The Unreliable Aristocrat

Jonas Kaufmann ditches Tosca at the Met.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

He's moving on: Jonas Kaufmann, shown here in the Met staging of Parsifal
in 2012, will not be appearing in Tosca later this year.

It's all just a little bit of history repeating: Jonas Kaufmann will not be singing at the Met this year. The news dropped today from Michael Cooper at the New York Times.

"And We Go Into Extra Innings!"

Early morning agreement may save the Met season.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Deliberations continue as the Metropolitan Opera tries to avoid a lockout.
Image from the film 12 Angry Men © 1957 MGM/United Artists.

It looks like there may not be a lockout at the Metropolitan Opera.

In a story announced on Twitter at 6:58am by New York Times reporter Michael Cooper, the Metropolitan Opera and the two unions representing the orchestra, singers, dancers and chorus have reached a tentative agreement.

Injured Mezzo Sues Metropolitan Opera

Singer sues following 2011 Faust fall.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Wendy White (right) as Marthe in the Met's production of Faust,
with bass René Pape as Mephistopheles.
Photo by Ken Howard © 2011 The Metropolitan Opera.

According to a story published today on the official website of The New York Times, opera singer Wendy White has filed suit against the Metropolitan Opera following an injury suffered onstage in 2011. A copy of the complaint appears here, hosted by her good friends at parterre box. (The pertinent parts of the document are on pages 8 and 9).

"What a Dump!"

City Opera to junk its past productions.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Classic New York City Opera productions may soon be seen on Staten Island.
Photo of the Fresh Kills Landfill from brainz.org.

In April of this year, at the New York City Opera's annual press conference to announce its 2013 spring season, opera journalist Bruce-Michael Gelbert asked company general manager George Steel about the fate of the company's most beloved productions from its past.

Specifically, Mr. Gelbert was asking about The Cunning Little Vixen last seen at the City Opera's old home, the New York State Theater, in the 1990s.

I can't remember the exact wording used (it was six months ago) but Mr. Steel said something to the effect that it was unlikely that the Vixen would be revived.

Today, a story by Dan Wakin in The New York Times revealed that the City Opera planned to junk not just its old productions, but more recent ones as well.

Allan Kozinn: The Internet Strikes Back

Petition circulates to reinstate New York Times critic.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Yes, it's me manipulating images again. Snip snip snippity snip.
(Pictures sourced from Allan Kozinn's Facebook page and Wikimedia Commons.)

Just one day after Norman Lebrecht's blog Slipped Disc called attention to The New York Times' "reassignment" of classical music critic Allan Kozinn to the post of "cultural reporter," voices on the Internet have come out in support of his reinstatement.

The story was covered yesterday on Superconductor.

Allan Kozinn Demoted at The New York Times

Veteran Times critic to become "cultural reporter."
by Paul J. Pelkonen

New York Times writer Allan Kozinn. Photo from his Facebook page.

In a fast-breaking story on Norman Lebrecht's blog Slipped Disc, it appears that respected New York Times music critic Allan Kozinn has been "demoted" to the post of "cultural reporter."

Full details are available on Mr. Lebrecht's site.

Ink-a Dinka Doo

Controversy continues over Evgeny Nikitin's tattoo.

by Paul J. Pelkonen

Evgeny Nikitin: the completed, controversial tattoo is to the left of his chin.

The new Bayreuth production of Der Fliegende Holländer is open but the story of Russian bass Evegny Nikitin and his unfortunate choice of tattoo art refuses to die.

The Wagner festival made July headlines in Germany when bass Evgeny Nikitin made a hasty exit after it was revealed that the singer's chest tattoo, an elaborate black heraldic crest, was an attempt to cover up a large swastika.

Mr. Nikitin issued a press statement and was replaced by Korean bass Samuel Youn in the title role of The Flying Dutchman. However, since the Russian singer engaged to sing Klingsor in the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Wagner's final opera Parsifal, the tattoo story refuses to die.

A Blogger Walks the Plank

Met management fights to defend the Ring...from reporters.

by Paul Pelkonen

Women and bloggers first. Lego® sculpture by Sir Dillon.

Like the whirring, clanking planks that make up the set of its new multi-million dollar production of Wagner's Ring, Metropolitan Opera's general manager Peter Gelb has been spinning in recent weeks. His object: to draw audiences to the company's new production of the Ring Cycle in  following a scathing critique from Alex Ross in the pages of the New Yorker. The latest victim of the hype is WQXR blogger Olivia Giovetti.

Ms. Giovetti is one of the writers of OperaVore, the classical music station's blog covering the ups and downs of our fair city's opera companies. (It's kind of like this blog, without the humor and snappy color scheme.)

The Met general manager objected to Ms. Giovetti's recent post, Three Things We Learned From Peter Gelb Today. That post was then withdrawn from the WQXR website.

The Future Is Now

Met General Manager Peter Gelb unveils (some) plans through 2017.

Plenty of good seats available: general manager Peter Gelb poses on the balcony level
of the Metropolitan Opera House. Image © 2011 The Metropolitan Opera.

In an article published today in the New York Times, Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb spoke with Times critic Anthony Tommasini, outlining some of his future plans for the opera house's repertory.

The company plans to continue the initiatives established by Mr. Gelb's early tenure: a commitment to bringing in directors and artists from outside the operatic world, and the plan to bring in six or seven new productions each season.

Mr. Gelb, who acted last year to shut down the fan-run Metropolitan Opera Futures Page (which revealed carefully gleaned possible details of future opera seasons) teased the Times readers with some interesting productions planned for the next five years.


Here's a breakdown:

Eugene Onegin: Tchaikovsky's opera will open the 2013 season with Mariusz Kwiecien in the title role and Anna Netrebko as Tatiana. This is a new production by Deborah Warner. Valery Gergiev conducts in a return to the Met podium.

Prince Igor: Borodin's unfinished opera has not been seen since the Kirov (now Mariinsky) opera were in resindence at the Met in the 1990s. This new production will be mounted by Russian director Dmitri Tcherniakov.

The Merry Widow: It's springtime for Hitler's favorite operetta. Renée Fleming takes on the role of Hanna Glawari in this confection by Austrian composer Fritz Léhar. The staging will be mounted by Broadway director/choreographer Susan Strohman, whose credits include the musical version of Mel Brooks' The Producers.

Lulu: Artist William Kentridge, whose first Met production was Shostakovich's The Nose in 2009 returns to direct Alban Berg's story of a femme fatale who destroys every man she runs across--except for her killer, Jack the Ripper.

St. Francois d'Assise: Olivier Messiaen's lone opera is one of the most challenging, towering works in the repertory. This new production, planned for the 2017 season, will be mounted by Mr. Lepage. Bass Eric Owens, whose Alberich has been one of the breakout performances of the company's ne >Ring cycle, will sing the title role.

Mr. Gelb also defended the company's new Ring Cycle, directed by Robert Lepage from its detractors, which include this blog and Alex Ross in The New Yorker. In a recent column, Mr. Ross referred to this production as follows: "Pound for pound, ton for ton, it is the most witless and wasteful production in modern operatic history."

Mr. Gelb acknowledged that the show had its detractors. As he told the Times: "I reserve final assessment until I see how it all works out technically, when presented complete in the space of a week."

Responding to a 2011 column by Mr. Tommassini calling for the Met general manager to consider hiring a Director of Productions, Mr. Gelb asserted "I'm the director of productions. I hope you accept that."

Perhaps Mr. Gelb would consider the words of St. Francis, who said: "Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self."