Etienne-Nicolas Mehul: Uthal; Karine Deshayes, Yann Beuron, Sebastien Droy, Reinoud van Mechelen, Choeur de Chambre de Namur, Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset; 1 CD Ediciones Singulares ES 1026; Aufnahme 05/2015, Veröffentlichung 03/02/2017 (60'40) – Rezension von Remy Franck
Étienne-Nicolas Méhuls einaktige romantische Oper ‘Uthal’ ist eine ‘Opéra-comique’ mit deutlich dramatisch-tragischem Charakter, die am 17. Mai 1806 in Paris uraufgeführt wurde und bald darauf in der Versenkung verschwand. Dafür mag das in einer etwas schwülstigen Sprache verfasste Libretto von Jacques Benjamin Maximilien Bins de Saint-Victor mitverantwortlich sein, das auf den damals sehr beliebten ‘Gesängen des Ossian’ des Schotten James Macpherson (1736–1796) fußt. Read More →
Nicolai Gedda
Nicolai Gedda has died yesterday in Switzerland, aged 91. His family has confirmed the death which is more than important, since in May 2015 rumours said, Gedda, one of the greatest tenor of the XXth Century had died on Saturday, 16 May. Wikipedia pages in several languages mentioned his death. Two days later, the death references and dates were removed from those pages. Read More →
Stéphane Denève
(c) Henry Fair
French conductor Stéphane Denève has signed a new three-year contract as Principal Guest Conductor, through the 2019-2020 season. Stéphane Denève, 45, is also Music Director of the Brussels Philharmonic, and Director of the Centre for Future Orchestral Repertoire (CffOR). From 2011-2016, he served as Chief Conductor of Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (SWR) and from 2005-2012 as Music Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
Jordi Savall
(c) David Ignaszewski
At the initiative of the Catalan musician Jordi Savall, The Saline Royale (Royal Saltworks), a historical building at Arc-et-Senans in the department of Doubs, eastern France will host the project Orpheus XXI, Radio France Bleu reports. The project aims at the integration of professional musicians, who fled their countries, Syrians, Afghans and many others. So far, 12 musicians have been recruited, and the last auditions are to take place in March.
Bayreuth, Festspielhaus
Für die Bayreuther Festspiele (25. Juli bis 28. August) beginnt am 12. Februar (14 Uhr) der Online-Verkauf von Eintrittskarten. Jeder kann bis zu vier Eintrittskarten für eine oder mehrere Aufführungen bestellen – ‘Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg’, ‘Tristan und Isolde’, ‘Parsifal’ sowie eine Einzelvorstellung der ‘Walküre’ – und zudem bis zu zwei Stück für die ‘Ring’-Tetralogie. Eine Vorab-Registrierung empfiehlt sich. Ticketshop: www.bayreuther-festspiele.de
ICMA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Matti Salminen has been among the most famous basses of opera stages already over 40 years. He is especially famous in Wagner-roles, but his repertoire is large, reaching even to Finnish tangos. His steady, resonant bass is flexible enough also for subtle nuances, and he emphasizes opera always as a comprehensive theatre. Read our article by Harri Kuusisaari, ICMA Jury member for the Finnish magazine Rondo Classic.
Matti Salminen
There is nothing diva-like in Matti Salminen’s behaviour. He has one natural, unpretentious charisma on stage, and his long experience on top of the opera world becomes evident when he speaks about his life. But still you can feel his background as a son of a working class family in Turku, who earned cash for his voice lessons by singing Finnish tangos in nightclubs. Read More →
Franz Schubert: 4 Impromptus op. 90 D 899, 4 Impromptus op. 142 D 935, Allegretto c-Moll D 915, Ungarische Melodie D 817, Andante A-Dur D 604, Kupelwieser Waltz D Anh. I, 14; Michael Endres; 1 CD Oehms Classics OC 458; Aufnahmen 2014, Veröffentlichung 24/02/2017 (80') – Rezension von Remy Franck
Michael Endres beschließt seinen Schubert-Zyklus mit 80 Minuten kontrastreicher Musik. In den Impromptus stellt er tonaler Schönheit harsche Outbursts gegenüber. Damit grenzt sich seine Interpretation stark von all jenen ab, die ganz besonders die lyrischen Qualitäten der Impromptus herausgearbeitet haben. Read More →
Johann Sebastian Bach: Suite BWV 995, Suite BWV 997, Präludium, Fuge und Allegro BWV 998; Emanuele Segre, Gitarre; 1 CD + 1 DVD Limen DVD082C082; Aufnahme 2016, Veröffentlichung 11/2016 (o.A.) – Rezension von Norbert Tischer
Wahlweise auf CD oder DVD kann man dem italienischen Gitarristen Emanuele Segre in einem Bach-Programm lauschen. Obschon die Musik Johann Sebastian Bachs universell genug ist, um auf vielen Instrumenten attraktiv zu klingen, ist die Gitarre dafür besonders gut geeignet. Sie hebt deutlich neue Aspekte der Kompositionen hervor, und die Interpretation von BWV 995, 997 und 998 durch Emanuele Segre machen da keine Ausnahme, ganz im Gegenteil. Read More →
Ludovic Morlot
(c) Sussie Ahlburg
The Seattle Symphony has announced tonight’s concert Music Beyond Borders: Voices From The Seven in protest of Trump’s travel ban. The orchestra says on its website: « The arts community across the country has been contributing in meaningful ways to the discussion around immigration following the recent executive order restricting travel and immigration from these countries. Read More →
A professional jury has been set up to select musicians who will be allowed to play in the subway stations in Moscow. According to the press service of the Moscow Metro, 400 out of 1000 candidates are competing in front of the jury from 7 to 10 February. The music groups and individual performers will be judged on criteria such as the equipment and the quality of their performance, visual image and the overall impression.
