Letters from Munich: Jonas Kaufmann liederabend

Photo credit: Wilfrid Hoesl

Greetings from beautiful Munich! I arrived Tuesday morning for a week of wonderful music. With the Munich Festival in full swing, summer time here is a feast for opera lovers. This year is even more special because it is the 850th birthday of the city. Among the celebrations is the re-opening of the exquisite Rococo Cuvillies Theatre. We Canadian journalists are fortunate to have scheduled a private tour of this theatre, so I will have more to say in a few days.

Our Munich sojourn got off to a terrific start, with a lieder recital by the fast-rising tenor Jonas Kaufmann. It sold out days in advance. By six o'clock, there were quite a number of desperate people milling about outside the Prinzregententheater, with “suche Karte” signs in hand, hoping to get lucky. Those in possession of a ticket were treated to a remarkable display by an artist in his vocal prime.

Kaufmann is that rare breed - a budding heldentenor with gorgeous tone and great technical facility, not the least of which is a completely secure top register. He has total command of his voice, from the tiniest pianissimo to full throat forte. Everything is executed with utmost taste and musicality. Being tall, dark and handsome doesn't hurt either. Born in Munich, Kaufmann mostly sings elsewhere – in Zurich where he lives, in Covent Garden where he is a big star, and in New York and Chicago where he has loyal fan bases. Munich is very proud of its native son and Kaufmann was vociferously applauded when he entered. The applause only grew throughout the two hour concert.

Kaufmann opened with Schubert's Die Burgschaft, D. 246, which showed off his story-telling skills. Only a native German speaker is capable of such clarity of diction, coupled with lively acting that comes with a full understanding of the text. The long aria is really a mini-opera, and he held the audience’s attention throughout.

He followed the Schubert piece with Sieben sonette nach Michaelangelo, Op. 22 by Benjamin Britten, written for the tenor Peter Pears, Bitten’s partner in life and in art. The tessitura is very high, designed to show off the best part of Pears' voice. From the words of the opening song, “Si come nella penna” Kaufmann's tone rang out, fully bringing out the dramatic nature of the text. His Italian may not have the incisiveness he had in the German songs, but it is still pretty darn good. His singing had great variety, with all the requisite chiaroscuro one could want. Kaufmann was unsparing with his high notes, particularly his remarkably secure pianissimi, but he never resorted to a falsetto like some dramatic tenors. The baritonal timbre of his sound recalls a young Jon Vickers, although unlike Vickers, Kaufmann never croons. He always incorporates the chest register into his head voice. Judging from his concert and his Don Jose from Covent Garden, he is the premier jugendlich dramatic tenor voice in front of the public today.

After a 30 minute intermission, Kaufmann returned for an all Strauss program, in keeping with the Festival theme. He began with a most expressive "All mein Gedanken" – what a joy to the ear! Similarly, his "Du meines Herzens Kronelein" had lots of lovely soft singing. He brought out the humour in "Ach weh mir ungluckhaftem Mann", and the audience responded with spontaneous applause - unusual in Germany where the ever respectful audience always waits until the end of a group to applaud. "Ich liebe dich" was sung in an unusually declamatory manner, a little unusual for a love song. The vocal line is very emphatic, and the piano accompaniment curiously echoes the introduction to the presentation of the rose in Die Rosenkavalier.

If there was a fly in the ointment, it was the over reverberant acoustics in the Prinzregententheater, accentuated by the fully opened piano lid. Sometimes Helmut Deutsh’s ever-excellent playing was a little loud. Deutsch was/is Kaufmann's teacher, and the two performed with great rapport, with much communication and mutual trust.

Of all the Strauss songs Kaufmann sang this evening, I have two favourites. One was "Heimliche Aufforderung". I know some women singers tackle this, but for me this is a man's song, and Kaufmann's singing here has a certain, full throated, 'let it rip' quality but also plenty of sensitivity. My other favourite was Sehnsucht: wonderfully sustained, high piano soft singing in the last verse. If I were to allow myself a third favourite, it would be Cacilie. This closed the formal concert, showing once again his thrilling top.

The evening ended in many, many shouts of bravo and the two were called back time and time again. The inevitable encores began with Breit uber mein haupt, delivered in a straight forward, honest fashion. I have a soft spot for Beverly Sills' singing of this with orchestra, in half voice only, and very, very slow. Not at all authentic, but still very beautiful. The name of the second encore escapes me, but the third was Nichts. Kaufmann even offered a fourth encore. He gave unstintingly and I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity to hear a wonderful artist at the height of his powers. As if a two hour concert wasn't tiring enough, Kaufmann signed autographs after the show. I didn't stay but one of my Canadian friends, a huge Kaufmann fan, lined up for autographs and photo ops, and I am sure I will get choice pictures from him soon!

I will have more to report after the Ariadne tomorrow.

Joseph So
Munich

Canadian Opera Company announces new Director

A long awaited announcement of the directorship of the Canadian Opera Company will take place at 10:30 am this morning, from the stage of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. I will be attending the press conference. You can be there also since the event will be webcast!

Go to the COC website at http://www.coc.ca/ and follow the instructions on the homepage.

