Franz Schubert, Fierrabras - Salzburger Festspiele

Performance 27th August

My last visit of this year's festival was the rarely performed Schubert opera Fierrabras. Schubert, who might be the king of Lieder, was not really lucky with his operatic works. The bad librettos and the sometimes complicated plots are reasons why Schubert's operas are not really known nowadays. That is really a pity because his music is really great and has dramatic outbursts that I would never have expected by Schubert. His music reminds me of a mixture of Mozart and Weber.
The festival did a great job performing a rarity like that and showed that Schubert's operas are worth being rediscovered. The big problems with the production was the production itself. Peter Stein directed a Production that reminded me of an old bad knight saga for children. The costumes (Annamarie Heinreich) and the staging (Ferdinand Wögerbauer), although beautifully designed, just gave a very cheesy impression and together with Stein's directing some hilarious moments were created where hilarity should not happen.
At least the musical execution was great and showed the charms of the opera composer Schubert. Ingo Metzmacher conducted the Wiener Philharmoniker with great finesse, delicate taste and enough dramatic power. Also the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor convinced me once again with very tasteful singing.
The singers gave a great performance and sang on a very high level. Manuel Walser, a protegé of Brigitte Fassbaender and contestant of the YSP, sang the role of Brutamonte. His baritone is very good and it is incredible how well he conducts it if you think of his young age. He should have had a bigger role than that to show off his talent appropriately. Marie-Claude Chappuis sang the role of Maragond which was also very little for this beautiful voice. She sang a very beautiful duet with Florinda, but had no chance to let us hear her beautiful mezzo more afterwards. The also quite small role of Boland was performed by Peter Kálmán. He also did a good job. Unfortunately at bigger ensemble scenes he had some issues to be heard over the other musicians.
Georg Zeppenfeld also gave a great performance as a very noble and graceful King Karl. His profound bass sounds very elegant and his diction is very exemplary. His portrayal was very convincing and showed a great sense of acting.
Roland (not to change with Boland) was sung by Markus Werba, who has a light voice that seems to be more appropriate for more comedic roles like Papageno or Beckmesser. He surely did a good job but seemed a little bit wrong for a heroic role like that. Nevertheless his voice was able to perform this role without big problems.
Dorothea Röschmann sang Roland's big love and sister of Fierrabras, Florinda. Her voice has grown even bigger and more dramatic since her triumph as Countess Almaviva in 2006. She convinces with a strong lower and middle register which sounds very characteristic and velvet-like. Her dramatic outbursts were really impressive and her phrasing very tasteful. Also her acting is very good and shows a great dramatic feeling.
Eginhard was sung by Benjamin Bernheim, who I never heard of before. His tenor sounds very youthful but already quite heroic which fits this role perfectly. He understood to hold the balance between heroic and light lyric singing. Also the duets with Emma were highlights of the whole performance.
His counterpart was Emma, daughter of King Karl, and was sung by German soprano Julia Kleiter. She has a lovely lyric soprano voice with beautiful phrasing and a great sense of musical form. She did quite well in this role with all its lovely songs, duets and ensemble scenes. The smooth transitions and the clear sound of her voice were really great. She was definitely one of the highlights for me.
Finally the main protagonist, Fierrabras, was performed by Michael Schade, who is known mainly for his Mozart singing. His performance is probably summarized best by one word: vanity. He is quite famous and although his voice has nothing special he seems to think he is the king of all tenors. The moment he comes on stage you can clearly tell that he thinks of himself as the great star of the production which was quite annoying. Anyway his singing was ok and I really mean ok. His sound is, as I said, not really special and has a very nasal timbre. Sometimes he tries to sound more heroic which ends in a very strained sound that does not really help his nasal timbre.
Anyway the whole production gets 8 stars (just because of the musical part) due the bad production and the even worse libretto.
✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰- -

