"Lulu, mein Engel..."

Twelvetone music of the Second Viennese School is not for the faint-hearted. So it was with some trepidation that I went to the Royal Opera’s new production of Alban Berg’s “Lulu” despite having done my homework - and taken a large dose of Handel at the Halle festival to brace me for the coming…ordeal! But I need not have worried: the story is thrilling and the music has its own hypnotic pull, so that the piece grips you after a few minutes and you are carried along like in a Hitchcock movie! The radically minimalist production by Christoph Loy was at once demanding and enlightening with its stress on the psychology of the characters, having no props, gadgets & gimmicks to divert the attention of the audience, but forcing singer-actors and spectators alike to concentrate on a stringent development of the fateful events of this gloomy drama.

The picture of human nature at its most seedy, sordid and depraved that Frank Wedekind painted in his "Monstertragödie", made up of the two plays “Erdgeist” and “Die Büchse der Pandora”, is not an edifying one, and it is difficult to identify or sympathize with any of the characters. It is a satirical street ballad in the vein of Hogarth’s set of engravings entitled “A Harlot’s Progress”. Even if Berg softened Wedekind’s satirical venom, this is not “La Traviata” where you can suffer with the consumptive heroine and cry your eyes out over her sad end. Of course, taken literally, “Traviata” means “gone astray”, and in this sense Lulu is a latter-day Traviata, minus all the sentimental trappings Dumas & Verdi had to clad the story in to make a prostitute as heroine palatable to mid-19th century audiences. 50 years later Wedekind still encountered the same difficulties, the censors allowing only private performances of his plays for a handpicked audience.

When Berg decided to set the plays to music the situation had become even worse. After 1933 there was no chance of seeing an opera with such an obscene subject performed on a German or Austrian stage. The fact that twelvetone music was now declared un-German and "entartet" (degenerate) didn’t make things easier for the composer. At his sudden death at the age of only 50 he left the opera unfinished, and the torso was premiered in Zurich in 1937. It was only in the 1970s that the Austrian composer Friedrich Cerha undertook the completion of the third act on the basis of Berg’s drafts, and this version, premiered in Paris in 1978, has since become the accepted one.

The title-role poses enormous difficulties for a soprano, vocal as well as physical. It is no showpiece for a blasée primadonna, but the singer who undertakes it has to be prepared to commit herself totally - body and soul. Berg saw the character as the female pendant to Don Juan, only that her female sexuality is less overtly aggressive than the Don’s. But her manipulative wiles nevertheless wreak havoc among the persons who come near her, men and women alike. Wedekind wanted her to be played “like the Madonna”, so the reviewers who found fault with Agneta Eichenholtz’s impersonation because in their eyes she was not femme fatale enough missed the point entirely (in my opinion at least). Die Urgestalt des Weibes is a cipher, a blank canvas onto which everyone can (and does) project their own desires and fantasies. Lulu is neither angel nor demon but becomes what successive lovers want her to be.
Agneta Eichenholtz looked like Snow White, totally innocent and harmless, as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, which made her rendering of the lines “Wenn die Menschen sich für mich umbringen, dafür kann ich doch nicht!”all the more chilling. She impersonated this “somnambulist in the field of love” (“Nachtwandlerin der Liebe” - Karl Kraus), who floats through life aimlessly and like an automaton, without taking notice of her surroundings, to perfection. Vocally she was also up to the challenge, her light girlish timbre matching her ingenue looks.

