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Loki
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« : Ноябрь 17, 2008, 20:41:08 » |
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« Последнее редактирование: Ноябрь 17, 2008, 20:59:01 от Loki »
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Loki
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« Ответ #1 : Декабрь 04, 2008, 22:32:55 » |
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Поскольку на русском языке публикаций о Максе Лоренце крайне мало - главным образом это аннотации к пластинкам с его записями, выпускавшимся в советское время фирмой "Мелодия", - выкладываю для всех интересующихся большую английскую статью Даниэля Годора о великом певце:
MAX LORENZ:
THE MEISTERSINGER
Max Lorenz is, comparable to his Italian colleague Aureliano Pertile, a singer who polarizes both audiences and critics. In Germany, Lorenz is considered to be one of the great dramatic tenors of the 20th century, while his voice and musical skills, style and expression have a rather doubtful reputation abroad. John Steane, author of The Grand Tradition – Seventy Years of Singing, described Lorenz' voice as unattractive and ugly. Irving Kolodin (The Story of the Metropolitan Opera) meant that Lorenz' voice had a hard and unpleasant quality, even though appreciated Lorenz as a serious artist. More or less famous German critics attested Lorenz a "voice of powerful brilliance, capable of clear phrasing, a voice which, even in dramatic moments never offended against the laws of bel-canto" (Helmuth Castagne in the LP edition's booklet of Bayreuth 1936). Friedrich Herzfeld (Magie der Stimme) enthused: "Everything in him was radiant with power – his appearance and his brilliant voice which even mastered Walter Stolzing's dangerous top notes with charming nobility". And Jens Malte Fischer (Große Stimmen) praised his "razor-sharp diction" and compared the power of his voice to a blade that was "victoriously" able to cut even through the thickest orchestration. Fischer considered Lorenz' recordings of Wagner's Tristan and Tannhäuser to be the greatest recordings of these operas that were ever made.
Germany was, without any doubt, the home some of the greatest Wagner-performances ever. And Lorenz was, as Tietjen pointed out, an important part of them. In 1936 the Berlin State Opera presented Der fliegende Holländer with Max Lorenz, Rudolf Bockelmann and Martha Fuchs, Easter 1937 brought Parsifal with Max Lorenz, Frida Leider, Ivar Andresen and Erna Berger. Excerpts from the Bayreuth-performances from 1936 are preserved on records. They are a unique climax in the history of Wagner-singing. In 1938 Lorenz sang Tristan in Bayreuth with Germain Lubin and de Sabata conducting. Jens Malte Fischer writes: "There still are many enthusiasts who wait for a tape of this performance to appear. It promises unimagined delight and those who actually heard the performance live say that they've never heard anything better than this in their whole life."
The political isolation of Nazi-Germany had a certain disadvantageous effect on Lorenz' international career on the other hand. Lorenz sang first of all in Austria (which became a part of Germany in 1938), Italy (part of the Axis), and countries that were relatively indifferent or even benevolent to Germany and her political system: Sweden, the Netherlands, Great Britain. In Vienna Lorenz sang from 1933 to 1945 Riccardo in Verdi's Ballo (for the first time 1933, totally 12 performances), Parsifal (1933/12), Tannhäuser (1936/44), Siegmund (1936/32), Siegfried (Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, 1937/8), Florestan in Beethoven's Fidelio (1937/66), Bacchus in Strauss' Ariadne (1937/13), Tristan (1940/28), Pedro in d'Albert's Tiefland (1940/8), Otello (1942/64) and Don José (1944/4).
In 1937, Lorenz sang Siegfried (Götterdämmerung) in Amsterdam with Prohaska, von Manowarda, Fuchs, Heidersbach and Klose, under the direction of Erich Kleiber. His début at La Scala came in 1938, where sang Siegfried (both of them) and Siegmund (replacing the indisposed Franz Völker) under the direction of Victor de Sabata. His performances must have been very impressive. Shortly after, Lorenz got invested as Commendatore - a title, which made him very proud. I was about to leave Milan when I had a talk with Mataloni, the artistic director of La Scala: "Mr. Lorenz, I would like you to stay here at La Scala for the next couple of years. But I want you for the Italian repertoire. I have observed you during today's rehearsals. I would like you to sing Boito's Nerone here in our house!" In fact, I returned to Milan a couple of weeks later and started rehearsing Nerone. But the atmosphere remained alien to me, and I returned to Berlin and Bayreuth. Lorenz returned to La Scala in 1939 and 1942, both times singing Tristan with de Sabata. The fact that Mataloni wanted Lorenz to sing Nerone underlines the similarity of his voice and Pertile's. It was Pertile who had created the role of Nerone and his recordings of scenes from this opera are often estimated as his best.
The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino invited Lorenz in 1941.
London experienced Lorenz' Siegfried on the occasion of the coronation ceremonies in 1937.
Some historians absolutely insist that Lorenz was one of Hitler's personal protégés, the "Third Reich's star-tenor, generally the leading tenor in the Third Reich, Hitler's favorite" (Fischer). It is true that Lorenz was the busiest tenor in the Third Reich and that his athletic physical appearance served the propagandized picture of the Nordic superhuman perfectly – in contrast to Franz Völker, the leading lyrical Heldentenor in Nazi-Germany's Bayreuth. Some even said that his musical style, a certain tendency to press forward when the orchestra was conducted too slowly, reminded to the German "Blitzkrieg-strategy, which of course suited the roles very well" (Fischer). But Lorenz was in the political point of view and again in contrast to his colleague Völker not as easy going.
Lorenz' wife, Lotte, was Jewish – a fact that brought Lorenz in conflict with the authorities after the adoption of the Nuremberg race-law in 1935. Legal proceedings against Lorenz and his wife were soon initiated since § 1.1. of the new law specifically prohibited the marriage of Jews and "citizens of German blood". The whole affair went to such lengths that Lotte Lorenz was not anymore allowed to visit performances in Bayreuth and even got attacked by SS-men in public. A court case because of the violation of § 1.1. was dangerous and could for the accused end in prison (§ 5.1.) or a concentration camp. And the cases of Tauber and Schmidt had proved that the National-Socialists were ruthless, even when it came to famous and beloved artists. But Lorenz had mighty friends – one of them was Winifred Wagner, Richard Wagner's daughter-in-law, a close friend of Hitler since 1923 and one of the few persons that were allowed to address Hitler informally (Du instead of Sie). And in the irrational world of Nazi-ideology contacts were the most important, not blood or paragraphs. Once, Herman Göring, chief-commander of the German Luftwaffe, saved one of his most important generals (Milch, who was accused for being half-Jewish) from removal just by pointing out a declarative statement: "I decide who is a Jew and who is not!"
