This is Urlicht from Mahler Symphony #2, Resurrection.
Showing posts with label Jessye Norman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jessye Norman. Show all posts
Saturday, April 03, 2021
Sunday, February 14, 2021
Les Troyens
Conductor...............James Levine
Production..............Fabrizio Melano
Cassandra...............Jessye Norman [Debut]
Coroebus................Allan Monk
Aeneas..................Plácido Domingo
Dido....................Tatiana Troyanos
Coroebus................Allan Monk
Aeneas..................Plácido Domingo
Dido....................Tatiana Troyanos
This performance of Berlioz' Les Troyens at the Metropolitan Opera is from 1983. Jessye Norman made her Met debut. There were performances in the run where Jessye played Dido and someone else Cassandra. She is spectacular as Cassandra. No one else approaches her. It is wonderful to see it again.
Berlioz isn't doing what anyone else was doing at his time. Not Musically and not theatrically. It is wise to notice he wrote his own libretto. He loved Virgil's Aenead and based the opera on it. I know the French always treated him with disrespect and perhaps still do. After all they were the ones who staged the Dido scenes in a mental hospital. I prefer some semblance of historical setting which we certainly have here. Both the Met and San Francisco Operas staged it in the last decade, and both achieved triumphs. But perhaps this one is the greatest of all. I love it.
The horse doesn't seem to look like a horse. Cassandra and all the other Trojan women commit suicide at the end of Act II. The effect of this production is just as it should be. How does all this pompous singing translate to an insane asylum? It's designed to bring status to Dido. I love this opera and this is a wonderful version.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Ariadne👍🏻
👍🏻
Conductor...............James Levine
Production..............Bodo IgeszAriadne.................Jessye Norman
Bacchus.................James King
Zerbinetta..............Kathleen Battle
The Composer.......Tatiana Troyanos
Music Master.........Franz Ferdinand Nentwig
Harlekin................Stephen Dickson
Scaramuccio..........Allan Glassman
Truffaldin..............Artur Korn
Brighella...............Anthony Laciura
Najade..................Barbara Bonney
Dryade..................Gweneth Bean
Echo....................Dawn Upshaw
For today's Metropolitan Opera stream we are treated to Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos, 3/12/1988. It is unbelievably wonderful. My all time favorite mezzo is Tatiana Troyanos who sings an outstanding, over the top Composer. She alone is worth the time. But look at the complete excess of riches. Zerbinetta is Kathleen Battle herself, here lively and young. Ariadne is probably Jessye Norman's greatest role, and here we have her at her peak. And if that isn't enough, there is James King to sing Bacchus.
In the prologue they all appear as themselves in a peek at backstage life. Originally the play followed a play by Molière, see here. They are all wonderfully lively.
Jessye is beyond wonderful, but they have decided to focus on her face in endless closeups, and she makes faces when she sings. One might prefer the camera a bit further back. The singing of "Es gibt ein Reich" is absolutely glorious. Is this the greatest opera performance every recorded? I'm tempted to say yes.
Then Kathleen does her wonderful "Großmächtige Prinzessin". We have one delight after another. I loved Kathleen Battle and would have fired the conductor.
Ariadne's three ladies sing what seems to be Schubert's "Schlafe, schlafe." We transition to the entrance of Bacchus. "Are you the queen of this island?" He persuades her. King isn't quite up to the ladies, but Jessye is fabulous all the way to the end. They go off to be happy.
Thank you. This is one of the great things.
Monday, September 30, 2019
Jessye Norman has died.
Ms Norman was a very great artist with a gorgeous voice and great style. It is very heartwarming that Ms Norman is receiving so much attention throughout the music world at this time. This is from the New York Times:
Jessye Norman, Regal American Soprano, Is Dead at 74
A multiple Grammy Award winner, she was a towering figure on the operatic, concert and recital stages.
CreditCreditFrans Schellekens/Redferns, via Getty Images
By
Jessye
Norman, the majestic American soprano who brought a sumptuous,
shimmering voice to a broad range of roles at the Metropolitan Opera and
houses around the world and had a notable career as a recitalist and
soloist with orchestras, died on Monday in New York. She was 74.
The
cause was septic shock and multiorgan failure following complications
of a spinal cord injury she suffered in 2015, according to a statement
released The Associated Press.
A full obituary will follow shortly.
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Ariadne
On with my Met on Demand subscription. I am watching Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos with Kathleen Battle, Tatiana Troyanos, James King and Jessye Norman. These are all singers that I loved. You've never seen anyone wail the composer better than Tatiana Troyanos. I miss her.
