Misery in Munich as Wozzeck goes missing
mainSuch is the excitement over Jonas Kaufmann in Die Tote Stadt that hardly anyone noticed Christian Gerhaher’s parallel run of performances as Wozzeck. The star pair are alternating on the same stage at the Bavarian State Opera.
Talk of luxury casting.
Here‘s a Wozzeck review.
And another.
No hype. Just epic singing.
Photo: Wilfried Hösl
broadcast live on Saturday 23rd https://www.staatsoper.de/en/staatsopertv.html (linked from BachTrack)
A few years ago Kaufmann and Gerhaher — both at their best in Lieder — were slated together for Das Lied von der Erde, but then JK agreed to sing both parts on other dates with the Lamborghini-driving Jonathan Nott, for Sony, and withdrew. (The mezzo/baritone part of course has the imaginative music.) Kirill Petrenko’s project collapsed artistically the moment lumbering, wobbling Peter Seiffert was hired to fill JK’s shoes.
Anyone interested in Gerhaher should have these two CDs:
Dichterliebe — ASIN: B0001M4DJ6
Die schöne Magelone — ASIN: B01NA7L2AN (being sure to buy this exact 2-CD product with Martin Walser’s crisp linking texts, not the disjointed single CD made for the UK and US markets)
Gerhaher has recorded a wonderful (IMHO) performance of Das Lied, but in order to hear it, you have to put up with the terrible* Kent Nagano and the equally terrible* Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. The tenor is Klaus Florian Vogt, if you like that kind of thing.
https://www.amazon.com/Mahler-Das-Lied-von-Erde/dp/B001XTLB14/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=gerhaher+nagano+mahler&qid=1574267925&s=music&sr=1-1
*according to the group wisdom of SD
It may be luxury casting elsewhere but these are the regulars of Munich. There is no better opera house anywhere else, provided one can tolerate challenging and ,at times, infuriating modern productions.
Not forgetting that this Munich Marie is also Korngold’s Marietta in Hamburg in December (with the other German tenor).
Wozzeck is an old production and Gerhaher has sung the role elsewhere. So nothing new when even remarkable. On the other hand BSO does a stream for Wozzeck but until now no date for Korngold……
call me an idiot but i listened to the whole die tote stadt over and over and each time it seems more tedious and dull and stale and full of a la r. strauss cliche immitations.It’s a totally worthless work.
It would be very rude to take up your invitation Sorin but, I can’t agree with you I’m afraid!
Anyway, back to Wozzeck. Live stream this evening, what a treat!