Wagner Society of New Zealand Patron: Sir Donald McIntyre NEWSLETTER Vol. 14 No. 7 April 2020 A Tale of Three Cities: Dunedin, Alexandria, Paris The Christmas Meeting of the Dunedin Wagner Society branch always likes to showcase a ‘seasonal goodie’, and the 2019 event featured American mezzo- soprano Tessa Romano, newly appointed lecturer in classical voice at the University of Otago in a virtuosic but rarely heard cantata by Berlioz. Terence Dennis reports: his special performance was both in honour of the T 2019 Berlioz Year (2019 was the 150th anniversary of Berlioz’ death) and to recall the connection between Berlioz and the young Wagner. With pianist Terence Dennis, Tessa Romano presented Berlioz’ early dramatic cantata Cléopätre. Tessa Romano, mezzo-soprano Terence Dennis, pianist Written in 1829, it is an extra- Terence Dennis prefaced the Paris period. Wagner was wide-eared ordinary work, 25 minutes long, performance with a talk on the music, at Berlioz’s musico-dramatic set in Alexandria and portraying and on the relationship between innovations, but Berlioz’ responses to the Egyptian Queen’s farewell to Berlioz and Wagner during the latter’s Wagner were rather more distant. life and her greeting to death in striking musical terms . as one would expect even from the young days and encouraged organisers to also Berlioz. cancel or postpone events with over 250 Grandiose arias in the manner people up to 1 May 2020. This left Lyric of a modernised Gluck were Opera of Chicago with little choice but interspersed with an extended to cancel all performances of The Ring funeral scene within the pyramid plus associated events, and that was tomb, and with tactile musical announced today. evocations of the fatal bite of the ‘I know how much everyone was asp and Cleopatra’s death looking forward to this event and it agonies. saddens me that this has happened. However I am sure there will be many Lights Go Out opportunities to hear Wagner’s on the Chicago ‘Ring’ wonderful Ring in the future!’ n March 14th, Michael Sinclair had Stop-Press: WSNZ and COVID-19 Othe unhappy task of writing to In line with government requirements, everyone booked for the Chicago Ring all WSNZ meetings for the months of with the news that it had been April and May are being cancelled. cancelled. Here is part of his letter: It is hoped that the pre-arranged ‘I am very sorry to have to advise you programme can go ahead from 1 June. that Lyric Opera of Chicago have today Members will be kept informed. cancelled all performances of the Ring Committee Changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the forthcoming AGM, there will be BERLIOZ WAGNER ‘On Thursday 12 March, the Chicago some retirals from the committee. Department of Health banned all events Retiring members will be fully Image: François Lopinot / Wikimedia Commons with over 1000 people for the next 30 acknowledged in the newsletter following. 11 Dunkerron Avenue, Epsom, Auckland 1051 • Ph: 021 610 869 • Web site: www.wagnersociety.org.nz WSNZ 2020 Programme Wagner Society AGM NB: The information from June onwards is currently valid but may change with new developments 17 May 2020 Auckland Formal Notice Venue: St Heliers Community Centre, 100 St. Heliers Bay Road The Society’s AGM is to be held on Sunday 17 May Sunday, 5 AprilCANCELLED at 2.30pm (note afternoon time) in St Heliers Community centre, A four-hour session. Heath Lees guides us through The Ring. 100 St Heliers Bay Road, Auckland, at 7 pm. Sunday, 17 May at 7.00pm Nominations so far received: The Wagner Society’s AGM, followed by a DVD treat: POSTPONED President ...........Terence Dennis The Making of the Chéreau Ring. Vice-President ......Ken Tomkins Sunday, 12 July at 2.30pm Secretary...................Peter Rowe Return visit of Antony Ernst: Parsifal. (Four hour session). Treasurer ........... Jeanette Miller PR/Liaison............. Jenny Lee Sunday, 20 September at 2.30pm Committee: Parsifal: Full screening of the opera and optional catered dinner. John Davidson, Ashley Day, Juliet Rowe, Adrian Simcock Sunday, 6 December at 7.00pm To make a nomination, phone Peter Rowe at 021 610 869, Christmas fare of Wagner items, plus cake and wine. or e-mail to: [email protected], to be sent a form. Nominations can also be made from the floor at the meeting. Wellington Renewal of Memberships Venue: St Andrew’s Hall, 30 The Terrace (except 10 May) embership renewals are now due and your Sunday, 10 May at 11.00am Mpersonalised renewal form is either enclosed with this Venue: Te Auaha: NZ Institute of Creativity, Dixon St. newsletter, or being sent separately by post. Joint meeting withCANCELLED the Opera Society for a screening of the Kiwibank has now dispensed with cheques in favour of 2002 Mariinsky Theatre production of Borodin’s Prince Igor. internet banking. If you cannot do internet