Oberon's Grove

Verdi REQUIEM ~ Warsaw National Philharmonic

Giuseppe-Verdi

The Verdi REQUIEM, as recorded by the Warsaw National Philharmonic.

Kazimierz Kord conducts an all-Polish quartet of soloists: Teresa Żylis-Gara, Krystyna Szostek-Radkowa, Wiesław Ochman,and Leonard Andrzej Mróz.

Listen here.

Leonard_Andrzej_Mroz

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I found this performance of the Verdi masterwork by happy chance while looking for recordings by basso Leonard Andrzej Mróz (above). It instantly became one of my favorite recordings of the REQUIEM.

Mr. Mróz, as it turns out, passed away recently - in December 2020 at the age of 73. He was a native of Warsaw who began his career by winning voice competitions at Wroclaw, Munich, Geneva, and Amsterdam. He joined the Grand Theatre, Warsaw, in 1972 and sang there for many seasons.

The basso's international career took him to Glyndebourne, New York's Carnegie Hall, Vienna, Budapest, Prague, Moscow, Paris, Parma, Mexico, Sofia, Philadelphia, London, Lisbon, Cleveland, Leipzing, Dresden, Paris, Berlin, and Moscow, as well as opera centers in Great Britain, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Italy.

After retiring from the stage, Mr. Mróz  taught at the State Music School Fryderyk Chopin in Warsaw and at the Academy of Music in Poznan.

Leonard Andrzej Mróz sings Rachmaninov's Zdes' khorosho here, the Death Scene from BORIS GODUNOV here, and Banquo's aria (and murder) from Verdi's MACBETH here.

January 16, 2021 | Permalink

Mróz & Paskalis ~ DON CARLO scene

Snapshot mroz paskalis

My fellow opera-lover Craig Salstein sent me this YouTube clip of basso Leonard Andrzej Mróz and baritone Kostas Paskalis in the Philip II/Marchese di Posa scene from Verdi's DON CARLO, conducted by Antoni Wicherek. The performance took place at Wiesbaden in 1970.              

Listen here.

This led me to seek out more information about Mr. Mróz, a singer I'd never heard before - what a fantastic voice! I'll be posting one of his recordings here tomorrow: watch for it!

January 15, 2021 | Permalink

Other Voices ~ VIII

Snapshot marshall

Toronto-born soprano Lois Marshall studied at the Royal Academy of Music in her native city. Her career centered on concert and recital work, due in part to lingering effects of paralysis following a childhood bout with polio, which limited her movement in staged opera. She did appear with Sarah Caldwell's company in Boston, in productions specially mounted for her.

Ms. Marshall worked with such eminent conductors as Beecham, Toscanini, and Bernstein; she made several recordings, and was a soloist with the Bach Aria Group. 

The soprano gave her farewell concert in 1986, and continued teaching voice at the University of Toronto until her death in 1997 at the age of 73.

Ms. Marshall sings Dido's Lament from a 1963 televised performance. Watch and listen here.

Lois Marshall - Schumann's Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen

Dooley count almaviva

William Dooley (above, as Count Almaviva) is an American baritone known for his charismatic presence and unique sound. A native of Modesto, California, he studied at the Eastman School, and he served in the US Army where he was stationed in Munich. While there, he continued his vocal studies as his military commitments allowed.

Dooley made his operatic debut in 1957 as Posa in DON CARLO at Heidelberg, and later joined the ensemble at Bielefeld. In 1962, he debuted at the Deutche Oper, Berlin, where he appeared often over the ensuing years. His Iago in the Deutsche Oper's OTELLO was preserved on film from a live performance in1964, co-starring Renata Tebaldi and Hans Beirer. Watch it here.

Mr. Dooley had a notable Met career, debuting there as Eugen Onegin in 1964, opposite the Tatyana of Leontyne Price. He sang with the Company more than 180 times in New York and on tour. Among his numerous roles were the four villains in TALES OF HOFFMANN, Escamillo, Amonasro, Scarpia, Wozzeck, Wagner's Dutchman, Telramund, Amfortas, Kurvenal, Gunther, and Donner; Pizarro in FIDELIO, Strauss's Jochanaan, Mandryka, Orestes, and Music Master; Rangoni in BORIS GODUNOV, and as Poulenc's Chevalier de la Force. In 1966, he sang the Spirit Messenger in the Met premiere of Strauss's DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN; I saw him in that role, as the Music Master in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, and as Count Almaviva in NOZZE DI FIGARO.

