Latest news with #DerFliegendeHolländer
Euronews
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Wagnermania: Monumental Flying Dutchman in an Austrian quarry
How does a quarry become the largest and one of the most unique open-air stages in Europe, and the setting for some of the world's most famous operas? Just a few kilometres from Lake Neusiedl, in Sankt Margarethen im Burgenland, Austria, Richard Wagner's opera Der Fliegende Holländer is being staged in a spectacular manner this summer. Producing this opera required nearly two years of preparation, to create a set and a performance worthy of the imposing setting. Daniel Serafin, the opera's artistic director, told us that it all begins with the creative team working out how the stage should look and then building the set elements, a process that takes several months before the pieces are set up in the quarry. Then come the rehearsals. The larger, heavier sets are moved by machine, the lighter ones by hand. For example, the walls of Senta's house are moved by a technician during the performance with little effort, as stage manager Attila Galácsi demonstrated to our crew. The playing area is about 950 square metres, with some elements of the stage up to 22 metres high. The rocks of the quarry are also an integral part of the set. This huge space represents an equally huge challenge. And then there's the weather. The sets are built to withstand wind and rain. Attila Galácsi also explained that there are several measuring stations in the quarry area, which measure the amount of rainfall and the strength of the wind. Above a certain level, they can decide to stop or cancel the show. Stage director Philipp Krenn explained that not only the rocks of the quarry, but also the sunset were incorporated into the performance of the Dutchman. He explained that they are very much influenced by the weather and nature. For example, when chirping birds fly over the stage. This connection is very fitting to the Dutchman, as Krenn sees it, as the Dutchman is also inextricably linked to nature, the sea, while his love interest Senta is connected to the land. The rehearsal period wasn't always just the hard work crew and artists are used to. In May and June, the temperature rose several times during the day to 30 degrees, which made it very difficult to work in the quarry, where the only shade is provided by the set. They tried to drink plenty of water and wore hats. As the performance starts at daylight and ends in the dark, work often continues until dawn. By then the crew are fighting the cold. Philipp Krenn says that he keeps a winter coat in his dressing room alongside his summer hat, because he has to put it on at night. On the huge stage, 60 to 65 artists perform together at times, and the spectacular set elements dwarf the human being, in particular the sea waves. The director promised that it will be an astonishing sight to see the ship rise out of the sea with the sailors on board. The quarry, owned by the Esterházy family, has been in operation since Roman times. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also the source of the building materials for many of Vienna's iconic buildings, such as St Stephen's Cathedral, which is still supplied with stones from across the stage for repairs and maintenance. Pop princess Sabrina Carpenter has divided fans and sparked moral outrage after revealing the new cover art for her upcoming album 'Man's Best Friend'. Depicting the 26-year-old on her hands and knees in a black minidress while a faceless suited figure grips her hair, fans have argued the image perpetuates patriarchal values and degrades women by relating them to pets. 'This entire thing is so disturbing. Why are we proudly comparing ourselves to dogs,' wrote one commenter on Carpenter's Instagram post. A post shared by Sabrina Carpenter (@sabrinacarpenter) 'Love Sabrina - but this picture - why is the man in there like that? Its [sic] not a very empowering image for women. I think its [sic] a mistake since most [of] her fans are women and as a dv [domestic violence] survivor i find it uncomfortable and id [sic] rather see her empowered than like that,' said another. Responding on Facebook, Glasgow Women's Aid, a Scotland-based domestic abuse charity, called the album's artwork "regressive", adding: 'Picturing herself on all fours, with a man pulling her hair and calling it 'Man's Best Friend' isn't subversion. It's a throwback to tired tropes that reduce women to pets, props, and possessions and promote an element of violence and control." The heated responses also reflect a heightened anger and sensitivity at a time when women's rights are being eroded by governments - and threatened by the manosphere's (a collection of online spaces that promote misogyny) toxic cultural influence. 'This screams trad wife at a time when many of us are fighting for bodily autonomy. It's so poorly aligned with this political moment that it's either intentional trolling or just blatantly out of touch. Either is not ok right now,' one fan said. Meanwhile, others have countered the discourse with reminders that Carpenter has always owned her sexuality by playing with male fantasies - and that outside of the album's wider context, we still don't know its true meaning. 