Major opera Soprano fired due to weight!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 11:10am

This is AMAZING! SHOCKING!

..and the start of what will be a trend....it will not matter who you are, how much box office you bring in or how great your voice is..

if you are over a certain weight, you will be fired!


http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAEWM6HJRD.html

[EddieVarley]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 11:17am

Wait, aren't opera soprano's supposed to be on the "heavy" side? Is this wrong to say?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 11:22am

Not anymore....Yes, the old way of thinking was as long as you could sing thie music it did not matter what you weighed...

Now...

After things like Baz's "La Boheme"....

well...

This woman is set to be the Isolde of her generation (a role few women can sing)...this was stupid on CG's part but it won't be the last firing ... Updated On: 3/8/04 at 11:22 AM

[EddieVarley]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 11:26am

Well I likey my soprano's robust in da backing and my chorus boys free and easy! Mangia Bello!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 11:43am

Debbie will be so pleased to hear that! (LOL)

[nyctopone]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 11:48am

How sad and pathetic. I have seen Deborah Voigt and have always been moved by her singing. She is large but moves quite well and acts as well as sings her parts beautifully. I bet they would never pull this sort of thing with a male singer. For how many years did Pavarotti sleep walk through most of his performances at Convent Garden and they never did anything about it?

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 12:40pm

ABSOLUTELY!!! Pavarotti is gigantic and played Radames in Aida - someone who supposedly saved a nation? he can't even walk up stairs without getting winded...whats the world coming to?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 12:56pm

I think "the Pav" is going to be the last of his kind....

They are really coming down hard..I know one male singer...great tenor voice...

he should be given plumb parts at the MET..they should be promoting him....all they give him is "covering" assignments.....

...they will not promote him as he is 350+ pounds....

so the men are getting it too...

However, firing a proven star for weight is unheard of....

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 12:57pm

I would like to "weigh" in on this little piece of disturbing news. As one who has seen Deborah in the role (twice)I would like to say it is their loss. If a pretty dress is more important to them than one of the most glorious voices of our generation things at the Royal OPERA House are SERIOUSLY F@#^ED UP!!

It is not as if Ariadne is a role that requires alot of movement, anyway. My God, opera audiences have always forgiven the look of a singer in favor of a voice, it is part of suspending your disbelief, for crying out loud.

I would seriously consider a boycott of any opera company with such outlandish policies.

Maybe J-Lo would look better in the dress, but let's hear her version of "Ein Schones War".

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 12:59pm

will ben affleck be duetting with her?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 1:09pm

I agree that when you get an Isolde voice ..you accept whatever frame the voice comes in and leave it alone....

She will be the Isolde of her generation so her dress size is not important....

I though they were doing this "Calvin Klein" casting ONLY for stuff like Traviata, Boheme, Carmen but it seems to be creeping into everything.....

she's not even THAT heavy ....I mean compared to Jane Eaglen...come on...

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 1:18pm

True, Jane is a lot heavier. I saw her Isolde and she could barely move, but it didn't matter. However, when she tried to hide behind a barrel in La Giaconda, it was a tad silly, but a good director would have solved this problem.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 1:44pm

Jane, Jane, Jane...

One of the worst performances I have ever seen in a major opera house.....

Norma...

Could not walk...Could not sing....could not act...could not follow the conductor......took breaths in the middle of words......

AND 600 pounds.........

One of the few times I let out a boo in my life..

the other was equally awful Sharon Sweet in La Forza after her Pace....

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 2:07pm

That is insane. Her perfomance in the Met's ARIADNE last season was magnificent - it was one of the Met's hottest 'must-see' events.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 2:53pm

Thank God Joan Sutherland has had her career. Lord only knows what she would have been denied if she were still in her salad days today.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 3:04pm

JOAN SUTHERLAND!! Give me JOAN any day!

[EddieVarley]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 3:06pm

Rene Fleming is shapley and AMAZING! haha

[robbiej]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 5:08pm

Disgrazia!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 5:33pm

My childhood was Joan Sutherland laser-discs. That woman looked amazing in ANYTHING she wore.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 7:04pm

Giudici... ad Debbie!!????



If anyone can guess the opera from which the line above is stolen from (minus the "Debbie" part) ..

They get a kiss!

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 7:34pm

For years Pavarotti's weight has been a problem at the Met. The staging has to be altered in TOSCA because he's unable to climb the scaffold to paint Mary Magdalene's picture in the first act. Instead they plant him downstage right, where he paints a picture of his picture. It has never made sense to me.

[nyctopone]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 9:47pm

And the last time Caballe sang Tosca at the Met, she was so big instead of jumping, she swept off downstage left, and I didn't care.

As for Ms. Voigt, her Ariadne is incredible and will be Covent Gardens loss.

Updated On: 3/8/04 at 09:47 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/10/04 at 2:46am

What an outrage!!!!!!!! I, for one, am totally disgusted at the blatant manner in which the representitive for the Opera Company spoke of the incident. ::sigh:: Some things never cease to amaze me...

Love,
Joshie