Once again one of my posts has caused a flurry visitors to arrive at the wrong destination.
Recently I wrote about a television documentary on the composer Edward Elgar which was to be shown on BBC television. Following the death on Sunday 27th November of the controversial film director Ken Russell, there has been a steady stream of people looking for his documentary film about Elgar, first shown on BBC television in 1962. The good news is that it is available to watch on YouTube as it has been uploaded there by xenbay -– link to xenbay’s channel
The strange thing is that this film has only been available for all to see on Youtube for a couple of weeks. Get along there and enjoy Elgar’s beautiful music along with some iconic imagery.
In 1962, the BBC arts strand ‘Monitor’ gave the tyro Ken Russell his first break, and he wrote and directed this 60-minute chronicle of the untrained son of a shopkeeper who became the greatest English musician since Purcell. If you’ve long considered Russell over-reliant on superficial excess, this makes for instructive viewing. Since BBC arts chief Sir Huw Weldon ruled that the actors shouldn’t speak in the dramatised sequences (perhaps lest it distract from his own fact-filled voiceover), Russell had to make the pictures and the music tell the story.
At times it’s sheer poetry. The sequence of the young Edward Elgar riding a white pony along the Malvern Hills to the strains of the ‘Introduction and Allegro for Strings’ simply makes the heart soar. Moreover, there’s a strong political edge, highlighting Elgar’s feeling of disillusionment that ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ (his ‘Pomp & Circumstance March’ with added lyrics he hated) was being used to dress up the empty jingoism of a government sending young men to the Great War. The juxtaposition of the flag-waving anthem against archive footage of blinded casualties hanging on to one another makes a powerful and still-relevant point about the human price of ideological posturing.
‘Elgar’ remains a high-point among Russell’s many films on composers. ‘Song of Summer’, the 1968 BBC TV drama about the dying Frederick Delius, also belongs in the front rank of his work, as do 1970s Tchaikovskian melodrama ‘The Music Lovers’ and ‘Mahler’ (1974), which proves particularly astute in its selections from the father of the modern symphony.
It was one year ago today that I first set out on this extraordinary venture called blogging and it’s time for a little review. Self assessment is SO good for one! Oh, and a piece of virtual birthday cake – help yourselves! Don’t worry – there’s plenty more where that came from!
The year itself has flown by and brought many changes, some more welcome than others. Through blogging I have increased my knowledge and awareness of all sorts of things, mainly to do with opera and music and I have been lucky to have the time both to post and read about them. Not being in a position to attend live performances of the music which has caught my imagination, I have taken to exploring the wonderful BBC 3 radio programmes. By finding out about them and sharing facts through this blog I feel I have enriched my musical life and shared some little gems with others.
During the year I have been riveted by the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, experienced my first Met Opera season courtesy of the BBC, written my first opera review, started my White Shirt Weekend series and even attempted to express some of my personal feelings. This is what I still find most difficult. I guess I am lucky in that I get to express emotions through music on a regular basis and I communicate with others through gesture, facial expression and eyes ( Yes. Let’s not forget the blog title! ) I don’t find it any easier to write words but I am learning that actually that doesn’t matter very much as the good folks who read this blog are understanding and none judgemental. I have also learned an awful lot about editing and using media to enhance my posts. There were programmes on my Mac which were virgin territory until a year ago!
I was counselled by a Wise Woman even before I started blogging to remember that you don’t actually know the people you “talk” to in virtual concert halls. I have tried to take this on board whilst encountering some really fine women – ( no, don’t blush girls, you know who you are! ) with whom I have at least two things in common and I really enjoy exchanging opinions, chit-chat, information and shared passions.
Another aspect I have enjoyed is knowing that this blog is visited by people from all over the world. I have one of those Clustermaps things ( look at the bottom of the page ) and it tells me which country visitors are from. I’m crazy about maps and geography and I was childishly excited when my first red dot from Mongolia arrived, along with those from Iceland, Kazakstan, Fiji and other far-flung places. But what about the numbers? Do lots of hits mean success? Well, I have to admit that when 650 people visited on 17th June to find out the winner of the Cardiff Singer of the World I was rather pleased but I am also aware that the variety and sheer amount of material that I post will necessarily lead to regular traffic.
