May 31, 2005
GOMES: Salvator Rosa
Antonio Carlos Gomes: Salvator Rosa
Francesco Ellero D’Artegna (duca); Francesca Scaini (Isabella); Mauro Pagano (Salvator Rosa); Gianfranco Cappelluti (Masaniello); Sofiya Solovey (Gennariello); Leonardo Gramegna (Conte); Salvatore Cordella (Fernandez); Volodymir Deyneka (Corcelli); Analisa Carbonara (Bianca); Tiziana Spagnoletta (Ines); Emil Zhelev (Lorenzo)
Coro da camera di Bratislava and orchestra Internazionale d’Italia, Maurizio Benini (cond.)
Dynamic 472/1-2 [2CDs]
One of the nice features of art in former times was the care-free way artists took in mining the same sources over and over again. Contents and quality were held in higher esteem than an “original” idea. Auber’s La Muette de Portici was still in full swing in many theatres when Antonio Ghislanzoni of Aida-fame concocted a libretto on the same subject: the rising of Naples led by the fisherman Tomas Aniello against the Spanish viceroy in 1647. (Incidentally, it is a legend that La Muette triggered the separatist mutiny that ended the united Netherlands in 1830.) And in 1953 composer Jacopo Napoli won third prize in the Verdi composition competition with another Mas’aniello which was duly performed at La Scala. As they couldn’t find a tenor, they asked a youngster, thanked him profusely after the job was done and sent him back home for another two years: Carlo Bergonzi.
The real hero in Ghislanzoni’s story however is the painter Salvator Rosa who assists Masaniello in the uprising. To the best of my knowledge the real painter was in Florence during the uprising and in any case lived another 26 years; a feat one would not surmise when one hears his desires for early death in this opera if he cannot have the girl. Well, I will not poke fun too much at the libretto but Ghislanzoni didn’t take too much pains. The painter is hopelessly in love with a girl he has seen once (so are Fernand in La Favorite and especially Raoul in Les Huguenots; this ploy is still used in Fred Raymond’s popular operetta Maske in Blau). She is of course the daughter of Rosa’s bitterest enemy (Donizetti’s Duca d’Alba) In the second act we get a song on the conquest of Naples with a Pim!Pom! text (Marcel’s Pif!Paf! in Les Huguenots).
The same eclecticism can more or less be said of Gomes’ music. One irresistibly thinks of a mixture of late Donizetti, middle Verdi and early Ponchielli, though the melodies of Gomes are just pleasing and do not get under the skin like Verdi’s best ones. Nevertheless Gomes could write a tune like the still famous bass aria and the magnificent song Mia peccerella, though some Caruso fans will be surprised that the aria is meant to be sung by a soprano instead of a tenor (did ever a soprano record E lucevan le stele or la donna è mobile?). The opera is a long one (2 hours and 40 minutes) and Gomes’ inspiration starts to flag somewhat in the last two acts though the music never degenerates into nondescript noise.
This is the third and very much the best recording of the opera. The 1977 live recording from Sao Paulo only gave a faint impression of the opera due to the bad sound. A new one from Dorset opera had some cuts and a lot of singers for whom 19th Century Italian opera was somewhat strange territory. The set under review was culled from performances in July 2004 at the wonderful Festival della Valle d’Itria in Martina Franca where so many operas are resuscitated and at the same time recorded by Dynamic (La Reine de Saba, Polyeucte). This year we get Marchetti’s Romeo e Giulietta and if the music is half as good as his Ruy Blas, we are in for a treat. The artistic director is Sergio Segalini (now the boss at La Fenice, too) who was for many years the editor of France’s best known magazine Opéra International. He invariably passed his summers as a jury member in any singing competition that offered good fare and a nice hotel. But, in that way he got to know a lot of young aspiring and promising singers who afterwards could be hired rather cheaply for the Festival and with a recording as a little extra.
The find on this recording is soprano Francesca Scaini; a wonderful spinto with a personal, somewhat smoky and sensual sound, who sings with passion and fire without chopping up phrases. And when she opens up she can drown anybody on the stage. A pity that Gomes had lost some steam by the moment he composed her big aria. For the moment, she is singing most of the time in Germany (and in Bieito’s productions as well). I hope her career will not be hampered by the fact that some directors think she has not enough “le fysique du role”.
The title role is sung by tenor Mauro Pagano, winner of the Gigli-competition in 2000. During the actual performances it was announced he suffered from laryngitis but this is not noticeable on the recording. We hear a firm, full and richly coloured tenor, not too subtle but with charm. He gives the impression the voice comes from rather deep in the throat without sounding ugly but he overcomes the long killer role very well.
Sofiya Solovey, a young Ukrainian soprano, is an outstanding Gennariello with a fresh spontaneous well schooled voice who gives us Mia peccerella with a real lilt in the voice. Baritone Gianfranco Cappelluti is somewhat the weak link; a rather rough and ready sound without any original colour in the voice and only a good top as an asset.
Bass Francesco Ellero d’Artegna is the only international star in the cast and, though he has one of the best tunes (Di sposo, di padre), he strikes me as a little bit bland, a little bit impersonal. Maybe the voice doesn’t record too well as I remember him as a compelling singer with an impressive sound in the flesh.
Conductor Maurizio Benini believes in the work he is conducting and he is joyous, sentimental or furious without ever exaggerating tempi. Only his Bratislava chorus (probably cheaper than Italian choruses) sounds a little thin.
The sound of the recording is fine and there are only a few extraneous noises. The recording comes with an Italian-English libretto.
All in all, a most rewarding experience and a must for those among you who can by now sing every Verdi from start to finish and vice-versa.
Jan Neckers
May 30, 2005
SALIERI: Tarare
Antonio Salieri: Tarare
Howard Crook, Jean-Philippe Lafont, Anna Caleb, Eberhard Lorenz
Deutsche Händel Solisten, Jean-Claude Malgoire (cond.)
Arthaus-Musik 100 557 [DVD]
The appearance of a DVD of the Beaumarchais — Salieri Tarare is cause for celebration. The work is an extraordinary curiosity; a child of the heady days just before the French Revolution, Tarare is the famous French writer’s only opera and one of the Italian composer’s rare French scores. First and most strikingly a work of social and political commentary, Tarare is also an entertaining work of theatre. Salieri’s music supports these aims admirably and offers a few memorable moments of its own. As an opera form, Tarare defies easy categorization; it may be best described as a comedic satire dressed in the clothes of a sprawling 5 act lyric tragedy, complete with Prologue and a grand divertissement with dance.
This performance, from the Schwetzinger Festspiele in 1988, is a co-production of the Badishe Staatstheatre Karlsruhe and the Théatre National Opéra de Paris, and makes an impressive case for the work as a lively comedy. The production is remarkably well cast, directed with great imagination by Jean-Louis Martinoty, and energetically performed by Jean-Claude Malgoire and the Deutsche Händel Solisten. There are several cuts made, the only disconcerting one being the elimination of most, but not all of the overture between the Prologue and Act I.
The Prologue is the most unusual part of the opera. It poses certain theatrical challenges that do not seem well met in this production, however. Interestingly, the opera opens with a storm scene. The stage is here filled with emblems of the nations of the world and their emperors, each struck down in slow motion by an allegorical figure wielding death’s scythe. It would have been preferable to have recreated, with the dance company, the pantomime of winds unchained described in the original stage directions, and to see them gradually calmed, the clouds dispersed, and a daytime countryside revealed, all in response to the musical score. What follows is a lengthy discourse between La Nature (Gabrielle Rossmanith) and the Le Genie de Feu (Klaus Kirchner) over the fates of each of the characters in the opera, whose shadows appear before them and whose souls they are about to awake. The discourse is convoluted, but filled with allusions to equality, class and power, science, character, and the creator.
Happily, from the first notes of Act I, we are in a world of action, where the author’s philosophical point of view, though heavy handed, is made in lively metaphor. The setting is an Asiatic kingdom, where Atar, the king, (Jean-Philippe LaFont) is frustrated by the adulation his people confer upon the heroic soldier Tarare (Howard Crook). Atar conspires with the high priest of Brama, Arthénée (Nicolas Rivenq) and the priest’s son Altamort (Hannu Niemelä) to abduct Tarare’s wife Astasie (Zehava Gal), whom the king desires, and to get rid of Tarare. It sounds like the stuff of dramatic opera, but from the very beginning it is hilarious. This hilarity is aided considerably by the two European servants in the court — the eunuch Calpigi (Eberhard Lorenz), and his wife Spinette (Anna Caleb), who are, appropriately, dressed as Harlequins in surroundings of Asiatic exoticism (stage design by Heinz Balthes and costumes by Daniel Ogier). There may be in the libretto a little more threatening evil to Atar’s character, but LaFont’s comedic talents and his singing are delightful. Howard Crook seems exactly right as the earnest hero Tarare, and his ‘Astasie est une Déesse’ is an air both arresting and beautiful. Eberhard Lorenz helps carry the drama forward with brilliant and athletic humor as he manipulates circumstances to Tarare’s advantage. The third act is primarily an extended divertissement, choreographed by Ann Jacoby. The wonderful conceit of this is that the ‘exotic’ elements are the Europeans, and it is very funny to see Atar and the long mustached Middle-Eastern soldiers trying to imitate a provincial French pastorale. The scene ends with a tuneful strophic Italian song sung by Calpigi that is cleverly and dramatically interrupted by the appearance of Tarare. At this point the work begins to take on the trappings of a rescue opera. The fourth act provides two musical moments worth mentioning — Astasie’s passionate air, alternating with recitative, “O mort, termine mes douleurs”, and a compelling duo reflecting the humorous emotional confusion of a scene of mistaken identity between Tarare and Spinette. In Act 5, Atar’s plans fall to pieces. The subjugated Tarare is loyal to the monarchy to the end, however, despite the king’s perfidy, but the soldier is still the object of the people’s affections. Humiliated, the king then ends his own life, and the people, led by Urson, the captain of the guards, (Jean Francois Gardeil) give the crown to Tarare, which he reluctantly accepts. The final chorus hammers the moral home; “Mortals,…..your greatness comes not from your rank, but from your character.”
The theatre at the Schwetzinger Festspiele is an intimate one, and it is a bit odd not to feel a greater presence of the audience and orchestra in the filming of this production. We wish to be laughing with the audience at this live performance, and to see the orchestra and conductor at work. Having eliminated the overture and thus the natural place to film the orchestra, the only time the camera focuses on the musicians is when the action happens to be brought to the edge of the stage. This is of course a small complaint in a welcome production of a fascinating opera that clearly reflects the ideas of its time. As Beaumarchais played a crucial role in financing the American Revolution, and Tarare was written on the eve of the Constitutional Convention, his social commentary will likely resonate with Americans, and we look forward to staging in this country soon.
