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Dear Members,
I’m writing this report in the warm glow that followed our lunch
to celebrate the birth of the Master, Richard Wagner. Held this year
at the Women’s Club, it was a very happy and successful day.
Our guest speaker was Tim Calnin, the Artistic Administrator of the
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, who gave us some fascinating insights into
the background of the Ring concerts the orchestra has been
presenting over the last few years and which will culminate in September
when we hear Götterdämmerung. I think we would like to thank
the Women’s Club, and in particular Audrey Howarth, for all their
help.
As many of you know, I have just returned from leading an Opera Australia
tour to Germany and Eastern Europe during which we saw some of the
best Wagner performances I have ever seen. In Dresden in the beautiful
Semper Opera House we saw a Parsifal directed by Joachim Heilmann
and sung by: Jukka Rasilainen as Amfortas, Kurt Moll as Gurnemanz,
Poul Elming as Parsifal, Hildegard Behrens as Kundry and Ekkehard
Wlaschiha as Klingsor. The production was visually pleasing and the
music was outstanding - beautifully sung, and the orchestra under
the guidance of Semyon Bychkov was excellent. This was without doubt
the most satisfying Parsifal I have seen anywhere.
Then in Berlin we saw another Parsifal, this time at the Deutsche
Oper. This was a very modern Götz Friedrich production, which used
an abstract, lined set and lighting to create the different scenes.
Sung by Wolfgang Brendal, Lazlo Polgar, Robert Dean Smith, Doris Soffel
and Lenus Carlson. It was a very good performance though the conductor,
Christian Theilemann, took the first and third acts rather too slowly,
but the second act was somewhat faster and really dramatic.
At the Staatsoper we then saw a wonderful Tristan und Isolde
produced by Harry Kupfer and conducted by Daniel Barenboim. The set
was a huge fallen angel in a graveyard - no ship - that rotated from
time to time. Sung by Siegfried Jerusalem and Deborah Polaski this
was a tour de force. Siegfried Jerusalem had rested his voice for
some months prior to singing this role and he sang more strongly and
securely than I have ever heard him, particularly in the third act
when Tristan is angry as he contemplates his situation. He has lost
Isolde, forfeited the trust of King Marke and is dying. In his frustration
he pours out his despair and rage to Kurwenal, Andreas Schmidt. Deborah
Polaski, too, was in great voice, strong, rich and creamy, a perfect
foil for this Tristan. Rosemary Lang sang Brangäne with a sweetness
not often heard. In every way this was an arresting performance and
one I shall treasure for many years to come.
Our Annual General Meeting will be on 23rd July; please note the
change of date. Several long time members of the Committee will be
resigning and this will be an opportunity for members to express appreciation
to them for their contributions to the smooth running of our Society.
Those retiring are: Olive Coonan, Treasurer, Clare Hennessy, Membership
Secretary and Barry Walters, Secretary. As well, Barbara Brady, our
Newsletter editor, has resigned. Thus we shall be looking for new
members for the Committee. So if you are able and interested in helping,
please fill in a Nomination Form. You will be made very welcome.
Reluctantly, the Committee has resolved to ask the members, at the
AGM, to approve an increase in membership fees. This increase is not
related to the GST but reflects the level of our donations towards
the various Wagner performances that seem to be becoming a little
more frequent, and our support for the Bayreuth Scholarship. Our last
increase was in the very early nineties, so I do seek your support.
My apologies for the June meeting as I am leaving next week to take
a group to Berlin - the Götz Friedrich Tristan und Isolde this time
- and then on to Helsinki for the Ring Cycle. However I shall be back
for the AGM.
BARBARA McNULTY
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