Wozzeck aus dem Opernhaus Zürich mit Herr Gerhaher

© Monika Rittershaus

I haven’t had a chance to watch/listen to this new performance of Wozzeck yet—I did do a quick random click-through just to get a taste. But I wanted to call attention to this performance on concert.arte.tv. It looks very interesting—almost a Punch and Judy-like setting. Based on the cast, it should be very well sung.

What is it about Wozzeck that attracts fine Lieder singers?

P.S. Sorry. I couldn't disable the accursed auto-play for this post, so I am settling for posting this link.

Even More Mozart – from Dorothea Röschmann and Christian Gerhaher

And then there are these two fairly new discs, which I actually got a few weeks ago. 

The DR program is a known quantity from the radio broadcast of the concerts last year. It's remains a wonderful program; and I continue to wish someone would cast her as Vitellia again...soon...and somewhere I can hear her (and hopefully see her, too.) I also wonder, as her voice darkens wonderfully, if she (and any impresario) would consider taking on Dorabella. She’d be awesome in any variety of interpretations (insane, oversexed, neurotic, naïve, or any combination thereof.)

The GG program is completely new on my radar. Also, taken from live performances last year, this concert contains the usual suspects as far as arias go, but GG has made an effort to create a program with an overarching theme. While the DR concert had an entire Mozart piano concerto in the middle of it* (not included on the CD), GG's disperses the four movements of Symphony no. 36 throughout his program (and not in symphony order.) On paper it sounds messy and/or contrived; but in hearing, I think it works quite well. 

These discs (as well as the Clemenza I mentioned yesterday, plus both recently observed Zauberflöten) call for separate posts that are more review-like (vs. the wow! look what I found! type of post.)  

*I still think there was a missed opportunity here to program the concert aria (with piano), "Ch'io mi scordi di te? ... Non temer, amato bene;" but for some reason they didn't ask me when they were planning the concert.

The Lieder Board - Recitals from Schwarzenberg and Schwetzingen

Benjamin Appl, Baritone

On Austrian Radio Ö1 from Schwarzenberg – available for 7 days after the (first broadcast):

Diana Damrau (June 29)

**Benjamin Appl (July 1)

And later this summer:

Luca Pisaroni (August 26)

The Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele – archived for about a year (and you can also herunterlauden (download) many of them):

Christian Gerhaher 

Christiane Karg (All Baroque – not Lieder, per se)

Krassimira Stoyanova

Philippe Jaroussky (from 2014)

Of course, in Schwetzingen, there's lots more than lieder. They have choral music, solo instrumental recitals, and chamber music programs, too.  

Here is the full 2015 archive list.

**Update 7/3/15 - I was just starting to think I really wasn't into Lieder anymore. But after listening to Herr Appl's recital twice and a half, I am totally back in! Don't miss this programme!

Watching the Radio – More Vocal Treasures on Ö1

On Radio Ö1 this week, Chris Tina Tengel hosts two programs of vocal interest.

Apropos Musik from Sunday afternoon is an appreciation of French baritone Gabriel Bacquier, who would have been 90 this year. (He sounds gooooood!)

Stimmen hören provides an overview of recent Lieder recordings featuring clips from Jonas Kaufmann, Paul Armin Edelmann, Maximilian Schmitt, Norbert Ernst, Christian Gerhaher, and several others. Lieder are by the usual suspects, plus Fanny Mendelssohn, Paul Hindemith, and Joseph Marx, to name a few.  Listen to this one first, since it’s only available on 7 Tage Ö1 for a few more days. 

Schumann Faust Scenes on Ö1 Radio (Röschmann, Gerhaher, Pisaroni)

Christian Gerhaher and Daniel Harding

Broadcast last night on Ö1 Radio, this will be in the 7 Tage Ö1  archive for about six more days. 

