# The Netrebkos are on a final warning



## Tuoksu (Sep 3, 2015)

What do you think of this article?

https://slippedisc.com/2019/08/the-...Iow4dVt1mhPdFdawccOROg695NmzwPri0U4-OpnXVAHGI


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

The most important item is the author of that article but beyond that ... Kathleen Battle comes to mind.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Tuoksu said:


> What do you think of this article?
> 
> https://slippedisc.com/2019/08/the-...Iow4dVt1mhPdFdawccOROg695NmzwPri0U4-OpnXVAHGI


The difference being that Callas had a very good point which Bing refused to understand. He wanted her to alternate such disparate roles as Violetta and Lady Macbeth which she refused to do, making the perfectly understandable point that she needed to time to lighten her voice after Lady Macbeth before embarking on Violetta. All he could do was to offer her Lucia instead of Violetta, thereby compounding the problem. It just shows how little understanding he had of the voice and its workings.

He later made the point that she had alternated much more disparate roles earlier in her career, which was indeed true, but she was just forging her career then. By 1958 she was a massive star, and probably the most famous singer in the world. She wasn't about to take such risks.


----------



## RockyIII (Jan 21, 2019)

There is nothing wrong with taking some time off or reducing your schedule, but current commitments should be honored first. It is unprofessional to cancel performances on a whim.


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Who has issued that "final warning?" Norman Lebrecht?


----------



## Open Book (Aug 14, 2018)

Tuoksu said:


> What do you think of this article?
> 
> https://slippedisc.com/2019/08/the-...Iow4dVt1mhPdFdawccOROg695NmzwPri0U4-OpnXVAHGI


It sounds more like editorial opinion than fact. Fake news.

"For Netrebko and Eyvazov, it's just a matter of time.

They are on a final warning."

Where's the justification for that statement? It's not provided in the article.


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Tuoksu said:


> What do you think of this article?
> 
> https://slippedisc.com/2019/08/the-...Iow4dVt1mhPdFdawccOROg695NmzwPri0U4-OpnXVAHGI


Rather silly Norman Lebrecht stuff imo.


----------



## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

I think we should name things correctly. Like "reddit rant", "Facebook post", "Instagram story" or "sco pa tu manaa twitter trend" rather than the respectable genre of "article". For journalism vocabulary, this could be named an "Op-Ed".

You know Netrebko is my kind of voice to love in opera, but I'm not going to discuss this, it's just my taste. I was disappointed I could not have her in the broadcast of the first _Lohengrin_ in Bayreuth this year.

*But what do you have against Mr. Lebrecht* as a critic or "notable figure" in the Classical Music Online world? I may be too young to know. I read recently his experiences attending Tennstedt concerts in the same site.


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Tsaraslondon said:


> The difference being that Callas had a very good point which Bing refused to understand. He wanted her to alternate such disparate roles as Violetta and Lady Macbeth which she refused to do, making the perfectly understandable point that she needed to time to lighten her voice after Lady Macbeth before embarking on Violetta. All he could do was to offer her Lucia instead of Violetta, thereby compounding the problem. It just shows how little understanding he had of the voice and its workings.
> 
> He later made the point that she had alternated much more disparate roles earlier in her career, which was indeed true, but she was just forging her career then. By 1958 she was a massive star, and probably the most famous singer in the world. She wasn't about to take such risks.


I seem to remember (but I may have it wrong), that Meneghini in his biography of Callas said that the firing was actually desired by he and Callas so that she could sing the much more interesting Medea in Dallas without having to renenge on her Met contract. According to him they were using the alternating roles as an excuse so that Bing would fire her. I remember thinking at the time I read it that it made the Meneghinis come off as an unscrupulous pair. I may have misremembered or he may have been lying (and in any case the offer of those roles demonstrates that Bing didn't understand much about opera).

N.


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Anna and Yusif have been very foolish to publish these photos. Whether it means that their stars are about to set is another thing entirely.

N.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

The Conte said:


> I seem to remember (but I may have it wrong), that Meneghini in his biography of Callas said that the firing was actually desired by he and Callas so that she could sing the much more interesting Medea in Dallas without having to renenge on her Met contract. According to him they were using the alternating roles as an excuse so that Bing would fire her. I remember thinking at the time I read it that it made the Meneghinis come off as an unscrupulous pair. I may have misremembered or he may have been lying (and in any case the offer of those roles demonstrates that Bing didn't understand much about opera).
> 
> N.


But the "firing" happened whilst she was singing Medea in Dallas, so that can't be right. She was interviewed by the press in her dressing room in Dallas after Bing was photographed tearing up her contract (a publicity stunt if ever there were one).

That said, she didn't like appearing at the Met. Rehearsal time was always limited and on some occasions she never even got a stage rehearsal despite not being able to see anything on stage. The lack of rehearsal often meant she would sometimes sing with people she hadn't rehearsed with. It was hardly conducive to great art and a far cry from what she was used to at La Scala. I'm sure she wasn't that bothered about not appearing there again.


----------



## Guest (Aug 12, 2019)

Side question. I am no opera expert, and have no knowledge of the mechanics behind the voices that bring them to life. But I have noticed a very obvious change in Anna from her early years - those early albums were plastered with pictures of a much slimmer, attractive woman. I no way a waif, she had a healthy physique. In later years, she has clearly gained a significant amount of weight - who among us doesn't, as we age, metabolism slows, etc.? In contrast, Callas started her career a heavier woman who then lost a significant amount of weight and was a slender beauty in the later stage of her career.