Giuseppe Verdi, Il Trovatore - Salzburger Festspiele

Performance 24th August

Lucky as I am, I finally managed to see this years main production of our festival for its last performance: Il Trovatore. Verdi's opera with the crazy and confusing story / libretto, but also with the many famous hits is a huge opus with enormously demanding roles and various difficulties for the producers.
The production of Alvis Hermanis transfers the plot into a museum where the museum guide dream themselves into the plot of the pictures on the walls. What sounds like a cheap copy of a Ben Stiller movie looked very beautiful on stage, but did not really help the complicated story. After a while it was just boring and annoying when the walls with the pictures moved around and showed new perspectives all the time. The costumes of Eva Dessecker were nice but sometimes not really flattering.
Daniele Gatti was conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor acceptable (at least not a disaster like last year's Meistersinger) but not really delicate and thrilling as a Trovatore should be. The orchestra was better than in Rosenkavalier and probably would have been even better with a better conductor. The choir was a highlight of the evening and showed that the Wiener Staatsopernchor can easily compete with other big choirs.
Another big highlight was Diana Haller - a contestant of the Young Singer's Project - as Leonora's confidant Ines. Her mezzo soprano has a very nice timbre and her stamina is on a good way. I had the pleasure to see her in a masterclass with Christa Ludwig at the beginning of the festival where she performed a Hugo Wolf song and showed great musical and dramatic talent.
Riccardo Zanellato as Ferrando had a very big profound voice which allowed him to give a very grim and fierce portrayal of this role. He transmitted great seriousness throughout the whole performance.
Artur Rucinski replaced Placido Domingo as Luna and gave a great performance. He has a very powerful and also very beautiful baritone voice which he conducts very secure and sophisticated. He is way better in this role than Domingo could ever be, because an old tenor is an old tenor and not a baritone. I hope that Domingo retires soon, for his own sake. Taking up new roles is totally immature and does not serve anyone but his ego.
Marie-Nicole Lemieux was a very powerful Azucena and totally fulfilled my expectations. Her lower register is very dark and has a very characteristic sound. Her higher register also shows a good stamina and a nice balance of dramatic and delicate sound. The only criticism I could do is that her final line (Sei vendicata, o Madre) ran a little short during the highnote, but as another critic wrote: noone falls down like Ms: Lemieux.
The role of the Trovatore Manrico was sung by Francesco Meli who I already saw last year in Giovanna d'Arco where I really liked him a lot. Unfortunately he could not do the same in this role. Throughout the whole performance he seemed to be enormously strained. Especially in the high parts of this role he was quite pitchy sometimes. The famous cabaletta during the 3rd act " Di quella pira" was a little disaster. The high notes were totally bad (if he reached the right notes) and you could tell that he feels really insecure and uncomfortable. Maybe this role is too dramatic for him and he should stick to lighter roles.
Anyway the star of the evening, of course, was Anna Netrebko as Leonora. She once again showed that her fame is totally comprehensible. Throughout the last years her voice gained power, depth and dramatic sound. Her stamina and her velvet-like sound make her one of the most beautiful soprano voices of our time. Even during the big orchestral passages her voice was able to be heard without any problems. Even her enormously delicate pianissimi are powerful enough not to be covered by the orchestra. The dynamic range of her voice is really impressive and allows her to show various emotional facets. Her coloraturas are also very impressive if you think of the size of her voice. Of course her coloraturas might not be the best ones but they are better than most I've ever heard. The role of Leonora fits her voice like a glove and she fills the role with great dramatic competence. Her acting is just phenomenal and is more authentic than most other singers. She totally knows how to deliver a role psyche and emotional life. The only thing that I missed was the final high d flat in the final terzet of the first act. I was quite sure that she would give us the pleasure of that note, but obviously she did sing it during this run.
Anyway, the performance was great with small deficits. I give Salzburg's Trovatore 9 stars.
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Richard Wagner, Tristan und Isolde - Salzburger Festspiele

Concert Performance 22nd August

Once again the Wagner ban of the Salzburg Festival was overridden for a concert performance of the Tristan Vorspiel, the full second act and the famous Liebestod. This single evening Performance featured a cast that many opera houses dream of. Daniel Barenboim conducted the West Eastern Divan Orchestra very delicate with enough dramatic Feeling during the ecstatic outbreaks. The only big Problem was that the singers were situated behind the orchestra which is - especially for a Wagner Performance - quite suboptimal. Luckily enough the singers were powerful enough to sing over the orchestra most of the time. It could have been way more impressive if the singers were situated in front of the orchestra.
The small role of Kurwenal in the second act (originally casted with Domingo) was just cut out due to his health issues. The also quite small role of Melot was sung by Stepan Rügamer who has a very strong tenor voice with a very youthful timbre.
Ekaterina Gubanova sang a very beautiful Brangäne with a very strong dramatic voice. Unfortunately she has a very strong and annoying vibrato that made her "Habet Acht" calls quite unpleasent. It really is a pity that her vibrato is so strong because otherwise she would have been a really great Brangäne.
René Pape sang a very strong and touching Marke who understood to deliver the disappointment and dismay of this unlucky character. His powerful bass voice has a very noble timbre with a touch of depression.
Peter Seiffert was an enormously powerful and elegant Tristan. He had no Problems to be heard over the orchestra and his Interpretation was very delicate and elegant. His voice has a very hero-like dramatic timbre and he sings with great ease.
The evening's highlight was - of course - Waltraud Meier as Isolde. Her signature role still suits her voice phenomenally and she definitely still has her high c's. She Shows that Wagner singing is not just about big voice but about intellectual and dramatic interpretations. Interestingly enough she does not have any problems with the high tessitura even though she sings her mezzo roles at the same time. Her timbre, her tone and her dramatic interpretation are just an epitome of wagnerian drama.
Her Liebestod is a Musical adventure that is captivating from the first note to the very end with "höchste Lust". The whole Performance was just unbelievably exciting and I loved every single second of it. Only a few things were missing for the perfect Performance but anyway it was a great evening with finest singing.
I give the Project Tristan and Isolde 9 out of 10 stars.
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Festival talk with Krassimira Stoyanova

18th August

After my Rosenkavalier performance of the festival I took my chances at the signing session and asked the artists if they would be available for an interview for my blog and thankfully it worked out. So I am very pleased to present the first interview on my blog with the phenomenal new Marschallin from Salzburg's new Rosenkavalier production: Krassimira Stoyanova.
I really would like to thank her from the bottom of my heart for this great chance and the very interesting conversation. Other interviews will be following during the next weeks, so here the interview:

Sie singen ja sehr viel italienisches und französisches Repertoire, also etwa Verdi oder Puccini, und nehmen jetzt das deutsche Repertoire in Angriff.  Ariadne haben Sie bereits gesungen, nun die Feldmarschallin, kommen nun mehr deutsche Rollen?

Wenn ich ehrlich sein soll, ich hätte nie gedacht, dass ich genau in das deutsche Fach so stürmisch einsteigen werde. Es kommt für mich noch eine Eva aus den Meistersingern in Bayreuth 2017. Das ist auch für mich selbst eine Überraschung, aber wahrscheinlich schaffe ich das schon.

Nach der Salzburger Marschallin sollte das doch kein Problem sein.

 Naja, das war nicht leicht, speziell der Rosenkavalier, das ist ja sozusagen fast eine Visitenkarte für jede Sängerin meines Fachs. Aber ich bin wirklich überglücklich mit der Rolle. Ich habe sehr hart gearbeitet, obwohl die Zeit für mich sehr knapp und anstrengend war, aber ich habe mir gedacht es ist wirklich eine Frage von Stolz und Würde, also muss ich das jetzt machen. Gott sei dank habe ich das geschafft.  Es kommt noch ein weiteres Strauss-Projekt für mich, aber dazu möchte ich erst einmal noch nichts sagen.

