Today was the eighth and final opera in the current season of Metropolitan Opera High Definition simulcasts to movie theaters across the country. And what a way to finish the season- with a sparkling comedy titled “The Daughter of the Regiment” by Donizetti. Friday morning I sent an email to the entire Carthage faculty and staff, singing the praises of these simulcasts and of this particular opera as a perfect thing for an operatic neophyte to experience. . . because it’s short, it’s funny, and it’s spectacularly cast. AND, if people responded quickly enough, I could give them a free pass. (Otherwise, admission at the box office would be $22.) I hit “Send” and then waited to be inundated by people anxious to snap up one of the free passes and began mentally writing my “Sorry, the free passes are all gone” note for those who would be out of luck. Unfortunately, I never had to write such an email because not one single person accepted the offer of a free pass. Not One. It felt like an episode of “Family Affair” from years ago where Buffy and Jody decide that it would be nice if they could get to know other people in their apartment building. (They live in a NYC high rise luxury apartment building where people were rather private and standoff-ish.) They somehow convince their Uncle Bill to throw a lovely reception for people in one of the building’s lounges – although both he and his butler Mr. French are really skeptical. And unfortunately, their skepticism proves valid because not one single person comes to the party. I haven’t seen the episode since it first aired some 35 years ago, but I can still see Buffy and Jody dressed to the nines, sitting by the door to the lounge, eagerly waiting to greet guests who never arrive. . . and I can still vividly see Mr. French standing at the food-laden table, stirring the punch. That was me sitting at my computer yesterday – watching my computer inbox like Mr. French stirring his punch – – – but no one came to either of our parties.
I was bewildered and disappointed – and mad at myself for waiting until the last minute to issue the invitation – but I waited that long because I first wanted to offer the free passes to any students who might be interested. I sent out an email to my voice students and to our vocal performance majors earlier in the week. . . but only one student took me up on the offer. On other occasions there’s been much more interest, but this simulcast fell on the same weekend as the musical (“Children of Eden” which I talked about in yesterday’s blog) as well as Parent’s Weekend – so it wasn’t a huge surprise that all but one of our students were otherwise occupied. So between students, faculty, and staff, exactly one person scooped up one of my free passes.
Well, I don’t know what other people were doing, but they could not possibly have had as much fun as I did taking in this spectacular performance. There were two chief reasons for the excitement – soprano Natalie Dessay and tenor Juan Diego Florez. The former was just perfect as the lively tom boy Marie who is a sort of adopted mascot of a regiment of French soldiers who rescued her when she was a baby (presumed to be an orphan.) Dessay engaged in all kinds of energetic stage antics and hardly sat still for a moment- and still managed to set off one volley of vocal fireworks after another. She was stupendous and hilarious. But the show stealer was Mr. Florez, who is perhaps the hottest opera singer in the world right now. This opera is how Pavarotti became a superstar back in 1972 when this opera was mounted for him and Joan Sutherland. The first act has an amazing aria with nine high C’s in it . . .and opening night of this production at the Met (this past Tuesday) Florez sang the aria so spectacularly that the audience would not stop applauding and cheering until he finally sang it again. . . so he delivered 18 high C’s in all ! (Such a thing is all but unheard of at the modern day Metropolitan Opera.) We were hoping such a thing would happen again today – and indeed he sang the aria brilliantly and the place went berserk. But there was no encore and we had to “settle” for “only” nine high C’s. Nine perfect high C’s. It was amazing, like being in the presence of Tiger Woods hitting a hole in one . . . someone so skilled it is as though they have been kissed by God. That is Juan Diego Florez, the Tiger Woods of operatic tenors.
I may have been sad that it didn’t work out for me to be able to share this experience with more people. (I handed out a few passes to former students – plus to a couple of people from church- but most of my passes went unclaimed.) but one unavoidable aspect of being an Opera Fan is of being out of step with most of the rest of the world who would probably prefer to undergo a root canal than attend an opera. . . even a relatively short and hilariously funny one like Daughter of the Regiment. I think I must be maturing because I’m starting to not only accept that fact – but to embrace and even celebrate that fact. Because part of the fun of loving opera is that feeling of pleasure bordering on smug satisfaction that you appreciate something which most people either cannot or do not – as though you are part of a rather exclusive club comprised of exceptionally enlightened people. I’m not sure at what point that crosses a line and becomes obnoxious elitism- but it’s one way for an opera fan to console themselves when it feels like the rest of the world’s idea of great singing is Conway Twang and his Hillbilly Homebodies . . . or the latest screamer on American Idol.
Anyway, for those of us at Tinseltown Cinema in Kenosha – or the Renaissance Cinema in Racine – there was no other place on earth we would rather be. And for those two hours and fifty minutes, there was no War in Iraq or Hillary/Obama Squabbles or Housing Meltdown or Global Warming. We were too busy sailing the High C’s with Juan Diego Florez.
pictured: Juan Diego Florez accepting the thunderous applause which greeted his performance of the showstopper “Ah mes amis.” The nine high C’s were sheer perfection, as was the rest of the aria- and the applause went on so long that Florez finally had to break character and accept the applause. . . something which happens fairly regularly in major Italian opera houses but almost never at the Met. But no encore. 🙁
I should mention how strange and sad it was to be at this simulcast without best friend Marshall Anderson, who had an unbreakable obligation at the University of Whitewater. And I was really sad to discover only after the fact that I had mistakenly given a friend a free pass for Sunday’s encore rather than Saturday’s live simulcast- and she didn’t discover the error until it was too late to do anything about it. So she ended up missing out on a wonderful performance and will have to wait until its telecast on PBS to enjoy this for herself. It was nice to share today with Trevor Parker- who by next season will be married and living down in Illinois and will presumably not be coming up here for the simulcasts but will instead see them down in his new neck of the woods. So this was quite likely our last simulcast to enjoy together, which makes me sadder than I can say – but if so, what a splendid way to finish out what has been an exciting ride.