Newsletter Vol 14 No 3 May 2010
Editorial
At the memorial tribute to Wolfgang Wagner, which took place in the Festspielhaus at Bayreuth on Sunday 11 April, the Wagner Society of Scotland was represented by our member Mr Christopher McQuaid, who is also Hon. Vice-President of the Wagner Society of Ireland. Our patron Mr Donald Runnicles also attended, along with other prominent artists of the 'Wolfgang era'. Many leading representatives of the Bavarian State and the Federal Republic were present, and the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, attended in private capacity. Christian Thielemann conducted extracts from Lohengrin, the prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Siegfried's Rhine Journey from Götterdämmerung, and in a speech called upon Katharina Wagner and Eva Pasquier-Wagner to preserve their father's heritage. Eberhard Friedrich, chorus master of the Bayreuth Festival, conducted an a capella motet by Felix Mendelssohn. Footage of this Bayreuth memorial celebration will be included during our own tribute to the life and achievement of the remarkable man who guided and preserved the artistic excellence of the Bayreuth Festival over 57 years, from the aftermath of the second world war until well into this century.
Forthcoming Events
Sunday 23 May at 7.30pm: A Tribute to Wolfgang Wagner
We celebrate the career and artistry of Wolfgang Wagner, son of Siegfried and Winifred Wagner, great-grandson of Franz Liszt, and whose life's work was devoted to the service of the festival founded by his grandfather, Richard Wagner. There will be a display of books and memorabilia associated with him and we will screen a number of documentary items, interviews, and substantial extracts from his productions. The proceeds from this event will be donated to our Scholarship Fund, and appropriately so - as it was Wolfgang Wagner who set up the present Stipendienstiftung that enables young people to attend Bayreuth.
Edinburgh Society of Musicians, 3 Belford Road.
Admission £5 members; £6 guests.
Friday 25 to Sunday 27 June: Summer Study Weekend on Tannhäuser at Carberry Tower, East Lothian
The one Wagner production announced for the London season 2010-2011 is a new staging of Tannhäuser at Covent Garden in December. This makes the subject of our study school all the more timely. Members should have the brochure and booking form issued with the last Newsletter but further copies can be had from Derek Watson (address below). We still have places available - but please book soon to enjoy the comforts of Carberry and the chance to devote a weekend to gaining insights upon the glories of this great score.
Members are reminded that they will always be welcomed at Wagner Society events in London. Please visit their website for details: www.wagnersociety.org
The New Ring Cycle at The New York Met
The Metropolitan Opera in New York City launches a new cycle of Der Ring des Nibelungen this autumn, opening with a gala performance of Das Rheingold on 27 September. Bryn Terfel takes the role of Wotan, James Levine conducts, and the production and design are in the hands of the renowned Canadian theatre artist Robert Lepage. The performance of Das Rheingold on Saturday 9 October is also the first in the new season's cinema screenings of The Metropolitan Opera HD Live. Participating cinemas include the Cameo in Edinburgh [tel. 01896 752767; members' priority booking from 9.30am Tuesday 18 May, and general booking from 9.30am on Sunday 23 May] and the Pavilion in Galashiels [tel. 01896 752767]. For Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow check for any screenings and booking arrangements at your local Cineworld.
Die Walküre will be screened live on 14 May 2011. This performance will also be screened at the Aldeburgh Cinema as part of a weekend of events to be mounted in Aldeburgh (13-15 May) by the Wagner Society of London. The last such weekend there in 2009 proved very popular and was a showcase for young singers, among them James Rutherford, who is cast as this year's Bayreuth Hans Sachs. We will keep our members informed about booking availability for the Aldeburgh weekend.
The cast at the Met includes Deborah Voigt (Brünnhilde), Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), Jonas Kaufmann (Siegmund) and Eva-Maria Westbroek (Sieglinde). Robert Lepage remarks, 'The Ring is not just a story or a series of operas, it's a cosmos. The Ring is about change. I try to be extremely respectful of Wagner's story telling, but in a very modern context. We're trying to see how in our day and age we can tell this classical story in the most complete way.'
A brief trailer for Lepage's new production can be seen here
Special Book & CD Offers
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Chorus and Orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera, Munich
Conducted by Joseph Keilberth. Recorded in 1964.
Otto Wiener (Sachs), Hans Hotter (Pogner), Benno Kusche (Beckmesser)
Jess Thomas (Walther), Claire Watson (Eva). 88697594932
Sony Opera House has released this 4-CD set with a splendid cast, superb orchestral playing and masterly interpretation at budget price!
(Budget = the set comes with a booklet, not a full text.)
For our members it is an even better bargain at
our special price: £18.99 (+ £2.00 if you'd like it by post*).
WAGNER [Faber Pocket Guides] by Michael Tanner
with a foreword by James Fenton. Paperback. 300pp.
Faber & Faber, 2010. ISBN 9780571237364.
RRP £8.99 Our special price to members £6.99 (+ £2.00 postage*)
Always one of the liveliest and most thought-provoking writers on the composer, Michael Tanner's contribution to this excellent series includes a biographical outline, a crisp account of all the operas, notes on key musical features, a bibliography and up-to-date discography. For aficionados and beginners!
If you would like to reserve copies of any of the above for collection at a future meeting, you must pre-order through Derek Watson (address below) enclosing a cheque made payable to 'Linton Books' for the total amount at least 2 weeks before the event. Only pre-ordered and pre-paid items will be available at events.
If you would like the books posted, please remember to add the postage to your cheque.
* If ordering both items by post, total postage charge is £2.50.
News in Brief
- Thank You! A big thank you to all those who attended our fundraising Champagne Reception last month at the Scottish Arts Club, and to our special guests John Lucas and Dame Anne Evans. And thank you also to those who couldn't attend but generously sent a donation. The convivial evening raised almost £450 for our Scholarship Fund. Dame Anne was able to spend time with one of our former Bayreuth Scholars, Shuna Scott-Sendall, and with this year's winner Rosemary Sims.
- San Francisco Opera will present three complete Ring cycles in June 2011, each beginning on a Tuesday (14th, 21st, and 28th) at 8pm and ending on a Sunday afternoon. Our patron Donald Runnicles returns to conduct Francesca Zambello's production for the first time in its entirety. The cast includes Mark Delavan (Wotan), Anja Kampe (Sieglinde), Brandon Jovanovich (Siegmund), Nina Stemme (Brünnhilde) and Ian Storey (Siegfried). For early booking details contact Derek Watson.
- The Royal Opera in London will mount a new production of Tannhäuser (11, 15, 19, 22, 27, 30 December 2010; 2 January 2011): director, Tim Albery; conductor Semyon Bychkov; designers Michael Levine and Constance Hoffman. Johan Botha sings the title role, with Michaela Schuster (Venus), Eva-Maria Westbroek (Elisabeth) and Christian Gerhaher (Wolfram).
In our Next Newsletter...
...a report on the International Wagner Societies Congress in Stralsund, details of our events in July, September and October, and more book offers!
Chairman and Newsletter editor: Derek Watson, Deanfoot House, West Linton, Peeblesshire EH46 7EA Tel 01968 660339 Fax 01968 661701; e-mail derek@lintonbooks.plus.com
Secretary: W S Scott, 83 East Claremont Street, Edinburgh EH7 4HU; Tel 0131-556 2617; Fax 0870 0568159; e-mail will@elgar1.plus.com
Treasurer & Membership Secretary: John Holcombe, 4 Galleon Court, Lamer Street, Dunbar, East Lothian, EH42 1GX; e-mail john@holc.wanadoo.co.uk
