Shameless Naples wants Madonna to sing at the opera

Shameless Naples wants Madonna to sing at the opera

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norman lebrecht

June 19, 2019

Having heard Madonna say ‘La Scala does not want me’, sovrintendente Rosanna Purchia issued this appeal:

‘I would be happy if Madonna wanted to sing at the San Carlo with our orchestra. I officially invite her to Naples.’

Purchia added: ‘ I am a Madonna fan, she fascinates me as an artist and a woman. I care about San Carlo first as a historical asset, a common heritage, of immense and unique value. I have a responsibility.’

Read on here.

 

Comments

  • anon says:

    Purchia has a point. At least a few bridges might be built.

  • YS says:

    I am not surprised that she wants to force opera houses to except her… What a shame that Naples does not reject her

  • MusicBear88 says:

    There have been many popular singers with magnificent voices. Not “classical” voices, but that’s a stylistic choice to make. Madonna is not one of them. I admire her greatly for being one of the hardest-working people in the business and for making the absolute most of what she has. She’s a great entertainer.

    Now Whitney Houston with a full opera orchestra, or Aretha Franklin…

    • Barry Guerrero says:

      It might be interesting, though, to hear what kind of material she’s wanting to do with an orchestra. I usually shy away from all electronics, but I really liked the stuff William Orbit did for her on her “Ray of Light” album. It could be interesting to hear something that combines a full size orchestra with William Orbit-esque type electronics. Depending, I might want to hear that.

    • SS79 says:

      What is an opera orchestra exactly?

  • AngloGerman says:

    Completely unacceptable, she should be fired immediately.

    • Ned Keene says:

      Straight to the gas chambers, your usual methodology

      • Ms.Melody says:

        Rude, inappropriate and offensive comment.

      • Tiredofitall says:

        Rather a needlessly harsh and culturally insensitive analogy, no?

        • Ned Keene says:

          “Culturally insensitive”?? Is that what you and your dungaree-clad SJW friends were chanting, when Viktor Ullmann was ‘fired immediately’ as Opera Theatre director – and carted of to KZL Theresienstadt??

          But you can only see things from your own swivel-eyed viewpoint.

  • Tiredofitall says:

    The proverbial bridge to nowhere. Reminds me of when Lincoln Center Theatre used Madonna 30 years ago in a Mamet play on Broadway. She made a mediocre play a disaster. Same with the movie of Evita.

    • V. Lind says:

      Evita was actually a very good movie, and she was good in it. (Of course, I saw it a few days after I saw The English Patient — anything would have looked good after that).

  • Tony says:

    I can’t bear such vulgarity anymore. Western culture is being destroyed from within by despicable people.

    • V. Lind says:

      Do you hear yourself? Is Madonna a despicable person? I don’t know her, so can’t comment and do not choose to so deprecate someone I don’t know. You may dislike her work — that’s fair enough — but people do different things and she has made a success of what she has chosen to do, and apparently worked hard at it.

      Or perhaps it is the people at the theatre who are despicable, for opening their stage — a wooden floor in front of a voluntary audience — to someone you don’t care for. That her appearance might earn needed funds for the venue to continue doing things you would prefer is apparently irrelevant, let alone her giving pleasure to people whose tastes differ from yours.

      What sort of autocratic, intolerant world is classical music?

      • Saxon Broken says:

        Actually, I think it is more complicated than you suggest. In Europe (and in Naples), opera houses and concert halls rely on public subsidy; their claim to this subsidy is on the basis of providing “high culture”. If the stage is used to allow Madonna to sing to her audience then will there still be justification to provide public subsidy to the opera house? Should we really be subsidizing popular entertainers?

  • Smiling Larry says:

    Vesuvius, please do your duty.

  • Byrwec Ellison says:

    Anything by Kurt Weill — “Seven Deadly Sins,” “…Mahagonny,” “TPO,” “Happy End”

  • tian says:

    Madonna will shine on that stage!

  • LEWES BIRD says:

    Surely she could do Turnage’s Anna Nicole?

  • DYB says:

    Unfortunately the original post provides no information and it seems not a single commenter knows the story.

    No, Madonna does not want to sing Mimi. In September she is launching a world tour of her own music and all performances are taking place in small venues. In NYC, for example, she is performing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music – which has also staged operas – and not Madison Square Garden. That is why La Scala came up. She no doubt explored the possibility of renting out the theater for her show. They didn’t want the money, that’s their prerogative.

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