Oberon's Glade

Author: Philip Gardner

  • Edward Pierson

    Pierson

    Bass-baritone Edward Pierson, a stalwart of the New York City Opera for twelve years, was born in Chicago. A scholarship basketball player, he worked for a while as a public school music teacher before pursuing his operatic career.

    His performance of “Ol’ Man River” in several civic productions of SHOWBOAT in the mid-West put Mr. Pierson on the map. By chance, he stepped into a small role in PORGY AND BESS, and soon after made the jump to the role of Porgy himself. 

    At the New York City Opera, his roles included Scarpia, Jochanaan, and Wagner’s Dutchman. I’ll never forget hearing him in the title-role of the Company’s English-language production of Borodin’s PRINCE IGOR:

    Edward Pierson as Prince Igor – NYCO 1969

    Snapshot makropolous

    He also made a memorable impression as Dr. Kolenaty in Frank Corsaro’s multi-media setting of Janacek’s MAKROPOULOS AFFAIR. In the above photo are Maralin Niska (Emilia Marty), Chester Ludgin (Baron Prus), Harry Theyard (Albert Gregor), and Mr. Pierson.

    In concert repertoire, Edward Pierson was a frequent interpreter of Mendelssohn’s Elijah. And he appears on the Deutsche Grammophon recording of Scott Joplin’s TREEMONISHA:

    Edward Pierson – Good Advice ~ TREEMONISHA

    Watch a lovely interview with Mr. Pierson here.

  • Vaganova Ballet Academy ~ Dance of the Hours

    Snapshot vaganova 2

    Dancers from the Vaganova Ballet Academy perform the Dance of the Hours from Amilcare Ponchielli’s opera LA GIOCONDA.

    Watch and listen here.

  • Scene from PARSIFAL ~ Act II

    Snapshot - parsifal

    An extended scene from Act II of PARSIFAL with Rosalind Plowright, Poal Elming, and Aage Haugland, conducted by Michel Tabachnik, from a performance at Aarhaus c. 1992.

    Listen here.

  • Zubin Mehta ~ RHEINGOLD @ Valencia

    Snapshot mehta

    Zubin Mehta conducts DAS RHEINGOLD at Valencia, 2007. Strange production, especially the costumes…but musically fine.

    Watch and listen here.

    Donner: Ilya Bannik; Erda: Christa Mayer; Fafner: Stephen Milling; Fasolt: Matti Salminen; Flosshilde: Hannah Ester Minutillo; Freia: Sabina von Walther; Fricka: Anna Larsson; Froh: German Villar; Loge: John Dasza;  Mime: Gerhard Siegel; Wellgunde: Ann-Katrin Naidu; Woglinde: Silvia Vasquez; Wotan: Juha Uusitalo; Alberich: Franz-Josef Kapellmann

    Conductor: Zubin Mehta

  • More from Cardiff ~ 2021

    Claire-Barnett-Jones1

    Claire Barnett-Jones, winner of the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize at the 2021 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, sings Ivor Novello’s “We’ll Gather Lilacs” here.

    I was especially pleased that Ms. Barnett-Jones sang Waltraute’s narrative from GOTTERDAMMERUNG in her first round program.

    Jusung paek

    Jusung Park from the Republic of Korea moved me to tears with his touching singing of Sancho Panza’s “Riez, allez riez du pauvre ideologie“, the faithful servant’s defense of his master, Don Quixote, against the ridicule of lesser beings. Listen to this wonderful aria from Jules Massenet’s rarely-performed DON QUICHOTTE here.

    Chuan wang

    Chinese tenor Chuan Wang pulled out all the stops for his vivid performance of “Ah, mes amis” from Donizetti’s FILLE DI REGIMENT. Watch and listen here.

    Álfheiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir

    Icelandic soprano Alfheiður Erla Guðmundsdottir (above) was sadly forced to withdraw after the opening round of the Song Prize competition when a ‘track and trace’ from the Welsh health department notified her that someone on her flight into Cardiff had tested positive for Covid 19. Her set was so lovely that I wanted to post it. (She has since been invited to participate in the 2023 Cardiff Competition.) Also heard in her round are Gihoon Kim from Republic of Korea (eventual winner of the main prize) and Evgenia Asanova from Russia, with pianists Simon Lepper and Llŷr Williams. Watch and listen here.

