A performance of Gluck’s ORFEO ED EURIDCE given in 2023 at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice, in a production by Pier Luigi Pizzi, conducted by Ottavio Dantone.
Principal cast: Orfeo – Cecilia Molinari; Euridice – Mary Bevan; Amore – Silvia Frigato
Chorus Master: Alfonso Caiani
Watch and listen here.
Mongolian baritone Enkhbatyn Amartüvshin sings the Prologue from Leoncavallo’s PAGLIACCI.
Watch and listen here:
Gertrud Rünger (1899-1965) sang both mezzo-soprano and dramatic soprano roles during her career. She began as a choral singer, moving on to solo roles in smaller German houses in 1923.
In 1930, she joined the ensemble of the Vienna State Opera, and in 1934 came to the Berlin Staatsoper. She sang Verdi’s mezzo roles in German, and developed a reputation as a Wagnerian soprano, singing in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Dresden, and Munich.
Ms. Rünger sang the Nurse in FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN at the Salzburg Festival in 1932-1933, and later appeared there as Klytemnestra and as Beethoven’s Leonore. She sang briefly at The Met in 1937, as the WALKURE and GOTTERDAMMERUNG Brunnhildes, Fricka in RHEINGOLD, and as Ortrud opposite Kirsten Flagstad’s Elsa.
Designated as Kammersängerin, Gertrud Rünger continued to perform into the 1950s, whilst also teaching voice. She passed away at Berlin in 1965.
Gertrud Rünger – Sleepwalking Scene ~ MACBETH – in German
Gertrud Rünger – DON CARLO aria – in German
And here is Ms. Rünger live in a thrilling rendition of Ortrud’s Invocation.
~ Oberon
Latonia Moore and Jesus Garcia sing the St. Sulpice duet from Massenet’s MANON in a concert given by the Vermont Youth Symphony in 2013.
Watch and listen here.
Dwayne Croft as Donner summons the mists as Wagner’s DAS RHEINGOLD draws to its finish. I vividly recall how thrilling this was in the House as the baritone strode up the inclined stage and deployed his powerful voice into the great cavern of The Met.
The performance dates from 2010 and is conducted by James Levine.
Watch and listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBETnbgm6sE
Dmitry Hvorostovsky sings Rachmaninov’s In The Silence of the Secret Night from a 1990 recital. This was not long after he had won the 1989 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Tatiana Troyanos sings Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, recorded “live”; date unknown.
Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1rpkuBZuU0
Above: composer Matthijs van Dijk
Matthijs van Dijk’s MOMENTS IN A LIFE as performed at Endler Hall at the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival on July 6, 2016.
Watch and listen here.
The narrator is Denis Goldberg, author of the text.
The performance is conducted by Xandi van Dijk with the following musicians: Ferdinand Steiner (clarinet), Rob Knopper (percussion), Gareth Lubbe (overtone singer), Farida Bacharova (violin 1), Suzanne Martens (violin 2), Juan-Miguel Hernandez (viola), Anzél Gerber (cello), Uxia Martinez Botana (bass), and Megan-Geoffrey Prins (piano).
When I saw this work performed the Met Orchestra Chamber Group at Weill Hall in October of 2024, I ended my review with these prophetic words:
“The work is so timely right now, when our democracy stands on a precipice. If we falter, our country – and indeed the world – will be forever changed.”
George Szell (above) conducts the Cleveland Orchestra in a live performance of the Messa di Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi given in 1968. Gabriella Tucci, Dame Janet Baker, Pierre Duval, and Martti Talvela are the soloists.
Listen here.
Above: Arnaud Sussmann, Wu Han, Sterling Elliott, and Paul Neubauer playing Mozart this evening at Chamber Music Society’s concert at Alice Tully Hall; photo by Da Ping Luo
~ Author: Oberon
Sunday March 30th, 2025 – Six master musicians from Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s remarkable roster joined together this evening on the Alice Tully Hall stage to bring us music of W.F. Bach, Mozart, and Schubert – the last named being represented by his beloved “Trout” quintet. Wu Han, the Society’s co-Artistic Director, welcomed us with a speech that was a bit longer than her customary opening remarks, but everything she says is worth hearing.
Above: Arnaud Sussmann, Sterling Elliott, and Paul Neubauer playing W.F. Bach; photo by Da Ping Luo
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach’s Fugue in F-minor for violin, viola, and cello – in Mozart’s arrangement – opened the evening. W.F. was J.S. Bach’s eldest son. This four-minute musical mini-masterpiece was played to perfection by Arnaud Sussmann (violin), Paul Neubauer (viola), and Sterling Elliott (an excellent cellist who is a rather recent addition to the CMS family). This is music of constant animation, short and sweet.
