Wagner Society of New Zealand Patron: Sir Donald McIntyre NEWSLETTER Vol. 14 No. 6 February 2020 A Wagner Honour for New Zealand WSNZ President Chris Brodrick Awarded a ‘Golden W’ different kind of New Year’s Chris has many gifts that make Honour was announced last him the ideal president. His A month. From Bayreuth, the enthusiasm for Wagner’s legacy is home of the Richard-Wagner-Verband, second to none. His wide expertise came the news that Chris in printing and publishing Brodrick had been awarded has contributed much to the the prestigious ‘Golden W’ onward spread of that — a coveted badge that is legacy, and his affable but given to Presidents to mark persuasive personality has ten years in office. regularly smoothed the The award is the first to be decision-making of many made to this country. As well as committee meetings. honouring Chris’s huge contribution The Verband got it right. This is it also recognizes New Zealand as an important Wagner centre, a ‘Golden W’ that marks a Golden which must be a source of pride for Decade for Chris and for all of us every member. in the Society. A Wagner Travel Horizon for 2020 his will be a busy year on the road for WSNZ members! important Wagner events in Brisbane towards the end of the Twenty-eight of them will soon travel to the Lyric Opera year – Opera Queensland’s semi-staged Tristan und Isolde with Tof Chicago to see its new, all-star Ring cycle. The trip is Simon O’Neill, and Opera Australia’s excitingly new ‘digital’ fully booked, but tickets and packages are still available for two Ring in November. Details below. A new Ring cycle to be directed by the dynamic New Zealand’s own golden-voiced tenor Simon O’Neill will Chinese/American Shi-Zheng Chen, with Allison Oakes and sing Tristan here for the first time in the southern hemisphere. Stefan Vinke in the cast. The Society’s nine-night package is The Society has an allocation of Premium Reserve seats for for the second cycle (19-26 November), with accommodation Saturday, 31 October 2020 at a cost of AUD195.00 each. In at Rydges Southbank, a welcome reception, a full-day addition, members can take advantage of a two-night symposium and a group lunch at the Queensland Gallery of accommodation package at Rydges Southbank (AUD264.00 Modern Art. Michael Sinclair will escort. per person, twin share). Prices start at AUD1,629.00 per person (share twin) plus the Members have the option of buying opera tickets only or Ring tickets (choices between AUD900.00 to AUD1,980.00). combining these with the accommodation package, This trip Members can purchase Ring tickets only. will not be escorted by a tour leader. Packages and tickets are selling fast, so please contact Space is now very limited so please contact Michael Sinclair Michael Sinclair at [email protected], asap. at [email protected], asap. A Wagner Membership Still Growing for 2020 Heartiest Walküre-type welcome cries of ‘Ho-jo-to-ho’ to the following members who joined since our last Newsletter: Anthony & Vivien Caughley ...................Auckland Michael Young........................................Auckland Alex Ladyman.......................................Wellington Michael Zaragoza .................................Wellington Rachel Payne ..........................................Auckland 11 Dunkerron Avenue, Epsom, Auckland 1051 • Ph: 021 610 869 • Web site: www.wagnersociety.org.nz Wagner Society of New Zealand • 2020 Programme Tribute to NZ Baritone Götter- Peter Siegfried Rodney dämmerung McCann Hofmann Twice Over Looks Back Act 2 October March March and March October Auckland Christchurch Wellington Dunedin Auckland Christchurch Venue: St Heliers Community Centre, 100 St. Heliers Bay Road Venue: The Music Centre, St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, Manchester St. Sunday, 23 February at 7.00pm Friday, 13 March at 7.30pm (NB new date) Peter Hofman: Wagner Singer Extraordinary John Pattinson: Sword-swallowing: Is Act 1 Sc.3 of Siegfried Terence Dennis reviews the career of the memorable a load of hocus-pocus, or did Wagner really know a thing or Siegmund in Chéreau’s Centenary Ring. two about making a sword? Sunday, 5 April at 2.30pm (note afternoon time) In this presentation, John will take a closer look at our hero’s semi-convincing demonstration of the Once More Through the Ring Schwertschmied’s craft in Act I:3 of Siegfried; is this A four-hour session where Heath Lees guides us through The demonstration a product of Wagner's long fascination with Ring, with extended excerpts from three different versions. the art of the blacksmith? This might be specially useful for those going to Chicago. Friday, 15 May at 7.30pm Sunday, 17 May at 7.00pm Cities That Have Championed Wagner Formals and Informals Michael Sinclair looks at cities, large and small, that have The Wagner Society’s AGM, and selected Wagner items. gone the extra mile to perform Wagner’s operas. Sunday, 12 July at 