Home | Contact | Accessibility

Newsletter Vol 14 No.'s 4 & 5 August 2010

Editorial

A summer of Wagner for many - in Stralsund, Wales, Bayreuth and even a little in Edinburgh. The coming season brings more: the first instalments of the new Ring cycle produced by Robert Lepage for the New York Met are the most keenly anticipated performances (see our last Newsletter); Die Walküre Act I from our patron Donald Runnicles and the BBC Scottish SO (see below); and a new Tannhäuser at Covent Garden at the end of the year. As ever, I am most grateful to Janet Hilder for her excellent report on the International Richard Wagner Society Congress in Stralsund; and one of the 2011 events I anticipate with most pleasure is their Congress next June in Poland.

A goodly number of our members attended the last year of Tancred Dorst's production of the Ring cycle at Bayreuth this year. Those few of us lucky enough to have a ticket for Jonas Kaufmann's Lohengrin were fortunate indeed. Because of illness, he cancelled the last 2 of his 6 appearances (also withdrawing from a Salzburg recital) and was replaced by Klaus Florian Vogt and (for the last performance of the season) by his cover, the New Zealander Simon O'Neill. Nor, we understand, will Kaufmann return to Bayreuth next year; the excellent Ortrud - Evelyn Herlitzius - will also be replaced. I have never heard a finer performance of Lohengrin than Kaufmann's, either live or on disc. We look forward to sharing some of this with members as a post-AGM treat.

In our recent Journal (Vol. IV), I referred to the much thinner programme books now offered on the Green Hill and noted that it was unusual to go up there for light relief. Now that Hans Neuenfels has set Lohengrin in an experimental laboratory for rats (ask not why), then there are opportunities to giggle your way through an opera I had not hitherto associated with cheap laughs. The best joke was a rapidly-produced comic postcard depicting a traditionally-dressed Lohengrin making a frantic call from a Bayreuth phone box to Hamelin asking for help to rid the place of the vermin. What a metaphor!

Forthcoming Events

Sunday 12 September at 7.30pm: Annual General Meeting

Notice is given of the Fourteenth Annual General Meeting of the Society. Any member wishing to serve on the Committee should advise the Secretary in advance, with the names of a proposer and seconder. After the official business, refreshments will be served and something of the most recent Bayreuth Festival Lohengrin will be played.
Edinburgh Society of Musicians, 3 Belford Road. Admission to the AGM is free to all members: a donation towards the cost of the room hire would be appreciated on the evening.

Sunday 3 October at 2.30pm: An Afternoon with Lionel Friend

The well-known international conductor and Wagnerian Lionel Friend will share his wisdom about the composer, and tell us something of his career and his close working relationships with Charles Mackerras and, notably, Reginald Goodall at the ENO, with Barenboim in Bayreuth and Chicago, and recent work at home and as far afield as Australia and New Zealand. This glimpse of the Wagner world from the inside will be illustrated by several items chosen by Lionel.
Edinburgh Society of Musicians, 3 Belford Road. Admission: £5members; £6 guests.
This afternoon event has been arranged to allow members the time and opportunity to attend the Usher Hall concert that evening, which includes Die Walküre Act I.

Our Summer Study Weekend next year will feature Lohengrin and will take placeat Carberry Tower, East Lothian, over the weekend of 1-3 July 2011. These dates and this venue are now definite! Brochure and booking form will be issued early next year.

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 International Richard Wagner Congress 2010: Stralsund
A report by Janet Hilder

Stralsund - and in fact the whole North German coast - was completely new territory for me. As the train from Berlin approached the coast I began to get excited about catching my first glimpse of the sea. I had broken my journey in Berlin and visited the Alte Nationalgalerie to see their collection of Caspar David Friedrich paintings. This artist was born in Greifswald (just along the coast from Stralsund) and he conjures up the Romantic spirit of the sea just as Wagner does so brilliantly in Der fliegende Holländer. The Berlin collection included Moon rising over the Sea and Greifswald Harbour.

