Tristan & Isolde
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Wagner Society of New Zealand Patron: Sir Donald McIntyre NEWSLETTER Vol. 12 No. 2 September 2014 Tristan & Isolde: TRIUMPH! Mixed Emotions July 2014: two performances of Wagner one in each hemisphere and two different reactions. In Auckland the response to the APO’s concert performance brought the audience to its feet cheering. In the words of Jeanette Miller and Richard Green: “More’s the pity if it were to prove a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience—the massed standing ovation that greeted the final chord of the Auckland Philharmonia’s Tristan und Isolde was surely testament enough that New Zealand audiences have a hunger for more of the same. 12,000 miles away (give or take a few) the audience in Bayreuth was Eckehard Stier conducts while Daveda Karanas (Brangäne) keeps watch. Photo: Adrian Malloch also on its feet reacting to Frank Castorf’s ‘radically deconstructed’ Those members of the Wagner the Steersman, opened Act 1. We Ring with a different sort of hunger Society who were lucky enough to were then enthralled by Annalena in mind. Lance Ryan, who sings attend the Auckland Philharmonia’s Persson’s Isolde and Daveda Karanas the role of Siegfried in this year’s concert performance of Tristan & as Brangäne. Persson’s voice was bright production, gave the following Isolde not only became part of history, and clear while Karanas’ singing was quote to The Guardian: “I have attending the New Zealand premiere contrastingly rich and lustrous giving never come across an audience with of the work, but were treated to a the impression that she always had so much hatred, so much anger, wonderful performance. more in reserve. These two quickly such a thirst for revenge. They take For those who could not be there established their characters and Lars everything personally. It makes you we asked four members of the Society, Cleveman (Tristan) arrived on stage, a little bit scared, and it’s really quite Bob O’Hara, Neil Jenkins, Jeanette his ringing heldentenor stamping a terrifying.” Miller and Richard Green, to share their mark of exceptional quality on the So much for killing the dragon, thoughts with us. performance. Eckehard Stier made no dispatching Mime and making Bob O’Hara: visible effort to subdue the volume of kindling out of Wotans spear! “With a stellar cast of international his large orchestra to accompany the Has the boy who knows no fear singers this performance promised singers and they had to sing nearly all finally found something terrifying? to be an exciting event. There was a of their lines with resonant ‘edge’ to But was it the audience or the pregnant pause as conductor Eckehard cut through the orchestral volume. In production that was terrifying: The Stier raised his baton, then launched a large Wagnerian role opera singers sword replaced by a Kalashnikov into the poignant cello opening of the have to ‘pace’ themselves in order to gun, Wotan receiving oral sex Prelude. We then heard the Tristan survive to the very end. It was a mark of from Erda and plastic crocodiles chord for the first time and began to the experience of these three principals crawling across the stage? Berliner appreciate the musical challenge of that they were able to do this without Zeitung’s reviewer wrote that the Wagner’s enigmatic modulations. The any sign of holding themselves in performance was perfectly bearable orchestra were superb: playing at an reserve. as long as one kept one’s eyes exceptionally high standard throughout When Brangäne admits that the drink closed. the work. Tenor Henry Choo, singing she prepared was in fact a love potion, 11 Dunkerron Avenue, Epsom, Auckland 1051 • Ph: (09) 520 4690 • Web site: www.wagnersociety.org.nz the two lovers are rendered speechless. It is at this point that Wagner brings Wagner Society of New Zealand Act 1 to a dramatic conclusion with a glorious trumpet fanfare as the curtain 2014 Programme Details falls on the act. Auckland In Act 2 the King and his court are Christchurch out on a hunting expedition and Sunday, 31 August at 7.30pm (NOTE Friday, 31 October at 7.30pm Brangäne warns Isolde as she senses TIME) Venue: Lecture Theatre A6, University a trap set by the jealous Melot. Isolde Venue: Music Theatre, School of Music, of Canterbury disregards the warning and signals University of Auckland, 6 Symonds St Rounding off the Wagner bicentenary Tristan who joins her in an ecstatic DVD Screening: Tannhäuser Acts 2 & 3 year: Michael Sinclair, former secretary duet in which they sing a melodic Following Act 1, that was shown earlier of the WSNZ, takes us through the form of the enigmatic Tristan chord in the year, Ken Tomkins introduces Wagner year of 2013 with images, first heard in the Prelude. Despite Acts 2 & 3 of the popular Baden-Baden music and video from