[lbo-talk] Re: Savior of Color

[kjkhoo at softhome.net]

At 10:41 am -0500 29/2/04, Jon Johanning wrote:
>
>Actually, the opera world is getting to be quite 
>multi-racial/cultural in the mixing of various singers with various 
>roles, as far as I can see.
>
>In the past, it was hampered by the fact that only Europeans and 
>other "whities" (I've given up trying to be PC about my racial 
>language, so what the hell) became opera singers, but today you see 
>plenty of black Mimis, slender Asian-extraction M. Butterflys, 
>stocky Don Giovannis, anemic Wotans -- whatever.

Not easy to keep up with the world of opera where I am, but these are 
all recent developments, no?

In the not so distant past, someone like Leontyne Price had what 
roles on stage? How would that compare with Kiri Te Kanawa? Did that 
have anything to do with the colour of their looks? Price had Aida, 
Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, Pamina, Leonora (Il Trovatore), Fiordiligi 
and Bess. Te Kanawa had Donna Elvira, the Countess (Figaro), 
Desdemona, Violetta, Tosca, Fiordiligi, Arabella, Pamina.

And Jessye Norman? Probably completely wrong, but strikes me that 
she's got more recorded opera than she's actually performed on stage. 
A matter of choice?