Teresia Bokor IS tiny! Granted, I'm tall... But she really is tiny. Seeing her opposite the tall Tomas Kofod (Raoul) and the even taller Peter Jorde (Phantom) is a bit absurd, in some scenes. But she does have a grand voice with a sparkly timbre. So lovely to listen to. She would definitely give Carlotta a run for her money!
I also think the opposite should be true - Carlotta must be more than a grumpy old diva with a hammering voice. She needs lots of charisma and she needs the little extra in her voice. One thing I do love about the Danish production is that they've cast amazing Carlottas as well as amazing Christines. And ditto for the males - Raoul is seriously challenging the Phantom, to the point that you're not quite sure who of them IS the better choice. This gives the whole show a wonderful dynamic.
(and to be fair, the Copenhagen has had some rather tall Christines as well - Susanne Elmark and Viktoria Krantz. Elmark was about my height, a bit but not much shorter, while Krantz had to wear flat ballet slippers in the Lair scene to not out-tower "the small Phantom" Preben Kristensen...)
Yes she looks to be about 5'0 or maybe even smaller. She looks like an adorable little doll. I love really love her voice for the role of Christine. Given that the character is supposed to be an opera singer who takes the Paris Opera by storm...she should definitely be able to sing well! A well-trained classical voice is a must for me if she is to be truly believable in the role.
I do agree that there should be contrast to Carlotta. That's not to say that Christine shouldn't be at least as good as Carlotta, but the colors in their voices should vary. I think that this is best described using the German fach system of voice classification. Christine, being rather young and fragile strikes me as a light lyric soprano or a (light to medium-weight) lyric coloratura. Carlotta, as she is the more mature singer and has a much more domineering personality should have a voice that is a tad darker, rounder and with more point to the sound. So I see her as a dramatic coloratura or a heavier lyric coloratura. In opera, Christine would sing the young maid parts, while Carlotta would play the more mature, statuesque diva parts.
re: height and Christines. It's really interesting that some of the Christines in Copenhagen seem to have been considerably taller than the Christines in the rest of the world. I once read on that old to daae for site that Luann Aronson was/is about 5'8 (and I estimate Elmark and Krantz to to be around this height as well---correct me if they are taller, I'm merely guesstimating!)...but these ladies are more the exception than the rule. It seems that most productions around the world seek to keep her under 5'6. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that new costumes are so expensive to make! And perhaps because some of those leading men really aren't very tall and so of course Christine has to be small so that they can tower over her.
I think Teresia Bokor is 5'1 (1,56). But with that cutie face she looks even more petite than she is. And my prejudice makes me jump every time she flungs out those high, rich notes. So much sound from such a small person! But then I remember that voice has very little to do with body size, it's not like a violin VS a cello!
I read somewhere that Susanne Elmark is app. 5'10, and seeing pics of her next to Flemming Enevold makes it quite plausible (he is 6'2). She said in an interview that: Egentlig er jeg for høj til at spille Christine. Jeg er en af de højeste i verden, og da de kom fra selskabet i London påtalte de min højde. Men jeg fik heldigvis lov at spille, siger Susanne Elmark og smiler glad.
(I'm really too tall to play Christine. I'm one of the tallest one in the world, and when they come from the company in London they commented on my height. But luckilly I got to perform after all, Susanne Elmark sais and smiles)
This wasn't really a problem when she started as Christine, because the original Danish Phantoms (Enevold and Peter Jorde) are taaaaaaaaaall men. Jorde is even taller than Enevold, app. 6'4!). And she left before the "small Phantom" joined. But I think you're right with your comment about them wanting to keep them small, seeing how many Christines there has been throughout the years, and how petite they've all been... It's probably so it's easier to cast (and mix&match) Phantoms and Raouls, as they will always be taller than Christine if they keep hiring petite women.
And another remark - the Danish super Raoul Tomas Kofod is also a tall guy, I would guess app. 6'1. So casting tall Christines in Copenhagen has never been an issue, it seems.
Indeed voice can have very little to do with body size! Some performers' voices do match their bodies, yet there are always going to be some that will take you completely by surprise and I can think of more than a few examples that I've seen among singers that I've known and worked with.