'I'm seeing a lot of discourse about Sabrina Carpenter's new album cover… for those of you who may lack critical thinking skills, the cover is clearly satirical with a deeper meaning, portraying how the public views her, believing she is just for the male gaze,' a response reads on X. Following her mainstream breakthrough last year, with frothy earworm Espresso the most-streamed track on Spotify in 2024, Carpenter has become one of pop's biggest superstars. Known for her tongue-in-cheek playfulness and provocative performances, she sparked some controversy last year after filming a saucy music video inside a church, for which the priest that authorised it was stripped of his duties. While sex has always been an intrinsic part of Carpenter's image and appeal, it's most often utilised for satire and innuendo. In a new Rolling Stone interview, the singer further defended this, saying: 'It's always so funny to me when people complain. They're like, 'All she does is sing about this.' But those are the songs that you've made popular. Clearly you love sex. You're obsessed with it.' Still, despite those that bemoan Carpenter's ongoing backlash as overblown, lacking nuance and missing the point of her hypersexualised and kink-coded brand, contentious discussions continue on the blurred lines between reclamation and regression. 'Satire only works when it clearly exposes, exaggerates, or critiques the thing it's referencing. Rn, Sabrina's cover recreates sexist imagery without disrupting it, so it reads as compliance, not commentary,' one fan said. Earlier this month, the singer performed at Barcelona's Primavera festival for the first time, and released 'Manchild' - the lead single from her upcoming seventh studio album, set for release on 29 August 2025.
Gulf Today
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Soprano Lise Davidsen to release new opera recording
'Davidsen Goes out with a Bang,' read the headline in Broadway World's review of the Metropolitan Opera revival of Beethoven's 'Fidelio.' And indeed Lise Davidsen is in a sense 'going out.' After she gives her final performance as the wife who disguises herself as a man to save her husband, she'll head home to Norway to prepare for a new role — as the mother of twins. But the soprano's fans will also have something new to savour while she's on maternity leave. Decca is releasing a recording of Wagner's 'Der Fliegende Holländer' ('The Flying Dutchman'), an opera she had never sung before and may never do again. The role of Senta, the sea captain's daughter who is obsessed with rescuing the Dutchman from eternal damnation, is one that Davidsen said she had been 'asked to do for almost 10 years,' but always turned down because 'I didn't feel ready.' That might seem surprising since the role is relatively short and is often grouped with other Wagnerian roles she has already sung, like Elisabeth in 'Tannhäuser' or Sieglinde in 'Die Walküre.' But the tessitura of the role — the amount of time the voice spends in a particular range — 'was difficult for me six or seven years ago,' she said. 'It lies in a tricky place and is surprisingly dramatic in the high range. For me, it was a little bit too high for too long a time.' What changed her mind, she said, was mastering the title role of Richard Strauss's 'Salome,' another opera that requires the soprano to sing near the top of her range much of the time. She performed that to great acclaim last year at the Paris Opera. Added incentives to record Senta came from the team Decca assembled and the fact that it was taped in two live performances at the Oslo Opera House. Edward Gardner, music director of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, was the conductor, and the role of the Dutchman was sung by baritone Gerald Finley, a singer she has long admired. In their great second-act duet, Davidsen said that when Finley sang his opening phrases in an otherworldly hush, 'It just gave me goosebumps because his sound is so beautiful. It's so inspiring and clear. 'I wanted to take his voice and put it in my pocket and have it with me for a sad day.' Davidsen matches him, scaling back her enormous voice to sing with aching purity, then unleashing a torrent of sound for the climaxes. The recording, also featuring bass Brindley Sharratt as Senta's father Daland, and tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac as her hapless suitor Erik, will be released April 18. Now that the project is behind her she said she has no plans to sing the role on stage. 'I can never say never,' she said, 'and maybe in five years something changes. But for now there's a lot of other roles I have coming.' Chief among those are the two pinnacles of the Wagnerian repertory for dramatic soprano, Isolde in 'Tristan und Isolde,' and Brünnhilde in the 'Ring' cycle. Both have been announced for upcoming productions at the Met directed by Yuval Sharon with the Isolde in just a year from now. In addition she is determined to keep exploring the Italian repertory. Already she has scored success in two major Verdi roles: Elisabetta in 'Don Carlo' and Leonora in 'La Forza del Destino.' A very different Verdi role she's eager to add is the murderous Lady Macbeth in 'Macbeth.' She will open the Met's 2026-27 season in a new production of the work. 'I just love that woman,' she said. 'There's something so loco in her, and I'm anxious to see where I can go with it. The other ladies are pure, but she's on a different planet.' Davidsen's twins are due in June, and she plans to extend her leave from singing for the rest of 2025. 'In America they think that's a very long leave,' she said, 'but back home they think it's very short.' Associated Press