Aber man darf sich also auf mehr Strauss freuen?

Ich weiß nicht wer sich freuen wird. Strauss, das Publikum oder ich? Oder alle gemeinsam? Hoffentlich! Deshalb möchte ich noch etwas abwarten. Die Partie ist sehr schwer und ich möchte mich wirklich gut darauf vorbereiten. Es wird sowieso bald veröffentlicht.

Gibt es für Sie einen Lieblingskomponisten oder eine Lieblingsrolle?

Wissen Sie, es ist schwer zu sagen, ob eine Rolle mir liegt, so als Lieblingsrolle. Alle meine Rollen sind für mich wie meine Kinder. Ich habe keine Kinder, aber ich habe soviele Rollen, die für mich wie Kinder sind. Und eigentlich singe ich ja viel Verdi. Demnächst werde ich meine 13. Verdi-Partie singen, das ist Aida. Das wird in Rom unter Maestro Muti sein und später auch in München. Wenn ich so überlege ist Verdi vielleicht der Komponist bei dem ich mich am meisten wohlfühle.

Worauf achten Sie wenn Sie eine neue Rolle angeboten bekommen bzw. studieren?

Das ist fast wie in der Athletik, denn es gibt ja Leichtathletik und schwerere Disziplinen, wie Gewichtheben etwa. Wenn ein Athlet nur 70 Kilo wiegt, darf er natürlich nicht 300 Kilo Gewichte stemmen. Das ist im Gesang auch so. Ich muss sehen, ob die Partie nicht so ein „Übergewicht“ für mich ist, sondern genau für meine Stimme, sozusagen nach meinem Maß, geschneidert ist.

Wie stehen Sie zur Gattung Lied? Strauss‘ vier letzte Lieder etwa haben Sie bereits gesungen. Dem Liedgesang wird ja oft eine der Stimme wohltuende Wirkung nachgesagt. Können Sie das bestätigen?

Ja, ich liebe Lieder. Wissen Sie, Lieder sind wie kleine Monologe. In diesen Monologen müssen wir eine ganze Welt zeigen, eine Geschichte erzählen und das ist nicht einfach. Es gibt kein Kostüm, keine Bühne, kein Dekor. Alles dreht sich nur um den Gesang und die Geschichte, die darin passiert. Es ist beinahe als wäre man nackt. Wenn ich eine längere Zeit an Liedern arbeite, dann fühlt sich die Stimme wie neu. Es ist wie in einem Labor, alles ist sauber und geputzt, fast wie eine Stimm-kur.

Wir haben bereits darüber geredet, dass Sie oft mit Verdi in Verbindung gebracht werden. Was denken Sie macht Verdis Musik so packend und spannend?

Diese semplicità, dieser einfache Kontakt. Verdi war so genial, bei ihm ist alles so einfach, direkt und extrem berührend. Gerade in diesem Moment läuft im Festspielhaus Trovatore, nehmen wir also dieses Beispiel. Da folgt ein Hit dem anderen, jede Arie ist so berührend, jede Chorszene ist so berührend, aber wieso eigentlich? Weil das so einfach Melodien sind, die aber so spontan  , von der Seele und von Gott gekommen mit diesen tollen Harmonien und natürlich ist die Musik auch so grandios mit dem Text verbunden. Und apropos, das finde ich bei jedem genialen Komponisten so interessant: die Verbindung Melodie und Text. Das macht eigentlich das Gesamte aus.

So wie Wagners Gesamtkunstwerk etwa.

Genau, ohne den Text wäre die Melodie so leer und ohne die Melodie wäre Text einfach sehr schwach.

Haben Sie ein sängerisches Vorbild?

Ich glaube jeder Sänger versucht einfach 100% von sich zu geben. In all seinen Vorbereitungen Kunst zu machen, was ja sehr schwer ist und viel Arbeit bedeutet. Ich denke für uns ist es heute sehr leicht ein Vorbild zu haben. Wir müssen nur auf einen Knopf eines Gerätes drücken oder im Internet schauen und schon haben wir Maria Callas, Mirella Freni, Maestro Muti…

Oder Krassimira Stoyanova.

