Opera News articles from July 2000

Opera News archives from July 2000

LETTERS.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2000... THE LAST WORD In "The Sound of Thunder" [March], Leighton Kerner errs in supposing that the final words in Pagliacci-- "La commedia e finita!" -- are sometimes "restored" to Tonio. In the complete recording of the opera made in 1907 under...

CORRECTION.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2000... On page 20 of Leighton Kerner's "Right and Wrong Directions" [June], the phrase "Aron visibly lost face" should read "Aron visibly lost his faith."

OPERA WATCH.
July 1, 2000... Belgium's La Monnaie expands, Graves gets her just deserts in Washington, Glimmerglass stages Acis and Galatea THEATRE ROYAL DE LA MONNAIE, which is marking its tricentenary this year, has more than longevity to celebrate. The company...

ON THE BEAT.(Roberta Peters; Varla Jean Merman)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Roberta Peters prepares for her golden-anniversary recital; nightclub queen Varla Jean Merman switches to a mezzo key By the time most singers reach age sixty, they're tired of performing, and more to the point, audiences are often tired of...

Directing the Energy.(voice teacher Thaddeus Motyka)(Interview)
July 1, 2000... Tenor Thaddeus Motyka (pronounced Moe-tee-kah), a native New Yorker of Slavic ancestry, first made a name for himself in the early 1970s as a leading tenor with Light Opera of Manhattan. On the advice of his voice teacher, Robert Rounseville --...

The Gambler.(John Crosby retires from Santa Fe Opera Association)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Santa Fe's opera wizard John Crosby retires In the southwest, we take it for granted. The summer arrives, and we know it will be there: a season of great opera in the refreshing high desert. From a total of five operas in repertory, one...

Downtown Divo: Thomas Buckner.(Brief Article)(Interview)
July 1, 2000... Frequently dubbed "divo of tomorrow's music," Thomas Buckner has dedicated his fine baritone to what's new and unusual. Not that Buckner eschews the past, but when he does delve into the archives, it's strictly to seek out the cutting edge of...

Borscht with Borszkh.(singer Vera Galupe-Borszkh)
July 1, 2000... AN EVENING STAR SHINES IN A NEW YORK RESTAURANT the lights dim, the crowd hushes, and a spotlight searches through the house and finds Her, already making her grand entrance down the stairs, with the easy, slightly world-weary poise of the...

Some Other Time.(vilinist recalls his friendship with Leonard Bernstein)
July 1, 2000... Violinist HERBERT BAUMEL recalls his long friendship with leonard Bernstein I was no longer a green frosh at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in the fall of 1939, when a brand-new student, just about my age, appeared on the...

The Bernstein Legacy.(Leonard Bernstein)
July 1, 2000... Leonard Bernstein -- brilliant conductor, composer of both serious and popular music, innovative educator -- provided a great example to young American musicians. But where has that exampled led us? In the spring of 1987, the first...

Perpetual Promise.(conductor Leonard Bernstein)
July 1, 2000... SOME CRITICS FELT THAT LEONARD BERNSTEIN NEVER FULFILLED HIS PHENOMENAL POTENTIAL. MARTIN BERNHEIMER IS ONE OF THEM. Leonard Bernstein bore a terrible curse. He was talented -- perhaps too talented. He probably could have been anything...

Song at Twilight.(examining Leonard Bernstein's 'A Quiet Place')
July 1, 2000... DAVID J. BAKER REVISITS LEONARD BERNSTEIN'S MUCH-MALIGNED FINAL OPERA, A QUIET PLACE In 1951-52, Leonard Bernstein composed his first opera, a one-acter called Trouble in Tahiti that used pop music to deflate the American myths of suburbia...

MAKING YOUR GARDEN GROWL.(Lillian Hellman and the creation of 'Candide')(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... LILLIAN HELLMAN AND CANDIDE "I can not and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashion," Lillian Hellman famously declared when asked to rat on friends during the McCarthy witch hunts. It was a characteristically defiant stance,...

MARTIN: Le Vin Herbe.(Review)
July 1, 2000... MARTIN: Le Vin Herbe [] Whyte, Glemann, Bennett, Marker; Tharp, Osborne, Cain, Voegeli; I Cantori di New York, Shapiro. Text and translation. Newport Classic NPD85670 (2) Full disclosure: Frank Martin has always had my vote for underrated...

