Metropolitan Opera Preview: Der Rosenkavalier

Viennese waltzes and bed-hopping: Strauss' comedy gets a new staging.

by Paul J. Pelkonen

Elīna Garanča (top) and Renée Fleming in a publicity photo for the
Met's new production of Der Rosenkavalier.

Renée Fleming has owned the role of the Marschallin in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier at the Met for the last two decades. Here, she appears in a new production opposite a new Octavian, mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča. 

An Open Birthday Greeting to Richard Strauss

A Letter to the Composer on his 150th Birthday.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

The composer Richard Strauss at his desk in between letters from an American blogger.
Photo © 2014 Richard-Strauss Institut, Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Paul J. Pelkonen
Editor, Superconductor
*** 44th St. Apt. *
Brooklyn NY 11220 USA

Dr. Richard Strauss,
The Villa Strauss, 42 Zoeppritzstraße,
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany 82467                             June 11, 2014

Dear Dr. Strauss:

I know we don't know each other and I am sure you are getting a lot of birthday greetings today. I wanted to take this occasion to wish you the very happiest of 150th birthdays and to write a little about what your music has meant to me in the past 25 years of my life. I'm an American music critic living and working in New York City, and my music blog Superconductor is frequently devoted to writing about your work.

Weighing In...On Singers' Weight

A few words on the Glyndebourne Rosenkavalier controversy.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Confronting her critics: Tara Erraught (right) in Richard Jones' new production of
Der Rosenkavalier at the 2014 Glyndebourne Festival.
Photo by Tristram Kenton © 2014 Glyndebourne Festival.

There's been a lot of Internet space occupied lately by the controversy following reviews of the new Glyndebourne production of Der Rosenkavalier.  Last week, British critics from major newspapers (including The Times, The Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times) took mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught to task for her body type in the performance of the opera's titular role. The controversy has since jumped the Atlantic and received coverage from the Washington Post and the New York Times website.

Concert Review: The Substitute of Choice

Fabio Luisi conducts the Munich Philharmonic.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Stepping in: Fabio Luisi was a late replacement at Saturday's Carnegie Hall concert.
Photo by Koich Miura © 2011 The Metropolitan Opera.

On Saturday night at Carnegie Hall, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra played the second of two concert programs featuring the music of its hometown hero Richard Strauss. Strauss hits the milestone 150th birthday this year, motivating touring orchestras to program his orchestral extravaganzas.  With the current Munich chief conductor Lorin Maazel sidelined due to illness, Fabio Luisi was called in as a replacement.

Opera Review: Absolute Beginners

Fresh blood revives Der Rosenkavalier at the Met.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Silver polish: Sophie (Erin Morley, left) receives the silver rose from Octavian
(Alice Coote) in Act II of Der Rosenkavalier. Photo by Cory Weaver © 2013 The Metropolitan Opera.

A revival of Der Rosenkavalier (particularly in the Metropolitan Opera's sturdy, attractive, and 44-year-old production) is always welcome. The opera premiered at the Metropolitan Opera a century ago, enchanting listeners with its mix of comedy and sentiment, spurred on by irresistible waltzes that make it Richard Strauss' most popular stage work. This is one of the house's oldest shows, a company classic enjoying its last revival before retirement. (Apparently, a new production is projected to open the 2016 season.)

Concert Review: 100 Nights of Fun and Games

André Watts celebrates a Philharmonic milestone.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

André Watts. Photo by Steve J. Sherman © CM Artists.

On Thursday night, the pianist André Watts made his one hundredth appearance with the New York Philharmonic. The program, which featured the soloist playing Rachmaninoff's well-loved Second Piano Concerto also marked the second appearance of an exciting young conductor, Juraj Valčuha, who is giving his first set of subscription concerts this weekend at Avery Fisher Hall.

Let's flash back for a moment, to Jan. 1, 1963. The Philharmonic was in a crisis. Leonard Bernstein had just learned that Glenn Gould had cancelled due to illness. The eccentric Canadian pianist was scheduled to perform Liszt's First Piano Concerto in a subscription concert. Bernstein turned to Mr. Watts, then 16, to play the solo part. Two weeks later, a repeat of the same concerto was broadcast on television, and an international concert career was launched.