FRAU ~ opening scene - Irene Dalis & William Dooley - Bohm cond - Met bcast 1966

After leaving the Met in 1977, Mr. Dooley joined the Vienna State Opera where he sang until 1982. Thereafter, he appeared as a guest in various theatres into the 1990s.

Dooley sang several world premieres, including Milhaud's L'ORESTE, Henze's THE BASSARIDS, and Roger Sessions' MONTEZUMA, in which he sang in Aztec. He passed away in 2019.

Mr. Dooley and Ingrid Bjoner in the Recognition Scene from ELEKTRA, from Berlin 1983. Listen here.

William Dooley is the Grand Inquisitor and Harald Stamm is Philip II in this scene from Verdi's DON CARLO, filmed at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1983. The staged scene is followed by a coaching session; Gerd Albrecht conducts. Watch and listen here.

William Dooley is the Telramund on Erich Leinsdorf's RCA recording of LOHENGRIN:

William Dooley as Telramund ~ LOHENGRIN

A-1294348-1272717344.jpeg

Anne Gjevang (above) was born in 1948 in Norway. She studied at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome,  and at the music college in Vienna.

She made her operatic debut in 1973 in Klagenfurt, as Baba the Turk. Thereafter, she developed her repertoire at Ulm, Bremerhaven, and Karlsruhe. Her 1983 debut at Bayreuth led to major international engagements at Zurich, La Scala, and Covent Garden. Her operatic roles included Carmen, Ulrica, Maddalena in RIGOLETTO, and Isabella in ITALIANA IN ALGERI.

Ms. Gjevang made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1987 as Erda in RHEINGOLD, and also sang the same role in SIEGFRIED at The Met:

Anne Gjevang & James Morris - SIEGFRIED - scene Act III - Levine cond - Met 1993 

In 1998, Anne Gjevang sang Klytemnestra opposite Eva Marton's Elektra at the Teatro Real de Madrid. Watch and listen to part of their scene together here.

Ms. Gjevang sang concerts with such prestigious orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

After retiring from the stage, Anne Gjevang was named casting director and deputy/acting Director of Opera at the Norwegian Opera & Ballet. She left that post in 2012 to work as a vocal consultant.

Vrenios poster

Anastasios Vrenios, above, posterized by his son, the artist Christos.

Mr. Vrenios was my first Fenton in FALSTAFF. The handsome young Greek-American tenor had a light, pliant voice, and a charmingly youthful stage presence. A native of California, he studied at Indiana University. He became widely known in the opera world when he appeared in a WNET film of Puccini's LA RONDINE opposite Teresa Stratas.

Anastasios Vrenios appeared with Seattle Opera as Don Ottavio opposite Dame Joan Sutherland, and at San Francisco Opera as Perdrillo in ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO and as Gounod's Romeo. In 1969, he recorded the role of Raoul de Nangis in Meyerbeer's HUGUENOTS with Ms. Sutherland.

Anastasios Vrenios as Raoul de Nangis ~ HUGUENOTS

At the age of 32, Mr. Vrenios  withdrew from singing; he taught voice privately in Washington DC.

5d50b42ba2b77e46bea572f48c70a266

Monica Sinclair, born in Somerset in 1925, studied at the Royal Academy of Music and made her operatic debut as Suzuki in MADAMA BUTTERFLY with the Carl Rosa Company in 1948.

She debuted at Covent Garden in 1954, and she sang Verdi's Maddalena and Azucena, Mozart's Cherubino, the Page in SALOME, Margret in WOZZECK, Mrs. Sedley in PETER GRIMES, Annina in DER ROSENKAVALIER, the Old Prioress in DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES, and Marfa in KHOVANSHCHINA there, as well as appearing with Dame Joan Sutherland in Handel's ALCINA and Donizetti's FILLE DU REGIMENT. As Pauline in QUEEN OF SPADES, Ms. Sinclair accompanied herself on the harpsichord.

