Anne Sofie von Otter has always had an interest in early music,and she seems to be exploring it more and more now. Here is a sampler from her latest album:
There is also a fine review/preview of this disc just published over at Definitely the Opera.
In other ASvO news, she has a brand new updated website. (Fanboys need to know these things) And she is involved in something new at the Zurich Opera:
which will also feature Malin Hartelius and Christophe Dumaux. It looks to be another Baroque pastiche along the lines of the Met's Enchanted Island, but since it's Marthaler, I am sure it will be much weirder.
And, it seems it will be broadcast on Radio Swiss Classic on November 7.I love Google Translate* although sometimes it's more entertaining than helpful. Here is what it does with part of the Zurich Opera notes on this new production:
The Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and the Swiss director Christoph Marthaler do at the Zurich Opera House has become now an urgent need for inventory of business creations Handel.
Mezzosopranistin Anne Sofie von Otter und der Schweizer Regisseur Christoph Marthaler unternehmen am Zürcher Opernhaus nunmehr eine dringend notwendig gewordene Inventur der Werkschöpfungen Georg Friedrich Händels.
However you translate it, I'm sure there will be musical treasures to explore. (I hope either Mezzo or Medici will be broadcasting it as well.)
I also love the way ASvO embraces her maturity. It's not like she has one foot in the grave (at only 2 years older than I am, she is still in her vocal prime). But with the opera singer demographic skewing younger and younger these days, she is moving firmly into the role of a respected elder** vocalist. So, dear ASvO: Flaunt your gray, triumph in the odd wrinkle here and there. Let's hear it for maturity! Go ASvO!!
*The good news with GT is if you have a relative grasp of the original language, its not too difficult to sort out the translator's awkward syntax, and at least the translation helps with the big words. It's a lot better than looking at a page of German (or Italian, or French, or whatever) and not getting anything out of it.
** Note that I said "elder" not "elderly"!
Did you manage to see the previous von O/Marthaler collab? http://www.videoportal.sf.tv/video?id=e3e556e4-85ba-4934-8a1a-3f4e6f42213e It was available on YT in its entirety... Some good moments, not enough of them, alas...
ReplyDeleteOtterians have been waiting for the new website forever. A peculiarly bad (read: nonexistent) digital marketing strategy by her management. So, the site is good news. Its design, on the other hand, is something out of early to mid-2000s, with no links leading anywhere outside (except on the discography page), and the type of site architecture people do when they don't intend to update the site very frequently... What did you think?
Hi, thanks for pointing out that Offenbach. I have not seen it yet, and will check it out.
ReplyDeleteI did notice that the new site, while better than the DG and Facebook pages, is not an amazing presence. Perhaps she or her management don't feel they need to do much to promote her.
Still, it would be nice to have more "stuff" there. More performance photos; a few video and audio clips; a greeting from Anne Sofie; at least the promos for her new album. I know there is also a promo video for her Bach arias disc.
It kind of has that "Artist Management Offficial Website" feel to it. I guess her "people" feel she has a good strong fan base and more or less sells herself, so they don't need to bother. I hope she is not paying them a lot!
Gee, if I didn't already have two jobs and my own blog, I might consider starting a fansite for ASvO. But then again, she seems to be doing pretty well without my help! :-)
Hearty cheers! BTW, that announcement, with slightly less weird syntax, says that "mezzosoprano Anne Sofie von Otter and the Swiss director Christoph Marthaler will now undertake at the Zurich Opera House a project which has become urgent: making an inventory of all the works of Handel.
ReplyDeleteHi Lucy, thanks for stopping by and untangling that for us!
ReplyDeleteNow I just have to figure out why inventorying Handel is suddenly so urgent and why it has fallen to ASvO. Doesn't she have enough on her plate already? :-)