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Post by Stephany on Feb 22, 2008 15:54:05 GMT
Hi everybody, I'm not very pleased to post this article but I know someone will eventually put it on HWI so here it is. I won't bother to comment  [/color] Dame Kiri is to sing at the Starlight Symphony in the Auckland Domain tonight, and Westenra will perform with Dave Dobbyn in a concert at the Villa Maria estate tomorrow. Westenra would not be drawn on Dame Kiri's comments, but appears to have outlasted the diva's observation: ``These people, two or three years and they're gone.'' The blustery weather did not keep Dame Kiri from a rehearsal last night, but Starlight Symphony organisers say they will decide today whether to postpone until Sunday. Anyone hoping to enjoy both singers might then have to choose whose words they'd rather hear. What a Dame.[/size][/quote] Stephany |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Feb 22, 2008 16:06:00 GMT
Hi Stephany, There's no problem really, posting that - Dame Kiri is well respected and as such she is entitled to be heard, even if she has adopted what seems to be a rude and disrespectful tone. She also seems to have missed the point and it's clear that the author of that article in NZ Herald realises this, they even made a point of quoting Kiri's obvious mistake about Hayley's longevity (7 years in NZ and counting!). So she's wrong about that... and as we would expect, Hayley has diplomatically kept out of it - good for you, Hayley. But Dame Kiri is right about her other main point: Hayley's not in her World. As Hayley herself has to keep on repeating, she clearly isn't in Kiri's Operatic World and thank goodness for that!  The respect I've always had for Dame Kiri has today taken a bit of a dip - she would do well to stay silent on matters that she doesn't understand (though she is of course entitled to say them). Good for the NZ Herald in pointing out one of some rather obvious inconsistencies in her comments. Cheers, Dave |
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Post by Richard on Feb 22, 2008 16:23:17 GMT
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Post by stevemacdonald on Feb 22, 2008 16:50:02 GMT
There are several brief bios on Dame Kiri Te Kanawa available online, including this one: click here!It's especially interesting to read that she was nowhere in Hayley's league at the same age. In fact, she didn't even hit it big until her mid-twenties after getting married. This passage is revealing: Hayley, by contrast, was a dedicated self-starter from the git-go. There is also plenty of evidence in Dame Kiri's discography that their musical worlds do overlap. She has sung many, many songs that could be presently identified as "crossover" if not outright Pop. |
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Post by Tin on Feb 22, 2008 17:10:25 GMT
Strangely, Hayley's mentor Dame Major is much more receptive.
But who cares- look at Sarah Brightman, look at Andrea Bocelli, neither of them sings purely in a classical style. Somehow crossover does have its advantage, and the two of them are now the bestselling singers in the world.
PS. I wonder was Dame Kiri implying Andrea Bocelli couldn't sing without a microphone either?
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Post by stevemacdonald on Feb 22, 2008 18:19:24 GMT
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Post by Stephany on Feb 22, 2008 18:34:35 GMT
This article is now available online on the NZ Herald website but they removed the last sentence from the original write-up. Not that it changes anything, really. By the way, Kiri's special guest at the Skycity concert in Auckland is none other than Will Martin.  Best wishes, Stephany |
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Post by grant on Feb 22, 2008 18:42:32 GMT
The respect I've always had for Dame Kiri has today taken a bit of a dip - she would do well to stay silent on matters that she doesn't understand Hi Dave and everyone Any respect I had for this woman disappeared following Peter's (Postscript) report on a concert of hers he attended some time ago. She was rude then and it would appear to be a trait of hers. Like many of her type, they think they are better than anyone else when, in fact, with outbursts like this they just prove the opposite. She has lowered herself in the eyes of many by these comments, whilst Hayley, as Dave says, is forever the diplomat. A simple comment like "Our singing styles are different so we don't compete with each other" would have done nicely. Like Richard, I will be interested to read Peter's views. Now I think it would be very fitting for Hayley and Dave to have glorious sunshine and 'that other' concert to get rained off!  Best wishes Grant |
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Post by socalboy on Feb 22, 2008 19:09:59 GMT
Nothing like the pompous rantings of a fading opera diva to get your dander up.
What a shame, and what a lost opportunity. Rather than seize the occasion and encourage her minion and fellow Kiwis to embrace a variety of styles and celebrate the accessibility of classical music to new generations, she instead adopts the trite “my way or the highway” theme that is accelerating opera’s retreat into a tiny little corner of relevance…where it increasingly belongs.
To my knowledge Hayley has never expressed any pretense to being part of Dame Kiri’s “world,” and thank God for that. In that world Hayley’s humility and open spirit would stand out like a beacon in a dank and chilly cave. The Diva sounds like a withered old soul who senses the terra firma below her rapidly slipping.
