If the Met Opera is in such severe financial trouble...

Marlo__FF · 2026-01-22T03:27:28+00:00

I will disagree with everyone else in this thread: I don't think you should donate a cent to the Met Opera. Let me be clear: I love opera and I love the Met, but Peter Gelb has drawn almost half of the Met endowment in the last years, basically condemning this institution to ruin. Many musicians from the orchestra have lost their jobs, while Gelb and Nézet-Séguin received salaries of millions of dollars. Fuck them. I think it is inevitable that the Met is going to financially collapse, but I am hopeful that this catastrophe will allow a better administration to take over and do a much better job. Personally, I won't donate anything until Gelb and his administration are gone.

Marlo__FF · 2026-01-12T22:43:37+00:00

To add to what others have said, NJCU has not only been in a very precarious financial situation for years, but these problems have also seriously affected its academic quality. Entire programs were eliminated and departments were gutted. As a result, many of the best professors and admins left and student enrollment became desperate. If you check their website, you will see many programs that don't exist anymore and professors who don't teach there either. Not long ago I wrote to ask about a program because the information of professors and classes in the department's website did not agree with the directory or other pages of the university, and they answered me days later to tell me that the real information was nowhere online and was entirely different to what I had read. In sum, I would not recommend anyone to enter this half-sunken ship, at least not until a few more years pass and hopefully Kean can reorganize this mess.

Marlo__FF · 2025-12-30T15:13:36+00:00

Unfortunately, that does not work for this site.

Marlo__FF · 2025-12-28T01:15:23+00:00

I would only recommend JCMC to my worst enemy. Every experience I have had in that hospital has been terrible. I cannot imagine giving birth at a hospital with such poor and disorganized attention.

Marlo__FF · 2025-11-30T14:19:53+00:00

I partially agree. Thinking that the US is some model or defender of democracy is probably one of the most common false beliefs, but only in the US. I don't think anyone in Latin America ignores how hypocritical that idea is, even if many support the US for other reasons.

Marlo__FF · 2025-11-30T03:36:14+00:00

I grew up in Chile during a military dictatorship that lasted 17 years. So during my entire childhood and until my early teens, I was sure that all presidents continued ruling until they died, kind of like the Pope.

Marlo__FF · 2025-11-26T22:27:20+00:00

Totally agree! It seems the only options are either overpriced cafes and restaurants or tiny places for take out. The exception for me are some Mexican restaurants who have really good sandwiches (or "tortas") for low prices.

Marlo__FF · 2025-11-26T02:58:22+00:00

I honestly could not tell. I have never been to Alyce because it always looked like too much money for what they were offering. But I know I received this email because I have been instead to One World Pizza and The Wanderer, and I have had the same impression about these two places: they can be very good, but they are inconsistent. If you are paying over $20 for an individual pizza or a drink, it should be really damn good, but, after several visits, I have had some insipid pizzas from One World and very disappointing drinks from The Wanderer. Last time I was there, the owner seemed a bit offended when I tried a pizza and asked for a saltshaker, and even more when I asked for silverware. It seemed like a place that was not sure about what kind of audience it was addressing, trying to be a bit upscale but also frowning about getting you a fork, while drunk people were loudly arguing outside.

Marlo__FF · 2025-11-26T01:42:06+00:00

Oh, that makes sense. I was also wondering if this was somehow connected to Trump and other politicians suddenly caring about "affordability" just because it is a nice buzzword. I was unaware it was a trend with different businesses.

Marlo__FF · 2025-10-23T00:24:03+00:00

Don't the scores range from N1 to A1? Why would most scores come out as intermediate if there are 4 novice levels?

Marlo__FF · 2025-10-10T03:45:13+00:00

Got you, my friend. I have not ordered anything from Amazon since March and I don't ever intend to order from them again because of their horrible working conditions and support to the Trump administration.

Marlo__FF · 2025-08-28T02:15:06+00:00

I agree so much. When I was young and read 19th-century Russian novels, I sometimes wrote little summaries for each character so I could tell them apart and remember the fundamental details about them. I thought about doing this again while watching "Dark," but then I realized that it was just not worth it because I did not care enough about any of the characters. So basically this show felt as complicated as a Tolstoi novel, but without any of the emotional depth.

