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English Touring Opera are delighted to announce a season of lyric monodramas to tour nationally from October to December. The season features music for solo singer and piano by Argento, Britten, Tippett and Shostakovich with a bold and inventive approach to making opera during social distancing.
This tenth of ten Live from London concerts was in fact a recorded live performance from California. It was no less enjoyable for that, and it was also uplifting to learn that this wasn’t in fact the ‘last’ LfL event that we will be able to enjoy, courtesy of VOCES8 and their fellow vocal ensembles (more below …).
Ever since Wigmore Hall announced their superb series of autumn concerts, all streamed live and available free of charge, I’d been looking forward to this song recital by Ian Bostridge and Imogen Cooper.
The Sixteen continues its exploration of Henry Purcell’s Welcome Songs for Charles II. As with Robert King’s pioneering Purcell series begun over thirty years ago for Hyperion, Harry Christophers is recording two Welcome Songs per disc.
Although Stile Antico’s programme article for their Live from London recital introduced their selection from the many treasures of the English Renaissance in the context of the theological debates and upheavals of the Tudor and Elizabethan years, their performance was more evocative of private chamber music than of public liturgy.
In February this year, Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho made a highly lauded debut recital at Wigmore Hall - a concert which both celebrated Opera Rara’s 50th anniversary and honoured the career of the Italian soprano Rosina Storchio (1872-1945), the star of verismo who created the title roles in Leoncavallo’s La bohème and Zazà, Mascagni’s Lodoletta and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
Evidently, face masks don’t stifle appreciative “Bravo!”s. And, reducing audience numbers doesn’t lower the volume of such acclamations. For, the audience at Wigmore Hall gave soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn and pianist Simon Lepper a greatly deserved warm reception and hearty response following this lunchtime recital of late-Romantic song.
Collapsology. Or, perhaps we should use the French word ‘Collapsologie’ because this is a transdisciplinary idea pretty much advocated by a series of French theorists - and apparently, mostly French theorists. It in essence focuses on the imminent collapse of modern society and all its layers - a series of escalating crises on a global scale: environmental, economic, geopolitical, governmental; the list is extensive.
For this week’s Live from London vocal recital we moved from the home of VOCES8, St Anne and St Agnes in the City of London, to Kings Place, where The Sixteen - who have been associate artists at the venue for some time - presented a programme of music and words bound together by the theme of ‘reflection’.
'Such is your divine Disposation that both you excellently understand, and royally entertaine the Exercise of Musicke.’
Amongst an avalanche of new Mahler recordings appearing at the moment (Das Lied von der Erde seems to be the most favoured, with three) this 1991 Mahler Second from the 2nd Kassel MahlerFest is one of the more interesting releases.
‘And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven … that old serpent … Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.’
If there is one myth, it seems believed by some people today, that probably needs shattering it is that post-war recordings or performances of Wagner operas were always of exceptional quality. This 1949 Hamburg Tristan und Isolde is one of those recordings - though quite who is to blame for its many problems takes quite some unearthing.
There was never any doubt that the fifth of the twelve Met Stars Live in Concert broadcasts was going to be a palpably intense and vivid event, as well as a musically stunning and theatrically enervating experience.
‘Love’ was the theme for this Live from London performance by Apollo5. Given the complexity and diversity of that human emotion, and Apollo5’s reputation for versatility and diverse repertoire, ranging from Renaissance choral music to jazz, from contemporary classical works to popular song, it was no surprise that their programme spanned 500 years and several musical styles.
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields have titled their autumn series of eight concerts - which are taking place at 5pm and 7.30pm on two Saturdays each month at their home venue in Trafalgar Square, and being filmed for streaming the following Thursday - ‘re:connect’.
The London Symphony Orchestra opened their Autumn 2020 season with a homage to Oliver Knussen, who died at the age of 66 in July 2018. The programme traced a national musical lineage through the twentieth century, from Britten to Knussen, on to Mark-Anthony Turnage, and entwining the LSO and Rattle too.
With the Live from London digital vocal festival entering the second half of the series, the festival’s host, VOCES8, returned to their home at St Annes and St Agnes in the City of London to present a sequence of ‘Choral Dances’ - vocal music inspired by dance, embracing diverse genres from the Renaissance madrigal to swing jazz.
Just a few unison string wriggles from the opening of Mozart’s overture to Le nozze di Figaro are enough to make any opera-lover perch on the edge of their seat, in excited anticipation of the drama in music to come, so there could be no other curtain-raiser for this Gala Concert at the Royal Opera House, the latest instalment from ‘their House’ to ‘our houses’.
