News Flash from The Wagner Society of Santa Fe January 25, 2017 Attention Wagner newbies and connoisseurs! CLICK THE DOWNLOAD LINK BELOW TO OPEN THE COMPLETE ANNOUNCEMENT. Tickets are now on sale for two highly anticipated Ring productions in 2018 one at the famed Semperoper in Dresden, Germany, another at the "other" SF Opera in San Francisco. Semperoper (left) will present two Ring cycles with German and English subtitles: Cycle I: January 13, 14, 18, and 20 Cycle 2: January 29 and 30, February 1 and 4 (Several Wagner Society of Santa Fe members are planning to attend Cycle 1.) Tickets for each complete cycle (not per opera) run 237.50 to 502.50 and are available by telephone or mail only (no internet sales). The box office telephone number is 011 49 351 4911 706. For more information, link to Semperoper Ring 2018. These tickets are expected to sell out quickly because of an excellent cast led by one of the most sought-after Wagner conductors, Christian Thielemann, who is the principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, director of the Salzburg Easter Festival, and music director of the Bayreuth Festival. Among the singers are fast-rising heldentenor Andreas Schager as Siegfried and Kurt Streit as Loge. Kurt, a leading Mozart interpreter with an expanding repertoire, particularly in Europe, has a New Mexico connection he studied at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and has sung at the Santa Fe Opera, both as an apprentice and on the main stage. He is returning to Santa Fe this summer to sing Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, which opens the 2017 season. We expect Wagner Society members from the United States and abroad to converge in Dresden, as more than 30 did in Leipzig last May (click the download link to open the Leipzig Ring Photo Journal). Should you decide to join this band of Wagnerians and immerse yourself in 15-plus hours of Richard Wagner s epic work at Semperoper, be sure to let us know so we can keep you apprised of
potential group activities. It will be dark, cold, and damp in Dresden, but Wagner s glorious music will warm your blood and your heart. Tickets to the San Francisco Opera's three Ring cycles (June 12 July 1) are now available online, by telephone, or by mail. Link to San Francisco Ring for details. This Francesca Zambello-directed production, performed last spring at the Washington National Opera, features several Santa Fe Opera favorites, including Greer Grimsley as Wotan, Brandon Jovanovich as Froh and Siegmund, Jamie Barton as Fricka, David Cangelosi as Mime, and Raymond Aceto as Fafner and Hunding. The San Francisco Opera, in partnership with various Bay Area cultural institutions, will offer lectures and other cultural events to complement the 2018 Ring festival. Details of the events are still under wraps, so stay tuned Tickets to this summer s Bayreuth Festival will be available online (http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/english) on Sunday, February 12, at 2:00 p.m. Central European Time (6:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time). May 2016 Ring Cycle in Leipzig a Photo Journal Last May, eight Wagner Society of Santa Fe members ventured to Leipzig the birthplace of Richard Wagner for the city s first Ring cycle in decades. The world-famous Gewandhaus Orchestra was in the pit, and it did not disappoint. Bravo to Maestro Ulf Schirmer, who conducted for four days straight! Maestro Schirmer acknowledges the Gewandhaus Orchestra, playing in the Oper Leipzig pit, at the end of Das Rheingold on the first day of the Ring.
Those of us who attended were delighted to discover that the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with Andris Nelsons conducting, would be performing Gustav Mahler's Ninth Symphony across the square just minutes after Das Rheingold was scheduled to finish. We calculated the distance between the opera house and the Gewandhaus concert hall and decided that, weather permitting, we would make a run for it to hear the concert that same night. This was, after all, a historic moment. Not only was this the first time ever that the Boston Symphony Orchestra would play at this august venue, but Maestro Nelsons is Gewandhaus Orchestra's incoming music director. (Not to worry, he will remain the music director in Boston, as well.) Fifteen of us attempted and succeeded in making the mad dash from the opera house to the concert hall. From the sonic extravaganza that is Das Rheingold to the utter serenity a magnificent whisper of sound that concludes Mahler's Ninth, it was an extraordinary musical experience that few of us will forget. Many thanks to the Oper Leipzig and the Boston Symphony Orchestra! After the concert, several of us ambled into a nearby restaurant across Augustus Square and encountered our Siegfried (a.k.a. heldentenor Stefan Vinke), dining after a full day s rehearsal. He invited us to join him. From left, Wagner Society of Santa Fe Guarantor Circle members David Hughes and Preston Reed; Leona Geeves of the Sydney Wagner Society; Kathy Charla of the Wagner Society of Southern California; Wagner Society of Santa Fe Guarantor Circle member Carolyn Reed; and star heldentenor Stefan Vinke.
Here is Stefan Vinke, two nights later, acknowledging the ovation from the audience at the end of Siegfried, the third opera in the four-opera Der Ring des Nibelungen. Russian bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin, his infamous tatoos hidden, was the Wanderer. Mezzo-soprano Nicole Piccolomini, who performed Maddalena in Verdi s Rigoletto during the Santa Fe Opera s 2015 season, sang Erda. Oper Leipzig's Ring banner changed daily to announce that day's performance. On the day of Die Walküre, the weather turned from winter to spring, just like in the opera. Tom Arthur, Wagner Society of Santa Fe co-founder and Guarantor Circle member, at the big fountain in front of the opera house, taking in a rare day of sunshine. In addition to Stefan, Evgeny, and Nicole, Oper Leipzig s Ring featured several other outstanding Wagner singers notably the brother-sister twins in Die Walküre (see photo below) who are not yet well known in the United States but whose stars are rising quickly in Europe.