Ryan Brown
Cherubini's Medea at Toulouse
Medea (Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863))
Medea
Antonacci, Médée de légende
Caroline Alexander [Le Journal des Spectacles, 25 May 05]
L’événement du mois, sinon de la saison, vient d’avoir lieu à Toulouse avec la nouvelle production d’un chef d’œuvre trop rarement joué : Medea de Luigi Cherubini. Avec, pour défendre le role-titre, l’éblouissante performance d’Anna Caterina Antonacci, couronnant une réalisation de tout premier plan, tant au niveau de l’Orchestre National du Capitole dirigé par Evelino Pido, qu’à celui des mises en scène, décors et costumes signés Yannis Kokkos. Une réussite exemplaire dont il ne faudra pas rater la reprise au Châtelet de Paris dans le cadre de son annuel festival des régions.* Compositeur majeur, à la fois contemporain de Mozart - il était son cadet de quatre ans - et de Beethoven - né dix ans après lui -, injustement boudé par divers oukases de ces modes qui se suivent puis se démodent, il était l’homme de la maestria absolue, héritier de Gluck, mozartien dans l’air du temps, adepte de la rigueur classique et annonciateur visionnaire du romantisme. Autant d’éléments et de formes qui émaillent son œuvre prolifique (opéras, cantates, messes, sublime musique de chambre) comme Les Cailloux du Petit Poucet. Berlioz le railla, l’admira, l’imita…
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Falstaff in LA
Bryn Terfel as Falstaff (Photo: LA Opera)
Scoundrel? Nay, a Boon Drinking Companion
By ANTHONY TOMMASINI [NY Times, 30 May 05]
LOS ANGELES, May 29 - Portraying the title role of Verdi’s “Falstaff,” which opened at the Los Angeles Opera on Saturday, the bass-baritone Bryn Terfel is so irascible, nimble on his feet and altogether charming that he almost makes you forget how splendidly he sings the music. Yes, this Falstaff is a blowhard, a bald and broken-down knight, and a shameless moocher.
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May 29, 2005
Mozart and Gluck in London
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Cosi Fan Tutte
Erica Jeal [The Guardian, 28 May 05]
Did Mozart really think Cosi Fan Tutte was a comedy? Matthew Warchus didn’t seem sure when he created his ENO staging three years ago; but, even if Steven Stead’s revival doesn’t milk every gag in Jeremy Sams’ wonderfully witty translation of Da Ponte’s libretto, there are enough laughs to make you think he might have done.
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La Clemenza di Tito
Andrew Clements [The Guardian, 28 May 05]
La Clemenza di Tito seems to be everywhere this year, but this concert performance, given by the Classical Opera Company as part of the Lufthansa Baroque Festival, was distinctly different. For this was not the opera seria composed by Mozart in the last few months of his life, but Gluck’s work on the same subject, first performed in Naples in 1752 and never heard in Britain until now.
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Voigt and Heppner at Cincinnati's May Festival
Deborah Voigt
‘Tristan and Isolde’ spectacular
By Janelle Gelfand [Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 May 05]
Friday will go down in the annals as one of the most spectacular opera evenings ever at the May Festival.
Two of the world’s greatest Wagnerian singers, soprano Deborah Voigt and tenor Ben Heppner, came together for the first time in Act II of “Tristan und Isolde,” a concert performance under the baton of James Conlon in Music Hall. It was one of those rare moments of music making that one feels lucky to witness, and the hall erupted in cheers for nearly 10 minutes at its conclusion.
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Replacing David Gockley
David Gockley
Houston Grand Opera gets a dressing-down
By CHARLES WARD [Houston Chronicle, 28 May 05]
Edward G. Wallace Jr., an oilman, has observed and supported the arts in Houston for several decades.
His great passion is opera, especially bel canto opera.
He got involved in the arts in Houston around 1970, when HGO general director David Gockley came to the company as business manager. Wallace has served on HGO’s executive committee and was a founder of HGO’s endowment fund. He contributed to the construction of the Wortham Theater Center — HGO’s library bears his name — and still sits in Box No. 14 in the Wortham’s Brown Theater.
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TCHAIKOVSKY: Eugene Onegin
Peter Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin
Maria Gavrilova (Tatyana), Vladimir Redkin (Eugene Onegin), Nikolay Baskov (Lensky), Aik Martirosyan (Prince Gremin), Yelena Novak (Olga), Urina Udalova (Larina), Alexander Arkhipov (Triquet)
Orchestra and Chrus of the Bolshoi Theatre, Mark Ermler (cond.)
Recently released by TDK, this version of a Tchaikovsky classic was recorded at the Bolshoi Theater in October 2000. Directed by Boris Pokrovsky and conducted by Mark Ermler, the production features Maria Gavrilova as Tatiana, Nikolai Baskov as Lensky, Vladimir Redkin as Onegin, Yelena Novak as Olga, and Aik Martirosyan as Gremin. It is very much a live recording, complete with curtain calls and screaming fans who cheer their favorites after practically every number (to the performers’ credit, there are no encores!).
Billed as a remake of the 1944 Bolshoi production (conducted by Alexander Melik-Pashaev, it is currently available on CD from Naxos), this is perhaps the most traditional of the four Onegin DVDs that will be available this year. Sets and costumes of the duel scene in particular may remind some viewers of the old black-and-white photographs that feature Kozlovsky as the tenor lead. Boris Pokrovsky’s work is typical of this director: his Onegin is a realistic costumed drama with lively crowd scenes and plenty of stage business. There are some nice touches: for instance, in the opening scene, Madame Larina, all aflutter at the arrival of unexpected guests, pretends to read a book while holding it upside down, which Olga promptly corrects. Very few directing ideas are what one would consider revisionist. The only significant one occurs at the end of the duel scene, when Lensky appears to make a gesture of reconciliation, walking toward his opponent with his arms outstretched; Onegin, without noticing, fires the fatal shot.
Overall, Onegin’s coldness and indifference are perhaps over-emphasized throughout Acts 1 and 2 (after his “sermon” to Tatiana in Tableau 3 he looks positively smug), which makes his sudden transformation into a passionate lover in the final scenes rather unconvincing. The fault may not lie with the director here, however: Redkin’s stage presence is stiff and reserved, while the voice is adequate but hardly memorable. Gavrilova’s Tatiana is more likable. Her voice is pleasant, with clear, pure tone in the high register; projection is sometimes an issue in the middle and low ones. On stage, the singer seems more comfortable as the dignified and refined St Petersburg socialite of Act 3 than as the shy country girl of the opening tableaux. In the latter, her repetitive gestures and perpetually ecstatic facial expression tend to get tiresome, although there are some nice moments with the Nurse just before the Letter Scene.
Novak’s Olga and Baskin’s Lensky sing well and look their parts. Novak is young, blond, coquettish, and carefree; her strong, deep contralto is as surprising a contradiction to her image now as it must have been at the opera’s 1879 premiere. Baskin is striking, mannered, and just a touch melodramatic, which Lensky’s music frankly invites. One only wishes that in the ball scene the singer would refrain from smiling so sweetly at his audience as he complains about his girlfriend’s betraying him with his best friend. Martirosyan as Prince Gremin shines in his single aria in Tableau 6. Other minor characters support the ensemble well, although the acting varies from stereotypical but acceptable (Udalova’s Larina) to truly atrocious (Borisova’s Nurse).
In a recent and most unfortunate Bolshoi tradition, the orchestral sound is heavy and loud, with the musicians occasionally finding it hard to stay in tune and in time. Equally predictably, the choristers seem constantly on the lookout both for each other and the beat. The ballet is as fine as ever; in the 4th-tableau ball sequence, Pokrovsky does a nice job mixing the corps with the singing characters, which provides lively action, albeit mostly by way of comic relief.
As for the technical aspects of the release, the DVD features include an easy-to-navigate menu with a select-a-scene option, a choice of different sound formats, and subtitles in multiple languages. Overall, this is a decent enough traditional introduction to Tchaikovsky’s opera for those unfamiliar with it (say, for a class of college students); for a connoisseur, I would suggest checking out the new version with Dyadkova and Leiferkus, which will be out on Kultur label later this month.
Olga Haldey
University of Missouri at Columbia
May 28, 2005
Alberto Vilar Arrested
Alberto Vilar
BLIGHT AT THE OPERA
By RICHARD WILNER [NY Post, 28 May 05]
Alberto Vilar, a hotshot millionaire money manager and the Metropolitan Opera’s largest benefactor, was hauled before a federal judge yesterday on charges he stole $5 million from a client — and then used part of the money to make a donation to his alma mater.
Vilar, 64, was nabbed by U.S. postal inspectors at 8:15 p.m. Thursday after stepping off a plane at Newark Airport. His business partner, Gary Tanaka, 62, was also arrested as he relaxed at an East Side hotel.
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Teatro Colon — Where The House Is The Show
Teatro Colon is something to sing about
Refurbished opera house in Buenos Aires is work of art
By Richard O’Mara [Batlimore Sun, 29 May 05]
Most people go to the opera to see the show. In Buenos Aires, many go just to see the opera house.
Recently refurbished, the Teatro Colon offers guided tours through what is one of the world’s truly great houses of music. These tours are a hot attraction, especially for the tourists flooding the Argentine capital these days, where the dollar still has muscle. The tours are in Spanish, English, Portuguese and other languages.
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A Profile of Valery Gergiev
Valery Gergiev (Photo: Mariinsky Theatre)
Valery Gergiev: Last of the great autocrats
The Kirov could easily have dispersed or gone bankrupt but Gergiev, through titanic effort, held it together
By Ian Irvine [The Independent, 28 May 05]
What makes Valery Gergiev run? When the announcement came last week that he was to take over from Sir Colin Davis as principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, it was obvious what the LSO got from the deal. It confirmed them as one of the world’s leading orchestras, able to attract (Sir Simon Rattle possibly excepted) the most talented and charismatic conductor of his generation. For Gergiev, however, it was just another high-profile post to add to his already prodigious workload.
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BELLINI: I Puritani
Vincenzo Bellini: I Puritani
Edita Gruberova (Elvira), José Bros (Arturo), Carlos àlvarez (Riccardo), Simón Orfila (Giorgio), Konstantin Gorny (Gualtiero), Vicenç Esteve Madrid (Bruno), Raquel Pierotti (Enrichetta)
Orquestra Simfonica i Cor del Gran Teatre del Liceu, Friedrich Haider (cond.)
TDK DVUS-OPIP [DVD]
Bellini’s last opera has had its share of classic performances on stage and in studio, but it has not truly challenged the prominence of the reigning work of this bel canto master, Norma. The Druid princess remains such an attraction both for sopranos who aspire to greatness and to audiences who relish its dramatic power that it alone of all Bellini’s works maintains a firm position in the standard repertory.
Musically, surely it would be hard to argue that Puritani has a weaker score — the quartet that begins with the tenor’s luscious A te, o cara can send as many chills down the spine as a well-performed Casta diva, and Elvira’s mad scene contains some of Bellini’s most inspired music. The mature operas of Verdi are visible on the horizon over and over again as the orchestra textures take on a color and depth beyond any of Bellini’s previous achievements.
Why then the relative neglect — though far from total — of I Puritani? A recent DVD release of a February 2001 Liceu production, staged by Andrei Serban, suggests some possible answers, but nothing definite. Ultimately, the performance has too many liabilities to draw any conclusions, except that even in these sadly qualified circumstances, the greatness of the score endures.
