Fall, Blake, the Rococo, and Puccini @ the Morgan

I can't help myself, try as I might, the to-do list grows and I've got my head in the leaves. The amazing fall color that is on display in the state of Vermont will end soon, and I'll wipe my nose prints off the window and get some painting done and hopefully a few regular blog posts.

William Blake never had this problem: he would have been frantically drawing away and would have produced reams of poetry and engravings. At least that's the thought I came away with from the Morgan Museum and Library's exhibit William Blake's World: "A New Heaven Has Begun".

This poet, maniacal sketcher, and master engraver was a visionary in style and theme, shown in works drawn entirely from the Morgan's collection. Blake produced some of the most memorable book imagery, always pushing the limitations of the painstaking technology of his time, one engraved plate at a time, monotypes or hand coloring when necessary. He was brilliant.

Included in this exhibit are twenty-one pen and ink and watercolor drawings from The Book of Job, Milton's L'Allegro and Il Penseroso, and his Continental Prophecies series America: A Prophecy. Blake was fascinated by the idea of America and the revolution, a treasonous act that he never shied from.

With revolution in mind just across the hall from Blake, life was truly wonderful - before the crash. Rococo and Revolution: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings brings together my favorite artists of good times and playful obliviousness, Watteau, Boucher, and of course Fragonard, before Jacques-Louis David went and got all serious.

Absolutely stunning, some of the most impressive work ever with simple chalk on paper and as with the Blake exhibit, all from the Morgan collection. As a somewhat (OK, very) jaded art viewer I got goose bumps studying the subtle, elegant lines of Watteau's Seated Young Woman.

For the music followers of this site, there is also Celebrating Puccini, an exhibit in honor of the 150th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini's birth. On view are sketches for his operas Madama Butterfly and La Bohème, first edition librettos, letters concerning his falling out with Toscanini, posters, and playbills.

Blandine Rannou

Read my review today on the Washington Post Web site:

Charles T. Downey, French Harpsichordist Shows Pluck
Washington Post, October 15, 2009

On Tuesday evening La Maison Française continued its tradition of hosting some of the city’s best concerts with a recital by Blandine Rannou. The French harpsichordist, a former member of Gérard Lesne’s early music group Il Seminario Musicale, has made several highly regarded solo recordings; she performed here in a partitioned-off section of the lobby, a more intimate and bright space than the embassy’s murky auditorium.

The first half of the program was devoted to three generations of the Couperin family. The impetuous freedom of the opening piece, Louis Couperin’s “Prélude non mesuré,” set the tone; in spoken remarks (in French), Rannou explained that the composer did not impose bar lines on his rambling, arpeggiated exploration of far-flung harmonic waters. It was a fine introduction, since one of the piece’s purposes is to run the instrument through its paces and introduce listeners to the various facets of its sound. [Continue reading]

Blandine Rannou, harpsichord
La Maison Française

Music by Louis Couperin, François Couperin, Armand-Louis Couperin, Jean-Baptiste Forqueray, and Claude-Bénigne Balbastre

Malraux's Drawings

Madeleine Malraux, the plucky, 95-year-old second wife and widow of the author of La Condition humaine, has just published a book of previously unknown drawings by her husband. Thierry Clermont published an article (Madeleine Malraux, la dame d'espoir, October 8) in Le Figaro about it (my translation):

Mischievous cats, funny devils, an Ubu-esque man, other clawed beasts -- André Malraux, between writing, speeches, and tours of Asia, always in good company, loved to take up a pencil to sketch what would eventually make up an entire paper bestiary of poetic fantasy. What's more, he liked to leave these scrawled papers on Madeleine's piano. "It was like a joke between us," she recalls. Madeleine Malraux, much less famous than Clara, Louise de Vilmore, or Josette Clotis, shared Malraux's life for a quarter-century. She has decided to release about one hundred of these unknown drawings under the title L'Univers farfelu d'André Malraux (The weird universe of André Malraux, published by Chêne), co-written with Marie-Josèphe Guers. She has even taken up a pen to author, with her son Alain (author of Les Marronniers de Boulogne), a preface to the book: "He had a cat's evasive nature, that way of being enigmatic, secret." And that's without mentioning the claw marks...

