In Memorium Nikolaus Harnoncourt

RIP Nikolaus Harnoncourt: cellist, conductor, musicologist, musician, artist. This man helped influence my love of Bach (through his chamber music recordings, the B-minor Mass, St. Matt Passion, the Gamba sonatas, and, especially his participation in the intrepid Bach cantata series on Telefunken). Later he taught me to listen to Mozart (and Beethoven and Schumann, and even Brahms and Verdi) in different ways. Fortunately, his expansive recorded legacy ensures that he will always be with us.

Speaking of Mozart, here is the finale from his quintessential 2003 La Clemenza di Tito.

Monday Mahler with Christian Gerhaher (and a Little Mozart, too)

Too good to be true? Yes. Yes it is. The Berliner Philharmoniker never gives anything away, and so they fade out before the end of the song! But it's still worth posting and watching/listening. Plus it was time to turn the spotlight away from Matthias Goerne—briefly—to remind us how amazing Herr Gerhaher is.

I had to give up my annual Digital Concert Hall subscription, but there are programs that are worth paying a few bucks to see, one-at-a-time. (Including the Schumann Faust concert!) Or pay for a month, then stay home and watch non-stop to get the most for your Euro.

Meanwhile, today’s post was going to be my debrief of Saturday’s La Clemenza di Tito from Munich, but I am still mulling it over. I've had two good conversations with My Dad about it, and I am working on conclusions. 

May the Forza be with You

Thanks to Intermezzo for finding us the virtually (and probably wisely) unsearchable capture of Saturday's broadcast. I saw most of it live, but experienced some live stream issues. I also missed the plot setup during the prelude, so I am glad to have a chance to catch up. 

Although there are some incongruities in the staging, and Martin Kušej definitely sees the world through a “glass-half-empty” (or the toast landing on the floor, butter-side down) lens, I thought it was quite good overall. Of course, there’s some (really, really) wonderful singing, too! Get it before the toast gets cold!

La Forza Del Destino from Staatsoper.TV on 12/29

It's not exactly a holiday standard, but it's still wonderful Christmas present from the Bayerische Staatsoper: Their new production (directed Martin Kusej—that should be interesting) of La Forza del Destino, starring my personal Traumpaar: Anja Harteros and Jonas Kaufmann. 

From the looks of the trailer, it's bloody, violent, and sexy-(ish)! Hey, it's opera! That's what it's all about, isn't it? And it's coming to a computer screen near you on Staatsoper.TV – Saturday, December 28, at 18:00 Munich time, which, these days, should be Noon in New York City.

Gratuitous Luca Pisaroni Post – Publio (La Clemenza di Tito)

This little aria from La Clemenza di Tito often is treated as a throwaway. In fact, the whole role of Publio—except for his participation in several significant trios—often seems nearly superfluous. However, Martin Kušej made the most of having handsome, young, bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni in the role.

This is not the school-principal Publio, the Cowardly Lion Publio, the stomping-around-shouting-commands Publio, or even the stand-around-and-be-ready-for-the-trios Publio. This Publio has just as many issues as the rest of this crazy group–maybe more. He may (or may not) have serious intentions towards Tito, Vitelia, and/or Sesto (and possibly any number of named and unnamed characters). 

Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth Live Webcast Saturday, May 11

Live Webcast:

Saturday May 11 at 7:00 PM Munich Time

In order to make sure I had this out to my readers on time, I cheated and lifted the blurb from the Bayerische Staatsoper website. 
Here is the link for the webcast.

Giuseppe Verdi: Macbeth

Francesco Maria Piave after William Shakespeare

Directed by Martin Kušej

DVD Extras – The Making of...

I know a composer who is reluctant to provide program notes, feeling that the work should speak for itself.  In so many cases, art does speak for itself. But sometimes art needs a little help, especially when it comes to Regieoper. 

Kušej does not, in fact, tell us why
the Three Ladies are blind. Sigh.

Personally, I am a firm believer in program notes. I don’t need a step-by-step walkthrough of the piece, but a little background would be nice so the audience isn't going in blind. 

Gratuitous Friday – Dorothea Röschmann IS Michaela

This one caught me by surprise.  Not only is Dorothea blonde(!), she's singing in French. 

Unfortunately, it seems she is not in the commercial DVD release of this 2006 Berliner Staatsoper production. It looks pretty interesting; it also stars Rolando Villazón, is conducted by Daniel Barenboim (apparently his first Carmen), and directed by Martin Kušej.  It seems Don José dies during the overture and the rest is in flashback. I hear that Escamillo falls before the Finale, too. 

Die blonde Dorothea