The production Serban directs presents most of the problems. First, its muted color scheme — dull earth tones of brown and gray — dulls the senses fairly quickly. Second, odd bits of business intrude — some by accident and some by design. The DVD captures a stage accident — a rifle falls off a rack to the floor early on, making quite a racket. The director — clumsy throughout the performance — won’t allow us to forget the mishap, but instead focuses on a singer replacing the rifle on the rack! Perhaps putting a rickety stand of firearms mid-stage as soldiers troop by made the accident inevitable, however, which points to the director.
Probably it was also director Serban’s idea to have Elvira’s wedding dress trotted back and forth across the stage hanging from a broomstick, like some sort of spooky effigy. Since it seems to take two people to carry it, all one can say is, Elvira must be a strong girl.
Edita Gruberova has made for herself a European-based career of such distinction that her fame extends beyond the continental borders, although she herself rarely if ever seems to leave them. Recently her Adele in Fledermaus, on a DVD of a Vienna performance, showed her in her youth, singing with amazing skill, real warmth and character.
Her Elvira here, however, will please unreservedly only her most besotted fans — many of whom seem to have been in the Liceu for the filming. Sensitivities to pitch fluctuations tend to be subjective, but your reviewer found her to be consistently just slightly under pitch through much of act one. Her high notes in the desperate climax of the act show her finding her best voice, and perhaps that is why she is rewarded for the scena with an ovation for which she breaks character twice to bask in the audience’s devotion (and the same thing occurs after her big act two aria). Perhaps a faulty production needs more dramatic conviction and focus, not less.
José Bros, Elvira’s love who seemingly betrays her before their wedding (in a little Lucia twist) has an attractive face and a handsome head of hair, although beyond that a rather typical tenor physique — short and stout. Any Arturo had better have some personal magnetism, as he gets arguably the most stunningly romantic entrance in all opera, A te, o cara. Here Serban utilizes the elevated walkway and a descending ramp to bring some very dramatic impact to the scene.
Bellini’s music for Arturo famously makes extraordinary demands, and Bros’s secure, highly placed tenor meets them well. But he lacks both the physical stature (maybe the chorus’s line that Arturo “stands most tall” should be omitted from the titles) and vocal charisma to carry off a role that is barely a character sketch.
Carlos àlvarez looks and sounds slightly uncomfortable as Sir Riccardo Forth, sweating under the lights as he tries to sing out Bellini’s long lines. The last two acts find him in more relaxed voice. As often happens, he is a more dashing figure on stage than his tenor rival. More impressive vocally is Simón Orfila as Elvira’s uncle; his handsome deep register dominates the early part of act two. Raquel Pierotti as Charles II’s widow, and the crux to what plot there is, makes one thankful for her character’s brief appearance, due to her unpleasant timbre.
Conductor Friedrich Haider chooses brisk tempos and forceful accents, causing some damage to Bellini’s great score. However, when the music of act three comes closer to anticipating the dramatic energy of Verdi, Haider comes through. Maybe Trovatore would be more his style.
Act three’s over-the-top melodrama, with a quite abrupt dues ex machine finish and hymn to Cromwell, may convince some that Puritani’s main problem is its antiquated dramaturgy. Surely Serban struggled with how to make the piece an effective drama on stage, and his struggles are memorialized on this DVD.
Nonetheless, the best moments here serve as potent evidence that the opera simply contains too much great music to be dismissed. Those of us with a special place in our opera-loving hearts for Vincenzo Bellini’s art can only hope that Puritani will find itself on DVD again, and soon, in a production and with a cast up to its challenges. This Liceu performance, flawed as it is, will have to serve till then.
Chris Mullins
Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy
García Opera Buffa Found
Manuel García (1775-1832) as Otello
Redescubren ópera bufa sobre Don Quijote de hace casi 200 anos
[Terra Actualidad, 27 May 05]
Una ópera bufa sobre Don Quijote, escrita hace 180 anos, ha sido redescubierta en Espana el ano del IV Centenario de la obra que la inspiró y posiblemente sea reestrenada, afirmó a EFE el director musical Juan de Udaeta.
La pieza, del compositor sevillano Manuel García (1775-1832), fue ‘exhumada’ por De Udaeta del Archivo Histórico de Madrid y un fragmento fue presentado al publico por primera vez en el marco del XVI Coloquio Cervantino Internacional, que se desarrolla en la ciudad colonial de Guanajuato, en el centro de México.
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May 27, 2005
Arabella at Châtelet
Karita Mattila (Arabella)
Strauss version luxe
Christian Merlin [Le Figaro, 27 May 05]
Il y a trois ans, l’Arabella de Richard Strauss mise en scène par Peter Mussbach avait été l’un des points culminants de la saison du Châtelet, mais avait divisé les esprits : certains avaient taxé de froideur le décor étonnant d’Erich Wonder, regrettant sans doute le rococo viennois. C’était oublier que le livret, laissé inachevé par Hofmannsthal, mort d’une apoplexie alors qu’il mettait son chapeau pour se rendre à l’enterrement de son fils, n’a strictement plus rien des stucs du Chevalier à la rose, mais éclaire avec cruauté le monde moderne des années 20 et sa décomposition sociale. Tout cela, ce hall de grand magasin avec ses escalators à l’endroit et à l’envers, le dit aussi bien que des personnages dont le rang social s’effrite sous l’assaut des névroses. Non seulement le spectacle n’a pas vieilli, mais il a gagné en concentration.
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Fisting Macbeth in Frankfurt
Zeljko Lucic as Macbeth (Photo: Jörg Landsberg)
Macbeth, Frankfurt Opera
By Shirley Apthorp [Financial Times, 27 May 05]
It doesn’t matter who sings what. At some point, someone’s fist is up someone else’s rectum. Some of us were not even sure this was anatomically possible until the nihilistic Catalan director Calixto Bieito took up opera. Now it’s routine.
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PURCELL: Dido and Aeneas and The Masque of Cupid and Bacchus
GAILLIARD: Pan and Syrinx
Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Nicola Wemyss (Dido), Matthew Baker (Aeneas). Francine van der Heijden (Belinda)
John Ernest Galliard: Pan and Syrinx
Johannette Zomer (Syrinx), Marc Pantus (Pan), Nicola Wemyss (Diana), Mitchell Sandler (Sylvan), Richard Zook (Nymph)
Henry Purcell: The Masque of Cupid and Bacchus
Penni Clarke (Cupid), Marc Pantus (Bacchus)
Musica ad Rhenum, Jed Wentz (cond.)
Brilliant Classics 92464 [2CDs]
This 2-disc recording contains three mid-Baroque English operas, two of them by Purcell. Dido and Aeneas is the well-known ancient Greek story of the widowed Carthaginian queen Dido and her doomed love for the wandering Aeneas, with its most famous aria built on a descending ground bass. The Masque of Cupid and Bacchus is a light-hearted comparison of the joys of love and drunkenness. Pan and Syrinx is a through-sung, one-act English opera on an original text by Lewis Theobald. It premiered at London’s Lincoln’s Inns Fields Theatre in 1718. London’s opera scene was dominated by Italian opera at this time, and it was very successful as an English-language opera. It is the story of the woodland god Pan, who falls for a cold-hearted nymph named Syrinx. Typical of maidens who are about to be ravished when they don’t want to be, Syrinx calls to the gods as Pan attempts to grab her, and she is transformed into a bunch of reeds, from which Pan makes his panpipe, in order to sing her eternal praise and lament her death.
Musica ad Rhenum attempts to avoid the anachronisms of style of eighteenth-century opera by using the rhetoric and aesthetics of that time in its performances. The recording is light and fresh, full of vigor and Baroque tone quality. This recording is quite enjoyable and enlightening.
Dr. Brad Eden
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Die Zauberflöte at Baden-Baden
Christoph Strehl (Tamino) and the Three Ladies of the Queen of the Night (Photo: KREMPER)
Die Zauberflöte, Festspielhaus, Baden-Baden
By Shirley Apthorp [Financial Times, 25 May 05]
In an age where youth and haste are prized, this is anachronistic: Claudio Abbado, at the age of 72, is conducting his first Magic Flute. Paradoxically, it would be hard to imagine the piece sounding fresher, more limber or agile.
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May 26, 2005
MOZART: Lucio Silla
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Lucio Silla, Dramma per musica in tre atti, K 135.
Anthony Rolfe-Johnson (Lucio Silla); Lella Cuberli (Giunia); Ann Murray (Cecilio); Britt-Marie Aruhn (Cinna); Christine Barbaux (Celia); Ad van Baasbank (Aufidio)
Orchestre et Choeurs du Theatre Royal de la Monnaie, Sylvain Cambreling (cond.)
Brilliant Classics 92343 [3CDs]
In December 1772, Mozart completed Lucio Silla on commission for Milan’s Teatro Regio Ducale — his second opera for Milan, after Mitridate. This opera seria is placed in ancient Rome, where Lucio Silla is the absolute dictator. Silla wishes to marry Giunia, the wife of the Roman senator Cecilio, whom he had exiled. After an attempt to assassinate Silla is thwarted, Cecilio is condemned to die. Silla eventually renounces the dictatorship, pardons Cecilio, frees all political prisoners, and gives freedom to the Roman people.
This is a recording of a live performance given in 1985 at the Theatre Royal de la Monnaie (aka DeMunt) in Brussels. This is yet another reissue of the recording, now on the Brilliant Classics label. This 3-disc set includes a booklet that provides the opera’s synopsis, the contents of each disc, and the libretto in Italian. There is no biographical information provided on the soloists, and there is no information provided on the orchestra and chorus. This is not a historically informed performance in that the sound quality is more Romantic than Classical in nature. It is also a live recording, which means that the listener can hear all of the audience’s movements and sounds throughout.
While the performance, as recorded live, is of a good quality for its time, Teldec’s recording with Peter Schreier, Edita Gruberova, Cecilia Bartoli, Dawn Upshaw, Yvonne Kenny, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting the Concentus Musicus Wien, is preferable.
Dr. Brad Eden
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Paul Kildea Resigns from Wigmore Hall
Paul Kildea
Paul Kildea to leave Wigmore Hall to concentrate on his conducting career
Having successfully completed the transition since William Lyne’s retirement, Paul Kildea has decided to concentrate on his freelance career as a conductor. Over the past two years Paul has combined his musical career with his artistic role at Wigmore Hall, devoting nine months of the year to planning and attending the Hall’s concerts and the remainder to his own performing. Sir John Tusa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, commented
While continuing to maintain its great artistic tradition, Paul Kildea has given the Hall a fresh approach to programming, building and creating an imaginative series including new and established artists since the refurbishment last October. The Board of Trustees wishes him every possible success for his future career.
