Operagasm » Der Fliegende Hollander

Time flies when Voigt is having fun!

cconnolley — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:30:07 +0000

Deborah Voigt, "Senta" in The Flying Dutchman, Photo by Ruby Washington of NYT's

After a ten year absence from the Met, Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer has returned just in the nick of time–huh, not quite! There is a dedicated audience for this particular Wagner favorite, a mythical tale of a satanically accursed ship captain condemned to sail the seas forever, allowed one fleeting chance every seven years to dock his vessel and find redemption through the love of a woman. And August Everding’s engrossing 1989 production effectively combines realistic settings with starkly modern imagery and yes, the ever captivating Deborah Voigt as Senta.

For as much a Voigt gave with a splendid performance in her first Senta, the rest of the cast lacked intensity, focus and Wagnerian vocal splendor. The main problems were the vacant portrayal of the Dutchman by the Finnish bass-baritone Juha Uusitalo and the exasperating conducting of Kazushi Ono. Read on for the lack-luster details from Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/arts/music/26dutchman.html

Deborah Voigt as Senta in Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer

cconnolley — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:15:12 +0000

On Friday, April 23, Deborah Voigt returned to the stage of New York’s Metropolitan Opera as Senta in Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman), the first time she sang this psychologically and vocally intense role at the Met (seven performances through May 14). Senta joins a list of Wagnerian heroines that Voigt has already made her own on the Met stage, including Isolde (Tristan und Isolde), Sieglinde (Die Walküre) and Elisabeth (Tannhäuser). It is also the last Wagner role she will sing at the Met before her much-anticipated role debut next spring as Brünnhilde in Die Walküre, part of director Robert Lepage’s new production of Wagner’s complete Ring cycle. This will be the first new production of the epic tetrology at the Met in a quarter century, and it will showcase Voigt in perhaps the most iconic role in opera. While in New York this spring, Voigt will also give another special “performance,” this time returning as host in the Met’s Live in HD broadcast of Rossini’s Armida, which will be shown in theaters worldwide on Saturday, May 1 at 1:00 p.m., EST.

Voigt sang the role of Senta with the Metropolitan Opera on tour in Germany, and is featured on the 1994 Sony Classical studio recording, with Maestro James Levine conducting, James Morris as the Dutchman, and Ben Heppner as Erik. After Voigt’s performance of the role in 2005, Boston Globe critic Richard Dyer enthused: “The voice was huge, bright, and refulgent, especially at the top, and Voigt’s technique extraordinary…The full, visceral impact of her tone when she unfurls a high B-natural and sends it spinning to the back wall is a privilege of live performance.” Earlier this season, Voigt received high praise for her appearance at the Met in one of her signature roles, Chrsyothemis in Richard Strauss’s Elektra. A critic for Associated Press reported, “Voigt made every phrase count. In the soaring melody with which Chrysothemis sings of her longing for motherhood, she filled the hall with thrilling sound.”

Later this spring, Voigt will give another important role debut, this time as Minnie in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West (Girl of the Golden West) at San Francisco Opera (nine performances, June 9 – July 2). Voigt will give additional high-profile performances as Minnie next season, starring in the Metropolitan Opera’s centenary production (December 6 – January 8). La fanciulla del West was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera, and premiered there on December 10, 1910. Following her Met performances, Voigt will sing the same role at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, beginning January 22 (nine performances through February 21).

This summer, Voigt returns to the title role in Richard Strauss’s Salome, performing at Switzerland’s Verbier Festival under the direction of Valery Gergiev (August 1), and at Japan’s Saito Kinen Festival (August 22 – 30).

For more information, visit www.deborahvoigt.com.

Laurence Olivier 2010 award nominations announced

cconnolley — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:00:20 +0000

by Christie Connolley

Every year the London Theater Society recognizes the best of London Theater with these awards named after legendary actor Laurence Olivier. This year the nominees in musicals and opera are:

New Musical: Dreamboats and Petticoats, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Spring Awakening, Sister Act.

Musical Revival: Annie, Get Your Gun, Hello Dolly!, A Little Night Music, Oliver!

Actress-Musical: Melanie C, Blood Brothers; Patina Miller, Sister Act; Samantha Spiro, Hello Dolly!; Hannah Waddington, A Little Night Music; Charlotte Wakefield, Spring Awakening.

Actor-Musical: Rowan Atkinson, Oliver!; Aneurin Barnard, Spring Awakening; Bob Golding, Morecambe; Alexander Hanson, A Little Night Music; Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

Supporting Role-Musical: Sheila Hancock, Sister Act; Maureen Lipman, A Little Night Music; Kelly Price, A Little Night Music; Iwan Rheon, Spring Awakening.

Audience award for Most Popular Show: Billy Elliot, The Phantom of the Opera, War Horse, We Will Rock You, Wicked.

New Opera Production: Der Fliegende Hollander, Royal Opera; Lulu, Royal Opera; Peter Grimes, English National Opera; Tristan und Isolde, Royal Opera.

Did you catch any of these productions? Who do you think should win?