Update: Unanimous choice - casting director at the Paris opera under Mortier for the past four years. It is 34 year old Alexander Neef, a native of Ebersbach an der Fils near Stuttgart, Germany. He did his internship at Salzburg Festival. He has worked with many Canadians - Robert Lepage, Robert Carsen, Michael Levine, Russell Braun, Ben Heppner, Adrianne Pieczonka. He forsees more coproductions with other companies in North America. His English is impeccable. In response to questions about repertoire, he mentions looking at producing operas that has not been produced before, like Parsifal. Measha Brueggergosman was in attendance, as were a few other singers. Neef mentions he has a project with Measha and Mortier at NYCO - he did not elaborate. Could it be Measha singing her first Valentine in Les Huguenots?

> Official Press Release

Opera de Montreal's Madama Butterfly Sold Out - Tickets still available at La Scena Musicale

The Opéra de Montréal just announced that their entire run of Puccini's Madama Butterfly (from May 24 to June 7) has been sold out. La Scena Musicale still has a few tickets left for sale for the May 24th opening night as part of its latest fundraising activity. Unfortunately, the limited available free Madama Butterfly DVDs are sold out. Email operaweekend@scena.org or call 514-948-2520.

The O d M also announced that their June 7th performance will be live telecast outside in the promenade of the Place des Arts.

Carl Nielsen: Maskarade

Stephen Milling, Susanne Resmark, Niels Jørgen Riis, Johan Reuter, Ole Hedegaard, Poul Elming, Gisella Stille, Hanne Fischer, Sten Byriel, Anders Jabosson, Jakob Bloch Jespersen, Royal Danish Orchestra and Opera Choir/Michael Schønwandt
Stage Directors: Kasper Bech Holten and Morgan Alling
Video Director: Thorlief Hoppe
Dacapo 2110-407 (138 min)
*** $$$

Get to know a Danish male of middle years and he will eventually let down the guard of self-deprecation and false modesty to confide on the subject of the absolute necessity of his country’s regional role: “Denmark exists to provide culture and polite refinement in what would otherwise be a jumble of barren rocky coastlines. The Norwegians are drunk most of the time and the Swedes devoid of any sense of humour. And if the other Scandinavians tend to neglect their women folk, the Danes can fix that too!” Asked for substantiation of these claims, the Dane will invariably reply, “We gave Carl Nielsen and Victor Borge to the world…” This element of subversive cheekiness is integral to Nielsen’s Maskarade in the general sense and very much to this production in particular.

The opera is set in 1723 and based on a simple story of forlorn love winning out in the end. Nielsen’s pre-Lenten frolic is brimful of marvelous music and song best delivered at a high rate of buffa. Stage director Kasper Bech Holten decided to override traditional staging to produce a modern-dress madcap spectacle. In doing so, much of the charm – and menace – of the text is wasted. References to, “Coachmen and horses; arranged marriage and thrashing the servants,” really lose any meaning in the context of a swinging-sixties setting without any vestige of class struggle. But with an enthusiastic cast and motivated audience, Holten gets away with it – up to a point.

The tone is set during the overture. A quartet of tumbling acrobats takes the stage in front of the curtain. Funny stuff, but not quite as amusing when they return in the third act to monopolize the dance numbers. The male leads, Leander (Nils Jørgen Riis), and his manservant, Hendrik (Johan Reuter), are duly propelled through the curtain which, when raised, reveals them to be pinned to the wall. Danes can sing well when vertically suspended (a ruse to present an overhead view of Leander’s sleeping chamber) and they go on to demonstrate equal facility while shaving and showering. The rest of Act I is just as unconventionally brilliant but this level of inspiration is not sustained. Act II is built on a bad idea and the final act is turned inside-out by Holten with too much time spent standing around gaping at acrobats. The director’s premise from the start was to have the characters wear the carnival masks (masks of probity?) all of the time. When they turn up for the pseudo-psychedelic ball in Act III, the masks are solemnly collected and the entire cast assumes the persona that they have dreamed of and are costumed accordingly. This development should permit Leander to identify his true love (as the girl selected by his family) forty minutes earlier than he does. It is by no means a bad performance but the opera is better than what we get here after the first act.

Michael Schønwandt directs a splendid account of the score. The musical performance is no doubt reinforced by the frequency with which video director Thorlief Hoppe drops into the pit for random shots of the players and conductor. The DVD offers worthwhile extra features and Dacapo provides first-class booklet notes.

More Nielsen from Dacapo: Admirers of the music of Carl Nielsen should also check out the economically priced Dacapo 3-DVD box of his symphonies performed by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra under Michael Schønwandt (2110403-05). The third disc contains The Light and Darkness: On Carl Nielsen’s Life and Music by Karl Aage Rasmussen. The documentary reveals the surprisingly turbulent life of this lovable composer and the astonishing extent of his works.

