Classical Music & Opera Forums

mogliettina · by **mogliettina** on 17 May 2009, 07:57

This lady is beyond incredible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qQqsyPPRhM

brunnhilde · by **brunnhilde** on 17 May 2009, 12:11

I revisited a movie last night that I hadn't seen since it first appeared, which was sometime in the early 90s, Meeting Venus, by Istvan Szabo, which was apparently based on his experience directing an opera in Paris. Hilarious movie! It's about a Hungarian conductor arriving for his debut with a production of Tannhaueser for "Opera Europa". "I can be misunderstood in six different languages", he intones at one point. It seems that everyone is concerned with everything except music, union squabbles, political agendas, nationalist fervor, etc. and the glimpses of a typical Eurotrash production are likewise fun - Tannhaueser clad in a black leather biker jacket, ie.

But someone was asking recently about Rene Kollo, and he provides the voice of the German tenor, sounding a lot like a laboured Christian Franz. (By the way, a Hungarian friend told me that "Franz" means "hell". Was he putting me on, Peter?)

amneris · by **amneris** on 17 May 2009, 13:30

Orfeo on PBS

I am watching the Met production of Orfeo and find it pretty good. But Blythe is totally miscast--she really can't sing the music as it should be sung.
I am kinda shocked, even though I had heard the broadcast earlier this season. The music requires a much subtler kind of classical singing that escapes Blythe, IMO. Her voice just doesn't caress the musical line. And too much chest a la Horne or Barbieri. She also sings very slightly off pitch way too often. In the end, I just find her performance kinda dull. :cry:

Why wasn't Di Donato given the role? :?:

PS Although De Niese is gorgeous a la Raquel Welsh, her singing and voice are fine, but nothing to write home about.

pczipott · by **pczipott** on 17 May 2009, 14:02

brunnhilde, the slang word your friend is thinking of is spelled "franc" (pronounced like "frantz"). Formally, it means "syphilis", but in expressions like "menj a francba", its idiomatic translation would be "hell" (the example I used means "go to hell"). Franz, with a z, is the German for Francis, of course; its Hungarian equivalent is Ferenc (or, in archaic spelling, Ferencz), as in Liszt Ferencz.

brunnhilde · by **brunnhilde** on 17 May 2009, 14:21

Thanks, Peter! I guess my friend was indulging in aural cognition, stretching it to make the point that he didn't enjoy Franz' Siegfried broadcast.

calvert · by **calvert** on 17 May 2009, 14:34

Mogs:

Thank you so much for that clip of Olivero! That woman is amazing, the Energizer Bunny of opera: she just keeps going...

Here is a rough translation of her remarks. I did not catch all of it, and Olivero tends to use rather formal and archaic expressions, so if anyone wants to correct my translation, feel free:

Thank you. I need to give an explanation for why I am here this evening in this stupendous hall to sing for you, I need to explain why I am here. For three nights now, I have had a very strange dream - the first night, a piece of white paper with three black lines, I saw like this. The second night, suddenly, the white piece of paper with these words that I could not seem to grasp, and this voice that said to me, “You must do it.” Then on the third night, this same voice came to me again and said to me, “Remember, you must do it.” And I saw the music of Francesca [da Rimini], practically all of Francesca. And I thought for a moment, and I said, “I can’t do this. I don’t sing regularly, I don’t sing for anyone anymore, I don’t continue with my [vocal] studies, etc.” But this voice said, “You must do it, I will be able to serve you in something, how, I don’t know, perhaps something supernatural,” I heard in my dream that third night. And I said, “Paolo, datemi pace.” And then I understood, it was this one phrase from Francesca da Rimini that I had loved so greatly. And I found myself in this same position, on this __?___, And so I began to sing, softly, softly, these stupendous words, “Paolo, datemi pace.” And so I said, “I will do it. I will obey.” Because I had to obey, because this voice might never come to me again. And so I must ask you to excuse me if, today, I present myself to you all, to sing one phrase from Francesca da Rimini. It will be what it will be (“sara quel que sara”), but I do it with all my heart, and with thanks to God for all He has given to me in my life. So, excuse me if the phrase doesn’t come out right, it comes from my soul. [Applause]

lulu · by **lulu** on 17 May 2009, 15:54

amneris:

I said at the time I didn't like Blythe as Orefeo and seemed to be alone. Glad you agree. David Daniels was absolutely wonderful as Orfeo in a production that was perfect in every way. But I heard Blythe over the air and was no impressed and I usually like Blythe.

mogliettina · by **mogliettina** on 17 May 2009, 16:50

Jamie:
I thank you for that translation. I did pick up words here and there but having you put them all together for me helped fill in the blanks.
I know that she was a feisty person in her youth and not the "sweet lady" some have thought her to be -- like my mom --perhaps that is one reason (besides genes) that these ladies survive into their 100th year.
It amazes me that she sounds so similar to my own mother's voice (the no wobble, the hitting the high notes) yet, though the sound is not any longer beautiful, they both articulated well.

lulu · by **lulu** on 17 May 2009, 21:39

Lucia on PBS:

I finally got around to watching this performance on tv. I wish I had seen Netrebko in the house instead of Dessay; she ran rings around Natalie and was wonderful as Lucia. I was more impressed with Mariusz Kwiecien this time around as Enrico. But Piotr Beczala was exciting as Edgardo. What a voice. All were great "actors" in their roles. Wonderful singing; Netrebko was a great Lucia.

