Rigoletto: “Sì, vendetta, tremenda vendetta”

[@nadinesierra]

It’s so nice to do this opera again at the Met with Quinn Kelsey and the rest! I feel very fortunate and grateful ❤

[@thfpnw7103]

I was lucky to have seen you and Francesco Demuro as the Duke at Seattle Opera over a decade ago. You still own this role and many others.

[@kennethwayne6857]

We are fortunate and grateful to have you!

[@oloniyosamuelolaitan8845]

I’m glad to have seen you for the first time at this dress rehearsal

[@oloniyosamuelolaitan8845]

I watched this live ❤😍

[@agnessaal6931]

Nadine Sierra is, as usual, fantastic !!!

[@asifitmatters1]

Apart from the extremely loud breathing… she sounds like she’s drowning!

[@mimsnshine]

Saw this yesterday at the met my heart was full of joy from their performance ❤❤❤❤❤

[@BESTRoboticsEd]

Oh, what beauty! Thank you for sharing, @MetOpera. Getting goosebumps as I listen to this Verdi recitative. Inspiring!

[@arbierstein]

Perhaps it's not good to judge through a KZbin video, but the music here just didn't feel to me like it met the intensity of the moment. I feel like I've heard other version where this duet has a frantic and angry energy as I feel it ought to. This conducting felt, to me, slow, stately, and contained when it really needed to be Rigoletto at his wit's end and ready to do murder. I think some of the fault has to come from Mr.Kelsey who I think has a beautiful voice and lyrical style (I'm thinking of him singing "Di provenza il mar il suol" from "La Traviata") but I wonder if it lacks the agility and sharp ferocity to really pull off this section. Still, I have to fault the tempo I think more than anything else. Ms.Sierra sounds good, with a strong and pretty clear voice, but she doesn't sound like she's afraid of her father's sudden passion and begging him not to get murderously violent. I don't know why I got it in my head to be an opera critic tonight. I'm sure I would enjoy this performance very much and be very grateful to see it. I'm in the lottery for rush tickets (since, unlike M.Gaultier Malde, I really am a poor student) so wish me luck on that!

[@Tsquare07s]

Thank you for your thoughtful comment! I happen to feel the same way. I'm told that Kelsey's voice is bigger live so maybe this doesn't represent him correctly?

[@kennethwayne6857]

@@Tsquare07s His voice sounds huge in the house.

[@aaron.anchored.in.christ]

Quinn Kelsey studies the roles he sings extremely hard so I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. I’ve heard him in this role maybe about 10 times and he never failed to impress me. Sometimes conductors make singers do things/sing in ways that they don’t want to, but most singers still listen to the conductor. I guess this could be an issue sometimes.

[@kennethwayne6857]

@@aaron.anchored.in.christ So true!

[@jmballestra7607]

Un de mes passages préférés du chef - d'oeuvre de Verdi !!!! Nadine est sublime ,comme toujours !!!!

[@AllenJones-w3p]

Great singing!

[@robsmith2523]

Nadine Sierra has established a reputation as one of today’s finest young artists, in demand at the world’s most prestigious opera houses. She is regularly acclaimed by both critics and audiences for her vocal agility, purity of tone, impeccable technique and hugely engaging stage presence. Sierra stands as a beacon of excellence in the world of opera, having appeared on many significant stages, and as she continues to ascend to new heights in her career, she can now add the Great Oak Stage at BST Hyde Park to that list.

[@laxeneia]

It's a rehearsal be kind 😜

[@ohmy5650]

💎💎 Adored Kelsey's beginning, sheerly different from the usual. I may even watch their entire rècita on the MET Opera site.

[@KajiVocals]

Who hired this baritone? Confused. The difference between Kelsey and Sierra is massive.

[@aaron.anchored.in.christ]

Yeah I know. I’ve heard them both at the Met and Kelsey’s voice was way bigger than Sierra’s.

