| To: "VOCALIST" <vocalist> Subject: Re: WAS: Solvejg's Song Pronounciation, NOW: Carreras West Side Story Date sent: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 20:24:26 -0500 Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Peggy:
I agree! But I still enjoyed listening to him sing, I admit, once I got past the incongruity. (And I know Lloyd disagrees with me, but I felt the same way about Te Kanawa's far from Little Rock version of "Nellie Forbush" in South Pacific). I believe Carreras too was uncomfortable, either with the role, or with working with Bernstein. Only my opinion, based on having viewed the "Making of..." this particular version on PBS.
Bernstein was miserable to Carreras when he had difficulty mastering Bernstein rhythms. Perhaps no less miserable than Bernstein might have been to all singers, but really, with cameras rolling, he was terribly rude to Carreras, who gamely, and much the gentleman, blushed, grimaced and continued with grace. Maybe that is why he looked so unhappy through the whole "documentary".
My children have a few of the Bernstein Young People's Concerts on videotape and the maestro did a fair bit of singing to illustrate particular points. For someone whose vocal musicianship in performance had as much room for improvement as his, (really, you want to mute at those times) he was pretty nasty to fine artists who stumbled over complex rhythms in read-throughs!
Best to all,
Laura Sharp
----- Original Message ----- From: "Margaret Harrison" Well, this American was very annoyed at the heavy Spanish accent of Jose Carreras (an otherwise estimable artist), when he was cast as the American Tony in the Bernstein recording of West Side Story. I only thought, how could the possibly not find a good American singer for this very American role (in contrast to the Hispanic Maria - the one who SHOULD have the accent)?
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