Die Frau Ohne Schatten from London via Ö1 Radio

Oh, and speaking of Richard Strauss: 

In case you missed it last time around, here is the March 2014 Die Frau Ohne Schatten broadcast from the Royal Opera House, with Emily Magee, Johan Botha, Michaela Schuster, Johan Reuter, and Elena Pankratova, under the baton of Symyon Bychkov, courtesy of Austria's Ö1 Radio. Available for about 5 days. 

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.

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. 

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.

Britten – War Requiem Broadcast from Lucerne: March 23, 2013

In observance of the Benjamin Britten centenary, Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Chorus and Orchestra will present his War Requiem. They'll be joined by the Tölzer Boys Choir, American soprano Emily Magee, English tenor Mark Padmore, and German baritone Christian Gerhaher. 

Wagner: Lohengrin – Gran Teatre del Liceu, 2006 (Loved Her, Hated Him)

I was actually doing OK with Peter Konwitschny’s Lohengrin for a while. Costumes, set, situation, check! I accepted the classroom setting with the kids learning about the legend of Lohengrin. Emily Magee was mostly convincing as a (really) young Elsa. She does shy, coy, and cute very well, and I like the idea of placing this “fairy tale” in a context of innocence.

Elsa comes out of the closet.

While Luana DeVol played the bullying schoolgirl well (I would hide from her in the cupboard, too!), she lost me as soon as she opened her mouth. This is not a voice I want to hear at all, let alone coming from a grownup dressed as a little girl. I am always eager to suspend my disbelief, but even I could not get past this “cognitive disconnect.” Please Mommy, make her stop singing. Ultimately, besides Elsa, I liked the Heerrufer and the King the best.

Sunday Brunch – Emily Magee & Genia Kühmeier sing Strauss

I found another clip from the recent Vienna production of Richard Strauss' Arabella: The exquisite duet from Act 1:

Aber, der Richtige

Sunday Brunch – Emily Magee is Arabella

I watched two different versions of Arabella this weekend; while looking for clips to go with the reviews, I found this on YouTube. 

Emily Magee recently has become another object of my fanboy affection (See Tosca and Ariadne reviews). Tomasz Konieczny looks like a baritone worth following, too. I hope I can track down this entire performance, especially since it also features Genia Kühmeier and Michael Schade.             

 
               Final scene from Arabella

Puccini: Tosca – Zurich 2009 (Part 2: Art is Life)

Thomas Hampson’s Scarpia is a man who keeps his cool and is used to being in charge. He is a perfect bad guy: refined, handsome, smooth, and suave.  He doesn’t look bad, evil, or scary. In fact, his evilness is scarier because he looks so smooth. (When the typical Scarpia makes his entrance, you think, “Ew, yuck, bad man!!” But this Scarpia makes you think, “Wow, he’s handsome!”) As the opera progresses, Scarpia’s nastiness emerges. He is not used to being questioned, defied, or inconvenienced. He taunts Tosca with the fan, he shouts at people, he eats dinner, he has Mario tortured, and he is annoyed that his dinner keeps getting interrupted.

Puccini: Tosca – Zurich 2009 (Part 1: Life is Art)

Life is Art and Art is Life for Floria Tosca. Her actions and reactions to everything that happens around her all are based on her theatrical experience. She is always on stage. This is Robert Carsen’s concept of Tosca from beginning to end. The political intrigue, and even her love and jealousy are secondary. She truly loves Mario, but Tosca is the main character in her own drama.

Carsen also feels that once Scarpia and Mario, Tosca’s two most ardent admirers (her public), are gone, that life has no more meaning for her, and this is why she chooses suicide. I understand his theory, but I believe the fact that Tosca is about to be arrested for murder, plus her general disillusionment, has something to do with her final leap, too.

Ariadne Auf Naxos – Zürich 2006 (Part 3: More Questions than Answers)

When the curtain opens on the “Opera” proper, we are in a replica of an actual Zurich restaurant.

• Are we literally in the restaurant, or is this the set for the Opera?

• Do we feel sad for Ariadne’s plight, or do we admire the Prima Donna’s artistry?

• Are we supposed to know that the servers are the comedians and nymphs? Is that part of the Opera or is it "opera"?

• The nymphs later are patrons in the restaurant. Is this literal, or are we supposed to understand this as part of the theatrical experience?

• The comedians each play three roles in the Opera (or opera.) Do we take note of this, or are we not supposed to realize they are the same people?

• It's played very realistically. but just how literally are we supposed to be taking this restaurant scene?

Tuesday Late Edition – The Complete 2012 Salzburg Ariadne

Someone has uploaded the entire performance from last Sunday!  The opera proper starts at about 1 hour, 30 minutes, should you wish to skip the play portion. No subtitles, but a chance to see an interesting staging and hear some wonderful singing.  Check it out!

Salzburg August 5, 2012

Emily Magee - The Prima Donna/Ariadne
Elena Mosuc - Zerbinetta
Jonas Kaufmann - The Tenor/Bacchus

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Daniel Harding music director
Sven-Eric Bechtolf stage director

Sunday Extrablatt – Salzburg Ariadne 2012

I just watched the "original" Ariadne auf Naxos live online from Salzburg, and I really enjoyed it. Although I have to admit the play section left me a bit cold, in great part because there were no subtitles. I know enough German to get the gist of what is going on, but not the nuances. Though I am not sure there were many nuances, judging from Zerbinetta's (the blogger, not the character) review, which is quite detailed and perceptive.  

Ariadne Auf Naxos – Zürich 2006 (Part 1: Is this the real life?)

 “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? 

Caught in a landslide, No escape from reality…”

- Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody

I keep trying to write my review of the 2006 Zürich Opera performance of Ariadne auf Naxos (staged by Claus Guth). But my notes continue to be no more than a series of questions. Questions are good, but I am not sure a list of questions actually constitues a review. Though now that I think if it, that could be a great new approach...or not.

A Tale of Two Ariadnes: Richard Strauß Preview

I am getting ready to review this DVD:

Emily Magee @ Zurich Opera 2005

In preparation, I decided to re-view this one first:

Jessye Norman @ the Met 1988

I figured it would be a good idea to revisit a "traditional" production (first seen at the Met in 1964) before re-watching, then writing about Claus Guth's version.   

I'll post my Ariadne review sometime in August. Next week I’ll be considering some Gluck and Mozart operas.

Ariadne mit dem Panther

Johann Heinrich von Dannecker (1758-1841)