Jacquelyn Wagner, the “Elsa” of this year’s Salzburg “Lohengrin”. Photo: Harald Hofmann
This year’s major opera production of the Salzburg Easter Festival is on April 9th and 18th Wagner’s “Lohengrin” under the musical direction Christian Thielemanns. Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito are responsible for the production, which will also be shown as a co-production at the Vienna State Opera in the future. The singer of Elsa Jacquelyn Wagner we asked five questions regarding her role and “Lohengrin”. The American, who has lived in Berlin since 2006, is an accomplished interpreter of large roles in the German repertoire. She is wonderfully remembered by the Viennese audience, among others, as Euryanthe and most recently as Marschallin in Rosenkavalier. In Innsbruck she has just made her acclaimed role debut as Salome. In addition to Elsa, Eva is an important pillar in the singer’s Wagner repertoire in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, which she sang under Daniele Gatti at La Scala in Milan and at the Easter Festival three years ago with Christian Thielemann in Salzburg.
More regarding that in today’s “Info of the Day”
Jacquelyn Wagner, Eric Cutler. Photo: Ruth Walz
First pictures of the Salzburg “Lohengrin”
Who will later also be the Viennese “Lohengrin”.
https://www.sn.at/osterfestspiele-salzburg/osterfestspiele-erste-bilder-von-lohengrin-119592238
Night review “Lohengrin”: The perspective changes at the scene of the crime in Brabant
With Richard Wagner’s “Lohengrin”, the Salzburg Easter Festival offered staged opera once more following a two-year break. In the center: a hitherto unnoticed murder case. The stars of the evening? The choir. The orchestra. And a conductor who beds every voice on roses.
https://www.sn.at/osterfestspiele-salzburg/nachtkritik-lohengrin-am-tatort-brabant-wechselt-die-perspektive-119641453
VIENNA / State Opera: „CARMEN“ – 08.04.2022
Anna Goryachova, Vittorio Grigolo. : Vienna State Opera/Michael Pöhn
As the staging of Calixto Bieito premiered at the Vienna State Opera on February 21, 2021 (due to Corona without an audience only as a streamed and TV-broadcast performance), it was not new to me. I had seen them many years earlier at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Above all, the production emphasizes the misery of the protagonists and the brutality of the society around them. In this it differs extremely from the previous production, which took us to a picture book Seville. However, I have to state that I was able to watch the Zeffirelli production an infinite number of times and was always enthusiastic regarding the atmosphere described there, while the Bieito production bored me the fourth time, mainly because it was the Vienna State Opera once more failed to find a convincing interpreter of the title role. Unfortunately, one had to realize that in the 13 performances at the State Opera so far, a good Carmen has only been performed once, namely Anita Rachvelishvili in the premiere. All of the following singers were little or not at all convincing.
Unfortunately, this also falls into the latter category Anna Goryachova…
…Since he lacked an equal partner, it had Vittorio Grigolo as Don José heavy. He is a convincing, loving, suffering, jealous macho – quite the opposite of the mama’s boy who was embodied at the time by José Carreras or Luis Lima. And vocally Grigolo gives everything, sings regardless of losses. In the final confrontation, he seems so menacingly “real” that you almost have to fear for your partner’s life. It’s hard to imagine how exciting the evening might have been if a Carmen interpreter had been on an equal footing…
To the report by Walter Nowotny
Hellmuth Matiasek dies at the age of 90: the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz mourns the loss of his former directors
Matiasek with his wife Cornelia Froboess. Photo: Matiasek-Photos
The long-standing artistic director and honorary member of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, Hellmuth Matiasek, passed away on April 7, 2022 at the age of 90.
“Hellmuth Matiasek was a great role model in many things and a wonderful theater maker as well as artistic director,” says State Artistic Director Josef E. Köpplinger. »Our sincere condolences go to his wife, chamber actress Cornelia Froboess, the children Agnes, Katarina and Kaspar, as well as all other relatives.«
The Bavarian Minister of Arts Markus Blume adds: “Hellmuth Matiasek was a titan of the theater, a real universal stage talent. At home and abroad he was extremely successful and recognized as a director, as an artistic director and last but not least as a teacher. The focus of his life and work was in Bavaria – as long-standing State Artistic Director of the Gärtnerplatztheater and as President of the Bavarian Theater Academy August Everding
remain unforgotten”. The cultural state of Bavaria and the public can consider themselves very fortunate to have experienced him as artistic director, said Blume.
As state director, he shaped the Gärtnerplatztheater with numerous successful productions such as B. »The Goggolori« by Wilfried Hiller and Michael Ende…
More detailed in the “Info of the Day”
How will the art form of opera continue?
In a small series, experienced cultural managers who have managed large institutions for a long time have their say. Peter Gelb from the Met begins: He focuses on new works.
