Top soprano sells cosmetics
OperaIt’s a short career, they say, so make the most of it.
The powerful Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian has become the face of Austrian cosmetics.
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From my latest essay in The Critic: Days…
Dumb. Like her fellow Netrebko, Grigorian has not bothered to learn German despite some of the repertoire she acts in.
I’ve seen no complaints about her German from German reviews of her performances. If she doesn’t know German, she’s faking it well enough.
A.L. Uuuuuh, not really so. Asmik is a consummate artist, a terrific singing-actress, who adapts herself to the craziest demands of so many of today’s Regi-wackos.
So, she doesn’t speak German. Well, did you think Robert Merrill and Sherrill Milnes, or Richard Tucker knew a word of Italian, aside from maybe “Ciao bella”? And yet, they excelled in the Italian repertoire.
Now Asmik has some extracurricular activities. So what? Maestro Luisi is in parfumes, Thielemann is into renovating old Prussian castles, and good old Rolando Panerai was a farmer until the day he died. Get over it.
anyhow so overrated especially in Austria and Salzburg in particular where they cast her in the wrong repertoire – regardless what it is as soon as they get a Netrebko show which now turned into Grigorian – hideous
miscast as Lady Macbeth and in Il Trittico – who cares the audience there doesn’t know the repertoire
Aren’t we lucky that we have you to tell us where we all go wrong.
100% disagree. I saw the Trittico in Salzburg and she was unbelievably good, one of the best musical experiences on my 66 year old life. “The audience doesn’t know the repertoire” (meaning they’re not Italian? I was sitting surrounded by Italians at the Trittico). Oy Vey.
Why not?
Why not? Itzhak Perlman sold American Express cards. Renee Fleming sold Rolex watches.
and you got a deal with whom?
A little tacky, maybe, but she does have a lovely complexion.
Nothing new here. I have some Met Opera programmes and copies of Opera News from the 1940s/1950s and indelible images are ads featuring Risë Stevens huffing away on a Camel and copy promoting the cigarette’s satisfaction in the “T-Zone”, an area in the throat: “T for Throat, T for Taste”.
Previously, she was the gal in the Chesterfield ads: “You might say I’m careful, that’s why I say Chesterfields SATISFY me”! The copy suggests that you “Satisfy Yourself”.
If you look at old magazines — general readership mags, not ones targeted at opera audiences — from the 1930s and 40s you also see plenty of advertisements that had endorsements by opera singers. That’s because the general public back then had at least a vague notion of who they were.
My father told me of one — and I may be getting both singer and product wrong here — but it was perhaps tenor Giovanni Martinelli saying that “Lucky Strikes never bother my throat.”
When somebody asked him how that could possibly be so, Martinelli shrugged and said he never smoked them so they never bothered his throat. Truth in advertising!
do not be envious, just because, her success reaches beyond the regular Opera Public and she has full right to earn money from her rightly deserved success……Don’t try to corner her or other successful Artists……those who comment on languages here are those who speaks only one! the key is how people sing and act, this is not high school…..for grades…….any how – point is! great! you rock Asmik
Yuja promotes Rolexes. This isn’t really news. Sofia Vergara (yes, I follow her on Instagram!) – an actress (actor?) – promotes cosmetics – why is an opera singer different than an actor in this regard? They aren’t. And Fabio Luisi makes and sells his own perfume. And it’s not cheap and it’s absolutely excellent. Get over it.
. …and Nordica had that coca cola poster you can still find prints of!
So, what’s new? Beverly Sills and Renata Scotto posed with a murdered mink on their backs for the infamous “Blackglama – What Becomes a Legend Most” ad campaign some years ago.