Submitted by Opera Singer, Dec 7, 2006 12:47

I am not surprised Christina Gallardo Domas is nowhere to be found. In fact, I would be willing to bet my tickets to tonight's Don Carlo that Ms. Gallardo-Domas is somewhere trying to recover her voice. Anyone with a basic knowledge of the singing voice could hear the damage to her voice. Butterfly was not a role for her. It is far to heavy , and you could hear the tell-tale wobble almost from the first act, which became more pronounced and accompanied by the dreaded "shredded" sound during the famous Un bel di aria. Sadly, this is following a trend in opera: looks come first, everything else comes second. Even with Ms. Netrebko, another beauty, her voice is already displaying signs of disrepair. She was sharp through the first two acts, a sure sign of tension in the voice, and you can hear the first signs of wear in what started out as a lovely instrument. These singers are being asked to sing inappropriate rep because they look pretty in the costumes, and by agreeing, they are cutting short their careers.

As evidenced by Rolando Villazon, you can have looks AND voice AND acting chops. For those who wish to continue to enjoy all three, find tickets to hear Diana Damrau, Rosina in their current Barbiere, which remounts in March.

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