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I've sat everywhere in the Met, or so I thought. I had never been in the rear seats of a side balcony box. Front seats, yes, but not the rear. Front and rear seats on all the other rings. Astonishing sound - best orchestra balance ever, and loud as f**k. (I'm shallow - I like it loud.) I sounded like the orchestra was a couple feet away, not that long distance down. If you like Row A perspective, this is where you want to be. (BTW, the rear seats on the lower side boxes do *not* give you this.) You have to lean out to see even half the stage, so if you go for the visuals, this is not for you.
The show was Simone Boccanegra, and was outstanding. Lots has been written about Levine's conducting lately, often complaining about his "flailing about" from his wheelchair. I've never watched him from overhead before, and his movements were certainly different from what I remembered, but everything was tight, and that band obviously still loves playing for him. It looked weird, it looked like flailing, but it worked.
The cast was outstanding. Lianna Hartounian, Joseph Calleja, Firuccio Furlanetto, all superb. Placido, who, since his eleventy-millionth birthday is singing baritone roles, sounded lovely, with a silky-smooth honey glazed sound, and no longer has a vibrato that covers the tri-state area. His voice doesn't have the heft of a baritone, but it worked pretty well.
The only down-side of this seat was the chorus, which was in great form. (They are always in great form.) When they sang all out, the sound got pretty congested and a little distorted, which is a shame, because the noise they make is one of the great things on the planet. OK, no seat's perfect. Final note: ticket price $35. You can't beat that with a stick.
Overall, a great night. The house roared at the curtain call. It was a love fest, in this case very well deserved.
WW
"A man need merely light the filaments of his receiving set and the world's greatest artists will perform for him." Alfred N. Goldsmith, RCA, 1922
Follow Ups:
Great story.
I'm sorry that Placido continues to take jobs from baritones.
When I want to hear a Verdi baritone, I don't select Placido.
Let it go, baby.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
Yeah, you're right, it's time. To his credit, Domingo has probably done more to help new singers than any other opera star.
Given the Levine announcement, it's interesting that I was thinking during the show that this is the house that Jimmy built. That's an exaggeration, and there are lots of valid criticisms we can aim at him, but it's also hard to imagine what the Met would have been like without him.
It's time for them both to move on, and I am so thankful we had them for these last forty-odd years.
WW
"A man need merely light the filaments of his receiving set and the world's greatest artists will perform for him." Alfred N. Goldsmith, RCA, 1922
Oh, I certainly agree with you. I just don't like tenors singing baritone parts, no matter how old they are. It just ain't right. Placido still sounds like a tenor without the top.
He does have an amazing memory, tho', for music as well as events. I have a friend who sang at the Met for years and said Placido was always coming up to him and telling him about some small thing that happened years ago between them (maybe at City Opera) and my friend had pretty much no idea what he was talking about.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
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