Posted by josef
on December 18, 2006, 12:38:30, in reply to "Re: Karajan Bayreuth Ring Cycle"
194.100.36.97
the story of malaniuk's fricka is told at least in my booklet. - she had to learn the role in that afternoon only because the scheduled singer fell ill . i think it was Höffgen .
even if the role is not the biggest , there are so many things to think about while singing -acting so it is quite natural the performance is not ideal. she must have been struck by panic because - as you mention- there are no comprehensible phrases after the first line - and she is German !! AND she was young and relatively unexperienced.
struggling with financial problems the first year after the war the Wagner brothers gave her no other choice than to save the performance and the future of the festival . the next years they gave her many opportunities to give proper performances.
what is amazing that karajan has absoletutely no comprehension for her ; an experienced conductor could have covered her faults at least partly . it is AMAZING how conductors and orchestras could follow people like melchior , svanholm - or even krauss in -53 siegfried when windgassen freaks out in every bar ! but karajan , not the slightest attempt .
bayreuth has souffleurs ( you can hear them on some recordings ) and assistant conductors " in every corner" helping in difficult ensembles ( meistersinger), playing the parsifal bells and also just prompting . I was told though that in Bayreuth you cannot hear the orchestra so well to the stage . that's why they need so much help from assistants . who knows .. but it certainly messed up poor malaniuk.
also an example - albeit a happier one - of last-minute-learning is ursuleac's brangäne in the kleiber buenos aires tristan . ¤¤¤¤¤
Message Thread:
« Back to thread