Renee Fleming

Hvorostovsky; Verdi, Tchaikovsky and the Bells

LA TRAVIATA



The November 2004 Venice production directed by Robert Carsen was made for the reopening of La Fenice which had totally burnt down eight years earlier. For this special occasion the first version of the opera, from 1853, was chosen. Good thinking, since the (then unsuccessful) premiere of what would become Verdi’s most beloved opera ever, had taken place precisely here. The main differences with the one-year later version, which is the one known to us, are in the duet between Violetta and father Germont, and the two final numbers of the third act.

Like no other opera, Traviata allowes itself to be updated. Incidentally, it was Verdi’s wish to stage it in contemporary costumes. Carsen’s direction is all about money, and the dollars really fall from the trees like leaves. He moves the time of action to the 1980s, the time of rising megastars, supermodels, gigaparties, as well as junkies, squatters and AIDS. As always with him, everything is implemented very logically and consistently

An absolute highlight is the opening scene of the last act, in which the now totally (also literally!) brought down Violetta watches a video of her past. A video that at some point stops and then goes on to only show ˜snow”. The scene grabs you by the throat and never lets go. The epitome of good modern directing.

Violetta is very movingly performed by the both vocally and scenically impressive Patricia Ciofi. As Alfredo, Italian-German tenor Roberto Sacca comes across very convincingly, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky is an outstanding Father Germont (Arthaus Musik107227 )

Last seven minutes of the production:






IL TROVATORE



Some operas should be renamed. Verdi’s Il Trovatore should actually be called ˜Azucena” because, after all, she is the one who dominates every scene from the first moment she emerges.

It is Azucena who pulls the strings and only she can save or break all the characters. Through her thirst for revenge, she destroys everything and everyone, and no average baritone can match that. Although, average?

In his role debut as Luna, Dmitri Hvorostovsky more than surprised me in this Royal Opera House production. I still had my doubts about him in the early 1990s, but I take back everything I said about him in those days. Never did I think that there was still a baritone who could sing ˜In balen del suo sorriso” so emotionally moving. And indeed, at the ˜Sperda il sole d’un suo sguardo…” I even had to shed a tear, it was that beautiful.

EVGENI ONEGIN



I am (or should I say was?) a huge Robert Carsen-adept and I love (loved) almost everything he did. So too this Onegin , the production he made for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, which was recorded in February 2007 (Decca 0743298).

His staging is very realistic and closely follows the libretto. In the first act, the stage is strewn with autumn leaves, but everything else is basically bare and there is almost no scenery. A bed for the ˜letter scene”, some chairs in the second and third acts. At the duel, the stage is completely empty.

This is not distracting from what is happening. On the contrary. The costumes are really beautiful, but especially in the first act they remind me more of English Jane Austen film adaptations than of the Russian countryside. But that is alright, the eye wants something too, but Renée Fleming is too glamorous for a peasant girl, making her transformation into a proud princess less impressive.


Onegin (Dmitri Hvorostovsky) is primarily a dandy here, very concerned with his looks. Well, Dima is an extremely attractive singer in all aspects, but in his confrontation scene with Tatyana, he reminds us more of daddy Germont than Onegin.

Ramón Vargas was one of the best lyric tenors in 2007, but Lensky he was not. He really does his best, he also looks like a real poet, but this role needs a bit more “languish”.
Carsen’s character direction is truly unsurpassed and even Fleming seems to thaw out at times. Unfortunately, her Russian is totally unintelligible.

Fleming and Hvorostovsky in the opera’s final scene:



THE BELLS



That this CD disappoints me somewhat is not because of the performance, because there is nothing to criticise about Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s voice, singing or interpretation. Those are simply perfect!

The beauty of the sound coming out of his throat is truly unimaginable. It is nothing less than the epitome of perfection.

What impresses me most about Hvorostovsky, besides his wonderful bronze sound, is his beautiful pianissimo. At times he sounds almost fragile, providing a fine contrast to the more heavily set passages.

You can hear this well in the solo ˜Prostchay, radost” (Farewell, My Joy). The moods alternate, but what remains is an all-encompassing feeling of total loneliness. After this, you can’t help but stop the music for a moment of silent reflection.


But the CD is not over yet. The feeling is still held for a while, but slowly the emotion ebbs away. The songs on the CD are hard to distinguish from each other, so it just gets boring and monotonous in the long run. At least for me; a ˜hardcore” lover of Russian spiritual songs and Slavic choirs may well enjoy this.
The Grand Choir ˜Masters of Choral Singing” is very much in the background and, under conductor Lev Kontorovich, is mostly subservient to the soloist.