Lorenz denied filing for divorce – successfully, probably thanks to the protection of influential friends. He even coerced the SS-men, who had attacked his wife, into apologizing personally for what they had done. Lorenz had threatened never to sing in Germany again unless the offenders apologized to her. The fact that Lorenz was not part of the spectacular representation of Wagner's Meistersinger in occasion of the year's biggest party congress Reichsparteitag der Freiheit in Nuremberg was maybe caused by the constant disgruntlement between him and the authorities. The part of Walther was then sung by the b-class-tenor Fritz Wolff, who was surrounded by an excellent cast which included Karl Kronenberg (Sachs), Josef von Manowarda (Pogner), Herbert Janssen (Kothner), Maria Müller (Eva) and Wilhelm Furtwängler.
The court case against Lorenz and his wife was not the only attempt to split the marriage. Friedelind Wagner, Winifred and Siegfried Wagner's daughter, tried to convince Lorenz of getting a divorce and marry her instead. Today it seems impossible to find out what or who was the driving force behind these plans, which certainly had the aim to protect Lorenz from any further difficulties. But Lorenz stayed loyal to his wife. Friedelind, originally a fanatic Nazi, changed her opinion about Hitler suddenly in 1940 and emigrated. When the war was over and Lorenz was about to continue his career in the US, she tried to prevent it by spreading the rumor that Lorenz was a Nazi.
But Lorenz' marriage was not the only cause for conflicts. According to Marcel Prawy (Jan Kiepura's former chief secretary) Lorenz was supposed to be "a prominent homosexual". In 1936 the authorities therefore tried to ban Lorenz from further appearances in Bayreuth. Again Winifred Wagner held her protective hand over Lorenz. In a one-on-one-interview with Hitler, Winifred Wagner put trough that Lorenz could continue.
Lorenz was as his biographer Walter Herrmann points out, far from being a Nazi. From time to time he was hiding fugitives in his house and organized their emigration from Nazi-Germany. Lorenz cannot be accused for the fact that he himself did not leave Germany just like Toscanini had left Italy. He was, like Furtwängler, an artist who was dependent on German language and art, a man who was closely connected to his home and fatherland. To emigrate can also mean to abandon, to stay can be understood as the attempt to make things better inside the lion's den.
The judgements about Lorenz are highly inconsistent. This reminds, as said above, to the case of Aureliano Pertile. The Italian expert Giorgio Gualerzi called Pertile's voice for "probably the most ugly voice, seen from an objective point of view" (magazine Opera, 1985), while Arturo Toscanini called him his favorite tenor. Lorenz was, in spite of all the critics, the leading tenor for the heavy Wagner repertoire in Bayreuth between 1933 and 1945, he sang at the coronation ceremonies in London in 1937 and was Furtwängler's choice for the role of Siegfried in Götterdämmerung at La Scala in 1950. The truth lies – as in Pertile's case – therefore most probably somewhere in between the extremes (if it's possible to talk about truth and objectiveness since everything and especially music lies in the field of perception and subjective taste…).
Who was this high controversial singer? Let's have a look at his biography.
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« Последнее редактирование: Декабрь 04, 2008, 22:52:05 от Loki »
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Loki
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« Ответ #2 : Декабрь 04, 2008, 22:36:15 » |
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Продолжение:
Education
In his humorous autobiography from 1963, Lorenz frankly admitted: I am not called Max Lorenz. It is a pseudonym.¹ His real name was Max Sülzenfuß and he was born in Düsseldorf on May 10, 1901. His father was a master butcher with an own shop but without any comprehension of music: He wanted me to become his successor. But that did not interest me. I wanted to become a singer. At any price. The fact that Lorenz actually gave up his surname was a symbolic act of rebellion: in German Sülzenfuß means aspic-preserved pork foot – what a perfect name for a butcher to-be!
But the beginning was not easy. It is told that Lorenz' voice was so ugly that his music-teacher dismissed him from the music lessons in school. Everybody, who heard about my intentions said: You want to become a singer? That's ridiculous, you are hoarse! That's strange: My speaking voice is always hoarse. But the more huskily I speak, the better I sing! The education had to be done on the sly and against the father's will. He wanted the boy to learn a "decent" profession. A musical education was in his opinion nothing more than a waste of money. The boy was not even allowed to go to the opera. But Max went secretly, and during the years of dearth in the First World War he organized the tickets by swapping them for sausages and gammons he had stolen from the father's shop! The dark suite had to be hidden in the cellar. When his father caught him on his return from the theater he used, as Lorenz wrote, to give him a good trashing. Only the mother was supportive and financed the boy's education. Lorenz studied with Professor Pauli in Cologne – a city that lies about 40 KM away from Düsseldorf: For over five years I secretly went to Cologne three times a week. When I came home in the evening I was not allowed to say a word about how it went. My mother just gave me a glance, which meant: "Was it good?" And I returned the look: "Very good".
After five years of studies, Pauli advised Lorenz to continue the education with Professor Ernst Grenzebach in Berlin. Grenzebach had already worked with Melchior and Kipnis. But Berlin was 400 kilometers away and travels of this caliber could certainly not be done secretly anymore. The father was furious, but it was the mother who got her way: I went to Berlin to see Grenzebach. While I was waiting for my turn I listened to Lauritz Melchior, the famous Heldentenor. He was taking lessons with Grenzebach and I heard how he got dressed to size by the Professor. That was enormously impressive. To me the Professor said: "Well, nice voice, but we would need to take away the rust first. You have to start over again."
And Grenzebach was a very rigorous taskmaster. Lorenz, gifted with a strong body of impressive size and athletic appearance, used to sing with full power. But Grenzebach said: "When you practice, sing piano! Always piano piano! I know that you are able to sing forte. But the voice grows from the piano. You must be able to sing so low that nobody can hear you even when you have the window open! The little will become a lot. Your voice must be like a rubber band. When you pull, it becomes longer and longer!" The consequent use of Grenzebach's method turned, as Lorenz told in a radiobroadcast, the originally lyrical voice into a Heldentenor.
Lorenz had to meet Grenzebach every day, he was the first student to show up and the last to go home. When it was not his turn, he had to listen to the other students and learn from what he heard. He was not allowed to sing arias. Grenzebach told him just to sing single notes throughout the whole year. Grenzebach soon had full control over his promising pupil. He held for example the view that it was absolutely necessary to go to bed early and from time to time he checked whether Lorenz was at home at ten 'o clock in the evening or not. If he did not meet him at home he used to be in a very bad mood. When I showed up the morning after and if I had the slightest sign of indisposition, he used to say placidly:"Go home, this does not make sense! If you go out and are indisposed the morning after, the education is completely useless. If you want to become a singer you have to make sacrifices. That is a ground condition!"