LACHIUSA: Marie Christine.(Review)
July 1, 2000... LACHIUSA: Marie Christine [] McDonald, Testa; Crivello; Evans. Text. RCA/BMG Just when we thought that Broadway at the tail end of the twentieth century was going to be defined by the rock musical Rent and the spectacle and puppetry of The...

"HOW GLORY GOES".(Review)
July 1, 2000... Audra McDonald [] "HOW GLORY GOES" Songs by Arlen, Bernstein, Blumenkrantz, Bock, Flaherty, Guettel, Kern, Marzullo and Tesori. Stern and Sperling, conductors. Texts. Nonesuch 79580 Just when we thought that Broadway at the tail end of the...

A. NEWMAN: Nicole and the Trial of the Century.(Review)
July 1, 2000... A. NEWMAN: Nicole and the Trial of the Century [] Fathman, Haslett, Lewis, Butler; Frederickson, Houghtaling, Heller, Ossenfort, Tharp, Winston; Musica Antiqua New York, A. Newman and M. J. Newman. English text. Albany TROY351 Naturally,...

DONIZETTI: Parisina d'Este.(Review)
July 1, 2000... DONIZETTI: Parisina d'Este [] Pendatchanska, Barcellona; Moretti, De Andres, Aliev; RTSI Chorus, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, E. Plasson. Libretto & translation. Dynamic 277/1-2 (Qualiton, dist.) From a dramatic point of view,...

PART: I Am the True Vine.(Review)
July 1, 2000... PART: I Am the True Vine [] Theatre of Voices, The Pro Arte Singers; Bowers-Broadbent, organ; Hillier. Texts and translations. Harmonia Mundi 907242 Critical opinion is sharply divided on the recent works of Estonian composer Arvo Part (b....

MOZART: Requiem.(Review)
July 1, 2000... MOZART: Requiem (New Edition by H. C. Robbins Landon) [] Ulewicz, Hoelzl; Hering, van der Kamp; Toelzer Boys Choir, Tafelmusik, Weil. Text and translations Sony Classical SK 60764 When it comes to assessing the final creative output of...

MOZART: Mass in C Minor.(Review)
July 1, 2000... MOZART: Mass in C Minor [] Petibon, Dawson; Cornwell, A. Ewing; Les Arts Florissants, Christie. Text and translation. Erato 3984-26093-2 The florid exuberance of Mozart's "Great" Mass in C Minor (K. 427) is both thrilling and frustrating....

Jane Eaglen.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Jane Eaglen [] R. Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder; Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder; Berg: Sieben Fruhe Lieder. London Symphony Orchestra, Runnicles. Texts and English translations. Sony Classical SK 61720 In the beginning, for those of us old enough...

Bryn Terfel.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Bryn Terfel [] Schumann: Liederkreis (Op. 39) and other romances and ballads; with L. Anderson, T. Robinson; Martineau, piano. Texts and translations. DG 289 447 042-2 Clocking in at nearly seventy-eight minutes, Bryn Terfel's all-Schumann...

Nathalie Stutzmann.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Nathalie Stutzmann [] Schumann: Liederkreis (Op. 24) and other romances and ballads; Sodergren, piano. Texts and translations. BMG RCA Victor Red Seal 09026-68900-2 Clocking in at nearly seventy-eight minutes, Bryn Terfel's all-Schumann...

Jochen Kupfer.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Jochen Kupfer [] Schumann: Liederkreis (Op. 24) and Kerner-Lieder (Op. 35); Mees, piano. German texts only. Channel Classics CCS 13698 (Harmonia Mundi, dist.) Clocking in at nearly seventy-eight minutes, Bryn Terfel's all-Schumann release...

SONGS.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Sylvia McNair [] SONGS by George and Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein; Taylor, piano. Text and translations. BBC Radio 3 BBW 1005-2 (Koch, dist.) These three concerts, broadcast live from London's Wigmore Hall on BBC 3 as part of a...

ARIAS.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Thomas Allen [] ARIAS by Haydn, Beethoven and Wolf. Martineau, piano. Text and translations. BBC Radio 3 BBW 1004-2 (Koch, dist.) These three concerts, broadcast live from London's Wigmore Hall on BBC 3 as part of a moderately priced (under...