-Stephen Habington

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

Nina Stemme, Robert Gambill, Katarina Karnéus, Bo Skovhus, René Pape, The Glyndebourne Chorus, London Philharmonic Orchestra/Jiřỉ Bělohlávek
Stage Director: Nikolaus Lenhoff
Video Director: Thomas Grimm
Opus Arte OA 0988 D (3 DVD : 238 min)
****** $$$$

Do you believe in magic? Can you venture into alchemy beyond the irrational idea that an herbal concoction can unleash suppressed emotions to entwine lovers in a deadly destiny? Are you ready for an enchanting illustration of the Schopenhauerian philosophy of, “Die to live,” as presented in the most extreme example of the musical language of Richard Wagner? If inclined to the affirmative on these points then you will absolutely need to have this DVD set of the August 2007 production of Tristan und Isolde from the Glyndebourne Festival. It is nothing less than a collective act of sorcery delivering a definitive performance and a paradigm of the divine craft exposing opera as the ultimate art.

Wagner on DVD has been arriving in waves. Just over a year ago, we were inundated with rival versions of Lohengrin and Tannhäuser. Late in 2007, DG released a 1983 Bayreuth production of Tristan und Isolde (00440 073 4321). Conducted by Daniel Barenboim, it set a new and elevated benchmark for the work. The Glyndebourne set eclipses all that preceded it - even taking into account the brilliant staging and design of Jean-Pierre Ponnelle in Bayreuth.

The wizard-in-chief for this mighty achievement is Nikolaus Lenhoff. He employs a single set to represent shipboard, courtyard and castle in succeeding acts. The scenery consists of an enormous, stepped vertical vortex (designer Roland Aeschlimann refers to it as, “A spiral nebula.”). Lenhoff dresses the stage in light for dramatic effect and in symbiosis with the music. The LPO is in razor-sharp form and Jiřỉ Bělohlávek establishes his Wagnerian credentials in the prelude. He proceeds through the score, which stretches tonality to the limit, with consummate skill. Hearing the orchestra at work makes one realize that only Wagner, musical genius and internationally recognized expert in blatant desire and the exploitation of human weakness could have created this opera. His conception of internalized drama and intimacy verging on eroticism generates a force to penetrate the subconscious when performed as well as it is here.

Tristan is a difficult opera to cast and Glyndebourne has been fortunate here. The American tenor, Robert Gambill studied for years in Germany and has decades of stage experience. With a fully developed heldentenor voice, his time has come to portray Tristan. Nina Stemme and Katarina Karnéus are sopranos from Sweden who take on the respective roles of Isolde and Brangäne with rare distinction. The ever-reliable darker voices of Bo Skovhus (Kurwenal) and René Pape (King Marke) complete the idiomatic circle of principal players. Exceptional though the vocals are the acting in such a high compression chamber is just as important. This is also a tribute to the stage direction but each of these artists has the gift of presence to bring the characters to life in front of us. Lenhoff’s wise decision to use traditional costumes contributes to defining the roles as well as providing a contrast with the abstract set.

This performance dispenses stage magic in generous proportion and enthralls throughout. It can be confidently recommended as a first choice for the work on DVD. Its surpassing quality would also make it a suitable entry point for collectors new to Wagner. The set runs to three discs but includes two hours of useful extra features including a fine documentary by Reiner E. Moritz entitled, Can I Hear the Light?.

Please let us have more Wagner from Glyndebourne!

Nina Stemme at Large: Nina Stemme can be heard opposite Plácido Domingo in the EMI audio recording of Tristan und Isolde. She is also on view as another, and more vulnerable eponymous heroine in a Barcelona production of Leoš Janáček’s Jenůfa (TDK DVWW-OPJENU). It is a stunning production and Stemme strikes sparks with her stage adversary played by Eva Marton. The drama is so intense that both shed tears on the platform. Watch this DVD and you will begin to understand why Janáćek is the most widely performed of all modern opera composers.

-Stephen Habington

Buy this DVD at amazon.com

Measha Brueggergosman admits to gastric surgery

Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman admitted to eTalk Daily, CTV's entertainment newsmagazine, in a segment that was telecast April 3rd (see http://watch.ctv.ca/Redirect/?EpisodeId=5431) that she had gastric surgery, and that it was responsible for her dramatic weight lost of 150 lbs.

It's not clear why Brueggergosman originally withheld the true reason for her weight lost. As we reported in this blog in December, Brueggergosman told Chatelaine magazine in a cover story that two years of Bikram yoga was responsible for her weight lost. A web search shows that up until Feb. 17, the soprano still credited Bikram yoga in a story in the Ottawa Citizen. On Feb. 21, in a Diary published in the National Post she finally admitted,

Today [Feb. 10] is also the anniversary of my mini-gastric bypass surgery. Three years ago today, I took control of my own weight loss and underwent surgery. Since she had already seen my Dad through a quadruple bypass, my mom was the perfect companion. Feb. 10 is ALSO my Mom's birthday. Can you imagine? "Happy birthday, Mom!Now, excuse me while I count backwards from 10 for the anaesthesiologist." I almost ended up not being able to have the surgery because the day before I was scheduled, my blood pressure was perilously high. The doctors had to put me on drugs overnight to bring it down. I literally made it there just in time.

And two-and-a-half years ago, I discovered Bikram yoga. I was actually forced to acknowledge my own physicality for the first time in my life.

Brueggergosman will host the 2007 Juno Award Dinner on Saturday, April 5, in which the classical awards will be presented.

Update (2008-04-05):

Brueggergosman has published a letter in the April 2008 issue of Chatelaine explaining that initially she wanted to keep her medical information private. More to come.