Now about Zimmerman. The ghost in the second scene was even worse than when I was in the audience. for one thing, I was thinking, "is this 'The Turn of the Screw'?" Was Lucia really slightly potty or was there really a ghost and she wasn't on the verge thereby making her mad scene a little less convincing. Plus up close the ghost wasn't even frightening; just very bad makup, straight out of a zombie movie.

The less said about the photographer the better.

Now the ending. Don't know how I missed it but Lucia actually stabbed Edgardo while he was singing. While he had the knife at his breast, she put her hand on his and "assisted" the blade going in! She killed him! Wow! He wasn't even allowed to die on his own -- assisted suicide.

Somebody should put Zimmerman on the couch and have her head examined.

But everyone else did just fine despite Zimmerman's best attempts to sink this Lucia.

Vespasiano · by **Vespasiano** on 17 May 2009, 23:15

I just finished watching this delightful, fun YouTube clip.

A very special mystery guest on a September 1966 What's My Line?
[urlnw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7XmOLcd1cw[/urlnw]

And from the same time period . . . the mystery guest performs and is easily recognized.

[urlnw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7XmOLcd1cw[/urlnw]

kashania · by **kashania** on 17 May 2009, 23:37

Vespasiano wrote:I just finished watching this delightful, fun YouTube clip.

A very special mystery guest on a September 1966 What's My Line?
[urlnw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7XmOLcd1cw[/urlnw]

And from the same time period . . . the mystery guest performs and is easily recognized.

[urlnw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7XmOLcd1cw[/urlnw]

Delightful indeed! Thanks for sharing.

amneris · by **amneris** on 18 May 2009, 08:36

Lulu writes: finally got around to watching this performance on tv. I wish I had seen Netrebko in the house instead of Dessay; she ran rings around Natalie and was wonderful as Lucia.

You have got to be kidding.

Well, your dear Nebs is again pregnant and won't sing in "Contes" next season.

maestrob · by **maestrob** on 18 May 2009, 09:58

Watch out for this singer! She's got the goods, as her new album demonstrates in spades. This is rewarding listening for those who love the real sense of drama in Mozart, Haydn & Gluck..

lulu:

Agree with you about La Nebs et al in Lucia: it was the best singing I've heard from her so far, and she finally found her trill. I have to complain about the sound quality though, which was digitally squished to a point almost beyond recognition. The broadcasts form the 70's & 80's sounded SO much better than the garbage they're sending out now.

amneris · by **amneris** on 18 May 2009, 11:37

Gotterdammerung now on Sirius, '93

Ms.Jones is quite wobbly in second scene duet, but I still love her exciting Brunnie!
Johns' ?? (Siegfried) is wobbly as well.
Troyanos will be the Waltraute--should be fabulous--and Salminen's Hagen!.

brunnhilde · by **brunnhilde** on 18 May 2009, 12:18

O Sweetness of the Nile: Ya cant' trust everything ya hear over the airwaves, especially when it comes to large voices. I heard Jones in the house as Brunnhilde, and then I heard the broadcast a few weeks later, and the wobble sounded much, much worse on the radio. In the house, the wobble wasn't as pronounced, and it was more than compensated for by the excitement of that sound!

Mogs and Cal: Thanks for the heads up on that amazing video and for the coherent translation of her words. I'd only caught the gist of some of it. God, I hope I can remember my name by the time I'm 99 (if I make it that far), let alone my favourite opera phrase. Hmmm...what would that be? "Heil, strahlendes Leben! Heil, siegendes Licht!"

I can send my husband spinning in his grave...eh, Cal? (assuming he precedes me)

amneris · by **amneris** on 18 May 2009, 13:17

Brunnie wrote: "Ya cant' trust everything ya hear over the airwaves, especially when it comes to large voices. I heard Jones in the house as Brunnhilde, and then I heard the broadcast a few weeks later, and the wobble sounded much, much worse on the radio. In the house, the wobble wasn't as pronounced, and it was more than compensated for by the excitement of that sound!"

I know that about the radio. In the scene with Waltraute and the beginning of the next with Gunther/Siegfried, her voice sounded better. A girl needs time to warm up!