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen to release new opera recording while awaiting birth of twins
NEW YORK (AP) — 'Davidsen Goes out with a Bang,' read the headline in Broadway World's review of the Metropolitan Opera revival of Beethoven's 'Fidelio.' And indeed Lise Davidsen is in a sense 'going out.' After she gives her final performance as the wife who disguises herself as a man to save her husband, she'll head home to Norway to prepare for a new role — as the mother of twins. But the soprano's fans will also have something new to savor while she's on maternity leave. Decca is releasing a recording of Wagner's 'Der Fliegende Holländer' ('The Flying Dutchman'), an opera she had never sung before and may never do again. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. What convinced Davidsen to record 'The Flying Dutchman' The role of Senta, the sea captain's daughter who is obsessed with rescuing the Dutchman from eternal damnation, is one that Davidsen said she had been 'asked to do for almost 10 years,' but always turned down because 'I didn't feel ready.' That might seem surprising since the role is relatively short and is often grouped with other Wagnerian roles she has already sung, like Elisabeth in "Tannhäuser' or Sieglinde in 'Die Walküre.' But the tessitura of the role — the amount of time the voice spends in a particular range — 'was difficult for me six or seven years ago,' she said. 'It lies in a tricky place and is surprisingly dramatic in the high range. For me, it was a little bit too high for too long a time.' What changed her mind, she said, was mastering the title role of Richard Strauss's 'Salome,' another opera that requires the soprano to sing near the top of her range much of the time. She performed that to great acclaim last year at the Paris Opera. Added incentives to record Senta came from the team Decca assembled and the fact that it was taped in two live performances at the Oslo Opera House. Edward Gardner, music director of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, was the conductor, and the role of the Dutchman was sung by baritone Gerald Finley, a singer she has long admired. In their great second-act duet, Davidsen said that when Finley sang his opening phrases in an otherworldly hush, 'It just gave me goosebumps because his sound is so beautiful. It's so inspiring and clear. 'I wanted to take his voice and put it in my pocket and have it with me for a sad day.' Davidsen matches him, scaling back her enormous voice to sing with aching purity, then unleashing a torrent of sound for the climaxes. The recording, also featuring bass Brindley Sharratt as Senta's father Daland, and tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac as her hapless suitor Erik, will be released April 18. Now that the project is behind her she said she has no plans to sing the role on stage. 'I can never say never,' she said, 'and maybe in five years something changes. But for now there's a lot of other roles I have coming.' What's next for Davidsen onstage Chief among those are the two pinnacles of the Wagnerian repertory for dramatic soprano, Isolde in 'Tristan und Isolde,' and Brünnhilde in the 'Ring' cycle. Both have been announced for upcoming productions at the Met directed by Yuval Sharon with the Isolde in just a year from now. In addition she is determined to keep exploring the Italian repertory. Already she has scored success in two major Verdi roles: Elisabetta in 'Don Carlo' A very different Verdi role she's eager to add is the murderous Lady Macbeth in 'Macbeth.' She will open the Met's 2026-27 season in a new production of the work. 'I just love that woman,' she said. 'There's something so loco in her, and I'm anxious to see where I can go with it. The other ladies are pure, but she's on a different planet.' Davidsen's twins are due in June, and she plans to extend her leave from singing for the rest of 2025. 'In America they think that's a very long leave,' she said, 'but back home they think it's very short.' Once she does return, she'll be doing fewer concert tours that require quickly jumping from city to city. 'The back and forth, here and there, I don't want to do it,' she said. 'The good thing with new opera productions is we can all be here together,' she said. Between rehearsals and performances, a new production typically allows for at least a two-month stay in one place. Meanwhile, the final 'Fidelio' on Saturday afternoon will be broadcast live in HD to movie theaters worldwide. Susanna Mälkki conducts a cast that includes tenor David Butt Philip as the unjustly imprisoned Florestan; bass Rene Papé as the jailer Rocco, soprano Ying Fang as his daughter Marzelline, and baritone Tomasz Konieczny as the villainous Don Pizarro.