Update 2 (2008-04-06):

Last night, Brueggergosman won the Juno for Best Vocal Album.

➢ Links

• Juno Awards
• eTalk

Vivaldi : Atenaide

Sandrine Piau et Vivica Genaux, sopranos; Guillemette Laurens et Romina Basso, mezzo-sopranos; Nathalie Stutzmann, contralto; Paul Agnew et Stefano Ferrari, ténors
Modo Antiquo/Federico Maria Sardelli
Naïve OP 30438 (3 CD: 239 min 55 s)
****** $$$$

L’enregistrement du répertoire des opéras de Vivaldi est une entreprise de la plus haute importance musicale. Chaque production nous amène des trésors de découvertes et de plaisirs. Cette récente parution d’Aténaide (créé en 1729) ne fait certainement pas exception à la règle. Les solistes sont parmi les meilleurs que la scène musicale baroque actuelle puisse offrir, et l’ensemble Modo Antiquo, un nouveau venu, révèle une palette de couleurs et d’intensités franchement impressionnante. Cet opéra où l’on rencontre une princesse et un empereur byzantins (Théodose II), un prince perse, un ministre perfide et un enchevêtrement complexe d’amours contrariées et de jalousies exacerbées, est rempli de numéros virtuoses à couper le souffle, d’airs mémorables et de musique créée essentiellement pour exalter la beauté de la voix humaine. Un autre joyau est ici ajouté à cette magnifique couronne qu’est la série des opéras de Vivaldi de la maison Naïve.

-Frédéric Cardin

Buy this CD at amazon.com

Today's Birthdays in Music: March 16 (Ludwig, Berganza)

1928 - Christa Ludwig, Berlin, Germany; opera and lieder mezzo-soprano

Wiki entry
Brief bio/pictures
Looking Back (La Scena Musicale)

Christa Ludwig sings "Der Abschied" from Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde (Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Leonard Bernstein)



1935 - Teresa Berganza, Madrid, Spain; opera and concert mezzo-soprano

Wiki entry
Official website

Teresa Berganza sings "L´amour est un oiseau rebelle"(Habañera) from Bizet´s Carmen (Paris Opéra Production, 1980)

Met in HD: Manon Lescaut

Puccini's third opera and his first major success, Manon Lescaut had its premiere in 1893. Although its popularity isn't quite on the same level of Madama Butterfly and La Boheme, this opera has earned a rightful place in the standard repertoire. For me, it represents verismo at its best. If you are a tenor fan, you'll love his four arias and the extended Act Two duet. And of course the title role has been a great vehicle for many a spinto soprano the likes of Tebaldi and Olivero. Indeed this piece demands great voices and strong stage personalities. I remember the last time the COC did it, the soprano (who shall remain nameless) was so singularly lacking in vocal allure and dramatic verisimilitude that the performance fell totally flat. The audience responded with the most tepid applause I've experienced at the COC. To be sure, great Manon Lescauts don't grow on trees. Even the Met had not staged this opera for eighteen years, the last time with Mirella Freni. So there was considerable excitement and interest over the current revival.

I am happy to report that the Met's revial is a triumph. First, it is cast from strength, with Finnish soprano Karita Mattila in the title role. Since her win in the first Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, Mattila has built her enviable reputation first in Mozart, then in the German and Slavic operatic repertoire, as a great Eva, Elsa, Jenufa, Katya, Lisa, Tatyana, Arabella, Salome, and Leonore. In more recent years, she also had success as Elisabetta and Amelia, and she is one of the most glamorous Hanna Glawari one is ever going to encounter on the opera stage. But Puccini? I was among the skeptics as to whether Puccini would be a good fit for her, since her Nordic sound with its cool timbre and relatively "straight tone" would not seem ideal in the "blood and guts" verismo genre. She defied the critics by singing Manon Lescaut in her native Finland to great acclaim in 1999, and more recently she has scored a triumph in this role in San Francisco and Chicago. Partnering her on this Met revival is Italian tenor Marcello Giordani, who is having a big season there as Pinkerton, Romeo, Ernani, and Des Grieux. Rounding out the cast is American baritones Dwayne Croft as the callous brother Lescaut and character baritone Dale Travis as Geronte.

Seen and heard on Saturday Feb. 16 at the Sheppard Grande, this Manon Lescaut proved to be another big success. Three cinemas were totally sold out, but I was told by Greg the manager that the upcoming Boheme is so popular that it will be shown in no less than four cinemas, and tickets are going fast. Unlike last season when the signal was hit or miss, the satellite feed this year is much more reliable. Other than a little problem with the subtitles at the very beginning, and a six-second glitch of distorted picture and loss of sound - thankfully occuring after "In quelle trine morbide"! - the transmission was flawless. I give credit to Sheppard Grande for being so organized when it comes to crowds. At intermission, theatre staff were positioned in strategic locations in the washrooms to ensure proper traffic flow. Cinemas were spotless, and the newly built concession a nice addition. However, the highly perishable sandwiches (chicken caesar wrap, tuna salad etc.) were sitting on the counter while they should instead be refigerated - a potential food safety issue.

This quarter-century old production of Manon Lescaut appears to have undergone some refurbishing. It still looks fine, with Act Two particularly sumptuous. With a live audience AND a movie audience, the balancing act to satisfy both can be tricky. In the house, one is used to large gestures so those sitting in the gallery can still see what is going on. Heavy make-up is the order of the day, lest singers' faces will look washed out to those sitting at the back. But such exaggerated acting and heavy make-up would look ridiculous at closeup, in High Definition no less! So I think both were considerably toned down for the benefit of the camera. At intermission, Mattila casually mentioned that she is 47. She remains remarkably youthful, but there is no point in pretending that she is the embodiment of a teenage Manon, especially when closeups cameras are so unforgiving when it comes to her wrinkled forehead. Still, all is forgiven when one encounters such exceptional vocalism. No, hers is not a particularly Italianate sound, but it didn't matter on this afternoon. Her two high Cs and loads of Bs on this occasion were thrilling. It made up for her relatively weak middle and lower ranges. Her Manon is also dramatically nuanced, vulnerable and sympathetic. As Des Grieux, Giordani may look a bit mature to be a young student, and his singing wasn't particularly elegant. But he was an ardent Des Grieux, with a completely secure high register. Act One was a bit slow - it always is in this opera, but gathered momentum in Act Two. By the last two acts, Mattila and Giordani burned up the stage and they received a well deserved ovation. American baritone Dwyane Croft was good if a little anonymous in the rather thankless role of Lescaut. Dale Travis, whom I saw last summer as an unimpressive Don Alfonso in a Santa Fe Cosi fan Tutte, was excellent as Geronte, a character role. Perhaps the greatest revelation on this afternoon was the conducting of James Levine. Not known as a Puccini conductor (despite his professed love for Puccini at the intermission chat), Levine's best work has been reserved for Wagner, Strauss and Verdi. So it came as a complete surprise how committed and involved he was in an opera he had not touched in more than twenty years. His conducting on this afternoon had all the passion and excitement one could possibly want, drawing torrents of sound from the orchestra at the climaxes.

There you have it. Perhaps not a Manon Lescaut for the ages, but overall a very satisfying performance on a wintry afternoon.

> Pierre Bellemare's review [in French]

Today's Birthdays in Music: February 13 (Chaliapin, Farrell)

1873 - Feodor Chaliapin, Kazan, Russia; opera bass

Wiki entry
Opera shop

Chaliapin sing Boris's monologue from Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov


1920 - Eileen Farrell, Willimantic, USA; opera & recital soprano

Wiki entry
Short bio

Eileen Farrell sings "Pace, pace, mio Dio" from Verdi's La Forza del Destino

Today's Birthday in Music: February 12 (Zeffirelli)

1923 - Franco Zeffirelli, Florence, Italy; opera director and designer

Wiki entry
Short Bio

Zeffirelli talks about his 1983 film production of La Traviata (Domingo and Stratas)

Tchaïkovski : La Dame de pique

Orchestre et chœurs de l’Opéra national de Paris/Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, Vladimir Galouzin (Hermann), Hasmik Papian (Lisa), Irina Bogatcheva (la Comtesse), Nikolai Putilin (Tomsky), Ludovic Tézier (Yeletsky)
Mise en scène de Lev Dodin
TDK - DVWW-OPPIQUE - (178 min)
*** $$$$

Lev Dodin a choisi de situer l’action de l’opéra dans un hôpital psychiatrique. Sur un plan strictement théorique, ce choix se justifie dans la mesure où, au fil de ce drame fantastique, le personnage principal, Hermann, sombre progressivement et consciemment dans la folie. En pratique, l’idée s’avère désastreuse. Pour commencer, le parti pris d’adopter la perspective d’un aliéné ne peut que jeter de la confusion sur le cours des événements. Bien vite, le spectateur néophyte s’y perd. Seuls s’y retrouveront (peut-être) ceux qui connaissent déjà l’œuvre sous sa forme habituelle. Mais il y a pis. La partition de Tchaïkovski abonde en « divertissements » dont le rôle est de relâcher la tension, pour mieux la resserrer par la suite. En transférant le récit de l’univers de Pouchkine à celui de Dostoïevski, Dodin n’a réussi qu’à conférer une allure étrange et sinistre à ces passages, qui sombrent alors dans un climat de claustrophobie générale. Le rythme de l’œuvre étant désormais compromis, le spectacle dégénère en une interminable série de « petits quarts d’heure » tous plus ou moins lourds les uns que les autres. Or l’opéra dure près de trois heures... On le déplorera d’autant plus que la direction artistique et la distribution sont du plus haut niveau, comparables à celles de n’importe quel autre enregistrement de l’œuvre disponible en DVD. (C’est le cinquième à paraître en région 1.)

-Pierre Marc Bellemare

Buy this DVD at amazon.com

Today's Musician Birthday: February 1

1859 - Victor Herbert, Dublin, Ireland; composer, conductor, cellist

Wiki entry

Mason & Hamlin AMPICO reproducing piano plays Victor Herbert Favorites




1922 - Renata Tebaldi, Pesaro, Italy; opera soprano

Wiki entry


Renata Tebaldi sings "Un bel di vedremo" from Madama Butterfly, telecast of February 2, 1959

Don Carlos

Ramon Vargas, Iano Tamar, Nadja Michael, Bo Skovhus, Alastair Miles
Orchestra and Chorus of Wiener Staatsoper, Bertrand De Billy, dir.

