A tribute to Sylvia Sass

Sylvie, as her friends call her, was and in a way is still my teacher and friend.
Just listen (and look, since she's a beautiful woman). Her recordings of the Wesendonck Lieder are also extraordinary.
I participated in 2 masterclasses a few yrs. ago and worked with her intensively for 1 month.

 From left to right: Thierry Pillon (actor, director, and singer), Eric Herrero (wonderful tenor), Sylvia Sass, and me

She is the greatest musician I've ever known. Her technique didn't work for me at the time, but I'm beginning to understand what she meant. There are a lot of rumors concerning the "end" of her short career. I know the real reasons and the world can talk as much as it wants. She did write a few books, where she talks about everything, also about meeting Maria Callas. article Sylvia meets Maria Callas
A wonderful, magical person and a great, great artist.

 This is the recording which inspired me to contact her (besides her  Torino 1982 performance of Lady Macbeth on youtube)
This difficult aria from Verdi's "I Lombardi" is on there as well.

I own the DVD of her Bluebeard's Castle. It is exquisite. Unfortunately no clips are available online (at least not from where I am writing). 

Here's a recent video of her (no singing). She's talking about the masterclass.

Here in this extremely difficult piece by Erkel Ferenc from the opera Hunyadi Laszlo

Here her MET debut

Here singing "D'amor sull'ali rosee" from Trovatore (one of my favorite arias). Listen to her trills play with the strings. She's always right there with the instruments. It's unbelievable.

Doesn't this send shivers down your spine

Here I love her eyebrow lift as she reads the letter (and love the rest too). This is one of the best Lady Macbeth's, and I mean up there with Verrett and Callas.

And finally in an atypical role for her rep. She taught me about the verismo style.
How elegant and heartbreaking.

I think her dream though was to sing Wagner and Strauss. Her favorite music are the" Vier Letzte Lieder" She apparently was a great Salome.

Here rehearsing Salome. I got this from her myspace page.

Here as Salome (myspace)

Brünnhilde was one of her dream roles and that is where we found each other. God bless her!

Opening: Act. 3 Die Walküre MET: Ride of the Valkyries - O hehrstes Wunder - Ring of Fire

There were some great valkyries in this ride. Molly Fillmore, for one, who sang Helmwige. I was much happier about this act than I thought. Although I rest my case with D. Voigt's German and text etc., she gave a heartfelt performance. Her "Fort denn eile" was not exciting enough, as wasn't Sieglinde's "O hehrstes Wunder", the reason why hers is one of the greatest roles in all repertoire. But Wray sang her part well, even if less secure than in the 2nd act (it's also higher and more hysterical). Voigt stepped-up emotionally after Sieglinde's departure and Terfel was very threatening and gave a great finale, singing his last note as if he were glad it was the last. Well, I'm sure they were all exhausted! The music was beautifully played, especially the beautiful themes once Brünnhilde is set to sleep. Well, let's see what the HD brings. I'm curious.

21st century Brünnhild's wardrobe

Opening: Act. 2 Die Walküre MET: Hojotoho - Deborah Voigt and her role debut, Bryn Terfel (wow) and Stephanie Blythe (another wow)

As I am listening to the 2nd act...
I would like to know when exactly Deborah Voigt stumbled and fell during her entrance and hojotoho-ing, because I would like to be fair in my critique. I will say what I heard, regardless of the incident: I was afraid she wouldn't make it through without something cracking. At the end of the act they say she tumbled just before her Hojotoho.

Her hojotohos were average and the high C's (as is usually the case with all Brünnhildes) were unsatisfying (at least to me). Her "Dir rat ich, Vater, rüste dich selbst..." etc. was...not so good. Her voice sounded brittle and her German is just not up to scratch. One of her Ho's was missing all together. I was shocked .

She makes many musical mistakes and forgets the text a lot. I guess that can happen, but. I am convinced she, at one point, was the best singer out there. Maybe this one was just too much of a biggie.
She definitely sounded best in the Vierte Szene, but only for a moment. It's hard singing "against" Jonas Kaufmann. Here he sounds totally like a baritone, and a good one at that.

Terfel and Blythe are making soothing sounds. With Blythe you hear a line through all of her singing. She really narrates. Her German and articulation are wonderful. I really enjoy this singer. Her voice sometimes sounds similar to Merilyn Horne's in the lower passages.

Terfel has a great, warm bass-baritone sound. His German is immaculate. I hope his movements fit his voice and he abandoned his "little boy with the wind wheel hat - sucking on his lollipop and pulling his Radio Flyer cart" interpretation from Das Rheingold. LOL
He paces himself so well. Wow.
His "Brünnhilde" in the phrase "der Welt weisestes Weib gebar mir, Brünnhilde, dich." was genius.
I can understand virtually every word.

Margaret Jane Wray has a very good voice and made a convincing entrance . But if she's supposed to be a mezzo my name is Heidi from the Alps. Her Siegmund calls were quite desperate. I liked them.

And OMG again, Jonas Kaufmann is just wonderful. His "Schwester! Geliebte!" - how beautiful. His baritone sound in the 4th scene is lush and his "umfängt Siegmund Sieglinde dort?" is heartwrenching. I don't know how his physical interpretation was, but vocally he sounded very protective of Sieglinde. 

Bryn Terfel's threatening calls to seize the escaping Brünnhilde were a great closing, spanning the arch to the final act.

For now that's all folks. I hope I get to listen to the 3rd act soon.

