View: Next message | Previous message Next in topic | Previous in topic Next by same author | Previous by same author Previous page (August 1999, week 2) | Back to main OPERA-L page Join or leave OPERA-L Reply | Post a new message Search Options: Chronologically | Most recent first Proportional font | Non-proportional font ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Aug 1999 00:13:57 +0000 Reply-To: "H.E.Elsom" Sender: Discussion of opera and related issues From: "H.E.Elsom" Subject: Annick Massis, Proms, 9Aug99 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Annick Massis sang two arias, Leila's temple scene from Bizet's The pearl fishers, and Ophelia's mad scene from Thomas' Hamlet, as part of a French lollipops programme. The concert also included Poulenc's Les Biches suite in a slightly leaden performance by the BBC Concert Orchestra under Barry Wentworth. Massis is tall, strapping and blond, with a delicately handsome face, and a latent edginess that emerged as good old dementia in Ophelia's scene tonight (and with even more vocal fireworks in her performance as La Folie in the Garnier Platee earlier this year). She averted her eyes as she sang introspectively, in the Bizet, of her fond memories of love and her hopes for more, but I would place a small bet that her voice went straight up to the gallery. And in the Thomas, modelled on the mad scene from Lucia di Lammermoor with a waltz and a batty song about Willis or Wallys interpolated, she let rip spectacularly but musically. Massis, who can be only slightly older than Cecilia Bartoli, could teach her a thing or two about how to work an audience, and how to project into a massive space. In programmes that could both be broadly described as pops, Bartoli had the advantage of well-structured arias with explicit logic and emotional content, but she seemed to want to deal only with the stalls ans arena. Massis managed to fill the hall impressively with music that is nothing much, while projecting dramatic character rather than eagerness to please and be liked. It's a shame that Poulenc keeps the audiences away. If there had been more people in the hall, I think we would have had Je suis Titania as an encore. Regards, Helen - H.E. Elsom he@helsom.demon.co.uk http://www.helsom.demon.co.uk/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main OPERA-L page ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Back to the LISTSERV home page at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU.