I know exactly what her issue was......When you have James Levine telling her that she's the greatest and that you give them all a singing lesson - and the Newyork times hails her as one of the best Lyric Coloratura Soprano in the World right now - it adds to the stress of already trying to live up to those demands and compliments......Jessye Norman was Different, because she was overseas singing....I'm not at all excusing miss battles behavior....I think her mind got twisted along with probably being high strung.
No what happened was she was an assertive woman in a world where assertive women are seen as "difficult" or "bitchy". Let alone an assertive woman of color. She wasn't the first nor the last diva both man or woman around the time she was fired.
@betterworld2958 how come Jessye norman, Grace Bumbry, Shirley Verret, Leona Mitchell, Barbra Hendricks, man I could go on with the list of African American operatic Singers who are Female sopranos also leads...NEVER been kicked off the Mets stage....nor have you EVER heard of such behavior from those women of color........behavior of such!?? Is not tolerated...
Are u going to her recital at the Met on May 12? Please don't miss out. There's still tickets left and they aren't SUPER expensive at all! I have a ticket! 2nd row.
It's a common progression of Dramatic voices to start off in one type of voice then move up - in Gasteens case from Mezzo to Dramatic Soprano. I've heard her Brunnhilde in Die Wälkure before and she was magnificent... haven't heard her in Ariadne Auf Naxos so I cannot say about that opera.....
To reach the top one needs to be a special artist, but then have to work with less artistic people, less talented, unreasonable conditions. Sing to audiences who wouldn't attend a performance without a star. Audiences who are not particularly cultured or experienced. I support the singers. Rather sexist as well, we rarely hear of male singers being 'diva / divo', its a term used only by interviewers for women.
If you are a professional and come across better than you get what you deserve!! Kathleen Battle does have a wonderful voice but there is no need to be ugly or a diva .
Back in the day when corporate media at least made an effort at not passing off hearsay as proof, unlike today. The allegations made about Battle at the top of the show were scandalous at the time, but Koppel reminds us that they may not be true. That is the case with just about everything alleged about anyone else, but esp when they're famous, most esp when no supporting evidence is provided, nor even so much as requested. I find two things interesting: one, that the Great Domingo is not included in the roster of prima donnas, for good reason, and two, that Peter Gelb was Battle's agent at that time and he makes a case in her defense for her propensities. Later when he took on running the Met, and allegations were levied against the Great Domingo ensnared by the metoo extortion cartel, Gelb did, briefly, do the same for Domingo. But whatever backbone he had while championing his client, it was snapped in two by the baying wolfpack known as the Court of Public Opinion. Considering how flimsy and blatantly contrived the allegations against Domingo are, one day, he will be vindicated. The cowards around him, the people whom he helped and enriched for so long but tucked tail and hid, like Gelb did ultimately, they will forever be hollow and meaningless to me and the billions of Domingo's faithful supporters. For a while now, the metoo cartel has been crumbling from the fraud, hoaxes, and misappropriation of millions in its name, and the "hashtag metoo" is losing its power to terrorize innocent men. None too soon. Some of the falsely accused killed themselves. So metoo has blood on its hands. Sadly, as in Fatty Arbuckle's case, and many more (cf The Innocence Project), the women who have lied to destroy men and get a payday will not be punished. Soapbox stowed. Pardon the mini-rant, injustice is a pet peeve. Mil gracias. Paz y salud.
@@uppityglivestockian if you watch the 2018 film MARIA BY CALLAS you see Callas explaining many of the reasons behind the "newsworthy" bad publicity (MET firing, Rome walkout, among others)which was escalated into big drama, when actually it was not based on temperament but valid issues.
@@jjmboston5832 Those who are demanding about excellence in their art are terribly resented by those around them who are slackers, mediocres, whiners, aka functional marxistas. I think I may have seen at least excerpts of that program.
You certainly didn’t know Battle or Domingo!?#! I can vouch at least for both of them with personal experience - I’m certainly not the only one! Those “stories” were NOT stories … You DO have Gelb pegged right however, a snake.
I saw her at the Met on Sunday. She's now 75 years old and the voice is still very much there.
What a treasure! Yes, our dear, beloved Pristine Kathleen was not alone in being a prima donna.
What a treasure…thank you so very much for sharing this priceless gift with us.
This is great footage. Please never remove it. So much can be learned from this. Future performances needs to see this amazing footage
Thank you!!!!
I know exactly what her issue was......When you have James Levine telling her that she's the greatest and that you give them all a singing lesson - and the Newyork times hails her as one of the best Lyric Coloratura Soprano in the World right now - it adds to the stress of already trying to live up to those demands and compliments......Jessye Norman was Different, because she was overseas singing....I'm not at all excusing miss battles behavior....I think her mind got twisted along with probably being high strung.