Enough history. The Rachmaninoff work is well-known, from its distinctive opening of tolling bell-intervals to its famous main theme, later rewritten as a Sinatra ballad ("Full Moon and Empty Arms"). The bells open the piece played by the soloist's left hand long before the orchestra enters. This doleful sound that evokes the composer's love of Russian church music. Mr. Watts expanded on this idea in the first movement, letting loose a free-flowing stream of melodic ideas and good-natured musical argument with the orchestra.

When Opera Meets Baseball: The Lineup Cards

That's "Babe Ruth," not "Bay-reuth."

(Inspired by the Twitter conversations of Alan Held and Susan Spector. Thanks to you both!) 
Spring is here, the Mets and Yankees are playing, and I'm going to bring two of my favorite things together in the same post. As opera season winds down and baseball season winds up, we present these two fun lineups for your consideration.

The Heroes All-Stars

C: Calaf: (Turandot) The first player in the majors called up from Tartary. His signs are riddles to the opposition and he packs a wallop in the last act...er inning of the game.

1B: Siegfried. (Siegfried, Götterdämmerung) Too dumb to do anything but catch the ball, tag the guy out, and slay dragons. He's in the lineup for his..uhh durability.

2B: Papageno: (The Magic Flute) He catches pop flies as if they were birds.

3B: Figaro. (The Marriage of Figaro, The Barber of Seville.) He'll keep the pepper up in the infield and he's always willing to play two. Plus, he's the team stylist!

SS: Octavian Maria Ehrenreich Bonaventura Bernand Hyacinth Rofrano: (Der Rosenkavalier) The silver flash at short has quick hands. Good thing this team has no names on their jerseys.

LF: Manrico: (Il Trovatore) Impulsively chases down fly balls when the game is at stake.

CF: Don Alvaro: (La Forza del Destino) He covers a lot of ground out there, especially when Don Carlos di Vargas is after him.

RF: Wozzeck. Originally had him playing left, but he moved to right on the advice of his Doctor after seeing too many hedgehogs.

DH: Casey: (The Mighty Casey. Written in 1953 by William Schuman.) Just called up from Mudville. Strikes out a lot.

P: Fidelio/Leonore: (Beethoven's Fidelio) Has a wicked slider and is great in the clutch innings when the game is on the line.

Relief Pitchers: Lohengrin, Bacchus (Ariadne auf Naxos) Introducing: the bullpen boat!

Manager: Wotan. (Der Ring des Nibelungen) They lost four straight in a series to the Nibelheim Black Elves.


The Villains Team: Bad Guys Have More Fun

C: Don Basilio (Il barbiere di Siviglia) Ex-music teacher turned backstop is good at trash-talking (callunnia) the opposition. Backed up by Leporello.

1B: Attila: They got him in a trade (for two Gibichungs) with the the Budapest Invaders.

2B: Salome: Plays bare-foot. Boy, you don't want to see her contract demands.

3B: Councillor Lindorf/Dappertutto/Dr. Mirakle/Coppelius. (The Tales of Hoffmann) Like getting four players for the price of one.

SS: Klingsor: (Parsifal) They call him "The Wizard." Had surgery similar to John Kruk's.

LF: Boris Godunov: won the batting crown last season under very suspicious circumstances.

CF: Mephistopheles: (Faust, Mefistofele, Doktor Faust, La damnation de Faust) Who else? He moves with the speed of thought.

RF: The Witch (Hansel und Gretel): Pioneered the use of broomsticks in Opera League Baseball. Makes covering the outfield easier. Also, in charge of catering.

DH: Hagen (Götterdämmerung.) This heavy hitter uses his patented swing, the old "stab-in-the-back."

P: Don Giovanni Has an extensive catalogue of pitches. Prefers to have Leporello behind the plate.

Relief Pitchers: The Queen of the Night, (The Magic Flute) Hunding (Die Walküre) Like good villains, they arrive at inopportune times.

Manager: Baron Scarpia: (Tosca) They call him "The Chief." A tough disciplinarian, his team meetings are said to be torture.

Opera Review: Straight Outta Mozart

The Met revives Der Rosenkavalier
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Renée Fleming (left) and Susan Graham in Act I of Der Rosenkavalier.
Image © 2009 The Metropolitan Opera.

The Metropolitan Opera's current revival of its 1969 production of Der Rosenkavalier is a spectacular evening of Strauss, more than compensating for the bungled Tosca that hit the headlines at the start of the 2009 season.