The Opera Tattler

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Melody Moore in La Bohème

Melody-moore   * Notes *
The eighth performance of San Francisco Opera's La Bohème starred Melody Moore instead of Angela Gheorghiu as Mimì. Ms. Moore sounded lovely, her voice is warmer than Gheorghiu's, and louder, but also has the necessary delicacy. Her voice blended beautifully with Piotr Beczala's, especially during "Addio dolce svegliare alla mattina!" However, Moore seems somewhat uncomfortable in her own skin, her acting was less than convincing.

The balance between singers was improved, no one stuck out as being underpowered. OperaVision was actually pretty compelling, I did like being able to see details that would have been otherwise lost from so far away.

* Tattling * 
The young couple in L 5 and 7 of the balcony were particularly ill-behaved. Not only did they cough, sneeze, and talk, they also shared some messages on a Blackberry, which they need to discuss 5 minutes before the end of Act III. Thank goodness we were in standing room and could just move to the north side of the building, where it was quieter.

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9 responses to “Melody Moore in La Bohème”

  1. patty Avatar
    patty

    We were there too! Just below you, I suppose. We heard one cell phone, and a lot of watch beeps on various 1/2 hours. The woman next to me felt the need to respond to certain things (like the couple falling in love so quickly) with a “hmm” or other vocal sound. She drove me nuts, but I think it may have been her first time at Bohème so I guess I’ll cut her some slack.
    For some reason I just wasn’t as moved as I expected to be at the end. And I agree that Moore sounded wonderful but seemed a little uncomfortable.
    I wondered, too, about when her hand drops. I’ve never seen a production where that doesn’t happen on what I think of as the “death chord”. She dropped it early. Hmmm.

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  2. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    People have been very ill-behaved at this opera.
    I completely missed the end part, at least visually, how weird.

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  3. Dodaro Avatar
    Dodaro

    The OT and I must have really been standing close to you – I heard and remarked on the same vocal responses. They would have been funny if I hadn’t been trying to pay attention to the opera.

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  4. melody Avatar
    melody

    Hi Patty,
    It was a choice to not drop the hand, but to reach for the cuffietta that is so precious to Mimi.

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  5. melody Avatar
    melody

    Tattler,
    You are perceptive and I am sorry if the performance left you unfulfilled. I was suffering with intense and radiating back pain the entire night. I felt I did my absolute best under the situation. However, my goal is always to “speak” and I regret that I didn’t quite reach you.

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  6. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Dear Melody,
    It makes sense that you looked uncomfortable if you were in pain. Your singing was amazing, and I was very moved by your performance.

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  7. melody moore Avatar
    melody moore

    Thanks for that! I may get another chance to tap into your aorta in the future. Let’s hope.

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  8. Michael Wadsworth Avatar
    Michael Wadsworth

    This is Michael. I’m cheating, because this is not a reply, but a comment from 5,000 miles away. I had never heard of Melody Moore until I saw her sing Mimi for English National Opera in London on 30th January. She is singing in the new English-language production by Jonathan Miller, created in conjunction with Cincinnati Opera, and I saw the dress rehearsal. She stole the show and brought the house down. I’m amazed by some of the comments above, because she acted the rest of the cast off the stage. Her opening aria (my name is Mimi – mi chiamo Mimi) had me in tears.

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  9. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Melody is much beloved here in San Francisco, and when I heard she was singing one of the performances of La Bohème, I put it on my calendar right away. She definitely sang well, better than Gheorghiu, in my opinion.
    I’m glad to hear that she did so well in London!

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