(lacht) Dankeschön. Es ist so einfach diese Aufnahmen zu hören, aber das ist auch gefährlich. Ich frage mich, woher etwa eine Rosa Ponsell gewusst hat, wie sie Traviata oder Carmen singen soll. Das bedeutet also, dass wir sehr streng mit uns sein müssen und zwischen den Zeilen der Partitur lesen müssen. Es steht alles in der Musik, denn der Komponist oder Poet hat alles schon geschrieben, wir müssen es einfach nur lesen und ausarbeiten.

Was halten Sie beim Singen für wichtig? Damit wären wir ja auch schon wieder bei einem alten Thema: Prima la musica oder prime le parole?

Nun, für mich ist es wirklich sehr interessant diese Verbindung zwischen Musik und Wort zu sehen. Ich wiederhole mich vielleicht, aber es ist wirklich wahr. Die großen Komponisten haben ihre ganz besonderen Harmonien nur deshalb gefunden, weil das Wort auf Sie gewirkt hat. Wahrscheinlich ist also erst die Poesie – es steht ja auch in der Bibel: „Zuerst war das Wort“ – und diese Poesie bzw. das Wort hat eine sehr starke Energie. Ohne diese Energie könnten wir damit nichts anfangen. Selbst ohne das Wort  direkt auszusprechen haben wir diese Energie im Gehirn, nicht wahr?

Viele Leute meinen ja, dass die Anforderungen an junge Sänger heutzutage viel höher sind als früher. Wir haben bereits über das Problem der Aufnahmenvergleiche gesprochen. Wie sehen sie das, ist es heute wirklich schwerer?

Es gibt einfach soviele Sänger heute. Es sind tausend, abertausende und ich weiß nicht wie viele es früher waren, aber sicher weniger als heute. Für junge Sänger ist es auf jeden Fall sicher nicht leicht heute, aber man darf auch nicht vergessen, dass man zuallererst einmal Talent braucht. Talent und dann dieses Feuer von Innen – il fuoco – ohne welches es nicht schaffbar ist. Wir müssen ein bisschen verrückt sein, etwas krank aus Liebe zum Gesang. Diese noble Krankheit hilft allerdings auch sehr und ich denke jeder hat seine Chance, aber zuerst muss man natürlich auf diese vorbereitet sein.

Was denken Sie über das Gesangsstudium allgemein?

Das ist eine wichtige Sache, sehr wichtig sogar. Die Sänger müssen viel wissen und zwar nicht nur musikalisch, sondern ein breites Spektrum. Kunstgeschichte, Musikgeschichte, wenn sie möchten auch Chemie oder Physik, denn das tut gut. Dadurch kann man sich einfach viel erklären und davon kommt, meiner Meinung nach, auch die Weisheit. Wenn ein Sänger jung ist hat er viel Kraft und jugendlichen Eifer, was einfach toll ist, aber es gehört auch eine gewisse Reife dazu. Man kann ja auch jung UND reif sein. Viele Leute sterben ja, Verzeihung wenn ich das so sage, alt und unreif und das muss ja nicht sein. Ein weiser Mensch hat einmal gesagt: Wer aufhört sich zu entwickeln ist bereits tot.

Unterrichten Sie selbst? Finden Sie es wichtig beispielsweise Meisterklassen zu geben?

Ja, das macht mir erstens Spaß, weil ich gerne helfe und zweitens gefällt es mir zu verstehen, wo das Problem liegt. Ich habe gerne aktive intelligente Leute vor mir und mit ihnen zu arbeiten macht mir große Freunde und gibt mir viel Energie.

Ihr Terminkalender ist ja wirklich brechend voll, was kommt in Zukunft  neben Meistersingern und Aida noch auf Sie zu?