around the Brangäne’s beautiful warning, production. Replaces the previously world including a round-up of the sung while keeping watch from the advertised Die Walkure Melbourne Ring organ loft, the two lovers abandon Sunday, 7 December at 7.30pm Sunday, 30 November at 6.00pm themselves to their growing passion Venue: Music Theatre, School of Music, Venue: TBA and ecstasy using the darkness of the University of Auckland, 6 Symonds St Christmas Party. Details later night to hide their loving embraces. Christmas Function: The music climaxes when Melot and Featuring a presentation by Professor King Marke burst in on the couple’s Heath Lees on the Ups and Downs of Dunedin embrace. King Marke, sung by bass, Wagner on Film Rúni Brattaberg, then launches into Sunday, 5 October at 2.00pm Venue: what Sir Donald McIntyre always Wellington Black-Sale House, Department of refers to as “King Marke’s twenty Sunday, 21 September at 5.30pm Music, The University of Otago minute moan”. Brattaberg’s delivery (NOTE TIME) The View from the Stage - Part 3 was powerfully sung and backed by Venue: St Andrew’s on the Terrace, (1924 -1944): Chris Brodrick continues an eloquent bass clarinet obligato Church Hall his series on the Bayreuth Festival by Bridgit Miles. Tristan challenges John Pattinson will give an illustrated visitors Melot and then falls on his adversary’s talk entitled Wagner and the Operatic Sunday, 7 December at 12.00 noon sword, suffering a serious wound. Drug Scene Venue: Te Rangi Hiroa College, Act 3 opens in melancholy mood Sunday, 16 November at 4.00pm 192 Castle Street, Dunedin with Martin Lee’s eloquent cor anglais. [venue to be confirmed] Christmas Luncheon followed by Kurwenal has brought Tristan to The Ups and Downs of Wagner on Historical Perspectives: Winifred Kareol Castle and, unable to dress his Film: Professor Heath Lees will talk Wagner, wife of Wagner’s son wounds, summons Isolde as he has about Wagner in film, and the making Siegfried, was the director of the faith in her healing powers. In this act of the film Wagner’s Ring – A Tale Told Bayreuth Festival through the Bo Skovhus showed his consummate In Music momentous period of 1930-1945. experience of the Kurwenal role December In 1975 she was interviewed by and sang with precision and intense Christmas Party. Details later German film director Syberberg. feeling. His rich baritone voice This presentation will cover excerpts commanded the stage and projected New members from the original five hour interview. Kurwenal’s role to perfection. When A big Wagnerian welcome to: German, with English subtitles Melot and King Marke arrive with John & Margaret Skegg ....... Auckland Brangäne, Kurwenal believes they Jane Cameron ................Christchurch Hey Big Spenders! have come for vengeance rather Diana Wallingford..............Whitianga than forgiveness and pardon, and he The Australian reports that throws himself at Melot killing him Farewell Wagnerites who descended on before being fatally injured himself. With sadness we report the death Melbourne last November for Opera When Tristan dies in Isolde’s arms, of Wellington member, Peter Australia’s Ring Cycle boosted spending she becomes lost in a vision of their Heginbotham. in the state by $15.8m. complete union in death, and she An economic impact study shows concludes the opera with the famous Crossword Clues Answers : visitor spending on hotels, meals, Last clue: DONNER-E-D clue: Last Liebestod. This was beautifully sung transport and shops exceeded by ‘R’ by and was a fitting end to the opera. expectations. anagram of ‘the gun’ gun’ ‘the of anagram GUNTHE-R 30 At the conclusion of the opera, the audience rose as one and gave ‘R’ a standing ovation to the soloists, anagram of ‘duel’ by by ‘duel’ of anagram R-ULED 29 conductor and orchestra as they took STAB 25 their bows on stage. This New Zealand anagram of ‘part’ of anagram PRAT! 22 premiere was a truly momentous ‘n’ inside ‘bet’ inside ‘n’ WAG(N)ER 19 occasion – magnificent performance inside R & N & R inside worthy of the event. On reflection one anagram of Freia Freia of anagram R(EFRAI)N 13 could say that the orchestra were the anagram of spelt of anagram SLEPT 11 true stars of this performance, and D = Germany IVR code IVR Germany = D Pe(D)Al 8 while every section played well, the woodwind and horn sections were Crossword Clues Answers : Answers Clues Crossword Melbourne Ring. Photo: Jeff Busby especially effective.” Jeanette Miller and Richard Green: Tristan & Isolde was supported by The Wagner New Zealand Foundation “More’s the pity if it were to prove a and The Wagner Society of New Zealand once-in-a-lifetime concert experience— the massed standing ovation that greeted the final chord of the Auckland Philharmonia’s Tristan und Isolde was surely testament enough that New Zealand audiences have a hunger for more of the same.