And, because it’s my birthday, I close with the image which introduced me to the White Shirt concept and community. Thank you to those who have shared their time and space with me and here’s to whatever the next year brings.
Our beloved trouser mezzos frequently have a hard time in their story lines. Emotionally fraught, love sick, full of jealousy, anguish, indecision, hatred, revenge and many other emotions which result in a tortured expression. How refreshing, therefore, to catch a fleeting glimpse of a smile.
Here’s one from Sesto.
Vesselina Kasarova as Sesto and Dorothea Röschmann as Vitellia
in a scene from Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito Wiener Staatsoper 2003
Recorded at the London Coliseum earlier this month
Saturday November 26th at 18.00 UK time
World time converter in the side bar –>
image from ENO web site
iPlayer time has now expired but there are a couple of clips and super photos Link
Synopsis from ENO
The opera is based on a verse-novel by the famous Russian poet, Alexander Pushkin – it is set on the Larin estate, outside St Petersburg, in the 1820s. Madame Larina is bringing up two impressionable teenage daughters: the impetuous Olga and her romantically-inclined elder sister Tatiana. Olga’s fiancé, the poet Lensky, brings his cosmopolitan and prematurely world-weary friend Eugene Onegin to visit.
Tatiana falls in love with the handsome, aloof Onegin, and unwisely pours her heart out in a letter. Onegin patronisingly rejects her profession of love, and she is utterly crushed. At Tatiana’s name-day party, Onegin flirts with Olga, provoking Lensky to challenge him to a duel – so strong is the honour code that the reluctant participants go ahead, and Onegin kills Lensky.
Years later, Onegin meets Tatiana at a ball, with her contented, older husband Gremin, a rich nobleman. Overcome with longing and remorse for past wrongs, Onegin writes to Tatiana. With the tables now turned, Tatiana receives Onegin and explains that, although she still loves him, she will not exchange duty and the bonds of marriage for reckless passion.
This new production from English National Opera is directed by Deborah Warner and stars the young Norwegian baritone Audun Iversen in the title role. He’s joined by the South-African soprano Amanda Echalaz, who was such a huge success when she sang Tosca at ENO last year, as Tatiana and English tenor Toby Spence as the doomed poet. ENO’s Music Director Edward Gardner conducts.
So what is it about this particular piece of music which has prompted so many people from all around the world to seek information about it? Many people, including myself, heard it for the first time in the trailer for “Frozen Planet”, the remarkable David Attenborough series running at the moment on BBC television. I wrote about it here.
Undoubtedly it fires the imagination and stirs the emotions of many types of listener. This particular track, Heart of Courage has been used for other film trailers such as The Chronicles of Narnia and several TV shows as well as the DVD of Avatar, so it is possible that it is vaguely familiar. But there is definitely something about the sound and the form of the composition which makes the most commonly used adjective EPIC. It has inspired many to attempt cover versions on various instruments ( look on YouTube but be prepared to be dismayed in some instances ) and it certainly moved hundreds of people to search on the internet.
It is really tempting to analyse this music to see what strategies can be used to compose epic music. Here are my thoughts.
Heart of Courage by Two Steps from Hell
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But, let’s face it, you can analyse and dissect all you like but the fact remains that this music appeals, inspires, uplifts, stirs and, when combined with fantastic film footage, is unforgettable.
La Sonnambula from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden,
Recorded earlier this month
Saturday November 19th at 18:00 UK time
World time converter in the side bar – >
image fro the ROH
BBC iPlayer time now expired
In the words of the ROH:
When a story of innocence, love and marriage is matched with the appeal of Italian bel canto singing, it is a recipe for success. Bellini’s La sonnambula was an international hit of its time with music that encapsulates the thrill of the operatic voice at extremes – from the smoothly lyrical to the brilliantly virtuosic. It returns to The Royal Opera for the first time since 2002 in a production that brings out a layer of psychological richness that may surprise those who only know the stunning musical highlights. In a beautiful alpine setting that evokes the world of Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, it is not just Amina who has to prove her innocence after a compromising case of sleepwalking, but her fiancé Elvino too, who must prove himself worthy to marry her. This is an opera for the very best of fine Italianate singing, and this revival is fortunate to have Eglise Gutiérrez and Celso Albelo – both acclaimed in this repertory – as Amina and Elvino, the couple about to be married. The entire Company and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House are under the baton of Daniel Oren, internationally known for his interpretations of Italian opera, and the final ingredient of a bel canto treat.