Ich werde auf jeden Fall keine Azucena singen (lacht). Nein, Spaß beiseite, es kommt wahrscheinlich noch eine weitere Verdi-Partie, eine Mathilde in Wilhelm Tell, Manon Lescaut wird kommen und noch viele andere unglaublich schöne Sachen.

Was verbinden Sie mit den Salzburger Festspielen?

Ach, ich habe 2003 hier zum ersten Mal gesungen als Antonia in Hofmannstals Erzählungen in der wunderschönen Inszenierung von David McVicar. Leider fand die Presse die Produktion so kitschig, dass die Wiederaufnahme zwei Jahre später nicht stattfand, was sehr schade war. Sonst verbinden mich mit Salzburg viele schöne Konzerte,  jetzt natürlich auch der neue Rosenkavalier und auch die neue Strauss-Serie in ein paar Jahren.

Auch in Salzburg?

Ja genau, aber das ist eben noch nicht ganz offiziell.

Der neue Rosenkavalier hier in Salzburg hat sowohl von der Presse als auch vom Publikum großes Lob und Anerkennung erhalten, nicht zuletzt wegen ihrem bahnbrechenden Debut als Marschallin. Wie erleben Sie diesen Jubiläums-Rosenkavalier?

Ich bin wirklich überglücklich, genau in diesem Jahr, dem Strauss-Jahr, als Bulgarin diese Rolle zu singen, die ja sozusagen ein Heiligtum für das deutschsprachige Publikum ist, welches am besten von einer österreichischen, deutschen oder vielleicht noch amerikanischen Sängerin gesungen wird. Umso mehr freut es mich, dass ich mit dieser Rolle vom Publikum so freundlich aufgenommen wurde. Auch weil es ja früher eine andere bulgarische Sängerin gegeben hat, die die Marschallin unter Karajan sehr erfolgreich gesungen hat: Anna Tomowa-Sintow. Und deshalb bin ich wirklich stolz, dass ich diesen Weg sozusagen weitergehe. Noch dazu ist es wirklich lustig, wenn die Leute mich auf der Straße fragen: „Sind Sie die Marschallin?“ und ich antworte „Ja, ich bin die Marschallin“. Es ist beinahe als hätte ich einen neuen Beruf, als Marschallin (lacht).

Wie sehen Sie die Figur der Marschallin und wie liegt Ihnen diese Rolle stimmlich?

Ach, stimmlich perfekt finde ich, obwohl sie schon sehr anstrengend ist. Viele Stellen liegen in der Mittellage, nicht in den schönen Registern der Sopranstimme, sondern etwas tiefer. Ich glaube das hat auch einen Sinn: er wollte keine zu blühenden Töne, sondern mehr Charakter. Einfach eine reife Frau ohne viele Allüren. Die Marschallin ist eine sehr interessante Figur, sehr klug, sehr intelligent. Wissen sie, die Marschallin ist eigentlich eine sehr moderne Frau. Wenn man denkt wer diese Frau ist. Sie kam aus dem Kloster und wurde verheiratet. Schrecklich, nicht wahr?  Aber ist sehr speziell und  diese Geschichte mit Octavian zeigt ja wie nobel und selbstlos sie ist.

Und zu guter letzt, Ihnen wurde ja mit Günther Groissböck ein ganz neuer Typ von Ochs zur Seite gestellt, was halten Sie von dieser Deutung?

Ja, ein Macho! Wunderschön eigentlich. Ich finde Günther macht daraus einen sehr interessanten Charakter. Nicht bloß einen alten, eindimensionalen, dicken Trottel, sondern einen frechen, gutaussehenden Macho mit viel Selbstbewusstsein. Das ist einfach schick und passt wirklich wunderbar.