Of course, “Lulu” is an ensemble piece and the ROH had come up with a formidable array of first-class singers for all the other parts. Michael Volle made a very strong impact as the doomed alpha male Dr. Schön who, in vain, tries to assert his authority over Lulu and is manipulated by her into marriage and subsequently killed. His strong voice and robust physique stood in stark contrast to his emotional and psychological helplessness. Here was a fall indeed! In the end he gets his revenge when he returns as Jack the Ripper to finish Lulu off! Klaus-Florian Vogt had the right anodyne voice for Dr. Schön’s weakling son Alwa; Will Hartmann gave a touching performance as the guileless painter; Philip Langridge was equally convincing as the Prince who sees in Lulu the ideal wife and the sinister Marquis who threatens to sell her to an Egyptian brothel; Peter Rose (whom I remember as a great Basilio in the unforgettable “Barbiere” at Berlin Staatsoper with Jennifer Larmore, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, William Matteuzzi and Carlos Chausson in 1994!) as the animal trainer of the prologue and the athlete added a humoristic touch and reminded one that “Lulu” is also a comedy of sorts; Gwynne Howell was the shady Schigolch, the evil spirit, like Hoffmann's Dappertutto, who mysteriously seems to pull the strings from behind the scenes.

Which leaves only one character still to deal with: Gräfin Geschwitz. According to Wedekind she is "the tragic central character” (“die tragische Hauptperson”) of the piece; she loves Lulu unconditionally and “in an act of superhuman self-sacrifice” follows her to the bitter end. Apparently Christoph Loy took Wedekind at his word and made every effort to show the countess as the single sympathetic person in this array of freakish characters. In an interview he said that he didn’t want a cliché lesbian but “a feminine and attractive Geschwitz, a delicate creature, but one who is consistent in her actions. She remains true to her love for Lulu even though Lulu increasingly turns away from her.” To make his point Loy even went so far as to alter the final scene and lets the countess escape the Ripper’s knife: “I really feel that Geschwitz’s murder doesn’t need to be recounted. I’d be happy for her to survive, so that at that moment the Utopian element in the music also becomes a factor in the plot – so that tenderness and love can survive.” Hmmmm…I have to confess I was not entirely happy with this solution; although the effect of countess Geschwitz delivering her final lines “Lulu, mein Engel…” standing up, like entranced, with a spotlight from above illuminating her face was quite stunning and even otherworldly. But in my view there is nothing Utopian in this most bleak and gloomy piece and there can be no survivors.

What did Jennie make of this part which at first sight seems a very odd choice indeed for her, given her credentials as a Baroque and belcanto singer? How would she, the charming Rosina, the touching Angelina, the pert Isabella, the imperious Caesar, the tomboyish Hansel, the sultry Carmen, the lovelorn Marguerite fare as the doomed lesbian countess? Well, I can say she scored a resounding success! Critics were unanimous in their praise for her humane, sincere, touching and intelligently-nuanced interpretation. (See the listing of quotations below.) She was utterly convincing in her acting and in her singing, avoiding all caricature, delivering even cliché-laden lines like “Ich muß für Frauenrechte kämpfen, Jurisprudenz studieren.“ (Beware! No „normal“ woman would do such a thing!) with conviction. Even M. Brug, the often venomous critic of “Die Welt”, was bowled over (my translation): “The biggest surprise was Jennifer Larmore, the well-known queen of Rossini roulades: she impersonates countess Geschwitz as truly loving (“aufrichtig Liebende”), with sparing gestures to great effect, moving in every nuance of her singing.”

In short, her portrayal was an utter triumph and she can add another role to her still growing repertoire. I who had heard her only a couple of days before in a concert of Handel arias at the Halle festival was amazed how she could switch so seemingly effortlessly between Baroque and twelvetone music.

Last but not least, the excellent orchestra of the ROH, under the baton of Antonio Pappano, contributed to the success of this staging by delivering this complex and intricate score with eloquence and passion, emphasizing the lush Mahlerian qualities of this rhapsodic music, so that I who had entered the opera house with some misgivings came away utterly enthralled. I have climbed Mount (Berg!) Everest of twelvetone music and now new horizons have opened up before me.

And I am happy to report that this memorable performance was recorded and will later be made available on dvd!

To Sir, With Love...