Lisa ….. Elena Xanthoudakis (Soprano),
Amina ….. Eglise Gutierrez (Soprano),
Teresa ….. Elizabeth Sikora (Mezzo-soprano),
Elvino ….. Celso Albelo (Tenor),
Count Rodolfo ….. Michele Pertusi (Baritone),
Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus, Daniel Oren (conductor).
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Video interview: Eglise Gutiérrez on La sonnambula
Many thanks to Überfan Kate for posting this to share
DO NOT MISS THIS!
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* LATEST VIDEOS *
I do not include videos which are YouTube duplicates
*Oper live am Platz / Vienna State Opera / Elina Garanča in Carmen
*Prerecorded greeting for above performance ( thank you to Helca01 for posting these )
A Latvian song ”Close your eyes and smile”, Carnegie Hall, April 6, 2013.
Robert Schumann: Frauenliebe und leben, the first two songs: “Seit ich ihn gesehn”, “Er, er Herrlichste von allen” with Kevin Murphy, piano, Carnegie Hall, April 6, 2013.
Richard Strauss “Aberseelen“, Elina Garanca with Kevin Murphy, piano, New York, Carnegie Hall.
Concert in Prague 2012 – excerpt courtesy of Helca01. And another
The trailer of the Wiener Staatsoper La Clemenza di Tito
Werther complete - Wiener Staatsoper ( Marcelo Álvarez, Elīna Garanča, Adrian Eröd, Ileana Tonca; Philippe Jordan, 25.02.2005) commercially available here
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Mozart - LA CLEMENZA DI TITO Paris, Palais Garnier September 11, 2006
Tito : Christoph Prégardien Vitellia : Anna Caterina Antonacci Sesto : Elina Garanca Servilia : Ekaterina Siurina Annio : Hannah Esther Minutillo Publio : Roland Bracht Choeur et Orchestre de l’Opéra National de Paris Conductor : Gustav Kuhn
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Since September 30th 2011, when I posted this little video competition for opera fans to test out their skill, a strange thing has been happening on my blog. Usually when you post something of interest there is an initial flurry of visitors and then things go quiet. Occasionally you will then get someone returning for another look plus the traveller who has Googled a phrase and ended up, sometimes by mistake, clicking on your blog post. But hundreds of people landing on a video quiz and not playing the video had me really puzzled. The phrase which kept occuring in searches was Garanča+baby ( or similar words ) So what on earth has a quiz about mezzo soprano voices singing fron Der Rosenkavalier to do with Garanča’s baby? Well, I looked carefully again and in the comments was included “Elina Garanča (Congratulations for the baby girl born yesterday)” from a well informed reader from France. So it appears that there is so little information about Elina Garanča and her baby out there that poor Google searchers are ending up with a tiny snippet which does not assist their search. So. This is what I have managed to find about the subject ( not that much! ) and I hope the Garanča fans will be a little happier …
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Last May it was announced that Elina Garanča and her husband, conductor Karel Mark Chichon, were to have their first baby. The child, a daughter, was born on September 30th in southern Spain which for some time has been the adopted home of the native Latvian. The name chosen for the baby was Catherine Louise. “I’ve always been reticent about my family,” the celebrated mezzo-soprano revealed to the newspaper AUSTRIA. ”And now I’m even more so.” This would explain why there are apparently no photographs of the family being made public. Garanča is reportedly taking several month’s break but details of her return to performance have been released.
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source of both photos: Arte Lounge TV programme 2010
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2013
This information is provisional. In Garanca’s own words …
“Because the financial situation of the world is still very unstable.
