From: Margaret Harrison
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Subject: Re: Musical Theatre Fachs?
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

RALUCOB-at-aol.com wrote:

> i think of christa ludwig singing in 'candide'. you'd have to be a
> serious opera fan to like it. anyone who loves broadway and is even remotely
> off put by opera would accuse this otherwise, great singer of sounding like
> mrs. doubtfire.

For the record, the Old Lady in the original Broadway production of Candide in the 1950's
was Irra Pettina, an opera singer. And Christa Ludwig peformed on the Bernstein-conducted
CD of the same work (the last project he did before his death, I believe--I also
understand that virtually all the singers on that CD were suffering from the flu at the
time the recording was made). If her singing of the part was acceptable to the composer,
perhaps that's the way he meant it to sound. Bernstein was after an operetta-like feeling
with the piece, as you can also hear with the singers on the Original Broadway Cast
album. For example, Robert Rounseville, the original Candide, also sang the tenor role of
Tom Rakewell in the first production of Stravinsky's opera "The Rake's Progress."

However, I believe that Candide is a Broadway musical exception that proves the rule, and
that in most musical theater roles, as has been noted, opera style is not appropriate.

Peggy

--
Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
"Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile"
mailto:peggyh-at-ix.netcom.com