Having been cast as the protagonist in Sarasota Opera’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (for which I was grossly unprepared) I can also attest to Crutchfield’s self critique regarding the level of conducting , circa 1990. Thanks to the experienced ear of Di Renzi, Crutchfield was given a cast with which he was allowed to try out his experiment of “original performance practices “. To this end he made it clear that our "barbiere" or rather Rossini’s , would not allow for the interpolated held high notes at the end of arias, but would instead encourage seemingly improvised cadenzas at precise points during the opera. Some of us were better at this than others.( I seemed to be able to managed a trill to his satisfaction). To support this musical approach he then cited with examples from his collection of recordings dating back to the turn of the century. All in all a good idea for the presentation of a doctoral thesis, but hardly appropriate for the audiences of retirees in Sarasota, Florida who were steeped in recordings of Leonard Warren and Beverly Sills. Show less
Having been cast as the protagonist in Sarasota Opera’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (for which I was grossly unprepared) I can also attest to Crutchfield’s self critique regarding the level of conducting , circa 1990. Thanks to the experienced ear of Di Renzi, Crutchfield was given a cast with which he was allowed to try out his experiment of “original performance practices “. To this end he made it clear that our "barbiere" or rather Rossini’s , would not allow for the interpolated held high notes at the end of arias, but would instead encourage seemingly improvised cadenzas at precise points during the opera. Some of us were better at this than others.( I seemed to be able to managed a trill to his satisfaction). To support this musical approach he then cited with examples from his collection of recordings dating back to the turn of the century.
All in all a good idea for the presentation of a doctoral thesis, but hardly appropriate for the audiences of retirees in Sarasota, Florida who were steeped in recordings of Leonard Warren and Beverly Sills.
Show less