ARIAS AND SONGS.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Lorraine Hunt Lieberson [] ARIAS AND SONGS by Handel, Brahms, Mahler and P. Lieberson; Vignoles, piano. Text and translations. BBC Radio 3 BBW 1002-2 (Koch, dist.) These three concerts, broadcast live from London's Wigmore Hall on BBC 3 as...

"SWEETHEARTS".(Review)
July 1, 2000... Elizabeth Futral and Steven White [] "SWEETHEARTS" Operetta arias and duets by Romberg, Herbert, Friml et al. Tweten, piano. Texts. Newport Classic, NPD 85654 In this winning program, the lovely lyric coloratura of American soprano...

WAGNER: Die Meistersinger (Act III).(Wagner, Richard)(Review)
July 1, 2000... WAGNER: Die Meistersinger (Act III) [] Teschemacher, Hongen; Ralf, Nissen, Kremer, Nilsson, Fuchs; Dresden Opera Orchestra and Chorus, Bohm, 1938. Brief notes, no libretto. [Bonus tracks: Ralf et al. in excepts from Carmen, Daphne, Fidelio]...

WEBER: Der Freischutz (excerpts).(Review)
July 1, 2000... WEBER: Der Freischutz (excerpts) [] Lemnitz, Beilke; Wittrisch, Witting, Husch, Bohnen, Schlottmann, Bohme. Berlin, Steiner, 1936; Salzburg, Bohnen, 1939. No texts or translations. Gebhardt JGCD 0015-1 (Qualiton, dist.) Certainly it's no...

DONIZETTI: L'Elisir d'Amore (excerpts).(Review)
July 1, 2000... DONIZETTI: L'Elisir d'Amore (excerpts) [] Di Stefano; other soloists; unidentified orchestra, Ackermann, with E. Moser (piano). No texts. Vocal Archives VA 1224 (Qualiton, dist.) The whiff of enigma hovers over this Radio Lausanne broadcast...

ARIAS.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Leon Campagnola [] ARIAS by Massenet, Meyerbeer, Bizet, Gretry, Reyer, Gounod, Thomas, Donizetti, Adam, Bruneau. No texts or translations. Malibran-Music CDRG138 (1) (Qualiton, dist.) Tenors on record tend to fall into two categories: pre-...

"BBC LEGENDS".(Review)
July 1, 2000... Irmgard Seefried [] "BBC LEGENDS" Lieder by Brahms, Schubert, Wolf. Werba, piano. 1962. Plus 1965 interview with John Amis. Notes, no texts. BBCL 4040-2 (Koch, dist.) These two CDs capture the great soprano Irmgard Seefried (1919-88) at...

Lieder.(Review)
July 1, 2000... [] Lieder by Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, Bartok, Schumann, Mahler, Strauss, Schubert, Brahms. Werba, piano. 1969. Notes, no text. Orfeo C 505 991 B (Qualiton, dist.) These two CDs capture the great soprano Irmgard Seefried (1919-88) at the...

From Around the World: NEW YORK CITY.(Review)
July 1, 2000... The second of this season's three Ring cycles, seen the week of April 24, reaffirmed James Morris's preeminent status among the world's Wotans and brought to light various other excellences of casting, both familiar (Deborah Voigt and Placido...

From Around the World: BALTIMORE.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Werner Herzog's stylized, abstract staging of Tannhauser (seen March 18) focused on the hero's persistent attempts to reconcile the conflicting aspects of his character: pure spiritual love for Elisabeth and an irresistible attraction to the...

From Around the World: BOSTON.(Review)
July 1, 2000... This season, the first in which artistic director Leon Major had a hand in choosing directors and designers, Boston Lyric Opera -- inspired by an archaeological exhibition at the city's Museum of Fine Arts -- presented three Egypt-based operas:...

From Around the World: PITTSBURGH.(Review)
July 1, 2000... For his penultimate production in the Benedum Center, ending his seventeen-year tenure as artistic director of Pittsburgh Opera, Tito Capobianco staged a leaner, meaner-than-usual Werther (March 11-19). Leaner, because he trimmed Massenet's...

