Strauss Der
any opinions on “die Liebe der Danae”?
I just got back from a performance. That old reactionary, R. Strauss, still knew how to create sound that just washes over you.
We also saw this yesterday at Bard!! I studied several complex Strauss scores years ago with one of his last composition students (Arnold Franchetti, at Hartt) and have loved many of them since. My husband and I were both in tears by the end – certainly not from the plot (which *reads* like it is going to be just another of those mythology shape-shifter things – but ends up being “we’re neither pure, nor wise nor good”, like Candide) but for the incredible power of the music. We are ordering a recording today, so we can listen again – I am certain that there were many things that we missed, even though we listened attentively, did our homework beforehand, and talked about it much thereafter. Like all Strauss works, he does quote himself a great deal – but what great material to quote! Yes, dramatically, this could have ended after the 2nd act – but then, we would miss out on the great 3rd act music – and watching the trumpet section wait in fear for those really high entrances. For those who look for such things – not much in the way of the set: rising/falling bed, “Golden Shower” disco curtain, “How to Succeed” parade of briefcases, good minimalist use of a beat-up car and a lawn chair. Costumes were not anything special. And lighting? We always sit in the same seats for every performance, and each year go BLIND from bright light reflected of That Year’s Shiny Thing – a mirror, a gold drape, etc. Orchestra played well – Botstein’s conducting seemed better for this work than we have heard in other operatic performances, and *certainly* better than many orchestral concerts. Voices were mostly good – the opening scene really got shrill, with 2 sopranos with rather sharp tops on their vibratos, really *competing* in spots. Meagan Miller improved substantially as the opera went on. Campy quartet (really campy choreography and gestures) for the Four Queens. Men’s voices generally good – except for poor Merkur, who just plain ran out of gas. Choral work good – mainly men’s chorus. All of these folks have substantial and impressive credits – it is our great fortune to be able to just drive less than ten miles and pay $30 to hear something like this, and in a very suitable hall. We go to the Met, and it is an all-day pilgrimage – we go to Bard, and it is a pleasant afternoon or evening.
There are several festivals each summer at Bard – this next weekend begins the annual one where one composer and his tangential influences are explored. Not our favorite this year – Sibelius – but of course we will go to a few performances. Many pre-concert talks by great experts. This is definitely a festival for people with serious interests – we call it the ANTI-Tanglewood (where “blue hair bus tours” seem to dictate many choices – even though there have bee a few more adventuresome selections in recent years – the Tired and True (not a typo . . ) still reign.) If locations were reversed, we would drive 1 1/2 hours to Bard, and SKIP driving ten minutes to Tanglewood. If you can get to Bard at ALL – GO!!!!!
BTW – they now have an excellent conservatory – NOT the old department of music the once had. 5 years – 2 degrees (one in music, one in another field). Top teachers and scholars – who are really there, not just names in the catalog. Gorgeous campus – pricey tuition.
Richard Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Overture
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R Strauss a Associates Photo Mugs RICHARD STRAUSS with Hofmannsthal and other associates at the first production of Der Rosenkavalier at Dresden, 26 January 1911…. |
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Der Rosenkavalier: The Film [Blu-ray] $25.86 A stirring performance of Strauss’ operatic tale of romantic misdirection, filmed at the Salzburg Festival, features a cast that includes Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Sena Jurinac, and Otto Edelmann; music by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. 192 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: German; Subtitles: English. In German with English subtitles…. |
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R. Strauss: Die Liebe der Danae [Blu-ray] $27.20 Manuela Uhl, Mark Delavan, Matthias Klink, Thomas Blondelle, and Burkhard Ulrich star in this Deutsche Oper Berlin production of the Strauss opera conducted by Andrew Litton and directed by Kirsten Harms…. |
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Richard Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier $14.06 Rene Fleming finally appears on DVD in one of her greatest roles the Marschallin, in Richard Strauss’s magnificent comedy of ever-changing love, Der Rosenkavalier. Her peerless performance is supported by a galactic cast (conductor Christian Thielemann), which includes Diana Damrau, Sophie Koch, Franz Hawlata and Jonas Kaufmann as the Italian Tenor. Filmed in January 2009 at the Baden-Baden Fes… |
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Andre Rieu – At Schonbrunn, Vienna and the Johann Strauss Orchestra $25.00 01. Entry March / Einzugsmarsch 02. Trumpet Voluntary 03. At The Hunt / Auf der Jagd 04. Fächerpolonaise 05. Roses from the South / Rosen aus dem Süden 06. Heia in the Mountains / Heia in den Bergen 07. Tales from the Vienna Woods G’schichten aus dem Wienerwald 08. The Third man / Der Dritte Mann 09. Comerades, this life is the life for me Freunde, das Leben ist Lebenswert 10. The Girls from the… |
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Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier – James Levine Metropolitan Opera Exclusive DVD $30.00 James Levine conveys both the intimate details and broad sweep of one of opera’s most vital – and beautiful – scores. In this legendary performance Kiri Te Kanawa, Tatiana Troyanos, Judith Blegen, and Kurt Moll head an extraordinary cast that also includes a cameo appearance by Luciano Pavarotti. This historic 1982 telecast captures one of the Met’s best performances of this smart and sumptuous … |