Breakthrough
After two years of studies, Grenzebach allowed Lorenz to participate in a big contest for amateur singers organized by a popular magazine (Hackebeils Illustrierte Zeitung). The event took place in the Berlin Philharmonie in 1926. I still remember that the répétiteur said to me: "Don't keep laughing all the time!" I laughed due to nervousness – I did not even notice it. But when it was my turn, I sang. Next morning I received a telegram: I was the one in 70 participants who had won the first price. The same day the Dresden State Opera [at that time under the direction of Fritz Busch] offered me a contract.
A couple of days later I found my picture in an illustrated magazine; I sent it home. And what did my good old father do, who had always been an encumbrance to my career as a singer? He sent it to the Illustrierte Fleischerzeitung's editorial office (The butcher's illustrated newspaper) announcing that his son was appointed to be the new Heldentenor of the Dresden State Opera!
It was of course not completely true that Lorenz' career in Dresden started in a Heldentenor's repertoire. His first role was Walther von der Vogelweide in Wagner's Tannhäuser, followed by the minor tenor-part in Lortzing's Undine. It would not be true either to say that Lorenz had a walkover in these minor parts. I remember that the director who sat somewhere back in the auditorium rose during the rehearsals for Tannhäuser and yelled: If you are that untalented you should sing in Meißen and not in Dresden! (Meißen was a very small village with only a couple of thousands of inhabitants in the immediate vicinity of Dresden). And in Dresden, there was Curt Taucher, kind of an idol to me, Paul Schöffler, Meta Seinemeyer, Elisabeth Rethberg, with whom I was going to sing later… all wonderful singers.TinoPattiera [a Croatian tenore robusto for the Italian repertoire with an exiting but short career] was there too and I had to learn all of his roles… La Forza del Destino, Turandot… Manon Lescaut.
In 1928 Lorenz sang his first main role: it was the part of Meneas in Richard Strauss' Die Ägyptische Helena. A very difficult part, which is, like in so many other operas by Strauss, ungrateful since the technical difficulties and the achieved effect are obviously disproportionate. Quite contrary to Des Grieux in Puccini's Manon Lescaut, a role that Lorenz had to take over on short notice from the indisposed Pattiera during the season 1928/29. Des Grieux was followed by Radames in Verdi's Aida, Lorenz' second difficult and dramatic main role, which he sang at the age of only 28 years. During the same season Lorenz had to take on Alvaro in Verdi's La forza del destino (with Paul Schöffler as Don Carlo), Riccardo in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, Manrico in Verdi's Trovatore, Max in Weber's Freischütz and Siegmund in Wagner's Walküre. The fact that Lorenz was able to take on the heavy dramatic repertoire already in the very beginning of his career without ruining the voice proves that he must have possessed a good, solid and robust technique. The development into the heavy dramatic repertoire at such a young age can maybe only be compared to Björling's career. Björling sang his first Radames in 1935 at the age of 24 at the Royal Opera House Stockholm, in 1937 at the age of 26 already in Vienna opposite Zinka Milanov.
Besides his activity as dramatic tenor in Dresden, Lorenz gave recitals, singing classical songs of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Excellent for controlling the voice, as Lorenz said. His busy schedule of the years that followed got in the way of a further engagement in giving recitals – something that Lorenz regretted very much.
Début in the US
The role of Radames was a milestone in Lorenz' career. Lorenz told about a wondrous incident that occurred during his first appearance as Radames: After the first act a gentleman entered the locker room; he was called Arthur Bodanzky, introduced himself as the artistic director of the Metropolitan Opera and seemed determined to invite me to the US. "What have you sung?" "Nothing that would be worth mentioning besides Radames." "Come and visit me next summer in the Schwarzwald. There we can rehearse everything we need."
Bodanzky walked the talk and scheduled Lorenz' debut at the Met for the season 1931/32. The crossing from Bremerhaven to New York is legendary, since Lorenz was not the only tenor on board when the ship left Bremerhaven. The great Heldentenor Rudolf Laubenthal, Armand Tokatyan, Richard Tauber and Jan Kiepura incidentally had booked cabins on the same ship. What else could indicate the abundance of good singers in those times better than the fact that those five top-notch tenors incidentally could meet on one boat! But as to Lorenz the crossing soon became quite uncomfortable. He received a telegram from Bodanzky in which the conductor called Lorenz to prepare the role of Tannhäuser as well. A role I did not know whatsoever about. But Richard Tauber did me a great favor: during the five days the crossing took Tauber rehearsed the role with me. Tauber was definitely the right second: In July 1926 he had to create the first German performance of Puccini's Turandot instead of the indisposed Curt Taucher. He worked wonders and studied the role of Calaf within three days!
During the rehearsals at the Met I failed many times, since the part was completely new to me. But Bodanzky and all the other stars [Maria Jeritza was Elisabeth] helped me, they wanted my début to be a success. The greatest, most famous colleagues were always also the most kind and modest ones. Everybody helped where they could. And there I have heard the greatest singers in the world: Titta Ruffo, Claudia Muzio – Pinza. I actually loved America very much. I sang Tannhäuser for four or five times, and soon my time in the US was over.
There are rumors in circulation that the story about the US début as Lorenz told it is not completely correct or, to put it bluntly, entirely fictitious. Jürgen Kesting referred to Kolodin's Met-chronicle, which claims that Lorenz gave his début with the role of Walther in Wagner's Meistersinger and not at all with Tannhäuser. In his short biography Erik Erikson pointed out that there exists a review of Lorenz' début as…Walther. His Walther was, according to the review, received as the work of a "serious artist and an intelligent musician," though one afflicted with a "hard and unyielding tone quality". He was found a "credible" Siegmund and a positive Siegfried, albeit with the tonal liabilities cited at his debut. A Lohengrin opposite Maria Jeritza was, as Erikson reports, described as "disagreeable in sound and unimpressive in appearance, the judgment on Lorenz's physical presence being at odds with contemporary accounts elsewhere". Jens Malte Fischer thought that Lorenz just misdated the whole story. Fischer believes that it took place in 1933, when Lorenz crossed the ocean for a second time. But the joint travel of the five tenors can be dated back to 1931. Walter Herrmann, author of one of the few Lorenz-biographies, held Lorenz' view.
It is hard to tell which of the versions is the most probable. Kolodin's chronicle seems reliable although it is not free from mistakes. The newspaper review is a significant piece of evidence and it is hardly believable that it would not mention a performance of Tannhäuser sung by Lorenz. But not everything seems to be fiction: The joint travel for example is documented by photography. Lorenz names Bodanzky and Jeritza (two artists who were demonstrably active at the Met during those years) and talks about the rehearsals. He even set his version out in writing. One can assume that Lorenz would not have done that if the version he told were a lie (as Kesting claimed) – a lie that would have been cloddish and all too easy to expose. Anyway – the assumption that Lorenz somehow misdated the whole episode and/or mixed up different memories seems the most probable answer.
