Joyce DiDonato: Talent + Moxie=Sexy
Photo: Sheila Rock
On the off chance that my fellow opera-loving readers (both of you) are not also consumers of “men’s” magazines, I’m quick-blogging an item you might have missed.
Mezzo-soprano extraordinaire Joyce DiDonato is included in Esquire magazine’s current list of “sexy women of 2009” (she’s #14 in the slide-show.)
Now, I happen to think lots of opera singers are sexy, but until recently it seems my tastes have not been shared by the conventional connoisseurs of pulchritudinous womanhood, and it is especially rare to see a mezzo-soprano feted for her feminine charms, given their customary relegation to the realms of “witches, bitches and britches.”
What evidently grabbed the attention of Esquire’s arbiters of female sexual appeal was DiDonato’s tough-gal gig as Covent Garden’s Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), when she carried on with the show after fracturing her leg. She went on to finish the run on four wheels rather than two legs.
Bravi! to Esquire’s editors for recognizing that sexy isn’t just full lips, big boobs and a propensity for adopting children from Africa/marrying superstar footballers/proclaiming one’s willingness to have sex with other women—it can and does include qualities like:
- Talent
- Dedication
- Humor
- Humility
- Warmth
- Gratitude
Qualities Joyce DiDonato has in spades.