Jennie sang her first Countess Geschwitz in Berg's Lulu on June 4 at the Royal Opera House in London. The reviews were quick to come out and many! Pictures on All Hail Jennie/Facebook. Looks like a role Jennie can sink her teeth into. And she looks fabulous. I sure hope the ROH releases it on DVD. A radio broadcast on BBC3 is scheduled for July 4 but do stay tuned for Katrin's in depth blog review of her experience seeing Lulu live!

Go Jennie:

"...Jennifer Larmore sang Countess Geschwitz with devastating beauty and her deep attachment to Lulu was clear from the outset. A fantastically moving performance..."

“…The Countess was played by a wonderful Jennifer Larmore with a quiet power that was traced with yearning poignancy throughout…”

“…Jennifer Larmore’s feminine Geschwitz is a surprising success…”

“…Jennifer Larmore's cheerful and well-groomed version of the melancholy lesbian Countess Geschwitz…”

“…Jennifer Larmore's glamorous Countess Geschwitz…”

"...Inherently more sympathetic, Countess Geschwitz became the more involving through Jennifer Larmore's assumption – yielding and vulnerable, yet with an inner resolve and sense of self-sacrifice that intensified over the opera in a way that Eichenholz's Lulu never quite managed. If this had seemed an unlikely role for the American singer, it is one she brought off with conviction..."

“…a dramatic and enigmatic portrayal of Geschwitz…”

“…the excellent Jennifer Larmore…”

“…Jennifer Larmore was a more feminine Geschwitz than one often hears, beautifully sung…”

“…Jennifer Larmore's Countess Geschwitz is also a far more sympathetic portrayal than the butch Cruella DeVille some assume gay people must be…”

“…Jennifer Larmore's lovestruck, guileless Geschwitz – Loy's cleverest characterisation – holds a tiny kernel of kindness in an otherwise unremittingly brutal and depressing creation…”

“…Larmore’s Geschwitz brought a sympathetic, attractive quality to the role of the lesbian
countess…”

"...Jennifer Larmore’s superbly sung Countess Geschwitz..."

"...Jennifer Larmore looked and sounded stunning as the lesbian Countess Geschwitz..."

"...Jennifer Larmore gave a touching and intelligently-nuanced performance as Gräfin Geschwitz, the reverse-image of the iron-clad Lulu in her femininity and vulnerabilty..."

