Met in HD Encores – Three Left this Summer

Three Met in HD summer encores are left this year. I  missed the gorgeous Butterfly last week because I was out of town. 

I am not sure I need to see this Trovatore again, but I’ll probably go anyway. 

I used to have the Onegin on DVD (I cannot find it...who did I loan it to? Sorry; to whom did I loan it?); and I think it's a "don't miss" performance and production (all those leaves!). I reviewed this one, and here is the first part. My Uncle (my Dad's brother) had some thoughts about this production of his favorite opera. 

And I simply must see Nina Stemme as Turandot.

Here are the dates the encores playing in my neighborhood (all Wednesdays):

• 06/27 – Trovatore 7:00 PM
• 07/11 – Eugene Onegin 7:00 PM
• 07/18 – Turandot 7:00 PM

Hello, Ragazzi! (Part Four)

I’ve noticed (and no doubt my readers have noticed) that I've been mentioning/referring to Robert Carsen productions frequently in recent posts. This realization made me think. If the Met is going to continue importing some of its “new” productions from other venues (I understand it’s a more economical way to bring in new work than to create every new production from scratch), can we convince them to bring in Robert Carsen’s La Fanciulla del West? Since the Met was the site of Fanciulla’s origin, I think it’s about time we get a new production (or any production for that matter. It’s been 6 years since the last time they presented it.)

Maybe we could cast it with Nina Stemme and Jonas Kaufmann (though I understand he’s travelling outside Europe less due to changes in his domestic life). Alternate tenors: is Brandon Jovanovich ready for this role? He acted a good prince in Rusalka and sang a pretty exciting Florestan in concert a few years ago. How about Anja Kampe or Patricia Racette as Minnie? I am sure there are many other dramatic tenors and sopranos (and barihunks)—who also can act—who could fill out this production. Who would you like to see in a new Fanciulla?

Tristan und Isolde in HD – I love you so much I could die!

Stuart Skelton and Nina Stemme as Tristan und Isolde

This post/review of the Met in HD performance of Tristan und Isolde is a slightly expanded (and better proof-read) version of a comment I posted at The Earworm's review of last Monday night's performance. 

I enjoyed the Met broadcast on Saturday. I have to confess it’s my first time sitting straight through Tristan und Isolde; and I found myself drifting a bit during Act 3. That said, I confirmed my conviction that you really just need to “give in” to Wagner’s pace; let time stand still, as it were; and the piece doesn’t seem quite as long as it really is.

All of the singing was glorious; but I wished for better acting from Tristan and Kurwenal (and less barkiness from K). I find I have a tendency to close my eyes during these broadcasts, not because I don't want to see the scenery or the singer but because it allows me to wallow in the sheer sound of both voice and orchestra! Nina Stemme...well, she's awesome; I do need to open my eyes when she sings, because she also is an engaging actor. Stewart Skelton and Ekaterina Gubanova also sang beautifully; and of course René Pape is in a class of his own as King Marke. Really, everyone sang well. 

I was not bothered by the updated setting, though the set was nothing if not dreary. For me, the cargo ship setting enhanced the feeling of Isolde being kidnapped. The sailors menacing the women was creepy but appropriate. A little part of me wanted Isolde to be a bit dressier; but, her dress and demeanor accentuated the “captive” aspect.

Hello, Ragazzi! (Part Three)

Fantasy Opera Casting: 

Stemme, Kaufmann, and friends in the Carsen staging.

Nina Stemme and Anna Larsson in Recital

Nina Stemme and AnnaLarsson sing Mahler, Strauss, Brahms, and some brand new Swedish songs in this recital recorded on April 23, 2014 (The actual singing starts about four minutes into the program.)

Nina Stemme sopran

Anna Larsson alt
Matti Hirvonen piano

Programme below:

Dvorak's Armida and other Operatic Delights from Sveriges Radio

Dvorak: Armida

Dvorak wrote an opera about Armida and Rinald(o), too? Well, why not? A whole boatload of other composers did (most notably Handel and Rossini.) This month on Sveriges Radio (Sweden) you can hear a performance from the Czech Republic of Dvorak's relatively rare opera. Rumor has it he modeled his work on Wagner's Tannhäuser. Maybe so, but I Dvorak also drew a lot from his "New World" influences.  

Dvorak's music is really lovely (I still need to sit down seriously with Rusalka!) and I'd like to explore this opera further. It turns out that the blog Operalia has a link to a video of this same Czech performance. (I have yet to successfully download anything from that site; any tips would be greatly appreciated.)

Nina Stemme

Sveriges Radio broadcasts operas weekly, and most of them (except for the ones from the stingy Peter Gelb) are archived for 30 days. Dvorak's Armida is available for about three more weeks. November offerings are listed on the Sveriges Radio website. 

Of particular interest this month is the live broadcast (on November 30) of the Stockholm Royal Opera premiere of a new production of Salome, starring Nina Stemme.

In between is a L'Elisir d'Amore from Gothenburg and Britten's Gloriana from Covent Garden. When seeking intersting opera broadcasts, don’t forget Sweden’s Sveriges Radio!

La Fanciulla del Wien

Tomasz Konieczny, Nina Stemme, and Jonas Kaufmann in the Wild, Wild West.

Part 1

Kaufmann & Stemme: La Fancuilla del West

Jonas Kaufmann & Nina Stemme in Puccini's La Fancuilla del West. Some brief excerpts below. It's better than nothing...and a good start!

