19 Sep 2007

S.F. Opera's German diction coach, 91, speaks from experience

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/16/PKTKS1HAE.DTL&type=performance

Petra Maria Schnitzer (Elisabeth)(Photo by Terrence McCarthy)
Joshua Kosman [SF Chronicle, 16 September 2007]

When "Tannhäuser" opens at the San Francisco Opera on Tuesday night, take a good listen to the words - not just Wagner's intricately patterned poetry itself, but the precision and clarity with which the singers deliver it. Then offer a silent tip of the hat to Nora Norden, whose job is to make sure the German text emerges cleanly.