TDK DVWW-OPCARLOS (2 DVDs, 4h 7m)
*** $$$$$

Verdi originally conceived Don Carlos as a French Grand Opera in five acts plus ballet. It premiered at the Paris Opera in March 1867. In 1866, Verdi had already made a number of cuts because of its length, and further cuts were authorized during rehearsals. These included parts of Act One and several extended duets of the principals. This being a Grand Opera, the ballet was retained. Therefore, this monumental work was not performed in its complete form for the premiere. An Italian translation, with further changes, was first performed as Don Carlo later at Covent Garden, followed by a complete version in Italian given in Bologna. Today, the Italian version is the more popular, but occasionally it is sung in French, with the Fontainebleau Scene tagged on. The original uncut five-act French version with ballet, lasting over five hours, is hardly ever revived. This DVD is unique in that it is said to be note-complete, while the earlier Paris Opera production starring Alagna and Mattila (also available on DVD) is not.

So for Don Carlos purists, this is the version to get - or is it? Originally conceived by Peter Konwitschny for Hamburg, it later travelled to Barcelona and Vienna, where this performance was taped. The set consists of a white box with low doors on all three sides, essentially devoid of props, except for a tiny tree religiously cared for by the Friar. Act Four opens with Philip lying on some bedding on the floor, with Eboli. She stays onstage throughout his "Elle ne m'aime pas" and the subsequent scene with the Grand Inquisitor. These unusual twists are nothing compared to the ballet sequence. There's no dancing, just a comedy routine billed as "Eboli's Dream", in which Eboli and Carlos are married and give a dinner party for Phillip and Elizabeth. Eboli burns the dinner so Carlos calls for take-out from Posa's Pizza, delivered by Rodrigo - I think you get the idea. The nadir is reached during the auto-dafé, which started in the opera house lobby where widescreen TVs were set up, complete with commentator and paparazzi. Heretics were brought in through the front entrance and led onstage, as were Philip, Elizabeth, Eboli, and Rodrigo. Is this Verdi? I don't think so. As you can imagine, the audience greeted such goings-on with vociferous booing mixed in with applause. Also conspicuously absent were final solo curtain calls, likely because of boo-birds making their feelings known.

It is a shame that the stage direction hijacked an essentially fine performance. The orchestra under the stylish baton of Bertrand de Billy sounds great. Honours go to Ramon Vargas as a vocally impeccable Carlos. Bass Alistair Miles has all the stately bearing necessary for Philip. The other principals are also quite good. Georgian soprano Iano Tamar impresses with her dark, rich voice, lacking only the necessary high piano. Soprano Nadja Michael pushes her slender voice fearlessly as a glamorous Eboli - her timbre in this mezzo role is lighter than Elizabeth's! Baritone Bo Skovhus (Rodrigo) is almost unrecognizable in his getup, and his singing is a little uneven. Only Korean bass Simon Yang falls short vocally and dramatically as the Grand Inquisitor. If there has ever been a DVD release that cries out for a documentary with interviews of the creative team, this is it - I'd love to hear Konwitschny's explanation of his "concept". The verdict? If you are into extreme Regietheater, you will be amused, I am sure. On the other hand, if you don't like staging not intended by the composer, this version is to be avoided.

-Joseph K. So

Buy this DVD at amazon.com

Die Zauberflöte

Piotr Beczala (Tamino), Dorothea Röschmann (Pamina), Detlef Roth (Papageno), Matti Salminen (Sarastro), Désirée Rancatore (Reine de la Nuit), Gaële Le Roi (Papagena), Uwe Peper (Monastatos)

Orchestre et Choeurs de l'Opéra national de Paris; Ivan Fischer, dir.
Mise en scène : Benno Besson
TDK DVWW-OPMFP (158 min)
*****$$$$

Une Flûte enchantée...enchanteresse ! On n'a pas assez d'yeux pour apprécier toute la richesse des costumes, toutes les effervescences scéniques. En un tour de main, peut apparaître une jungle luxuriante peuplée d'animaux sauvages. Une autre fois, c'est la Reine de la Nuit qui surgit du sol et s'envole dans les airs, habillée d'une robe démesurée qui meuble toute la scène. Il y a plein de ces trouvailles visuelles qui tiennent de la magie. Côté chant aussi, nous sommes choyés. Le personnage de Pamina est très bien rendu par Röschmann, une mozartienne accomplie - on se remémorera avec plaisir sa Susanna des Noces de Figaro (DVD Arthaus 100 017). Roth insuffle dynamisme et justesse vocale à son Papageno. Rancatore interprète à merveille le fameux air Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen. Salminen, avec sa superbe voix de basse, brille là comme il le fait dans tant d'autres productions DVD...Question mise en scène et tournage, la référence absolue pour cet opéra demeure l'adaptation d'Ingmar Bergman, de 1975 (DVD Criterion 71), mais le célèbre cinéaste n'avait pas la contrainte du direct, et ses chanteurs - crime de lèse-majesté - s'exprimaient en suédois.

