Opera News articles from November 1999

Opera News archives from November 1999

LETTERS.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 1999... STRAUSS POSTSCRIPT I am writing in response to your valuable appraisal of Richard Strauss [Aug.]. In the summer of 1967, I sent to Lotte Lehmann a then newly published biography of Richard Strauss; after she had read the biography, she...

OPERA WATCH.(opera news briefs)
November 1, 1999... The U.K.'s Sitwell Gallery for the Performing Arts opens, Giordani takes on Les Huguenots in Bilbao, Cilea's L'Arlesiana visits New York JENNIFER DUDLEY, who made a strong impression at New York City Opera last fall as Rosmira in...

ON THE BEAT.(opera news briefs)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Alagna and Gheorghiu return to the Met in L'Elisir d'Amore and join the Tucker Gala, conducted by Gerard Schwarz On November 14, at Avery Fisher Hall, the RICHARD TUCKER FOUNDATION throws its twenty-fourth annual gala concert. STEPHANIE...

A Mike at the Opera.(New York State Theater to acquire sound enhancement)
November 1, 1999... New York City Opera's "sound enhancement" system may spell the end for opera as we know it So New York City Opera will bring in the loudspeakers. Anthony Tommasini reported in The New York Times [Aug. 3] that the city's "second" opera...

STOCKING STUFFERS.(gift ideas)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
November 1, 1999... Wondering what to buy for the opera-lover on your Christmas list? These six items are certain to delight -- and fit any budget. If you'd like one of these goodies for yourself, simply leave copies of this article where loved ones are sure to...

Sweet Singing in the Choir.(solo verses choral performances)
November 1, 1999... CAN ASPIRING OPERA SINGERS HARM THEIR VOICES WITH CHORAL SINGING? "Okay, boys, see if you can make a sweeter sound than that! That sound had a real aroma!" The voice was that of Paul Callaway, maven of the Washington, D.C., music scene for...

Phantoms of the Opera.(opera autobiographies that are ghostwritten)
November 1, 1999... How do you capture the right authobiographical tone for Marilyn Horne, Renata Scotto, Robert Merrill, Placido Domingo -- to say nothing of Bette Davis? BROOKS PETERS listens to the voices behind the memoirs What popular, traditional art...

RADIO DAYS.(excerpt from Eileen Farrell's memoirs)
November 1, 1999... She was nineteen, fresh from Rhode Island and as green as grass. In this segment from her soon-to-be-published memoirs (co-authored with Brian Kellow), all-American diva Eileen Farrell recalls her early years in New York, when she suddenly...

Grappling with Grimes.(portrayal of Peter Grimes by Jon Vickers)
November 1, 1999... Benjamin Britten detested Jon Vickers' interpretation of Peter Grimes. Vickers himself was uneasy with the opera's homosexual undercurrents. In an excerpt from her forthcoming biography, Jon Vickers: A Hero's Life, Jeannie Williams examines how...

Going to the opera with Patti LuPone.
November 1, 1999... It's the end of intermission on opening night of the Metropolitan Opera's new Susannah, and the auditorium is teeming with first-nighters on the way back to their seats. Everyone is buzzing about the performances of Renee Fleming, Samuel Ramey...

HIGH SCORERS: Michael John LaChiusa.(Interview)
November 1, 1999... In the first of a series of interviews with today's hottest young songwriters, REBECCA PALLER talks to the composer of the upcoming Broad musical Marie Christine Composer-lyricist Michael John LaChiusa is one of a new breed of songwriters...

Under Her Spell.(Audra McDonald)
November 1, 1999... Critics and audiences have hailed Audra McDonald as the most important musical-theater star of her generation. Now the Juilliard-trained, three-time Tony-winner takes on her latest Broadway role in Marie Christine -- a retelling of the Medea...

STRAVINSKY: The Rake's Progress.(Review)
November 1, 1999... STRAVINSKY: The Rake's Progress [] York, Von Otter; Bostridge, Terfel, Bronder, Robson; Monteverdi Choir, London Symphony Gardiner. Text. DG 289 459 648-2 By far the longest work by one of the century's great geniuses, Igor Stravinsky's...

