eyes caught the one which always makes my heart race: when La Bonney, all weepy and resigned, places her right hand on Octavian’s chest. And they stay like that for a while. However hard I try, I *cannot* stop thinking, Oh my god, her hand is on von Otter’s breast. [SUE ME. Can't forget it.]
I know many Octavians get costumed by using the techniques of Drag Kinging (heck, opera invented Drag Kinging), which includes various forms of chest binding and flattening. But none of that changes the fact that *her hand is on the other woman’s breast*. Forget about Kleiber’s orchestral tapestry, blah blah. That other stuff is barely noticeable.
Correction, and even better: Places BOTH of her hands. Haven’t seen the clip in, oh, days.
Looks like TD won’t have too much convincing to do
quite looking forward to this
O. M-eye. Goodness.
Damn fine work youngster. Why a very fine selection indeed. Must say, I am rather partial to the green/hazel combination myself. Speaking of which… Suzette, hurry up and close the tent flap, the desert can be quite chilly at night you know!
” Youngster ” … ? Why thank you Ma’am!
I want this on the record: Malena Ernman has a perfect body.
Actually, wait. I was certain of that until I came across this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Malena_Ernman.jpg I don’t know what’s going on in there. Like, there’s a bit missing.
Resting place for swooning soprano hand ?
More like nook for a head. Interesting.
See, I knew there was a reason why I was saving this to drool over, er, read once the moving craziness calmed down…I have never understood why Garanca is looking elsewhere when she has the lovely Ms. Bonney Right. There. In her arms. Focus, woman!
You tell her, towanda!
and feel free to
droolread away!