Austrian tenor Andreas Schager as Siegmund and Berlin-born soprano Christiane Libor as Sieglinde sang with passion and lyricism, their voices easily rising above the huge sound of the full orchestra. We look forward to hearing more of their Wagner singing. A number of us first heard Andreas in 2013 at the Berlin Staatsoper, where he unexpectedly filled in for a scheduled singer who was a no-show at curtain time. Andreas stood just off-stage in jeans singing Siegfried, while another man in costume acted the part onstage. What a debut! Andreas will sing Siegfried in the Dresden Ring in January and February 2018. Maestro Schirmer (below) and the cast thank the orchestra during the final curtain call after Götterdȁmmerung. Behind him are dancers who were omnipresent during the operas, including two men in black strapless shifts (back row, far left and right). It was not obvious during the performance that some of the dancers in dresses were men.
The Gewandhaus Orchestra lived up to its awesome reputation. Its sound was robust and incisive and loud, as the Ring demands. The musicians played mightily, Wagner's music coursing through their veins, and many of us experienced goose bumps. We felt a bit sorry for the singers, however, who had to compete with the overwhelming depth and volume of the music. Kudos to the principals, whose voices cut through the dynamic sound from the pit, and to Maestro Schirmer, whose energy never flagged. In addition to the terrific Ring performances, Oper Leipzig offered a lecture series with simultaneous English translations, a backstage visit, and ample opportunities to socialize in its comfortable lounges. The opera house was built as a German Democratic Republic-era showpiece. As in many German opera houses, Oper Leipzig allows you to pre-order food and drinks to enjoy during intermissions a very civilized way to digest the performance. At left, Wagner Society of Southern California member Kathy Charla from San Diego enjoys snacks and wine with Wagner Society of Santa Fe Golden Apple member Kenneth Quandt of San Francisco. The Wagner Society of Santa Fe took on the mantle of events organizer for members of Wagner societies from around the world. Among the special events were three post-performance meals with Oper Leipzig artists, including one following Siegfried, shown in the five photos below.
From left, Leona Geeves of the Sydney Wagner Society and three members of the Wagner Society of Northern California (San Francisco): Andrew Rombakis who coordinates Bayreuth Festival tickets for the society, Stefan Lazar, and Terri Stuart, society president, with Stefan Vinke. Even after singing for five hours onstage, Stefan joined the party and made a point of meeting everyone. An international gathering from left, Mr. and Mrs. John Keogan of the Wagner Society of Ireland; Eiko Kikawada, a member of the board of the Wagner Society of Northern California; Stefan Vinke; British-born Robin Elwood of Edmond, Oklahoma; and Michael Marr of the Wagner Society of Ireland.
Wagner Society of Santa Fe Golden Apple members Evelyn and David Kloepper of Los Alamos with Stefan Vinke. Eve s German language skills were crucial in making dinner reservations in Leipzig. Thank you, Eve! Mezzo-soprano Nicole Piccolomini, looking radiant in red, sits with Wagner Society of Santa Fe member Preston Reed after singing Erda in Siegfried. From left, Hana Rihova of Prague and Leona Geeves of Sydney celebrated a shared birthday in Leipzig. Andrew Rombakis (far right) of San Francisco treated them to a rich chocolate cake.
Four consecutive days of the Ring left us little time outside of the opera house, but we managed a visit to the Leipzig Wagner Society's office, where we chatted with its chairman, Thomas Krakow. We also paid our respects to J. S. Bach in St. Thomas Church (photos below, left and center) Bach s tomb is a major tourist site in Leipzig and came across an unusual statue of Richard Wagner in Leipzig (bottom left), perhaps depicting young Wagner as the black sheep of his family. We found no signs pointing to this statue, nor any visible marker. Thomas Krakow and Herr Wagner in the Leipzig Wagner Society office. From left, DG Mitchell and Stefan Lazar, both members of the Wagner Society of Northern California, drink coffee with Leona Geeves of the Sydney Wagner Society at Café Wagner, no less.
From left, Preston Reed, Desirée Mays, David Kloepper, Carolyn Reed, Tom Arthur, Evelyn Kloepper, Pieter Hull, Brigette Weindorf, and David Hughes at a Leipzig Ring reunion dinner in Santa Fe. Except for Pieter and Brigette, all are Leipzig Ring alumni and members of the Wagner Society of Santa Fe, including Yoko Arthur, who is taking the picture. Lohengrin Redux Contest Deadline Extended The Lohengrin Redux contest has been extended until April 30. To enter, please compose either in verse set to the music of In fernem Land or in prose your own version of what happens to the swan knight Lohengrin after he leaves Elsa. Submissions should be 150 words or less. You may submit multiple entries. Email your composition(s) to wagnersocietyofsantafe@gmail.com. Please note that we will not open attachments, so be sure to wax poetic directly in the body of the email. The winning entry will be chosen by a panel of esteemed judges Wagnerian soprano Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet, opera critic George Loomis, and Seattle Opera General Director Aidan Lang and will be performed publicly. Get those creative juices flowing. The next newsletter, due out in the spring, will include the 2017 Wagner Society of Santa Fe program proposals. If you d like to share some ideas, we'd like to hear from you. Please email your suggestions to wagnersocietyofsantafe@gmail.com. After March 4, the Wagner Society of Santa Fe office will be housed temporarily in Vienna and Berlin where for research purposes only, of course the principals will make the rounds of Wagner operas, including a new Parsifal in Vienna. All photos by Yoko Arthur This first edition of News Flash 2017 was created by Yoko Arthur and edited by Tamar Stieber. The Wagner Society of Santa Fe is looking for a volunteer to assist with online graphics support for its newsletter. If you are interested, please email us at wagnersocietyofsantafe@gmail.com.