RAVEL: L'Enfant et les Sortileges; Ma Mere l'Oye.(Review)
November 1, 1999... RAVEL: L'Enfant et les Sortileges; Ma Mere l'Oye [] Stephen, Futral, Plazas, Miura, Shaham, Lascarro, Owens; Tucker, Johnson, Lloyd; London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, New London Children's Choir, Previn. Text and translations. Deutsche...

RAVEL: L'Heure Espagnole; Rapsodie Espagnole.(Review)
November 1, 1999... RAVEL: L'Heure Espagnole; Rapsodie Espagnole [] Barber; Ainsley, Gautier, Ollman, Johnson; London Symphony Orchestra, Previn. Text and translation. Deutsche Grammophon 457590-2 There are multiple levels on which to appreciate Ravel's two...

HAAS: Sarlatan.(Review)
November 1, 1999... HAAS: Sarlatan [] Svobodova, Bogza; Chmelo, Svejda, Markvart, Hendrych, Kubik; Prague Philharmonic Choir, State Opera Orchestra, Yinon. Libretto and translation. Decca 460 042 (2) Pavel Haas (1899-1944) was a Czech of exceptional musical...

HANDEL: Solomon.(Review)
November 1, 1999... HANDEL: Solomon [] Dam-Jensen, Hagley, Bickley, Gritton; Scholl, Agnew, Harvey; Gabrieli Consort and Players, McCreesh. Text and translations. Archiv 459 688-2 (3) Handel's oratorio Solomon, one of the glories of English music, has yet to...

HEROES.(Review)
November 1, 1999... Andreas Scholl [] "HEROES" Arias by Handel, Hasse, Gluck, Mozart. Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Norrington. Texts and translations. Decca 466-196-2 Handel's oratorio Solomon, one of the glories of English music, has yet to be...

DONIZETTI: Alahor in Granata.(Review)
November 1, 1999... DONIZETTI: Alahor in Granata [] Pace, Genaux, Chaves; Florez, Alaimo, Amoretti; Coro del Teatro de Maestranza; Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Pons. Text and translations. Almaviva DS 0125 (2) It is generally believed that Donizetti did not...

R. STRAUSS: Friedenstag.(Review)
November 1, 1999... R. STRAUSS: Friedenstag [] Hass; Weikl, Ryhanen, Moll; Choruses of the Bavarian State Opera and Bavarian Radio, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Sawallisch. Text and translations. EMI 5 56850 2 Throughout his life, Strauss was inspired by the...

PROKOFIEV: The Gambler.(Review)
November 1, 1999... PROKOFIEV: The Gambler [] Kazarnovskaya, Obraztsova, Tarassova; Galouzine, Gassiev, Alexashkin, Lebed, Vikhrov, Laptev, Khramtsov; Kirov Opera and Orchestra, Gergiev. Text and translations. Philips 289 454 559-2 (2) The version of...

TCHAIKOVSKY: Complete Songs, Volume 1.(Review)
November 1, 1999... TCHAIKOVSKY: Complete Songs, Volume 1 [] Kazarnovskaya; Orfenova, piano. Texts and translations. Naxos 8.554357 The version of Prokofiev's The Gambler that survives today is not the original one, whose violent score caused the singers and...

Schubert: Liederkreis (Op. 39) and Kerner-Lieder (Op. 35).(Review)
November 1, 1999... Matthias Goerne [] Schubert: Liederkreis (Op. 39) and Kerner-Lieder (Op. 35). Schneider, piano. Texts and translations. Decca 289-460-797-2 There's no shortage of splendid lieder-singing baritones these days, but even in this crowded field...

Wolf: Four Goethe-Lider.(Review)
November 1, 1999... [] Wolf: Four Goethe-Lieder; with Bruckner's Symphony No. 6; Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chailly. Texts and translations. Decca 289-458-189-2 There's no shortage of splendid lieder-singing baritones these days, but even in this crowded...

Dietrich Henschel.(Review)
November 1, 1999... Dietrich Henschel [] Schubert. Die Schone Mullerin. Schwinghammer, piano. Texts available from www.emiclassics.com. EMI Classics 7243-5-72824 The debut recording of Berlin-born baritone Dietrich Henschel should merit a vigorous nod of...

