Tenor Kai Kluge sings my favorite song-cycle for male voice, Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, in a live performance before an empty hall in Stuttgart during the pandemic. Alan Hamilton is the pianist.
Watch and listen here.
Category: Opera
-
Jard van Nes: Wagner ~ Wesendonck Lieder
The Dutch mezzo-soprano Jard van Nes (above) sings Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with the Northern Symphony conducted by Richard Hickox.
Listen here.
-
Jarosław Bręk
I was listening to bass-baritone Jarosław Bręk on a recording of one of Penderecki’s choral works and I liked his voice so much that I went searching for more of his singing. Unfortunately, I learned that he passed away last year at the age of 46. His voice is very beautiful and expressive.I love the piano part in this piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzAIpWYpbhE -
Pamela Coburn ~ Vier letzte Lieder
The American soprano Pamela Coburn (above) sings the Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss from a 1994 concert given by the Munich Radio Orchestra, with Roberto Abbado conducting.
Watch and listen here.
In 1982, I had the great pleasure of seeing Ms. Coburn in Beni Montresor’s gorgeous staging of Cavalli’s L’ORMINDO given by the Chamber Opera Theatre of New York. In the above production photo, Ronald Naldi is Ormindo and Ms. Coburn is Erisbe. Click on the photo to enlarge.
-
José Luis Luri ~ “Non t’amo piu”
José Luis Luri sings Tosti’s “Non t’amo piu” with Shlomo Rodríguez at the piano, from a recital given in 2019. I came upon this voice by chance and was very taken with his lovely sound and style.
Watch and listen here.
You can read about the tenor, a native of Alicante, and also about the pianist, in an article from 2022 here.
-
From The Past: Rome Opera Gala
Music by Verdi, Puccini, and Giordano figure in this Rome Opera Gala, dating from the early 1960s. Floriana Cavalli (photo above), Giuseppe Campora, and Paolo Montarsolo are the featured singers, with Gabriele Santini conducting.
Listen here.
-
José Luis Luri ~ “Non t’amo piu”
José Luis Luri sings Tosti’s “Non t’amo piu” with Shlomo Rodríguez at the piano, from a recital given in 2019. I came upon this voice by chance and was very taken with his lovely sound and style.
Watch and listen here.
You can read about the tenor, a native of Alicante, and also about the pianist, in an article from 2022 here.
-
Chamber Music Society ~ Summer Finale 2024
~ Author: Oberon
Saturday July 27th, 2024 – The final offering of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s 2024 Summer Evenings series took place tonight at Alice Tully Hall. After a long lunch with friends, where some very serious topics were discussed, I was in a pensive mood when we arrived at the hall. The light, decorative music of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Serenade in D-major for Flute, Violin, and Viola, Op. 25, written in 1801, was not a good match for me today, feeling a need for something darker and more soulful.
Nevertheless, the playing was charming and, as the piece progressed, there was much to admire. It kicks off with a reveille, only it’s Tara Helen O’Connor’s flute that’s sending out a wake-up call rather than a bugle. Ms. O’Connor’s playing was at its most limpid throughout the suite. ln the songlike second movement, a minuet, her playing was elegant, whilst violinist Aaron Boyd and violist James Thompson provided echo effects. The Allegro molto shifts between major and minor modes.
Sweet harmonies fill the Andante, with its contrasting animated interlude, following by a scurrying Allegro scherzando. The final movement begins as an Adagio but soon transforms into an Allegro vivace, with lively playing from the three artists.
Franz Schubert’s Rondo in A-major for Violin and String Quartet, D. 438, dating from 1816, did not provide a contrast to the pleasantness of the Beethoven, though again it was beautifully played by soloist Sean Lee and a quartet made up of Cho-Liang Lin, Aaron Boyd, James Thompson, and Nicholas Canellakis.
Sean Lee’s playing was spot-on, with touches of rubato, and the ensemble cushioned his playing perfectly, grounded by Nick Canellakis’s ever-velvety tone.
Following the interval, Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst‘s demanding Grand Caprice on Schubert’s “Erlkönig” for Violin, Op. 26, was given a spirited rendering by Sean Lee, though perfect clarity was sometimes missing.
The concert ended with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Quintet in C- major for Two Violins, Two Violas, and Cello, K. 515, dating from 1787; it was here that I found my center with music more weighted and suitable to my mood. Cho-Liang Lin’s silvery, shining tone was exquisite, his phrasing thoughtful and so polished. Nick Canellakis savoured every phrase of the cello part, as the opening Allegro progressed with a rich blend of voices in the melodic flow, over a rhythmic pulse.
In the Minuetto, Mssrs. Thompson and Boyd engaged in a friendly duel with their violas, and the music at times had a curiously brooding feeling. The cello patterns bring a restless feeling into play, enhanced by the heartfelt Canellakis timbre.
The Andante is classic Mozart: achingly lovely, with James Thompson’s viola prominent and Mr. Lin spinning out a sweet theme, and – later – a mini-cadenza. This music is so engaging. The final Allegro, with Mr. Lin’s playing in high relief, brought the evening to a spirited ending, thanks to the enduring grace of Mozart.
So ended an unusual experience for me, wherein I strove to adjust my own state of mind to the program on offer; this had only happened to me a few times over the years – and mainly at the opera – where you have a ticket for ELISIR D’AMORE but are really in the mood for WOZZECK…or vice versa.
~ Oberon
Oberon's Glade 