Many theater productions are modified and transferred because there is a lack of funding”
July 12 and 14 - a Gala Concert with Jonas Kaufmann – Festspielhaus Baden-Baden details and tickets
Friday 19 July – International Music Festival, Krumlov, CZ. Information
August 15/17/18- Salzburg Festival. Verdi Requiem with Muti and Vienna Philharmonic. Details
NEW SEASON 2013/14
November 22/25/30. December 13? – TBC – Der Rosenkavalier at The Met. Garanca will share the role with Daniela Sindram. information
December 16/19/22 (mat) + January 3/6/9 - Francesca Zambello’s Carmen with Alagna and Veronica Cangemi as Micaëla at ROH London. Full 2013/14 season here courtesy of Intermezzo. Booking details
Tuesday February 8 2014 - Werther—New Production Gala at The Met information
February 18/22/25/28. + March 3/7/11/15 2014 Werther with Kaufmann at The Met. At the moment Garanca is scheduled for all performances.information /tickets
March 15MET Opera live in HD – Werther with Kaufmann – tickets
Prick up your ears von Otter fans. Tucked away in a less than obvious place in the radio 3 morning schedule is a slot known as Artist of the Week. In the week beginning Monday 14th November, for 5 days, that artist is wonderful mezzo AnneSophie von Otter.
The programme concerned is entitled Essential Classics with Sarah Walker and it plays at 09.00 until 12.00 UK time. There are several segments to the programme divided like this:
09.00 Essential CD of the week
09.30 Daily brain teaser and performances by the artist of the week.
10.30 A guest
11.00 Recommended listening
The works performed by von Otter are:
Monday - Mozart, Voi che sapete (The Marriage of Figaro) with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, James Levine (conductor) : Schumann Frauenliebe und Leben, Op 42 with Bengt Forsberg (piano)
Tuesday – Handel, Svegliatevi nel core (from Giulio Cesare) : Berlioz – Les nuits d’ete.
Wednesday -in Pavel Haas, 7 Songs in Folk Style, Op.18 : Ravel, Sheherazade.
Thursday - Weill, Foolish Heart (from One Touch of Venus) : Bach, Schlafert allen Sorgenkummer (from Cantata No.197, Gott ist unsere Zuversicht) : Respighi, Il tramonto.
This is an unusual White Shirt Weekend post for me! but I need to tell all lovers of Der Rosenkavalier about a broadcast coming up with some very interesting singers. On Thursday 17th November at 20.20 on BBC radio 3 there will be a concert including highlights from Der Rosenkavalier. ( That means we get to hear all the good bits! ) It comes live from City Halls Glasgow and features the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conductor Donald Runnicles. The three singers for Der Rosenkavalier are Daniela Sindram, Twyla Robinson and Lucy Crowe.
The first part of the concert, which starts at 19.30, features Vilde Frang playing Mozart’s violin concerto No. 5 in A, K219.
The interval is at 20.00 but don’t disappear to make a snack because during that we get to hear episode 3 of Symphony Question Time with the fabulous Sue Perkins – that slot is 20 minutes.
And the main event kicks off at 20.20. For those on other time zones, or planets, this will ( should ) be on BBC iPlayer shortly afterwards – I will change the link information as usual.
Lucy Crowe (Sophie), Ruxandra Donose (Octavian) in the Bayerische Staatsoper 2011 production
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Now that’s a goodly mid-week treat to look forward to and brighten up a November Thursday, isn’t it? ( unless, of course, you live in the Southern Hemisphere and your November is already bright!! )
recorded at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden earlier this year
Saturday 12th November at 18.00 uk time
World time converter in the side bar
BBC iPlayer time now expired
Tim Albery’s Olivier-nominated production of Wagner’s opera returned earlier this year to the Royal Opera House with Jeffrey Tate conducting a score that utilizes the brilliance and richness of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House to the full. Anja Kampe reprises the role of Senta, the young woman desperate to leave her unfulfilling life in an isolated Baltic port. The mysterious Dutchman, previously sung by Bryn Terfel and this time sung by Egils Silins, seems to offer escape to Senta. The production itself is dark and intense, to match the psychological themes of longing and denial, hope and redemption. Visually imposing, Michael Levine’s set designs evoke the elemental forces of nature and the towering hulks of the ships that do daily battle with them. Driving it on is Wagner’s magnificent score which utilizes a world-class cast and the large Royal Opera Chorus to the full.