 

Opening: Act. 1 Die Walküre MET Jonas Kaufmann + Eva Maria Westbroek

Let's face it: Jonas Kaufmann was the most noble singer at least of this act. Unfortunately I haven't heard the rest yet. He sounds so solid and secure in his technique, expression, and of course phrasing. I really hope to hear accounts from people who actually were there as far as his sound projection is concerned. When I saw him in Munich I couldn't hear him that well.
I liked Hunding too, a young and full bass sound. As for Eva-Maria Westbroek: I know she can do better. She was most obviously sick, completely congested and gasping for air through her mouth, which is exhausting. Chapeau to her for singing in tune and getting through "Der Männer Sippe", the duet, and "Du bist der Lenz". I could tell she was not using all of her voice and still managed to produce some pretty sounds. What a pro!
I'm anxious to hear the rest and hopefully see the HD broadcast. Thanks to Rob V. for indicating the link to download Act. 1.

How soulful - Heifetz and Heifetz playing Bach double concerto

You can just tell by the intonation and timing that he's playing with himself. How wonderful.

Rest in Peace Peter Lieberson 1946 - 2011

Who died today. How sad. Now maybe he sees and hears Lorraine again.

The woman who replaced Eva-Maria Westbroek last night: Margaret Jane Wray

consider, this was in '89

here at 52 sec.

Good voice!

Stand up straight Eva-Maria Westbroek

My advice to the Dutch singer in the role of Sieglinde in the MET's Walküre this season is: Stand up straight, even if you are taller than Jonas Kaufmann. You don't want to look all hunched over and matronly just because someone is shorter. Good luck to all of them. I see other title roles not in such great vocal shape... Bin gespannt.

music in the woods

Here's what you DO NOT need to be an opera singer

Nothing against clichés, but I really don't think the following define an opera singer :)

1. a fur coat
2. an attitude
3. a "Frau-Kammersängerin-Speaking-Voice"
4. a poodle

And I might add that I'm totally against referring to one self in the 3rd person (which was epitomized by facebook).

A List of 20 Things Every Opera Singer Needs

This is an alternative list of things an opera singer should possess this day and age.

1. money (haha)
2. a glorious voice (period.)
3. a love life
4. computer with internet access
5. an agent
6. at least 2 languages (4 are better)
7. health
8. a sense of humor
9. running shoes
10. a recording device
11. good teeth
12. a scarf
13. a coach
14. a private listener
15. an objective listener
16. a passport with no special Visa requirements
17. guts 
18. a dark side to their life
19. a Faraday cage when it comes to jealousy and bad vibes
20. a secret

Did I mention nerves of steel, because that's what I keep getting reminded of and it's so true.

Singers who will perform in the Bayerische Staatsoper 2012 Ring cylce

The Complete Ring at Bayerische Staatsoper 2012
(They made a mistake, it's Juha Uusitalo)

samples of singers
Das Rheingold: http://www.bayerische.staatsoper.de/889-ZG9tPWRvbTEmaWQ9MjU4OCZsPWRlJnRlcm1pbj0xMDMzNg-~spielplan~oper~veranstaltungen~vorstellung.html
Sophie Koch, Fricka
Johan Reuter, Wotan

Die Walküre: http://www.bayerische.staatsoper.de/889-ZG9tPWRvbTEmaWQ9MjU4NiZsPWRlJnRlcm1pbj0xMDM0Mw-~spielplan~oper~veranstaltungen~vorstellung.html
Anja Kampe, Sieglinde
Klaus Florian Vogt, Siegmund

Katarina Dalayman, Brünnhilde 

Juha Uusitalo, Wotan (I saw him in Budapest as Wotan, very intense)

Siegfried: http://www.bayerische.staatsoper.de/889-ZG9tPWRvbTEmaWQ9MjU4OSZsPWRlJnRlcm1pbj0xMDM0NA-~spielplan~oper~veranstaltungen~vorstellung.html
Lance Ryan, Siegfried
Catherine Naglestad, Brünnhilde
Juha Uusitalo, Wanderer

Götterdämmerung: http://www.bayerische.staatsoper.de/889-ZG9tPWRvbTEmaWQ9MjU4NyZsPWRlJnRlcm1pbj0xMDM0Nw-~spielplan~oper~veranstaltungen~vorstellung.html
Brünnhilde, Nina Stemme (We all know her)
Siegfried, Stephen Gould
Hagen, Hans-Peter König

So, who are we most excited about-who are we least excited about?

For all you Eva-Maria Westbroek fans in anticipation of her Met debut, here's a little something...

I really hope I get to see her live soon. She has it as far as understanding and expression of Wagner goes, and of course she possesses the instrument. Too bad she doesn't have a wide range of colors in her voice yet. But hers is a large voice, and probably very difficult to manage, and she manages it very well, in my humble opinion. This song cycle becomes an experience.
I like her very much.

Thielemann durch die Nacht

Thielemann - one to get to know

a singer's life...now still?

I always found this interesting. Singers have to lead a seriously disciplined life.

Unbelievable Dolora Zajick

here at 58

Dolora Zajick: What a BRAIN!!

Listen to this woman talk. She is an endless fountain of knowledge. I would like to meet her. She figured out her technique because she's so smart. As my new idol when it comes to big and healthy sound she gives insight into what the essence of singing is. What she says about resonance is priceless. Listen (to her resonant speaking voice) and learn!