[@KajiVocals]

@@aaron.anchored.in.christ I’ve heard Sierra’s voice live 4 times and I’d say the opposite. But she is a small light voice overall. Kelsey sounds like an AMATEUR. Where’s legato?

[@aaron.anchored.in.christ]

@@KajiVocals The longevity of Kelsey’s career already proves that he is no amateur. As long as a singer’s singing is ‘consistent’ and can stand the test of time, you can’t really say that they don’t have a good technique or are an amateur. You can absolutely dislike their singing though, but that’s just a matter of taste.

[@KajiVocals]

@@aaron.anchored.in.christ Lol, this is a non-argument. There’s been many mediocre singers singing for decades, this does not speak on their voice skill or technique or expertise. Listen to Warren or Tibbett sing this please, or more recently Milnes or MacNeil or even in current times Enkhbat. The difference in technique is very clear. I say this as someone who is actively in this field.

[@aaron.anchored.in.christ]

@@KajiVocals I think Warren and Tibbett were very good singers but they sound very American. What I would say about Milnes is that he had very good high notes, but that’s about the only quality of a great singer that he has. He had a weak middle voice and little to no bottom; the way he covered was also very strange. MacNeil was a powerhouse indeed. He had a thunderous voice and I really do admire him greatly. As for Enkhbat, he is very young so I don’t know if his voice will last, but he does sound very swallowed to me. Here’s what I would say regarding the role Rigoletto specifically: I do prefer Italian singers singing this role. Aldo Protti is probably my favorite in this role. Bastianini was fantastic as well. Titta Ruffo is the greatest baritone of all time so there’s no need to even mention how great he was. Warren was an incredible singer but he just didn’t have the Italian sound for this role. Robert Merrill was American but he’s actually the most Italian-sounding American singer I know haha.

[@dir3907]

So disappointing not having Nadine in any HD broadcast this season…☹️

[@onfilm9429]

Saw the opening night of this revival - these two really make a huge sound together. The effect is superb. Too bad about the "tenor", though.

[@jaeyoonkim2159]

I miss Leo Nucci so badly here!

[@nagantm441]

Hello quick suggestion, please invest in 4k cameras if you can for less grainey videos😅

[@michaelbuchmann5886]

Quinn Kelsey ist a very bad singer with no legato and no technique for Verdi...he barks the notes 🦮

[@WilliamFrom-cg1mb]

Agreed. total barker. Just one of those nice guys they cant seem to can. Shame for the audience and the art.

[@aaron.anchored.in.christ]

@@WilliamFrom-cg1mbWell considering that his teacher was an apprentice of Mario Del Monaco, I think his technique is actually quite good. He never overuses his voice, and that’s why he never gets tired during the show. He can sing for hours without getting vocally fatigued.

[@bryanschlippjr4894]

I'll admit, Sierra and Kelsey did a good job

[@asifitmatters1]

Kelsey is painful to listen to… he sounds like an amateur struggling with every note.

[@suomenwagner-seurary3679]

Why Mozart Baritone sings Verdi role?

[@bryanschlippjr4894]

I believe he has been doing that role for..... so many years that I can't tell when his first debut was. I'm not sure if he made his debut as Don Carlos tho

[@Bobbyfrazier_]

My guess is you have never heard him live… He is amazing. I’ve heard him as Rigoletto and Simon Boccanegra which were both stunning.

[@bryanschlippjr4894]

@@Bobbyfrazier_ Did Kelsey once made his debut as one of those characters from Mozart's Don Carlos at the met before he did rigoletto?

[@Bobbyfrazier_]

@@bryanschlippjr4894 His debut was as Schaunard in la Bohéme I believe.

[@bryanschlippjr4894]

@@Bobbyfrazier_ I'm guessing the 90's when Pavarotti was still around

[@WilliamFrom-cg1mb]

Clown make up is appropriate given the low quality of singing for a title role at the Met.

[@BigNoob1012]

That’s an Ab

[@mortlock36]

Awful the baritone here

[@jenylogan1]

Her , yes, him, not so much.