Tosca’s Moment of Indecision
A soprano was enjoying the warm winter temperatures of a South American city where she had been engaged to sing Tosca. During a performance, just as she was about to grab the knife and stab Scarpia, she noticed a large roach on the handle. Not wanting to touch it, she tried to dislodge the insect by pulling at the tablecloth. It worked, so she still managed to do her dastardly deed in time to the music.
Later, a fan asked her why she was tugging at the cloth. Her succinct answer: It showed Tosca’s moment of indecision. She never mentioned the bug!
Break a Leg? No, a Vase!
Is it possible to break glass by singing? They say Caruso sometimes did it, but it certainly doesn’t happen very often.
Heldentenor Paul Pitts had sung some 5,000 concerts without shattering any crockery—until one evening in Fort Mill, S.C. About half way through his recital, after he had sung quite a few pieces that contained high B flats, the glass vase holding a large bouquet of flowers began to crumble and the entire arrangement fell to the floor.
Maybe it doesn’t occur very often, but it does happen!
Rest in Peace, Sylvia Olden Lee!
This well-loved vocal coach—who worked with many great artists, including Marian Anderson and Jessye Norman—passed away in April at her home in Germantown, Penn. She was 86 years old. Born in Meridian, Miss. of parents who were singers, Lee began studying piano at a very early age and performed at Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first inauguration when she was a mere 16 years old.
Lee studied at Howard University and at Oberlin College, where a scholarship has been named in her honor. During her coaching career she worked with singers in Europe, at the NYC Opera and at the Met, where she was that company’s first African-American employee. From 1970-1990 she coached students at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
www.philly.com
Was It an Offer the NJ Symphony Should have Refused?
Last year, philanthropist Herbert Axelrod sold a number of stringed instruments to the New Jersey Symphony for $17 million. He said the actual value was nearer to $50 million, but that figure has since been disputed by several experts. Recently, Axelrod was charged with conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service. He is not currently available for comment and, at last sighting, his yacht was berthed at a first class marina in Cuba, a country with which the United States has no extradition treaty.
As to the actual worth of the instruments, no qualified expert has stated that they are not worth the $17 million that the orchestra paid for them, but they may not have been acquired at a bargain price.
www.nj.com/news/ledger
Don’t Drive like a Valkyrie, Even If You Sing One!
In April, Great Britain’s Royal Automobile Club named Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” as the most dangerous piece of music to listen to while driving a car. Second place went to the “Dies Irae” of the Verdi Requiem. Both pieces are said to excite and distract the listener, possibly leading to serious driving errors.
Citing research showing that fast-paced music can increase the heart rate and lead to nervous agitation, the auto club suggests “more calming” instrumental selections, such as “The Blue Danube,” which are less apt to involve the driver’s intellect.
http://venus.soci.niu.edu/~archives/SSITALK
California Arts Council Director Resigns
Barry Hessenius, director of the California Arts Council for the past four years, has resigned as of May 15. During the first year in which he held office, funding for the arts in his state reached a high of $30 million, but over the next three years it dropped to its current low of $l million.
Hessenius, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, expects the current Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace him with a member of his own party. Chief of grants Juan Carillo is the interim director.
www.sacbee.com
Philly’s Arts Organizations Fight Funding Cuts
When Philadelphia Mayor John Street proposed cutting the city’s arts funding by $222 million, his City Council told him that any such Draconian measures would do more harm than good to the city’s economy. Slashing the arts budget would reduce tax receipts, decrease the number of tourist visits and eliminate a considerable number of jobs.
According to a study done in 1998 by the Pennsylvania Economy League, the 12 percent of the city’s money that is spent on the arts supports 11,000 steady positions and generates more than $500 million in regional spending, which returns some $6.5 million in city taxes.
City Council members expect to restore as much as 90 percent of the arts funding by cutting other areas of the budget.
www.philly.com
London Boasts a New Unsubsidized Opera Company
Presenter Raymond Gubbay and theater manager Stephen Waley-Cohen have inaugurated a new opera company at the Savoy Theater in the West End. With tickets selling for approximately one-third the price of seats at Covent Garden, and featuring performances in English, they expect to draw a younger audience that will be as interested in the visual as in the aural aspects of opera. The theater is rather small, so all the seats offer good visibility. Each opera is double-cast so that it can be performed nightly, and artists are paid weekly salaries ranging from 450 to 1,000 pounds sterling.
The company’s first offering, The Barber of Seville, was well sung and staged in an interesting, updated manner, but on opening night there were a few glitches in the orchestral accompaniment.
www.guardian.co.uk