Prior to Paul Kildea’s appointment, the position of Director of Wigmore Hall was split into separate artistic and executive functions, when John Gilhooly was appointed Executive Director in Autumn 2000. As Executive Director John Gilhooly leads on business and strategic planning as well as the management of all staff and departmental heads in the operational, marketing, fundraising, financial, educational and administrative areas. He has also driven the recent #3 million capital project and the new CD label. The board is grateful that John Gilhooly has agreed to take on the artistic responsibilities at Wigmore Hall, on an interim basis until Spring 2006, in addition to his role as Executive Director. In the meantime, the Trustees will consider the best way ahead for Wigmore Hall.
Paul Kildea:
Although hectic and a real balancing act, the last two years have been a wonderful time for me, Paul Kildea said. I’ve programmed in the best traditions of this great hall, but I’ve also nurtured many new artists and composers, and have had the privilege of working with a remarkable team and Board, all of which makes me very proud of the role Wigmore Hall fulfils in our culture today. But this period has also coincided with an intensifying of my own performing career, and with operas at Aldeburgh, the Hamburg Staatsoper and Perth in the immediate future, with concert work in Paris, London and Australia, and with a new book commission, I have reached the point where it is impossible to sustain both lives. I know there is never an ideal time to leave such a job, but with my 2005/6 season having just been released and with great planks of 2006/7 and 2007/8 in place, I think that now is as good a time as any.
Internationales Schubert Festival Steyr Begins
Ildiko Raimondi
Musikfestival: Zwischendurch die Forelle
Liebevoll und sinnvoll: Das Schubert-Festival in Steyr.
[Die Presse, 25 May 05]
Die Festspielzeit beginnt. Besonders liebevoll programmiert ist das Schubert-Festival im zauberhaften Ambiente von Steyr. Intendantin Elke Albrecht setzte zur Eröffnung auf Musik, die Schubert in Steyr oder für Auftraggeber aus der Stadt geschrieben hat. Ergebnis: eine rechte Schubertiade. Wann hört man schon Klaviersonaten, Lieder und Kammermusik in sinnvoller Abfolge nebeneinander? Ellen van Lier war sogar bereit, den Lieder-Teil des Konzerts in der Schlossgalerie unterbrechen zu lassen, um vor der Aufführung des “Forellenquintetts” noch das entsprechende Lied zu singen.
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Rigoletto at Teatro de la Ciudad
Genaro Sulvarán (Rigoletto)
Estrenan la ópera “Rigoletto”
Como en Nueva York
Norberto Angel [Diario de México, 25 May 05]
Por primera vez en México y con una producción fastuosa como se ha presentado en Nueva York se presentará en el Teatro de la Ciudad la ópera “Rigoletto” de Giuseppe Verdi.
Contará con la participación del barítono Genaro Sulvarán y la soprano Rosa Elvira Sierra y se presentará los días 19, 21, 23 y 26 de junio. En conferencia de prensa, se explicó, que también participará la companía independiente Opera de México, con jóvenes cantantes como Josue Cerón, Belén Rodríguez y Gerardo Reinoso.
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Rigoletto in St. Louis
Chen-Ye Yuan (Rigoletto)
Duke of Hazard
Opera Theatre comes out swinging with Rigoletto
By Lew Prince [RiverFrontTimes, 25 May 05]
Rigoletto was condemned by the governor of Venice as a deplorable, repugnant, obscene triviality. We live in more enlightened times: Compared to Desperate Housewives, Giuseppe Verdi’s tale of seduction, vengeance, corruption and murder is a walk in the park.
When Verdi was hired to write a new work for the 1850-‘51 season of Venice’s La Fenice theater, he decided to turn Victor Hugo’s play The King’s Amusements into an opera. It was nearly banned before it was written. The problem was, the play showed the king as a degenerate skirt chaser whose life revolved around bedding the wives, mistresses and daughters of everyone over whom his position gave him authority. The depiction of the deep corruption of power didn’t amuse the local authorities. By the time a compromise with the royal censors was worked out, Verdi had 40 days to write an opera.
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Maximillian Schell Directs Der Rosenkavalier at LA
Der Rosenkavalier (Artwork: Gottfried Helnwein)
Out of his Schell
Actor Maximilian Schell brings a new, exacting sensibility to L.A. Opera staging of ‘Der Rosenkavalier’
By David Mermelstein [U-Daily News, 24 May 05]
Tuesday, May 24, 2005 - Comparing Maximilian Schell to one of those purportedly extinct jungle species makes perfect sense. Those who have never observed Schell working will be forgiven doubting the continued existence of such a creature. And those who have are unlikely ever to forget it.
The Vienna-born Schell is best-known to Americans as a film actor. He won an Oscar as best actor in 1962 for playing an attorney defending Nazi war criminals in Stanley Kramer’s “Judgment at Nuremburg,” and the Academy nominated him twice more in the 1970s, for “The Man in the Glass Booth” and “Julia.”
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Valery Gergiev to Move to LSO
Valery Gergiev
Gergiev Post at London Symphony
By DANIEL J. WAKIN [NY Times, 24 May 05]
Could the conducting volcano that is Valery Gergiev be quieting down, at least in the near future?
The London Symphony Orchestra announced yesterday that Mr. Gergiev will become its principal conductor in January 2007. Mr. Gergiev, famous for his intensely busy schedule, comes to the end of two major commitments the following season.
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May 25, 2005
BACH: Cantatas, Vol. 14 & 15
J. S. Bach: Cantatas, vol. 14.
Deborah York, Annette Markert, Lisa Larsson - Soprano
Bogna Bartosz, Franziska Gottwald - Alto
Jörg Dürmüller, Christoph Prégardien, Paul Agnew - Tenor
Klaus Mertens - Bass
The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir, Ton Koopman.
Antoine Marchand CC72214 [3CDs]
Click image for contents.
J. S. Bach: Cantatas, vol. 15.
Deborah York, Sandrine Piau, Johannette Zomer, Sibylla Rubens - Soprano
Bogna Bartosz - Alto
Jörg Dürmüller, Christoph Prégardien, Paul Agnew, James Gilchrist - Tenor
Klaus Mertens - Bass
The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir, Ton Koopman.
Antoine Marchand CC72215 [3CDs]
Click image for contents.
These two sets of three CDs each are the current installment in Ton Koopman’s monumental complete cycle of J.S. Bach’s cantatas, performed by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir, and produced by his wife, Tini Mathot. The cycle started out in 1995 on the Erato label, but only twelve volumes had been published when Erato was disbanded by its parent company, Time Warner. After searching for another label that would take over his cycle project, Koopman finally applied for a loan and started his own label, Antoine Marchand, which is distributed by Challenge Classics and Allegro. Koopman’s cycle has loosely followed Bach’s original chronological order of performance for the volumes appearing so far (vol. 1-13.) Appearing after a gap of two years since vol. 13, the current two volumes cover cantatas from Bach’s second to third yearly cycles of cantatas for Leipzig (chorale cantatas.)
There are three other Bach cantata cycles out there, many of which are now out of print. The earliest was Harnoncourt and Leonhardt’s series on Teldec, which used only boys and men as vocalists and an orchestra of period instruments (Koopman actually played organ on some of these). What we would now call the “early music” style was employed in these recordings, and in fact was at least in part probably gelled by these sessions. Helmut Rilling’s more or less contemporaneous series on Hänssler Classic used a mixed chorus and soloists of adult women and men with less attention to the “early music” style. Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s newer series on Deutsche Grammophon, now on his own label Soli Deo Gloria, again uses a mixed chorus and soloists of adults singing in “early music” style and a period instrument orchestra. For practical reasons, Koopman also uses adult women and men choristers and soloists singing in “early music” with a period instrument orchestra.
Unlike the early volumes in this cycle, which were pitched at a very high A of 465 cycles per second (modern concert pitch is at A=440 cps), these two volumes employ the more usual early-music standard of A=415 cps. The chorus of 18 men and women sings cleanly and stylistically for the most part, except for a few spots where vibrato stands out in the soprano section. Choral trills are clean, diction is good, and the blend very nice. The large group of soloists is for the most very good, although there is some struggling on the part of tenor Jörg Dürmüller, and the lowered pitch adversely affects the low notes of bass Klaus Mertens. All of the soloists have agile and clear voices and exquisite diction. The orchestra of period instruments sounds very good, and the occasional organ solos by Koopman are wonderful.
Each volume includes appendices with alternate versions of movements or entire cantatas. Brief program notes by Bach scholar, Christoph Wolff (who also consulted with Koopman on score sources), provide background information for each cantata, and accurate translations from the original German to English and French are provided. All in all, this series (as published so far, anyway) provides a wonderful rendition of Bach’s cantata cycle in historically aware performances.
Betty Woerner
May 24, 2005
Teresa Berganza: The Spanish Soul
Teresa Berganza: The Spanish Soul
Brilliant Classics 6990 [3CDs]
Brilliant Classics’ Teresa Berganza: The Spanish Soul is an outstanding compilation of Spanish songs and cycles by prolific Spanish and Latin American composers, including de Falla, Granados, Turina, Guridi, Toldra, Villa-Lobos, Braga, and Guastavino. The very beauty of this recording is the innate sense of energy in the Spanish style, which both Berganza and pianist Juan Antonio Alvarez Parejo seem to execute effortlessly. Once more, such an extensive collection of well-known compositions alongside rare jewels creates an essential recording.
The major highlights of this 3-CD recording include Joaquin Turina’s Poema en forma de Canciones and six song selections of Villa-Lobos. Turina’s “Nunca olvida” provides a powerful interplay between piano and voice, with both voices sweeping across the dynamic spectrum. Parejo and Berganza intertwine themselves and their lines in the complex current of the Latin rhythm, creating a serene yet breathtaking experience. Villa-Lobos’ songs are a favorite, encompassing the varied Latin dance rhythms while creating specific vignettes in each piece. “Adeus Ema” is performed with such beauty, simplicity, with a touch of a folk element, that one hardly notices its simple structure.
With the renaissance of the song recital, many of these pieces are beautiful, intriguing additions for American performances. This compilation would make a wonderful resource if it included extensive liner notes, specifically with English translations of the Spanish texts, as well as a small bio of each composer and their output. Sadly, it does not. Yet, Berganza is a wondrous performer, allowing the listener to enter her world colored by the diverse timbres and rhythms of Spanish song.
“A recital is a supreme trial to the genuine voice. The singer offers to the best of audiences the best results to their search for genuine beauty. A recital is the essence of beauty.” — Teresa Berganza
Sarah Hoffman
Ivan Kozlovsky: The Great Russian Tenor
Ivan Kozlovsky: The Great Russian Tenor
Pearl GEM 0221
This new release from Pearl presents an anthology of Russian selections, primarily operatic, performed by tenor Ivan Kozlovsky (1900-1993). Kozlovsky was one of the giants of the Russian operatic stage during its glory days in the 1940s and 50s; he recorded extensively with Melodiya, both Russian and Western repertoire. Surprisingly, however, there has apparently never been a Kozlovsky Russian anthology available prior to this release (Myto Records released a collection of the singer’s Western operatic hits in 2000). It is gratifying to see it finally here.