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Loki
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« Ответ #3 : Декабрь 04, 2008, 22:39:44 » |
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Продолжение:
Stations of a career
The year 1933 marked Lorenz' definite farewell from Dresden. He became a member of the State Opera in Berlin and received his first invitation to Bayreuth. In Berlin, Lorenz had to sing Radames, and although he had a certain routine with this role, his nerves were all on edge. At 5 in the afternoon I suddenly got a panic attack, took the telephone and called Leo Blech [the conductor of the evening] to ask him to do the performance without me. He said: "Just come! I guarantee you: You'll be fine, you will sing well. I'm going to help you."
The performance was a great success. When everything was over I went back to my locker room where I found a photography of Leo Blech, signed with the following words: "The old Verdi sends his best regards!" I took the photography with me as lucky charm whenever I had to sing Radames.
In Berlin Lorenz made the acquaintance of Heinz Tietjen, stage director and musical director in Bayreuth, who always was on the lookout for young talents. Tietjen did not only invite Lorenz to Bayreuth – he also prepared the 32-year-old for his début at the Festspielhaus with an enormous personal employment. His rehearsals with Lorenz were lasting for weeks, two, four hours a day. During the summer of 1933 Lorenz débuted in Bayreuth singing Parsifal, Walther and Siegfried (in both Siegfried and Götterdämmerung!). A program, that no tenor of today would accomplish. Lorenz stayed loyal to Bayreuth and Tietjen, who had become Lorenz' first mentor and good friend: Between 1933 and 1944 he appeared continuously each summer at the Festspielhaus, singing Parsifal (1933 and 1937), Lohengrin (1936), Siegmund (1937), Siegfried (in Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, each year from 1933 to 1942), Walther (1933, 1934, 1943, 1944) and Tristan (1938 and 1939).
Lorenz soon became the leading Heldentenor for the heavy Wagner repertoire in Germany and abroad. The fact that the peak of Lorenz' career coincided with the reign of the National Socialists had assets and drawbacks. On one side one has to admit that Wagner's music never has been supported and subsidized more as during the leadership of Adolf Hitler. That was, on one hand, conductive to Lorenz' career as a Wagner-singer. The special promotion of Wagner's music and the spirit of the time, in which Wagner and the idea of the Nordic superman replaced the occidental religion and became something like a holy issue itself, created the ideal conditions for performing Wagner. The music was performed with a religious seriousness, intense and compact – with a concentration and density that only a black hole, that is about to collapse, can create.
In Bayreuth, enshrined, as a Nazi-temple of culture and equipped with outstanding artists, one could work without sorrow. Or as Tietjen wrote: "Max Lorenz on the top, Prohaska, Maria Müller, Margarethe Klose and the then young Greindl… only with those talented and obsessed artists I could, free from everything earthly, invade the sanctum of art."
Das süsse Lied verhallt
That Lorenz was not hit by the measures of the so-called denazification in the post-war years can maybe be traced back to the fact that he generally has not been perceived as a Nazi, neither in Germany nor abroad. During the winter 1945/46 Lorenz returned to Vienna singing Otello with Hilde Konetzni as Desdemona and Paul Schöffler as Jago under the direction of Karl Böhm. He even added another complex and extremely difficult part to his repertoire: Hermann in Tchaikovsky's Pique Dame, which he sang for the first time in Vienna in 1946. The BBC invited Lorenz during Christmas 1946 for singing Siegmund in Wagner's Walküre – a special act of friendship and reconciliation.
In 1947 Lorenz sang Tristan in Paris (together with Flagstad), his first post-war performance in a country which had been occupied by the Nazis. Everywhere in the opera house one could feel an icy front, especially the orchestra and the stagehands openly showed a hostile attitude. The performance went very well, but the moment after the final chord was awful. It is not exactly a very comfortable feeling standing on stage without knowing how the audience is going to react. The whole house was deadly silent, but then everybody raised and applauded enthusiastically.
One year later Lorenz was heard as Tannhäuser at the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, together with Tebaldi as Elisabeth and Rossi-Lemeni as Landgraf. Between 1948 and 1952 Lorenz also sang regularly at La Scala: Tristan in 1948 (among Flagstad and Schöffler) and 1951/52 (with Grob-Prandl, S. Björling and de Sabata conducting), in 1949 for the first performance of Die Walküre (with Flagstad, Reining, Höngen and Frantz) and 1950 for the performance of the complete Ring under the direction of Furtwängler.
But La Scala was again also interested in Lorenz' Italian repertoire, especially in his Otello, which they wanted him to sing in Italian (all the performances in Vienna were sung in German). But Lorenz refused again, this time not because he found the atmosphere alien, but simply because he thought that his Italian would not be good enough. Lorenz had only sung the role of Otello twice before in the original language, and that was in Paris. Later, the director of the RAI, Fidia Schiavoni, told that he actually had seen one of the performances of Otello in Paris and remembered that Lorenz' Italian was excellent. He was convinced that Lorenz' Otello in Italian would have been a great success!
In 1947/48 and 1950 Lorenz returned to the US, performing Tristan, Tannhäuser and Siegmund (in Wagner's Walküre with the great Swedish baritone Joel Berglund) and, in 1950, again Tannhäuser and Lohengrin with Astrid Varnay as Elisabeth and Ortrud.
A performance of Tristan at the Teatro Grattacielo ("Skyscraper") in Genova in 1948 brought him together with a young soprano, who would become one of the greatest stars in opera only a couple of years later: Maria Callas. Lorenz as Tristan, Callas as Isolde, Nicolai as Brangäne and Rossi-Lemeni as the King, Tullio Serafin conducting! There actually are unconfirmed rumors that a recording of this performance does exist. Also Maria Callas was in search of it, as we can read in a letter she wrote to Lorenz in 1968:
"Dear Max – I hope you remember me since the old days we sang together. I will never forget our performances together. I hope you are well and content with your life. (…)
I wonder if it is true that you have a tape of our 'Tristan' together. I was told that you have one, and I would be so happy if I could have a copy for my personal pleasure. Could you write to me if so – and anyway I would so like to hear from you.
Much affection and hoping to hear from you
I remain yours –
Maria Callas"
Lorenz remembered Maria as an excellent Wagner-singer as well as Maria Callas remembered Lorenz as a loveable colleague. In 1956, in the occasion of a performance of Lucia di Lammermoor in Vienna, Callas and di Stefano invited Lorenz for dinner at their hotel. It is not a well know fact that Lorenz actually was one of the first mentors of the young di Stefano!
