hey gottfried: nick, the author of this article, writes for trrill.com. he was cribbing from himself.

This reminds me of two other sopranos. I first heard Alexandra Marc in FRIEDENSTAG in Santa Fe in 1988; my jaw dropped as she showed no fear nor shortness of voice in the treacherous Strauss music. A few years later, she sung AIDA in Chicago; the voice just poured out ending gorgeous music. Not the Aida of one's vision, but definitely one of the voice. Now she seems to have disappeared.

Eileen Farrell was not of the same ample proportions, but not thin, either. She married a Brooklyn police officer and cut back, the retired, quite young. This despite the laudatory remarks on her voice by Toscanini.

Nick is a Kid who thinks he knows what he is talking about, but doesnt.

He's a wannabe singer who's never reached past the chorus.

all of this is fascinating in light of eaglen's now being cast by jenkins in minor supporting roles . . . i know nothing about scholl's credentials for writing this kind of analysis [he sounds VERY catty] but it's pretty clear -- in fact hs been clear for some time -- that eaglen, seen for a while as the great hope for wagnerian sopranos, has not lived up to those expectations . . . when i heard her at the MET a few years back, both as brunnhilde and as isolde, i was really disappointed . . . the voice was probably close to being loud enough but to my ear did not seem large enough, a somewhat diffrent thing -- by which i mean it did not have the warmth and amplitutde in the lower registers that are typical of the great wagnerians . . . but then again i've been waiting for the next flagstad and so am probably doomed to another half cnetury of dashed hopes
mike

Nicholas Scholl's tone is indeed catty. As to his opinion on Eaglen's being a lyric rather than a dramatic soprano, I agree that the judgements of the conductors she's worked with, Levine for one, are clearly better informed. Since I prefer the lyric to the spinto on the whole, I must leave that argument to others.
That said, I think the various aspersions cast at today's younger and more svelte sopranos are also overly critical. The media of course have a wonderful time puffing fine singers who also happen to be beautiful young men and women, but the predictable backlash against them once the novelty has worn off (public fickleness being what it is) is every bit as catty as the posing of this writer against Eaglen.
It seems to be true that new Wagnerian sopranos are thin on the ground (if you will excuse the expression), although there are certainly some younger singers (Jennifer Wilson, Anja Harteros, and Kate Lindsey -- admittedly a mezzo) who bear close watching. But anyone who knows anything about singing and the voice will tell you that it is not necessary to be 200+ pounds in order to produce a powerful sound or one suitable for Wagner or Strauss. New singers will appear, and will delight us, perhaps very soon.
Moreover, the argument in favour of singers whose appearance is dramatically apt seems to me sensible. Opera is a theatrical as well as a musical experience, and directors are perfectly justified in casting people who look the part as well as sound it. Neither quality should be sacrificed, it seems to me. It is also necessary that singers in opera be able to act, and the profusion of DVDs of productions from opera houses all over the world show up the unsettling effects of non-actors destroying the dramatic impact of great works, however well they may sing. Recordings and concert performances offer plentiful opportunities for singers whose acting or appearance do not measure up.

Sackerson

When I first saw Jane Eaglen at The Met in the controversial and doomed production of Norma, my first reaction was fear: fear that she would not survive the night. Obesity is a grave and fatal illness. These people are in failing health. Period. To go on to a stage that size in a theater that size to take on a role of that size in a body of that size was a suicidal gesture on her part, and denial on the part of all others involved in her engagement. At that point a dressing room was built for her and placed in the wings so she wouldn't have to stress her already mortally challenged frame. To maintain optimum health is essential to a stage career, and crucial to an opera singer. Her doctors were insane and are her enablers for allowing a woman who is that gravely ill to perform until she has received all the treatment required to return her to good health. It is not a vocal issue, it's an evasion of responsibility for all who were involved in this scandalous level of denial.

What a bitchy, ill-informed article. Jane has been turning in wonderful performances for decades all over the world in major opera houses and on major concert stages. She has more than acquitted herself as a first rate artist. I for one am tired of hearing wispy singers cast for "the look" Would you play the Rachmaninov piano concerto on a spinet? And the swipe at teaching! Unconscionable! Rossi said it best-- opera is about voce, voce, voce. And Jane Eaglen has delivered voce, voce, voce with beauty, style, and class. From Norma to Brunhilde is quite a ride-- and a truly informed Wagner commentator should know that Wagner loved bel canto singing not just the loudest horn. Viva Jane!!