The singer is featured in some of his signature roles: Berendei (Rimsky-Korsakov, Snow Maiden), Sinodal (Rubinstein, Demon), Levko (Rimsky-Korsakov, May Night), Vladimir Igorevich (Borodin, Prince Igor), Bayan (Glinka, Ruslan and Liudmila), Indian Guest (Rimsky-Korsakov, Sadko), Prince (Dargomïaut;zhsky, Rusalka), Vladimir (Napravnik, Dubrovsky), and of course Lensky (Tchaikovsky, Eugene Onegin) and the Holy Fool (Mussorgsky, Boris Godunov). A rendition of Rachmaninov’s popular art song “Ne poi krasavitsa” (“Oh cease thy singing, maiden fair,” op. 4 no. 4), and the same composer’s rarely heard setting of Pimen’s monologue from Pushkin’s Boris Godunov are also included.
The recordings are beautifully remastered, and date from ca. 1947-1953, when the singer was at the height of his vocal power, his fame, and his great rivalry with his colleague at the Bolshoi, Sergei Lemeshev. Perhaps the most overwhelming first impression is Kozlovsky’s sound — beautifully lush, full, and rich in overtones, its endless lyrical flow rendered with astonishing flexibility and control, despite occasional tension in the upper register. His diction and phrasing are impeccable. Musical purists should not expect a meticulous approach to the score, however — tempo fluctuations, dramatic rests, and other examples of the old-style operatic “editorializing” abound. For traditional “white tenor” roles represented on Pearl’s recording, see primarily the two popular selections from Eugene Onegin, “I love you” and “Whither, whither,” as well as a cavatina from Rusalka and an aria from May Night.
Perhaps the most recognizable quality of Kozlovsky’s timbre is its slightly narrow, almost reed-like quality, with an ever-present vibrato. An object of unkind jokes late in his life, on these early recordings this tone color is more of an idiosyncrasy that makes for some truly unique interpretations. It is particularly noticeable in the “oriental” selections the singer performs — arias and art songs that evoke an image of exotic “Asian” Russia through gently undulating harmonies, rich ornamentation, and yes, the sound of the solo reeds — oboe, bassoon, and English horn. Look especially for the “Song of the Indian Guest” extolling the treasures of the mysterious East, the aria of young Vladimir Igorevich luxuriating in love with a Polovtsian beauty, the exotic romance of Prince Sinodal, and a passionate appeal to a Georgian maiden by Rachmaninov’s unnamed protagonist.
Another notable trait of Kozlovsky’s talent is its remarkable versatility in handling not only lyrical, but also character parts. This comes across particularly well in an anthology of excerpts from Russian operas in which, after all, a tenor is rarely the leading man. The singer creates memorable images of old sages — the ancient bard Bayan in Ruslan, and the wise sun-worshipper Tsar Berendei in the Snow Maiden (represented, unfortunately, by his second, less interesting cavatina). The Holy Fool in Boris Godunov is perhaps Kozlovsky’s most internationally acclaimed role; Pearl includes an excerpt from the St Basil Scene, complete with the choruses and an appearance by Alexander Pirogov as Boris. For those taken with this selection, the complete recording of the opera (with Nikolai Golovanov conducting) is available from Opera D’oro; Vera Stroeva’s 1954 outstanding film version with the same cast is currently out on DVD.
All in all, fans of Kozlovsky’s art and connoisseurs of traditional bel canto singing style will no doubt be delighted with the new recording. I would particularly encourage those who are only familiar with the singer’s late records, on which his previously incredible control is weakened, while the notorious vibrato is more pronounced, to hear the Pearl selections. A truly great tenor waits to be rediscovered.
Olga Haldey
University of Missouri at Columbia
Arie del ‘700 Italiano (Italian arias of the 18th century)
Arie del ‘700 Italiano (Italian arias of the 18th century)
Mónika González, soprano, with the Savaria Baroque Orchestra, Fabio Pirona (cond.)
Hungaroton HCD 32253 [CD]
Featuring nine arias from various eighteenth-century operas and composers, this recording contains a wide variety of dramatic songs, three of which are the recitative and aria “Se cerca, se dice: “I’amico dov’e?” and “Ha keres, ha kerdez: a baratom hol van?” from the opera L’Olimpiade, set by three different composers. Accompanied on period instruments by the Savaria Baroque Orchestra, Mónika González does a magnificent job with each of the arias on this disc. She is a former winner of the International “Toti dal Monte” singing competition, and has studied by personal invitation with Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge at their home in Montreaux.
The three settings of the same recitative and aria from L’Olimpiade are the focal point of this recording. The composers are Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736), Giovanni Paisiello (1741-1816), and Niccolo Vito Piccinni (1728-1800). Pergolesi’s version, which premiered in Rome in 1733, was based on a libretto of Metastasio, which was considered a masterpiece, so much so that over fifty different composers set this libretto to music during the eighteenth century. While Pergolesi’s version was considered a failure at its premiere, it went on to be performed consistently throughout the eighteenth century, and inspired much admiration. It is now considered to be one of Pergolesi’s masterpieces, along with his La serva padrona.
Other composers and operas that appear on this disc include arias from Niccolo Jommelli’s (1714-1774) Armida abbandonata, Leonardo Leo’s (1694-1744) Catone in Utica, Pergolesi’s Adriano in Siria, Antonio Sacchini’s (1730-1786) L’eroe cinese, Baldassare Galuppi’s (1706-1785/9) Antigona, and an aria from a missing opera by Tommaso Traetta (1727-1779). Overall, this is an excellent recording of eighteenth-century opera arias, with a nice comparison/contrast of three different settings of the same aria to music.
Dr. Brad Eden
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
ADAM: Si J’etais Roi
LEHÁR: Rose de Noël
Adolphe Adam: Si J’etais Roi
Soloists; Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire
Richard Blareau, conductor
Accord Opérette 476 2104 [2CDs]
Franz Lehár: Rose de Noel
Soloists; orchestra and chorus
Felix Nuvulone, conductor
Accord Opérette 472 871-2 [2CDs]
Accord has gone back to the vaults for an attractively packaged series called “Opérette.” On the evidence of two of the sets, these releases feature recordings made in the late 1950s and early ’60s. The booklets are entirely in French (and offer no librettos whatsoever), but even a French-challenged persons such as your reviewer can understand the inside front cover, which appears to explain that the recordings are the efforts of “L’Academie Nationale de l’Opérette.” This organization appears to have as its rationale — all right, raison d’etre — the preservation, if not resuscitation, of the great French tradition of light musical entertainments. With bold, bright colors decorating the packaging, the sets come across as delectable candy boxes — but how much sweetness one will enjoy when partaking of the series does depend on a taste for the bouncy, frivolous world of operetta.
The Lehár set, titled Rose de Noel, is a bit of a curiosity. No such title would be found in a catalog of Lehár’s works. A Professor Rekai and Paul Bonneau adapted the music from a number of Lehár’s German operettas [see Editor’s Note below], and a Raymond Vincy concocted the French libretto with a new story line. As such, the end product calls to mind some Opera Rara sets of adapted Offenbach, such as Christopher Columbus. Opera Rara, in that set, offered an index of which numbers had been appropriated from which Offenbach operetta; Accord does not offer this helpful information. A couple of the tunes do sound familiar, but as operetta music tends to always sounds familiar, even when first encountered, no specific conclusions can be deducted from that fact.
At any rate, the set is quite short — on two discs just barely over 80 minutes total time, and of course, that includes quite a bit of dialogue. The performances have wonderful Gallic flair, and for Lehár fans, the appeal of hearing the music without a Teutonic tone may have great appeal. For others — the 80 minutes may feel much, much longer.
The Adam presents quite another story — though still somewhat short and dialogue heavy, especially on disc two. Here is a delightful series of tunes from a composer all but forgotten, except for his ballet score Giselle and the great but sadly over played Oh Holy Night. In fact, some music in act two (Pour le royal banquet) shares the same snappy rhythm as Adam’s tremendous tenor showpiece from the opera of the same name, Der Postillon von Lonjumeau (as recorded on Capriccio 60-040-2). Adam offers a greater variety of mood and tempo than Lehár does, although it would be stretching the truth to claim that the music suggests a long-lost gem. The entertainment quotient, however, is very high.
For fans of French tenor head voice, Andre Mallabrera puts on quite a display. His light soprano counterpart, Liliane Breton, warbles a bit more than one would accept from even a beloved canary. The chief counterweight to these high, sweet voices is the graceful baritone of Rene Bianco. Richard Blareau’s direction manages the neat trick of keeping the soufflé fresh and never in risk of deflation for 90+ minutes.
The inside covers feature numerous pictures of other titles in this Opérette series, perhaps the most well known title being Offenbach’s La Belle Helene. If that set has the native tang and flair of these two sets, it might be quite a pleasure.
It might take the online shopper some time to find from where these sets can be ordered, and of course, reading French will allow for at least a basic understanding of the plots, as a synopsis is provided. For a colorful, tuneful glimpse at a world long gone, the Opérette series looks to have a wonderful viewing platform to offer.
Chris Mullins
Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy
[Editor’s Note: The Accord Opérette series is available in the U.S. through Premiere Music Distributors and in Europe through Amazon.fr and other vendors.
A question has arisen as to the source of Lehar’s music for Rose de Noel. The music for Rose de Noel was based on 17 unpublished airs found in the Budapest Conservatory by Professor Rekaïaut;. These were for a new unpublished and unperformed work that was to be titled Premier battement de coeur (First beating of the heart), the scenario for which was by journalist Karl Kristof. Permission to use the airs was obtained from Mme. Paphazaïaut;, sister and sole heir to Lehar.
Bonneau realized the score because Rekaïaut; had trouble getting out of Hungary, although he eventually did, and Vincy wrote the livret. It was well received and given 415 consecutive performances at Maurice Lehmann’s Châtelet.
Click here for additional details and citations to source materials.]
May 23, 2005
DONIZETTI: Maria Stuarda
Gaetano Donizetti: Maria Stuarda (sung in English)
Dame Janet Baker (Mary Stuart); Pauline Tinsley (Queen Elizabeth I); Keith Erwen (Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester); Don Garrard (George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury); Christian Du Plessis (Sir William Cecil); Audrey Gunn (Hannah Kennedy)
The English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras
Live recording London, 13 December 1973
Ponto 1031 [2CDs]
One of the more interesting debates in arts politics in England last century centered on the language in which operas should be performed. While some staunchly favored opera in the original, others maintained that librettos should be translated into the vernacular. The latter side felt strongly that opera in English would nurture a national style of operatic presentation; a more chauvinistic argument suggested that if native composers heard opera in English, they would be more likely to attempt to set original English librettos (which, of course, would come from the pens of similarly inspired writers). Benjamin Britten and W.H. Auden’s Peter Grimes (1945) might be interpreted as representative of such a strategy. In addition, the mounting of vernacular performances also would inspire British performers (and discourage foreign singers who would be less likely to want to relearn a role in a new language). The debate eventually led to the division of operatic labor, with Covent Garden (soon to be renamed The Royal Opera) to perform works in their original languages and Sadler’s Wells (renamed the English National Opera after its move to the Coliseum, where it remains today) to produce works in translation. Thus, it was left up to audiences to decide which they preferred—or, better yet, to enjoy them both.
