[Dixielandjazz] Domingo Does Tristan & Isolde

[Steve barbone]

Read with interest the post quoting a reviewer from the NY Times about
Placido Domingo singing the lead role in the above Opera in stages, over
several days in a studio. And that it was a Great Performance, but soon
nobody would do studio recordings of Opera because it was cheaper to do a
DVD of the actual performance.

Well, DUH? What is the reviewer thinking?

As I understand it, we have Domingo doing a performance in stages over
several days because he is not capable of doing it in one 2 hour performance
as written by Wagner. In fact, he has never accepted that part live because
it is too taxing for him.

IMO doing an Operatic performance in a studio, for a CD over several days,
that you cannot do live on stage as it was written to be performed in a
couple of hours is pure bullshit. It is a fake.

I would rather see/hear a DVD performance by lesser? singers who were able
to do it naturally. And I believe Opera should be seen as well as heard.
I've never been able to quite understand people "listening" to an Opera,
sung in a language they don't understand, in a story setting they don't
understand because they haven't taken 5 minutes to read the libretto for a
bare minimum of knowledge.  But then afterwards, they describe the great, or
not so great art of the singers/composer/orchestra in detail. Hmmmmmmmm.

Is it any wonder that performers (like Artie Shaw) think most audiences and
critics are idiots?

Cheers,
Steve Barbone