Kerem Hasan conductor; Francesca Chiejina soprano: Wagner the Flying Dutchman – overture; Strauss Orchestral Songs (selection); Mozart Symphony No. 35 in D major, K385 ‘Haffner’; Strauss Munich: A Memorial Waltz ; Strauss Die Frau ohne Schatten – Symphonic Fantasy
I have seen Die Frau ohne Schatten twice – maybe in 1975/76 – at Covent Garden conducted by Solti, and have never been to a live performance again since that time, which is a great pity because it is a wonderful work. I have missed the various outings at ROHCG over the years and I kicked myself two times recently – once for missing the work in Munich last year and, possibly even more egregiously, in Vienna last month, the latter conducted by Thielemann and with an all-star cast. I. am continuing to look out for performances. So I seized on this concert as an option to hear at least some of the musical highlights live. ADDITION – In fact, having written this on the way home from the concert on Saturday I realised that the amazing website Opera Base could tell me if Die Frau ohne Schatten was on anywhere in Europe over the next year. And – praise be! – it’s on in Dresden with Thielemann in late March, I discovered the following day. I’ve booked my ticket!!!
The programming for this concert was odd – I guess Strauss and Mozart are linked (at least Strauss thought so) and I suppose Strauss was an early developer among 19th century composers, though not in the Mozart class. Wagner by contrast was self-taught and his progression towards greatness was relatively slow. The programming was also inefficient, requiring a huge orchestra for the second half Strauss, a small one for Mozart and a middling for Wagner, so lots of shuffling on and off stage
Kerem Hasan is a youngish conductor making a name for himself in Europe and the UK. I heard him conducting the Glyndebourne Touring Opera’s production of The Rake’s Progress very effectively a couple of years ago, and I see he is conducting Puccini’s ‘La Rondine’ I am going to on Friday.
This was in some ways quite an odd concert. Probably the most fully rounded performance of the evening was the Flying Dutchman overture. This took advantage of all the extra brass knocking around for the Frau one Schatten Symphonic Fantasy to have 6 horns and extra trumpets and trombones for the overture. They made a splendid sound and Hasan’s conception of the work was well shaped, with thrillingly climaxes. There were one or two small glitches in the orchestra but that just comes with live music
I realise I have seen Francesca Chiejina before, singing Freia in the Birmingham Opera Rhinegold (where she was very good). I’m really not very knowledgeable about Strauss songs and the 4 she sang weren’t known to me. I particularly enjoyed the last two – Ruhe Meine Seele and Befreit. The orchestral accompaniment sounded well-handled and not overpowering Ms Chiejina and there was some beautiful playing by horns and woodwind. Ms Chiejina’s voice isn’t huge and her handling of the words in each song was a bit generalised – as was her diction – but she floated some beautiful notes and I thought hers was a sound performance.
Things were a bit less clear after the interval…….I wasn’t too keen on the Mozart. Although the strings had been reduced the general sound was bottom-heavy and not ideally transparent – the details of harmonies didn’t come through. The fast movements were fierce and energetic but not poised, vivacious or elegant – really a bit clod-hopping at times. It’s strange the 1st and 2nd violins weren’t split.
The Strauss waltz was an occasional piece, written in 1939 for a film about Munich which was then scrapped – sounding much like Rosenkavalier but less tuneful.
The Symphonic Fantasy is a curiosity. Strauss wrote to a grandson in 1946 -“In the meantime, at the request of my new, very capable London publisher Boosey & Hawkes, I have put together an orchestral fantasia from the best parts of Die Frau ohne Schatten, which should make the work somewhat more popular in concert, since opera performances will probably remain impossible for some time to come. You see, one can still accomplish something worthwhile before one’s 82nd birthday if one has been diligent beforehand.” . The orchestra on stage at the BH was enormous, Wagnerian in size, and probably the size it would be in say Vienna for an opera performance – Straauss originally wrote it for a smaller orchestra more likely to be able to be got together in the immediate post war world. There was also an organ!! I enjoyed hugely the rendition of the interlude from Act 1 – one of the most gorgeous moments in all music – and the last 5 minutes of the opera belted out fff fff , as well as the beautiful trombone solo representing Barak’s Act 3 aria. But there were also a lot of wonderful moments in the opera which got left out – eg the lovely moment when the fountain starts to flow, and there wasn’t much of Keikobad. The piece is only 21 minutes long, so I wondered what anyone would make of the piece who didn’t know the opera – it didn’t seem to have a clear structure or flow. But, anyway – lovely to hear it, and the orchestra, again with some wobbles, sounded as though they were enjoying Strauss’ challenging writing
John's musical journey 