The Ponto label is presently in the process of issuing recordings of operas starring the great English mezzo Dame Janet Baker. The third in this series is her performance as Mary Stuart in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda in the 1973 English National Opera production (other Baker recordings issued by Ponto include Handel’s Admetus in English and Gluck’s Alceste in French). This recording merits note for a variety of reasons. First, it serves as an example of the aims of the aestheticians who deemed opera in translation a necessity in mid-twentieth century England. As translations go—and some can be dead wrong—this libretto stays well within the meaning of Giuseppe Bardari’s original text. One might wish that the program booklet included the translator’s name, but perhaps it was unknown even to the Ponto producers. In addition to significance, the selected vocabulary also matches well with the melodic line; hence, instead of awkward patches of sounds one often hears in performances employing translated librettos (English or otherwise), the sung text flows well with the music.
In the context of the opera’s history, this recording also proves of interest. Donizetti composed the opera for Naples and specifically for one of his favorite sopranos, Giuseppina Ronzi De Begnis. The Bourbon censors, however, were always touchy about tales that suggested political coups or the death of a monarch, so the subject was rejected as written. Donizetti reworked the opera as Buondelmonte, which premiered at the San Carlo in 1834. Enter the legendary Maria Malibran, who wanted to perform the opera as it had been composed. Censors in Milan were no more enthusiastic about the tale than were their colleagues in Naples, but Malibran skirted their orders and sung the work without revision, resulting in a ban against the work. A heavily-censored score was employed for subsequent performances. Early twentieth-century performances, including the one on this recording, are based on revised versions of the score. Only in the late 1980s when Donizetti’s autograph manuscript was discovered in Sweden was the opera returned to its original two-act form, now published in the critical edition of the composer’s works.
This recording is a prime example of Baker’s artistry. Indeed, this version of the score, which Donizetti lowered for Malibran’s own mezzo voice, suits her perfectly. Baker’s ability to create dramatic portrayals is apparent as well, especially in scenes with Keith Erwen (Leicester) and especially in the final numbers of Act III such as “Death hovers near me, so take my pardon” (“D’un cor che muore reca il perdono” in the original). Soprano Pauline Tinsley, another classic of this golden age of the ENO, performs ably as Elizabeth, but her voice (perhaps as captured in this live recording) is often less brilliant and less skilled than Baker’s. Indeed, in “May the light of wisdom and justice” (“Ah! del ciel discenda un raggio”), she clings for dear life to the dangerously high penultimate note of the cadenza. Dramatically, however, she matches Baker in scenes in which the rival half-sisters (also rivals for Leicester’s affections) meet head on. Erwen has a pleasant and lyrical tone, but his interpretation is somewhat stereotypical of a bel canto tenor. Of even greater concern is a questionable sense of pitch; he tends to sit on the flat side of a pitch, a trait particularly noticeable in his duets with Baker and Tinsley, who to their credit fail to allow him to pull them down off the correct note. Credible interpretations are turned in by bass Don Garrard as Talbot, baritone Christian Du Plessis as Cecil, and mezzo Audrey Gunn as Hannah. Although all are not British, all are native English speakers (Garrard is Canadian and Plessis, South African); hence, all fit the image of the singers whom vernacular advocates were promoting.
The CD includes a list of the tracks and liner notes (by Andrew Palmer) but no printed libretto. Although the cast members carefully enunciate, in strettas like “My arrogant rival has long sought to rob me” (“Sul crin la rivale la man mi stendea”) the text simply is sung too quickly for comprehension. If issuing more of Baker’s (or anyone’s) performances in English is intended, this might be something Ponto could keep in mind.
Aside from the usual blemishes of a live recording - applause, coughs, singers’ footsteps as they trod the stage - this Maria Stuarda documents an important stage in the mature compositions of one of the dramatic masters of the Ottocento, an equally important part of the narrative of English opera in the twentieth century, and one of England’s greatest voices.
Denise Gallo
Geistliche arien des norddeutschen Barock (Sacred Baroque arias from North Germany)
Geistliche arien des norddeutschen Barock (Sacred Baroque arias from North Germany)
Ruth Ziesak, soprano, with the Berliner Barock-Compagney.
Capriccio 67125 [CD]
This disc features nine compositions by eight composers located in the area of northern Germany from the sixteenth to the early seventeenth centuries. Despite the title, this recording presents sets of sacred compositions for soprano voice and instruments separated by purely instrumental pieces. The disc begins and ends with compositions by Christian Geist (ca. 1640-1711); otherwise, there is a variety of composers and compositions represented here.
All of the composers experienced the results and consequences of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), either directly or indirectly. They also saw the flourishing of the bourgeoisie in the Hanseatic League’s major trading centers, particularly Hamburg, Lübeck, Stralsund, Halle, and Copenhagen. Two pieces by Geist, “Vater unser, der du bist im Himmel” and “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern,” are for soprano, two violins, viola da gamba, and basso continuo, and they frame the other compositions on the disc. Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) is represented by his Sonata in B-flat major (Bux WV 255) for violin, viola da gamba, and basso continuo. A well-done version of Samuel Ebart’s (1655-1684) “Miserere, Christe, mei” for soprano, violin, viola da gamba, and basso continuo, follows the Buxtehude composition. Johann Vierdank (ca. 1605-1646) is represented by his Passemezzo e la sua Gagliarda for two violins and basso continuo. A piece for soprano and four viols “Ach Herr, las deine lieben Engelein” by Franz Tunder (1614-1667) is next, followed by a Suite in A major for two violins, viola da gamba, and basso continuo by Johann Adam Reincken (1623-1722). Christoph Bernhard’s (1628-1692) “Aus der Tiefe rufe ich zu dir” for soprano, two violins, and basso continuo leads into Thomas Baltzar’s (ca. 1630/31-1663) Airs for solo violin in four movements.
Ruth Ziesak is the featured soprano on the disc. Her portrayal of Pamina in Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the 1991 Salzburg Festival was the beginning of a long and successful career that includes numerous operas, song recitals, concerts, and recordings. Her voice blends in well with the authentic period instruments used in this recording, which include viola da gamba and lute. Overall, this is a worthy recording of Baroque sacred arias and instrumental compositions.
Dr. Brad Eden
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
La Cenerentola at Glyndebourne
Vladimir Jurowski (Photo: Glyndebourne Festival)
La Cenerentola
Robert Thicknesse at Glyndebourne [Times Online, 23 May 05]
IT IS 35 years since Sir Peter Hall’s first Glyndebourne production, 21 since he became director of productions and 15 since he stormed out. Two of his productions are playing this year, including this curtainraiser; it makes you wonder what is going on there.
Once it was about great casting, getting the right directors and conductors, doing things, in the house’s own phrase, as well as they could be done. That sounds hollow after last year’s moronic Magic Flute, now being revived alongside this Rossini, another notable misfire. The season’s hopes now rest on the wobbly sands of a new David McVicar production of Giulio Cesare and a revival of Jonathan Dove ‘s brilliant Flight, a 1998 commission and a reminder of days when Glyndebourne had direction.
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Die Zauberflöte at Glyndebourne
Scene from Magic Flute (Photo: Glyndebourne Festival)
Die Zauberflöte
Tim Ashley [The Guardian, 23 May 05]
Conductor Charles Mackerras is 80 later this year, a fact he is seemingly already celebrating with multiple performances of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Hard on the heels of a revival at Covent Garden and a new recording for Chandos comes a second revival at Glyndebourne, which, purely in terms of conducting and playing, is well nigh exemplary. Mackerras’s interpretation of Zauberflöte has always combined serenity with great wit, and his deployment here of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment adds an extra emotional dimension, with the darker sound of period instruments creating a mood of spiritual austerity that offsets the score’s humour and humane warmth.
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May 22, 2005
I Masnadieri at Liège, 21 May 2005
Amarilli Nizza (Amalia) and Misha Didyk (Carlo Moor) (Photo: Opéra Royal de Wallonie)
I never “got” I Masnadieri; not even in the wonderful Bergonzi-Caballé recording I bought the moment it appeared in 1975. I had a feeling that for once Verdi had lost his unbelievable magic as a tune-smith. Corsaro, Giorno di Regno, Battaglia, Alzira etc. all sounded familiar after a few playings but Masnadieri never got under my skin with the exception of the rousing tenor cabaletta and the soprano’s aria. I was in good company as even Budden in his well-known analysis of the opera speaks of “a seemingly backward step.” Well, the good news is that Verdi of course knew it better and that the opera really works in a professional production with acceptable singers.
Not that the Liège production (originating in Lübeck) by the Swiss director Dieter Kaegi with sets and costumes by Stefanie Pasterkamp was stunningly revealing. You cannot pin a definite time-frame on it though it definitely looks post World War II. The first scene in the first act has Carlo singing in a magnificent library instead of the outside of a tavern on the frontier and the masnadieri literally push their way in through the library walls destroying a lot of books while their destroyed pages will stay on the scene till the end of the opera; probably a symbol for tenor Carlo’s lost academic career.
From the second scene on we are in the castle of the Moor family where we’ll stay for the remaining three acts as well though the castle becomes more and more of a waste. So there is no forest and one wonders why Amalia on her flight for Carlo’s utterly bad baritone brother Francesco is running around in the same place where the bad guy tried to have his way with her.
Another “modern” touch was having father Massimiliano pushed around by Amalia in a wheelchair on a platform above two forbidding stairs. Now it’s not a bad idea to have poor old and sick Massimiliano creep down those stairs but there was some tittering in the house the moment the soprano started her aria while at the same time trying to push the wheelchair (luckily without the bass in it) downstairs.
A better idea was the end of the opera. After Carlo has killed Amalia (which is in the libretto) his bunch of bandits kill him (not in the libretto) to punish him for his back-pedalling on his oath or because they cannot enjoy the girl. Anyway it made for strong theatre. All in all, the production was not outrageous or didn’t make the singers life miserable but neither did it much to help us forget the libretto’s weaknesses.
The musical side was very strong with one exception. Honour should go to Jean-Pierre Haeck and his orchestra. He clearly believed in the score and didn’t rush the cabaletti to get over with them as quickly as possible. He supported his singers very well and allowed them the acuti Verdi didn’t write or the cadenza’s the composer left to the imagination of the singers (as a practical guy he knew that creator Jenny Lind would improvise her own anyway, so why lose energy on writing them). Haeck succeeded very well in mounting the tension of the opera and by the third and fourth act the whole house was in thrall of a musical drama which they would probably find ridiculous if they read it beforehand. Haeck integrated the rum-ti-tum chorus passages well, making these waltzes even threatening.
The best singing of the evening came from bass Enzo Capuano. This veteran is always a joy to watch and to hear. His voice is not overly big or distinguished though there is a certain nobility in the timbre but he is clearly steeped in the great Verdian tradition, knows how to emphasize a phrase and has the legato necessary for those long rolling utterances.