But in spite of his international success, Lorenz' career began to draw to a close. The overwhelming power of his voice started to run dry – surely a kind of natural wear after over 20 years within the heavy dramatic repertoire. His performances became more and more infrequent, and a certain turning away from the Heldenfach in favor of the Charakterfach was one of the logical consequences of the vocal decline during the mid 1950s. But Lorenz was, at least as to the Vienna State Opera, still the first choice – a fact, that proves that the artist Lorenz was made of something more than "just" a voice. In Vienna, Lorenz was now set up first of all in the operas of Richard Strauss and modern opera. In 1949 he added Herodes (Salome) and Aeghist (Elektra) to his repertoire. In 1953 he created, on personal request by the composer Gottfried von Einem, the role of Josef K. in the first performance of the Kafka-opera Der Prozess. In 1954 he created the main role in another world premiere: Podestà in Rolf Liebermann's Penelope. The year after he appeared in Alban Berg's Wozzek in the bit part of the Tambourmajor.
Herbert von Karajan's take over as musical director at the Vienna State Opera marked the definitive end of Lorenz' career. Karajan was, in this case comparable to Solti, not only a musician but also a manager. And as the manager of the Vienna State Opera it was his ultimate ambition to make as much profit as possible. This meant nothing else than the destruction of the old Viennese ensemble in favor of international jetset-star-casts or, as he called it, "a common marked for the arts". And Karajan unleashed a real "star-carousel", wearing out one singer after the other. In his understanding of opera, his conception of sound, the orchestra played a much bigger role than before, stopped being accompaniment and became the dominant element. The permanent rotation meant a constant source of stress and the excessive demand to sing over a symphony orchestra ruined many talented singers and initiated the general decline of the art of singing. The "new style" of performing and the international stars, which Karajan took along to Vienna, soon made Lorenz dispensable. The break between him and Karajan can maybe be compared to the irritation between Björling and Solti. Solti was, like Karajan, a conductor-producer with new ideas of the orchestra's role within the opera and without any sense for classical ensembles, which (in his opinion) were old-fashioned and not suitable for the actual marked. The unscrupulous sacking of Björling (1960) and Lorenz (1955) meant definitively the end of the old tradition.
Lorenz quit at the State Opera and switched to the small Vienna Volksoper, singing parts like Orpheus in Offenbach's operetta and Buffalo Bill in Irving Berlin's musical Annie get your gun (1957). The parts I sing become smaller and smaller the older I get. But it is great to observe the young generation. And from time to time one of the young comes to me and asks: "Mr. Lorenz, how did you do that then?" And I am glad to tell them about it.
In 1962 Lorenz returned to the State Opera for one last performance: Herodes in Salome, definitely his last appearance on stage. It was not a happy farewell. Lorenz was, as legend has it, due to sorrow about his unfriendly displacement by Karajan, unable to take curtain calls for saying goodbye to the beloved audience and left the house through the side entrance.
After his farewell Lorenz was appointed to a professorship at the Salzburg Mozarteum. Among his most famous pupils were the tenors Jean Cox and James King. And for a third and last time Lorenz refused an offer from Italy: a professorship at Santa Cecilia in Rome.
He died on January 11 1975.
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« Последнее редактирование: Декабрь 04, 2008, 22:50:12 от Loki »
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Loki
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« Ответ #4 : Декабрь 04, 2008, 22:48:04 » |
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Окончание:
Voice and Technique
Max Lorenz was unlike other Heldentenors like Melchior or Svanholm not originally a baritone, turned into a tenor. Lorenz was from the beginning without any doubt a tenor with, as he said himself, lyrical qualities, with a voice of warm color and enormous power. Grenzebach, Lorenz' teacher in Berlin, knew – as Melchior's example shows – how to canalize the overwhelming power into trumpet-like tones of extreme brilliance. His voice did not have the dark elements which, in the case of Melchior and Svanholm, tells about their past as baritones. But he possessed, just like Melchior and due to Grenzebach's school, a powerful well-balanced middle register and ringing top notes with a lot of ring, ping or squillo, for using the Italian term. Lorenz' earliest recordings even show a vibrato which is very similar to Melchior's. Also the generation of the top notes was similar to the one of the great Dane and obviously a characteristic of Grenzebach's education: the notes are very slender and built in the front with a bright approach. Even the dark vowels (a covered a or o) shine with greatest brightness. The small focus in the build-up of the top notes is another characteristic, which at the same time points out an important difference between Lorenz and Melchior. The small focus in the acuti was a quality, which Melchior carried out to the most extreme forms (early recordings and the famous Lehmann/Walter-Walküre) and which always was a dominant part of his creation of sound. Lorenz used this technique only in the beginning of his career. His singing was already in the beginning 1930s not anymore mainly characterized by the small focus.
Also the fast, Melchior-like vibrato changed, especially as to the notes beyond the passaggio, into a lightly slower vibration. The vibration's amplitude went sometimes slightly over the edge, a phenomenon that Melchior with his fast vibrato could successfully prevent. Or, to say it with other words: the glint had become a wave that sometimes seemed hard to control. The similarity of Lorenz and Pertile begins at this point. The fast vibration helped Melchior to keep control over an all too powerful organ, while Lorenz and Pertile from time to time seemed to have lost the control to the amplitude of a wave to which they had given too much power. And a singer's performance is, just like in the case of Lorenz and Pertile, often perceived as ugly when the amplitude of the vibrato affects the clarity of tone, notes, phrase, melody and music.
But such a judgement is undifferentiated and overhasty. It was in my opinion certainly not the voice that was ugly (as John Steane wrote). Lorenz renditions are characterized by a strong declamatory and expressive style, paired, as Jens Malte Fischer wrote, with a "razor-sharp diction". If we ask, why Lorenz partly went away from Grenzebach's solid technique we would have to search the answer within the field of Lorenz' declamatory expression. Lorenz meant himself that expression and the beauty of sound (made possible by a solid technique) often were conflicting (cf. interview): I do not care if some notes sound ugly. And he made perfectly clear that the beauty of sound was not always the most important for him: it is the expression that counts.
The declamatory gesture demands expressions that might not go along with the golden rules of the art of belcanto. It's not only about affective bursts like shouting, screaming and crying, but also about the color of the vowels, which, in certain moments, has to be more open or closed, brighter or darker. It occurs for example that a high G or even an A flat is taken completely opened. The liquid and nasal consonants (like r, n, m) are pronounced with an extreme intensity. It even occurs that the musical line and certain single notes get sacrificed for expressive eruptions.
Lorenz' preference of the expressive elements has to be seen as the main reason for the adulteration of Grenzebach's solid technique. It also caused moments that can be perceived as unmusical, "over-espressivo" (Kesting) or rhetorical exaggeration – or simply as ugly, unpleasant or ridiculous.
