Comments on: Met HD Live: Cox Thais Conversion Fails to Convict http://theartoftheconductor.com/news/2009/01/12/its-all-a-bunch-of-crapthais-at-met-hd-live/ classical music news and views Mon, 26 Jan 2009 01:14:05 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 By: chiaros http://theartoftheconductor.com/news/2009/01/12/its-all-a-bunch-of-crapthais-at-met-hd-live/comment-page-1/#comment-776 chiaros Mon, 26 Jan 2009 01:14:05 +0000 http://theartoftheconductor.com/news/?p=252#comment-776 Oh, BTW I watched the Live at the Met broadcast too - and for myself, at least, I found the 'behind-the-curtain' stuff very interesting. They were not in the least detracting from the 'suspension of disbelief' that you required, perhaps because I mentally felt that I DID already suspend my disbelief in accepting that this was a staging, an opera, and HOW they managed the interplay of the scenes was, instead, an addition to my grasp of the spectacle that formed the theatrical realization of the piece that is called "Thais". Oh, BTW I watched the Live at the Met broadcast too – and for myself, at least, I found the ‘behind-the-curtain’ stuff very interesting. They were not in the least detracting from the ’suspension of disbelief’ that you required, perhaps because I mentally felt that I DID already suspend my disbelief in accepting that this was a staging, an opera, and HOW they managed the interplay of the scenes was, instead, an addition to my grasp of the spectacle that formed the theatrical realization of the piece that is called “Thais”.

]]> By: chiaros http://theartoftheconductor.com/news/2009/01/12/its-all-a-bunch-of-crapthais-at-met-hd-live/comment-page-1/#comment-775 chiaros Mon, 26 Jan 2009 01:07:03 +0000 http://theartoftheconductor.com/news/?p=252#comment-775 Mr. Robinson, Sir, methinks you doth protest too much. 1) Have you read the background on the opera and the libretto? 2) Your complaint about the unconvincing nature of Thais' conversion has some merit, but is negated, in my view, by your willful abdication of imagination. I think: 3) You did not read the words of the libretto 4) You did not listen to the music 5) You projected your idea of what a 'Conversion' entailed onto the opera 6) There are enough suggestions in the libretto as it stands to suggest why a) Thais was so eager to transfer her fealty to the life that Athanael offered her - just the Mirror Scene is sufficient to establish her state of mind, on the edge of a breakdown, in crisis, grasping for a way out of her situation where she was surrounded by crude people, afraid of mortality and the ephemeral nature of her beauty, and... Athanael offers her exactly what shee seeks... This coupled with the music itself, does delineate her state of mind... b) Athanael, who clearly shows in 'Voila, donc la terrible cite' his lingering connection to the voluptuousness that he was born into (if there was any remaining doubt after his vision in the desert)...the music itself, pushing in its sweep of the grandeur that was Alexandria, is what he sings to, and what he evokes - why, he is but fighting against what he was born to do! Etc etc. I might point out that other much more qualified people have remarked upon the qualities of Thais and Massenet, in a convincingly positive way. Just a couple of links: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/arts/music/07davi.html?ref=music http://www.pov.bc.ca/thais1.html Mr. Robinson, Sir, methinks you doth protest too much.

1) Have you read the background on the opera and the libretto?
2) Your complaint about the unconvincing nature of Thais’ conversion has some merit, but is negated, in my view, by your willful abdication of imagination.

I think:
3) You did not read the words of the libretto
4) You did not listen to the music
5) You projected your idea of what a ‘Conversion’ entailed onto the opera

6) There are enough suggestions in the libretto as it stands to suggest why
a) Thais was so eager to transfer her fealty to the life that Athanael offered her – just the Mirror Scene is sufficient to establish her state of mind, on the edge of a breakdown, in crisis, grasping for a way out of her situation where she was surrounded by crude people, afraid of mortality and the ephemeral nature of her beauty, and… Athanael offers her exactly what shee seeks… This coupled with the music itself, does delineate her state of mind…
b) Athanael, who clearly shows in ‘Voila, donc la terrible cite’ his lingering connection to the voluptuousness that he was born into (if there was any remaining doubt after his vision in the desert)…the music itself, pushing in its sweep of the grandeur that was Alexandria, is what he sings to, and what he evokes – why, he is but fighting against what he was born to do!

Etc etc.

I might point out that other much more qualified people have remarked upon the qualities of Thais and Massenet, in a convincingly positive way.

Just a couple of links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/arts/music/07davi.html?ref=music
http://www.pov.bc.ca/thais1.html

]]> By: mad4tony http://theartoftheconductor.com/news/2009/01/12/its-all-a-bunch-of-crapthais-at-met-hd-live/comment-page-1/#comment-755 mad4tony Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:23:43 +0000 http://theartoftheconductor.com/news/?p=252#comment-755 You are right one the $$, Mr. Robinson... The ONLY reason I wanted to 'experience' the dreck (wreck ?)of 'Thais' was to see/hear Renee F. and Thomas H, both in wonderful voice (and in body, i.e., Ms Fleming). But the scene changes were interminable and Noisy, the nuns' habits straight from a high school 'Sound of Music', and some of the spear-carrier guards had bolt-action rifles and 19th century tunics!! Come one, HD Met, get it straight. I love the premise (and our arena-type theatre in Springfield OR had wonderful sound as well as perfect HD picture) but not the 'filler' material, and that goes for P. Domingo as well. Everybody knows who he is and what he has done (everything in Opera) but that night he just looked tired, or maybe embarrassed by Thais untimely, unconvincing 'death'. At least Italian opera kills 'em off with swords or knives or poison, but not just...Prayers! It would have been MUCH more exciting if Thais had expired during some athletic sex with our horny monk; give the scene a real 'climax', so to speak (heh heh). That opera needs some real Spice! And those burly stagehands should sing while they work, we see so much of them during the show.... Comments, opera buffs..? You are right one the $$, Mr. Robinson… The ONLY reason I wanted to ‘experience’ the dreck (wreck ?)of ‘Thais’ was to see/hear Renee F. and Thomas H, both in wonderful voice (and in body, i.e., Ms Fleming). But the scene changes were interminable and Noisy, the nuns’ habits straight from a high school ‘Sound of Music’, and some of the spear-carrier guards had bolt-action rifles and 19th century tunics!! Come one, HD Met, get it straight. I love the premise (and our arena-type theatre in Springfield OR had wonderful sound as well as perfect HD picture) but not the ‘filler’ material, and that goes for P. Domingo as well. Everybody knows who he is and what he has done (everything in Opera) but that night he just looked tired, or maybe embarrassed by Thais untimely, unconvincing ‘death’. At least Italian opera kills ‘em off with swords or knives or poison, but not just…Prayers! It would have been MUCH more exciting if Thais had expired during some athletic sex with our horny monk; give the scene a real ‘climax’, so to speak (heh heh). That opera needs some real Spice! And those burly stagehands should sing while they work, we see so much of them during the show…. Comments, opera buffs..?

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