Nine full seconds of high drama

There are a number of crotch scratchers in Anthony Tommasini's Met Lucia puff piece, but this one is by far the itchiest:

At one point he turned an aborted high note into a dramatic coup. It came during the wedding scene, when Edgardo denounces Lucia for her faithlessness in an unaccompanied phrase. Mr. Villazón, a compelling actor, broke off the note he was struggling with, looked at Ms. Netrebko menacingly in silence, cleared his throat, then sang it again, this time with vehemence.

With a spin so audacious it would make Dick Cheney warm inside, Tommasini graciously throws Rolando Villazon's career a crucial lifeline. But since Tommasini has little credibility, we'll just file this one under "what crap", burp, and move on to more pressing matters of the day.