The Congress opened on Thursday 13th May but on Wednesday evening Der Rosenkavalier was being performed at the Stralsund Theatre. As the producer, and Intendant, Anton Nekovar is Viennese I was expecting something special but in fact the production completely lacked any of the Viennese wit, charm and sophistication of the Besch and McVicar productions for Scottish Opera which complemented the music so well. Of special mention was the Marschallin of the Armenian soprano Anna Ryan, who had the right type of voice and vulnerability for the role. The local theatre is also a real jewel: opened in 1916 and lovingly reconstructed in 2008, it is reminiscent of the Mozarteum concert hall in Salzburg.

On Thursday there was an arranged walking tour of the old town of Stralsund, which is almost completely surrounded by water. As a member of the Hanseatic League Stralsund was very prosperous, and competed with its rival Lübeck. There are fine examples of North German brick gothic architecture in the old town, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (They had to use bricks due to the lack of any other building materials e.g. sandstone.) In the 17th and 18th centuries the town came under Swedish rule but this seemed to be quite a friendly arrangement and the citizens were allowed a considerable amount of autonomy. Stralsund was heavily bombed during World War II by British and American planes returning from raids on nearby Peenemünde. According to my German guidebook the allies knew that supposedly crucial weapons were being developed and tested there - but there is no mention of the V2 missiles and the damage they caused in England and Belgium. (Incidentally one of the missiles being tested at Peenemünde was called 'Rheintochter'.)

The Congress officially opened in the Nikolaikirche with an organ recital and introductory talks given by the President of the International Richard Wagner Society Prof. Eva Märtson, the mayor of Stralsund and the Intendant of the theatre. The organ recital included the Siegfried Idyll, arranged by the English organist and composer Edwin Lemare. The Nikolaikirche, dating from the 14th century, is a fine example of brick gothic architecture. Despite the destruction of the altars and other church decorations during the Reformation, this church has one of the best collections of pre-reformation treasures in Northern Europe. Restoration work was carried out during the 1970s and 1980s, when the original colour painting was restored. After the reunification of Germany a lot of money was provided to restore the old town of Stralsund, helping to promote the tourist industry in this part of Germany which has a high unemployment rate. Fortunately the town has remained a lived-in medieval town and not just a Disney-style theme park.

After the church concert, we walked to the theatre for a buffet reception followed by Der fliegende Holländer. Anton Nekovar set the opera in the 19th century and, perhaps inspired by the close proximity of the sea, succeeded in conveying Wagner's atmosphere. The chorus sang well and the production had plenty of action without any unnecessary overproduction. Of special mention was the Italian Duccio dal Monte as the Dutchman - surely worthy of singing the role in Bayreuth. Erik was Heiko Börner; Senta was Antje Jansen.

Next day we set off on coach trip to the island of Rügen, which is connected to Stralsund by a new bridge (completed in 2007). We took a boat trip from Sassnitz to see the famous white cliffs, depicted by Caspar David Friedrich in his painting Chalk Cliffs on Rügen (1818/19). Unfortunately the weather was dull so there was no contrasting effect between the blue sea and sky and the white cliffs. The town of Sassnitz is worth mentioning as the place where Brahms completed the final movement of his Symphony No 1. At the harbour I was surprised to see an old British submarine flying a Union Jack - it was saved from being scrapped and had been turned into a 'U-Boot Museum'.

