A German soprano has conquered America
mainEvelyn Herlitzius was past 50, approaching retirement age for an opera singer, when she made her US debut in January as Kundry in the Met’s Parsifal.
Next, she’s singing Brünnhilde in San Francisco’s Ring this summer.
Evelyn says: ‘I don’t know why it never happened before.’
What took them so long?
Report by AP’s Mike Silverman.
Who told you 50 is approaching retirement age for a singer?! She should be in the meat of her career at that age!
It’s “Lebrecht Day” today: sopranos retire at 52, and Marguerite Long was a mediocre pianist. Hopefully, like stockmarket prices, the reality will be different tomorrow…
Sopranos can retire at 52 as long as they’ve been working for SNCF.
You must be a man saying this….. Menopause is very unpredictable for female singers around 50. Some get through it lightly and only have a few ‘weak’ years, many don’t and have to stop…Hormones are stronger than willpower.
A very good question. I first heard EH at Bayreuth in 2004 as Brünnhilde and she was exceptional. How she has flown under the US’s biggest houses’ radars for so long is something I’ll never understand. San Francisco is in for a treat.
Because US houses want beautiful voices, not artists. Herlitzius does not have a conventionally beautiful voice. Also, US houses shy away from her repertoire (except Wagner) because they can’t sell it. No great problem. We in Europe appreciate her, and we’ll be around long after the US has hoist itself on its own political and financial petard…
I don’t know but I have heard her in excerpts from Walküre as Brünnhi and it was ghastly. Think it was this one
https://youtu.be/Iu4pxcjCLYI
True, doesn’t help the recording quality is poor but …..
Sbe was the superb Elektra in Chéreau’s superb production in Aix. A DVD exists.
Have U.S. companies been ignoring her? I recall a piece about her a year or two ago – by Alex Ross, I think – about her being a great singer who chooses to stay close to home, but that Peter Gelb, among others, was ready to move mountains to get her at the MET. Well, she finally appeared.
Sssssh — don’t disturb the Slipped Disc narrative by giving Gelb credit for anything.
The article was in the New York Times by Zach Wolfe (not the New Yorker by Alex Ross) and was about Anya Harteros, not Evelyn Herlitzius.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/arts/music/whats-keeping-anja-harteros-one-of-operas-greatest-sopranos-from-singing.html
always funny, when the US experts “discover” someone who ist around for 20 years or so at major European houses.
I still remember reading about Salvatore Licitra’s Met debut, a few years after his well-received recording of Trovatore with Muti came out. They seemed to think that subbing for Pavarotti (I think) was his big break.
The German soprano returns next season to Berlin in her signature role of Elektra. By many accounts she should have been the Elektra at the Metropolitan these days.
Staatsoper Unter den Linden
27. JANUAR 2019 18:00 UHR
3. FEBRUAR 2019 18:00 UHR
16. FEBRUAR 2019 19:30 UHR
24. FEBRUAR 2019 18:00 UHR
MUSIKALISCHE LEITUNG Daniel Barenboim
INSZENIERUNG Patrice Chéreau
KLYTÄMNESTRA Waltraud Meier
ELEKTRA Evelyn Herlitzius
CHRYSOTHEMIS Vida Miknevičiūtė
AEGISTH Stephan Rügamer
OREST René Pape
DER PFLEGER DES OREST Franz Mazura
DIE VERTRAUTE / DIE AUFSEHERIN Cheryl Studer
1. MAGD Bonita Hyman
2. MAGD Marina Prudenskaya
3. MAGD Katharina Kammerloher
4. MAGD Anna Samuil
5. MAGD Roberta Alexander
Opera Royalty.
How old is Franz Mazura?!?!?
A staggering 94 !!!
Can eagle eyed commenters remind me of her appearances at ROH?
her you go: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/10330726/Elektra-Royal-Opera-House.html