Bosom Buddies
or
Pillow talk
We have been contemplating over the last few weeks the tough life that our beloved trouser mezzos have on stage. With weapons to wield and dangers to face how on earth do their stage personas sleep at night? I guess the answer may have to do with the more pleasant aspects of what they are required to do. But, hang on a minute! – snuggling up to a voluptuous soprano may not be everyone’s idea of a good time. I wonder what these fabulous singers make of this part of their performing life? Actually, if they find woman to woman romancing difficult or unappealing doesn’t it show what amazing actresses they are to be so convincing?
Here are a few examples …..
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All photos are screen grabs from video except for the last one which is The Guardian
Susan Graham and Renee Fleming Der Rosenkavalier, The Met. 2010
Octavian prepares the way for some serious action singing.
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Joyce di Donato and friends, Le Comte Ory, the Met. 2011
Whereas Isolier seems to have it all, - and then some!
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Brigitte Fassbaender and Gwyneth Jones,Der Rosenkavalier, München 1979
This Octavian has a huge range of pillows (!) on which to rest his head.
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Kiri te Kanawa and Tatiana Troyanos, Der Rosenkavalier, New York, 1982.
…. as does this one. Now there’s a smile of contentment!
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Vesselina Kasarova and Anja Harteros. Alcina. Vienna 2010
Pillows galore and some meaningful R & R for Ruggiero
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Anne Schwanewilms and Anke Vondung. Der Rosenkavalier, Dresden 2007
but this Octavian obviously has a lot to learn.
First Rule of White Shirt Wearing …
When romancing a lovely soprano, cuffs must be rolled!
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… and goodness knows what’s going through the mind of Prince Charamant!!
Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Alice Coote and Joyce di Donato. Cendrillon. ROH 2011
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Whatever meaningful moments you have in store
HAVE A WONDERFUL WHITE SHIRT WEEKEND!
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Dunno, matie. My brain would be in deep freeze if I were to trade place with le Coote prince… too daze to hold any thought at all!
What would we do without Der Rosenkavalier or Alcina or Cherubino, ay? Happy weekend to you, too!
that top photos, is one of my screensaver shots…aaaahhhhh….
also kiri, so very nice…
Ah this reminds me of a pop lyric
“Everyone needs a bosom for a pillow”
Rather a pleasant sentiment I think.
Re the (getting down to) business aspect of the rolled up shirt sleeves is there something to be said for a nice pair of cufflinks ? What about White Pants – usually boxers?
Hey Sarah – we’ve missed you!
Not sure any White Shirt lover would go for the cufflinks as rolled sleeves seem to be a prerequisite – but I may be wrong. Anyone any evidence of cufflink use?
Which pop lyric was that then?
I think it is Brimful of Asha by Cornershop a popular but inane song from a few years ago ?
Looks like you remembered well!
http://www.lyricsmania.com/brimful_of_asha_lyrics_cornershop.html
she is waiting for the right Oktavian, but ahh…
Any volunteers?
i’d never make it coz i would already pass out from the distance… but such an Oktavian… ahh
(ps- that was me, so much distraction i forgot all about logging-in manner…)
Um … er … I … that …..
I actually saw that in the theater. Twice. Front row for one of the performances. I was in Munich for other reasons but had I the means and the time it would so absurdly have been worth the effort to go for this alone.
Welcome lannoy!
Do let us know of your Munich or other operatic experiences
t.w.i.c.e! i jealous… that’s the same amount of time i *missed* her performances, one she canceled and one i had to cancel… what was your impression of the performances? we’d love to hear (even though this is not my blog
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meanwhile, a new pix of Carmen has popped up.
Thanks for the pic Dr. T – remarkable! I’ve just been using the ‘translate’ tab on the comments. Interesting ones from Andre and Katerina.
I was almost too immersed in enjoying all the luxury to form an impression.
Her movement was fluid and graceful, her general attitude effortlessly regal/commanding/playful/wistful/(somewhat) pained/ as called for, her singing liquid, rich, supple almost offensively effortless. There are just so many ways to get the Marschallin wrong: she can be common, desperate, reticent, aloof and a whole bunch of other icky things. By contrast its exceptionally difficult to get her “right”. Obviously what “right” is might vary from one listener/viewer to another but the text and music do set some parameters and for my taste Harteros’s was a remarkably well judged and sensitive depiction. If there is any, however tiny, criticism that I might proffer it is that her performance lacked just the last bit of feeling, the last measure of poignancy to qualify for a truly epic reading but it was more than superb for a first (and third) outing in the role and we can expect that to develop over time. She should have at least half and hopefully over a decade of vocal prime and as the photo that prompted my comment demonstrates she is getting becoming more stunning by the month.
I may not be objective but I don’t think there is any singer who performs any role with greater vocal and physical accomplishment than this (including Anja in her other endeavors). We can only hope that whoever makes these decisions will see fit to document her progress on it on video starting immediately and continuing as her interpretation develops. In the meantime no remotely plausible opportunity to see her in this should under any circumstances be missed.
Thank you, lannoy, for such an amazing description of your experience and feelings.
What are you thinking, Dr. T?
“In the meantime no remotely plausible opportunity to see her in this should under any circumstances be missed.”
. well, 2011 was a year of misses. let’s hope for better luck in 2012. one should say the same thing about her “alcina”, or perhaps of all her performances based on what I’ve read in various blogs.
Thanks so much for your description too. i’m “refusing” to read in to this too much, otherwise i’d be thinking too hard about my missed opportunities