Robert Schumann: 

Szenen aus Goethe's Faust

Part 1

Ouvertüre
Nr.1 Szene im Garten
Nr.2 Gretchen vor dem Bild der Mater dolorosa
Nr.3 Szene im Dom

Part 2

Nr.4 Sonnenaufgang
Nr.5 Mitternacht
Nr.6 Fausts Tod

Dorothea Röschmann (Gretchen)
Anna Prohaska (Marthe; Sorge; Soprano Soli)
Andrew Staples (Ariel; Tenor Soli)
Christian Gerhaher (Faust)
Luca Pisaroni (Mephisto)
Elisabeth von Magnus (Mangel; Mezzosopran Soli)
Wiebke Lehmkuhl (Schuld; Alt Soli)
Franz-Josef Selig (Bass Soli)

Rundfunkchor Berlin
Knaben des Staats- und Domchors Berlin
Berliner Philharmoniker
Leitung: Daniel Harding

Monday Mahler with Christian Gerhaher (and a Little Mozart, too)

Too good to be true? Yes. Yes it is. The Berliner Philharmoniker never gives anything away, and so they fade out before the end of the song! But it's still worth posting and watching/listening. Plus it was time to turn the spotlight away from Matthias Goerne—briefly—to remind us how amazing Herr Gerhaher is.

I had to give up my annual Digital Concert Hall subscription, but there are programs that are worth paying a few bucks to see, one-at-a-time. (Including the Schumann Faust concert!) Or pay for a month, then stay home and watch non-stop to get the most for your Euro.

Meanwhile, today’s post was going to be my debrief of Saturday’s La Clemenza di Tito from Munich, but I am still mulling it over. I've had two good conversations with My Dad about it, and I am working on conclusions. 

Aus der Inbox – Schumann’s Faust on Digital Concert Hall On Sunday – Roschmann, Pisaroni, Gerhaher, et al.

BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER
DANIEL HARDING

Dorothea Röschmann, Anna Prohaska, Andrew Staples, Christian Gerhaher, Luca Pisaroni

GET YOUR TICKET NOW

• Sunday, Dec. 15, 2 PM Eastern US

• Robert Schumann
  Scenes from Goethe's Faust

  Dorothea Röschmann Soprano (Gretchen, Una Poenitentium),Anna Prohaska Soprano (Marthe, Care, Angel, Soprano solos),Andrew Staples Tenor (Ariel, Pater Exstaticus, Tenor solos),Christian Gerhaher Baritone (Faust, Pater Seraphicus, Dr. Marianus), Luca Pisaroni Bass-Baritone (Mephistopheles), Franz-Josef Selig Bass-Baritone (Pater profundus, Bass solos), Wiebke Lehmkuhl Contralto (Guilt, Mater Gloriosa, Maria Aegyptiaca, Contralto solos), Rundfunkchor Berlin, Robin Gritton Chorus Master, Boys of the Staats- und Domchor Berlin, Kai-Uwe Jirka Chorus Master

Over time how many composers have had a try at Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust – and have failed more or less honourably! Robert Schumann is generally named as one of them. After all, with Scenes from Goethe’s Faust he wrote a work between 1844 and 1853 that until the present has led a shadowy existence in the concert business. But wait! Did Schumann truly shipwreck in compositional terms in grappling with the German tragedy – for that reason alone? Or was his music quite simply not (yet) understood – then or now – by his contemporaries and by ensuing ages?

For the conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, who originally was to lead the three concerts in the Berlin Philharmonie, Schumann’sFaust Scenes “are among the greatest music that there is.” Unfortunately, the conductor has had to cancel his guest appearance with the Philharmoniker. We are grateful to Daniel Harding, who recently performed Mahler’s Tenth Symphony with the orchestra, who has agreed to stand in for him.

Christian Gerhaher, Dorothea Röschmann and Luca Pisaroni will slip into the roles of Faust, Gretchen and Mephistopheles. Besides additional high-caliber soloists, the Rundfunkchor Berlin can also be experienced in the performances of Schumann’s composition, which oscillates between incidental music, cantata and secular oratorio. These are optimal prerequisites to (re-)discover – in Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s words – “the enigmatic, transcendental, ambiguous” in Schumann’s Faust music.

Go here to sign in, sign up, and watch and listen!

