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Wagner's Mastersinger, Hitler's Siegfried: the Life and Times Of Wagner’s Mastersinger, Hitler's Siegfried: The Life and Times of Max Lorenz , and: Tannhäuser in 80 Minuten, Opernparodie nach der gleichnamigen Oper von Richard Wagner (review) John Holland Notes, Volume 66, Number 3, March 2010, pp. 637-638 (Review) Published by Music Library Association DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/not.0.0271 For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/376365 [ This content has been declared free to read by the pubisher during the COVID-19 pandemic. ] Video Reviews 637 moment of reverie during Mozart’s of musical gift in individuals, and her belief Fantasie in C minor in which she dreamily that musicians so gifted have a responsibil- narrates the harmonic events of the first ity to pass on and further that knowledge movement as they go by. Here she is clearly for others, as she has. speaking more to herself than the students The DVD’s packaging and accompanying clustered around her, and her commentary booklet make it clear that Mademoiselle has rarely goes beyond marking the large-scale not been updated since its 1977 release, events of the work, noting a modulation and unfortunately the transfer for this re- here, a cadence there, the return of a motif. lease is rather poor. Especially disappoint- The film is too short to serve as an in- ing is the lack of an audio remastering; the depth portrait of Boulanger either as a sound fades in and out, and worse, there is teacher or as a champion of new music dur- considerable distortion in the music that is ing the twentieth century, although inter- played, making listening to the excerpts and views with Igor Markevitch and Leonard performances in the film almost painful. Bernstein allude to her promotion of Nonetheless, Mademoiselle is an interesting if Stravinsky and the interest she took in by no means comprehensive record of young American composers during her Boulanger’s last years of teaching. long career. An interview with Mon- saingeon interpolated through the film Kendra Preston Leonard touches on her belief in God as the creator Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania Wagner’s Mastersinger, Hitler’s Siegfried: The Life and Times of Max Lorenz. DVD. Directed by Eric Schulz and Claus Wischmann. Leipzig: EuroArts Music International, 2009, 2008. 2056928. $24.99. Tannhäuser in 80 Minuten, Opernparodie nach der gleichnamigen Oper von Richard Wagner. DVD. With Robert Meyer and Neue Wiener Concert Schrammeln. Music by Carl Binder. Libretto by Johann Nestroy. [Germany]: Phoenix Music Media, 2008. 804. $29.99. Max Lorenz is acclaimed universally as tenors James King and Jess Thomas among one of the greatest Wagnerian tenors of all his students. time, but his reputation has been tarnished This recent documentary makes no at- somewhat over the years by his alliance with tempt to hide Lorenz’ association with the the Bayreuth Festival during the years when Nazis, but it does not judge him, and it Winifred Wagner openly accepted Hitler does cite his protection of his Jewish family and the Nazi party as partners in reinvigo- and homosexual colleagues at Bayreuth. rating the festival after years of decline. The focus of the film is Lorenz the artist, Lorenz made his debut there in 1933 and and the many audio and video clips of him became the most highly prized singer on attest to his greatness. Preeminent among the roster, particularly as Siegfried. Like the commentators are the singers Dietrich many artists of that time, Lorenz chose to Fischer-Dieskau, Rene Kollo, Waldemar distance himself from politics and stayed in Kmentt, and Hilde Zadek, and it is delight- Germany for his art. He was married to a ful to watch their expressions as they listen Jew and was known to be homosexual, but to Lorenz sing: smiles, raised eyebrows, his artistic clout saved him and his family. knowing glances, and lip-synced text reveal While he figured prominently in the Nazi their admiration for their colleague. Film propaganda that came out of Bayreuth, he clips include a dress rehearsal for the 1934 was never a party member and after the war Götterdämmerung at Bayreuth with Frida was allowed to travel abroad to perform, in- Leider and several television appearances cluding