Egils Silins as Der Holländer, Anja Kampe as Senta
and Stephen Milling as Dalan
The Dutchman - Egils Silins
Senta - Anja Kampe
Daland - Stephen Milling
Steersman - John Tessier
Mary - Clare Shearer
Erik - Endrik Wottrich
Chorus - Royal Opera Chorus
Orchestra - Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Conductor - Jeffrey Tate
Wagner based his great Romantic opera on Heinrich Heine’s story about a Dutch sea captain compelled, as punishment for a blasphemous oath, to sail the oceans for ever unless he’s redeemed by the love of a faithful woman. For a while it seems that Senta might be that redeeming angel, but after a misunderstanding the Dutchman is disillusioned once more, and returns to the sea, consigning himself to his fate.
Everything you ever wanted to know about the symphony…
but were too afraid to ask
Wednesday 9th November at 20.15 UK time
World time converter in the side bar – >
image from the BBC
Part of the series of programmes from the BBC about the symphony. Duration 20 minutes.
Link to BBC iPlayer for listen on demand for 7 days after broadcast
Episode 2 is Thursday 17th November at 20.00
Episode 3 is Friday 18th November at 20.10
In this programme, the first of six weekly episodes to go out in the evening, usually in the interval of a concert, Sue Perkins and Tom Service unravel everything you ever wanted to know about the symphony…but were too afraid to ask…
Why are symphonies considered the pinnacle of classical music? Who wrote the first one? Is there really a “Curse Of The Ninth”? And can you be a truly great composer without writing a symphony? Comedienne Sue Perkins joins regular broadcaster Tom Service to blow away the myths and unpick the mysteries surrounding this most venerable form – with a host of musical excerpts from Haydn to Hovhaness, Mozart to Mahler, Beethoven to Berio.
Over the six episodes they’ll be looking at questions like
How the symphony first originated,.
Whether a symphony should be about logic and form, or be a encapsulation of the whole world.
Why people get so darn annoyed when you clap between the movements.
In the first episode, Sue and Tom look at the roots of the symphony – the idea of a ‘sounding together’ – and try to pin down who wrote the first one, before getting to grips with the so-called “father of the symphony” ‘Papa’ Josef Haydn.
They’ll also be asking you to send in your own questions for their perusal later in the series.
You can submit your queries about anything symphonic …
Many people’s minds and memories turn towards the fallen of all wars and conflicts this week. Some will be able to commemorate and remember personally at services and concerts but some, possibly the elderly or less able-bodied will welcome the opportunity to stay at home and follow radio and television coverage during this special time. Here are some highlights to enjoy.
RADIO
Radio 2 programmes:
The Songs My Son Loved – Monday 7 to Friday 11 November, 1.30pm: Jeremy Vine meets the mothers of five soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan who share their memories through music. Talking through a list of her son’s favourite songs, each woman tells the story of his life and his death. A moving yet ultimately uplifting account of a mother’s love for a boy who grew up but never had the chance to grow old.
Friday Night is Music Night – Friday 11 November, 8pm : the UK’s longest running live music programme, will be hosting a special Armistice Day concert on Friday 11 November. Recorded at London’s Hackney Empire, the show will include a performance from Katherine Jenkins.
Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance – Saturday 12 November, 8pm : The nation offers thanks and pays tribute to those who risk their lives in the service of their country, not only in the two World Wars but also more recent conflicts.
Victor – Saturday 12 November, 9pm : John Hurt narrates the story of Victor, former WW2 soldier Victor Gregg, now 92, who remembers some of the powerful events and experiences of his war. Tricked into joining the army in 1937 on the false promise of a cup of tea and a bun, Victor’s remembers the brutal fighting and recalls the moment he first killed a man in hand-to-hand combat. Victor escaped from a prison camp, only to be recaptured and imprisoned in Dresden on the night of the firestorm bombings.
