tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11593881002462582312024-03-08T12:09:13.646-05:00Notes on Richard WagnerDalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-4959703720378080832010-05-18T08:29:00.002-04:002010-05-18T08:33:12.990-04:00All-Wagner Concert on Friday, May 21Please join us for "Exquisite Love Duets and Solos by Richard Wagner," on Friday, May 21, 2010, at Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music, Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 8 p.m.<div><br /></div><div>Our soloists are Heldentenor Alan Schneider, Sopranos Joanna Porackova and Andrea Matthews, Mezzo-Soprano Rachel Selan, Pianist Jeffrey Brody.</div><div><br /></div><div>Program: Rienzi's Prayer, Elsa's Dream, Bridal Chamber Scene (<i>Lohengrin</i>), "Mein lieber Schwan" and "In fernem Land" (<i>Lohengrin</i>), "Ewig war ich" (<i>Siegfried</i>), Love Duet from <i>Tristan und Isolde.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Tickets: $20, members $15, students $10.</div><div><br /></div><div>For tickets, go to www.bostonwagnersociety.org</div><div><br /></div><div>We had our first rehearsal yesterday. It was absolutely fabulous! </div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-19900577548715819802010-03-13T10:42:00.003-05:002010-03-13T11:06:01.026-05:00Boston Lyric Opera's "Ariadne auf Naxos"Last night I saw a wonderful production of <i>Ariadne auf Naxos </i>by the Boston Lyric Opera. The singers were superb, and the sets intriguing. It was very interesting to note the parallels with Wagner's music. For instance, the nymphs' music recalls that of the Rhinemaidens, and they even sing of waves. There is also talk of a magic potion and the conflation of love and death, as in <i>Tristan und Isolde.</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Further, the Composer's music and ideas bear a strong resemblance to those of Wagner. The librettist, Hofmannstahl, probably intended this idealistic and grave character to be a parody of Wagner. Interestingly, though, I think this is only a half-hearted parody, as the music of Ariadne and Bacchus is so beautiful and entrancing, utterly Wagnerian. </div><div><br /></div><div>Strauss and Hofmannstahl have one foot in burlesque, and the other firmly planted in the romantic world. It is as if the two artists couldn't make up their minds about what opera should be, serious or merely entertaining. The compromise they worked out, surprisingly, is very effective, and the two plots run along in parallel very nicely. </div><div><br /></div><div>This opera offers something for everyone, slapstick comedy as well as serious mythological themes.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-2230536696700287602010-03-11T07:49:00.004-05:002010-03-13T10:42:32.308-05:00"The Unknown Wagner"We are looking forward to our lecture and audio presentation by M. J. Albacete.<div><br /><div>Titled "The Unkown Wagner," the lecture will include very rare recordings of Wagner's mostly orchestral music, with some songs.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Date:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> Saturday, March 20, 2010</span><br /></b><div><div><b>Time:</b> 2 p.m.</div><div><b>Place:</b> Boston Public Library, Copley Square, Orientation Room (enter on Dartmouth Street)</div><div><b>Free to All</b></div><div><br /><div style="text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="Book Antiqua"font-family:";font-size:10.0pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:7;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 48px;font-size:59px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">M</span></span></span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>J.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Albacete</span></b></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Book Antiqua';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> is the Executive Director of the Canton Museum of Art (Ohio) and the co-founder of the Wagner Society of Ohio, as well as an Adjunct Professor in the Art Departments of Kent State University Stark Campus (where he teaches the History of Architecture). He is also a long-standing member of the Ohio Humanities Council’s Speakers Bureau.</span></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:'Book Antiqua';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> His passion for art and architecture stand in equal measure to his love of music, which began in his high school days. His musical credentials include writing record reviews for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Fanfare </span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Book Antiqua';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">magazine for about five years, reviewing concert performances of the Canton Symphony Orchestra or the local newspaper for five years; he was a preconcert lecturer for both the Akron and Cleveland Orchestras and has been an annual regular with the Canton Symphony. His weekly radio program </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Classical Curios</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Book Antiqua';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> was presented for a year on WKSU-FM, and he has given numerous lectures throughout the community on aspects of classical music, opera, and ballet. He has taught courses on the history of opera and music appreciation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:'Book Antiqua';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Albacete’s interest in the music of Richard Wagner goes back to those early days as well, when he considered this composer’s operatic music—especially the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ring—</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Book Antiqua';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">the ultimate challenge. He “came of age” listening to Solti’s history-making </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ring Cycle.