I saw Jones in GD, probably one of her last ones at the Met. She was wild, although the voice was kinda shot by that time.

PS I know that Jones' singing was inconsistent: she might have a great "on" night and then a bad, "off" night in the same time period. BUT, when she was on she was, IMO, the best!

brunnhilde · by **brunnhilde** on 18 May 2009, 13:38

Ammie: Wait'll you get a load of this! Miss Jones is stupendous!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7WauCdy ... PL&index=7

Vespasiano · by **Vespasiano** on 18 May 2009, 15:48

It’s official. I think I’m in love!

In an extremely challenging and varied recital program at Paris’ Palais Garnier in November of 2008 – a program that included the Petrarch Sonnets of Franz Liszt and the Michelangelo Sonnets of Benjamin Britten among other works -- Jonas Kaufmann turned out these stunning performances of four songs by Richard Strauss on texts by Liliencron and Bierbaum. Translations are provided below for those unfamiliar with the German.

Among the things I find most impressive about this beautifully organized set (each song leads to the next thematically) is the absolute control Mr. Kaufmann brings to both the projection of the voice and to the nuanced articulation of the texts, all without fussiness or artifice. The effect of these four songs in this order and performed in this way draws the ear -- and, at least for me, the soul -- in completely, a testament to which appears to be the almost complete stillness of the Palais Garnier audience throughout the set. Finally, when Mr. Kaufmann does unfurl his voice in all its glory for the final song of the set, it takes the breath away. This is, for me, some of the finest singing generally and some of the finest recital work I've heard from any tenor in many decades.

I should also point out that Mr. Kaufmann’s accompanist, Helmut Deutsch, is fantastic here . . . the perfect combination of his hands and Mr. Kaufmann’s splendid voice render these songs true duets for piano and tenor. Enjoy!

Four Songs by Richard Strauss

Part 1: Sehnsucht and Nachtgang [[urlnw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ys5bjwRISE[/urlnw]]
Part 2: Freundliche Vision and Ich Liebe Dich [[urlnw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuovbwuBCMA[/urlnw]]

Sehnsucht (Longing), Text: D. von Liliencron

I went along the path, which lay there secluded,
I walk it every day, and always alone.
The heath keeps silence, the field is deserted;
only the wind blows around me in the thicket.

The road lies far ahead of me;
my heart has longed only for you, only you.
If you came, it would be a miracle to me,
I bowed to you: I love you.

And in this meeting just one look
would mean the fate of my entire life.
If you directed your eye to me coldly,
I would resist, my maiden: I love you.

But if your beautiful eye greeted and laughed,
like a sun to me in heavy night,
I'd quickly pull your sweet heart to me
and softly whisper: I love you.

********************

Nachtgang (Night Stroll), Text: Otto J. Bierbaum

We walked through the silent, mild night,
your arm in mine, your eyes in mine.
The moon poured silver light upon your face,
as though gold rested on your fair head.
And you appeared to me an angel,
mild, mild and great and overflowing with soul,
holy and pure like the dear sun.
And in my eyes swelled
urgent warmth,
as of threatening tears.
I held you tighter and kissed you, kissed you very softly.
My soul wept.

********************

Freundliche Vision (A Pleasant Vision), Text: Otto J. Bierbaum

I did not dream this while asleep;
I saw it fair before me in the light of day:
A meadow full of daisies,
a white house deep in green bushes,
images of gods gleaming from the leaves.
And I walk with one who loves me,
in a peaceful mood in the coolness
of this white house, in which peace
awaits our arrival, full of beauty.

********************

Ich Liebe Dich (I Love You), Text: D. von Liliencron

Four noble horses
for our carriage,
we live in the castle
in proud comfort.

The early brightness
and the lightning at night -
everything that they shed light upon
belongs to us.

Although you wander forsaken,
an exile, through the world,
I am with you in the streets
in poverty and shame!

Our hands will bleed,
our feet will ache,
the four walls will be without comfort,
and no dog will know us.

If, fitted with silver,
your coffin will stand at the altar,
they shall bear me as well
on the bier to you.

And if, far away on the heath,
you die in anguish,
I shall draw my dagger from its sheath
and follow you in death!

********************

mogliettina · by **mogliettina** on 18 May 2009, 18:40

Maestrob:

Thanks so much for the heads up on Patricia Petibon.

She certainly seems to be one to watch, although at first I thought she was lip-synching because she seems to do something very strange with her tongue on the high notes, but on reflection it just seems to be her weird mouth movements. Whether or not this could prove to be some kind of a voice problem for her in the future I do not know.
Here is a sample:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsKx5MaIa2w

amneris · by **amneris** on 19 May 2009, 08:40

Brunnie

Thanks for the wonderful Elektra clip. I also loved the sets.

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