Love in the afternoon
Right now on BBC 3, Tristan und Isolde from the Royal Opera.
Tristan …… Ben Heppner
King Marke …… Matti Salminen
Isolde …… Nina Stemme
Kurwenal …… Michael Volle
Brangane …… Sophie Koch
Melot …… Richard Berkeley Steele
Sailor …… Ji-Min Park
Steersman …… Dawid Kimberg
Shepherd …… Ryland Davies
Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Antonio Pappano (conductor).
The give and take, the disagreements, during the Act II intermission chats is great, enlightening. Oy vey, can you imagine Margaret J. and Will discussing opera at this level?
You are right, Jay, but a fair degree of dumbing-down still goes on on BBC Radio 3 these days. And most of the announcers are pretty appalling with foreign languages.
I’ve heard the “dumbing down” as well, MontyNostry, on the BBC lunchtime concerts, etc. At least they’re racheting it up for this broadcast
“The give and take, the disagreements, during the Act II intermission chats is great, enlightening. Oy vey, can you imagine Margaret J. and Will discussing opera at this level?”
Will gets a hard time. he does know what he’s talking about, it’s just the muppet MJ that he has to work with that spoils things.
Last night for Foost,Mags only managed to get one thing right. HER NAME
I love it when she says, of course, oh really, I was just thinking about that…. Yeh Mags, of course you were my dear.
Mags would find her true home in the notorious Microsoft 7 ‘party’ infomercial …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cX4t5-YpHQ
Jay – I first heard Salminen’s Marke when he was a youngster in Germany to the Isolde of Helga Dernesch – majestic if short up top – and the Tristan of Hermin Esser – a horrible noise – in 1975. He is simply a phenomenon. His Hagen is still the best in the world.
I’ve only seen Salminen once. He was pretty much phoning in Rocco in Valencia three years ago. Still, the production was dreary as hell, as was most of the rest of the singing, so one couldn’t blame him too much.
I wept, the last act was wonderful.
Has anyone ever heard the Isolde of Irene Theorin? I just saw her Ariadne at Washington National Opera, and it was a performance that makes me very interested in hearing more of her.
We had a lot of her Brünnhilde last season, which was a huge stretch. Lots of hurling of sound (which she didn’t have to spare) out toward the audience. I suppose Isolde would suit her more. Ariadne… can’t imagine, but maybe!