Anthony Rolfe Johnson, 1940-2010

Anthony Rolfe Johnson

The lyric tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson, well known for his work in the operas of Mozart and Benjamin Britten, has died. He was 69.

A native of Oxfordshire, Mr. Rolfe Johnson made the transition from the world of farming to the operatic stage. He joined a choir when he was in his 20s. A fellow choir member sent him to consult with a London-based voice coach. Much to his astonishment, Mr. Rolfe Johnson learned that he had a world-class voice. He set the plow down, and enrolled in singing lessons.



Mr. Rolfe Johnson rose to prominence as part of the "period performance" movement in the 1980s. He recorded several major Mozart operas with John Eliot Gardiner conducting, including La Clemenza di Tito, a role which he also sung at the Metropolitan Opera. He enjoyed a long association with Mr. Gardiner, recording the part of the Evangelist in Bach's St. Matthew Passion and St. John's Passion.

In later years, he expanded his repertory to include modern, dramatic works like Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes and Aschenbach in Death in Venice, another role he performed at the Met.

In recent years, Mr. Rolfe Johnson had suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

Mahler Mix and Match

Gustav Mahler

So this morning I was tooling around the Universal Classics websites (that's Decca and Deutsche Grammophon, mostly.) I found a new web applet for Mahler lovers. The company has opened its vault and created Mahler: The People's Edition, making it possible for listeners to select, stream, and download their favorite recordings of the symphonies.

Registered users can then post on the site their Dream Mahler list of the "ultimate" recordings of Mahler symphonies. It's a good idea, which can be later applied to Beethoven, Bruckner, etc. and might serve to open some of the buried riches of the catalogue to the casual (or expert) listener). Unfortunately, Das Klagende Lied and Das Lied von der Erde have been left out of the "Dream."

Anyway, here's my list. Please keep in mind that this only includes recordings that are available from Universal Music Group. It should really include something by Simon Rattle or Klaus Tennstedt, the new Bernard Haitink Mahler recordings with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the first round of Bernstein/New York Philharmonic recordings or anything conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. C'est la vie.

My list:

Symphony No. 1 "Titan": Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra cond. Leonard Bernstein. (1989)
Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection": New York Philharmonic cond. Leonard Bernstein (1988)
Symphony No. 3: Berlin Philharmonic cond. Claudio Abbado (1999)
Symphony No. 4: Philharmonia Orchestra cond. Giuseppe Sinopoli (1993)
Symphony No. 5: Vienna Philharmonic cond. Leonard Bernstein (1988)
Symphony No. 6: "Tragic" Vienna Philharmonic cond. Pierre Boulez (1995)
Symphony No. 7: "Song of the Night": Chicago Symphony Orchestra cond. Claudio Abbado (1984)
Symphony No. 8: "Symphony of 1,000": Chicago Symphony Orchestra cond. Sir Georg Solti (1972)
Symphony No. 9: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra cond. Bernard Haitink 1970
Symphony No. 10 (first movement only): Vienna Philharmonic cond. Leonard Bernstein (1991)

Because I'm a completist type, I would add the following recommendations:
Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra cond. Leonard Bernstein
Das Klagende Lied: Philharmonia Orchestra cond. Giuseppe Sinopoli
Das Lied von der Erde: Vienna Philharmonic cond. Pierre Boulez

Of course if all this is too much, you can just check out the new Mahler: Complete Edition boxed set, which compiles a "best of" from the DG and Decca catalogue and represents some of the finest available recordings. Some of them are even on my list!

Director Shakeup Rocks Met's "Boris"

Reposted from my page at Examiner.com

Rene Pape as Boris Godunov.
Photo by Nick Heavican © 2010 Metro

Director Peter Stein has withdrawn from the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Boris Godunov, according to a report in today's Wall Street Journal.

The announcement comes just ten weeks before Boris is scheduled to open on Oct. 11. Technical rehearsals are scheduled to begin in late August, the Journal reported.

Mr. Stein will be replaced by Stephen Wadsworth, an acclaimed American director. Mr. Wadsworth is an experienced artist who is currently head of the Met's Lindemann Young Artists Development Program. In recent seasons, he has directed the company's acclaimed production of Gluck's Iphegénie en Tauride, which is due for a revival next spring.

The production stars German bass Rene Pape in the title role. Valery Gergiev conducts. According to the Wall Street Journal Online, Mr. Wadsworth will use the same sets and costumes as envisioned by Mr. Stein.

With its muscular, naturalistic music by Modest Mussorgsky and grand choral scenes, Boris Godunov is one of the most popular Russian operas in the repertory. The libretto is based on a play by Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin's drama accuses Boris, a real historical figure, of murdering Dmitri, the tsarevitch, or heir to the throne. When a "false Dmitri" leads a revolutionary march on Moscow, Boris goes mad and dies.

Movie Review: Bride of the Wind

Behind many a great composer there stood a great woman.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Sarah Winter as Alma Mahler-Gropius-Werfel in Bride of the Wind.
Photo © 2001 Paramount Pictures.

This fascinating, overlooked 2001 film by Australian director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy) focuses on the life of Alma Mahler Gropius, wife and widow of the famous composer Gustav Mahler. Sarah Wynter (The Sixth Day) an Australian actress, plays the lead role. In her hands, Alma is pure fire and ice, a Viennese answer to Princess Turandot without the body count.