My Kingdom for a high E

Listen to Marlis Petersen 8 days after the premiere,
singing Ophélie´s Mad Scene
(A vos jeux, mes amis)
24th March 2010
(in crystal-clear sound)

and downloadable here

All photos (C) Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera

Hamlet at the MET, 1884 - 2010

Metropolitan Opera Premiere

Music Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio: 21 February 1884.
Ophélie: Marcella Sembrich

Mme. Sembrich gave a unique and lovely interpretation of Ophelia. It was a tender, sympathetic, consistent interpretation, which found its legitimate climax in the last scene. She was in the best of voice, which she always managed according to the rules of high art. In the scene of the Gardens of the palace, where she sings alone, her acting was of great assistance to the whole effect. The subsequent aria, which Hamlet overhears, was one of the successes of the evening. In the final scene the aria, "I will divide my flowers," was sung with the most finished execution. Her command of fioriture was again fully demonstrated, as well as her highly artistic management of voice. As far as sentiment goes, Mme. Sembrich always does extraordinarily well. Last night she gave proof of how beautifully she can take a low note, and how very comprehensive is her range of voice. In the time of the portamento also was equally happy. Her voice too, was expressive and sympathetic throughout, at the same time in the upper register it was not always agreeable in quality, nor was it always reliable as to intonation. On the whole here Ophelia was a very decided success, and she received a full share of that enthusiasm Cincinnati audiences have already accorded her.

(Unidentified review in unidentified Cincinnati newspaper)

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Metropolitan Opera House
December 6, 1893
New production
Ophélie: Nellie Melba

The Ophelia was Mme. Melba, who, it is needless to say, added very greatly to the general strength of the performance. Her splendid voice was heard again with great delight, and she achieved a triumph in the mad scene, which, it must be admitted, is more consistent than Donizetti's in "Lucia."

(New York Times review of W.J. Henderson)

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Metropolitan Opera House
December 4, 1895
In Italian?
Ophélie: Emma Calvé

Everybody puts up with the lugubrious proceedings, however, patiently waiting till the end, when it is hoped that some great Ophelia may indemnify them for the ennui and the sufferings of an ill spent evening. Such an Ophelia appeared in the person of Mme. Calvé, at the Metropolitan Opera House last night. Other prima donnas have sung the mad scene - the whole part is so vaguely drawn, musically as well as dramatically, that it virtually resolves itself into this single opportunity - more brilliantly. Notwithstanding, this is the first Ophelia since the days of Christine Nilsson and Ilma di Murska. Vocally, it is incomparably the finest thing that Calvι has done here. Her tones had the eerie quality that quite made you forget the singer's virtuosity. A great artist it was that you were listening to, not a singer of scales trills, and staccati. It was really the mad, pathetic Ophelia of Shakespeare we saw last night, not a prima donna who masqueraded in the part. In this scene Calve moved her audience as much, nay more, than she had ever moved them as Carmen or Santuzza. For it was emotional singing and acting of the very highest order that they had seen and heard. In the early part of the opera - which should never be given - Mme. Calve was simple and unaffected, but conventional. Occasionally she sharpened, too. Perhaps that was merely a little realistic touch illustrative of "sweet bells jangled harsh and out of tune." But isn't that knowing one's Shakespeare too well? Let it be as it may. Calve has found a new role, or scene rather, in which she is beyond compare. If she would only overcome that sharp, choppy stride. Sarah, we can forgive this mannerism, but no one else.

(Review of Henry Krehbiel in the New York Herald)

~.~

Metropolitan Opera
March 16, 2010
New production
Ophélie: Marlis Petersen

Petersen sang with pathos and impressive agility. Her light, frothy soprano suited the character’s fragility, but Thomas’ frequent leaps to the top of the range sounded challenging.

By Ronni Reich (nj.com)

His partner in previous runs of this production was the French coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay, and she had been scheduled to take the part of Ophelia at the Met. When she canceled because of illness, the company brought in the German soprano Marlis Petersen, who performed something of a heroic feat. She finished another engagement in Vienna on Friday, flew toNew York on Saturday, then had all of two days to rehearse before opening night.

Under the circumstances, she did a creditable job, though she did not appear to have had time to develop much chemistry with her co-star. Vocally, she is a little underpowered in her lower register and her sound tends to harden on her highest notes. But the role of Ophelia is really all about her extended mad scene, and here Petersen had some lovely moments of pathos, even if she didn’t always project a sense of her character’s derangement. She wasn’t helped by theproduction, which moved the setting from a riverbank to a room in the castle and made Ophelia die by stabbing herself instead of drowning.

By Mike Silverman, AP

By Tuesday night, however, this trouper was ready. A lovely woman with a bright, alluring and agile voice, she seemed immersed in a role that, to judge from her beautiful and emotionally vulnerable singing, she clearly relishes.

By Anthony Tommasini for the NY Times

Dessay’s cancellation was certainly a disappointment to many, but it cleared the way for Marlis Petersen, a German soprano who was both less polished and more vulnerable in the role than Dessay’s usual presentation these days. At first (in her Act I love duet with Hamlet) there was a threat of weakness, but she sang very beautifully in her mad scene (which sounds oddly exotic, faintly presaging Lakme’s Bell Song), with clear, jewel-like tones that were not only lovely but had a quality of innocence in keeping with the character. It wasn’t a barnstorming performance -- Dessay usually sets out to grab you from the first moment she’s on stage, for better or worse -- but ultimately an effective one.