Below is one of the CD’s finest tracks, ˜Vyhozhu odin ya na dorogu” by Elizaveta Shashina:





Dmitri Hvorostovsky in two live recitals

Dmitry Hvorostovsky zingt Sjostakovitsj en Liszt

Teschek, bedien dich! Arabella… A fairy tale or…?

arabella-uesuleac

Richard Strauss met de allereerste Arabella (Viorica Ursuleac) en Mandryka (Alfred Jerger)

“Teschek, bedien dich”!
You really cannot escape the fact that Mandryka’s words, endlessly repeated by Graf Waldner, settle in your ears like the proverbial earworm. ‘Teschek, bedien dich‘ sings Mandryka as he pulls out his thick wallet and holds out banknotes, like chocolates, in front of his father-in-law-to-be.

For those not so familiar with “Viennese”, Teschek is not only a person who is always on the losing end, but also a card game and perhaps a “delicate” reference to the count’s addiction, which has left the family financially ruined, the youngest daughter having to go through life dressed as a boy and the eldest, Arabella, to be sold to the highest bidder. Well, in a manner of speaking.

How well do you know the opera? Honestly! I’m the first to admit it: until recently, I knew this opera only so-so. Once I saw it (and forgot about it), once I heard something wonderful on the radio (Lucia Popp and Bernd Weikl! I still haven’t managed to get hold of that recording), a snippet here and there …. Nothing more. Nice little snippet,  though.

But now, after a few weeks on “an Arabella diet” I have become a real worshipper. Why is that? Mainly because of the libretto, I think. The opera is seen as a light comedy, a kind of fairy tale where everything is going to be all right at the end. But is that really the case? I think not. Actually, it’s not a fun opera at all. Because let’s face it: everybody is cheating on everybody here and the chances of anyone ending happily ever after are just as high as in Snow White.

To start with Zdenka, the almost “discarded” daughter: do you actually think Matteo has suddenly come to love her? Well, I don’t! He has to marry her because she lured him into her bed. And that, even though he thought she was a man. Anyway, Mandryka is paying, and since everything in this opera is about money…

Anyway, relax and sit back, because the opera is more than worth it. And there are so many good performances out there!



Otto Schenk 1

If you have never seen the opera, you would do well to start with Otto Schenk’s 1977 film (DG0743255). Larger than life, with lifelike sets. Of course, no ordinary live performance can compete with that.

Gundula Janowitz is a delightful Arabella. Perhaps not the best actress in the world, but her high notes are so very beautiful. Sona Ghazarian is a good Zdenka, but what really makes the recording, alongside the very erotic playing of the Wiener Philharmoniker (Solti!), more than worthwhile, is Bernd Weikl’s Mandryka. Any woman would certainly want to be kissed awake by him.

The minor roles are also fantastically cast: René Kollo is a Matteo out of thousands and I know of no better Fiakermilli than the young Gruberova. Add to this the very young (30!) Kurt Rydl as Lamoral and Margarita Lilova (Adelaide).  It is definitely very good.

Below Gundula Janowitz and Bernd Weikl in the last act:



Otto Schenk 2



We stay with good old Otto Schenk for the moment: his production was recorded at the Met in 1995 (DG 0730059). Kiri te Kanawa is an exemplary Arabella; there are few singers who can match her in this role. Strauss has always been a bit like her personal composer and optically, of course, she is a dream Arabella.

Her sister Zdenka (Marie McLaughlin) is also wonderful, something that cannot be said of Wolfgang Brendel (Mandryka). He doesn’t succeed in making my female heart beat any faster. Thielemann conducts well, but he lacks the sensuality of Solti.

Below is a scene with Kiri te Kanawa and Marie McLaughlin:




Renée Fleming




And then there is Renée Fleming (Decca 074363). Optically just about the most beautiful Arabella ever. Not only beautiful but also very full of herself; you can almost see her asking, “mirror, mirror on the wall….”

Impossible to ask Strauss now, but I suspect she could have modelled Arabella for him. Her vervet soft tones too; as if you are resting below the softest down comforter.

Julia Kleiter is a good Zdenka, but Morten Frank Larsen (Mandryka) is just a Dane. He looks Danish and sings Danish. A pity, because Götz Friedrich’s direction  (Zürich 2007) is really exciting.


Below a scene with Renée Fleming and Julia Kleiter:



Sven-Eric Bechtolf


The latest production on my list comes from Vienna (BD EPCO 48D). Sven-Eric Bechtholf has surprised me. He adheres well to the libretto and everything just looks very beautiful.

Emily Magee lacks the sensuality of a Fleming or te Kanawa, but she does hold her own very well. Genia Kühmeier is a sensational Zdenka and Tomasz Konieczny an (indeed) “East European guest worker” with a lot of money. In terms of voice, he can easily match Weikl.

