This should be read in conjunction with the previous post Imagine, The Fan Girl Review
I tuned in last night to watch 'Imagine' on BBC1, featuring my hero, Plácido Domingo. I do regard myself as something of an expert on the subject (not the ultimate expert, not more of an expert than you, but enough...), and I also realise it's never really a good idea to watch a TV programme when you know more about the subject than the presenter - when a subject I know well from work comes up on the TV I tend to shout at the telly because they get it just so wrong.
There were a few minor inaccuracies in the programme that irritated me but I let them go. For example, when they said he studied at the Conservatory in Mexico City where he met and married a fellow student, Marta, I knew that several key sentences had been omitted but realise that explaining the whole story of his life between 16-21 would have taken up too much time, even though it was actually quite crucial to his career.
I realise that TV programme makers set up shots for televisual effect. There was a clip of the Dress Rehearsal of Simon B, which I assume was supplied by the Berliner Staatsoper. Artful editing of the camera cutting away to the programme presenter sat in a box intensely watching the performance, in an otherwise empty house. Even when Dress Rehearsals are 'closed' I am certain that at least some of the stalls will be occupied by people involved in the production, house management, guests of cast members and the crew filming and recording stage proceedings.
Perhaps it was just a conceit to give the impression of totally exclusive access; but it's also deceitful, and when documentary-makers insert pointless deceits it creates doubt as to their reliability.
I was a bit surprised at the roles the programme chose to concentrate on. He has sung so many that it is a bit difficult to choose just a few handful.
Certainly Otello Cavaradossi, Don José, and I guess, Canio were excellent choices. But it was perplexing that the discussion on Wagner focused almost entirely on Lohengrin, with a just a passing reference to Parsifal. To focus so much time on Ernani was just weird. I deduced that the roles were chosen because the BBC had the rights to show them. I think it's remiss to make a programme on Plácido Domingo, that discusses his move into Wagner, without even mentioning his great role of Siegmund.
The premise of the programme was a very well known tenor taking an unusual step into a major baritone role, at the age of 68, after 50 years in the profession. The programme presenter made several mentions of the fact that he, nevertheless, is continuing to sing tenor roles. There was no mention of what the tenor roles are. Obviously, there is no place in telly for listing, but there should have been mention of the Baroque roles of Oreste and Bajazet.
I was curious as to the choice of some of the contribrutors. None of them was a perverse choice. Short archive clips from José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti, naturally. Daniel Barenboim, because he was conductor of the Simon B. It's difficult to criticise the inclusion of Kiri Te Kanawa and Zubin Mehta. Kiri I think is an obvious choice, although must have been recorded several years ago, judging by her comments on Operalia - how it's a good idea and how she hopes these 'students' will become the stars of the future (whereas, as we know, many past winners and finalists are the stars of today!). And I guess Zubin is just as obvious a choice.
I really could have done without there being so much Franco Zefferelli. I know he's one of the biggest opera fans in the history of the world and is very knowledgeable, but it was almost like it was the FZ show. He never seemed to shut up, and, really, he didn't have anything of any worth to say, with the sole exception of saying that Plácido was traumatised after the earthquake. I'm really surprised that Zeff didn't mention Maria Callas, or maybe he did, but it was edited out. I just don't think he added anything to the programme, and his pointless meanderings just took up too much time.
The single biggest annoyance was the presenter and interviewer, Alan Yentob. He wasn't very good. I try not to be influenced by the general bad-mouthing of him I have heard and read from various BBC employees - 'the poor man's Melvyn Bragg'. But he's rubbish at interviewing.
Many of us know Plácido, from the TV and in person, as a fun, lively, funny, flirtatious person. Of course he also has a serious side, and he is at his most engaging (off-stage) when he mixes the serious and fun sides. But you wouldn't know from this programme what a warm and engaging person he is. I didn't get the feeling that he was being deliberately defensive but I don't think he was relaxed. There were several times when he gave brief answers to questions, when on other occasions he would expand.
For example, Yentob mentioned that prior to being in Berlin, Plácido had been performing on several continents. It sounded somewhat barbed, like a criticism. Plácido explained that he had performed concerts in China, South America, Kazakhstan and Moscow, and left it at that.
On other occasions I am sure he would have been expansive on how wonderful it is to perform in front of so many people and how unbelievable the public are, and how by doing concerts in arena hopefully he can introduce people to opera, and so on.
Obviously, it's difficult to tell how much was edited out, and I do accept that brevity isn't always one of Plácido's strong points, but he is so eloquent when he talks about music, and even more so about the positive effect that music has on people, and how much he feels proud and privileged to be able to bring this joy to people - nothing of that in this programme.
In my view, apart from his singing, his musicianship, his stage presence and dramatic portrayals, his professionalism and dedication, one of the most remarkable aspects of Plácido is how he inspires affection, adoration and devotion. Again, this was barely touched on.
Imagine is billed as the BBC's flagship Arts programme, which, considering that the only competitor is Lauren Laverne's Lack-of-Culture Show, is pretty meaningless. Actually Lauren Laverne would have made a better job of it than Alan Yentob (and I hold her in total contempt after her interview with Billy Bragg when she asked such questions as 'what's Beethoven's 9th? I don't think I've heard of that' and 'what's a diminished 7th?').
I realise that it's never going to be like that wonderful 1994 documentary that shadowed Plácido for several months, at home and in rehearsal as well as on stage. He is an incredibly busy and elusive man; it is often reported how difficult it is to schedule an interview with him - because of his schedule, certainly not because he's difficult or unco-operative. I imagine that the interview only took half an hour, an hour at the most, to film, in two separate sittings.
But ultimately I didn't see the point of the programme; if it was supposed to be about the transition from tenor to baritone, this was barely touched upon, and certainly there was no explanation of why it should be so noteworthy.
If it was supposed to be a retrospective, it wasn't very well researched, and very patchy. I realise that a career so long and busy as Plácido's is difficult to sum up succinctly. I feel that if I had the opportunity to interview him, there's a whole load of questions I would ask him (no, no, not like that!).
I wouldn't be asking questions to make myself look clever, but ones that either pique my curiosity or I suspect would pique others. I am sure that in about 50 years time, when they'll have to show something as an obituary, it won't be this programme (not that I'll be around to know, but he's intending to live until 120).
It's de rigeur to fill these documentaries with headshots of people giving opinions. I would make more an effort to get a wider variety of contributors - and not Franco bloody Zefferelli who appears on every single programme that's ever made about any opera matter.
I would seek out analysis, opinions and anecdotes that shed light on why he is - in the words of Zubin Mehta - the greatest singer of the 20th century. I would like to contrast his roles as singer and conductor, examine what motivates him to keep on and on, always being away from home, never resting. I would look at the influence on and inspiration to young singers, directly and indirectly.
I would even include thoughtful reasoned criticisms - such as that by singing so many roles, he risks not getting inside them all; how good a conductor is he - and more to the point, how much time is he able to devote to preparing an orchestra for a performance, or indeed, how can he impose his stamp on an orchestra when he spends so little time with any of the orchestras he conducts. And I would challenge him about aspects of crossover, too. (But I guess that's why I'm a lowly accountant and not a BBC Executive with three salaries).