By Anne Midgette for the Washington Post

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Listen to Marlis Petersen
singing Ophélie´s Mad Scene
(A vos jeux, mes amis)
Met, 16 March 2010
(all 12 minutes of it)

and downloadable here

~.~

(Pics and reviews courtesy of the Met Archive)

Marlis Petersen: Athens' sweetheart returns to the Met

Lulu, Athens 2005

The Greek audiences rarely fall in love with a singer but in the case of Marlis Petersen, it was love at first sight. Since her spectacular Lulu at the Athens Megaron in 2005 -4 performances, all sold out and people begging for tickets outside the theatre- till her last appearance as Thais in March 2009, the love at first sight has become a solid amour. Now Marlis is practically a Greek girl as about a year ago she moved to Athens and it's not very unlikely to see her walking by in the Kolonaki area (been there, done that).

Medea, Vienna 2010

I first got acquainted with Petersen's art when in 2002 she replaced Natalie Dessay (again!) as Zerbinetta at the ROH (next to Petra Lang's Ariadne and to Sophie Koch's Sophie) to some raving reviews. Back then Opera magazine (John Allison) had written:

"Marlis Petersen, a Düsseldorf ensemble member making her Covent Garden debut, was a sexy, savvy Zerbinetta, her rock-chick characterization as athletic as her vocal roulades: her brilliant coloratura carried all the emotional weight it should."

The ROH Zerbinetta

Zerbinetta, Thais, Lulu, Konstanze, Medea (her recent performances as Reinmann's Medea in Vienna were triumphant) and now again Ophélie: six performances of Hamlet at the Met, replacing Natalie Dessay who withdrew due to illness, next to Simon Keenlyside's Hamlet - not actually a step-in as Petersen would anyway sing a couple of scheduled performances before wearing the clothes (or the non-clothes) of Lulu once again at the Met in May 2010. (Petersen debuted at the Met on 19 December 2005 as Adele in Die Fledermaus)

(Petersen's debut at the MET as Adele,
pics by Ken Howard)

Here you can watch a few minutes of Petersen as Lulu in the awesome Eike Gramms production at the Athens Megaron (I would kill for that video, somebody get it for me pleeeez-ok, thanks).

Thais, Athens 2009

Marlis as Adele


An interview with Marlis at the Wiener Opernball 2010


On youtube you can find practically the whole performance of Haydn's Orlando Paladino starring Marlis Petersen as Angelica but also Pietro Spagnoli and Alexandrina Pendatchanska (major parsifal's protegés) as well as the Brahms Liebeslieder Walzer recording with Petersen and Doufexis - that we also had the chance of listening live in Athens - review available here.

Parsi treats:

Marlis Petersen singing Duparc's Chanson Triste

Marlis Petersen singing Martern aller arten (Aix-en-Provence, July 9, 2007)

Ach ich liebte (Aix-en-Provence, July 9, 2007)

Barbaro, o Dio - Il re pastore - (Salzburg, July 24, 2006)

Thaïs: an Alexandrian courtesan in Athens

Strange as it may seem, the new production of Thaïs at the Athens Megaron is not the first ever chance for the Greek audience to enjoy Massenet’s masterpiece.
In recent operatic history (1994) the Greek National Opera had staged a today forgotten production that had not received the best of reviews.

That is not the case though for the new production of the Athens Megaron that opened last night in Athens. A triumph it might not have been but it certainly was a stunningly staged, musically sensitive, vocally inspiring premiere.

Marlis Petersen - Athenians’ sweetheart - as Thaïs, was once again a unique stage animal, dominating the difficult part of the Alexandrian courtesan and amazing the audience, even if vocally Marlis didn’t always seem at ease. Nothing to worry about, everything was there, the high D’s at the final duet (no high D at “Dis-moi que je suis belle” as per maestro Plasson’s orders – oh! c’mon! it’s tradition maestro!) the pianissimi etc. but that was a Marlis that looked rather stressed and certainly not the vocal miracle I ‘m used to listen to.


Anthony Michaels-Moore was a convincing Athanaël that seemed to be recovering from a cold- audible especially towards the end of Act II and Act III - however his singing was more than decent and a couple of cracks went unnoticed by the audience.


Antonis Koroneos as Nicias sang with the style of a real nobleman but his singing was lacking glow and squillo at the high notes.

Christophoros Stamboglis was a fine Palémon, however his part was violently massacred by maestro Plasson who cut -among others- the whole Scene II of Act III, leaving the audience wondering about Athanaël’s sudden conversion during Scene III.

Kudos to Irini Kyriakidou (Crobyle) and Angelica Cathariou (Myrtale)
–not Nicias’ servants in this case-
they looked more like Nicias’ groupies
and to Alexandra Papadjakou (Albine)
and Vassiliki Karayanni as a spectacular Charmeuse.

Pros

* The wonderful sets by Nikos Petropoulos, costumes by Carla Ricotti, lighting by Vinicio Cheli

* Arnaud Bernard’s idea to set Thaïs in the 30’s and present her as a famous actress of silent films

* Maestro Plasson and the Orchestra of Colours’ round, elegant sound

Cons

* The cuts of the score (not only Scene II of Act III)

* Michel Plasson’s tempi

* The Médiation: a teenage girl dancing in tutu and points was the least inspiring thing one could get for the wonderful intermezzo...

Photoalbum:

Thais Entrance



Curtain calls:



Next performances:

10, 13, 15 March with Marlis Petersen (Thaïs)/Anthony Michaels-Moore (Athanaël)

8, 11, 14 March with Elizabeth Futral (Thaïs) / George Mosley (Athanaël)