And no one wails anything better than Jessys Norman. And in case you prefer coloratura, we have Kathleen Battle in her prime. This is a must see. James Levine conducts. If you look carefully, you will see Barbara Bonney and Dawn Upshaw.
The original film posted here has been withdrawn. To view go to Met on Demand.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Jessye for the soul
Jessye Norman sings "Es gibt ein Reich" from Ariadne auf Naxos. One of the great things.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Jessye
Gounod's "O Divine Redeemer." We used to sing this in church once in a while, not really so much now. You will never hear it more beautifully sung than this.
P.S. It's a habit by now. This hearing in church would have happened long, long ago. It cannot be certain even that I heard it more than once. I know that I remember only the chorus from "O divine redeemer", but I remember it exactly, along with all the words which were the same as these. The minds of the young are remarkable. Try to give them something important to remember.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Singing Strauss
In his first two significant operas, Salome (1905) and Elektra (1909), Richard Strauss continued the post-Wagnerian tradition and composed very heavy roles for very heavy voices. From Der Rosenkavalier (1911) on he struck out in the direction of lighter voices. This is the first noticeable lightening trend since Donizetti.
He even goes so far as to compose a role for coloratura soprano: Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos (1912). Only Dyer's Wife from Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919) is traditionally sung by a dramatic soprano. My knowledge of Strauss operas is not encyclopedic, so this is based on what I know. I notice that Deborah Voigt, a dramatic soprano, has sung Die ägyptische Helena (1928).
The orchestra beneath these voices continues to be heavy in the post-Romantic style. The idealized Strauss sound is a lyric soprano floating above a posh post-Romantic orchestra. Strauss does not share Wagner's preference for the heavy, muddy center in his orchestration, possibly a wise attitude in support of his love for the soprano voice.
I once postulated the concept of a Strauss legato, a kind of super legato where the singer manages, despite the fact that the text is in German, to invisibly connect the notes as though there were no consonants at all. This may have been based on the style and technique of the great Jessye Norman. The current trend, especially with regard to Rosenkavalier, is to sing the entire opera as though it were recitative.
There is no musical break with Wagner, but he along with Hugo von Hofmannsthal show a significant love for comedy.
He even goes so far as to compose a role for coloratura soprano: Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos (1912). Only Dyer's Wife from Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919) is traditionally sung by a dramatic soprano. My knowledge of Strauss operas is not encyclopedic, so this is based on what I know. I notice that Deborah Voigt, a dramatic soprano, has sung Die ägyptische Helena (1928).
The orchestra beneath these voices continues to be heavy in the post-Romantic style. The idealized Strauss sound is a lyric soprano floating above a posh post-Romantic orchestra. Strauss does not share Wagner's preference for the heavy, muddy center in his orchestration, possibly a wise attitude in support of his love for the soprano voice.
I once postulated the concept of a Strauss legato, a kind of super legato where the singer manages, despite the fact that the text is in German, to invisibly connect the notes as though there were no consonants at all. This may have been based on the style and technique of the great Jessye Norman. The current trend, especially with regard to Rosenkavalier, is to sing the entire opera as though it were recitative.
There is no musical break with Wagner, but he along with Hugo von Hofmannsthal show a significant love for comedy.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Passionate Americans
The center of classical music may lie elsewhere, but we Americans bring our own particular passion to the field. This list is not inclusive but reflects my own taste.
There is Lorraine Hunt Lieberson whose Bach I wish to specially honor.
I hear so much more here than with the other mezzo who sings Bach. I like and occasionally love Lorraine's Handel, but nothing surpasses her Bach. In YouTube there is a recording of Ich Habe Genug, her last appearance, where she sings in her hospital gown. "I have enough. I am ready to depart." But I simply could not bear it. And besides this is perfection.
We are apparently into Bach this morning, so here are two more passionate Americans: Kathleen Battle and Wynton Marsalis doing an aria from Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen.
No one brings more of her heart to music than Kathleen.
This list would not be complete without the very passionate Jessye Norman, here in Wagner's Ring.
No one soared higher than Jessye.
New to my list is the very passionate Joyce DiDonato, here in Handel.
You can absolutely not beat this. She joins the long list of passionate American singers. If I have omitted your favorite, then make your own list.
There is Lorraine Hunt Lieberson whose Bach I wish to specially honor.
I hear so much more here than with the other mezzo who sings Bach. I like and occasionally love Lorraine's Handel, but nothing surpasses her Bach. In YouTube there is a recording of Ich Habe Genug, her last appearance, where she sings in her hospital gown. "I have enough. I am ready to depart." But I simply could not bear it. And besides this is perfection.
We are apparently into Bach this morning, so here are two more passionate Americans: Kathleen Battle and Wynton Marsalis doing an aria from Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen.
No one brings more of her heart to music than Kathleen.