Coughing at the Concert

"Husten im Konzert" is the title of a short story by Heinrich Böll in which he describes various types of compulsive coughing at concerts, and I was reminded of this story at a recent performance of Handel's "Messiah" in Paris. Now, you would think that by April the coughing and sneezing season is over, but it seems the flu and bronchitis of winter simply give way to hayfever in spring! But as Böll and all enervated concert goers know this coughing has something of an obsessive-compulsive disorder for which science has yet to find a remedy. One thing Böll doesn't mention (because he didn't live to know them) are the ubiquitous cell phones, the bane of our time, that accompanied Händel's music all through the evening with their persistent bleeping - the announcement at the beginning of the concert to switch them off blissfully ignored by their owners! This irritating lack of discipline is unfortunately on the rise and I have of late seen conductors turn round to shush the audience or singers like Thomas Quasthoff interrupt their recitals to ask for silence - and rightly so, as this kind of misbehaviour shows a lack of respect for a work of art and its performers! And I am afraid this constant coughing, sneezing and bleeping seriously interfered with my enjoyment of Händel's masterpiece which should have people sitting on the edge of their seats holding their breath, especially with such a truly riveting performance as the combined forces of the Ensemble Matheus, the Arnold-Schoenberg-Chor and the soloists (in alphabetical order) Florian Boesch, Cornelia Horak, Jennifer Larmore and Topi Lehtipuu offered on this Good Friday night at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées! Händel has this effect on me that when I feel the least bit down in the mouth or put out a few bars of his music suffice to cheer me up! This music exudes some kind of positive energy and a performance of one of his oratorios, operas or concerti makes me come out of the concert floating several inches above the ground and feeling like a better human being! "Messiah" has this additional effect that the tunes are so catchy you have to force yourself to not sing along! Of course, I had gone because of JL in the first place, and whereas her first aria "But who may abide" suffered from Spinosi abruptly "running away" with the orchestra in the rapid passage of "And who shall stand when He appeareth?" which left her rather out of breath, "O thou that tellest" was infused with the spirit of the "good tidings" this aria proclaims, and the emphatic repetitions of "Behold your God" set the mood for the rest of the evening. "He was despised" is the centre and turning point of the whole piece and the most moving of arias. JL sang this with touching sincerity and poignant directness that went straight to the heart. Unfortunately it was during this aria that the assembled patients of the lung sanatorium conspired to "enliven" this plangent piece by unleashing and avalanche of coughs and sneezes into the auditorium! One or two cell-phones were roused into furious bleeping by this and the cacophony was perfect! In moments like these I envy mad King Ludwig of Bavaria who commanded separate performances only for himself! But I, poor mortal, alas, don't wield royal power and consequently must suffer!
The soprano Cornelia Horak delivered her arias with clarity of tone and simplicity ("Innigkeit"), which is of particular importance in the moving and uplifting "I know that my Redeemer liveth". Tenor Topi Lehtipuu is tried and tested in this kind of repertoire and sang stylishly and with clear articulation. Florian Boesch's gorgeous bass voice is fit for Wagner, but he never shouted or boomed, and he had the necessary agility for the quick passages of "Why do the nations", and the coloratura was neat throughout. His rendition of "The trumpet shall sound" brought the house down - and for once drowned out the assembled coughers, sneezers and cell-phones! The Arnold-Schönberg-Chor sang exquisitely and their smooth and plush sound was a joy to listen to. Spinosi and his band are known for fast-paced and energetic performances of Baroque music, notably Vivaldi, and their rendering of Händel's master score was at once vivid and animated, stressing the drama but also doing justice to the more reflective moments. The audience responded enthusiastically at the end which led to an encore of the Hallelujah chorus in which all the soloists joined. All in all an exhilarating, uplifting and truly inspired performance which made me float out of the hall as on a cloud and feeling in perfect accord with the universe.
N.B.: This Böll story should be made compulsory reading for any concert goer and should be read out to audiences before a concert via loudspeakers!

Practice Makes Perfect!

If you want to experience the magic of Jennie, look no further than the following YouTube clip. If this doesn't put a huge smile on your face, then you might want to check your pulse or find the number of a good mortician:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1gvJP6RcAo

Spitzenklasse!

I Love Opera Blogs...Well, Some of Them...

The blog Prima La Musica has a great little review of Jennie's Paris L'Italiana dvd. I saw Jennie sing this role at the Met and the duet (O Che Muso) had me in stitches. It was the first time I really had the giggles at the opera. The chemistry (or lack thereof!) between Jennie and Samuel Ramey was brilliant. It was an honor to see two pros on the same stage singing Rossini in the manner in which it simply must be sung.

Check out the review but also give a look at this great blog for a taste of opera in Australia:

http://primalamusica.typepad.com/primalamusica/2009/02/guardami.html

Jennie at the Met in 2010!

I guess this means I'll be returning to NYC. From the Met's official press release, Jennie will be heard in Thomas' Hamlet in March of 2010:

The new production of Ambroise Thomas’s Hamlet, which opens on March 16, stars Simon Keenlyside in the title role and Natalie Dessay as Ophélie. Louis Langrée conducts a cast that also includes Jennifer Larmore as Gertrude, Toby Spence as Laërte, in his Met debut, and James Morris as Claudius. The production is by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser with set designs by Christian Fenouillat, costume designs by Agostino Cavalca, and lighting designs by Christophe Forey – all in their Met debuts. When this production opened at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, The Independent called Keenlyside’s Hamlet, “a revelation…thrilling throughout.” The Met performances will use the alternative tragic ending, rather than the happy ending used at Covent Garden. Hamlet was last performed at the Met in 1897 and is particularly known for Ophélie’s famous mad scene, which was a favorite of such legendary sopranos as Nellie Melba and Maria Callas. The production is owned by the Grand Théâtre de Genève and is a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wilmer J. Thomas, Jr.

