An *upper* not a Debbie DOWNER from me for a change: Lenny humiliating 1/3 Tenor

[UTUSN]

Last edited Mon Jul 5, 2021, 12:10 PM - Edit history (3)

As usual, I had a personal encounter. After YEARS of avoiding live concert music (of any kind, but MY Classical), I allowed myself to join my more elderly sister and cousin to see a random fellow Jose CARRERAS. -- He, now we know, of the "Three Tenors" the 3rd bottom on the totem pole behind wonderfully-VOICED Pavarotti, and now known Me-Too abuser Placido Domingo, and straggler CARRERAS.

O.K., look, I was in the band, love music, my mother played piano from Catholic girls school, yadda yadda. And in my late life, too late, have realized that my "calling" (which I never heard the calling) was music. But who cares.

My deal was that in my band days I "won" 7 gold medals in competition, but found it RIDICULOUS to perform in public. This means, detested marching in football half-times, parades, ensembles for Ladies Clubs, AND formal "classical" type concerts. I'd go in there, sometimes get the giggles, DETESTED performing LIKE A MONKEY. Hated parades/concerts.

So, after FIFTY years, when the sister bullied me into joining them to see Senor Jose CARRERAS, one of the Three Tenors, in concert, I went to (mold?) - no, that's not the word; "BIND"? no, that's not it. "Connect" something like that. With the sister/cousin.

So for starters, "concert" to me meant Classical music, not Rock thing-a-ma-jig. And I hadn't been to one in fifty years.

I expected high class and performance from a world wide known specimen.

Instead, I got Jose CARRERAS. The audience buzzed with anticipation. There was a large contingent of local University music students as a claque cheering section.

So in comes this CARRERAS dude - him, the piano player on a bare stage. He never looked up to acklowledge the audience, ever. He did a few ditties, looking like he and the piano man were deciding at the last minute what ditty to dit. Plus, this CARRERAS dude had a flowing mucous thing going on, luckily with a big handkerchief to mop up with. At some point he signaled to the piano man to let's-get-out and they left the stage without explanation. Then later returned for more of the lack of acknowledgment and mucous.

********So it is with great pleasure that I present Maestro BERNSTEIN totally HUMILIATING this character:

[elleng]

1. Downer all through. Sorry Lenny seems to be bothered

that Carreras has an accent; I rather like it, and might have been good, vis a vis Puerto Rico/Spanish.

And Carreras was a kid, at the time.

[UTUSN]

2. Well, dearheart, I love you to pieces but CARRERAS was no spring chicken in this.

The accent has nothing to do with it, plus if it DID he's a Spaniard not a Puerto Rican barrio actor.

But to give you props - in having listened to this video several times, I have NO idea what Lenny was complaining about - AND I will allow that perhaps Lenny was exercising some kind of his own DIVAness - *BUT* I still feel vindicated from the PISS POOR performance CARRERAS gave ME!

[Sibelius Fan]

3. Carreras was a last-minute replacement to sing Tony in this recording.

He had never sung the rôle and had sung very little in English. He spent two weeks shacked up with The Met’s diction coach Nico Castle trying to get the language into his head and voice.

What the video actually shows is what an asshole Bernstein could be when he wanted. He gets upset when Carreras stops singing before the climactic high note arrives, but that’s common practice in opera recordings where high notes are recorded separately to show off the singer to best advantage in their solos. Bernstein gets pissed when Carreras has trouble matching the words to the tricky syncopations of “Something’s Coming,” but he should have expected that considering Carreras being new to the rôle and learning it on a “due yesterday” schedule.

I have a friend who played in the orchestra on this recording. What you don’t see on the video are Bernstein’s many fuck ups, like his inability to competently conduct the vamp in “Officer Krupke” (though the producer gives us a hint as he calls for Bernstein to start “take 14” of that particular number). You don’t see Bernstein’s fuck ups because he had say over the final edit of the film. Carreras didn’t. The fact that Bernstein elected to embarrass Carerras - who by any measure was doing the whole project a favor by coming in at the last minute to save it - just shows what a vindictive SOB Bernstein could be at times.

[UTUSN]

4. I granted that Lenny might have been doing some kind of animus thing, to wit:

(Quoting myself, of all things!1 ) I have NO idea what Lenny was complaining about - AND I will allow that perhaps Lenny was exercising some kind of his own DIVAness - *BUT* I still feel vindicated from the PISS POOR performance CARRERAS gave ME!

And I know just enough about music and the personality dynamics to recognize that I'm not in your league - and I say this with totally sincere, humble deference without any shred of sarcasm.

That said - all the background, CARRERAS/favor/never sung role/opera/Lenny a-hole, etc., etc. - SO:

What explains and dismisses the performance and behavior I saw?



*** Addendum: Authentic divas, of whom Lenny is one, are allowed *anything*. Well, "allowed" ain't the word - more like, *ARE* by definition of their nature anything they want. Well, "want" ain't the word, either. More like: Whatever pops out of them.

*** Addendum #2: I absolutely *LOVE* Sibellius' Symphony #5 and the word "magnificent" applies.

[Sibelius Fan]

5. From your description, it sounds like Carerras was ill (a cold?) for the concert you heard.

Were it Domingo, he would have canceled.

It also depends at what point in Carerras’ career you heard him: pre-leukemia or post-leukemia. I would guess post, as his diagnosis came in 1987 (the 1990 3 Tenors concert was held in part to fund Carerras’ cancer foundation). While I can appreciate the hard work and guts it took for Carerras to resume singing after his battle with leukemia, it would be generous to say his singing fully recovered to what it had been pre-illness. Frankly, many of his later appearances were difficult to watch. They were what they were.

[UTUSN]

6. All I knew of him was the Tenors falderal, nothing about cancer. I saw him about 5 yrs ago.

You show exceeding compassion for him. I went to enhance the rare family occasion with the expectation of a special memory maker. Instead it was almost boorish.

Whatever his condition that time, he might have made the slightest gesture reaching out, especially to the claque of admirers whose spirits turned to lead. Somebody putting themselves out there as a product is liable for quality control, no quarter.

The few clips of videos of the 3 Tenors I ever saw, Pavarotti wrapped the 2 in his crystal voice, practically mocking them.

It's moot: Never again, prolly *nobody* again.

[Sibelius Fan]

7. Like many opera singers, Carerras developed a cult following.

Whether or not he sings well by cult standards is hardly the point. They are there to see their hero as much - or more - than to hear him. There is something heroic in the Carerras story, if not poetic.

Agree with you that Pavarotti sang circles around those other two guys.

BTW - if you heard Carerras five years ago, you heard him at age 70, an age well WELL beyond the normal “sell by” date of an operatic tenor. I can only imagine what that experience was like.

[UTUSN]

8. "heroic/poetic" - I take my music black coffee, no Program.

Like, IF I were an aficionado of Olympics (am not) wouldn't want to hear any of the heroics/poetics of the participants.

So, the music for music's sake. When I admired "Chandelier" here somebody posted that it was special because it was about the artist's chemical abuse and near suicide. Nope, just the wonderful melody for me.

Have posted my melody-supreme/lyrics-pfft dictum before. Same for performers, music only not their lives.

*** "age 70" - no new allowances for him will budge me.