Mozart himself was represented next by his Adagio and Fugue in C-minor for Strings, K. 546, dating from 1788. The phenomenal double bassist Anthony Manzo – often a most welcome presence at the Society’s annual Brandenburgs evenings – underscored sumptuous playing from Mr. Sussmann, Julian Rhee, and Mr. Neubauer.
Above: Arnaud Sussmann, Julian Rhee, Anthony Manzo, and Paul Neubauer playing Mozart; photo by Da Ping Luo
The C-minor Fugue was first composed in December of 1783 for two pianos (K. 426) then re-arranged for strings, with an introductory Adagio, in June 1788 – the summer of wonders wherein the Maestro penned his last three symphonies. Today, our four players achieved a gorgeous blend in the lyrical opening passages, and then took on a more dramatic edge. After a pause, alternating currents of sweet and sorrowful harmonies emerged, the players’ individual timbres mixing to delightful effect in the expressive music. Mr. Manzo’s remarkably nimble playing is astonishing; it is he who kicks off the fugue, picked up in order by Neubauer, Rhee, and Sussmann…each technically dazzling, and playing from their hearts.
Above: Arnaud Sussmann, Wu Han, Sterling Elliott, and Paul Neubauer playing the Mozart quartet; photo by Da Ping Luo
Staying in Mozart mode, his 1786 Quartet in E-flat major for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello, K. 493 brought Wu Han to the Steinway, joining Mssrs. Sussmann, Neubauer, and Elliott. Here – and, in fact, all evening – the communication among the four artists was so uplifting to observe. The opening Allegro has a very familiar start, with piano and string trio conversing. Mr. Sussmann and Wu Han are truly simpatico in their music-making. Wu Han’s touch is so magical as her rippling figurations mesh with the string voices, Mssrs. Neubauer and Elliott bringing darker shadings to the palette. Ah, the joys of a Mozart melody!
Wu Han draws us into the Larghetto with pensive, subtle playing; the strings join, caressing the ear. The harmonies are achingly lovely, with Mr. Elliott’s playing at once elegant and soulful. Piano solo passages are injected into the flow of string themes, as the movement reaches a charming finish. Then, onward to the Allegretto: commencing with a sprightly piano introduction, the music dances along, laced with touches of wit. A mini-tempest erupts, and then a Mozartean sonic feast carries us to the finish line: a spectacular, prolonged trill from Wu Han must be mentioned here.
Above: Julian Rhee, Paul Neubauer, Wu Han, Sterling Elliott, and Anthony Manzo playing the Schubert ‘Trout’ quintet; photo by Chris Lee
Following the interval, the youthful looking Julian Rhee took the lead for the immortal “Trout” quintet of Franz Schubert. From its sudden start to its finish – a ‘false’ ending drawing a chuckle from the crowd – this was so exhilarating to experience. Schubert’s adding of the double bass was a stroke of genius, and Mr. Manzo’s vividly attentive playing was as enjoyable to watch as to hear.
In the first of the work’s five movements, Mr. Rhee veered from passionate to poetic as the mood demanded; he and Wu Han showed their virtuosity in a blended passage, later waxing lyrical together as Mssrs. Neubauer and Elliott provide a rhythmic foundation. Throughout, Mr. Manzo continued to cast his spell like a benevolent wizard. There was so much to savor here, including some fast and fine phrases from Mr. Rhee.
In the ensuing Andante, Mr. Rhee’s timbre, a unique mix of silver and satin, continued to allure the ear. From his fellow players, harmonic bliss was a main attraction here. A slow beat signaled a change of mood, Rhee’s tone continuing to cast a spell, and Manzo simply amazing at every moment. Heavenly harmonies prevail, and then the slow beat resumes, leading to a lovely finish.
The brisk and ebullient Scherzo lets us bask in the colours that the blended voices evoke. Mr. Rhee – harmonizing first with Mr. Neubauer and then with Mr. Elliott – continues to impress, as does Wu Han’s deft and enticing playing.
Now comes the tune that inspired the quintet’s code name: “Die forelle“ aka the “Trout”. The melody is heard in various guises during this ‘theme and variations’ movement. Impeccable playing from all here, with Mr. Manzo a steadfast guiding light, whilst various rhythmic and harmonic combinations amuse us. Of special delight was a cello & bass rendering of the song, with the fabulous Wu Han chiming in. There is a grand variation, and a cello variation, and all the while Mr. Neubauer reminds us that the viola is also in on this fishing expedition. Mssrs. Rhee and Elliott again match wits as we move on to the finale. For all the fun to be had here, it’s such a demanding score to play; our quintet of artists this evening seemed to revel in every bar of music Schubert gave them.
The finale, Allegro giusto, might have felt like an afterthought, but astonishing playing from Wu Han and her colleagues made it feel essential.
~ Oberon
Performance photos by Da Ping Luo, courtesy of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Oberon's Glade 