Nürnbergs teurem Sachs

[sovay]

Well, as far as first experiences of Wagner go, that was pretty awesome. I even got the high-resolution stream to work after the first act. Gerard Finley: why have I not heard of? (Apparently I would have if I'd been able to get tickets to Doctor Atomic at the Met in 2008.) Johannes Martin Kränzle: would watch sing his way out of a paper bag. (Which is pretty much happens to Beckmesser in the third act, Malvolio-funny.) What a much more complicated opera than I was expecting. I may attempt to write it up, but first I have to start making Ethiopian collard greens from a recipe I got off the internet. I wish there would be a professionally available recording, but right now I'll settle for being glad—for once—that even if I was in the wrong country for a production, it didn't matter.

Comments

[straussmonster.livejournal.com]

It's Glyndebourne, they're likely to issue it commercially as well.

What a much more complicated opera than I was expecting.

*blink blink blink*

[sovay]

It's Glyndebourne, they're likely to issue it commercially as well.

Okay; cool. The National Theatre doesn't with its broadcasts, which makes me very sad; I've been hoping for a DVD of Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art for a year and a half now.

*blink blink blink*

I can't tell if you're blinking because I should have known better or because it wasn't complicated at all. I knew very little about the opera going in except that everyone said it was the comedy and a good place to start; the reviews were good; my experience of Wagner is almost nil. I kept bouncing off The Flying Dutchman for years.

[straussmonster.livejournal.com]

Ah, I guess I had forgotten/not known/etc. that you were not a Wagnerianer. Yeah, it's a marvelous and wonderous beast (and there's a decent amount of quality writing about it), and it's one of the very few long operas that really has no flab in it. I also find it probably the easiest to talk about without getting musically nitty-gritty. I'd say that was a solid introduction to the opera as well, no really crazy directorial fiats involved.

[sovay]

Ah, I guess I had forgotten/not known/etc. that you were not a Wagnerianer.

He's one of my serious musical blind spots, probably because I had such a bounce with the first opera I tried. Based on how much I loved Meistersinger, though, I'm thinking I should try again.

Yeah, it's a marvelous and wonderous beast (and there's a decent amount of quality writing about it)

You should point me in the direction of some of that; I'd be curious. I probably will try to get down some of my own reactions first, but then I have a lot of secondary scholarship to make up.

I'd say that was a solid introduction to the opera as well, no really crazy directorial fiats involved.

Awesome. I did notice the staging was shifted forward a couple of centuries, but it didn't seem to do anything weird to the story; I thought it worked very well in terms of forming national identity, plus Regency costuming is fun even when you're not in England.

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

Gerard Finley: why have I not heard of? (Apparently I would have if I'd been able to get tickets to Doctor Atomic at the Met in 2008.)
I saw the simulcast of Dr. Atomic at Fenway theaters, and Gerard Finley was amazing as Oppenheimer. He reduced just about the entire theater to tears with his aria at the end of act 1 (Batter my heart, three person'd god). I have in fact named my car Oppenheimer in honor of that opera and his performance in it.
Glad you enjoyed Meistersinger. It's the only one of Wagner's operas that I think of as being fun.

[sovay]

He reduced just about the entire theater to tears with his aria at the end of act 1 (Batter my heart, three person'd god).

Dammit. I don't suppose that's available on DVD?

I have in fact named my car Oppenheimer in honor of that opera and his performance in it.

Awesome.

Glad you enjoyed Meistersinger. It's the only one of Wagner's operas that I think of as being fun.

It was! Including the moments when it wasn't, which I liked.

[straussmonster.livejournal.com]

Two productions, both the Met's (Penny Woolcock) and Peter Sellars', both with Finley. (He was miked; Adams doesn't seem to trust operatic voices.) Sadly, I think that number is really the best part of the opera. It's a serious mess for a number of reasons, the worst offender being that Peter Sellars is not a good librettist. But John Adams seems loyal to him, now.

[sovay]

Sadly, I think that number is really the best part of the opera.

Well, John Donne.

All right, at least I can see that.

[straussmonster.livejournal.com]

Well, it's one of the cases where it's an alignment of a good text and a good dramatic sentiment/placement, and Adams makes the most of it. I think (and I once got the chance to tell him as much, and did) that the choice of the Muriel Rukeyser poetry for Kitty--which is pretty much all she gets to sing--was way too dense for operatic setting. The Donne is short enough and also structured enough to make a formal aria out of it.

The less said about the Magical Native American Contralto is probably the better...

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

The Met production is not on DVD, sadly, but one of the other productions is. And even more sadly, there is not even a CD out of the opera yet. It's actually pretty frustrating to me, since I loved the opera. You'd think with at least two major opera companies having done it and it being by one of the best known contemporary composers that it wouldn't take more than three years.

[straussmonster.livejournal.com]

It's on Met Player, though, if you're willing to spring for that.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed the opera. I hope the collards have been good, also.

[sovay]

I hope the collards have been good, also.

Not spicy enough, but I think the internet recipe assumed its audience were capsaicin wimps. I'm planning on trying them again with more everything.