If opera is to survive, it has to change,” says Peter Gelb, General Manager of the New York Metropolitan Opera, whose contract was recently extended until 2027: “The key to this change will be the renewal and enrichment of the repertoire.” Especially the youngest The crisis gave Peter Gelb time to reflect: “We were closed for a year during the pandemic. During that time, I’ve been thinking a lot regarding how we can win audiences back. And how we address people who have never gone to the opera.”
That sounds utopian, but Gelb is confident: “There are many talented composers here in the USA who write operas to tell new stories that have something to do with real life, that have a direct impact on the audience. I think we shouldn’t always just tell the same old stories that are always the same.”
If you liked this article, please log in or choose one of our offers to continue.
DRESDEN: MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Found by Fritz Krammer
kristine.opolais
verified
What an amazing opening of Madama Butterfly last night at the Semperoper Dresden! Thank you to all of my great colleagues for this beautiful collaboration! ????✨❤️⭐️
TO INSTAGRAM with multiple photos
With Kristine Opolais and Freddie De Tommaso
VALENCIA „MACBETH“ – Queen Sofia Palace of the Arts; 8.4.2022
Opposite the Queen Sofia Palace of the Arts. Photo: Ingobert Waltenberger
Every opera performance in Valencia begins with a lesson in inventive and imaginative architecture. It rests there like an agile, shimmering white coral fish in Moby Dick format, the marvel of the architect Santiago Calatrava. He built the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències) in the disused river bed of the Turia. The actual opera house rises out of it like a mirage Queen Sofia Palace of the Arts, above the shallow water. Right behind it, the 125 meter high pillar of the cable-stayed bridge stretches its white cables upwards like a giant celestial harp. An ocean liner with portholes and palm trees seems to be installed in the middle of the musical little fish. A mighty fin arches above everything, which is only fixed to the ground at one end and which wraps itself over the entire opera sea phantasmagoria. Anyone who knows the rarely unimaginative, square-edged monsters of buildings in Berlin will be amazed at how beautifully rounded shapes can also be made of metal, ceramics, glass and wood. All around a planetarium, an aquarium, a laserium, a 3D cinema, a science museum, Sculptures, bike paths, greenery.
Anna Pirozzi, George Gagnidze. @ artsfotografia the arts
The strength of the evening is clearly on the musical side. You will hardly find a better cast anywhere else. The stage manages with just a few props, Andrews works primarily with effective and drastic lighting effects, but with very little ingenuity. As is so often the case in director’s theater, the costumes consist of the obligatory business suits for the men and elegant women’s dresses in the here and now for the women. How boring and trite.
At the end, short but loud applause. The house was packed, there seems to be hardly any capacity utilization problems in Valencia. Perhaps this circumstance is also due to the action that under 35-year-olds only pay half.
To the report from Dr. Ingobert Waltenberger
Anna Pirozzi back stage VALENCIA Macbeth
Links in Italian
Bologna/ Michael Güttler conducts Iolanta
Michael Guettler
Iolanta and music as an instrument of peace
https://www.artearti.net/…/iolanta-e-la-musica-come…
TTT Vinyl treasures 21 – electronic music – to host the Salzburg Easter Festival 2023 („Kick-off for dealing with electronic music with DJ Westbam …” N. Bachler, artistic director)
Klassiker: Oxygen – Jean-Michel Jarre 1975
Westbam – Sunshine (Westbam’s Electro Mix) 2013
Jean-Michel Jarre * 1948 in Lyon, French musician, composer, producer. Compositions for synthesizers created in the early 1970s opened up new avenues.
Go to the YOUTUBE LINK 1:01:26 Std.
Instrumental – Oxygen Album (French Oxygen) in France in December 1976, released worldwide in 1977, 12 million once sold. (a total of over 60 million)
Oxygene is considered the best electronic album of all time, the cornerstone of Jarre’s international breakthrough. Technically light years ahead, there are surreal soundscapes with pop elements and avant-garde.https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxyg%C3%A8ne
WestBam ( Maximilian Lenz); * 1965 Münster/FRG, is a German DJ, musician, label owner, former promoter, author.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMiD9ax3LWc 5.30 Min.
“He was the first DJ in Germany to play since 1983 and Not only lined up records, but mixed them and made a cult out of it. … since 1983 regarding 2 million… total sold. Overall work of well over 150 singles, 8 albums… as DJ and producer create a brand that you immediately identify… as 100% Westbam. ” https://www.sunshine-live.de/music/album-der-woche/westbam-the-risky-sets
TTT: „WestBam – lame blare for my ears!” Target group error in Salzburg? Why not take the best – e.g. B Jarre! See also “Assemblage with potential or blending? Art of Stitching or Bad Spending, Rubbish? Compared to Jarre mirrors worlds!”
__________________________________________________________________
