Word: heldentenore
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...Meistersinger von Nürnberg is a devilishly difficult opera to perform well. At the very least, Composer Richard Wagner wrote requirements for a heldentenor of exceptional stamina, and power enough to vault the massed forces of the Wagnerian orchestra, and a baritone of considerable theatrical skill to probe the complex character of Cobbler Hans Sachs, one of grand opera's most intriguing heroes. It can also benefit greatly from a well-drilled chorus and properly poetic settings. Last week an audience at the Metropolitan Opera House saw a Meistersinger that had all of these attributes and more...
...equal importance of acting and singing. Vickers is passionate and convincing as Otello, Don Jose in Carmen, Florestan in Fidelio and Siegmund in Die Walkure. His big, shining voice, surging over the orchestra, would seem ideal for Wagner, but Vickers is in no hurry to become a Heldentenor. "I love Wagner," says he, "but I want to sing for 25 years, not ten. German exploits the voice." Many of his colleagues apparently share his feeling: no truly great Heldentenor has appeared since Melchior retired (although the Hungarian Sandor Konya shows high promise...
Lauritz Melchior 50th Anniversary (Asco, 2 LPs). This handsome salute to the great Heldentenor introduces him in the days (1913-18) when he was singing in opera and recital as a baritone, and carries him to his 1960 recording of Esultate from Otello. Even as a baritone-and even through the sizzle of old shellac-his voice had the tenoresque freshness, vigor and ringing power that later carried him trii umphantly through 24 years at the Met and 223 Tristans. Among the album's treasures: a 1924 scene from Siegfried ("Nothung! Not hung! Schmiede mein Hammer"), and the Bridal...
Between courses of a Wagnerian dinner, Danish-born Heldentenor Lauritz Melchior, 69, sounded off on the state of U.S. music: "Do you realize we are the only civilized nation without a ministry of the arts in the Government? Do you think we would have all this juvenile delinquency if our youth were introduced to the fineness of great music and art? Instead we give them criminal entertainment and savage music that builds up in them excitements that they are told they must not release." The Melchior prescription: "I suggest that each state levy a small tax on radio...
Tristan: Later. Vickers has other ideas: he does not covet the role of Heldentenor. "I have no intention," says he, "of becoming a Wagner specialist. I love Wagner, but I want to sing for 25 years, not ten years. I want to keep my Italian roles, because Italian caresses the voice while German exploits it." Moreover, Vickers refuses to jump into the role of Tristan, as his public and press have urged him to. No dramatic tenor, he reasons, really reaches vocal maturity until he is 38 or 39, and for a part as taxing as Tristan, it takes...