No what happened was she was an assertive woman in a world where assertive women are seen as "difficult" or "bitchy". Let alone an assertive woman of color. She wasn't the first nor the last diva both man or woman around the time she was fired.
@betterworld2958 how come Jessye norman, Grace Bumbry, Shirley Verret, Leona Mitchell, Barbra Hendricks, man I could go on with the list of African American operatic Singers who are Female sopranos also leads...NEVER been kicked off the Mets stage....nor have you EVER heard of such behavior from those women of color........behavior of such!?? Is not tolerated...
14:47 Ariadne “Nauf” Naxos
Good catch! 😃 Shows just how clueless/careless mainstream media are about opera!
Just leave Our Kathleen Battle alone....
Are u going to her recital at the Met on May 12? Please don't miss out. There's still tickets left and they aren't SUPER expensive at all! I have a ticket! 2nd row.
Too late...I am sorry I will miss this one...next t ime. Thanks for the information. @@smurf902
I will try to get a ticket...@@smurf902
@@smurf902would have loved to go but I don't live in US
@@smurf902I so wish I could be there!!! I first heard Kathleen Battle in a 1990s telecast Met Gala here in the UK 💜
Lisa Gasteen, "mezzo soprano"? "Ariadne Nauf Naxos"? Lord have mercy.
It's a common progression of Dramatic voices to start off in one type of voice then move up - in Gasteens case from Mezzo to Dramatic Soprano. I've heard her Brunnhilde in Die Wälkure before and she was magnificent... haven't heard her in Ariadne Auf Naxos so I cannot say about that opera.....
To reach the top one needs to be a special artist, but then have to work with less artistic people, less talented, unreasonable conditions. Sing to audiences who wouldn't attend a performance without a star. Audiences who are not particularly cultured or experienced. I support the singers. Rather sexist as well, we rarely hear of male singers being 'diva / divo', its a term used only by interviewers for women.
If you are a professional and come across better than you get what you deserve!! Kathleen Battle does have a wonderful voice but there is no need to be ugly or a diva .
she wasn't the first or last diva. Why wasn't pavorati fired not just from that gig but from his entire career like battle was?
Back in the day when corporate media at least made an effort at not passing off hearsay as proof, unlike today. The allegations made about Battle at the top of the show were scandalous at the time, but Koppel reminds us that they may not be true. That is the case with just about everything alleged about anyone else, but esp when they're famous, most esp when no supporting evidence is provided, nor even so much as requested. I find two things interesting: one, that the Great Domingo is not included in the roster of prima donnas, for good reason, and two, that Peter Gelb was Battle's agent at that time and he makes a case in her defense for her propensities.
Later when he took on running the Met, and allegations were levied against the Great Domingo ensnared by the metoo extortion cartel, Gelb did, briefly, do the same for Domingo. But whatever backbone he had while championing his client, it was snapped in two by the baying wolfpack known as the Court of Public Opinion.
Considering how flimsy and blatantly contrived the allegations against Domingo are, one day, he will be vindicated. The cowards around him, the people whom he helped and enriched for so long but tucked tail and hid, like Gelb did ultimately, they will forever be hollow and meaningless to me and the billions of Domingo's faithful supporters. For a while now, the metoo cartel has been crumbling from the fraud, hoaxes, and misappropriation of millions in its name, and the "hashtag metoo" is losing its power to terrorize innocent men. None too soon. Some of the falsely accused killed themselves. So metoo has blood on its hands.
Sadly, as in Fatty Arbuckle's case, and many more (cf The Innocence Project), the women who have lied to destroy men and get a payday will not be punished.
Soapbox stowed. Pardon the mini-rant, injustice is a pet peeve.
Mil gracias. Paz y salud.
very true. We now know--or think we do--the many background for Maria Callas allegations.
@@jjmboston5832 I'm aware of several, so which one do you mean?
@@uppityglivestockian if you watch the 2018 film MARIA BY CALLAS you see Callas explaining many of the reasons behind the "newsworthy" bad publicity (MET firing, Rome walkout, among others)which was escalated into big drama, when actually it was not based on temperament but valid issues.
@@jjmboston5832 Those who are demanding about excellence in their art are terribly resented by those around them who are slackers, mediocres, whiners, aka functional marxistas. I think I may have seen at least excerpts of that program.
You certainly didn’t know Battle or Domingo!?#! I can vouch at least for both of them with personal experience - I’m certainly not the only one! Those “stories” were NOT stories … You DO have Gelb pegged right however, a snake.
Kathleen Battle was a royal pain in the ass. I had the misfortune of being in three productions with her.
Perhaps she would have the same opinion about you...a writing pain in the ass.
Believe me, you needn’t be a colleague to know this - she treated her public JUST as viscously (and accompanists ON-STAGE!)
a lot of them were like that not an excuse but weird that her entire career was destroyed and the others were ok.