From Around the World: HOUSTON.(Review)
July 1, 2000... The terms "new opera" and "Encore!" don't often go together. But Mark Adamo's Little Women is full of numbers pleasant enough to bear repeating. It is the first of Houston Grand Opera's twenty-five commissioned works to be brought back, since...

From Around the World: FORT LAUDERDALE.(Review)
July 1, 2000... For its first mainstage presentation of a Handel work, Florida Grand Opera put together a strong cast and a provocative team to design and direct the new production. Audiences elsewhere, long accustomed to contemporary conceptualizations of...

From Around the World: TORONTO.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Canadian Opera Company's first-ever Pelleas et Melisande (Hummingbird Centre, April 7) proved an absorbing, subtly considered performance that met Debussy's challenging ambiguities with musical maturity (thanks to conductor Richard Bradshaw)...

From Around the World: PORTLAND.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Portland Opera's splendid new production of The Cunning Little Vixen, which opened March 25, brought Leos Janacek's forest fable to the city for the first time. With a modest playing time of two hours, Vixen doesn't try to reinvent opera....

From Around the World: EDINBURGH.(Review)
July 1, 2000... On March 4 at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Scottish Opera unveiled its first Parsifal since the company began operations in 1962. Notwithstanding the vast literature written in an attempt to unlock its meanings, Wagner's final work for the...

From Around the World: BERLIN.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Prior to the opening of Nabucco at Deutsche Oper on February 26, director Hans Neuenfels had stated he could not possibly stage an opera that deals with Jews without taking the Holocaust into account. Whoever thought this meant Nazi uniforms,...

From Around the World: COPENHAGEN.(Review)
July 1, 2000... If the last new opera you heard lacked theatrical punch, consider giving Poul Ruders's The Handmaid's Tale a try. It's the first world premiere at the Royal Danish Opera in more than thirty years, but after seeing it hold the audience so firmly...

From Around the World: LONDON.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Situated just south of the Thames, Southwark Playhouse is a small venue that presents a range of theatrical work in the heart of one of London's most diverse communities. At the beginning of March its staging (in association with Modern Music...

From Around the World: PARMA.(Review)
July 1, 2000... The season at the Teatro Regio included Lohengrin and Dinorah in their once familiar Italian translations. The Meyerbeer work, first performed in 1859, is a pastoral opera comique set in Brittany, reminiscent of Weber's Der Freischutz in its...

From Around the World: TURIN.(Review)
July 1, 2000... Ildebrando Pizzetti's operas are so rarely performed nowadays that the new production of his Assassinio nella Cattedrale (given its premiere in 1958) at the Teatro Regio attracted large, unusually attentive audiences. Based on T. S. Eliot's...

From Around the World: STUTTGART.(Review)
July 1, 2000... With Gotterdammerung (March 12), Staatstheater Stuttgart completed its new staging of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, with each of its four components being produced by a different director/designer team and a unique cast. Only general music...

From Around the World: ST. PETERSBURG.(Review)
July 1, 2000... The Mariinsky Theater's 1991 War and Peace was its first major effort conceived for an international audience. With Covent Garden and Opera Bastille as co-producing houses and Graham Vick as director, it was a major achievement of Valery...

CONCERTS AND RECITALS: NEW YORK CITY.(Review)
July 1, 2000... April 15, one of the last big nights of the New York Philharmonic season, featured American soprano Deborah Voigt in Samuel Barber's Andromache's Farewell and the final scene from Richard Strauss's Salome. If a singer is best judged by how she...

Glimmerglass Opera's Silver Anniversary.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Glimmerglass has been called an American Glyndebourne. Like that festival in rural Sussex, England, it has gathered a devoted following, and for the same reasons: charming atmosphere, one of the world's most inviting opera houses, resourceful...

Herbert von Karajan: A Life in Music.(Review)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... Herbert von Karajan: A Life in Music by Richard Osborne Northeastern University Press, 850 pp. $35 This is a major conductor's biography. Richard Osborne, author of Conversations with Karajan, has done the job -- to the tune of 850 pages...

VOX HUMANA.(speaking talent of actor George Sanders)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2000... If asked, "Who had the greatest voice you ever heard?," some aficionados might propose Patti or Caruso, Ponselle or Flagstad, Callas or Sutherland. But let's not forget George Sanders -- yes, that George Sanders, the stylish actor who turned...