Oberon's Grove

2020

DIE FLEDERMAUS ~ Brüderlein ~ Wolfgang Brendel - Baltsa - Popp - Lind et al

Picasso|Plate

Souvenirs from Cardiff

Above: Finnish soprano Karita Mattila with the Cardiff Singer of the World trophy in 1983

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World is a competition for opera and lieder singers held every two years. The competition was started by BBC Wales in 1983 to celebrate the opening of St David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales, home of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. The first singer to win the title of Cardiff Singer of the World was Karita Mattila. Since then, hundreds of singers have competed; many have gone on to stellar careers whilst others have faded from view.

Karita Mattila's winning performance is documented here.

Soon after that first Competition, my English friend Mollie began sending me cassettes of the various rounds of each year's competition. From these, I saved items of interest which I eventually was able to convert to MP3s.  I'll be posting these, in no particular order, over the coming months.

Danish tenor Sune Hjerrild

Sune Hjerrild - Waft her Angels ~ JEPTHA - Cardiff 2005

Latvian counter-tenor Sergejs Jēgers

Sergejs Jēgers - Latvian counter-tenor - Venga pur ~ MITRIDATE RE DI PONTO - Cardiff 2005

Above: basso Julian Konstantinov

In 1993, Italian mezzo-soprano Elisabetta Lombardi and Bulgarian basso Julian Konstantinov competed. Excerpts from their Cardiff appearance:

Elisabetta Lombardi ~ Julian Konstantinov Cardiff 1993

Ms. Lombardi (above) sings Alban Berg's Die Nachtigall here...

...and Samuel Barber's Hermit Songs here.

~ Oberon

Fritz Wunderlich as Tamino

Fritz Wunderlich - Portrait Aria ~ Die Zauberflöte

Mirella Freni as Liu

Above: Birgit Nilsson and Mirella Freni backstage during a performance of TURANDOT

Mirella Freni - Signore ascolta! ~ TURANDOT - Madrid 1972

Confrontation at Mycenae

Mother and daughter meet - for the last time - in the courtyard of the palace at Mycenae in this scene from Richard Strauss's ELEKTRA. Lisa Gasteen is Elektra and Dame Felicity Palmer is Klytemnestra.

Elektra~Klytemnestra scene - ELEKTRA - Lisa Gasteen & Dame Felicity Palmer - Tanglewood 2006

Verdi Per Tutti!

Alessandra Marc ~ Pace pace mio dio - FORZA DEL DESTINO

Anselmo Colzani - La Forza del Destino ~ Urna fatale

Anna Moffo - TROVATORE - aria

Carlo Bergonzi - Celeste Aida

OTELLO - Ave Maria - Diana Soviero - Miami 1987

Sanctus

Sanctus - Verdi ~ MESSA DA REQUIEM

Met's MAGIC FLUTE - Saturday Matinee

~ Author: Oberon

Saturday December 21st, 2019 matinee - The Met's shortened, English-language version of Mozart's DIE ZAUBERFLOETE may not be as musically fulfilling as hearing the original, but it does afford an opportunity to hear lots of voices - from Met veterans to newbies - in one fell swoop, and thus I am likely to go two or three times each season that it is on offer. Although the cuts are irksome, and Papageno is too much the center of attention, there's still enough opportunities for the singers to make their mark.

The House was full of children today, and with people who'd forgotten to turn off their cellphones. The kids were receptive during the music, but some longish stretches of dialogue prompted then to have audible monologues of their own. Is it really necessary, in a 100-minute reduction, to bring up the Seven-fold Shield of the Sun? I suppose it really doesn't matter, since apparently this is the last season we'll see this production. (Or might they have a new ZAUBERFLOETE, and keep this Taymor holiday season specialty around?)

Lothar Koenigs was on the podium this afternoon; his tempi were mostly spot-on, but there were some places where stage and pit were not totally in-sync. The Three Genii were unfortunately a weak trio vocally, and at times sounded a little like The Chipmunks. The Three Ladies - Gabriella Reyes, Megan Esther Grey, and Renee Tatum - sounded good individually, but did not always mesh well; the conductor seemed at times to leave them adrift. (Is Megan Esther Grey related to the great Wagnerian soprano, Linda Esther Grey? I will try to find out.)

Ashley Emerson's Papagena managed to get the words across when doing her "old lady" voice: no mean feat. Once transformed, she sang brightly. Rodell Rosel was an audience favorite as the crafty Monastatos. The Priests (Christopher Job and Scott Scully) and Guards (Arseny Yakovlev and Jeremy Galyon) did well.

Joshua Hopkins sang excellently as Papageno, and the audience loved him; his referring to the Priests as "coneheads" was priceless. David Portillo's attractive tone and appealing lyricism made his Tamino a winning vocal presence, with a nice feeling of tenderness. In his scene with Patrick Carfizzi's Speaker, to my mind the key to the whole opera, both singers were clear of diction and dramatic intent. Mr. Portillo's "O endless night!" was moving; and later, his "Music is the heart's true home..." seemed to express what this opera is all about.

Joelle Harvey's vocal shimmer at "Be truthful!" was engaging, as was her self-defense to Sarastro. She made a lovely, vulnerable impression in Pamina's aria with her expressive dynamic palette and persuasive phrasing. At her "Tamino mine!" a sense of radiance was met by Mr. Portillo's ardent response. The two sang gently and sweetly in the quartet with the Two Guards.

Kathryn Lewek's Queen of the Night gave the afternoon its spark; after swirling thru the coloratura of her first aria, she sustained the high-F: an exciting moment. Her "Wrath of Hell" had great accuracy and brilliance, the high-Fs slightly metallic but hitting the bullseye each time. On her final command, "Swear!", the soprano took a soft attack and then swelled the note to white-heat. She won vociferous applause here, and again at her solo bow. She has amply proven herself in this demanding role several times; I hope now we can hear her as Lucia or Constanze. 

Spectacularly anchoring the performance was Morris Robinson's Sarastro: generous of tone, crystal clear of diction, and benevolent by nature. A grand performance from this formidable basso. Bravo!

All afternoon, much of the spoken dialogue seemed over-wrought and campy; Papageno tended to shriek at the least provocation. David Portillo as Tamino spoke with a slight, charming accent: not amiss, as this prince has come from afar.

~ Oberon

Unkindest Cut

Just back from a Met matinee of the Julie Taymor MAGIC FLUTE. This season is reportedly the last in which this production will be given. I have enjoyed this 100-minute, English-language version many times over the years, but every time - and especially today - the cuts are painful, and none more so than that of the Chorus of the Priests. So I am posting this rendition in Hungarian (!) as compensation. 

Chorus of the Priests ~ Die Zauberflote (Sung in Hungarian)