Radio 4 programmes:
The Poppy Factory – Wednesday 9 November, 11am : Looks at the manufacture of the millions of poppies bought every year to mark Remembrance Sunday.
Bleached Bone And Living Wood – Thursday 10 November, 11.30am : Christine Finn visits The Forester’s House, Wilfred Owen’s final refuge in northern France, which has been transformed into a sculptural tribute to his poetry.
The War Brides Return – Friday 11 November, 11.04am : Follows 20 women, now in their eighties and nineties, making a nostalgic return journey to Europe on the Queen Mary 2 liner.
Laurels And Donkeys – Friday 11 November, 2.15pm : Features 18 new war poems by Andrew Motion tracking conflicts from the First World War to Afghanistan.
Remembrance – Saturday 12 November, 8pm : Denys Blakeway tells the story of the Act of Remembrance, exploring what significance it has in the life of a nation.
Known Unto God – Sunday 13 November, 11.45am : In 2009 the remains of a soldier killed in World War I were found in a battlefield. This programme follows the painstaking process of identifying the English machine gunner through to the subsequent military funeral.
On Radio 3:
The Choir: Choral Music for Remembrance Sunday – Sunday 13 November, 5.00pm : Includes a special performance of an ambitious new work for amateur choirs, Rhymes And Charms For Fly-Away Things by Kerry Andrew, inspired by the folklore and superstitions surrounding creatures of the air.
Radios 2, 3 and 4will all be observing the two-minute silence on Armistice Day (Friday 11 November) as well as broadcasting the Cenotaph sequence of chimes, silence and the Last Post on Remembrance Sunday (13 November).
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TELEVISION
BBC 1 TV
In the presence of The Queen and members of the Royal Family, and this year celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Royal British Legion, Huw Edwards presents the annual Festival of Remembrance from the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 12 November. The Festival includes the traditional two-minute silence as poppy petals fall from the roof of the hall, each representing a life lost in war.
On Sunday 13 November, Remembrance Sunday: Cenotaph, on BBC One and BBC One HD, will broadcast the Service of Remembrance live from the Cenotaph in Whitehall from 10.25am to 12.10pm. David Dimbleby will host the programme and describe the scene as Her Majesty the Queen leads the national commemoration and two-minute silence, remembering those men and women who have died serving their country. Sophie Raworth will be talking to some of the 10,000 veterans from conflicts past and present as they prepare to march past the Cenotaph and pay their respects to fallen comrades.
We will hear from men of the Merchant and Royal Navies who served with the Arctic Convoys. Seventy years ago their ships steered a treacherous course from the UK through the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean to deliver raw materials, food and ammunition to Russia; more than a 100 ships were lost with 3,000 sailors losing their lives. And on the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, where 383 servicemen and women have died, we will hear from bereaved friends and families.
There will be extended coverage of this programme available on the Red Button.
Later that afternoon there will be a special edition of Songs Of Praise which comes from the garrison town of Colchester in Essex.
As this year marks the tenth anniversary of British troops in Afghanistan, Aled Jones meets soldiers recently returned from the country and also hears about the birth of the Royal British Legion, 90 years on from the first Poppy Appeal.
Following the television documentary last week ( which will, sadly,be out of date on iPlayer by the time you read this ) the BBC is concentrating on Elgar in their radio 3 series Composer of the Week. This series runs daily, week days only at 12 noon and repeated the same day at 18.30. Each programme is an hour long and has a different perspective on the subject. For instance in the week when we in the UK remember the casualties of war, the first programme on Monday 7th has the following description from the BBC:
Sir Edward Elgar 1857 – 1934
image from Wiki commons
By the end of the Great War, Sir Edward Elgar couldn’t compose any music to celebrate peace, disillusioned as he was by the whole period, which Donald Macleod explores in conversation with Terry Charman from the Imperial War Museum. At the outbreak of war, Elgar was noted for being more concerned about his beloved horses, than for any soldiers fighting. Little did anyone know how many horses or people would die in this conflict, which lasted more than the predicted three months. Elgar did do his bit though, joining the Special Reserve, conducting charity concerts to raise much needed funds, and composing the odd bit of jingoistic music to rally the people. It is the Great War period back at home in Great Britain, with Zeppelin raids, German cruisers shelling Whitby and Scarborough, to xenophobic riots in London, which Donald Macleod explores tracing how these events affected the life and music of Sir Edward Elgar.