On the other side stands Lorenz' warm, beautiful and powerful voice. Listening to his recordings it seems improper to call his voice for metallic. It surely has the brilliance of Björling's steel and Lauri Volpi's squillo, but it did not have that "two-fisted" presence and tension that Björling, Svanholm and Melchior had in their voices. Lorenz' voice is not a bright, hard element, his state of aggregation is fluent, not like water, rather tough and dark like crude oil.
The fact that Lorenz is by far more popular in Germany than abroad is due to the language barrier. If you don't understand the words, which Lorenz expresses in music, you miss the half of the performance (what applies to Wagner's music in general). What remain are performances characterized by an expressive impetus and rhetorical exaggerations.
Another thing that is not only missed by listeners who are not able to understand German is Lorenz' presence on stage, which was an important part of his performances and which must have been very impressive, as many testimonies of his former colleagues confirm. Belcanto Society's videotape Legends of opera contains a short clip of a rehearsal of Götterdämmerung in Bayreuth from 1934, with Frida Leider, Heinz Tietjen and Karl Elmendorff conducting, a clip, which approves those impressions. It even seems that his appearance compensated for the language barrier: His successes abroad (in Sweden, England, France and Italy) prove this theory. And de Sabata, Furtwängler and Serafin would never have accepted an unmusical singer with bad voice.
Connoisseurs like John Steane seem to forget that the record is a very imperfect medium. Judging Lorenz only by his recordings, maybe even without being able to understand the words he sings, can lead to a disadvantageous impression. But such an impression would be, as said, incomplete – a judgement based on this impression undifferentiated and unfair.
Testimonies
"Why was he unique? Max Lorenz was an exceptionally gifted artist – nature gave him a glorious tenor-voice and a body, which was classically beautiful in every movement, in every position. Furthermore he was warmhearted and had such a powerful inner imagination, which made him become the characters he portrayed on stage. His great art produced the impression of being completely natural and inartificial." Winifred Wagner
"It was an incredible situation being on stage together with Max Lorenz. This singer was in every sense the implementation of what I had been looking for for years: A Meistersinger, who deserved the title well." Astrid Varnay
"During spring 1954 I sang in Vienna for the first time (…). The great Max Lorenz was my Siegmund, and I also experienced what many other colleagues had told me about him: He encouraged me, he helped, and he cared. He taught me what it means to have a really good colleague.
He was Lohengrin and Siegmund in my performances, an exceptional singer and actor, and when we met for the first time, he greeted me with the following words: 'Kyss mig i arslet!' ('Kiss my ass'). I begged his pardon, but he repeated the sentence in an even more sonorous Swedish. I understood that I did not mishear, and there was an explanation too. In 1936 Max Lorenz had given a couple of guest performances in Wagner's Ring in Stockholm, and that's where they had taught him this unpolished address of welcome. Max was obviously very proud of having command of it and I pretended to be flattered." Birgit Nilsson
"Dear Max! Back in my 'Viking' after a long journey through Europe I would like to thank you for all the great time we've had together. For me it was like re-experiencing our youth and man-days. I hope that the Lord is going to keep you healthy and fresh for many more years and that we will meet again. Our friendship will last until we will sing our songs with a harp in our hand sitting on a cloud.
Keep your throat moist!
Your old comrade and friend Lauritz"
Lauritz Melchior
Personal Epilogue
When I listened to Max Lorenz for the first time I disliked his timbre and style. He seemed indeed to have a voice, which could not exactly be described as beautiful, and limited musical skills. The decision to write an article on him obliged me to delve into his legacy. What I found is a tenor who the listener must learn to discover, just like Aureliano Pertile. What I found is an artist of the highest artistic seriousness and a tenor who could fill the music and the words with sense and meaning. Under the surface of my earlier superficial hearing I discovered a beautiful voice, a solid technique and great musical skills.
His continuous intense espressivo-style is (like Pertile's) arduous and it literally is exhausting to listen to his recordings for an entire evening. Lorenz' art is exhausting because one has to engage in it. Lorenz' legacy is therefore not as consumable as for example Gigli's or di Stefano's. It is unsuitable as background music because it calls for concentrated attention. But the effort can be very gainful.
Lorenz should be enjoyed, just like very dark chocolate in contrast to milk chocolate, in small portions.
Notes:
¹ Max Lorenz: Berlin, Bayreuth, Wien; in: Hannes Reinhardt (ed.): Das musikalische Selbstportrait. Berlin 1963, p. 91 ff. Lorenz' own words, mostly quotations from this autobiography, will be typed in Italics, as well as quotations from a radio broadcast made during the 1960s in which Lorenz told about his life.
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« Ответ #5 : Декабрь 05, 2008, 01:50:10 » |
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Добрый вечер, господа  Извините, что "шпионю" за вами из Германии , но когда увидел такой громадный текст на английском, то сразу захотелось спросить о ссылке на оригинал. Но если ссылки нет, то, наверное, можно оставить и в таком виде. P.S. В Германии все клерки говорят по-английски, но далеко не все жители К России последнее тоже относится, а ведь наш форум русскоязычный. |
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Loki
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« Ответ #6 : Декабрь 20, 2008, 01:34:40 » |