</span></i></span><span style=" ;font-family:'Book Antiqua';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Since then he has made his way through all of the Wagner operatic oeuvre many times over. At the Wagner Society of Ohio’s three past symposia, his curiosity was piqued by the fact that no one ad-dressed the “other” music of Wagner. Was there much “other” music, and if so, shouldn’t it deserve our attention too? Thus began his search for recordings of “Der unbekannte Wagner” (The Unknown Wagner). As his collection grew, he received an invitation to present samplings of his discoveries at a meeting of the Wagner Society of Ohio.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:'Book Antiqua';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> The search for CDs was conducted largely via e-mail to all of the usual sources, but a few elusive items required contacts in England, Italy, Germany, Australia, and South Africa. And he is grateful to quite a few friends here and abroad for their efforts in helping him find certain curios. Each selection is introduced with informative narration, arranged chronologically for the most part to reveal the gradual evolution of the composer’s talents. And while every selection will come as a pleasant surprise, some will have the audience wondering why these are not heard more often in the concert hall. The program surveys much of his piano music from the monumental sonatas to the miniature album leaves dedicated to some of Wagner’s “special” friends; we will hear a few cuts from his only complete symphony, plus various excerpts from other orchestral works early and late; there are the choral works written for patriotic, political, and even religious occasions, and songs all along the course of his career, culminat-ing with an emotional final selection. Just in case some listener in the audience wants to hear something NOT included in the program, Albacete plans to bring along the CD collection with him, and, time permitting, he will play one or two additional items or one of his newly discovered gems.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:'Book Antiqua';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For more information: </span><a href="http://www.bostonwagnersociety.org/"><span style="text-decoration:none;text-underline:nonecolor:windowtext;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">www.bostonwagnersociety.org</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">; </span><a href="mailto:info@bostonwagnersociety.org"><span style="text-decoration:none;text-underline:nonecolor:windowtext;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">info@bostonwagnersociety.org</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">; 617-323-6088</span></i></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div></div></div></div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-7185282044296162622010-01-18T09:44:00.002-05:002010-01-18T09:47:39.837-05:00"The Reluctant Wagnerian"Yesterday I attended a talk by Ed Tapper, a music teacher and owner of the used-CD shop Orpheus, called "Fom the Synagogue to the Stage." It was sponsored by the New England Opera Club.<div><br /></div><div>Tapper played numerous selections, and to my surprise, one of them included Helen Traubel. But instead of singing Wagner, she sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Apparently, Traubel sang Wagner only reluctantly, and this is the kind of music she preferred to sing! I suppose Rudolf Bing did her a favor by firing her from the Met after she sang at a night club.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-4579772660521260262010-01-16T10:05:00.002-05:002010-01-16T10:14:58.662-05:00Lecture titled "Tristan and Ecstasy: Perspectives on Isolde's Transfiguration"Last Saturday's talk by Professor Hans Rudolf Vaget was fabulous. But that's not really surprising. Prof. Vaget is one of the best Wagnerian minds alive today. The lecture was fascinating, and the speaker erudite. He played two rare musical examples: "Träume," a Wesendonk song sung by Kirsten Flagstad, and "Das Liebestod" (<i>Tristan und Isolde</i>), sung by Jessye Norman.<div><br /></div><div>Even for a seasoned Wagnerian like me, there was so much to learn and savor. Prof. Vaget went over the libretto of "Das Liebestod," a wonderful exercise, which enhanced my appreciation of this incredible piece of music.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also learned that Wagner considered "Träume" even closer to his heart than <i>Tristan und Isolde.