As gorgeously mild and sunny as the weather is being here, I wish I've been in Zurich this week to catch Nina Stemme and Vesselina Kasarova as Elisabeth and Venus in Wagner's Tannhäuser.
Youtube clip by ZurichOpera
Any opera production with Nina Stemme in it is worth seeing especially if it is a Wagner or a Strauss opera. Add to that attraction the debut as Venus of Vesselina Kasarova, who is not known for her Wagnerian singing since she has spent most of her career juicing up the bel canto and baroque repertoire in ways that almost make me wish to have been born in those eras even with their lack of flushing toilet and microwave oven, and I find myself longing to see the Wagner opera much more than I had imagined that I could. It would surprise many to learn that the Frau Kasarova actually had her professional stage debut in two Wagnerian roles at the Opernhaus: Wellgunde and the second norn in Götterdämerung in 1989.
Like many, I confess that I have been quite more intrigued by her trouser roles than I have when she actually gets to play a woman... But exceptions must be made when she is playing a woman in red...
Youtube clip by Kryltoppa
In the meanwhile, though, if I'm lucky I might get to catch Lise Lindstrom as Turandot at the San Diego Opera later this week. Crossing toes and fingers while knocking on wood.
4 comments:
AAAAA this trailer! I would like to hear her sing, actually, ... not only about ten seconds and then fade out. And to cut right before Tannhäuser's "Oh Königin, Göttin, laß mich ziehn..."
Btw... Harry Kupfer... he has a serious e-guitar kink, apparently which he never quite got to terms with:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GlxIQL4BQA
:D
But, Kupfer or not, I would just enjoy the singers, as I did in Orfeo. ;)
Thanks for this, Smorg - wonderful indeed to see. I'm still not enamoured of VK female roles, unless, for some reason, it's comedy where she is just amazing from what I've seen.
Angst and passion only seem right for her trouser roles. To quote PM "Sesto in a dress?" !
Still - I will persevere and will admit I have quite some catching up to do, having joined this party so recently.
Hope Feb has started well ;)
wow, she sounds fabulous in the super short clip! and i like the hair too! is it too much to hope that the trailer comes from a complete recording?
Hi Smorgy,
How do you manage to find these YT announcements from Opernhaus Zürich or similar?
Tannhäuser and "zeitgemässe Künstlerfigur". At least Ms Kasarova wears a splendid red robe and not a dusty grey raincoat for this modern performance.
Right now, I am preparing a list of my ten most liked "musics" and could be the "Pilgerchor" will be mentioned, too.
Don't forget your list of ten.
Georg
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