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P.S. В Германии все клерки говорят по-английски, но далеко не все жители Для русскоязычных клерков, не владеющих английским : Аннотация к комплекту из двух пластинок с записями Лоренца (фирма "Мелодия", М 10 - 41447 - 50, выпуск 1973 г.):"В вокальном искусстве ХХ столетия Макс Лоренц занимает исключительное положение. Его основной "специальностью" было трудное амплуа вагнеровского певца, "героического тенора". Как известно, партии в операх Вагнера требуют от исполнителей не только большого голоса и огромной физической выносливости, но и высокой музыкальности, глубокого проникновения в сложный внутренний мир героев. Всеми этими качествами в совершенстве обладал Лоренц. По мощи голоса, красоте тембра, свободе вокализации, темпераменту и законченности созданных образов он не имеет и по сей день соперников, исключая великого датского певца лаурица Мельхиора. Следует отметить, что большинство вагнеровских "героических" теноров, в том числе и Л. Мельхиор, начинало свою карьеру как баритоны или постепенно входили в вагнеровский репертуар, начиная с менее изнурительных партий. Среди немногочисленной плеяды "героических теноров" лоренц и в этом был исключением. Он сразу определился как драматический тенор и быстро получил известность как один из лучших интерпретаторов опер Р. Вагнера. Макс Лоренц (1901 - 1975) родился в Дюссельдорфе. Его педагогом был берлинский профессор Э. Гренцебах, воспитавший ряд замечательных исполнителей (П. Андерс, Л. Мельхиор и др.). После дебюта Лоренц быстро выдвинулся как вагнеровский тенор на лучших европейских сценах. Уже в 1930 году он выступил в Байрейте, исполнив партии Тристана и Зигфрида. Затем после трех лет выступлений в Дрезденской опере, Лоренц становится одновременно солистом Берлинской и Венской государственных опер. С этими коллективами была в основном связана вся его дальнейшая деятельность. Кроме того, Лоренц несколько лет выступал в вагнеровских спектаклях нью-йоркской "Метрополитен-оперы", был постоянным участником Байрейтских фестивалей. Его исполнений партий Тангейзера, тристана, Зигфрида было лучшим украшением вагнеровских празднеств. Особо следует отметить участие Лоренца в байрейтской постановке "Мейстерзингеров", осуществленной Вильгельмом Фуртвенглером. Значительным событием стали спектакли в миланском театре "Ла Скала" в 1950 году, когда Фуртвенглер поставил "Кольцо нибелунга". Зигфрида в "Гибели богов" пел Лоренц, Брунгильду - знаменитая норвежская певица Кирстен Флагстад. Кроме вагнеровских партий, в репертуар певца входил ряд партий в операх Р. Штрауса (партию Вакха в "Ариадне на Наксосе" Лоренц исполнял в Вене под управлением Карла Бёма), Отелло в одноименной опере Верди. В Вене Лоренц закончил свою карьеру, исполнив в 1960 году партию Ирода в "Саломее" Р. Штрауса. На этих пластинках представлены записи певца 40-х годов." Из аннотации к пластинке с записью фрагментов "Риенци" Вагнера (Берлин, 1941 г.) с участием Макса Лоренца, Маргарете Клозе, Хильде Шеппан и др. (Фирма "Мелодия", М10 - 40857-58, выпуск 1979 г.):"Выдающийся немецкий тенор Макс Лоренц родился в 1901 году в Дюссельдорфе. Обучался пению в классе одного из лучших педагогов Германии профессора Э. Гренцебаха в Берлине. В 1926 году дебютировал в Дрезденской опере в "Тангейзере" Р. Вагнера. Певец с самого начала своей карьеры выдвинулся в ряды лучших исполнителей вагнеровских партий в амплуа героического тенора. В 1931 - 34 годах Лоренц выступает на сцене нью-йоркской "Метрополитен опера". Образы вагнеровских героев Тристана, Зигфрида, Тангейзера находят в его лице великолепного интерпретатора. Могучий, яркий голос, высокий артистизм, огромный темперамент Лоренца явились лучшими средствами передачи коллизий монументальных произведений Р. Вагнера. Среди современников артист не имел соперников, кроме легендарного Лаурица Мельхиора. С 1934 года Лоренц поет на сцене Берлинской государственной оперы, а вскоре выступает и в Венской опере. С 1930 года певец непременный участник Байрейтских фестивалей, гастролирует в Лондонской опере "Ковент Гарден". В послевоенные годы М. Лоренц выступает на сцене Венской оперы, участвует в постановке "Кольца нибелунга" на сцене "Ла Скала" под управлением В. Фуртвенглера. Кроме вагнеровского репертуара певец участвует в постановках опер Р. Штрауса, в "Отелло" Верди. Прощальный спектакль М. Лоренца ("Саломея" Р. Штрауса) состоялся в Вене в 1960 году. Скончался выдающийся артист в 1975 году. Грамзаписи М. Лоренца сравнительно немногочисленны, большой интерес представляют сохранившиеся записи спектаклей при его участии." Надо сказать, что уже в начале пятидесятых Лоренц начал заметно сдавать. Поэтому судить о его исключительных исполнительских достижениях следует по записям 30-40-х годов. |
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« Последнее редактирование: Декабрь 20, 2008, 01:57:02 от Loki »
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мельник
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« Ответ #7 : Декабрь 20, 2008, 02:13:05 » |
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Вот еще:
Макс Лоренц в отличие от других героических теноров, вроде Мельхиора и Сванхольма, никогда не был природным баритоном, перешедшим в тенора. Лоренц сразу был, без всякого сомнения, тенором «с лирическим тембром» (как он сам говорил о себе), обладающим теплой окраской и огромной мощью. Гренцебах, берлинский учитель Лоренца, знал (как видно на примере Мельхиора), как превратить чрезвычайную силу голоса в блестящие верха, подобные трубным звукам. И хотя голос Лоренца не обладал темной окраской, как голоса Мельхиора и Сванхольма, первоначально поставленные как баритоны, он все же имел, как и у Мельхиора, мощный хорошо сбалансированный средний регистр и звенящие высокие ноты (особенность школы Гренцебаха) с сильным резким звучанием (squillo, как говорят итальянцы). Ранние записи Лоренца даже демонстрируют vibrato, очень похожее на Мельхиора. Также способ извлечения высоких нот весьма подобен технике великого датчанина и с очевидностью характеризует школу Гренцебаха: верхние ноты закрыты и берутся на очень сильном приступе. Даже темные гласные (закрытые а или o) выделяются высокой яркостью. Маленький фокус в крещендо на высоких нотах – другая особенность, которая в то же самое время показывает важное различие между Лоренцом и Мельхиором. Маленький фокус на верхах был свойством, которое Мельхиор довел до чрезвычайного развития (ранние записи и знаменитая «Валькирия» с Леман и Вальтером) и которое всегда было доминирующим способом его звукоизвлечения. Лоренц использовал эту технику только в начале карьеры. Его пение уже в начале 30-х характеризовалось отнюдь не только маленьким фокусом.
Также вскоре мельхиороподобное vibrato превратилось в несколько более медленную вибрацию особенно на длинных нотах. Амплитуда вибрации иногда становилась немного чрезмерной, явление, которое Мельхиор с его быстрым vibrato мог успешно предотвращать. Или, если выразить это другими словами, подъем стал волновым, и иногда казалось, что им трудно управлять. В этом пункте Лоренц подобен Пертиле. Быстрая вибрация помогала Мельхиору держать контроль над слишком мощным звуком, в то время как Лоренц и Пертиле время от времени, казалось, теряли управление амплитудой волны, которой они давали слишком много мощи. Искусство певца, в таких случаях, как у Лоренца и Пертиле, часто воспринималось как неприятное, когда широкое vibrato начинало превалировать над чистотой тона, интонации, фразировки, мелодии или музыки.
Но такое суждение надо признать опрометчивым. По моему мнению, вовсе не голос Лоренца был неприятным (как писал Джон Стеан). Исполнение Лоренца характеризуется сильным декламаторским и экспрессивным стилем, соединенным (как писал Дж. М. Фишер) с «острой как бритва дикцией». Если мы спросим, почему Лоренц частично ушел от надежной техники Гренцебаха, мы должны будем искать ответ в декламаторской экспрессии Лоренца. Лоренц полагал, что декламация и красота звука (на основе поставленного вокала) часто несовместимы: «Я не забочусь о том, что некоторые ноты будут некрасивыми». И он совершенно ясно выразил, что красота звука не всегда была наиболее важной для него: «Главное в итоге – выразительность».