On the drive from Sassnitz to the seaside resort of Binz, the guide took us on a detour which led us from the heights of the German Romantic movement to the depths of its National Socialist past. Beside an idyllic long white sandy beach lined with pine trees a colossus was built covering almost 5 km. This was Prora, a 'Strength through Joy' (KdF) project, built between 1936 and 1939 as a sort of Aryan Butlins to provide affordable beach holidays for the average worker. It was designed to hold 20,000 holidaymakers and all rooms overlooked the sea. The accommodation blocks, as the only part of the project completed, still remain, but there were also plans to build a massive 'Festival Hall', two wave-swimming pools, a theatre and a large pier for KdF cruise ships. However with the outbreak of World War II construction work on Prora was halted and the workers, many of whom were slave labourers, transferred to the plant at Peenemünde. During the war it was used to house people from bombed-out Hamburg and from 1945 the Red Army and later the East German army used it as a holiday camp for military personnel. After German reunification the site was finally opened to the public in 1992 and a formal heritage listing as an example of Third Reich architecture prevents it from being knocked down. Fortunately this grim reminder of the past is hidden among pine trees and cannot be seen from Binz. A museum and documentation centre is now housed in the complex. It has provided a dilemma for local people on Rügen because of a suggestion to use the buildings as a hotel or holiday camp but the general opinion is that they would not be comfortable if the site was used for 'happy holidays'. I heard comments in the bus that this place should be knocked down, but then that would be an act of denying the past.

Our next stop was Binz, the largest and most famous seaside resort on Rügen. Called the 'Sorrento of the North' or the 'Nice of the East', Binz developed in the late 19th Century with the rail connection from the mainland. A direct Intercity train runs from Berlin to Binz. This once elegant and sophisticated resort has fine examples of 'Bäderarchitektur' (seaside resort architecture), including a Kurhaus and villas which have all recently been restored, recalling their former splendour. This type of carefree and cosmopolitan holidaymaking came to a stop with World War I, had a revival in the 1920s, and finally came to an end in the 1930s with the construction of nearby Prora. In the 1950s the East Germans turned Binz into their type of state-owned holiday resort and hotels and guesthouses were taken out of private ownership. Due to lack of money buildings fell into disrepair, but after reunification a lot of money was put into renovation work. The Kurhaus is now a first-class hotel, the beach promenade has been tastefully reconstructed and the pier rebuilt. Although the majority of villa-owners and hotel guests now come from the former West Germany, reflecting rather sadly the history of this previously divided country, the tourism boom has brought much-needed revenue and employment to this part of Germany and Rügen is once again a major holiday destination.

Special mention should be made here to the food of the region. The speciality is fish, mostly herring in all variations. My favourite was Matjeshering - pickled young herring served either with a yoghurt sauce, baked potatoes and onions or in a roll as a 'Matjesbrötchen' and accompanied of course by local Stralsund beer. This was a very welcome lunch included in our boat trip on Rügen!

On Saturday 15th May it rained all day - rain accompanied by strong wind off the Baltic! This was a day for museums. In the morning there was a guided tour of the Ozeaneum, which visualises a fascinating underwater journey through the northern seas. Completed in 2008, it has just received the 'European Museum of the Year' award for 2010. The journey starts with a recreation of underwater Stralsund harbour, complete with supermarket trolley and other species of rubbish (in fact it almost looked like a modern producer's set for Rheingold). There is a large tunnel aquarium called 'Helgoland' and even a tank which creates waves - the fish go into hiding and come out as soon as the water calms down. Afterwards I visited the German Maritime Museum, housed in a 13th century Dominican monastery. I don't think any changes have been made to this museum since reunification, so there was a lot of propaganda about how much the Soviet Union and East Germany had done to revive the fishing and shipbuilding industries after World War II. However there is no doubt that a lot of money and support had been given to these industries, which was very important for this remoter area of Germany - fishing and shipbuilding were perhaps the more successful parts of the East German economy. (Please note: what was done in the UK to revive these industries after World War II?)

The museum had a good section on the history of fishing with models of nets and trawlers, including the huge factory ships which had been built at the Stralsund shipbuilding yard or 'Volkswerft'. Founded in 1945 trawlers were built, first of all as reparation payments to the Soviet Union, and subsequently mostly, but not only, for Eastern European countries. In the 1970s Stralsund became No 1 on Lloyds Register for the manufacture of trawlers. Since reunification the yard has been completely modernised and now produces container ships for the Maersk fleet. Stralsund's Historical Museum is also housed in this former monastery. It is obvious from the exhibits how prosperous this town must once have been. Of special interest are the rooms recreated from various periods, Hanseatic, Biedermeier, even an East German living room of circa 1970. On the Saturday night a Gala Concert was held in the theatre, including Act I of Die Walküre. The roles were sung by three singers from Thursday's Holländer (Senta, Erik and the Dutchman).