Thierry Felix.(Review)
November 1, 1999... Thierry Felix [] Schubert. Die Schone Mullerin. Badura-Skoda, fortepiano. Texts and translations. Arcana A 57 The debut recording of Berlin-born baritone Dietrich Henschel should merit a vigorous nod of approval from his teacher, another...

LES BIJOUX.(Review)
November 1, 1999... Sumi Jo [] "LES BIJOUX" Arias by Gounod, Thomas, Meyerbeer, G. Charpentier, Massenet, Bizet and Offenbach. English Chamber Orchestra, Carella. Text and translations. Erato 3984-23140-2 Sumi Jo does some fine things here with her leggiero...

DREAMSCAPE.(Review)
November 1, 1999... Heidi Grant Murphy [] "DREAMSCAPE" Lullabies from around the world. Aureole Trio. Texts. Koch 3-7433-2 It's becoming the thing among singers with children to package lullaby albums (mezzo Angelika Kirchschlager, pop artist Shawn Colvin),...

"THE UNASHAMED ACCOMPANIST".(Review)
November 1, 1999... Gerald Moore "THE UNASHAMED ACCOMPANIST" With de los Angeles, piano. Testament SBT 1176 Today he'd be a "collaborative pianist," but Gerald Moore had to settle for "accompanist" throughout his long, distinguished career. In 1955, he...

LIEDER AND RELIGIOUS WORKS.(Review)
November 1, 1999... Erna Berger [] LIEDER AND RELIGIOUS WORKS by J. S. Bach, Mozart and Schubert. With Hoffgen; Wilhelm, Frantz; Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale, Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, Forster; Scherzer, piano, Geuser, clarinet. 1954, '56, '57. Texts and...

NEW EXPANDED RECORDINGS COVERAGE.(magazine's Web site has more opera reviews on it)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Look for the following recording reviews, which appear exclusively in the November Online edition of OPERA NEWS: new recordings of El Mensajero de Plata, Erwartung, Mahler song cycles, Handel's Rodrigo, Galuppi's Il Mondo alla Roversa and...

BUGGING OUT on CD-ROMs.(retired engineer produces compact disc recordings of operas)
November 1, 1999... Why Michael Richter's cyberspace treasures are better than controlled substances You can get every issue of Mad Magazine on one CD-ROM -- a piece of plastic the size of a regular CD. You can also get every Wagner opera on one CD-ROM....

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: CHEMNITZ, GERMANY.
November 1, 1999... On June 13, the opera company of the Stadtische Theater Chemnitz, in co-production with the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New Israeli Opera of Tel Aviv and Opera Krakow, presented the world premiere of the original version of Kurt Weill's Biblical...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: SALZBURG.
November 1, 1999... It wouldn't be exaggerating to say that the new productions at Salzburg this summer were easily upstaged by the magnificent spectacle of the total solar eclipse. Of course human staging can't compete with celestial mise-en-scene, but highly...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: BAYREUTH.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Lohengrin is Richard Wagner's darkest, most pessimistic work -- there is no redemption through transfiguration, no musically thematic glimmer of hope. English director Keith Warner, together with set designer Stefanos Lazaridis and costume...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: GLYNDEBOURNE.
November 1, 1999... In the fluid, delicately shaded orchestral reading that formed the musical heart of the season's first new production, Pelleas et Melisande (May 21), Glyndebourne's music director, Andrew Davis, proved that, in this repertory, he is a conductor...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: FLORENCE.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... At the June 30 performance of Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande at the Teatro Comunale, the audience was smallish and decidedly sleepy, though there was dutiful applause at the end. Conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli failed to appear onstage to take his...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: DROTTNINGHOLM.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... It's hard to imagine anything but an eighteenth-century opera being performed in the world's best-preserved eighteenth-century opera house, the Drottningholm Court Theater. Even the sets used there are copies of originals found when the house...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: SAVONLINNA.(Review)
November 1, 1999... Good singing was the main attraction of the Savonlinna Festival's new Faust, staged for maximum shock value by Vilppu Kiljunen. Soile Isokoski made an alluring Marguerite, dispatching the jewel song with requisite tonal glitter and shading the...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: ST. PETERSBURG.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... A sensational concert performance of Prokofiev's Semyon Kotko at the Stars of the White Nights Festival last year won such acclaim that a new staging of this opera about a World War I Soviet gunner opened this year's festival, on June 8....