What a bitchy, ill-informed article. Jane has been turning in wonderful performances for decades all over the world in major opera houses and on major concert stages. She has more than acquitted herself as a first rate artist. I for one am tired of hearing wispy singers cast for "the look" Would you play the Rachmaninov piano concerto on a spinet? And the swipe at teaching! Unconscionable! Rossi said it best-- opera is about voce, voce, voce. And Jane Eaglen has delivered voce, voce, voce with beauty, style, and class. From Norma to Brunhilde is quite a ride-- and a truly informed Wagner commentator should know that Wagner loved bel canto singing not just the loudest horn. Viva Jane! And do you know how lucky University of Washington and the Seattle Opera Young Artist's Program is to have Jane Eaglen on-board!?? Arrogant ignorance is so annoying.

I heard her live on a number of occasions in New York and in Chicago and I am also amazed she got as far as she did. Let's face it; she got where she was because there was nobody else after Nilsson retired. Had there been, she would have been lucky to be singing Sieglinde in Tucumcari, New Mexico. She always sounded tired to me, not much ability to ride over the large orchestra and acting? Well forget about it. She was a large immovable static cube of fat on the stage and did not show any emotion either physically or vocally. There was no nuance, no shading of the voice, just a plain all-to-English bland vocal quality and no particular excellence in phrasing. It was in no way a beautiful sound to listen to; in fact tended to get squally towards those last performances with suspect intonation. Don't confuse opportune moments with any particular talent. She just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Had she really had the equipment, she would still be singing today. I cannot stress enough how totally disappointed I was in every one of the performances I attended where she was singing.

Do I REALLY need to read all this crap. Ms. Eaglen has an amazing voice. She is the highlight of all the operas I have seen her in. I loved her way back when in Parsifal. She has a pretty damn big and beautiful voice. Who the fuck cares if she is or isn't the next fill in the blank. Ohhh maybe she is really a lyric. OOOOh what an insult. you jealous little bitch. She is a fabulous musician, a beautiful and charming person. I love hearing her. She rocks. You all suck. Wow being a singer is soooo much better than being a critic! They say "those who can't, teach." Well that ain't true necessarily true. But I tell you what is: Those who can't poop on those who do. Piss off retards. Get a real job. Pick on someone who deserves it. Not this fabulous, dedicated artist.

Wow. Check out the last paragraph. It is utterly unrelated to the rest of the article. Should have been edited out. Just the author showing his ugly little fangs and hatred towards artists and the world. He even demeans Ms. Eaglen by calling her "Janie." That is meant to be insulting not endearing. He tries to get out of responsibility and accountability in his writing, by saying he thinks it is all a joke. Artists aren't a joke, Mr. Scholl, but you know people are starting to think you are. Wow, he even goes as far as saying he likes it when artists crack under pressure and hurt and destroy themselves. Well, if that is not showing your true colors and bias, I don't know what is. What poor unrestrained writing and an evil spirit. Wow. Your writing is disgusting Mr. Scholl. We all have bad days, Mr. Scholl. We all have disappointment and disillusionment. But some of us don't turn the other direction. We work to make things better and more beautiful, not worse. Read: "Janie will be fine—perhaps even better off than the gals who are crazy enough to stick around in the biz. I'm waiting for someone to crack under the pressure and become opera's first Amy Winehouse—cutting herself and shooting up in the dressing room between acts. Which is fine with me; she just better be able to sing the shit out of some Wagner when it's her cue." That's right dummy they are all performing for you. I think not, silly writer. Why don't you be a little smarter and more sensitive, believe it or not they can be mutually inclusive. :)

What exactly are the qualifications of the author of this article? I'm curious as to whether they have any formal music training beyond singing in a college choir..to say that Jane Eaglen didn't sound great in the beginning of her career is a huge mark of ignorance. If The Stranger wants to run articles about serious musicians and artist, they need to hire qualified journalists. I have seen this pattern repeated--incoherent garble about classical arts that comes off as tacky, pretentious and uneducated.

Go fuck yourself, Nicholas Scholl.

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