On Sunday 16th the Congress concluded with a concert and gala lunch in Stralsund's Old Brewery. The youth orchestra of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern played works by Wagner and finalists of the 'International Singing Competition for Wagner Voices 2009' Betsy Horne (USA) and Falko Hönisch (Germany) sang excerpts from Tannhäuser. The standard of playing from the youth orchestra was exceptional and they included a new piece, Insignium, composed by one of the orchestra's horn players Derik Listemann - RSAMD take note! It must have been exciting for the young musicians to be playing Wagner in the presence of the composer's granddaughter - Frau Verena Lafferentz-Wagner. There was a concluding speech by Intendant Prof. Nekovar who stressed the importance of funding classical music for young people, especially in this climate of recession. He said, 'One Euro spent on music for youth means 10 Euros less needs to be spent on young offenders' institutes' - Scottish Arts Council take note! The concert was followed by a lovely meal and once again everybody made their farewells promising to meet again next year in Wrocław, Poland, where the highlight will be a performance of Parsifal.

Derek Watson adds:

Like Janet, this corner of north-east Germany was new territory for me, and despite the largely terrible weather I enjoyed following the Caspar David Friedrich trail, particularly around Greifswald and on Rügen. I may add as a coda to her Report that we remained for the Sunday evening performance at the Stralsund Theatre which was Turandot, again directed by Anton Nekovar. Perhaps ironically in the wake of Wagner Congress this turned out to be the most outstanding evening performance of our visit, excellent both musically and in staging. In the title role Anna Ryan was again outstanding.

My one regret is that despite our annual advocacy of these excellent congresses there were only a handful of us there from Scotland. Please think about coming to Wrocław in early June next year: it is a historical city of great interest, with a long history of association with Wagner, and in addition to the Wagner elements there will be productions in the beautiful old theatre of Tosca and King Roger. For full details of next year's congress, as well as a picture gallery of the Stralsund event, visit www.richard-wagner-verband.de/english Brochures and booking forms for the Wrocław congress may be had from Will Scott (address below).

A Brief Report of the Delegates' Meeting of the International Association of Wagner Societies (RWVI) held in the Theater Vorpommern, Stralsund, on Friday 14 May 2010 at 9.00am

Will Scott and I were joined by Maureen McIntosh, representing the London Society, and Christopher McQuaid from Dublin, along with representatives of around 50 further Wagner Societies, mainly European but as far flung as Tokyo and Florida. Professor Eva Märtson, President of the RWVI, was in the chair. The guest of honour was Dr Michael Hohl, Oberburgermeister of the City of Bayreuth, who gave tribute to the late Wolfgang Wagner ("his achievements in music theatre, opera and the works of his grandfather...can hardly be overestimated") and reported that the city will next year celebrate the bicentenary of Liszt's birth with an extended festival Lust auf Liszt.

The President announced that new Wagner Societies have been founded in Ravello, Singapore and in the south of France 'on the right bank of the Var'. She is particularly pleased that in Cambridge, professors and 30 students started a new Wagner Society - the first time a university group has joined the International Association. A new Society is also planned at Oxford University. Further new associations are planned in Le Havre, Bodrum (Turkey) and possibly even in Jerusalem, where 12 professors intend to establish a Wagner Society. She is prepared to carry all of the difficulties associated with Jerusalem. Music is what must bring people together.

There were reports from the treasurer, the auditors' report was presented, and the new manager of the Richard Wagner Scholarship Foundation, Dr Stefan Specht, addressed the meeting. Markus-Johannes Heinz, the secretary, who is responsible for the International Association's excellent website www.richard-wagner-verband.de provided on-screen diagrams of the site (which please visit!) and of the re-organisation of the RWVI along modern lines since the incorporation of the German and non-German Societies agreed at the Congress in Geneva two years ago. Currently, the RWVI has 121 member associations with 25,430 members. Of these Societies, 56% belong to the German-speaking area, 35% English-speaking and 9% to the French.