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: GARSINGTON, UK.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Garsington Opera, privately run at a manor house in a village not far from Oxford, is one of Britain's leading companies working on the model of Glyndebourne. Though its season is much shorter -- less than a month -- its theater smaller and...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: TRIER, GERMANY.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Erich Wolfgang Korngold's last opera, Die Kathrin, finally received its first performance in Germany (sixty years late), as part of Heinz Lukas Kindermann's innovative Unbekannte Opern (unknown opera) series in Trier, which has already explored...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: BERLIN.
November 1, 1999... In 1986, Harry Kupfer directed Die Zauberflote at the Komische Oper as a parable on the GDR, setting the story in the crumbling, gray streets of East Berlin. Sarastro and his followers were cold-blooded politicians who forced their ideology...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: NEW YORK CITY.(Brief Article)(Review)
November 1, 1999... For centuries, the West ignored The Peony Pavilion, a very long opera by Tang Xianzu -- Chinas approximate equivalent to Shakespeare. Last summer, it seemed it was impossible to open a newspaper in New York without seeing something about it....

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: BOSTON.(Review)
November 1, 1999... Francesco Cavalli had bad luck with his opera Ercole Amante. It was commissioned in 1661 to celebrate the July 9, 1660, wedding of Louis XIV of France and Marie-Therese of Spain, but the new theater was not finished in time, so an earlier opera...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: CINCINNATI.(Review)
November 1, 1999... Sold-out houses and enthusiastic audiences greeted striking new productions of Don Giovanni and The Turn of the Screw. Nicholas Muni, now in his second full season as artistic director, has revitalized Cincinnati Opera, energizing audiences and...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: MINNEAPOLIS.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Now that Jeffrey Tate has concluded three seasons as music director of the Minnesota Orchestra's Viennese Sommerfest, his fondness for the British and Central European repertories and the good-spirited elegance with which he performs them are...

FROM AROUND THE WORLD: SEATTLE.(Review)
November 1, 1999... The concert was called "Eaglen Sings Wagner." "Does she ever!" responded the capacity audience in Seattle's brand-new Benaroya Hall (Aug. 14). Its roar of acclamation after each of Jane Eaglen's offerings sounded more like a football crowd than...

NEW EXPANDED REVIEW COVERAGE.(Opera News)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Look for the following reports, which appear exclusively in the November edition of OPERA NEWS Online: Cardillac in Genoa; a Stravinsky bill in Amsterdam; Parsifal La Boheme and Maria Stuarda in Santiago, Chile; Opera Festival of New Jersey's...

LETTER FROM SALZBURG.(Salzburg, Austria)
November 1, 1999... Salzburg has long been home to Europe's biggest, most prestigious and most progressive music festival. A visit there in 1999 suggested that it may also be the strangest. A picturesque living museum of Baroque architecture, Salzburg exists...

Nicolai Gedda, My Life and Art.(Review)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Nicolai Gedda, My Life and Art by Nicolai Gedda, as told to Aino Sellermark Gedda trans. Tom Geddes Amadeus Press, 238 pp. $24.95 Nicolai Gedda is certainly one of the most underrated of the great twentieth-century tenors, in part because...

ALFREDO KRAUS.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Las Palmas, Canary Islands, November 24, 1927 -- Madrid, September 10, 1999 He was the grand seigneur among tenors in our time -- perhaps the noblest of them all. Alfredo Kraus didn't have the biggest voice in the world, or the...

HAVE THE VERDI FIELDS DRIED UP?(a longing for the opera singers of the past, in particular the works of Giuseppe Verdi)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1999... Yes, yes, we know. It's horrible. It's disgraceful, It's mystifying. No one -- well, hardly anyone -- can sing Verdi these days. Even the mighty Muti at La Scala can't escape the force of destiny. We gripe en masse. We gnash. We whine. We long...