1914, and in the age of Empire and British supremacy at sea, it was the Edwardian Golden Summer. Few people realised that war was looming, and commissions were coming in for Elgar, such as from the Sons of Clergy Festival at St. Paul’s Cathedral, for which he composed his anthem Give unto the Lord. Soon, with motor vehicles requisitioned, and the unmistakable increase of men in khaki, the Great War had begun. Elgar soon received his first war commission in aid of the Belgian Fund, writing a work for narrator and orchestra, Carillon. But many of Elgar’s most fierce supporters were German, including Hans Richter, to whom he dedicated his Three Bavarian Dances.
Simon Russell Beale presents a radical reappraisal of the place of the symphony in the modern world and explores the surprising way in which it has shaped our history and identity.
The first episode begins amidst the turmoil of the French Revolution with the arrival in England of Joseph Haydn, dubbed the ‘Father of the Symphony’. It continues with Mozart, the genius who wrote his first symphony at the age of eight, and Beethoven, the revolutionary who created the idea of the artist as hero and whose Eroica Symphony changed music for ever.
The music is performed by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Sir Mark Elder.
So, with a whole month of programmes, we should all know everything there is to know about the symphony with plenty of performances to enjoy. Do not worry if you miss a programme as there seems to be many repeats available and iPlayer too. As well as being of general interest I should think this will be beneficial listening/watching/learning for A level students. On the down side there appears to be a distinct dearth of opera just now!
A special homage to Placido Domingo, one of the greatest voices of all time and an artist renowned world-wide, well beyond the realm of music. The Royal Opera House celebrates the 40th anniversary of his London debut with acts from three Verdi operas that have had special significance in the Spanish tenor’s career. In the title roles of Otello, Rigoletto and Simon Boccanegra, Domingo – who also turned 70 this year – portrays three immensely complex characters, all facing dramatic actions. The recently added baritone roles of the last two are testimony to both his incredibly wide repertory and his artistic hunger. This once-in-a-life-time celebration starts with Domingo as Otello, perhaps his most legendary portrayal and a role he’s made entirely his own. Antonio Pappano, the Royal Opera House Music Director, conducts a star-studded cast.
Massenet’s Werther recorded at the Wiener Staatsoper earlier this year
Thursday 3rd November at 14.00 uk time
World time converter in the side bar – >
Sophie Koch and Jonas Kaufmann. photocredit: Michael Pohn
BBC iPlayer time now expired
Louise Fryer presents this Vienna State Opera performance of Massenet’s four act opera with an all-star cast.
Loosely based on Goethe’s ‘The Sorrows of the Young Werther’ the opera is unusual in that it is the man rather than the woman who dies of hopeless love.
Sophie Koch (mezzo-soprano) – Charlotte, a young woman
Ileana Tonca (soprano) – Sophie, her sister
Jonas Kaufmann (tenor) – Werther, a young poet
Adrian Eröd (baritone) – Albert, betrothed to Charlotte
Janusz Monarcha (bass) - Le Bailli, Charlotte’s father
Benedikt Kobel (tenor) – Schmidt, a friend of Le Bailli
Clemens Unterreiner (baritone) – Johann, a friend of Le Bailli
Vienna State Opera Chorus, Children of the Opera School
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Frederic Chaslin (conductor).
~~Wherever possible I credit the origin or source of the images and photos I use. In the spirit of fair play, courtesy and respect I expect those who copy them to do the same.
Ken Russell 1927 – 2011 image via buzzbox
Nick Phoenix Thomas Bergersen