Madeleine Malraux also continues to have an international career as a pianist.

L'Univers farfelu d'André Malraux

Julia Fischer Embarks on Schubert

Schubert, Complete Works for Violin and Piano, Vol. 1, J. Fischer, M. Helmchen (released on September 29, 2009) PentaTone PTC 5186 347 Online scores: Three Sonatinas for Violin and Piano (op. 137) | Rondo Brillant (D. 895)

Under most circumstances a new recording from Julia Fischer would recommend itself. Her latest project for PentaTone, the first half of a projected two-disc set of Schubert's music for violin and piano, arrived on my desk with the memory of the Schubert recording by Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr still fresh in my ears. Indeed, comparison to that disc, made on an early 19th-century violin and pianoforte, is inevitable in that Fischer's first volume, made on her 1742 Guadagnini violin and a Steinway played by Martin Helmchen, features almost the same selection of early pieces (with only the Rondo Brillant, D. 895, replacing the A major sonata, D. 574). Certainly, it would be wrong-headed to prefer the Manze-Egarr recording only because they played the works on historical instruments in an attempt to grapple with the sounds that Schubert had at hand. The problem for me is that the sound they made, its delicacy and transparency, quickly became the standard for these works, at least in my ears.

If pressed to recommend a single recording of these works to own, my tendency would be still to go with Manze-Egarr. That being said, Julia Fischer is the better violinist and she and Helmchen form a solid team in terms of ensemble unity. His discs for PentaTone are my first experience hearing him play, although I have been reading about him lately -- some more thoughts about the way he plays Schubert shortly. Both he and Fischer often restrain their sound as if in imitation of 19th-century instruments, just without the occasional clunkiness and odd intonation. The greater facility is quite noticeable, with those movement timings that are not basically the same as Manze-Egarr's being considerably shorter. For a listener not interested in a period instrument performance, this is a lovely disc to own, not least for the pristine sound (and the discounted price at Amazon at the moment, for an SACD, doesn't hurt). Even if you already own the Manze-Egarr disc, this would make an excellent modern instrument alternative, or perhaps you would want to match that disc with Fischer's second volume, which will reportedly also feature her playing the piano (which she does quite well by all reports), on the F minor fantasy for four hands (D. 940) with Helmchen.

64'31"

Undercooked 'Falstaff'

Timothy Mix (Ford) in the Jealousy Aria, Falstaff, Washington National Opera (photo by Karin Cooper)

On Saturday night Washington National Opera opened the second production of its downsized fall season, Verdi's Falstaff. The regrettable postponement of the company's American Ring Cycle led to a hasty but resourceful reconfiguration of this year's programming, quickly putting together a group of operas that could allow the company and the singers to honor their existing contracts. On one hand, these circumstances caused WNO to return to this masterpiece -- Verdi's last and perhaps greatest opera, definitely on my short list for best comic opera ever composed -- for the first time in over a quarter-century. On the other, it is lamentable to hear it performed in a musically uninspired way, with this magnificent score generally outclassing a cast that was vocally adequate at best. All too often, a quasi-chaotic sloppiness undermined some of the ingenious and musically complex ensembles.

Alan Opie was drafted on short notice to replace Gordon Hawkins in the title role, who had originally been picked as Ford, so it has been something of a carousel cast. He won high praise for the role a decade ago, but although he remained humorous enough in his acting, his voice has faded, at least as heard on Saturday night, making for an oddly understated Falstaff. (Just for comparison, the WNO's last Falstaff, in 1982, featured none other than Thomas Stewart as the fat knight.) Young soprano Tamara Wilson got the job done as Alice Ford but did not soar when she needed to soar, as on the dramatic line at "Ma il viso tuo su me risplenderà." Elizabeth Bishop was similarly pale as Meg Page, making Nancy Maultsby, also heard as Quickly with Santa Fe Opera in 2008, the best part of the wives' quartet. Robin Leggate was clear and cutting as Dr. Caius, and Russian bass and former Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Grigory Soloviov stood out for a robust sound as Pistola on the male side.