-Pierre Demers

Buy this DVD at amazon.com

Today's Musician Birthday: January 24

Born on January 24:

1919 - Leon Kirchner, Brooklyn NY, opera composer (Lily)

Wiki entry

Bio

Met Cancels Opera Pay-Per-View On-Demand

Call it a rare miscalculation for Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb, who didn't count on the outcry from the movie theatres who were showing the Met's highly successful live in HD. According to a story in the New York Times, the Met has cancelled its on-demand pay-per-view telecasts for the season citing concerns that the 30-day delay was not long enough.

"There was this real outcry from the movie theaters," said Peter Gelb, the Met's general manager. "We were not aware they were going to feel this way until we announced we were doing this." He added: "We are not a movie. We're a live transmission."

Under agreements with major Hollywood studios movies usually take much longer to reach on-demand services. Mr. Gelb said the theater operators might have worried about alienating the studios by allowing a shorter lag. He said he hoped to start the on-demand showings next season, for which the schedule of opera transmissions has not yet been made.

> Metropolitan Opera Live in HD
> Stories about HD Opera

Viva Villazón!

Best of Rolando Villazón (CD; 57 m 30 s)
Live in Prague - Concert from Smetana Hall (DVD; 51 m)
Virgin Classics 504762-20
***** $$$

If you are new to the art of Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón, this combination CD-DVD set is the one to buy. The CD contains selections from all the recital discs he made when under contract to EMI/Virgin Classics. While the 35-year-old singer is still very much in his vocal prime, his hectic schedule and a tendency to give unstintingly have taken a toll on his voice, at least temporarily. A certain unreliability has crept into his singing, resulting in a 6-month hiatus in the latter part of 2007. (He resumed performing this January, as Werther at the Vienna State Opera, to cautiously good reviews). His Virgin Classics output dates from 2004-6, when his voice was in pristine shape. His Italian opera arias disc - my personal favourite - was recorded in 2004 with the late Marcello Viotti. Everything is sung with gorgeous tone, rock-solid technique and his trademark sense of drama. His ingratiating, darkish timbre recalls a young Plácido Domingo; his liberal use of mezza voce is an unalloyed pleasure. Also in this potpourri is the French album from a year later with Evelino Pidò, and a marvellous third disc of mixed repertoire under the baton of Michel Plasson. Everything has been previously issued except for "Donna non vidi mai" from Manon Lescaut, the Puccini Des Grieux role he has yet to sing onstage.

However beautiful Villazón's voice is, a substantial part of his magic is visual. A charming and irrepressible personality onstage and off, Villazón exudes an unbridled joy of singing that is infectious. You can get a glimpse of it in the concert from Prague, taped in November 2005. It was a relatively short concert of ten arias, all your usual chestnuts. In thrilling voice, he gave his all vocally and dramatically. He even took the trouble to learn a few words in Czech and had the local audience eating out of his hand. Let's hope he has completely recovered from what ailed him for the past year or so, as a tenor of his stature is hard to find. Highly recommended!

-Joseph K. So

Buy this CD/DVD at amazon.com

Today's Musician Birthday: January 22

Born on January 22:

1897 - Rosa Ponselle, soprano

Wiki entry
Article in La Scena Musicale

Rosa Ponselle singing the famous Habanera from Bizet's Carmen:

Today's Musician Birthday: January 21

Born on January 21:

1941 - Plácido Domingo, Madrid Spain, opera tenor

Wiki entry

Official website

Nessun Dorma - Plácido Domingo - Turandot - Puccini:

Today's Musician Birthday: January 18

Born on January 18:

1903 - Berthold Goldschmidt, German/British composer
Wiki entry
LSM article


Send musician's birthdays to mikevincent [at] scena.org

Today's Musician Birthday: January 17

Born on January 17:

1925 - Annie Delorie, Dutch opera singer

Short bio



Send musician's birthdays to mikevincent [at] scena.org

Macbeth du Metropolitan Opera

par Pierre Marc Bellemare

Giuseppe Verdi : Macbeth

« Simulcast » du Metropolian Opera House de New York
Le samedi 12 janvier 2008, à 13 h 30

Distribution : Zelko Lucic (Macbeth), Maria Guleghina (Lady Macbeth), John Relyea (Banquo), Russell Thomas (Malcolm), Dimitri Pittas (Macduff), Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs (Dame de compagnie), James Courtney (Médecin).

Production conçue et mise en scène par Adrian Noble

Choeurs et orchestre du Metropolitan Opera House de New York dirigés par James Levine

***

Verdi, comme Shakespeare avant lui, a conçu Macbeth à la fois comme un drame privé (l'histoire d'un couple de criminels dévorés par le remords) et un drame politique (une histoire d'usurpation et de guerre civile). En transférant l'action du Moyen Âge au vingtième siècle, Adrian Noble a accentué la dimension politique. Il a ainsi rendu un fier service à la musique en faisant valoir les scènes de foule, notamment celles du quatrième acte, où le couple maudit n'apparaît pas et que l'on a donc souvent tendance à négliger. Par contre, lorsque certains détails de costume ou de décor attirent trop l'attention sur eux-mêmes - que l'on songe à l'attirail ridicule dont sont attifées les sorcières ou à la présence incongrue d'une jeep militaire dans le finale -, sa « vision », si imaginative soit-elle, tombe dans l'anecdotique et, ce faisant, cesse d'intéresser.