Js and ms

During the 1972-1973 season, Ms. Sinclair debuted at The Met as the Marquise in FILLE DU REGIMENT (with Dame Joan, above), and then went on The Met tour in that production, also appearing as Marthe in FAUST. 

Monica Sinclair passed away in 2002.

Monica Sinclair as the Sorceress ~ DIDO AND AENEAS

Monica Sinclair - Vorrei vendicarmi from Handel's ALCINA

January 13, 2021 | Permalink

Sutherland & Tourangeau ~ LAKME Duet

514ed711b7251b4ea4d034ee224d3963 - Copy

Dame Joan Sutherland and Huguette Tourangeau sing the enchanting 'Flower Duet' from Leo Delibes' LAKME.

Watch and listen here.

January 12, 2021 | Permalink

Marion Matthäus

Marion-IMG_1113-copy1

There are plenty of opera singers I've never heard, but far fewer that I've never heard of. One such name came up recently: that of Marion Matthäus, a mezzo-soprano who sings Fricka on a recording of WALKURE  from Montevideo, which dates from 1959. 

Ms. Matthäus was born in Germany in 1896. She studied with - among others - Lilli Lehmann - and in 1913 made her debut in operetta. She appeared at several German opera houses before the rise of Nazism decided her to accept a contract at Basel, Switzerland. After a season there, Ms. Matthäus relocated to Rio di Janiero where she remained until 1949, singing with the local opera company. She returned to Germany, continuing to appear in opera and concert whilst also teaching voice. She passed away in 1980.

Marion Matthäus's repertory included Amneris, Azucena, Ulcria, Fricka, Brangaene, Annina in ROSENKAVALIER, and Klytemnestra. She seems to have made some studio recordings, but I cannot locate them. Her Fricka has an Olde World feeling of grandeur; if the date of the recording is accurate, she would have been in her 60s at the time. 

Marion Matthäus as Fricka ~ WALKURE - with L Synek and Wilhelm Schirp - Montevideo 1959

January 11, 2021 | Permalink

»
My Photo

About

Recent Posts

  • Verdi REQUIEM ~ Warsaw National Philharmonic
  • Mróz & Paskalis ~ DON CARLO scene
  • Other Voices ~ VIII
  • Sutherland & Tourangeau ~ LAKME Duet
  • Marion Matthäus
  • Olesya Petrova ~ "O don fatale!"
  • RIGOLETTO @ Treviso ~ December 2020
  • CSO Horns ~ Intermezzo
  • Rolando Villazón ~ Lenski's Aria
  • Karita Mattila ~ Abscheulicher!
Blog powered by Typepad

Music @ Lincoln Center

  • Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
  • The New York Philharmonic

Carnegie Hall!

  • Carnegie Hall

Young Concert Artists

  • Young Concert Artists

Singers/Musicians

  • Richard O'Neill
  • Tamara Mumford
  • Nicholas Canellakis
  • Alexander Fiterstein
  • Sara Murphy
  • Sasha Cooke
  • Randall Scarlata
  • Paul Huang
  • Augustin Hadelich
  • Kate Lindsey
  • Lisette Oropesa
  • Nicole Piccolomini

Martha Graham Dance Company

  • Martha Graham Dance Company

Paul Taylor Dance Co

  • Paul Taylor Dance Co

Dance

  • TAKE Dance
  • RIOULT
  • Parsons Dance
  • New Chamber Ballet
  • Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
  • Lydia Johnson Dance
  • Dusan Tynek Dance Theatre
  • Continuum Contemporary/Ballet
  • Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance Co
  • Ballet Hispanico
  • Amy Marshall Dance Company
  • Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre

Choreographers

  • Claudia Schreier
  • NORBERT DE LA CRUZ III
  • Katarzyna Skarpetowska
  • Barak Ballet
  • Emery LeCrone
  • Justin Peck

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020

More...

Subscribe to this blog's feed

Search

  • Search
    Google

    WWW
    oberon481.typepad.com