The important international work of the RWVI, its annual Congresses, triennial Singing Competitions, the Scholarship Foundation, the new and up-to-date links provided by their website, providing information and supporting Wagner events, seem a most valuable embodiment of the universality of the achievements of Richard Wagner, his heirs and those who wish to promote interest in his art. The financial contributions made to the RWVI by individual Societies were, until the recent reforms, based on €2.00 per member for German Societies, and a scale of €100-300 per Society, depending on membership numbers. After considerable debate, the delegates voted for a subscription to the RWVI from 2011 of €2.00 per member for all participating associations. I voted for this motion, which was accepted with a great majority. This may mean a small increase (affecting joint members mainly) in our own Society's subscription rate. But not just yet!

In 2012 the host city for the international congress is Prague (17-20 May); in the bicentenary year appropriately Leipzig (18-22 May 2013); and future options are Graz (2014) and Dessau (2015).

The International Society under its first President, now Honorary President Josef Lienhart, who was present in Stralsund, and now with the dedicated direction of Professorin Märtson and with the technical excellence of Markus-Johannes Heinz, the Scholarship Foundation led by Dr Specht, is a most important extension of our own commitment 'to further knowledge and appreciation of the works of Richard Wagner'.

D.W.

News in Brief

• The Lauritz Melchior International Singing Competition, founded by Poul Elming, celebrates the music of Richard Wagner at Aalborg in Denmark, from 6-13 November. www.lmisc.dk
• Derek Watson's Introducing Opera classes begin again in Edinburgh on Wednesday 22 September. Please book in advance by requesting a brochure from Derek.
• The Richard Wagner Festival at Wels, Austria, features a revival of Tristan und Isolde, 2-5 June 2011. www.wagner-festival-wels.com
• Edinburgh Players Opera Group invite you to their "performance" of Siegfried on Sunday 26 September from 11am-5.15pm. There is a suggested donation of £15. Contact our member Philip Taylor for more details: 01368 850235.
• Visit Bayreuth to celebrate a composer other than Wagner? Yes, definitely, in 2011. Lust auf Liszt is the city's celebration of the bicentenary of the great composer-pianist who is buried at Bayreuth. Events take place from February to October. More from www.bayreuth.de/tourismus
• ENO at the London Coliseum revive Nikolaus Lehnhoff's production of Parsifal next February. Cast includes Iain Paterson, John Tomlinson, Tom Fox, Stuart Skelton and Irene Theorin.
• The Mariinsky label release a new recording of Parsifal in September, conducted by Valery Gergiev, and featuring Violeta Urmana, Gary Lehman and René Pape. www.mariinskylabel.com
• The Philharmonia perform Tristan und Isolde with Bill Viola's video projections: Festival Hall, London, on 26 September; Symphony Hall, Birmingham, on 23 September.
• Opera North will perform the Ring operas in concert form, beginning with Das Rheingold in June 2011.
• At the Usher Hall on 3 October at 7.30pm, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by our patron Donald Runnicles, perform Act One of Die Walküre with Heidi Melton (Sieglinde), Stuart Skelton (Siegmund) and Reinhard Hagen (Hunding). The concert begins with the Sibelius Violin Concerto, soloist Jasmine Jansen.
• The next study weekend in Derek Watson's Richard Strauss series will be on Intermezzo at Carberry Tower, 18-20 March 2011. Wagner Society members will receive a brochure and booking form with the next Newsletter.

In our Next Newsletter...

...details of our events in November, December and the new year, and further special 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

Top

Latest News

• Sunday 22nd January 2012 at 7.30 pm:

'The Music Shines Through The Fog': a personal exploration of recordings and reflections on productions of Parsifal - by Christopher McQuaid

More...