EZ-Pass to Herheim's Meistersinger

If, like me, you are having a difficult time (particularly in the U.S) accessing this performance of Die Meistersinger at 3sat.de TV (and/or keeping it from freezing), some enterprising soul posted it You-Know-Where. Thanks to La Cieca for the tip. 

It's rumored that this production soon will be coming to the Metropolitan Opera. This announcement, in connection with the name Stefan Herheim, has already ruffled the delicate sensibilities of some regie-0-phobes. Not surprisingly, the outrage exploded before anyone has heard much about the actual production, much less actually seen and heard it. What I’ve seen so far doesn’t look nearly as freaky as, say, Herheim’s Parsifal or La Boheme; in general, I find Herheim's Personenregie thorough and convincing; so far so good, here. 

Act 1

3sat Television Online – Salzburg's Seasons and Mastersingers

Dorothea Röschmann and Michael Schade 

I was watching Haydn's The Seasons from Salzburg again. It is an über-Austrian wonder of music making, with Nickolaus Harnoncourt, Dorothea Röschmann, Michael Schade, and Florian Boesch fronting the Viennese chorus and Philharmonic. Papa Haydn would be proud! The oratorio is a hymn of praise to God and nature. The libretto is kind of hokey—maybe naïve would be a nicer way to say it—but the three soloists give it their all.

Unfortunately, the 3sat Television feed kept freezing. The good thing is the screen-cap above. When the feed froze on this image, I just knew I had to share it—two singers who love what they’re doing, and seem to love singing together. Here is the link to the Seasons feed.

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:

Fantasy Opera Casting – Joyce DiDonato Style

During one of her master classes last spring, Joyce DiDonato said that Figaro in Barber of Seville is a role she'd very much like to play. 

More recently, she revealed that another dream role is Scarpia. So I think it’s time for another round of Fantasy Opera Casting!!! (read with echo added)

The last time we played this game, we gender-switched all the roles, which could be the way to go again; but if you really have a dream cast member that is the same gender as the role, that's cool too. So. If Joyce is Scarpia, fill in the rest of the cast of Tosca (I added one suggestion.):

Floria Tosca                                                                 

Mario Cavaradossi                                                    

Baron Scarpia                               Joyce DiDonato

Cesare Angelotti

A Sacristan

Spoletta

Sciarrone

A Jailer

A Shepherd boy                    Philippe Jaroussky

Gratuitous Friday – Ann Hallenberg is Ariodante

The post called belief in a higher power, over at parterrebox.com, is a wonderful appreciation (adulation?) of the Swedish mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg. It's exciting to know there are other Ann-fanns out there. DeCaffarrelli also mentions another handful of marvelous, but less-superstar-famous sopranos from the past, most of whom we True Opera Fans already know. If you don’t know them, check them out. But first, watch/listen to the clip below, then go read DeCaffarrelli’s great post.