Par bonheur, les scènes centrées sur Macbeth et sa Lady ne souffrent pas de ce genre d'encombrement visuel. Elles se déroulent dans un espace sobre organisé autour de quatre grand piliers qui, selon le contexte, deviennent les arbres d'une forêt ou les colonnes d'une salle de château gothique. C'est dans cet espace, et autour d'un panneau qui parfois y descend, que les deux protagonistes peuvent se livrer en toute liberté à l'exploration de leurs rôles respectifs – des rôles difficiles, complexes et tourmentés, ainsi que nous le rappelait le Maestro Levine, un instant avant la représentation.

M. Lucic et Mme Guleghina forment le couple Macbeth idéal, lui retenu, elle déchaînée.

Depuis deux ou trois ans, Zaljko Lucic se multiplie sur les grandes scènes lyriques. Il ne chante à peu près que du Verdi, et aucun des grands rôles que ce dernier a écrits pour les barytons ne semble lui faire peur. Serait-il l'héritier, si longtemps attendu, du manteau des Tito Gobbi et des Leonard Warren ? Il est trop tôt pour l'affirmer. Sans doute a-t-il une très belle voix et un sens indéniable du drame, mais il n'a pas encore acquis cette personnalité distincte, cette sonorité tout à fait personnelle sans laquelle un artiste, si doué soit-il, ne peut vraiment prétendre au titre tant convoité de baryton Verdi.

Les opéraphiles sont très divisés au sujet de Mme Guleghina. Il est révélateur que ces divisions tendent à opposer ceux qui ne connaissent la diva ukrainienne que par le disque ou la radio et ceux qui l'ont à la fois vue et entendue, soit sur scène, soit sur DVD. Les premiers ne manquent pas de souligner les imperfections de sa technique et les multiples approximations qui affectent son approche du texte musical. Maria Guleghina est une interprète inégale qui a ses mauvais jours et, même ses meilleurs jours, des moments difficiles, y compris le samedi du simulcast. Ses admirateurs le savent, mais cela ne les empêche pas de rétorquer à ses critiques : Sans doute avez-vous raison, mais quelle bête de scène ! En effet, on ne saurait le nier : la Guleghina est une actrice née, une tragédienne extraordinaire dont l'art doit presque tout à l'instinct et peu à la réflexion ou à la méthode. Ses DVD, de plus en plus nombreux, témoignent de ce que, à son meilleur, son Abigaille, à Vienne, en 2001 (TDK,) peut être aussi impressionnante que sa Lady Macbeth, hier au Met ou en 2004 au Liceu (Opus Arte). Mais sa Madeleine de Coigny, à Bologne en 2006 (TDK) et plus encore sa Tosca à la Scala, en 2000 (TDK), ont de quoi laisser songeur...

Le problème de la Guleghina, à plus ou moins court terme, est que Verdi n'a pas écrit vingt rôles comme Abigaille et Lady Macbeth. Quoi d'autre pourrait-elle chanter pour continuer à progresser dans ce style intensément dramatique et quelque peu survolté qu'elle a choisi d'adopter ? Verdi, son compositeur fétiche, n'a pas grand-chose de plus à lui offrir dans cette veine. Le belcanto est évidemment exclu (quoiqu'elle ait tout récemment tenté de s'attaquer à Norma). Le vérisme ? Ce n'est pas évident. Puccini ? On pourrait (peut-être) l'imaginer en Turandot, mais il n'y a qu'à l'écouter chanter « Vissi d'arte » pour douter qu'elle ait la subtilité et la finesse qu'exigent la plupart des autres emplois de sopranos pucciniens. Peut-être espère-t-elle finir, comme Rysanek, chez Strauss et Wagner, auquel cas il faudrait qu'elle solidifie sa technique pour mieux discipliner sa voix.

Entre-temps, son interprétation très personnelle du rôle de Lady Macbeth, « toute d'une pièce », demeure un spectacle sonore et visuel qui mérite d'être préservé pour la postérité. On espère que le Met aura la bonne idée d'en tirer un DVD.

Du reste de la distribution, il n'y a que du bien à dire. John Relyea et Russell Thomas se sont, comme toujours, montrés excellents dans leurs rôles de soutien, de même que très appréciés du public new-yorkais. Quant au ténor Dimitri Pittas, un nouveau venu, il a immédiatement séduit : on ne demande qu'à l'entendre à nouveau, alors même qu'on s'interroge sur ce qui a pu arracher une larme à son oeil gauche (en gros plan !) à la fin de sa grande scène. Un tendre et profond sentiment ou... un morceau d'oignon ?

Côté jardin et côté cour, on a pu constater que ce n'était pas pour rien qu'Adrian Noble a présidé pendant près de quinze ans aux destinées de la Royal Shakespeare Company : il sait comment transformer une masse amorphe de choristes et de figurants en un véritable acteur collectif.

Enfin, à l'orchestre, on continue de s'émerveiller des ressources que James Levine peut tirer d'un ensemble qu'il a lui-même dans une large mesure recréé depuis les nombreuses années qu'il le dirige.

Le prochain simulcast du Met aura lieu le 16 février. On présentera alors Manon Lescaut de Puccini.