JiYoung Lee (Fairy Queen) and dancers en travesti, Falstaff, Washington National Opera (photo by Karin Cooper)

As Ford, Timothy Mix acted well but did not have the needed snarl for most of the character's jealous rages, except for the Jealousy Aria, when he was placed at the very front of the stage, with a scrim positioning an enormous pair of horns on his head (image shown above). JiYoung Lee, who has had some success in the roles given her by WNO since her apprenticeship there, was a disappointment as Nannetta, an overactive vibrato souring flat on the part's angelic high notes. Verdi's librettist, Arrigo Boito, described the young lovers' music as something he wanted to sprinkle throughout the opera "like powdered sugar on a cake," more airy than spicy. As Fenton, former Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Yingxi Zhang was more on the mark, singing with the same sweet ping he had as Pong in last season's Turandot.

Ironically, given my state of ambivalence about the singing, the production whipped together by Christian Räth was inventive, odd, and ultimately pleasing. The concept underscored the theatricality of the story, with all of the characters beginning the opera in modern dress on an empty stage of costume boxes and half-assembled set pieces, actors who go to great lengths in their attempts to deceive others. The sets, borrowed from a traditional production (designed by Hayden Griffin) seen at Covent Garden and elsewhere, are assembled gradually, appearing whole only in the two scenes of Falstaff's defeat, the Elizabethan house from which he is thrown into the Thames with the laundry and the park of the fairies with its enormous oak tree. The drag queen brides that surrounded Nannetta's Fairy Queen in that final scene coincided nicely with the following day's marriage equality march.

The Merry Wives as the cast of The View, Falstaff, Washington National Opera (photo by Karin Cooper)

The play within a play idea, which Räth claims, in his program note, was inspired by Verdi's libretto, is more in keeping with the source play, The Merry Wives of Windsor, supposedly written because Queen Elizabeth wanted to see the character of Falstaff, from the plays about Henry IV and Henry V, in love -- in effect, an artificial play about characters from a play. In fact, not only the sets are gradually assembled, the characters begin in modern dress (costume updating by Timm Burrow and Räth) -- Bardolph and Pistola as stage hands snacking out of an old pizza box, Falstaff served by a headset-wearing stage manager, the wives as the cast of The View or the local Oprah's Book Club getting even with the men in their lives -- and put on their period costumes (designed by Michael Stennett) as part of the theatrical deceit. We even see the fat knight putting on a fat suit to play his part. It was hard not to be reminded of David Mamet's film State and Main, which I have been obsessively rewatching lately and in which art often seems more real to the characters than life.

Other Reviews: Anne Midgette, Washington National Opera Performs Verdi's 'Falstaff' (Washington Post, October 12) T. L. Ponick, Room to grow in 'Falstaff' (Washington Times, October 12) Tim Smith, Fresh treatment of 'Falstaff' at Kennedy Center (Baltimore Sun, October 13)

As a deconstructive modernization of Falstaff this was much more successful than the disastrous Kirov Opera production in 2007. In the orchestra as on stage, there were fine individual performances -- especially the mercurial woodwinds, who had lovely solos all evening long and a mind-whirling performance as the trilling of intoxication that warms Falstaff's belly -- but as a whole it was a sloppy ensemble. Some more rehearsal time could have been beneficial, because it is a complicated score that is clearly not in the ensemble's memory. The gestures of Sebastian Lang-Lessing, a young but by no means inexperienced conductor, became more urgent and wild as things drifted apart, especially during the ensembles, but he was unable to rein in his forces. In spite of these drawbacks heard on opening night -- the musical quality of this production will hopefully improve -- anyone who is not yet familiar with this superb opera is nonetheless encouraged to attend a performance of it. Offers of tickets at reduced prices have reportedly been forthcoming, a concession that will hopefully allow more music lovers to take part.