Yes I thought that Elmark and Krantz were AT LEAST 5'8. (And judging by you in your magnificent Renée Knapp dress, she must be tall as well!) It's hard to judge one's exact height from the pictures as they are in costume and you can never be sure whether they are wearing heels or not. You can only guesstimate and compare notes with fellow tall people who are in the know. ;-) That's neat. Yay for tall Christines! And really so long as they've got the voice, act well and keep their figures trim enough...I don't see why height should be an issue! In the end, it's the talent and artistry that counts. I mean yeah, Katie Knight Adams looked the part---but she couldn't sing it well enough to be believable in the role! So it didn't work!
I also think the opposite should be true - Carlotta must be more than a grumpy old diva with a hammering voice. She needs lots of charisma and she needs the little extra in her voice. One thing I do love about the Danish production is that they've cast amazing Carlottas as well as amazing Christines. And ditto for the males - Raoul is seriously challenging the Phantom, to the point that you're not quite sure who of them IS the better choice. This gives the whole show a wonderful dynamic.
(and to be fair, the Copenhagen has had some rather tall Christines as well - Susanne Elmark and Viktoria Krantz. Elmark was about my height, a bit but not much shorter, while Krantz had to wear flat ballet slippers in the Lair scene to not out-tower "the small Phantom" Preben Kristensen...)
Thank you for the nice words!
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I do agree that there should be contrast to Carlotta. That's not to say that Christine shouldn't be at least as good as Carlotta, but the colors in their voices should vary. I think that this is best described using the German fach system of voice classification. Christine, being rather young and fragile strikes me as a light lyric soprano or a (light to medium-weight) lyric coloratura. Carlotta, as she is the more mature singer and has a much more domineering personality should have a voice that is a tad darker, rounder and with more point to the sound. So I see her as a dramatic coloratura or a heavier lyric coloratura. In opera, Christine would sing the young maid parts, while Carlotta would play the more mature, statuesque diva parts.
re: height and Christines. It's really interesting that some of the Christines in Copenhagen seem to have been considerably taller than the Christines in the rest of the world. I once read on that old to daae for site that Luann Aronson was/is about 5'8 (and I estimate Elmark and Krantz to to be around this height as well---correct me if they are taller, I'm merely guesstimating!)...but these ladies are more the exception than the rule. It seems that most productions around the world seek to keep her under 5'6. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that new costumes are so expensive to make! And perhaps because some of those leading men really aren't very tall and so of course Christine has to be small so that they can tower over her.
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I read somewhere that Susanne Elmark is app. 5'10, and seeing pics of her next to Flemming Enevold makes it quite plausible (he is 6'2). She said in an interview that:
Egentlig er jeg for høj til at spille Christine. Jeg er en af de højeste i verden, og da de kom fra selskabet i London påtalte de min højde. Men jeg fik heldigvis lov at spille, siger Susanne Elmark og smiler glad.
(I'm really too tall to play Christine. I'm one of the tallest one in the world, and when they come from the company in London they commented on my height. But luckilly I got to perform after all, Susanne Elmark sais and smiles)
This wasn't really a problem when she started as Christine, because the original Danish Phantoms (Enevold and Peter Jorde) are taaaaaaaaaall men. Jorde is even taller than Enevold, app. 6'4!). And she left before the "small Phantom" joined. But I think you're right with your comment about them wanting to keep them small, seeing how many Christines there has been throughout the years, and how petite they've all been... It's probably so it's easier to cast (and mix&match) Phantoms and Raouls, as they will always be taller than Christine if they keep hiring petite women.
Renée Knapp, whose amazing Wishing gown I'm keeping as my preeeeecccciioooouuussss.... is another exception to the rule, though. I'm 5'11, and the dress fits me perfectly, length wise:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/aneadresside.jpg
She cannot have been much smaller than me!
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And another remark - the Danish super Raoul Tomas Kofod is also a tall guy, I would guess app. 6'1. So casting tall Christines in Copenhagen has never been an issue, it seems.
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Yes I thought that Elmark and Krantz were AT LEAST 5'8. (And judging by you in your magnificent Renée Knapp dress, she must be tall as well!) It's hard to judge one's exact height from the pictures as they are in costume and you can never be sure whether they are wearing heels or not. You can only guesstimate and compare notes with fellow tall people who are in the know. ;-) That's neat. Yay for tall Christines! And really so long as they've got the voice, act well and keep their figures trim enough...I don't see why height should be an issue! In the end, it's the talent and artistry that counts. I mean yeah, Katie Knight Adams looked the part---but she couldn't sing it well enough to be believable in the role! So it didn't work!
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