Trailer of the production:




Lisa Della Casa



And now back in time. For me, Lisa Della Casa is the Strauss singer pur sang. Just listen to her interpretation of the Vier letzte Lieder! Starting out as a very good Zdenka, she grew into a great Arabella.

In 1958, she recorded the role under Solti (Decca 4781400). I can never get enough of that. Hilde Güden is her sister and the duet of the two girls is of an unparalleled beauty. Two voices coming together and embracing each other almost as if they were not sisters, but lovers. You really rarely achieve such perfection.

And then the very erotic way Solti handles the score… It is all so sensual and fairy-like. Not only in terms of the singing, but also in terms of the orchestral sound. And George London sings Mandryka. Need I say more?





Montserrat Caballé



Montserrat Caballé as Arabella… Strange? Well no – she was one of the best Salome’s ever, did you know? She is also a fantastically sensual Arabella (BLV 107225). Don’t ignore the recording, especially since Zdenka is sung here by the very moving Oliviera Miljakovic.

Below Caballé and Miljakovic in the duet ‘Er ist der richtige’:



English Arabella



‘Arabella’ in English? (Andromeda andrcd 5013). Why not? Unimaginable how different the opera sounds in this language. It’s like listening to, say, Vanessa. Something to think about.

Eleanor Steber lacks the velvet in the voice, but her involvement makes you understand a little more of the woman. Hilde Güden also sounds different here. It is as if she gains volume and eloquence. I love it. And then George London with his ‘I am the Mandryka, no one else’. Why do I find it even more impressive in English than in German? Rudolf Kempe is conducting.




Kiri te Kanawa



And then, finally, we have Kiri te Kanawa on CD (Decca 4783460). I find Zdenka (Gabriele Fontana) too heavy and in the duet she drowns out her sister – it not very beautiful. Tate conducts unevenly. But what a Matteo! Peter Seiffert is more than delightful to listen to. And Franz Grundhebber (Mandryka) also makes the recording very much worth listening to.



For Renée Fleming on her Birthday

Bel Canto



When this CD came out in 2010, it was greeted with quite a lot of suspicion, but the combination is really less strange than you think. Nowadays, Fleming is mainly associated with Mozart and Strauss, but her career began with singing (among others) Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini.

Fleming grew up in a musical family; both her parents were singing teachers. It was also her mother, who gave her her first singing lessons. She achieved her first major success in 1988 in Houston, as the Contessa in Nozze di Figaro, but her international breakthrough came in 1993, when she performed Armida at the Rossini festival in Pesaro, a role she subsequently repeated at Carnegie Hall. She has also not only recorded, but also performed scenically, the lead roles in Maria Padilla, La Sonnambula, Il Pirata and Lucrezia Borgia.

“When I started singing, I thought bel canto operas were the foundation of every singer’s repertoire. All the singers I admired then: Sutherland, Callas, Caballé, Sills, Scotto sung them. It was quite shocking to discover that in the professional world of opera there was such a thing as a ‘Mozart/Strauss soprano’, and that that soprano never sang bel canto.”

“If I had to count them, there are seven complete bel canto roles I have sung live. I learnt most of them in the early years of my career, when I often worked with Eve Queler. But I also learnt a lot from Montserrat Caballé. We sang together in Il Viaggio a Reims and we discussed the repertoire many times. Marilyn Horne also meant much to me and I learned my high notes from Joan Sutherland at her home”.

The “Bel Canto” CD is just wonderful. The music is magnificent and Fleming’s interpretations superior. Her creamy soprano and exquisite height may be widely known, but her colouraturas and expressiveness are just as fine. Her fabulous breathing technique allows her to spin out the longest arches into the finest pianissimi.

Philip Gossett is a specialist in nineteenth-century opera. He has worked with Renée Fleming many times before and especially for her he ‘reconstructed’ the ornamentation in the well-known cabalettas, including those from La Sonnambula. The result is very surprising and exciting, although one has to get used to those different notes.




ARABELLA



Optically, Fleming is just about the most beautiful Arabella ever. Not just beautiful, but so full of herself: you can see her asking the mirror “mirror, mirror on the wall”, so to speak….
I can no longer ask Strauss, of course, but I suspect she could have been the model Arabella for him. Also her velvety way of singing as if you landed under a down duvet….

Julia Kleiter is a good Zdenka, but Morten Frank Larsen (Mandryka) is simply Danish. He looks Danish and he sings Danish. Too bad, because the direction by Götz Friedrich (Zurich 2007) is extremely exciting.