Washington National Opera will present six more performance of Falstaff from this evening (October 12, 7 pm) through October 30 (7:30 pm), when it should be a distinctive Halloween ticket. Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Micaëla Oeste will get a crack at Nannetta in the last three performances, for which she is probably better suited vocally than Siegfried's Wood Bird.

Dresden’s Gain is Munich’s Loss: Thielemann Signs With Staatskapelle

Earlier today it became official: Christian Thielemann has announced to sign a contract to be the next Music Director of the Staatskapelle Dresden starting 2012. This does not come entirely unsuspected—the orchestra and conductor have been considered a natural and likely fit since the news of Thielemann’s contract not being renewed in Munich first broke. (As reported here, here, and here.) But the news also comes at a time when there was increasing hope for a compromise in Munich that would finally end the kindergarten-level quarrel over responsibilities.

Great for Dresden

This is a coup for Dresden and the incoming Intendant Ulrike Hessler (who also comes from Munich, where she is currently head of public affairs for the Bavarian State Opera). With Christian Thielemann they have bagged the best German conductor, one who even detractors (of which there are many) will credit with having genial moments. Supporters grant him outright genius-status. Thielemann is perhaps the conductor with the greatest sense for a musical moment, as a former member of the Munich Philharmonic attests him, and with an uncommon sense for flexibility of tempos. In German opera, Thielemann is truly at home; everyone who has heard his Wagner in Bayreuth or Vienna knows it to be unsurpassed. And of course there is scarcely a better place for conducting his favorite opera composers Strauss and Wagner than Dresden with its rich history of performing their works.

It’s a fine match for Thielemann, indeed. The tradition of the orchestra caters to his musical preferences, he gets to conduct as much opera as he could possibly wish for (something he missed in Munich), the quality of the orchestra, even if it needs a little dusting off and molding, is easily superior to that of the Munich Philharmonic and the musical body has a traditional German, varnished sound that Thielemann likes.

Presumably the Dresden Staatskapelle, one of the oldest orchestras in the world, continuously performing for nearly 500 years, knows that Thielemann is a difficult character. And presumably they are aware that after the lukewarm years with Fabio Luisi as music director, he can help them attain once again a reputation and quality that will rival that of the very best orchestras in the world. If the combination of Staatskapelle-Thielemann-Hessler isn’t torpedoed by antagonism, the chance for Dresden to reign supreme in Thielemann’s—limited—repertoire is within close reach.

Loss for Munich

Munich critic Klaus Kalchschmid reacted to the news saying that he was “almost glad the back and forth is finally over. The orchestra will have a hard time finding a conductor of nearly the same quality and reputation who is willing to put up with them, but they have brought this on themselves and they will have to deal with it. The whole affair reflects poorly on everybody involved, but especially the orchestra. And the Munich concert goers are the ones that bear the brunt of that decision.” Politicians may get the blame for letting Thielemann go, but behind the scenes it was the orchestra that, well, orchestrated his departure by attempting to curtail his powers after a signature-ready contract had already been worked out, trying to force him to give up control over guest conductors and their repertoire.

That move was indicative of the discontent among a significant part of the musicians with Thielemann’s unwillingness to tolerate greatness beside him, but it was also indicative of their foolishness in thinking they could put as willful a man as Thielemann ‘in his place’. Even with two years time to find a successor it will be difficult to get a replacement that can achieve the levels of musicianship with this orchestra better known for its exaggerated opinion of its own capabilities than inherent quality. The prestigious CD and DVD contracts with Deutsche Grammophon and Unitel, a projected Ring Cycle and US tour will also go out of the window. Discussions about potential successors will abound; one of the most promising prospects circulated already is the possibility of attaining the services of Daniele Gatti who recently conducted one of the most impressive guest conducted concerts with the Philharmonic in years. Incidentally his contract at the Zurich opera house runs out in 2012, when none other than current Dresden’s music director Fabio Luisi will take over the Swiss opera house.

In Brief: Cristoforo Colombo Edition

Here is your regular Sunday selection of links to good things in Blogville and Beyond.