More Stuff

The current February issue of Opera News has a wonderful review of Jennie's Cenerentola from the Atlanta Opera. I love reviews that include words like "sheer beauty", "exquisite handling", "thrilling" and "triumphant". Sounds right to me. If you can pick up a copy from the newstand, there's a picture from the production along with the review...Sheer beauty.

Update: Opera News Online published the luscious picture of Jennie (and Nicholas Phan) and the author, Stephanie Adrian, is also responsible for the interview in Classical Singer. Great work, Stephanie!

http://www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/review/review.aspx?id=2669

Interview: Jennifer Larmore Reinvented

Classical Singer has a great interview with Jennie. She mentions Atlanta Opera possibly doing Der Rosenvakalier for her, lots of advice for young singers and some fascinating concert projects in the works. Classical Singer always gets some good stuff out of the singers and I find I can even apply what Jennie says to my own humble non-singing existence. Thanks, Jennie for your always positive perspective! Enjoy:

http://www.classicalsinger.com/magazine/article.php?id=1881

Haydn Reloaded

Joseph Haydn has this reputation of having been a harmless and somewhat dull chap who "invented" the string quartet and wrote symphonies with funny names - "The Clock", "The Hen", "Surprise"...and whose music is nice but rather predictable. Two formidable concerts I attended within a few days blew the dust off Haydn's wig and music: the one in Berlin on Jan. 1st, the other in Frankfurt on the 11th. In Berlin René Jacobs conducted a swift and exhilarating "Creation"; I love him and only hold one thing against him - that he doesn't work together with JL anymore! She performed in the other concert I attended at Frankfurt's Alte Oper under the baton of another noted exponent of the HIP movement, Thomas Hengelbrock. His fluent - and never predictable!- conducting of Haydn's symphony No. 53 showed that these days traditional orchestras like the Frankfurter Museumsorchester have learned from HIP and can produce a lighter, more transparent and swinging sound on "conventional" instruments. This work has an overall serene character to which the following dramatic scene "Berenice che fai" posed a stark contrast. Originally written for the soprano Brigida Giorgi Banti who was known for her formidable vocal range the piece is about love, death and desperation in ancient Egypt and was first performed in London in 1795. The composer was rather disappointed with signora B's performance and wrote "she sang but poorly." Well, he would not have said this of JL, I am sure, who although being unwell and suffering from a bad cold, certainly did not sing poorly at all! The reviewer in the "Frankfurter Rundschau" admired her "dramatic intensitiy & fervour", "intelligent and nuanced expression", and "brilliant technique"(duh?!) She would certainly have added more embellishments had she been in better health, but otherwise I can only agree and express the hope that we'll have more riveting performances like these in Haydn's anniversary year!

A Year Without Jennie...

It's been about a year and a half since I last saw Jennifer perform with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. I've somehow managed to get by with great friends and the internet, so there's always good news out there on our favorite mezzo. I was happy to read that Jennifer was listed twice in Opera News' 2008 "Best of" list. Opera Rara's Alessandro nell'Indie was voted one of the best opera recordings and JeLa was listed as a "scene stealer" for her work on Zanetto. I can confirm the latter. She certainly does great work on this little gem of a cd. I wish the soprano was up to par, but Jennie is a treat in this trouser role. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on the Pacini set. Opera Rara's other Pacini/Larmore cd, Carlo di Borgogna, is one of their best offerings. Estella is a character Jennie makes come alive. Run out and buy this cd, you will not be disappointed. It's quite clear who is responsible for the current Pacini resurgence.