</i></div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-59288988431498548442010-01-08T09:07:00.002-05:002010-01-08T09:12:21.445-05:00May 21, 2010, concertI have started preparing for our May 21 concert at the Longy School of Music. It promises to be exceptionally wonderful, with many beautiful excerpts. Titled "Exquisite Love Duets and Solos by Richard Wagner," the concert will include love duets from <span style="font-style: italic;">Tristan und Isolde </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">Lohengrin. <span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>In addition, we will most likely have Rienzi's Prayer, Elsa's Dream, the two Lohengrin arias, and Bruennhilde. Our tenor is the wonderful Alan Schneider, our two sopranos are Joanna Porackova and Andrea Matthews, both excellent singers. The pianist is Jeffrey Brody, who has much experience in this repertoire.<br /><br />All details will be posted on our Web site in the upcoming weeks.Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-38505645932632623312010-01-04T11:30:00.002-05:002010-01-04T11:33:16.464-05:00Update on the Boston Wagner SocietyMaestro Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, has joined the Boston Wagner Society as an honorary member. We are thrilled to have him as part of our group.<div><br /></div><div>After his most successful all-Wagner concert with soprano Linda Watson last fall, I asked him to join us, and to my delight he accepted. Maestro Zander was conducting Wagner for the first time, and it was a most amazing concert, thrilling, in fact.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is very exciting to have Maestro Zander be a member of the Boston Wagner Society.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday the board met for its annual meeting. It was gratifying to see how well our Society is doing.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-51924129643695725092010-01-04T11:27:00.002-05:002010-01-04T11:30:28.136-05:00"Tristan and Ecstasy" lectureThis Saturday, January 9, 2010, the distinguished scholar Hans Rudolf Vaget, Professor Emeritus at Smith College, will give a talk titled "<i>Tristan </i>and Ecstasy: Perspectives on Isolde's Transfiguration."<div><br /></div><div><b>Time: </b>2 p.m.</div><div><b>Place: </b>Orientation Room, Boston Public Library, Copley Square (enter on Dartmouth Street), first floor</div><div><b>Free to All</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Professor Vaget is a stimulating and erudite speaker. His knowledge of Wagner ranges deep and wide. He was the designated speaker at the Bayreuth Festival, sponsored by the Wagner Society of New York. He is the cofounder of the Goethe Society of North America and an award-winning writer.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-33548052944989993242009-11-02T08:44:00.002-05:002009-11-02T08:46:52.725-05:00"Wagner Outside the Ring"The Boston Wagner Society's talk by John Louis DiGaetani on October 31 at the Boston Public Library was a success. Prof. DiGaetani was an entertaining and informative speaker. I learned many new things about Wagner and his music, and members seemed to be genuinely pleased.<div><br /></div><div>If you attended this event, please tell us of your impressions.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-92090663953929369772009-10-19T08:25:00.002-04:002009-10-19T08:29:14.602-04:00The Wagner Society of Ohio is presenting a scrumptious symposium on November 6-8. Speakers are Speight Jenkins, William Berger, John Hale, James Mulder, and Saul Lilienstein. There will also be a special recital with Julia Rolwing and Lloyd Arriola, who performed for the Boston Wagner Society in May 2009. <div><br /></div><div>This is a very exciting event. Jenkins will speak about what it takes to make a Ring; Hale about the ring, chalice, sword, and spear; Mulder about the Ring's design and technical production; Lilienstein on Wagner's orchestra; Berger on broadcasting the Ring. There will also be archival film on Wagner. A wonderful event!</div><div><br /></div><div>If anyone is going and would like to write a review of it for our newsletter, please contact us.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-49963925117638443342009-10-12T08:13:00.002-04:002009-10-12T08:19:58.444-04:002003 "Parsifal" on SiriusThis morning I heard Act 1 of <i>Parsifal </i>on Sirius satellite radio. The conductor seemed excellent, and I was surprised to see that this was Gergiev. Normally, I don't like Gergiev's conducting, at least with the <i>Ring </i>Cycle. But here was expansive, thoughtful music with perfect tempi. A minor miracle.<div>Listening to Wagner first thing in the morning can be a bit problematic, as not all my cells are awake yet, and I need all of them to let this profound, enormous music in. But for some reason, it worked with <i>Parsifal. </i>I don't think it would have worked with the <i>Ring, </i>as there is too much Sturm und Drang in it. <i>Parsifal, </i>though, is gentler on the mind and body and akin to a dream state, from which I had just awakened.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-35535044679224132872009-10-10T09:38:00.002-04:002009-10-10T09:47:01.235-04:00The "Ring" in 70 minutesI am starting to prepare my talk on the <i>Ring </i>Cycle next month. I have about 70 minutes. How does one introduce total novices to this monumental work in such a short time? I did this last year also, and it seemed to work. Naturally, I left out a huge amount of material. But I couldn't end my talk without showing a video of "Leb wohl," possibly the most moving excerpt in all of Wagner. It seemed to me that the audience watched transfixed, so I suppose that was a good segment to show. Besides, this is the one that persuaded James Morris to sing Wagner, long before he became the reigning Wotan at the Met and elsewhere.Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-44512408044942395672009-10-01T09:46:00.003-04:002009-10-01T16:41:23.527-04:00I am busily preparing for Dr. John DiGaetani's talk and book signing titled "Wagner Outside the <i>Ring</i>." This will take place on Saturday, October 31, at 2 p.m., at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square.<div><br /></div><div>There is also an all-Wagner concert coming up in November with soprano Linda Watson. This is with the Boston Philharmonic. It should be wonderful.</div><div><br /></div><div>Running the Boston Wagner Society on a volunteer basis is a joy, but sometimes it can be very frustrating. There is so much to do during the season, and it's hard to work it in around my work deadlines. We have very few volunteers. I am very grateful for those volunteers that we do have. They do a wonderful job. But we need more volunteers. Still, despite all the hard work, it is a very much worthwhile enterprise, as I feel I am contributing to the cultural scene in Boston and its environs. I am also meeting wonderful people, members of the Boston Wagner Society as well as scholars and musicians. It feels great to have such a wide network.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-84950634507201708292009-09-29T09:34:00.002-04:002009-09-29T09:42:28.016-04:00We received the yearbook of the Richard-Wagner-Verband International, and our society is listed there. Wagner societies can also list all their yearly activities, which we have not done yet because it is quite expensive. However, we can get ideas for our own society from reading what other societies are doing, so in that sense this yearbook is very valuable.<div><br /></div><div>I counted 136 Wagner societies around the world, including places such as Zagreb, Tartu (Estonia), Montevideo, Charkiw (Ukraine), Beijing, Athens, and Bangkok.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's nice to feel a kinship with so many societies in places both near and far-flung.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-4262360565811773342008-04-26T09:58:00.002-04:002008-04-26T10:02:48.502-04:00Wagner, Buddhism, and "Parsifal"The talk given by Paul Schofield on April 19, 2008, for the Boston Wagner Society was a terrific success. Mr. Schofield, a Buddhist monk and the author of "The Redeemer Reborn: 'Parsifal' as the Fifth Opera of Wagner's 'Ring,'" gave a very thought-provoking lecture on how the main influence on Wagner was not Schopenhauer or Feuerbach, as is commonly assumed, but Buddhist thought. This novel idea needs to be taken very seriously, as it makes eminent sense and there is a lot of documentation to back it up.<div>The audience at this well-attended lecture listened with rapt attention and asked so many questions that the event went long past the expected ending time.</div><div>We hope that Mr. Schofield will expand on his thesis and write a second book, this time on how Wagner's music, rather than librettos, was influenced by Buddhism.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-37773196475896755942008-01-08T08:22:00.000-05:002008-01-08T08:33:40.742-05:00Die Walkuere at the MetI listened to the first two acts of a broadcast of "Die Walkuere" at the Met with great anticipation. This performance marked the long-awaited return of conductor Lorin Maazel and augured well. Unfortunately, Maazel's conducting lacked any frisson and was executed with military precision, so counter-intuitive for Wagner. Luckily, the tenor Clifton Forbis (Siegmund) came to the rescue by singing his heart out. His music was full of passion and care. At times his notes were inaccurate, but I readily forgave him. The other singers were more than up to the task also. James Morris as Wotan was in fine form and gave a nuanced rendition, at least vocally. Lisa Gasteen's high notes seemed to be missing, but she was a powerful Bruennhilde.<div><br /></div><div>What was Act 3 like? Please feel free to add your thoughts and impressions about the entire performance.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1159388100246258231.post-86732493659908891892007-12-30T09:55:00.000-05:002007-12-30T10:52:06.503-05:00Welcome to a new RW blogHappy New Year to Wagnerians all over the world! This is the Boston Wagner Society's first blog. We hope you will visit frequently. Feel free to send us your comments, which will be moderated and may be edited.<div><br /></div><div>If you are reading this post, then you must be familiar with or at least curious about the incomparable and sublime music of Richard Wagner. Wagner did nothing less than change the course of music history with his revolutionary ideas. He left a huge legacy for his followers, and today's composers continue to be influenced by his innovations. </div><div><br /></div><div>Those of us who are not in the business of writing music can but listen in awe and wonder at this unparalleled expression of our innermost thoughts and feelings, states of mind that some of us may be too afraid to reveal. The sheer breadth of Wagner's music leaves us speechless. It is deep and wide, ranging from the most sublime altruism to the most despicable act of betrayal. As we witness a Wagnerian music drama unfold, we experience passionate love as never before, profound sorrow and compassion, moral indignation, and rapture. To listen to Wagner is an act of courage. </div><div><br /></div><div>We hope you will join us in the adventure of listening and sending us your opinions on what you hear.</div>Dalia Geffenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08072085818279783289noreply@blogger.com3