I am more convinced than ever that opera is not the future we should want for Hayley. If you doubt that the Dame speaks for huge flocks of sheep, otherwise known as the opera world, then I would point you to any number of opera websites where condescension is the password. As for Dame Kiri herself, it’s time to exit stage left.
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Post by grant on Feb 22, 2008 19:35:15 GMT
Nothing like the pompous rantings of a fading opera diva Wish I'd come up with that! As for the rest of your post, I agree 100%. It will be interesting to see what sort of response the article gets in the media. Best wishes Grant |
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Post by roger on Feb 22, 2008 19:40:14 GMT
I am more than willing for this article to appear on this forum. Had I seen it first, I would have posted it myself.
I suspect that Dame Kiri's popularity was vastly increased when she sang at Charles and Diana's wedding which was broadcast worldwide. Had it not been for that, I suspect her career may not have been as successful as it has. I have never liked 'Let the Bright Seraphim' since!
It should not be necessary for someone of her standing to try to put down another singer. It is thoroughly unprofessional and to do so to a fellow kiwi is shocking. Although she would never admit it, her words now suggest that she is concerned that Hayley's popularity may eclipse her own. Outbursts like this will only accelerate that very real possibility.
Roger
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Feb 22, 2008 19:53:20 GMT
This isn't the first time that the Dame has had a tantrum. I quote from a press article back in Jan 2007: "Opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa pulled out of three Australian concerts after she found out fans threw underwear at her co-performer, a court has heard.
She is being sued for up to A$2m (£790,000) over the cancellation of concerts she was due to give with pop singer John Farnham in 2005.
The concert promoter has alleged Dame Kiri had a number of reservations after watching a Farnham concert DVD.
Dame Kiri has launched her own legal action against her former manager.
Concert promoter Leading Edge Events is suing New Zealand-born Dame Kiri and her ex-manager Nick Grace for alleged breach of contract.
Three performances of the concert, called Two Great Voices, were planned for Sydney and Melbourne.
The New South Wales state Supreme Court has heard that the singer watched Farnham performing on DVD after agreeing to the series of concerts. She is said to have found the live show "absolutely horrendous".
She cancelled the concert series in March 2004, despite the promoter's assurances that no underwear would be thrown on stage when the pair appeared together". |
Need I say more! Martin |
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Post by James on Feb 22, 2008 19:58:38 GMT
While I disagree with the sentiments echoed in the article and agree with pretty much what everyone has said in this thread, we must bear in mind that much of what is quoted in the press is taken out of context, embellished and sensationalist. It could be that Dame Kiri didn't say those exact words or that they have been twisted to try to stoke up some rivalry ahead of concerts in the same region on the same weekend. After all, it's not beyond the press to create a spot of mischief! It could be that the press wanted a response from Hayley, but she refused to be drawn into public slanging matches and criticism, hence her lack of comment, showing media savvy beyond her years - I don't recall ever seeing any major faux pas or loose comments attributed to Hayley in the media. However, if those are Dame Kiri's sentiments then I would treat them with the contempt they deserve. That is the problem with opera, there are some arrogant, superior "snobs" who cannot bear other people's success or popularity. They feel they are superior by keeping their own small conclave of purists. We have debated elsewhere and agreed that Hayley is not, has never been and never will be a pure opera singer and nor should we wish her to be so. I'm sure I saw an article about Dame Kiri once where it was mentioned that she had no concept of moderating or changing her style, so she did a light cabaret at a meal and belted out full blooded opera, putting people off their food. Those interpretative and emotional qualities in Hayley's voice are what is sadly lacking in more traditional opera. We know Hayley is a very versatile singer - my first 3 concerts were a classical performance with an orchestra, the Shepherd's Bush concert (a forerunner of the NZ tour) and an evening of West Side Story songs - three completely different styles. I'd have to agree that maybe Dame Kiri is jealous at being eclipsed by a younger model, young enough to be her (grand)daughter. After all, for many years if you asked the man on the street to name a famous Kiwi singer, 90% would have said Kiri. If the same question was asked today, we know what the response would be...  |
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Post by roger on Feb 22, 2008 20:06:13 GMT
Just for the record, Hayley has met Dame Kiri. It was at the Classical Brits in May 2006 and I noticed that their exchange was surprisingly brief. In fact, Hayley spent much more time with us than she did with her! Roger |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Feb 22, 2008 20:07:09 GMT
Like Richard, I will be interested to read Peter's views. Hi Grant, You should have seen the three word comment I made to Richard in a pm soon after Stephany posted this article, I couldn't possibly repeat the third word in the forum, there would be some kind of hitch. Cheers, Dave |
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