  • Gianna Rolandi Has Passed Away

    Rolandi

    Gianna Rolandi has passed away at the age of 68. She studied at the Curtis Institute, and appeared in many productions at the New York City Opera, starting in 1975. I saw her there several times, her delightful voice sailing into the house effortlessly, tossing off scintillating roulades, and ascending with ease to the highest notes.  

    Roles in which Ms. Rolandi delighted me at New York City Opera were Adele in FLEDERMAUS, Gilda, Rosina, Lucia di Lammermoor, Zerbinetta, and Lakmé. She shone particularly as Handel’s Cleopatra, and she had a great personal success as Janacek’s Vixen Sharp-Ears.

    Ms. Rolandi was a Met Auditions winner in 1974, and she made her Met debut in 1979 as Sophie in DER ROSENKAVALIER; her Octavian was Agnes Baltsa, and they made beautiful music together. I also saw Gianna’s Zerbinetta at The Met.

    She appeared at Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, in Geneva and Turin, and at the festivals at Glyndebourne and Pesaro. She concertized with major orchestras, working with such conductors as Erich Leinsdorf, Leonard Bernstein, Bernard Haitink, James Levine, and Sir Andrew Davies, to whom she was married.

    Listen to Gianna Rolandi as Olympia here, and as Lucia here.

    And listen to her in a role I wasn’t aware she had performed – Oscar in BALLO IN MASCHERA – here.

  • Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha @ Cardiff

    Masabane

    South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha has won the Song Prize at the 2021 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

    Ms. Rangwanasha is also the “wildcard entrant” for the final round of the Singer of the World Competition. Here she is performing “Ebben, ne andro lontana” from Catalani’s LA WALLY: Link

  • Gihoon Kim: Cardiff Singer of the World 2021

    Gihoon kim

    Korean baritone Gihoon Kim has won the title of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World for 2021. The competition, which was first held in 1983, takes place every other year at Saint David’s Hall in Cardiff. Past winners have included Karita Mattila, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Katarina Karnéus, Anja Harteros, Shenyang, and Nicole Cabell.

    This year, due to the pandemic, the number of entrants (and the number of judges) was reduced; there was no live audience in the hall. Despite this change in atmosphere (Welsh audiences tend to go mad for singers they like), there was much to enjoy.

    Mr. Kim impressed me immediately in the first round with his poignant rendering of Pierrot’s Tanzlied from Korngold’s DIE TOTE STADT; the judges (including soprano Roberta Alexander and baritone Neal Davies) were seen wiping tears from their eyes as he finished the aria. Gihoon followed up with a wonderful performance of the PAGLIACCI Prologo. When he was announced as the winner of the round, he was literally speechless.

    A brief bio/rehearsal clip showed him to be a good-natured guy with a ready laugh.

    Enjoy his singing of the Korngold here. And watch Gihoon Kim in his performance for the final round here.

    Bravo Gihoon!!

  • Murray Perahia: Schumann ~ Piano Concerto

    Murray-perahia

    Murray Perahia plays Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A-minor Op.54.

    Watch and listen here.

  • Jolanda Meneguzzer

    Jolanda Meneguzzer

    Jolanda Meneguzzer (above) and Costanzo Gero in a scene from Act I of Puccini’s LA BOHEME. The recording is from 1970, with the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Firenze conducted by Erasmo Ghiglia. Listen here.

    Ms. Meneguzzer is a singer whose name I had often heard in my earlier days of operatic obsession, but I’d never heard the voice til now. Born in Cantù, Italy, around 1930, she studied in Florence and made her operatic debut in 1957 in Monteverdi’s L’ORFEO at the Maggio Musicale. Her career centered mainly in Italy, but she made her American debut San Francisco as Maria in FIGLIA DEL REGIMENTO in 1962, and she appeared briefly at The Met during the 1963-1964 season as Musetta and Gilda.

    Jolanda Meneguzzer sings Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate here…

    …and a sampling of her Musetta:

    Jolanda Meneguzzer – Musetta’s Waltz – with Scotto-Poggi-Gobbi

    Ms. Meneguzzer passed away in June 2020, at the age of 90.