Illusions of glory

"Renata Scotto first encountered Baird in 2002, when she assumed the role of Klytämnestra opposite Baird's Elektra in Seville. The two met again last year in Athens, this time with Scotto directing Turandot and Baird portraying la principessa di ghiaccio.

"We gave her this beautiful velvet blue dress and a beautiful headdress," says Scotto, "so by the third riddle, her handmaidens had removed the cape and headdress, so she is only a woman figure. And if you have a beautiful Turandot like her you can do that, she can change her image."

It's true that Baird defies the conventional image of a Wagnerian soprano, but what stayed with Scotto wasn't Baird's shapeliness. "When she is afraid of Calàf at the end, when he wants to kiss her — she wants but she doesn't want. You know, you really need a great actress to change her face with what's going on with the character. Janice look at the audience — her face look Cal-las. If you have a great actress, you see all the changes. Otherwise you see a steady Turandot — moves one hand to the right, and moves the other hand to the left. And the arms go up and down."

-Opera News, June 2008-

Yeah, whatever...