Gratuitous Gerhaher Friday - Die Zwei Blaue Augen

Gerhaher Hair*

After posting the ASvO recording of this song from Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer the other day, I thought about how Christian Gerhaher moves me to tears in this song. Of course, he's recorded it in three different versions: piano, Mahler's orchestral version, and Schoenberg's chamber ensemble version.

So I've been listening to all three, back to back to back. It's wonderful and wonderfully depressing. I decided that, for now, the chamber version is my favorite, both at the "Ade, Ade" (farewell) section (so mournful) and the Lindenbaum bit. And then the song trails off into silence. Ach, Mahler. Not a cheerful man, but his music can be so moving!

*Not to be confused with Haim Hair (it's similar, but not quite the same thing!)

Concerts Courtesy of France Musique

In case you missed them, francemusique.fr is giving us another chance to hear Werner Güra’s Edinburgh Recital (till Nov. 29) and Christian Gerhaher's all-Schumann program from Salzburg (till Nov. 23).  

I was directed to France Musique, which makes most concert broadcasts available for about 30 days, by Lydia from Toronto, who tweeted me about a very special concert that will be broadcast on November 26, and be available for about 30 days after that: 

Photo courtesy of Eden Jonathan, who was
fortunate enough to attend the concert live.
Thanks Eden!

Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice from l'Opéra Royal de Versailles.

Franco Fagioli,  Orphée

Malin Hartelius, Euridice

Emmanuelle de Negri, Amore

Ensemble vocal Accentus 

Insula Orchestra

Laurence Equilbey, Direction

The France Musique website is a great new (to me) resource for recorded music online! Other program listings can be found for on the Concerts page at francemusique.fr. I just love teh interwebz!!

The Two New War Requiem Recordings (Plus One)

On the (near) eve of the U.S. release Antonio Pappano's recording of Britten's War Requiem (November 19), we can hear the entire performance online at NPR for about a week. The soloists are Anna Netrebko, Ian Bostridge, Thomas Hampson. Pappano leads the Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. (Thanks to Mr. Hampson for the heads-up.)

Meanwhile, the Mariss Jansons recording with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, the Tölzer Boys Choir, soprano Emily Magee, tenor Mark Padmore, and baritone Christian Gerhaher is available now. And you can download it from Amazon.com for less than six bucks!

Update: Thanks to Stray (see below) we also have a link to a recent Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcast. Soloists are Tatiana Pavlovskaya, John Mark Ainsley, and Matthias Goerne, with Charles Dutoit conducting. The BSO Media Center is a super resource, with lots of great information, videos, broadcasts and podcasts, including an 11-minute video that offers background on Britten and the War Requiem.

Gerhaher Sings Schumann in Hohenems

Gerold Huber and Christian Gerhaher in Salzburg

Just in case you can't get enough of Christian Gerhaher (accompanied by Gerold Huber) singing Schumann (I can't), here is a broadcast of his Liederabend from the lovely Markus-Sittikus-Saal in Hoenems, Austria. This was recorded on September 22, 2013. It was transmitted this morning on Ö1 Radio, so it should be available for another seven days. The program is listed below.

Gratuitous Friday – Christian Gerhaher Sings Mahler

Christian Gerhaher has recorded Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer at least twice commercially: once in the original piano version with long-time accompanist Gerold Huber, and once in the Schoenberg transcription with the Hyperion Ensemble. He also has performed the song cycle numerous times with piano or orchestra. Here is a live performance with the Mahler Youth Orchestra.

Now, Herr Gerhaher has an album due out (I guess it is out in some parts of the world) with Kent Nagano and more of Mahler's orchestral songs, including of course, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. 

Even more exciting is his upcoming performance of the cycle this Sunday with the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Digital Concert Hall site. Herr Gerhaher will also participate in a performance of Janacek's Mass. It should be an exciting program.

Two on 3 – Werner Güra and Dorothea Röschmann's Recitals from Edinburgh and One on 1 – Christian Gerhaher im Salzburg

Listen now:

Werner Güra and Christoph Berner

Werner Güra (tenor) and Christoph Berner (piano) perform music by Beethoven and Schubert.