Apropos Musik - Ö1 Radio offers Live Opera Excerpts from Vienna

Apropos Music is Vienna State Opera's radio magazine on Ö1 Radio. This week, they broadcast excerpts from live performances recorded last month (September 2013) at the Wiener Staatsoper. I really appreciate the opportunity to hear more “live” opera, even if only in excerpts. The musical performances include bits from La Traviata, Tosca, Carmen, Tristan und Isolde, Otello, and quite a few from Simon Boccenegra. Thanks to this program, I now know:

Wagner's Ring at the Proms on BBC Radio 3

•    Wagner: Der Ring des Niebelungen 
     from the Proms
     Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim conductor
  
  
  
  The first two operas can be heard on BBC Radio 3 now; the rest are on their way.
  
  

Das Rhinegold (7/22)

Iain Paterson baritone (Wotan)

Anna Larsson mezzo-soprano (Erda)

Johannes Martin Kränzle baritone (Alberich)

Eric Halfvarson bass (Fafner)

Die Walküre (7/23)

Bryn Terfel bass-baritone (Wotan)

Eric Halfvarson bass (Hunding)

Simon O'Neill tenor (Siegmund)

Anja Kampe soprano, Proms debut artist (Sieglinde)

Nina Stemme soprano (Brünnhilde)

Ekaterina Gubanova mezzo-soprano (Fricka)

Siegfried (7/26)

Lance Ryan tenor, Proms debut artist (Siegfried)

Nina Stemme soprano (Brünnhilde)

Terje Stensvold baritone (Wanderer)

Peter Bronder tenor (Mime)

Götterdämmerung (7/28)

Nina Stemme soprano (Brünnhilde)

Andreas Schager tenor (Siegfried)

Mikhail Petrenko bass (Hagen)

Gerd Grochowski baritone (Gunther)

Also coming up:

Tristan und Isolde (7/27)

Tannhauser (8/4)

Parsifal (8/25)

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. 

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde – Stemme und Storey on BBC Radio 3

As Brünnhilde und Siegfried

We have only a few days left to hear the Tristan und Isolde from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on BBC Radio 3.  The BBC SSO recorded each act separately and this is how the BBC is sharing it with us. The links for each act are below. From what I've read (and heard) so far, Acts 1 and 2 are don't-miss events. There were cast changes over the course of the performances, most notably the title characters are different in Act 3. 

So the news is Nina Stemme's Isolde. She recorded it quite a few years ago, so it's good to hear her current take on it. Tristan is Ian Storey (he'll be singing the role next season at Washington National Opera) and he is news, too. 

Wagner: Wesendonck for Wednesday – More Nina Stemme

Last month, I posted Nina Stemme singing the Wesendonck Lieder in their original guise, with piano, from (I believe) a studio recording. Here is a live performance from the 2012 Salzburg Festival. Mariss Jansons conducts the Vienna Philharmonic (sounding lush as always, even in their reduced chamber configuration.) Is Nina's voice getting darker and richer? She sounds almost contralto-ish to me.  (Upon re-listening, I think it just takes her the first song to warm up.)

Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder, op. 91 

Nina Stemme, Wiener Philharmoniker, Mariss Jansons

The Nina Stemme Show: Turandot at the Royal Swedish Opera

Riccardo Massi & Nina Stemme

I just came across a thorough review by Aksel Tollåli at bachtrack of Nina Stemme's debut as Turandot. He also provides some detail on the production, which sounds intriguing. 

...the chorus, originally an angry, bloodthirsty mob of Chinese people, was turned into an angry, blood-thirsty mob of an opera audience, dressed to the nines, and seated in replicas of the chairs of the Royal Opera’s auditorium... The chorus egged on the singers in front of them...before leaving the stage after all of the interesting bits had happened, only to return after a while, champagne flutes in hand, for the next big moment. 

Gratuitous Friday Special Edition – Nina Stemme and the Wesendonck Lieder – Complete

I posted Im Triebhaus last week, but I just had to share all five songs with my readers. Here is the complete set of Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder sung by Nina Stemme, with Josef de Beenhouwer at the piano, and recorded in 2003. 

Frau Stemme's voice is so full and strong, yet so delicate. She is a consummate Wagner and Strauss singer, lacking only that heavy, wobbly, old-fashioned Wagnerian sound. And that's a good thing! (Don't forget to check out her Turandot broadcast, too!)

Nina Stemme is Turandot

Nina Stemme is the new Turandot. It only makes sense. Here is her "big aria." From his brief participation in this scene, it sounds like Riccardo Massi is a smooth, powerhouse Calaf, too. Below the YT clip is a link to the complete performance at Sveriges Radio. I have not heard the whole performance yet, but I need to do so soon, and so do you. It will be online only for about 20 more days.

(Update, 08/14/2016 - this is from a 2015 performance at La Scala -- the Stockholm recording was "disappeared." This is actually better, since it's video!)

In questa reggio

Puccini: Turandot Live performance from the Royal Opera, Stockholm. Recorded February 16, 2013 on SverigeSRadio. Thank you, Sveriges Radio!

(also, hear the riddle scene)

Sunday Brunch – Nina Stemme Singt Wagner

OK, no more JK (or Lohengrin) for a few days, 
but here is more Wagner. This clip is a gorgeous performance of the third Wesendonck Lied, Im Treibhaus, in its original guise.

Nina Stemme is accompanied at the piano by Josef de Beenhouwer.