Classical Music & Opera Forums

Thanks, Vespasiano and Virginia-via-Ali. As for the recital, to my astonishment I found myself in agreement with the youtube commenter who said he found the Britten Michelangelo Sonnets to be the high point of the entire evening. Those are simply inspired compositions, and Kaufmann and Deutsch are inspired performers of them.

Listening to Macbeth on Sirius with I.Dalis.
At the end of the Sleepwalking Scene she doesn't go for the Db (?), but hits a lower note and then kinda howls down the scale from the note--very weird??

amneris wrote:Listening to Macbeth on Sirius with I.Dalis.
At the end of the Sleepwalking Scene she doesn't go for the Db (?), but hits a lower note and then kinda howls down the scale from the note--very weird??

I haven't heard the "howl" but I have to say that I'd rather Lady M. skips the D-flat (easily done without disrupting the musical line) than produce an ugly note. It was a bit unfair of Verdi to expect the soprano to float a piano D-flat at the every end of a gruelling performance, especially considering all the other demands of the role. It's akin to Wagner throwing in a high C for Siegfried in his last scene because, up to that point, he'd thrown every vocal challenge at the poor tenor except a high C!

kashania wrote:

amneris wrote:Listening to Macbeth on Sirius with I.Dalis.
At the end of the Sleepwalking Scene she doesn't go for the Db (?), but hits a lower note and then kinda howls down the scale from the note--very weird??

I haven't heard the "howl" but I have to say that I'd rather Lady M. skips the D-flat (easily done without disrupting the musical line) than produce an ugly note. It was a bit unfair of Verdi to expect the soprano to float a piano D-flat at the every end of a gruelling performance, especially considering all the other demands of the role. It's akin to Wagner throwing in a high C for Siegfried in his last scene because, up to that point, he'd thrown every vocal challenge at the poor tenor except a high C!

kashie: I don't mind if they don't hit the Eb either; Mara Zampieri doesn't, and it's fine with me. I just brought this up because of Dalis' unconventional ending of the scene for its dramatic effect. I didn't mean to suggest that Dalis messed up the end of the scene--what she did was obviously done on purpose.

Amni: I got what you were trying to say. I just used the opportunity to express MY opinion and bring up the Siegfried example , which I've always found to be particularly cruel to the tenor.

lulu wrote:Meanwhile, I just received a dvd from Netflix of Theodora from 1996 with Dawn Upshaw, David Daniels, Frode Olsen, Richard Croft and someone named Lorraine Hunt [g]. A Peter Sellars production. Have never heard this opera in it's entirety and am looking forward to it.

Has anyone seen this performance?

Hey lulu!

Theodora was an oratario, I've only ever seen it performed as such.

There was a bit of a trend some time ago to stage Handel's oratarios (I think Sellars directed a few), dunno why - it's not like there's a shortage of actual Handel operas.

Actually, Theodora was also a video back then because we purchased it around 1999 and were not enamoured (that's putting it mildly) with the Sellars version of Handel's masterpiece and gave it away to Roberto in South America (remember him?)
So you see Lulu, you've got P & M as your Achilles heel and we've got our Theodora.

Good News! Hong is back at the Met. She'll be doing one Traviata (April 24th). Gheorghiu has the rest.

nyoka:

After watching it, I might also have Theodora along with P&M.

by Vespasiano on 18 May 2009, 16:48

It’s official. I think I’m in love!

In that case I hope you will become accquainted with another super presentation by Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch in the best Winterreise I have in my collection: A performance in 2004 in Bad Urach!

You are already familiar with it? Thought so!

Theodora is an oratorio, not an opera.

This is a nice Jonas Kaufmann album, that I got after first hearing him on that marvelous Traviata broadcast from the Met with Angela G. -- remember how we all liked it on the NYTOF? I recall what I posted upon his vocal entrance: (approximately) "Hey, who is that baritone singing 'Libiamo'?"

These are lovely selections from the lyric repertoire, excitingly done. With that unique tone, he could not be mistaken for someone else in a "name that singer" game, right, mogli?

I don't get the comparisons being made with Wunderlich ...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images ... 988&sr=1-1

(How come I don't get the album cover photo when I copy here?)

jessica wrote:With [Kaufmann's] unique tone, he could not be mistaken for someone else in a "name that singer" game, right, mogli?

I don't get the comparisons being made with Wunderlich ...

For me, it is not Kaufmann's and Wunderlich's voices per se that are the objects of comparison. Those voices differ substantially in terms of overall timbre, weight, color and effective range.

What I do compare, however, apart from the fact that both singers are in fully-integrated control of their voices (and not the other way around, which is so often the case), is the general "ease", naturalness and artistry-without-artifice approach both men bring to their singing.

In addition, as someone who loves it, the art song/lieder recital format has a reputation for being a somewhat "stuffy", "artsy", even "boring" affair. When I listen to Wunderlich and Kaufmann, however, I do not experience this at all. In my view, those qualities both men share preclude it no matter how different their voices may be.

A very good explanation, vespa. Such a characteristic approach must take years of dedication and devotion to develop, and therein is much to admire and appreciate.

dementeddavo wrote:Theodora is an oratorio, not an opera.

That's why I have you heavy hitters around. See how I just learned that an Oratorio can be completely staged with costumes, sets and movement of the singers around the stage (unlike a concert version of an opera)?
Thanks Bri and Double Dee.

Jesselini: As for the superb new sounds that emanate from the throat of the sexy ... er ... formidable Jonas Kaufmann, I cannot agree more with all the praise thrown his way on this forum. Equally important for me (I know not for you all ) is that even his acting is believable. I mean he actually looks into Violetta's eyes when he caresses her and not at the conductor or the rafers. He doesn't need to. It's good to see that all the accolades and fame has not gone to his head -- a difficult thing in this medium. Long may he be with us.

mogliettina: Fully staged performances of oratorios, cantatas, symphonic vocal works and other genres that were originally intended for the concert hall (rather than the opera house) are quite common. Some, like Berlioz’ Le damnation de Faust seem to be performed staged as an opera more often than it is as a légende dramatique – for concert performance.

These “non-operas” usually suffer when transferred to the dramatic stage.

I learned something new today. Thanks for the lesson, Bri.

I have just learned that Jonas Kaufmann is scheduled to sing his first Don Carlo at Covent Garden on September 15. Now that's something to consider jetting off to London for!

DO NOT TEMPT ME, VESPI!