no geh friends
Thackeray Gnomey has already pointed out this video in the comments, but La Cieca feels with all her heart that it deserves a featured place on this site. Among the subtler pleasures of this cavalcade of visual filth: the expression of stoic acceptance on the face of Waltraud Meier. “Well, what can you do?” she seems to be thinking, and can one but agree with her?
A shame re. Theorin. There’s a very short snippet of her Isolde on the Bayreuth website (in the PodCast section) that is quite promising.
Am I the only one who thinks Waltraud Meier looks like Lee Merriweather?
Cocky – Meier is absolutely riveting in the flesh. She IS Isolde. Some of the notes above G are a little “unorthodox” at times, but her dramatic conviction must be experienced live. I saw her first as Lenore in the second outing of the Flimm Fidelio at the Met. My partner at that time purchased tickets for me as a suprise because he knows that I love German opera. My quip to him was “I have no desire to see WM as Lenore – the part was written for a soprano, blah, blah, blah”. Her performance was THE revelation in that GAWD AWFUL production. After that performance I was kissing my partner’s feet in gratitude. Okay, I probably would have doen that anyway. I owe my “discovery”of her to him. She has been amazing in every role I have seen her in. The dvd of Lohengrin with K. Vogt captures a lot of her stage magic. Right now she and Brewer own the role of Isolde. Stimme should NOT be singing this role (or a lot of things for that matter). I cannot wait to hear her in Paris.
NYCOQ, thank you very much. I shall go. I’m not afraid of an unorthodox top, and I’m glad you think the production works. I did enjoy Meier live as Sieglinde a couple of years ago, and now that you have reminded me, I did find her compelling on stage – something almost animal about her incredible introspection. Tristan is a work I just can’t get over – I love it and discover something new every time I hear it. I think that once you get up to a certain level of performer, it is actually a pretty indestructible work. I was just a bit concerned Meier would come across as more of a ‘traumatic soprano’ but as you had similar misgivings about Fidelio, I shall cast my doubts aside. Was that Fidelio the same production I would have seen Mattila in at the Met a few years back? Not a good one was it, although the whole cast was fab when I saaw it.
To LVPO: McKrill is the one in the jade colored dress. She’s always been brunette as far as I know and hasn’t sung Violetta or Mimi – doubt she ever will! Wagner is her thing.