The Met books Netrebko’s house tenor as 1st reserve
mainThe Met has a problem with its run of Toscas next spring.
Marcelo Alvarez has dropped out of six shows as Cavaradossi.
Anna Netrebko sings the title role.
So they have called in her husband, Yufi Eyvazov, to sing four of the vacant spots.
The other two are still going begging. Tenors with time on their hands should contact P. Gelb.
Any ideas why Álvarez out?
I hate the nepotisme in classical music, these cozy little deals, package deals, that pair husbands and wives (usually conductor and soprano), fathers and children, mistresses and lovers.
To be sure, they are not without talent, but would they have been hired otherwise?
Actually, a couple often want to work together. Otherwise they might never see each other.
He called in sick for Aida and Turandot runs in Prague next three weeks. This explains the “sickness”
The Met did not specifically say that Alvarez had even cancelled,or was ill etc.
They simply stated that Eyvazov would be singing the first four Toscas and the last two were tba.
I heard Alvarez recently at the Met in Turandot and he was clearly in some sort of vocal distress, so I am not at all surprised he cancelled the Toscas.
I like Eyvazov’s voice. It has a very unique sound with excellent, blazing top notes.
He is much better than many of the other tenors on the Met’s roster, imho.
I am quite sure he would be engaged by various opera companies regardless of his marriage to Anna Netrebko.
Stefano La Colla. I heard him as Calaf in his La Scala debut (as a sub) a few years back, where he was superb and resoundingly cheered. He’s just been singing Calaf in Chicago and Cavaradossi in Rome. You can hear him on the Berlin Phil website in Tosca with Opolais conducted by Scouser Simon. Really a true spinto tenor with a ringing top, good projection, better than average acting. I tried to tell Gelb about him a few months back when I saw Gelb on 57th Street but he insisted he “wasn’t Peter Gelb” – twice – (even though he was) presumably because he thought I might acost him about the Levine situation (or any number of other negatives). Now that’s paranoia…………possible SD “topic” – “When is Peter Gelb not Peter Gelb?” – when you actually meet him………
In any event, I heard Alvarez in Pagliacci a season ago (maybe two seasons) and he was very very good, but the other night as Calaf he was very very poor (ask for your money back poor). Surely way too “big” a role for him. With guys around like Stefano it boggles my mind how bad team selection can be at the Met sometimes and then they wonder why the house isn’t always full…………..
And I might add, Stefano La Colla would make a darn good Pinkerton – another area of poor team selection at the Met recently, some have been downright embarassing.
Because even if it was Peter Gelb on 57th Street, Peter Gelb is supposed to stop and listen to everyone who comes up to him on the street with their opinion on the latest singers they heard as Peter Gelb’s on his way to the dentist?
I shared a transtlantic flight with Néguet-Séguin once, I spent the entire 8 hours giving him pointers on how to conduct the Met orchestra. I think he very much appreciated my insights, even though he pretended he was sleeping.
OK Mr Smarty-pants (“Anon”), Mr Gelb was on his way to hear Muti and the CSO as was I.
I happen to believe that Mr. Gelb could use a few pointers. I suspect many on SD would agree with that. Plus I worked with him at SONY. I remembered him, he didn’t remember me. Understandable since I am, as you pointed out, an unimportant music lover wandering aimlessly the streets of the greatest city in the world with the greatest opera company that isn’t……………….if I met you, I’d pretend to be asleep too………..
OK, I’m ribbing you, you’re a good sport. ; )
Yes Anon, I’m enjoying the good sports too. For an instance I was almost Juventus vs Real Madrid yesterday, but in this conversation. lol
So right about stefano la colla..I was understudying a turandot where he was calaf..he’s the real deal!
I heard the MET Turandots and poor Marcelo was struggling.
My personal opinion is that, like a lot of singers who lose a lot of weight, he lost a lot of voice at the same time.
I know, in my modest way, from personal experience, having been a singer and having lost a lot of weight (90 lbs in my case) that the effects on the voice are disastrous. True, you can be thin and have a wonderful voice and you can be heavy and have a wonderful voice. You can gain a lot of weight and not lose your voice. BUT it is very dangerous, vocally, to lose a lot of weight. Think of Callas and Debora Voight. To my mind, this is what plagues our Marcelo.