How much do these changes in weight impact vocal capabilities? I have read criticisms that Callas' voice suffered with her weight loss, but am in no position to judge this - still sounds wonderful to me. What about Netrebko? Has her weight change impacted her vocal skills? Is heavier an advantage in opera singing? I notice that there is no shortage of larger women singing opera, and indeed that is the stereotype that most with no experience imagine - it ain't over until the fat lady sings.

Enlighten me. Is this known, or does it come down more to opinions? Surely it at least hasn't impacted Netrebko's profession - she seems as popular as ever.


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Granate said:


> *But what do you have against Mr. Lebrecht* as a critic or "notable figure" in the Classical Music Online world? I may be too young to know. I read recently his experiences attending Tennstedt concerts in the same site.


Norman Lebrecht has a serious case of cephalic hypertrophy - he thinks that his opinions are significant because they are his opinions and he is not afraid to let loose with them, often with little supporting information. He also thinks that because he has a widely read site, that he is some form of important modern journalist even though he doesn't seem to recognize the distinction between reporting and opinion. In other words, his site can have interesting information so is sometimes worth reading but one needs to be very cautious about making too much of what he publishes.


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

^^P.S.: That puts Mr. Lebrecht in a similar category to a number of TCers ... perhaps he is actually one of them :


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Mmmmmwahhhahahaha


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

The Conte said:


> Anna and Yusif have been very foolish to publish these photos. Whether it means that their stars are about to set is another thing entirely.
> 
> N.


Why on earth? They cancelled because they (allegedly) were suffering exhaustion. They are recovering by relaxing with family. Quite legitimate I would think.


----------



## Zhdanov (Feb 16, 2016)

The Conte said:


> Anna and Yusif have been very foolish to publish these photos.


done on purpose, no doubt about that. Gherghiev is the word, i.e. his recent affair with Bayreuth fest.


----------



## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Tsaraslondon said:


> But the "firing" happened whilst she was singing Medea in Dallas, so that can't be right. She was interviewed by the press in her dressing room in Dallas after Bing was photographed tearing up her contract (a publicity stunt if ever there were one).
> 
> That said, she didn't like appearing at the Met. Rehearsal time was always limited and on some occasions she never even got a stage rehearsal despite not being able to see anything on stage. The lack of rehearsal often meant she would sometimes sing with people she hadn't rehearsed with. It was hardly conducive to great art and a far cry from what she was used to at La Scala. I'm sure she wasn't that bothered about not appearing there again.


I had a strange feeling that my memory may not have got the details right! I've looked it up and you are right, it wasn't so that Callas was free for Dallas that Meneghini claimed. It was so she would be free to embark on a lucrative concert tour instead of the Met performances. However the tour never materialised (so perhaps this was a bit of sour grapes on Meneghini's part).

In any case Callas was right about the roles and Bing was being difficult whether Meneghini stoked the fires for financial reasons or not.

N.


----------



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Oh, the world must surely fall apart now that she’s taking some unexpected time off. I bet she’s having some happy times and must-needed rest. If she said she were permanently retiring, that would be another matter. Mr. Slipped Disc sounds like an alarmist, particularly to mention the comparison with Callas, rather than appreciating that she looks healthy and happy. All artists need breaks and that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re being selfish or irresponsible, trying to cheat or disappoint others, and sending their careers into a tailspin.


----------



## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Gheorghiu and Alangna another spoiled couple springs to mind.


----------



## Fredrikalansson (Jan 29, 2019)

I once attended a lecture given by Rudolf Bing. He sounded very attentive to the needs of singers. I wonder if the whole firing of Callas was just personal animus between the two. An audience member asked him about singers who were prone to cancelling. His response was that opera singers are under tremendous pressure to preserve their voices and their reputations. "If a singer cracks a note at the Met, by morning they know about it at La Scala." For him, cancellations, retirements and sabbaticals were one of the hazards of the business. You accommodate.


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Fredrikalansson said:


> I once attended a lecture given by Rudolf Bing. He sounded very attentive to the needs of singers. I wonder if the whole firing of Callas was just personal animus between the two. An audience member asked him about singers who were prone to cancelling. His response was that opera singers are under tremendous pressure to preserve their voices and their reputations. "If a singer cracks a note at the Met, by morning they know about it at La Scala." For him, cancellations, retirements and sabbaticals were one of the hazards of the business. You accommodate.


Have you read his _5000 Nights at the Opera_? I can't say I warmed to him, though he still thought Callas was the greatest operatic artist of her time. He actually saihttps://www.talkclassical.com/editpost.php?p=1693648&do=editpostd she was difficult to deal with because there was always a reason for her demands, and that he knew they were not more caprice, but that he couldn't run the Met they way she was used to at La Scala. In those days of stand and deliver performance which was mostly what you got at the Met, it was a miracle if singers ever got a stage rehearsal. Callas needed them because she was virtually blind and had to acquaint herself with the stage and scenery. It's no surprise she hated appearing there, especially aftrer the experience of doing new productions at La Scala with great stage directors like Visconti, Zeffirelli and Margherita Wallman, when she had plenty of stage rehearsal.


----------

