Search - Kiri Te Kanawa :: At Christmas [VHS]

A defense.

tony | tn | 01/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although the deceptively angel-faced Kiri has all the battling instincts of her Irish/Maori forebears, she's not here to defend herself. So I shall.

I take issue with all a recent reviewer had to say about Kiri's performance -- except for "she is pretty and nobody curtsies like Kiri."



Bland? Yes, I agree, but what can one expect? This is a Christmas recital, not a hoe-down. If you care to see a very unbland Kiri, watch her as Elvira in Don Giovanni.



How can any follower of opera say that Kiri's career is "significantly winding down."? In the latter part of 2004 she had four recitals in the U.S. and Canada, ending the year at the Los Angeles Opera with seven engagements in the lead role of the American opera,"Vanessa". Sold out. The case rests.



Can anyone honestly say that calling attention to Kiri looking down at a prompter is legitimate criticism? And for the single memory lapse? If that were not enough, to gleefully point to another lapse she had years ago at the Met. Picky, picky, picky. These 'defects' only tell me she is very human -- and I find them endearing. All of the stars of opera have their lapses, yes, even the incomparable Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland. It's easy to catch a misstep in Kir1's singing -- her diction is flawless, unlike that of Joan Sutherland, who seems totally unaware there are consonants in language. The review is so out of touch with reality that I hope I'm not seeing undue bias here. It's incredible that it could happen in this land of the free, but this lovely, gifted person was barred from joining an upscale country club in New York. Management considered her 'colored'. Sad and so very stupid. In all other countries on earth Kiri is sought after to join any manner of clubs, social organizations, etc. She would be an asset to any.



Then what follows is a cursory dismissal of one of the must successful careers in opera with the words "hoo-haa of the 1990's". How is success measured? By money. Given gladly by countless Kiri Lovers. Would this group - at times referred to disparagingly as "fans" - shell out millions for a person of "bland presentation and mediocrity re all things musical?" Is it possible that a solitary critic is right and the rest of the world wrong? The 'rest' that includes Sir Georg Solti, Sir Colin Davis, Andre Previn and Prince Charles, who chose Kiri to sing at his wedding to Diana. I could go on and on but I'll name just one more. Our own Leonard Bernstein, who when looking for a soprano to sing the lead role in his recording of West Side Story said, "I want the best the world of opera has to offer." We all know who that was.



In that decade Kiri's earnings exceeded 500,000 pounds, yearly --double that to get equivalent dollars. A phenomenal sum for an opera diva. Some of that came from her crossover into popular music, a la Bernstein, Broadway and Andrew Lloyd Webber. And jazz.



Predictably, her style in jazz was panned by 'purists' -- she did not sound like other jazz singers. As if jazz had rigid criteria. It's called jazz because all such singers are unconventional and bring their unique style into that medium. So did Kiri, with the result that her recordings flew off the shelves in the U.S., Europe and Japan. The best of her jazz recordings (CD) is 'Kiri - Sidetracks', with Andre Previn, Ray Brown and Mundell Lowe. Sorry, sold out long ago at Amazon, but may be had at their vendors -- for a hefty price.



One of the side effects of her popular records was to bring listeners into the realm of opera. "Hey, what a voice! What have I been missing?" They take a look-see and are promptly snared by what her first conductor at Covent Garden, the crusty and uncompromising taskmaster, Sir Georg Solti, said about Kiri. "The face and voice of an angel." Two of my friends who had never seen an opera were converted by her.



One of the best of Kiri's videos is 'Le Nozze di Figaro', held at Glyndebourne and in which she stars as the countess. Until recently it could be had only in used condition on VHS, at a price ranging up to $120. This past August it was released in DVD format, $15.98 at Amazon. I know that Kiri Lovers probably have a copy but I urge all newcomers to buy one soon. That price won't last, it never does. Amazon has displayed a message warning of a possible difficulty in obtaining the DVD. This has always been a forerunner of either a sold out condition or a price increase.



In closing, here's another look at Kiri's 'versatility'. Her high school records include some reproving remarks by the principal. Kiri was a strong, physically well-conditioned girl, having been taught all sports by her adopted Maori father, including boxing. It seems she had used that skill to knock down a white male student for slandering her Maori ancestry.



Way to go, Kiri!









"

What Can One Say About the BEST THERE IS!

Barbara | Greeneville, TN, USA | 07/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kiri Te Kanawa can do no wrong. The background setting scenes were wonderful - as was Dame Kiri Te Kanawa!... What more can be said?"