parterre box

160 comments

• Nerva Nelli says:

  Funny that when one thinks of Seefried, de los Angeles, Callas, Tebaldi, Stella, Gueden, della Casa, Steber, Gruemmer, Schwarzkopf, Crespin, Soederrstroem, Lorengar, Freni, Moffo, Grist, Scotto, Arroyo, Vishnevskaya, Mathis, Jones, Sills, Sutherland, Kabaivanska, Stratas, Leontyne and Margaret Prioe, Varady, Gruberova, Donath, Silja, Caballe, te Kanawa Stich-Randall and Popp ( to mention just 35 casually) one immediately summons up a particular “niche, sound and style”… whereas when one thinks of Studer one summons up a long list of recordings, 2 or 3 of which have genuine merit, but *no aural souvenir whatsoever*.

  -N.N. the Listmaker

  on May 19, 2008 at 9:55 AM
• Bill says:

  Studer went to Baden Wien to take a summer course in Lieder. Irmgard Seefried was one of her teachers there (as was Hotter and Fassbaender). In an interview with a German Magazine much later Studer said, “Die Seefried habe ich geliebt” “Such a warm personality”. According to this interview, after working with her, Seefried said to Studer “Kind, warum studierst Du Lied. Du bist eine Opern Saengerin” (Child, why are you studying Lieder. You are an opera singer). It was Hotter, however, who, at the time, arranged for Studer to go to Munich where she made her debut, I think in 1981 as the First Lady in Zauberfloete before she moved to Darmstadt the following season. Much later I heard Studer sing an all Schubert Liederabend in Vienna’s Musikverein – the large hall. It was sold out and Studer sang mainly songs which Seefried used to do. After Studer had not succeeded in a new Trovatore in Vienna in 1993, she cancelled the planned production there of all 3 roles in Hoffmann and did not sing at the Staatsoper for a while. When Benackova cancelled a series of Elsas around 1996/7 or so, Studer replaced her returning to the Staatsoper and was very good. After the first performance of Lohengrin when I was walking up the Kaertnerstrasse I found I was walking next to Studer who was accompanied by a Gentleman. I turned to her and said, “Welcome back to the opera house of Seefried and Hotter” – she smiled and said, “Why, they were my teachers – how did you know?” Studer was very gracious and asked if I was going to hear her Marschallin in Salzburg that summer. I replied no, that I lived in New York. She then said in a forthcoming season she would be singing Vier Letzte Lieder in New York. She had received a very warm welcome back to the Staatsoper that evening and was ebullient. Her last appearances at the Vienna Opera were in 2002 as Kaiserin and Sieglinde. When I once met Delores Ziegler who also studied lieder under Seefried about the same time as Studer, Ziegler mentioned that Seefried always emphasized text, text, text. Rightly so. Seefried, unlike Schwarzkopf who usually did short masterclasses, taught students many of whom were sent to her by Karajan who considered her “a wonderful source for advice and encouragement”. In Richard Osborne’s book. Conversations with von Karajan” Karajan states that “Seefried was one of the most gifted singers I ever worked with”. Did Studer sing under Karajan at all ?

  on May 19, 2008 at 10:19 AM
• Bill says:

  Marshie – Margarete Teschemacher also began at the opera house at Aachen (1925-27), Tiana Lemnitz was engaged at Aachen (1928-31), Seefried (1940-43), Gruemmer (from 1941) – a terrific breeding ground for Freischuetz Agathes. Well then Kurt Moll also started there and Karajan (1934-42) and Sawallisch (1953-58) were General Music Directors in Aachen early in their careers. There is alot to be said for the German theater system and the possibilities for development in the smaller opera houses there and in Austria and Central Europe. Ask Welitsch, Caballe, Horne, Rysenek, Gruberova etc.

  on May 19, 2008 at 10:45 AM
• Bill says:

  Marshie Margarete Teschemacher also began at the opera house at Aachen (1925-27), Tiana Lemnitz was engaged at Aachen (1928-31), Seefried (1940-43), Gruemmer (from 1941) – a terrific breeding ground for Freischuetz Agathes. Well then Kurt Moll also started there and Karajan (1934-42) and Sawallisch (1953-58) were General Music Directors in Aachen early in their careers. There is alot to be said for the German theater system and the possibilities for development in the smaller opera houses there and in Austria and Central Europe. Ask Welitsch, Caballe, Horne, Rysenek, Gruberova etc.

  on May 19, 2008 at 10:48 AM
• High C's @ 4:20 says:

  Marshie… have you ever gotten to meet your heroine? If so, please do tell for those of us who havent heard it before.

  on May 19, 2008 at 11:13 AM
• Marshie says:

  Yes, I have. So? Have you met yours?

  on May 19, 2008 at 11:17 AM
• High C's @ 4:20 says:

  I havent developed an enthusiasm like yours for any one singer (YET)… but i do work at a great restaurant serving arguably the best breakfast in town, and lucky for me the Dallas Opera houses their singers near us and we are on the list of suggessted destinations… Sosometimes i recognize singers (Mr. Gunn, Mr. Costello to name two (Hot) ones…) plus when i travel i send my fave singers handmade cards and invite them to come see me if they have time and its surprising how many do… My buddy Raymond Aceto comes to see me every time hes in town.

  on May 19, 2008 at 1:03 PM
• Sanford says:

  We spend an awful ot of time here leveling snide and insulting comments at each other for simply liking different singers, when everyone knows that we should leveling those snide and nasty comments at the real targets – Rennnaaaaay and Kathy Battle!

  on May 19, 2008 at 3:08 PM
• harry says:

  Please Sanford…could anyone in opera, let alone Renee’ of all people ever get into the special ‘Hall of Fame’ that Ms Battle has self enclosed herself in, for life?

  Perhaps casting Battle in that newly created ingenious’scream queen’ opera called “Whatever Happened to Mommie Dearest’ might be a good comeback part? The plot is driven by all the dramatic insane outbursts of a broken down ‘star’. All those old Joan Crawford acting histrionics and script points are in play I.E………”You’re leaving me, how could you!”….” I’m bigger than all of you”…..”Look WHAT they did to me, how crrueeeell can they be?”…..” I’ll show THEM I’m tough, when I can remember & think how I got to this situation!!!”

  Production breakdown report so far : pre recorded tapes (stops any musician walkouts), script flexible (for night- to- night adjustment & licence, depending on artist’s artistic mood).All publicity photos must be airbrushed, then submitted for artist’s approval (expect a 6 month or more wait).
  Bookings ; exclusively via the artist’s fan club base. (It will be a mammoth task trying to reseach and find those old mailing lists). Try the old peoples’ homes.
  Sponsership: We have a hearing aid company interested to take 50% so far, since they think a good part of the audience use such products.
  Mooted theatre venue for Premiere’: The vintage Alamhbra. (will require cleaning up, plus fumigation first for the bugs and moths,whaich are partof the ongoing problem at that theatre).
  Concessions: Ear plugs, Sweets, Drinks and photocopies of the stars’ autograph imposed on T- Shirts emblazoned with ‘We survived, too!’ above the ‘Mommie Deraest’ show logo.

  And won’t you all have a field day debate after the gala opening night, right here!

  on May 19, 2008 at 8:53 PM
• Sanford says:

  Harry, you’re wicked! My nipples got a little aroused reading that.

  on May 20, 2008 at 12:09 AM