This list would not be complete without the very passionate Jessye Norman, here in Wagner's Ring.
No one soared higher than Jessye.
New to my list is the very passionate Joyce DiDonato, here in Handel.
You can absolutely not beat this. She joins the long list of passionate American singers. If I have omitted your favorite, then make your own list.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Liebestod, YouTube and other places
I moved this blog entry up because I found the Jessye Norman/Herbert von Karajon version at the bottom of the list. I was completely blown away by this. If you want Wagner to shake you down to your shoes, this is the one to hear. The films for this come and go from YouTube, so get them while they're there.
Shirley Verrett, 1977
Zubin Mehta is conducting. She is really a mezzo, but Wagner lies like a high, heavy mezzo. Surprising is the lightness of her voice and how in spite of that she makes the music work. I don’t recommend mezzos try this as a rule, but for her it seems quite beautiful. The very beginning is clipped off. She isn't a soprano at all and therefore doesn't make the list of 20 greatest sopranos.
Birgit Nilsson
This is in the 60’s, I don’t know who is conducting. It is important to contrast this film with the above, and maybe anything else on the planet. She is showing you how it’s done. Verrett shows a lot of tension in her neck, but Nilsson nothing. She could be lip syncing for all you can see of tension in her voice and body. Watch. This is important. She is controlling her voice from below exactly as it is always supposed to be done!!! This is why she is the greatest. Technique is never an impediment. It's also why years of singing such heavy music do not wear on her voice. When her voice rises to a crescendo, you see nothing. You hear everything. No element of expression is missing. It is magnificent beyond imagining. In the 20 greatest sopranos list she is number 5.
Maria Callas, 1957
There is no indication of who is conducting, audio only and in Italian. It is always interesting to read the comments about Callas. There was a shrillness in her voice that is distasteful to many. Perhaps she doesn’t achieve the total control from the diaphragm that Nilsson does. This is probably the explanation for Callas. The attraction of Callas lies in the expression. She may never have been a Wagnerian, but she gets it. It is a musically compelling performance. Her understanding here is as complete as in her more famous Italian performances. In the 20 greatest sopranos list she is number 1.
Kirsten Flagstad, 1936
Fritz Reiner is conducting, audio only. The delicacy of phrasing is astounding. No one else does it this way. She builds the entire piece to a clear, specific climax. It would be wonderful to have a film of this. In the 20 greatest sopranos list she is number 9.
Kirsten Flagstad, 1954
Wilhelm Furtwaengler is conducting, audio only, playing over a film. The delicacy of the earlier performance is gone. Her youth as a coloratura is gone completely. The performance retains its sense of growth over the length of the entire aria, but the effect is now monumental, grandiose as seldom heard in the work of any artist. It was her reading that made her the all time great. I take nothing away from Nilsson, but Flagstad makes it feel so much larger, so much more significant than anyone else. She was the greatest interpreter of Wagner.
Waltraud Meier, 1999
Zubin Mehta is conducting. Virtually worshiped in her home house in Munich, Meier is a unique performer of Wagner. She hasn’t the enormous physical equipment of Nilsson or Flagstad, and you see the tension in her neck. What she has is beauty and passion. She sings the whole damn thing in close-up. Who else would even try it? Hers is by far the most detailed reading. She does not even try to compete with her more famous counterparts, but creates her own original ecstatic performance. She does not make the list. The film linked here is from a performance at Bayreuth in 1995.
Donald Runnicles conducting, audio only. The beauty of her voice is unsurpassed. The style is there. But she does not dominate the material like Nilsson, and she does not feel the monumental structures like Flagstad. Good Isoldes are very rare so we should treasure her. In the 20 greatest sopranos list she is number 17.
Eileen Farrell
And how did I miss this the first time around? The fabulous Eileen Farrell, a very great singer missing from the great singers list, sings the Liebestod. She had a big beautiful voice she could do virtually anything with. I don't know Christine Brewer well enough to even consider placing her above Farrell.
Nina Stemme
The goosebumps are working. If you want someone to listen to now, she is the one. I wonder if she is doing this anywhere.
Jessye Norman, 1987
This film is posted as a memorial to Herbert von Karajan who is conducting his last performance. This is giving me shivers. This version is beautiful almost beyond belief. Notice the slow tempo. I think I'm going to declare a winner. No one tops Jessye at her very best. Please note: the great and fabulous Herbert von Karajan carefully and obsessively WATCHES THE SINGER throughout this piece.
Nilsson is voice, Flagstad is phrasing!, Norman is emotion, Meier may possibly be acting, Stemme is soul.
OMG. Could I be becoming a connoisseur of Wagner?