2.30pm Friday, 10 July at 7.30pm Return Visit of Antony Ernst Antony Ernst and The Ring Following his hugely successful visit last year, Antony Ernst Antony Ernst, Australian Wagnerite and artistic director of the returns to NZ. His subject in Auckland is Parsifal. Royal Danish Orchestra, returns with a lecture on The Ring. Sunday, 20 September at 2.30pm October Afternoon Meeting Parsifal Date and Time TBA A full screening of the opera plus optional catered dinner. Siegfried: DVD screening, with a meal between the acts. Sunday, 6 December at 7.00pm Sunday, December: Date, Evening Time and Venue TBA Christmas fare of Wagner items, plus cake and wine. Christmas Function Wellington Dunedin Venue: St Andrew’s Hall, 30 The Terrace (except 10 May) All venues from May onwards are to be confirmed later Sunday, 29 March at 4.00pm Sunday, 15 March at 2.00pm Venue: Black-Sale House Lecture Room, cnr. St. David and Leith Streets Great Wagnerian Singers and Conductors I have Worked With The Wagnerian Reach A retrospective presentation by the well-known Wellington Terence Dennis introduces Korngold’s The Miracle of baritone Rodney McCann. Heliane and Strauss’s The Egyptian Helen, two 1920s Sunday, 10 May at 11.00am masterpieces, written under Wagner’s powerful influence. Venue: Te Auaha: NZ Institute of Creativity, Dixon St. Sunday, 3 May at 2.00pm Prince Igor Reforming the Reformer Joint meeting with the Opera Society for a DVD screening of John Drummond discusses Wagner’s revision of Gluck’s the 2002 Mariinsky Theatre production of Borodin’s Iphigénie en Aulide for the German stage. A fascinating re- magnum opus. thinking of one great operatic reformer by another. Borodin (1833-1887) was very contemporary with Wagner Sunday, 14 June, time TBA (1813-1883). This unfinished work was revised and Venue: Te Rangi Hiroa Viewing Room, 192 Castle Street completed by Rimsky Korsakov and Glazunov. Wagner on Film: Das Liebesverbot Sunday, 21 June at 4.00pm Wagner’s second opera, based on Measure for Measure. A Documentary screening. Details to follow. lively, colourful production from Madrid’s Teatro Real. Sunday, 5 July at 4.00pm Sunday,13 September at 2.00pm Antony Ernst will be touring most NZ centres again this Wagner on Wagner year and arrives in Wellington on this date, with a lecture A guided tour with Terence Dennis through Wagner’s Opera on Parsifal. This event is not to be missed if his last year’s and Drama, with supporting film and sound examples. presentation is anything to go by! Sunday, 4 October, time TBA Götterdämmerung, Act 2 September/October/Date TBA The complete act from The Met, introduced by Terence Dennis. Date and programme to be confirmed later. Sunday, 29 November, 12 noon November/December/Date TBA Venue: Carrington College, 57 Heriot Row (Turn right off Pitt Street) End of year party. Our Christmas lunch date followed by goodies à la Wagner. Leb’ wohl Book Sales Harry Kupfer, Theatre Director, 1935-2019 The an invited obituary notice from Michael Ashdown Only Way arry Kupfer, one of the greatest of modern- Is Up Hday Wagner stage directors, died on the very threshold of the new decade on 30 December last Sir Donald McIntyre year. Born in Berlin, he studied at the University of Leipzig, working primarily in former East Germany To purchase a copy for the first twenty years. From 1981, he was director please contact Liz Lees of Komische Oper Berlin. 022 163 0069 or Kupfer's directing approach was strongly influenced by Bertolt Brecht and Walter [email protected] Felsenstein; he was attuned to opera as realistic music-drama rather than as a vehicle for singers. This influenced his characteristically elaborate and energetic Bank Changes direction of the singer-actors on stark, heavily stylised stage sets, with an emphasis Now that Kiwibank has dispensed on projecting character, motivation and immediacy. His most notable stagings with cheques, Treasurer Jeanette included Fidelio, Elektra and Pelléas et Mélisande, but the Wagner productions Miller recommends that: were especially memorable. Subs can be paid in cash to the His groundbreaking Der fliegende Holländer appeared at Bayreuth 38 times at 7 1. festivals between 1978 and 1985, earning him worldwide praise. In this early local organiser of your group during example of German Regietheater (‘director’s theatre’), Kupfer fastened on aspects meetings. Members should also give already inherent in the drama and presented them in a radically new light. Wagner's to the local organiser the renewal story of the accursed Dutchman who seeks redemption is retained but presented as form they will have received by post. an obsessional fantasy of an emotionally disturbed Senta. There is no redemption; The local organiser will bank the pay- Erik is unable to prevent her suicide, and the final outdoor tableau, with the Nordic ments and send the details to our town's window shutters noisily slammed closed, is devastating.