Go girl!

Opera News, July 2007:

IN REVIEW

VIENNA — Elektra, Wiener Staatsoper, 4/23/07

July 2007 , vol 71 , no.1

Opera-lovers hold a special place in their hearts for the diva wise enough to know when to move on. Agnes Baltsa, who turns sixty-three this year, may have tossed Carmen's rose or given Samson a haircut for the last time, but she sounds (and looks) as if she still could. At Wiener Staatsoper's fiftieth-anniversary gala in 2005, Baltsa wiped the stage clear of any pretenders to the title of diva with a scorching rendition of Aida's judgment scene duet (with Plácido Domingo), and later bailed out the company when another pretender was fired three days before the opening of L'Italiana in Algeri. Baltsa's first-ever Klytämnestra in Elektra (seen April 23) reminded the listener that this role can, indeed, be performed by a singer in prime vocal health. What a pleasure it is to hear all of Strauss's notes sung as written, with no screams on high or guttural swoops into chest voice! Baltsa's instrument remains basically untarnished by time, only a tad less opulent. Commanding the stage with a haughty, regal air, she looked spectacular (blond hair peeking out from a skullcap, a glittering black sequined gown, a slash of scarlet lipstick), suggesting that the queen's infirmity is purely psychosomatic. Klytämnestra tells us it is her mind that is "zerfressen von den Motten" (devoured by moths), and Baltsa used Hofmannsthal's creepily expressive text to create a portrait of guilt-induced hysteria. Few and effective were Baltsa's interpolations — a cackle, a groan, a sudden snarl. Her only miscalculation was her second offstage death scream: sounding more like she was sick to her stomach, the ensuing noise garnered hearty laughter. Alas, Deborah Polaski does not share Baltsa's wisdom: her voice is no longer capable of fulfilling Elektra's duties....etc etc

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