to New York and Paris. In his later from the 1960s, with performances of years he was highly regarded as a teacher Strauss’ song “Zueignung” and Otello’s and mentor, with the American helden- death from Verdi’s opera, in which the 638 Notes, March 2010 technique may be going but the passion operetta style. Nestroy’s text narrates the and vocal beauty are still there. Included story but with numerous jokes about with the DVD is a CD of excerpts from a Wagner and his “music of the future” (and 1938 performance of Siegfried in Buenos how it will ruin your voice) as well as turn- Aires. The sound quality ranges from poor ing Venus into a barmaid in a seedy wine to acceptable, but it is an invaluable docu- cellar. Most of the humor depends on ment of Lorenz at his peak in collaboration knowledge of the original opera and an ap- with conductor Erich Kleiber and other no- preciation for Viennese accents and di- table Wagnerians of the era. alects, and as such it is more limited in its Jumping from the sublime to the ridicu- appeal than Offenbach’s parodies or the lous, we have a rare opportunity to see a comedy routines of Anna Russell. parody of Wagner’s opera Tannhäuser In 2008, the Vienna Volksoper presented which was written in 1857, just two years af- this piece as a one man show performed by ter the first performance of the opera in actor Robert Meyer, who is currently the di- Vienna. The playwright Johann Nestroy was rector of the company and a noted Nestroy a major figure in the history of Viennese expert. Accompanied by an ensemble of vi- theater, but his work is barely remembered olins, guitar, and accordion, Meyer plays elsewhere except as the source for the and sings all the roles with great relish and musical Hello Dolly (by way of Thornton is extremely droll, but much of this gets lost Wilder). Writer, director, singer, and actor, in the translation and will appeal mainly to Nestroy was a celebrated satirist and poked those who know Vienna and its people inti- fun at many of his contemporaries. This mately, or with a special interest in musical parody of Tannhäuser was written in collab- parody. oration with Carl Binder, a forgotten com- poser whose work consists largely of such parodies. The score quotes Wagner but is John Holland made up mostly of songs and dances in the Chicago Public Library Tony Palmer’s Film of At The Haunted End Of The Day, William Walton. DVD. Simon Rattle / Philharmonia Orchestra, Elgar Howarth / Grime- thorpe Colliery Band, Simon Preston / Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford, Goldsmith Choral Union, Highgate Choral Society Los Para - guayos. Directed by Tony Palmer. Featuring Yehudi Menuhin, Julian Bream, Iona Brown, Ralph Kirshbaum, Yvonne Kenny, John Shirley- Quirk, Carmen de Sautoy. UK: Voiceprint, 2008. TP-DVD113. $19.99. Sir William Walton seems to have stum- “Belshazzar’s Feast,” and the breathtakingly bled upon composing quite by accident. mesmerizing, unbelievably poignant aria He was a chorister at Christ Church “At the Haunted End of the Day” from Cathedral, Oxford and wanted some way to Walton’s opera, Troilus and Cressida, as well distinguish himself so that he would be al- as many more works that musically illus- lowed to stay on in Oxford after his voice trate the entire span of the composer’s broke. Unable to play any of the instru- distinguished career form the backbone of ments well, Walton felt that perhaps com- the film. position would be the only way he could Director Tony Palmer tells the story of avoid being sent back to his family, and so Walton’s life in ninety-nine minutes orga- he gave it a try. This visually beautiful DVD nized into fourteen segments that are pre- was originally a film first broadcast in 1981 sented in roughly chronological order. The on Easter Sunday at the South Bank Show in early years are depicted in a series of flash- London. The film is a deserving winner of backs reenacted with Walton and other the Prix Italia and provides stunning im- close relatives and life-long friends telling ages of Sir William’s estate on Ischia in the the story as the actors move through the Bay of Naples. Superb performances of story. The viewer gets a real sense of the works such as “Drop, drop, slow tears,” bleakness of Walton’s home life and the fact.
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