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen to release new opera recording while awaiting birth of twins
'Davidsen Goes out with a Bang,' read the headline in Broadway World's review of the Metropolitan Opera revival of Beethoven's 'Fidelio.' And indeed Lise Davidsen is in a sense 'going out.' After she gives her final performance as the wife who disguises herself as a man to save her husband, she'll head home to Norway to prepare for a new role — as the mother of twins. But the soprano's fans will also have something new to savor while she's on maternity leave. Decca is releasing a recording of Wagner's 'Der Fliegende Holländer' ('The Flying Dutchman'), an opera she had never sung before and may never do again. What convinced Davidsen to record 'The Flying Dutchman' The role of Senta, the sea captain's daughter who is obsessed with rescuing the Dutchman from eternal damnation, is one that Davidsen said she had been 'asked to do for almost 10 years,' but always turned down because 'I didn't feel ready.' That might seem surprising since the role is relatively short and is often grouped with other Wagnerian roles she has already sung, like Elisabeth in "Tannhäuser' or Sieglinde in 'Die Walküre.' But the tessitura of the role — the amount of time the voice spends in a particular range — 'was difficult for me six or seven years ago,' she said. 'It lies in a tricky place and is surprisingly dramatic in the high range. For me, it was a little bit too high for too long a time.' What changed her mind, she said, was mastering the title role of Richard Strauss's ' Salome,' another opera that requires the soprano to sing near the top of her range much of the time. She performed that to great acclaim last year at the Paris Opera. Added incentives to record Senta came from the team Decca assembled and the fact that it was taped in two live performances at the Oslo Opera House. Edward Gardner, music director of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, was the conductor, and the role of the Dutchman was sung by baritone Gerald Finley, a singer she has long admired. In their great second-act duet, Davidsen said that when Finley sang his opening phrases in an otherworldly hush, 'It just gave me goosebumps because his sound is so beautiful. It's so inspiring and clear. 'I wanted to take his voice and put it in my pocket and have it with me for a sad day.' Davidsen matches him, scaling back her enormous voice to sing with aching purity, then unleashing a torrent of sound for the climaxes. The recording, also featuring bass Brindley Sharratt as Senta's father Daland, and tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac as her hapless suitor Erik, will be released April 18. Now that the project is behind her she said she has no plans to sing the role on stage. 'I can never say never,' she said, 'and maybe in five years something changes. But for now there's a lot of other roles I have coming.' What's next for Davidsen onstage Chief among those are the two pinnacles of the Wagnerian repertory for dramatic soprano, Isolde in 'Tristan und Isolde,' and Brünnhilde in the 'Ring' cycle. Both have been announced for upcoming productions at the Met directed by Yuval Sharon with the Isolde in just a year from now. In addition she is determined to keep exploring the Italian repertory. Already she has scored success in two major Verdi roles: Elisabetta in 'Don Carlo' and Leonora in 'La Forza del Destino.' A very different Verdi role she's eager to add is the murderous Lady Macbeth in 'Macbeth.' She will open the Met's 2026-27 season in a new production of the work. 'I just love that woman,' she said. 'There's something so loco in her, and I'm anxious to see where I can go with it. The other ladies are pure, but she's on a different planet.' Davidsen's twins are due in June, and she plans to extend her leave from singing for the rest of 2025. 'In America they think that's a very long leave,' she said, 'but back home they think it's very short.' Once she does return, she'll be doing fewer concert tours that require quickly jumping from city to city. 'The back and forth, here and there, I don't want to do it,' she said. 'The good thing with new opera productions is we can all be here together,' she said. Between rehearsals and performances, a new production typically allows for at least a two-month stay in one place. Meanwhile, the final 'Fidelio' on Saturday afternoon will be broadcast live in HD to movie theaters worldwide. Susanna Mälkki conducts a cast that includes tenor David Butt Philip as the unjustly imprisoned Florestan; bass Rene Papé as the jailer Rocco, soprano Ying Fang as his daughter Marzelline, and baritone Tomasz Konieczny as the villainous Don Pizarro.