Less Verdian was Ukrainian tenor Misha Didyk. Mezza-voce and piano are not his strongest features and he has a lisp in the best Corelli-tradition. But the voice is a real tenor, with a lot of metal, ring and squillo in it and he made some exciting sounds in the cabaletta “Nell’argile” while in the last act he rose to the tragic situation. The voice is almost a copy of the sound of youthful Galouzin before that darkened so heavily.
Amarilli Nizza has some fine qualities. She is beautiful and slender and has a real Italian rich voice, especially in the upper middle register. Above the staff however the voice at times (which she seemingly cannot always control herself) often becomes either thin or somewhat shrill.
The musical fly in the ointment was baritone Marcel Vanaud. Of course it is the duty of the Walloon opera to give chances to Walloon singers but Vanaud has been singing here for 30 years and it was never a thing of beauty. The voice is big, still can sail to a G but is unacceptably throaty and has some really ugly patches. Francesco may be a villain but that doesn’t mean that pure noise without any smoothness or a hint of legato will do. So I think it’s more than time for Mr. Vanaud to retire (and next season he is back as father Miller, a role which really asks for belcanto singing) and leave his place to younger and far better Walloon Verdi baritones as Lionel Lhote who is this season’s favourite baritone in the Flemish opera.
Jan Neckers
G&S at Opera Australia
HMS Pinafore/Trial by Jury (Graphic: Opera Australia)
HMS Pinafore, Trial By Jury
John Slavin [The Age, 23 May 05]
When the irascible W.S. Gilbert was directing this break-through operetta, he admonished a soprano: “This is not Italian opera. It is only a low burlesque of the worst possible kind.”
It is impossible to tell whether Gilbert was serious or whether this was an example of his refined sense of mockery of everything in British life that took itself too seriously.
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Caruso Love Letters To Become Public
Enrico Caruso
Caruso love letters reveal passion behind a life of epic operatic drama
Hoard of 2,000 documents ranges from the mundane to the intimate
John Hooper in Rome [The Guardian, 23 May 05]
More than a thousand previously unknown letters, said to have been written by the legendary tenor Enrico Caruso, are to be made available to the public next month, according to a report published yesterday.
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May 21, 2005
On Vanity Productions
Lorin Maazel (Photo: Andrew Garn)
Vanity fare
Self-executed, self-funded projects challenge established institutions and garner praise along with ridicule
BY JUSTIN DAVIDSON [NYNewsday.com, 22 May 05]
On Sept. 29, 1855, the Brooklyn Daily Times ran an unsigned and startlingly exuberant review of a thoroughly obscure book of poetry. The anonymous critic quivered with admiration for the poet, as well as the verse. “Of pure American breed, of reckless health, his body perfect, free from taint top to toe,” he wrote.
The article did not mention that this lyric superman had printed the book himself and delivered the clothbound volumes to the only two bookstores that would take it, where they spent months moldering in stacks. He also omitted that he was using the newspaper to review his own book.
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Don Giovanni at Marseille
Yevgeny Nikitin (Photo: Mariinsky Theatre)
Don Giovanni, Opéra de Marseille
By Francis Carlin [Financial Times, 20 May 05]
There are two reasons the rising Russian superstar Evgeny Nikitin should not sing Don Giovanni. One is his obfuscated, typically Slav diction in Italian, the other the difficulty his impressive voice has in spinning exposed Mozartian line. Both defects would disqualify him on a recording but, in the magical world of live opera, Nikitin’s animal magnetism helps us understand what the fuss is all about.
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GOEHRING: Three modes of perception in Mozart — the philosophical, pastoral, and comic in Così fan tutte
The book is divided into four major sections. Chapter 1 looks at the poetics of Così fan tutte, examining the history of the word/music relations in the opera, then in relation to postmodern poetics, and the reception of the opera itself in the eighteenth century. The author then puts forward his hypothesis that, rather than continue the long-standing tradition of the musical and textual incompatibility of the opera, he will prove that this rift between text and music is a distinctive and indeed important union that is unparalleled in any other Mozart opera. To illustrate this, some portions of recitative contained in the opera, as well as the overture and the song "Tutti accusan le donne," are provided with explanation and as musical examples.
Chapter 2 examines the philosophical mode of Così fan tutte. The author specifically focuses on the character of Don Alfonso, discussing his various aspects and attributes that appear throughout the opera, including the old man, poet, cynic, and comic philosopher. The author relates these archetypes to various eighteenth-century readings, concepts, and popular understandings at the time of the opera. Other philosopher-type characters in eighteenth-century operas are mentioned, Paisiello's Il Socrate immaginario in particular.
The pastoral mode of the opera, along with the character of Despina, comprises the content of Chapter 3. Here, the author examines Despina's musical and textual authority, discusses the theory and practice of the pastoral mode, how the pastoral setting was sentimentalized in the eighteenth century, and links to Epicureanism. Specific Despina musical numbers, such as "In uomini, in soldati" and "Una donna a quindici anni," are provided with in-depth analysis and commentary.
The comic mode in Così fan tutte is the topic of Chapter 4. Various characters in the opera fit into the sentimental comedian role, such as Don Alfonso, Fiordiligi, and Ferrando. The origins of sentimental comedy are discussed, and this opera as anti-sentimental opera is presented. Some interesting research on heroic and martial images of love in the soldiers, and the seduction duets, is provided.
Finally, in the epilogue, the author points out that Così fan tutte, as an artificial comedy, enjoyed a brief period of popularity before it lost favor with the opera-going public, especially in the nineteenth century. It is an opera that looked back to older theatrical and operatic traditions for inspiration, and therefore never really found a place in the oeuvre, nor in the favor of the opera-going public. Overall, this is a well-documented and researched scholarly study of Mozart's least-understood opera.
Dr. Brad Eden
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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Cambridge studies in opera
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May 20, 2005
TRIBO: Annals 1847-1897 del Gran Teatre del Liceu
With the sesquicentenary of the theatre in 1997, a project was initiated to publish annals for the first 150 years, 50 years per volume. The first, which appeared in 1997 covered the years from 1947 to 1997. This is the second, and covers the first 50 years (1847 to 1897). The remaining 50 years (1897 to 1947) are still "in progress", and will, hopefully, see the light of day within a few years. In the last few decades, model chronologies of opera houses have become the norm, with many of these eclipsing previous volumes on the theatres being documented. This is easily the case with Tribo's book. It more or less follows the style initiated with Pau Nadal's volume covering the years from 1947 to 1997, but improves on it in many ways.
However, it should be noted that, especially during the early years, the theatre was also used for plays, ballets, and non-operatic musical performances. These are included, with operas being highlighted by having the titles written in bold-face. Plays are indicated by the letter (t), ballets by (b), zarzuelas by (s), oratorios by (pc) and operettas by (op).
While the book does contain a brief introduction, the great bulk comprises the chronology (with the indexes 327 of 357 pages). Thus, this is quite comprehensive, listing all the operas performed, chronologically by season, with full casts and all the dates that the piece was given. When there are cast changes, the dates (months, if appropriate) that the changes took place are also indicated, as is the language used for French and German works (almost invariably given in Italian during these 50 years). World premieres are indicated by (eA), Barcelona premieres by (eB) and Liceu premieres by (eL). In those cases (especially benefit performances) where selections from other works are included, these are also given.
This is a model book, which can be recommended in the strongest terms.
Tom Kaufman
[Editor's Note: This book may be purchased through ópera Actual.]
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MAY: Decoding Wagner — An Invitation to His World of Music Drama
After an introductory chapter dealing with the significance of Wagner in political, philosophical, and cultural debates for both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, May begins his analysis of influences on the young composer and those early interests that shaped Wagner's progressive development. The 1830s are depicted as a time of apprenticeship for Wagner, during which he had not yet found "his authentic musical voice." (18) The compositional maturity here suggested starts with Der fliegende Holländer [The Flying Dutchman] (1841), for May the first musical and dramatic work by Wagner that does not rely extensively on convention.
Holländer is then used as a musical springboard into Wagner's oeuvre: the chapter devoted to this work is entitled "Navigating a Way into Wagner," and the first recorded example on the Discs presents the overture to this work. Although one may argue convincingly for an artistic "leap" (24) achieved in the composition of Holländer, those works completed by Wagner in the previous decade could profit from a more balanced treatment. Since May points out that Rienzi enjoyed remarkable popularity, starting with its 1842 premiere and continuing to the close of the nineteenth century, it would be appropriate to offer a sample of its music or a selection from the earlier Die Feen. In this way the audience of the book could appreciate — or assess — more readily the thesis put forth by May that Wagner's work starting first with Holländer shows a clear sense of individual style. In his comments on Holländer the author demonstrates the method or focus taken in each of the subsequent chapters of his handbook. The experience or literary model which first drew Wagner to an individual topic is complemented by reference to Wagner's own comments or theoretical writings. A discussion of individual character types in each opera and their major arias or musical numbers shows May providing both dramatic and musical insights. Finally, May integrates into his commentary musical references from the discs, so that readers might follow a recorded example while following the specific analysis for each opera.
The author's segments on Tannhäuser and Lohengrin, both operas rooted in medieval legendary material, attempt to draw parallels in theme and character to later works of the composer's maturity. May credits Samuel Lehrs, a friend of Wagner during his Paris years, with sparking the young composer's interest in medieval lore and myth. Already here we can appreciate — as May points out with sufficient example — Wagner's approach to using various strands of myth and weaving these into a new creation that would be guided by his musical vision. For Tannhäuser this "motley collection of sources" (40) contains the story of the German crusader who forsakes his goal to spend time in the realm of Venus; the contest of Minnesänger in the Wartburg palace; and lastly, the idealization of the heroine Elisabeth, representing both love and self-sacrifice in her attempts to redeem the goals of her knight-suitor. The mixture of both themes and figures from medieval legend are examined by May in his explication of the lengthy overture as well as individual scenes in the opera. He demonstrates how Wagner worked to intermingle his various sources while maintaining a personal vision of the hero as "outsider." In his chapter on Lohengrin May again treats Wagner's transformation of a medieval story and argues in this example for both greater consistency and success. May points to the popularity of Lohengrin during the nineteenth century and to its satisfaction of the Romantic imagination for the medieval period. At the same time, it is argued that Wagner's depiction of featured characters is here raised to a more sophisticated level than in earlier works. In both the dramatic presentation of characters and their musical delineation — as well as Wagner's ability to synthesize the two — May sees a decided "artistic advance." (57) When discussing the point of view accorded to Ortrud in Act II and her portrayal as a force of negation, May focuses justifiably on Wagner's creative depiction. These scenes from Act II could, however, be examined further as an extension of archetypes of evil already present in those medieval sources which May shows to have been transformed by Wagner. The discussion of musical excerpts from Lohengrin included on the first Disc, especially here May's analysis of "In fernem Lande," is effective in guiding both first and return listeners through the significant moments of this piece.