banking, you will find information about other payment options at the foot of Sunday, 21 June at 4.00pm the renewal form. Documentary screening. Details to follow. Sunday, 5 July at 4.00pm Sir Donald McIntyre Memoirs Return visit of Antony Ernst: Parsifal. The Only Way . September/October . Is Up Date and programme to be confirmed later. November/December A lifetime in opera by Kiwi legend Sir End of year party. Date TBA. Donald McIntyre. The Wagner Society’s 25th-birthday celebratory Christchurch publication in 2019. Packed with Venue: The Music Centre, St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, Manchester St. fascinating insights and great photos. Friday, 15 May at 7.30pm To buy a copy please contact Liz Lees Michael Sinclair looks at cities, large and small, that have (ph:022 163 0069) or email: gone the extra mileCANCELLED to perform Wagner’s operas. [email protected]. Friday, 10 July at 7.30pm New Members Antony Ernst returns with a lecture on The Ring. A fortissimo Wagnerian welcome to: October Afternoon Meeting, time TBA Paul Bushnell.................................................Auckland Siegfried: DVD screening, with a meal between the acts. John Miranda..............................................Wellington Sunday, December: Details TBA Christmas Function Leb’ wohl Helen Kirkman Dunedin 15/2/59 — 24/2/20 All venues will be publicised locally elen was the wife and part- Sunday, 3 May at 2.00pm Hner-in-harness of WSNZ John Drummond discusses Wagner’s revision of Gluck’s Vice-President Ken Tomkins. Iphigénie en Aulide for the German stage. She died on 24 February after a CANCELLED long struggle with cancer. Sunday, 14 June, time TBA A wonderful person, she Venue: Te Rangi Hiroa Viewing Room, 192 Castle Street authored many works of romantic Das Liebesverbot on film. Wagner’s second opera. A lively, fiction, some of them based on the colourful production from Madrid’s Teatro Real. Nibelungenlied. Her commit- ment and contribution to local Sunday,13 September at 2.00pm and overseas Wagner Society Wagner on Wagner: A guided tour with Terence Dennis of events was every bit as strong as Wagner’s Opera and Drama, with film and sound examples. Ken’s, and she will be much Sunday, 4 October, time TBA missed by all. Götterdämmerung, Act 2 The complete act from The Met, introduced by Terence Dennis. Wallace Ryan, 11/7/37 — 11/2/20 t is sad to announce the sudden death of Wallace Ryan who Sunday, 29 November, 12 noon Ijoined the WSNZ as a foundation member in May 1994. He Venue: Carrington College, 57 Heriot Row was a quiet, sensitive man who travelled on most of our trips to Our Christmas lunch date followed by goodies à la Wagner. Wagner events and almost never missed an Auckland meeting. Wagner in Brisbane 2020 Well-known Australian Wagnerite Peter Bassett will be Down here, we contributing a very high profile to the ambitious musical season remember him as the conductor in Brisbane towards the end of this year. of Opera Aus- In this article, abridged from the newsletter of the Richard tralia’s Ring in Wagner Society of Victoria, he sketches out the many Wagnerian Melbourne in delights that will be on offer. 2013 and 2016. The demanding agner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen each of the operas, starting with Das role of Tristan Wand Tristan und Isolde, as well as Rheingold, which represents Spring, will be sung by Verdi’s Aida will be performed in and ending with the Winter of New Zealand Peter Bassett Brisbane this year between late October discontent in Götterdämmerung. But tenor Simon and mid- December by Opera Australia, he says he’ll be careful not to impose too O’Neill, who has performed in the Opera Queensland and the Queensland much visual baggage on the music, as world’s most famous opera houses and Symphony Orchestra. Wagner should be allowed to speak for festivals with today’s top-line It is a rare treat in any country to have himself. ‘When I listen to Wagner’s conductors . Barenboim, Rattle, professional productions of five of music, I respond in my mind. I hope Gergiev, Thielemann . Wagner’s mature works in such close people will have a similar kind of American soprano Meagan Miller will sing Isolde, a role she has performed for Opera Leipzig. German mezzo Anna Werle will sing Brangäne in Italy before appearing in Brisbane. James Roser (Kurwenal) was recently heard as a splendid Amfortas in Victorian Opera’s Parsifal, and Paul Whelan (King Marke) has performed this role inter alia, in the UK under Vasily Petrenko. Editor’s note: Peter Bassett will be giving free pre-performance talks at 10:30 am in the Concert Hall on each Tristan performance day. During the three cycles of The Ring, he and Professor Stephen Emmerson will hold talks and panel discussions on 11, 20 and 30 November in the Recital Hall of the Queensland Conservatorium.