Below is a scene with Renée Fleming and Julia Kleiter:



CAPRICCIO




Carsen moved the action to Nazi-occupied Paris in 1942, the time of the opera’s creation. The setting is the entire Palais Garnier, including the majestic staircase, the long corridors and the boxes in the auditorium. I assume video technology was used, but I don’t really get how it is done. So it is with bated breath that I watch the Countess, who looks admiringly from her box at her alter ego singing on stage. A truly ingenious invention for the final scene, in which she was originally supposed to sing her long final monologue in front of the mirror.

The opera’s final scene:



It is mentioned at the beginning of the opera that the text and the music are like brother and sister, and so too are the two rivals, the composer Flamand and the poet Olivier; they end up sitting fraternally in the opera’s lounging sofa, looking tenderly at their joint child: a symbiosis of words and notes. An opera.

A better Madeleine than Renée Fleming can hardly be imagined. With her endless legato, her round, creamy soprano and (not least) her scenic presence, she portrays a countess with narcissistic traits: beautiful, self-conscious, aloof and very admirable.
Her brother, portrayed by Dietrich Henschel, is a match for her, and though he does not physically resemble her, his traits betray the family ties.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to choose between the two gentlemen in love, as both Gerald Finley (Olivier) and Rainer Trost (Flamand) look very attractive in their well-groomed suits, and neither their voices nor their acting can be faulted.

Franz Hawlata is a phenomenal La Roche, and the delightful Robert Tear portrays an entertaining Monsieur Taupe.

Anne Sofie von Otter is unrecognisable as the “diva” Clairon – her entrance, with which, accompanied by a Nazi officer, she causes a lot of commotion, evokes memories of the great actresses of the 1940s.

The direction is so brilliant that you simply forget that this is an opera, and not the real world. Everyone moves and acts very naturally, and the costumes are dazzlingly beautiful. Were it not for the occasional, but very prominently portrayed, Nazis, one could imagine oneself in a utopian world of serene tranquillity.

Was this what Richard Strauss’ world looked like back then? Perhaps that was the message? I leave the conclusion to you.




Renée Fleming sings Berg, Wellesz and Zeisl. A must buy!



There is no shortage of recordings of Berg’s Lyric Suite. Both in the version for string quartet and in the version for chamber orchestra: the choices are many. Whether it was Berg’s intention we cannot really know for certain, but we assume it was: the last movement, the Largo Desolato,  may also be sung.

Theodor Adorno, Berg’s pupil and confidant, considered the work to be an almost latent opera and that makes sense. Adorno was one of the few who knew about Berg’s affair with the married Hanna Fuchs, for whom he composed the work. For Berg, Fuchs was not only his lover and muse, but also his Isolde and his Lulu.

It is not the first time, by the way, that the poem by Baudelauire, the source of inspiration for the last part of the quartet, is actually sung. The Kronos Quartet and Dawn Upshaw had already recorded the version in 2003, there is also a recording by Quator Diotima with Sandrine Piau. The “Emerson”, however, offer us both versions: with and without vocals.

The decision to link Berg’s Lyric Suite to the songs of Egon Wellesz is nothing less than genius. Both composers had received their training from Schönberg, who had taught them not only the twelve-tone technique, but also to use a large dose of expressionism. Something you hear very clearly in the cycle Sonette der Elisabeth Barrett Browning.

That the songs are not performed more often is not only strange, but also a great shame. Of course, this has everything to do with the “once forbidden and then forgotten” attitude, which has also been fatal for Eric Zeisl. His short song Komm Süsser Tod makes us long for more: couldn’t there be some Zeisl added to the CD? It’s not the lack of space: at just 56 minutes, the CD is very short.

Renée Fleming’s creamy, cultured soprano and her mannerism fit the songs like a glove. The result is a beautiful cross between Gustav Klimmt and Max Beckmann. The very imaginative and expressive performance by the Emerson String Quartet adds to the overall experience. A must.

Decca 4788399



Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Renée Fleming



The life of an opera star is no bed of roses. You are born with a voice that you then try to mould into an instrument that will always obey you. Throughout your life, you work on your technique, take language and acting lessons and you keep your body in shape because appearance is also very important, especially for a woman. And should you not only be wanting a career but also a family life, then things get tough. No wonder that at some point you start to question what is most important in your life and where your priorities really lie.

In the wonderful documentary by Tony Palmer (the maker of more wonderful documentaries, just think of the film about Maria Callas), Renée Fleming, one of the greatest opera singers of our time, talks at length about her fears and doubts. We see her during rehearsals and performances, we admire her dresses, watch home videos showing an apparently happy family life and wipe away a tear listening to her rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’ at Ground Zero.

At the presentation of a new creation from the master pastry chef: a chocolate treat called ‘La Diva Renée’, we get slightly moved. And she well deserves it.