Shirley Verrett, 1977
Zubin Mehta is conducting. She is really a mezzo, but Wagner lies like a high, heavy mezzo. Surprising is the lightness of her voice and how in spite of that she makes the music work. I don’t recommend mezzos try this as a rule, but for her it seems quite beautiful. The very beginning is clipped off. She isn't a soprano at all and therefore doesn't make the list of 20 greatest sopranos.
Birgit Nilsson
This is in the 60’s, I don’t know who is conducting. It is important to contrast this film with the above, and maybe anything else on the planet. She is showing you how it’s done. Verrett shows a lot of tension in her neck, but Nilsson nothing. She could be lip syncing for all you can see of tension in her voice and body. Watch. This is important. She is controlling her voice from below exactly as it is always supposed to be done!!! This is why she is the greatest. Technique is never an impediment. It's also why years of singing such heavy music do not wear on her voice. When her voice rises to a crescendo, you see nothing. You hear everything. No element of expression is missing. It is magnificent beyond imagining. In the 20 greatest sopranos list she is number 5.
Maria Callas, 1957
There is no indication of who is conducting, audio only and in Italian. It is always interesting to read the comments about Callas. There was a shrillness in her voice that is distasteful to many. Perhaps she doesn’t achieve the total control from the diaphragm that Nilsson does. This is probably the explanation for Callas. The attraction of Callas lies in the expression. She may never have been a Wagnerian, but she gets it. It is a musically compelling performance. Her understanding here is as complete as in her more famous Italian performances. In the 20 greatest sopranos list she is number 1.
Kirsten Flagstad, 1936
Fritz Reiner is conducting, audio only. The delicacy of phrasing is astounding. No one else does it this way. She builds the entire piece to a clear, specific climax. It would be wonderful to have a film of this. In the 20 greatest sopranos list she is number 9.
Kirsten Flagstad, 1954
Wilhelm Furtwaengler is conducting, audio only, playing over a film. The delicacy of the earlier performance is gone. Her youth as a coloratura is gone completely. The performance retains its sense of growth over the length of the entire aria, but the effect is now monumental, grandiose as seldom heard in the work of any artist. It was her reading that made her the all time great. I take nothing away from Nilsson, but Flagstad makes it feel so much larger, so much more significant than anyone else. She was the greatest interpreter of Wagner.
Waltraud Meier, 1999
Zubin Mehta is conducting. Virtually worshiped in her home house in Munich, Meier is a unique performer of Wagner. She hasn’t the enormous physical equipment of Nilsson or Flagstad, and you see the tension in her neck. What she has is beauty and passion. She sings the whole damn thing in close-up. Who else would even try it? Hers is by far the most detailed reading. She does not even try to compete with her more famous counterparts, but creates her own original ecstatic performance. She does not make the list. The film linked here is from a performance at Bayreuth in 1995.
Donald Runnicles conducting, audio only. The beauty of her voice is unsurpassed. The style is there. But she does not dominate the material like Nilsson, and she does not feel the monumental structures like Flagstad. Good Isoldes are very rare so we should treasure her. In the 20 greatest sopranos list she is number 17.
Eileen Farrell
And how did I miss this the first time around? The fabulous Eileen Farrell, a very great singer missing from the great singers list, sings the Liebestod. She had a big beautiful voice she could do virtually anything with. I don't know Christine Brewer well enough to even consider placing her above Farrell.
Nina Stemme
The goosebumps are working. If you want someone to listen to now, she is the one. I wonder if she is doing this anywhere.
Jessye Norman, 1987
This film is posted as a memorial to Herbert von Karajan who is conducting his last performance. This is giving me shivers. This version is beautiful almost beyond belief. Notice the slow tempo. I think I'm going to declare a winner. No one tops Jessye at her very best. Please note: the great and fabulous Herbert von Karajan carefully and obsessively WATCHES THE SINGER throughout this piece.
Nilsson is voice, Flagstad is phrasing!, Norman is emotion, Meier may possibly be acting, Stemme is soul.
OMG. Could I be becoming a connoisseur of Wagner?
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Jessye Norman
In response to Paul's question I found this information about Jessye Norman in recital at Davies Hall in 2002. She switched her program from Winterreise to Ravel's Shaharazade and Strauss.
She recently turned 60 on September 15. Her voice was said to be in "serious disrepair" in 1996, but in 2002 she is called "wondrous." In my most recent experience of hearing her I concluded she was trying to scale her voice to small and should definitely stick with big. She should sing Ravel and not Schubert.
Many singers slow down when they are nearing 60, preferring to be remembered in their prime. Risë Stevens retired at 50, Geraldine Farrar at 40. Die Zeit, die ist ein sonderbar Ding.
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