Associated Press
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen to release new opera recording while awaiting birth of twins
NEW YORK (AP) — 'Davidsen Goes out with a Bang,' read the headline in Broadway World's review of the Metropolitan Opera revival of Beethoven's 'Fidelio.' And indeed Lise Davidsen is in a sense 'going out.' After she gives her final performance as the wife who disguises herself as a man to save her husband, she'll head home to Norway to prepare for a new role — as the mother of twins. But the soprano's fans will also have something new to savor while she's on maternity leave. Decca is releasing a recording of Wagner's 'Der Fliegende Holländer' ('The Flying Dutchman'), an opera she had never sung before and may never do again. What convinced Davidsen to record 'The Flying Dutchman' The role of Senta, the sea captain's daughter who is obsessed with rescuing the Dutchman from eternal damnation, is one that Davidsen said she had been 'asked to do for almost 10 years,' but always turned down because 'I didn't feel ready.' That might seem surprising since the role is relatively short and is often grouped with other Wagnerian roles she has already sung, like Elisabeth in 'Tannhäuser' or Sieglinde in 'Die Walküre.' But the tessitura of the role — the amount of time the voice spends in a particular range — 'was difficult for me six or seven years ago,' she said. 'It lies in a tricky place and is surprisingly dramatic in the high range. For me, it was a little bit too high for too long a time.' What changed her mind, she said, was mastering the title role of Richard Strauss's 'Salome,' another opera that requires the soprano to sing near the top of her range much of the time. She performed that to great acclaim last year at the Paris Opera. Added incentives to record Senta came from the team Decca assembled and the fact that it was taped in two live performances at the Oslo Opera House. Edward Gardner, music director of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, was the conductor, and the role of the Dutchman was sung by baritone Gerald Finley, a singer she has long admired. In their great second-act duet, Davidsen said that when Finley sang his opening phrases in an otherworldly hush, 'It just gave me goosebumps because his sound is so beautiful. It's so inspiring and clear. 'I wanted to take his voice and put it in my pocket and have it with me for a sad day.' Davidsen matches him, scaling back her enormous voice to sing with aching purity, then unleashing a torrent of sound for the climaxes. The recording, also featuring bass Brindley Sharratt as Senta's father Daland, and tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac as her hapless suitor Erik, will be released April 18. Now that the project is behind her she said she has no plans to sing the role on stage. 'I can never say never,' she said, 'and maybe in five years something changes. But for now there's a lot of other roles I have coming.' What's next for Davidsen onstage Chief among those are the two pinnacles of the Wagnerian repertory for dramatic soprano, Isolde in 'Tristan und Isolde,' and Brünnhilde in the 'Ring' cycle. Both have been announced for upcoming productions at the Met directed by Yuval Sharon with the Isolde in just a year from now. In addition she is determined to keep exploring the Italian repertory. Already she has scored success in two major Verdi roles: Elisabetta in 'Don Carlo' and Leonora in 'La Forza del Destino.' A very different Verdi role she's eager to add is the murderous Lady Macbeth in 'Macbeth.' She will open the Met's 2026-27 season in a new production of the work. 'I just love that woman,' she said. 'There's something so loco in her, and I'm anxious to see where I can go with it. The other ladies are pure, but she's on a different planet.' Davidsen's twins are due in June, and she plans to extend her leave from singing for the rest of 2025. 'In America they think that's a very long leave,' she said, 'but back home they think it's very short.' Once she does return, she'll be doing fewer concert tours that require quickly jumping from city to city. 'The back and forth, here and there, I don't want to do it,' she said. 'The good thing with new opera productions is we can all be here together,' she said. Between rehearsals and performances, a new production typically allows for at least a two-month stay in one place. Meanwhile, the final 'Fidelio' on Saturday afternoon will be broadcast live in HD to movie theaters worldwide. Susanna Mälkki conducts a cast that includes tenor David Butt Philip as the unjustly imprisoned Florestan; bass Rene Papé as the jailer Rocco, soprano Ying Fang as his daughter Marzelline, and baritone Tomasz Konieczny as the villainous Don Pizarro.