German tenor Werner Güra and pianist Christoph Berner perform live at the Edinburgh International Festival. Love and longing, life and loss are explored in this song recital of works by Beethoven and Schubert.

Sunday Brunch – Christian Gerhaher is Wolfram

William R. Braun recently wrote in his review of the Marek Janowski Tannhäuser in Opera News: 

Gerhaher must be tired of constant comparison to the impeccable performances of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, but the way he has apparently thought about every vowel sound he sings in the entire opera, and his ability to sing the three notes of a major triad perfectly in tune, make this point of reference unavoidable. 

Incidentally, the MP3 download at Amazon.com of this Tannhäuser is a great deal – $9.49 for the entire opera. Robert Dean Smith and Nina Stemme also star. Here is Herr Gerhaher (say that out loud – it's fun) singing the famous "Evening Star" aria from this recording:

Gratuitous Gerhaher Post – Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer

I have to admit that Christian Gerhaher does angry, stressed, and serious better than he projects carefree, cheerful, and happy. His happy comes across more as ironic. Maybe it's just these songs. Be that as it may, Herr Gerhaher is a thoughtful interpreter with a smooth voice. We are used to hearing him only with piano, but he does do a lot of orchestral concertizing. Coming up soon will be a review of his (somewhat cranky) Papageno in the M22 Zauberflöte with Diana Damrau, Rene Pape, and Genia Kühmeier. 

Oh, and the Mahler Youth Orchestra is a-ma-zing!

Part two is below.

Sunday Brunch – Christian Gerhaher Sings Mahler's Urlicht

Urlicht is the fourth movement of Gustav Mahler's Symphony no 2. It is a setting of a poem from Des Knaben Wunderhorn; the title means Primal Light or Primordial Light. 

It’s not often heard apart from the symphony, and almost never (this is my first time, anyway) sung by a baritone.

Christian Gerhaher gives us a reason to reconsider this practice.  It’s been said that Herr Gerhaher’s voice is unremarkable, but that his interpretations compare favorably with those of the great Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. I'm not sure I'd call it unremarkable—I find Gerhaher’s singing spellbinding.

BBC Radio 3 Reminder – Britten and Wagner

Here's another chance to hear Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, originally broadcast in March by Bayrische Radio. The BBC will broadcast it on Radio 3, Wednesday May 8. The BBC usually archives these concerts for about a week after the broadcast. 

Sunday Brunch – Gerhaher sings Brahms

Christian Gerhaher is so intense. His performance here is infused with intensity, determination, and pathos. His aria is not just a plea, or a prayer; it’s almost a demand. This is from the same performance as the Christine Schäfer clip I posted two weeks ago.

2012 Lieder Recitals from Schwetzingen Still Available

So, I was over at Dorothea Röschmann – an appreciation, checking out a notice about the Berlin Philharmonic's November 2013 concert of Schumann’s scenes from Faust*. The rest of the vocal cast is compelling too, and includes Martina Janková, Werner Güra, Christian Gerhaher, and Luca Pisaroni. 

On that same page, there is a link to the (still active) archive recording of DR’s wonderful 2012 Schwetzingen SWR Festspiele Lieder recital. (Earwormopera published the sung texts) In fact, most all of the 2012 Schwetzingen programs are still available from Südwestrundfunk SW2. The site says the recordings are available for a year, which means they’ll be disappearing soon (to be replaced by the 2013 programs, no doubt.)

Britten – War Requiem Broadcast from Munich

The radio broadcast of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem is now available at the BR website. Mariss Jansons leads the Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, the Tölzer Boys Choir, soprano Emily Magee, tenor Mark Padmore, and baritone Christian Gerhaher.  

Emily Magee gives a dramatic reading to the Mass texts (check out the Sanctus and Libera me in particular) in concert with the two choirs. And Messers Padmore and Gerhaher take us from light to dark and back to the light again as they share the sometimes poignant, sometimes terrifying, and always emotional Owen texts. Maestro Jansons holds the notoriously-difficult-to-coordinate work together with aplomb.