"Before the ending of the day, creator of all things, we pray that, with your accustomed mercy, you may watch over us."
Reviews
07 Aug 2014
Santa Fe Opera Presents a Passionate Fidelio
Santa Fe Opera presented Beethoven’s Fidelio for the first time in 2014. Since the sides of the opera house are open, the audience watched the sun redden the low hanging clouds and set below the Sangre de Cristo mountains while Chief Conductor Harry Bicket led the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra in the rousing overture. At the same time, Alex Penda as the title character readied herself for the ordeal to come as she endeavored to rescue her unjustly imprisoned husband.
Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his only opera, Fidelio, to a German libretto by Joseph Sonnleithner who based it on Jean-Nicolas Bouilly’s Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal. Written in 1798, the Bouilly work was also set by Pierre Gaveaux, Simon Mayr, and Ferdinando Paer. Beethoven’s opera had its world premiere at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien on November 20, 1805. Unfortunately, French troops were then occupying the city and most of the prospective audience had long since left for safer places. Thus, the first performance was not a success. After some revisions, the composer brought his opera to the stage of the Kärntnertor Theater in Vienna on March 29, 1806, but he was still not satisfied with the outcome. He made many more changes and added work by librettist Georg Friedrich Treitschke, for performances at the same theater beginning May 23, 1814. Finally, performances of this hard-wrung opera were successful and it has remained in the international repertory ever since.
Santa Fe Opera presented Beethoven’s Fidelio for the first time in 2014. This writer saw it on August 5th. Since the sides of the opera house are open, the audience watched the sun redden the low hanging clouds and set below the Sangre de Cristo mountains while Chief Conductor Harry Bicket led the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra in the rousing overture. At the same time Alex Penda as the title character readied herself for the ordeal to come as she endeavored to rescue her unjustly imprisoned husband.
Since director Stephen Wadsworth updated the story to World War II, Chief Jailer Rocco’s facility bore considerable similarity to a concentration camp. The upper levels of Charlie Corcoran’s set housed offices for Nazi soldiers, including Prison Governor Don Pizzaro whose walls were graced with faux Nazi memorabilia. The lower levels were living quarters for Rocco’s family and Fidelio in Act I, but were shut off by a stone wall for Act II. Camille Assaf’s attractive and practical costumes reflected the time of the Third Reich.
Alex Penda, whose voice is a bit light for the role of Fidelio, was a credible wife dressed as a boy and much of her acting was heart rending. When she whipped out her gun and held it on the villain, Don Pizarro, she had the audience in the palm of her hand. It was the lower-voiced men, however, who had the spectacular voices. Greer Grimsley was an evil Pizarro with wonderfully resonant, well-projected sound. Maestro Bicket did not have to hold down the orchestra for Grimsley’s aria because the bass-baritone has a huge well-focused voice. As Rocco the jailer, baritone Manfred Hemm had a large, warm sound that contrasted well with that of Grimsley and the two men treated the audience to some great music. Devon Guthrie was a bright voiced, perky and efficient Marzelline while Joshua Dennis was a worthy, smooth-voiced Jacquino.
Tenor Paul Groves opened Act II with a smooth, lyrical rendition of the famous aria about darkness and doing the right thing even if the reward is imprisonment. He brought out the composer and librettist’s feelings for those unjustly imprisoned as he sang with controlled emotion. He and Penda were a fascinating couple as she freed him from his chains at the behest of the commanding Don Fernando, Evan Hughes.
Second year apprentices Joseph Dennis and Patrick Guetti were believable prisoners and, led by Chorus Master Susanne Sheston, the rest of the inmates sang with perfect harmony that contrasted with the terrible conditions in which they lived. Harry Bicket gave us a well thought out rendition of this beloved Beethoven opera with strictly controlled tempi and exquisitely played solos by the orchestra’s principals.
Maria Nockin
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Cast and production information:
Fidelio, Alex Penda; Florestan, Paul Groves; Marzelline, Devon Guthrie; Rocco, Manfred Hemm; Jacquino, Joshua Dennis; Don Fernando, Evan Hughes; Prisoners, Joseph Dennis, Patrick Guetti; Conductor, Harry Bicket; Director, Stephen Wadsworth; Costume Designer, Camille Assaf; Scenic Design, Charlie Corcoran; Lighting design, Duane Schuler; Chorus Master, Susanne Sheston.