I'm with you, Alan. The proliferation of standing ovations for EVERYTHING, and whooping ovations when lights are lowered at the top of shows? Are we all six year olds now? I have seen one mid show standing ovation that I found earned (and joined in). It was for Juan Diego Flores in Laurent Pelly's brilliant production of La Fille du Regiment (co-starring the radiant Natalie Dessay).
Florez sang Tonio's great aria 'Ah, Mes Amis' - that aria which famously (and treacherously) has 9 high C's. Florez toissed it iof as if it was nothing. The audience went crazy and stood. And then he did an encore (which both Covent Garden and the Met, where I saw it two times, have banned), and tossed it off just as brilliantly -and slightly faster.
And got a second standing ovation.
Extraordinary |