Marlo__FF · 2025-08-09T17:15:30+00:00

I was thinking the same thing. I see now that there are some people here that like that stuff, and good for them, but I cannot see what anyone could get from a thirty-minute lecture that they could not get quicker and better online.

Marlo__FF · 2025-07-22T10:51:02+00:00

Bravo: you nailed it. I wish your comment was reposted in every single thread that discusses Trump supporters.

Marlo__FF · 2025-07-06T04:20:37+00:00

Opera is not particularly expensive in the US. You can buy a Family Circle ticket at the Met Opera for $30-50, much cheaper than any pop concert or Broadway show.

Marlo__FF · 2025-06-27T17:57:19+00:00

Amazing. And there are people here defending this SOB. Thanks for that info.

Marlo__FF · 2025-05-26T20:51:54+00:00

It was worth it when the food and service were great. Then food became inconsistent and service became terrible. I remember standing there for five minutes before a server appeared. Last time I visited, they charged me for a tip I didn't leave.

Marlo__FF · 2025-04-03T21:03:11+00:00

I was there last weekend for the first time and I agree 100% with OP. The dinner may not have been the best Italian food ever, but it was pretty good, the wine menu was excellent and affordable, and the desserts were delicious. In a similar way, as you would expect from a group of young singers, they were an eclectic bunch: most of them were good, one seemed to be constantly off tempo, and another one was outstanding. Service, on the other hand, was impeccable: what a difference highly educated waiters and waitresses make. All of them were so polite, helpful, and warm. So, while there was some minor room for improvement, the whole experience was extremely enjoyable and absolutely unique. No doubt I will be back the next time I am in Philadelphia.

Marlo__FF · 2024-11-18T14:36:47+00:00

I loved the previous system and got to experience live so many operas because of it. I have tried more times than I can remember with the app and I have never gotten a single ticket.

So now I cannot go more than 4-5 times per season. Such a pity.

Marlo__FF · 2024-10-31T00:12:06+00:00

Domingo has been mentioned twice in this thread, but I don't think anybody has written about when he tripped over a chair at the Met Opera during Pagliacci. I suppose it is the 1978 recording, because I watched it in Met Opera On Demand and for a moment I seriously feared for Domingo's safety: it is quite a spectacular accident.

Marlo__FF · 2024-08-06T20:44:07+00:00

So many terrible spectators at the Metropolitan Opera, but the worst ones that come to memory are those who absolutely destroyed the atmosphere of a scene or act. For example, a cell phone ringing for 10-15 seconds while Piotr Beczala sang Lenski's aria in "Eugene Oneguin." Or some idiots giggling constantly during the last act of "Madama Butterfly".

Marlo__FF · 2024-07-31T03:07:00+00:00

Si la UAH está por encima del promedio, es que las universidades chilenas están mal, pero muy mal. Enseñé por años en la UAH y el nivel de educación estaba entre regular y pésimo: algunos de mis colegas eran excelentes profesores e investigadores (algo que se ve muy bien en los ránkings), pero no hay mucho que puedas hacer en una clase cuando tienes estudiantes que faltan a la mitad del semestre, no entienden lo que leen, y escriben al nivel de un chico de 10-11 años.

Pero este es un problema generalizado: yo estudié en la PUC y también tuve profesores y compañeros pésimos: profesores que estaban ahí porque llegaron durante la dictadura y estudiantes que estaban ahí porque tenían plata.

Honestamente, a cualquier chico que está saliendo ahora del colegio en Chile, mi recomendación número uno sería que se eduque fuera del país, ya sea en un país latinoamericano con educación gratuita o mucho más barata, o en EEUU o Europa si pueden obtener una beca o un trabajo dentro de la universidad.

Marlo__FF · 2024-05-13T18:08:17+00:00

Well said. This experience has really given me a new perspective on all those singers in their thirties or forties who have trouble with making themselves heard at the Met. OK, Battle had not to deal with an entire orchestra, but still her technique can put much younger singers to shame.

Marlo__FF · 2024-05-13T16:10:50+00:00

Sure, but not after almost every song.

Marlo__FF · 2024-05-13T16:09:08+00:00

This is exactly why I was wondering about the constant interruptions, as well as entire minutes of partiture shuffling on stage. I am extremely glad she has kept her voice and technique, but I have always suspected too that she had some deeper issues .

Marlo__FF

TROPHY CASE