• I suppose that we should address the recently created regulations from the Federal Trade Commission, requiring bloggers to disclose payment they receive from companies whose products they endorse. Ionarts functions for the most part like a newspaper or magazine that reviews concerts and recordings. We receive complimentary press tickets for reviews and promotional copies of new recordings and DVDs for our consideration. This is the only way that we are able to attend so many performances and listen to so many recordings. We do not receive payment for coverage, either positive or negative, and we always feel free to call things as we see it. [New York Times]


• At the school where I teach, I recently scandalized the headmaster, a Benedictine monk, by telling him how much the National Symphony Orchestra may be paying incoming music director Christoph Eschenbach. Just how much do big-time conductors make, when all of the various fees and extras they receive are taken into account? It is hard to know because they are not legally required to disclose them, even when the money they are receiving comes from government subsidies. [On an Overgrown Path]


• The addictive joys of book ownership, as described by Roger Ebert and further commented on. I also suffer from the related disorder of senzabibliophobia, that is, the compulsive carrying around of a book, just in case one might have a spare, otherwise unoccupied five minutes at some point in the day. [Languagehat]


• American reaction to the choice of Herta Müller for this year's Nobel Prize in Literature was quite puzzling. Just because most Americans don't know much about literature in foreign languages does not mean that the Nobel committee is not making informed choices. [The Literary Saloon]


• Boston-based composer -- and erstwhile Ionarts contributor -- Frank Pesci is hosting a short program called Cafeteria Rusticana: An Evening of Mad Libretto Opera on October 21 (5:30 pm) at the Church of St. John the Evangelist. The audience will supply words for some traditional opera scenes with new music by Frank. If you are in Boston you should check it out: it's free. [Frank Pesci]


• Although unfortunately this is apparently a viral advertisement, which makes it a lot less fun, check out the video of an installation in a Swedish subway station, turning a staircase into a piano keyboard, complete with sounds, to see if more people would take the stairs instead of the escalator. Also -- welcome back, Anne-Carolyn! [The Concert]

Luc Bondy Sounds Off

Many readers may be tired of hearing about the Metropolitan Opera's new production of Tosca, the one that caused Luc Bondy to be soundly booed on opening night, propelling it into far more media coverage than it probably deserved. As a preview of today's high-definition screening of the production, in cinemas around the world, including some in France, Renaud Machart published an interview with the embattled Swiss director (Luc Bondy : "'Tosca' n'est pas un mythe, c'est un thriller", October 10), in Le Monde (my translation):

Did the Met offer you Tosca or was it you who suggested it?

Peter Gelb, the director of the Met, had offered me something else that I had turned down. I let him know that I would love to direct Tosca, an opera that, like my father, I adore. He had a verbal commitment with another director, who finally agreed to give it up. We decided to do it.

Does Mr. Gelb micromanage?

He takes a keen interest but never interferes. He asks questions when he does not understand what I want to do. For example, he found that the staging was a little too much in the darkness. We worked on that issue. Still, his support was unfailing when, even before the first performance, in the Met's administrative board meeting, people were offended that I had someone embrace the Virgin Mary in the first act and that there were prostitutes in the second. No one is shocked that Scarpia is a bloodthirsty torturer, but on the other hand if he is shown as an active lecher, as it is written in Sardou's original play, that is a problem. People think Tosca is a myth when it is really a heavily sadistic and erotic thriller.

Have you encountered this kind of problem elsewhere?

Nowhere else, and I have never been booed like that. I would understand that attitude if I was interpreting the work by distorting it. But these things are in the play and in the libretto! Have these censors read them before they protest like that?

Your friend Gerard Mortier, former head of the Opéra de Paris, rolled his eyes when he learned that you were directing Tosca...

He is not the only one who does not like Puccini. When I speak to my colleague Peter Sellars about Puccini, he says that he cannot get through more than a few measures. I do not understand that ostracism, no more than I understand it with Tchaikovsky. I do not like these judgments between good and bad taste, these classes that people perceive. I just like being involved with works that shake things up. That is interesting.