Richard Strauss, Der Rosenkavalier - Salzburger Festspiele

Performance 11th August

I was waiting very long for this and on the 11th of August it was time. I got to see the new production of Der Rosenkavalier at the Salzburg Festival. This new production of Harry Kupfer (stage: Hans Schavernoch, costumes: Yan Tax) moves the plot into the last decades of the K&K monarchy with big impressive monumental pictures and elegant props. I really liked the beautiful staging and the noble costumes a lot. This production is worth to stand in a row with the old productions of the festival.
Franz Welser-Möst conducted the Wiener Philharmoniker very gently but not as good as I expected. The orchestra did not play as qualitative as one would expect from an ensemble like this(well, big names are not everything obviously). The standard was still quite high but in fact the orchestra and the conducting were a little bit disappointing.
Nevertheless the singers of the performance sang on a very high standard with a few exceptions. Silvana Dussmann for example sang Marianne Leitmetzerin and showed her very beautiful strong soprano voice. As far as I know she sings roles like Kaiserin in Frau ohne Schatten and other big Strauss heroines, so she was a little overqualified for such a small role, but anyway she sang it very well.
Wiebke Lehmkuhl sang Annina and showed her very warm velvet-like mezzo soprano which sounded very pleasingly. She gave this role a totally new dimension and showed a more sympathetic facet of this character. Valzacchi was sung by Rudolf Schasching who also gave a good performance although he had more like an acting role due to the few lines of singing he had to do.
Tobias Kehrer as Polizeikommisar sang, according to the role, very intimidating and imperious. Stefan Pop sang a very beautiful but not really strong Italian singer and Salzburg favorite Franz Supper performed a very dignified Haushofmeister (Feldmarschallin).
Adrian Eröd performed the role of Faninal which suits his voice very well. He has a very noble and elegant voice which is capable of showing the elegance and also the weakness of this character very properly. Eröd's acting supports this impression and rounds the overall impression off.
Günther Groissböck was one of the highlights of the performance with his debut as Baron von Ochs. At the beginning of the performance festival director Alexander Pereira came out to say that Groissböck is a little bit indisposed due to a cold but still sings the role (thank god). Even without the cold his performance would have been impressive but singing this difficult role like he did with this indisposition was just incredible. Even though he might not be as powerful as other singers in the deep register he managed to be heard over the orchestras (even during the very profound parts of this role). His acting was just as qualitative as his singing and made him the perfect singer for this role. Finally an Ochs who is not shown as an old pervert but as a young arrogant, self-confident, vain and surely dangerous middle-aged Don Juan (as Strauss and Hofmannsthal imagined him). After this high-quality performance Groissböck will surely be the main Ochs for the next few decades.
The role of Sophie was sung by Mojca Erdmann, who physically seems to be the perfect singer for this role. Vocally, although she sang really beautifully, her voice had some issues with the size of the Festspielhaus. She had some troubles to be heard over the orchestra, especially during the deeper parts of this role. Nevertheless during the important key moments she was still satisfying and did not disappoint.
Sophie Koch, as always, gave a great performance as Octavian and especially the Mariandl parts were just incredibly lovely and funny. She is one of the main Octavians of our time and she never fails to satisfy in that role. Even though she sings it very often she does not make the impression of boring practice.
The second big highlight was Krassimira Stoyanova's debut as Feldmarschallin. I knew she would not disappoint in this role but after getting to see her I was just really impressed. She sang the role with such finesse, elegance, grace and beauty that she does not have to fear the comparisons with names like Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig or Renee Fleming. Her silver-velvet-like voice and the magnificent pianos she is able to sing make her the perfect singer for this role. Even her viennese accent sounded very authentic. She was able to maintain the ideal balance between powerful voice and delicate phrasing.
The Salzburg Rosenkavalier is maybe the best new production in years and features two new role models for the Marschallin and the Baron Ochs.
The performance gets well-deserved 9 stars.
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Richard Wagner, Lohengrin - Bayreuther Festspiele