Декламация требует выразительности, несовместимой с золотыми правилами belcanto. Это можно сказать не только об эмоциональных взрывах, таких как рыдания, вопли и крики, но также и о цвете гласных, которые, в некоторых случаях, должны быть более яркими или более темными, то есть более открытыми или закрытыми. Так происходит, например, когда высокое соль или даже ля-бемоль берутся полностью открытыми. Плавные и носовые согласные (подобно r, n, m) произносятся с чрезвычайной интенсивностью. Это приводит к тому, что мелодическая линия и некоторые отдельные ноты приносятся в жертву ради экспрессивного порыва.
Увлечение экспрессивными элементами должно считаться главной причиной отхода Лоренца от надежной вокальной техники Гренцебаха. Это же послужило причиной тех моментов, которые могли быть восприняты как немузыкальные, «сверх-экспрессивные» (Кестинг), как риторические преувеличения или просто как отталкивающие, неприятные или нелепые.
С другой стороны, голос Лоренца - теплый, красивый и мощный. При прослушивании его записей вряд ли можно назвать этот голос «металлическим». Он конечно имеет стальной блеск Бьёрлинга и squillo Лаури-Вольпи, но далек от «борцовской» силы и напряжения, которой Бьёрлинг, Сванхольм и Мельхиор достигали своими голосами. Голос Лоренца - не яркий, твердый металл, его агрегатное состояние - текущее, но не как у воды, а как у жесткой и темной сырой нефти.
Это факт, что из-за языкового барьера Лоренц является намного более популярным в Германии, чем за границей. Если Вы не понимаете слов, которые Лоренц воплощает в музыке, то не можете понять половину его искусства (в особенности это касается музыки Вагнера). На Вашу долю остаются лишь экспрессивные импульсы и риторические преувеличения.
Другая вещь, которая не может быть принята во внимание слушателями, неспособными понимать немецкий, заключается в том, что Лоренц - это художник сцены, и сцена - очень важная и внушительная часть его искусства. Видеофильм Belcanto Society's из серии «Легенды оперы» представляет короткий фрагмент репетиции Götterdämmerung в Байрейте в 1934 году с Фридой Лейдер, Хайнцем Титьеном и дирижером Карлом Эльмендорфом, фрагмент, который подтверждает такое впечатление. Кажется даже, что внешность артиста компенсирует языковой барьер. Его успехи за границей (в Швеции, Англии, Франции и Италии) доказывают эту теорию. И, наконец, такие дирижеры, как де Сабата, Фуртвенглер и Серафин никогда не стали бы работать с немузыкальным певцом, имеющим плохой голос.
Знатоки, подобные Джону Стеану, кажется, забывают, что запись - очень несовершенная среда. При оценке Лоренца только по его записям, особенно без понимания тех слов, которые он произносит, можно придти к весьма невыгодному впечатлению. Но такое впечатление очевидно было бы неполным, это суждение, основанное на непонимании и несправедливости.
Когда я услышал Макса Лоренца впервые, мне не понравился его тембр и манера пения. Казалось, что он и вправду имеет некрасивый голос и ограничен в музыкальных средствах. Решение написать статью о нем заставило меня обратиться к его наследию. И я открыл для себя тенора, ради которого слушатель должен учиться, чтобы понять его, как и в случае с Аурелиано Пертиле. И я открыл художника самой высокой артистической серьезности и певца, который мог исполнять музыку и слова со смыслом и значением. За пределами моего раннего поверхностного слушания я обнаружил красивый голос, серьезную технику и высокие музыкальные навыки.
Непрерывный, напряженно-экспрессивный стиль пения Лоренца труден для восприятия, как и стиль Пертиле, и буквально истощает слушателя записей на протяжении одного вечера. Искусство Лоренца истощает потому, что слушатель должен соучаствовать в нем. Наследие его отнюдь не потребительское, как, например, наследие Джильи или Ди Стефано. Оно не может служить музыкальным фоном и принуждает нас к концентрированному вниманию. Но усилие это окупается сторицей. Лоренцем нужно наслаждаться, как очень горьким шоколадом - маленькими порциями в отличие от шоколада молочного.
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Loki
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« Ответ #8 : Декабрь 20, 2008, 03:40:36 » |
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Вот еще:
Thank you for the good, though incomplete, translation! Russian clerks will be much more grateful, I hope. |
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Loki
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« Ответ #9 : Январь 01, 2009, 23:09:34 » |
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Loki
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« Ответ #10 : Январь 07, 2009, 19:30:06 » |
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Ксения Игоревна Ершова
Постоянный участник
Сообщений: 72
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« Ответ #12 : Январь 30, 2009, 23:53:49 » |
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Очень, очень интересно, то что вы написали о Лоренцо!
Наш сын со своей супругой были на зимних каникулах в Питере. Пошли в Мариинский театр на Вагнеровский цикл. Можно понять внука Ершова, да к тому же не часто бывающего в России, хотелось то что называется "прикоснуться" к истокам. Впечатление: полу-пустой зал, декорации впечатляют, а вот поют.... не ахти. Под конец было чувство, полной усталости певцов. А ведь и вправду Вагнер композитор требующий огромной физической выносливости от актёров!
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Loki
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« Ответ #13 : Январь 31, 2009, 01:37:14 » |
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Уважаемая Ксения Игоревна! Спасибо за отзыв, хотя я всего лишь привел чужие тексты и указал ссылки, по которым можно послушать этого грандиозного певца. Очень хотелось бы найти больше литературы о Лоренце - таковая ведь существует, но, увы, за пределами интернета и наших российских библиотек. Приходится по мере возможности собирать сведения по крохам. А что касается Мариинского театра, то полупустой зал на вагнеровских представлениях нисколько меня не удивляет. Те, кто любит и ценит Вагнера, располагая при этом записями с Лоренцем, Зутхаусом, Мельхиором, Флагстад, Мёдль и т. д., не имеют, как правило, ни малейшего желания слушать довольно-таки жидкое исполнение Вагнера нынешними певцами. Касается это, увы, не только Мариинского театра, но и вагнеровской Мекки - Байрейта. (Загляните в связи с этим по ссылке: http://www.classicalforum.ru/index.php?topic=1115.0 ) Видимо, "золотой век" вагнеровского исполнительства навсегда остался в прошлом - и с этим следует смириться, довольствуясь тем, что сохранилось от него в старых записях. |
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Loki
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« Ответ #14 : Февраль 07, 2009, 01:42:57 » |
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 В партии Зигфрида |
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