It is hardly a coincidence that Wagner's earliest inspirations and sketches for his Ring derive from the period toward the close of his work on Lohengrin in the late 1840s. This continued reading of medieval texts and artistic extrapolation from topics in Germanic mythology is underscored by May in his essay on the gestation of Wagner's Ring. May devotes five chapters, an "Overview" on beginnings and one for each of the operas, to the cycle which he defines as the "turning point in [Wagner's] artistic development." (116). In each of these segments May begins his musical analysis early, and he refers consistently to the examples on disc 2 in order to highlight a significant instrumental and vocal confluence with its corresponding dramatic action. He cites regularly both noted scholars and critics of the Ring, among these Dahlhaus, Donington, and George Bernard Shaw. In this way, May grounds his own remarks on leitmotif and musical narrative in those of previous commentators who have attempted overall assessments of this extended compositional achievement. May wisely chooses his recorded examples from one series of Ring performances, those featuring the Staatskapelle Dresden conducted by Marek Janowski. Providing examples from one such larger undertaking yields an overall consistency for the listener/reader who wishes to consider the Ring -- both opera and commentary -- as a multi-faceted whole.
In his additional chapters on Tristan und Isolde, Meistersinger, and Parsifal May follows his established method for "decoding" the music drama. Since May quotes intermittently from other writers on Wagner, it would be helpful to be given specific references — even to the translations here used — for those who would like to read further background and interpretive possibilities. These might then offer complementary approaches to the biographical and political/philosophical emphases which surface, at times, in May's discussion of Wagner's inspiration and its guiding forces.
Salvatore Calomino
Madison, Wisconsin
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FAURÉ: The Complete Songs - 1 — Au bord de l’eau
Gabriel Fauré: The Complete Songs - 1 — Au bord de l’eau
Felicity Lott (Soprano), Jennifer Smith (Soprano), Geraldine McGreevy (Soprano), Stella Doufexis (Soprano), John Mark Ainsley (Tenor), Christopher Maltman (Baritone), Stephen Varcoe (Baritone), Graham Johnson (Piano).
Hyperion A67333 [CD]
The songs of Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) are some of the finest works examples of the genre and they represent the mature French mélodie in the hands of a composer who knew both the voice and the piano quite well. This release is the first of four discs that include all of Fauré’s songs for voice and piano within Hyperion’s series of French Song editions. Like those other collections from Hyperion, this volume of the Fauré set involves excellent performers who know the literature well.
By using a variety of singers, Hyperion creates the impression that performing Fauré’s music is not limited to selected personalities, but rather is music that a number of performers do well. Such a stance automatically makes the works more accessible to a wide audience. Unlike the limitations that might be perceived for a particular Wagner tenor or Verdi soprano, Fauré’s music lends itself to good musicianship, rather than a specific, unique voice type, and this is demonstrated clearly in the recording through the talents of several fine performers. The singers on this disc vary from those who have a depth of experience with the genre as a whole, like Felicity Lott, as well as other performers whose repertoire is more focused. Lott’s interpretation of Fauré’s Cinq melodies is masterful for its appropriate tone she gives the music and the text, as required by settings of Verlaine. Of the women involved with the recording, Jennifer Smith provides a fine reading of a late song, C’est la pax (Op. 114), and the duet “Tarantelle” (Op. 10, no. 2) benefits from the crisp and well-matched voices of Geraldine McGreevy and Stella Doufexis, their only piece on the disc.
For those who know “Les berceaux” (op. 23, no. 1) and “Au cimetière” (op. 51, no. 2) from the frequent appearance of those songs on recital programs, the performances by Ainsley and Christopher Maltman are anything but routine. It is also refreshing to hear the impassioned “Chanson du pécheur” (op. 4, no. 1), which Fauré composed earlier in his life. The latter song is performed on this recording by Maltman, whose rich voice is particularly notable in this selection. Likewise, the “Barcarolle” (Op. 7, no. 3) contains elements Fauré would take up in some of his later songs, with its subtly crafted accompaniment that Graham Johnson executes effectively. Again, the unorthodox arrangement of this disc, with its recital-like focus on theme, offers listeners the opportunity to explore this repertoire from a new perspective and, thus, to hear the music with fresh ears.
While Hyperion’s other vocal collections often present music in chronological order, the songs of Fauré are organized thematically. This first volume takes its title from the song Au bord de l’eau (“At the water’s edge”) and collects songs that deal with water or have aquatic settings. In addition to individual songs, this disc features several entire sets of mélodies, including Fauré’s Cinq melodies, op. 58, Mirage, op. 113, and L’horizon chimérique, op. 118, and the pieces selected for this recording are presented in chronological order, from early to later works. While the arrangement by theme may seem unorthodox, if not somewhat arbitrary, it is an effective concept for showing how an idea inspired the composer throughout his career. After all, other similar approaches have been used for years to present traditional German Lieder and other kinds of vocal music.
As to Hyperion’s efforts to preserve the complete songs of Fauré, the other volumes of this projected set include “Un paysage choisi” (vol. 2), “Chanson d’amour” (vol. 3), and “Les jardins de la nuit” (vol. 4). One hopes to find the singers included in the first disc on the rest of the set, so that the spirit and musicianship so evident in this volume may continue through all the music. For those who know Fauré’s works, this “edition intégrale” of his songs is a welcome event which makes his body of work accessible to a broad audience. Those less familiar with this repertoire may find this first volume to be a fine introduction to them.
James L. Zychowicz
Madison, Wisconsin
Susan Graham in Paris
La Clemenza di Tito (Graphic: Opéra National de Paris)
Susan Graham, la libre expression
Jean-Louis Validire [Le Figaro, 17 May 05]
Blouson vert pomme, jeans bleus, corsage fuchsia, cheveux courts et roux couronnant une taille imposante, Susan Graham joue sans affectation l’Américaine à Paris dans les couloirs austères et académiques de l’Opéra Garnier. Dans quelques jours, elle interprétera le role de Sesto (Sextus) de La Clémence de Titus dans une mise en scène déjà représentée à Salzbourg en 1994 ou elle était alors Annio (Annius). “J’ai eu la chance d’avoir de grands professeurs pour cet opéra, explique-t-elle, puisque j’ai tenu trois fois le role d’Annio alors que Sesto était chanté par Tatiana Troyanos, Ann Murray et Frederica von Stade. J’ai toujours dans l’oreille les inflexions et l’intensité de Tatiana. C’était ma première apparition professionnelle à Chicago, en 1989…”
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L’amour de Sextus
La critique de Christian Merlin [Le Figaro, 21 May 05]
évidemment, le terme “nouvelle production” n’est pas le plus approprié : nouvelle à Paris certes, cette Clémence de Titus vue par les époux Herrmann a déjà vingt-trois ans d’âge. Elle marqua en 1982 le début du renouvellement entrepris par Gérard Mortier à la Monnaie de Bruxelles, et dix ans après, en 1992, la meme mise en scène symbolisa sa reprise en main du Festival de Salzbourg : fil rouge d’une carrière, il n’était guère étonnant que cette production soit reprise à Paris dès la première saison de Mortier. Dans un décor nu, d’une blancheur rendue tour à tour éclatante et terne par des lumières remarquablement pensées, la mise en scène a les qualités et les défauts typiques des travaux de Karl-Ernst et Ursel Herrmann : une intelligence confondante, mais qui a tendance à verrouiller toute interprétation. L’Antiquité n’est présente que sous une forme néoclassique : celle de superbes arcades débouchant sur une statue d’ange dont les ailes prennent feu, celle aussi de la colonne brisée en meme temps que le pouvoir de Titus. Les costumes sont de toutes les époques et d’aucune, avec un coté très napoléonien pour l’empereur romain.
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May 19, 2005
Paul McCreesh Directs Bach's B Minor Mass
Paul McCreesh
B minor Mass
Andrew Clements [The Guardian, 19 May 05]
Paul McCreesh’s approach to Bach’s last major choral work is about as far removed as possible from traditional heavyweight performances of the B minor Mass, and distinctly different from the approach of many of his period-instrument peers as well. For this superbly energised account, the Gabrieli Consort consisted of just 10 singers, divided equally into a ripieno, which provided the soloists, and a consort, which joined in for the large-scale numbers. The orchestra was just over twice that size. This minimalist approach produced gains in equality between voices and orchestras, and marvellous clarity in the contrapuntal writing. It also enabled McCreesh to adopt tempi that would have had a larger choir tied in knots.
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Der Ring at the Mariinsky
Valery Gergiev (Photo: The Mariinsky)
Ring Masters
The Mariinsky returns to Moscow with a program that includes a complete staging of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle.
By Raymond Stults [Moscow Times, 20 May 05]
Hot on the heels of their marathon appearance at the Moscow Easter Festival, the artistic forces of St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theater are preparing for a return visit to Moscow. Starting Monday, they take to the main stage of the Bolshoi Theater with three evenings of ballet and a complete performance of Richard Wagner’s four-part operatic cycle “The Ring of the Nibelung.”
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Marilyn Horne Gives a Master Class
Marilyn Horne
City teenager performs at a diva’s ‘master class’
Marilyn Horne advised him: “Just sing beautifully. Don’t worry about singing loud, loud, loud.”
By Susan Snyder [Philadelphia Inquirer, 19 May 05]
Soon after meeting opera diva Marilyn Horne before his big performance, Justin D. Gonzalez told her to spare him nothing.
“Tear me to shreds. Do me the honor,” the 17-year-old Philadelphia high school senior invited before taking the stage Tuesday night at the Academy of Vocal Arts for his “master class” performance.
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Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream at COT
Scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Photo: Chicago Opera Theater)
COT team embraces Britten’s ambivalent ‘Dream’
BY WYNNE DELACOMA [Chicago Sun-Times, 15 May 05]
At first glance, Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a frothy tale, a story of youthful romance going charmingly awry.
True, Tatania, the fairy queen, feuds fiercely with her husband, Fairy King Oberon, over custody of a boy prince the Queen of India has given her. But the course of true love ne’er did run smooth, and Shakespeare’s beleaguered lovers triumph in the end.
For most of us, Mendelssohn’s airy music for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” composed for an 1843 production of the play in Berlin and now a concert hall staple, sums up the play’s atmosphere. Its sprightly Wedding March has sped countless brides and grooms out the church doors into their newly married lives.
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Britten’s ‘Midsummer’ a dream
Chicago Opera Theater’s cast and edgy staging do Shakespeare proud
By John von Rhein [Chicago Tribune, 19 May 05]
Tribune music critic
The operas of Benjamin Britten have been a veritable talisman for Chicago Opera Theater since the company’s early years. The city’s second opera company is ending a winning season with a stage awash in the wit and wonderment of Britten’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The only puzzling thing about director Andrei Serban’s exhilarating new production, which opened Wednesday in the Harris Theater, is why one of the composer’s most important stage works had to wait 45 years to receive a professional staging in Chicago. Britten and his partner, Peter Pears, cut Shakespeare’s dark fairyland comedy by about half, clarifying the plot complexities while retaining the Bard’s evocative poetry. In so doing they created a world—or, rather, three distinct worlds, those of the fairies, mortals and rustics—that can hold its own with the original.
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