Performance 9th August

This year I also had my Bayreuth debut with the Hans Neuenfels production of Lohengrin (set and costumes: Reinhard von der Thannen). Andris Nelsons conducted the Festspielorchester and the Festspielchor with great finesse and accuracy. The incredibly mystirious acustics of the Festspielhaus gave the orchestral sound an additional spheric dimension. Although you were not able to see him conducting Nelsons obviously did a very good job supporting the dramatic plot with the music and carrying the singers throughout the performance.
Wilhelm Schwinghammer was a very young König Heinrich but still gave a good performance. Only his deep notes could have been a little bit more profound and stronger. His acting was good although I did not like the idea of making Heinrich seem like a weak king. Anyway, Samuel Youn (who also sings the dutchman in Bayreuth) sang the king's herald and did a pretty good job aswell. Nevertheless I can not imagine him as a proper dutchman but of course I did not see him, so I cannot really judge on that.
Thomas J. Mayer gave a good performance as Friedrich von Telramund and showed a more dramatic side of himself than he did as Barak in Leipzig. I really liked that he is capable of singing Telramund very dramatic and strong while his Barak was very lyric and beautifully sung. This shows how versatile his voice is and also his acting was very satisfying.
Petra Lang was this evening's highlight with her unbelievably strong dramatic (mezzo-) soprano. Her voice has enormous power in every register and she surely knows how make a big impact and how to sing Wagner properly. The beginning of the second act was just mindblowing and her "Entweihte Götter" was a epitome of excitement and force. In my opinion she was the best performer of the evening although the average was very high in general.
Edith Haller, who jumped in for Annette Dasch, had to deal with high expectations because I was really looking forward to see Dasch as Elsa. But I have to say, she did not disappoint me with her very delicate but still very strong lyric dramatic soprano. Her voice sounds a little bit less dramatic than Dasch's rendition but also does not have the dramatic charisma of Dasch. Anyway she gave a great performance throughout the evening. Only the two high bs in the third act seemed to be a little bit forced and she was not able to keep them in the phrases.
Klaus Florian Vogt as Lohengrin was also incredible. He might not seem like a proper Wagner tenor but the role of Lohengrin clearly suits him quite well. He combines light delicate piano singing with a strong but still pure powerful sound in the dramatic scenes. Also optically he is a very appropriate Lohengrin and did not disappoint me at any point of the performance. He makes this role look very easy although he seemed a little bit more exhausted during the final act but still he sang very beautifully and did not fail to impress me.Well-deserved he got the most applause in the end.
Finally my first Bayreuth experience was really great and I hope to get there next year again.
The performance gets 9 stars.
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Orchesterkonzert, Philharmonia Orchestra - Christoph von Dohnányi - Salzburger Festspiele

Performance 7th August

My first concert of this year's festival had Strauss and Bruckner on its programm. The first half featured Camilla Tilling (jumping in for Eva Maria Westbroek who was sick) singing Strauss' four last songs. The second half was fully dedicated to Bruckner's 9th symphony in the fragmental (3 movements) form. The Philharmonia Orchestra played very delicatly, colorful and convincingly. Christoph von Dohnányi conducted very elegant and made me hear parts in the songs that I never heard before. Especially the last two songs (Beim Schlafengehen & Im Abendrot) were performed  very professional by the orchestra.
Camilla Tilling, who I already heard as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier in Munich, sang with very delicate and beautiful voice but had some problems to be heard over the orchestra (although I think they already played more quiet). Her voice just seemed to not have the power to exceed the orchestral part which was a pity because she really sang incredibly beautifully. Nevertheless it was very nice to hear someone who at least is able to sing the lines appropriate even though the stamina might not be the best for those songs.
During the second half the orchestra did not have to show consideration to anyone and that was perfect. The big outbreaks during the first two movements were played with enormous power but still not "just" loud. The themes very played very clearly and the dynamic bandwith was very impressive. Especially the Scherzo was really imposing with the almost brutal rhythmical passages. The final movement was played very delicate and was a appropriate compensation for the missing fourth movement.
All in all the performance might not have been perfect but was undoublty very good. I would give the concert 7 stars.
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