At a recent meeting with the anticipation of the 2009 Ring cycle, Speight Jenkins confirmed that The Ring was the very heart of Seattle Opera with which I heartily agree. Speight Jenkins can indeed take credit for keeping The Ring alive by creating an international Wagner competition. Seattle Opera will present 4 complete cycles from opening Aug. 9 to Aug. 30. Once again, a great deal of thanks goes to Jenkins for inaugurating the International Wagner Competition thus supplying wonderfully talented singers for future Rings.
For a nostalgic look, here's a copy of the column I did in 2006 for the inaugural competition.
I was privileged to be among the enthusiastic audience at McGraw Hall on Saturday evening Aug. 19, attending the inaugural international Wagner competition, made possible by the generous support of the Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences. Eight finalists, consisting of three tenors, three sopranos, a baritone and a bass competed for two awards of $15,000.
We arrived early, met with critics and photographers from around the U.S. and Europe in the press room, visited with agents and friends from London, sympathized with their travel problems and delays at the airport, assuring them that the program would be worth the trip. Eventually, we found our seats and joined the international audience and longtime companions of the Ring and Wagner enthusiasts. The curtain was up on Act II of The Rose and Cavalier set. Speight Jenkins appeared to announce the indisposition of soprano Carolyn Betty, to be replaced by alternate tenor Philip O'Brien. This left four tenors, two sopranos, one baritone, and one bass to compete. There was rousing applause for conductor Asher Fisch and the members of the Seattle Symphony who opened the program with the Lohengrin Act III Prelude.
1. First contestant Jason Collins stepped onto the elegant set formally attired in white-tie and tails. As his rich tenor voice in the aria from Die Walkure filled the hall, perfectly accompanied by the orchestra, we knew we were in for an exceptional musical experience.
2. Jason was followed by Irish tenor Paul McNamara with a rendition from Tannhauser.
3. Next was Irish soprano Miriam Murphy with the beautifully sung and deeply moving aria Ewig war ich from Siegfried.
4. German bass Carsten Wittmoser presented Tatest du's wirklich from Tristan
and Isolde.
5. New York soprano Dorothy Grandia sang Dich, teure Halle from Tanhauser.
6. English baritone James Rutherford's rendition from Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg won laud applause.
7. He was followed by tenor Andrew Lindsay Sritheran from Wellington, New Zealand who presented a tenor aria from Die Walkure.
This brought us to the intermission, with champagne served and more visiting. The finalists had been auditioned in New York, London, Berlin, and Vienna. The London auditions yielded four of the eight final contestants. After the intermission, the wonderful orchestra heralded the second half of the program with the entry of the guests from Tannhauser. Each contestant presented a second Wagner aria, bringing rousing applause from the audience. Of special note was Mariam Murphy's portrayal of Isolde's Narrative and Curse from Tristan and Isolde, beautifully sung and acted. Dorothy Grandia's presentation of Senta's Ballad from The Flying Dutchman raised more bravos. James Rutherford's commanding presence standing astride on the stage delivering his aria from The Flying Dutchman brought bravos and cheers from the audience. The audience was given a pause to vote for the contestant of their choice, a very difficult decision since the standard was so high. Speight Jenkins brought on the panel of distinguished judges, adding a special award from the orchestra for the singer of their choice, whom they could hear but could not see. There was great excitement and anticipation as we returned to our seats for the final verdict. The two winners were Miriam Murphy and James Rutherford. The people's choice, chosen by the discerning audience was James Rutherford, and the orchestra's choice was James Rutherford. Eight wonderful and talented young singers had presented a quality program of the highest standard, worthy of any great recital hall. The orchestra, under director Asher Fisch, covered practically the whole Wagner canon of operas, playing with such depth and precision and careful assistance to the singers, that it was a joy to listen to.
Miriam Murphy was born in Tralee, Ireland and studied music at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin, at the Royal Academy of Music, and at the National Opera Studio in London. She has already been honored with numerous awards, and has begun her singing career in London opera houses.
James Rutherford was born in Dulwich, England, and graduated from the Royal College of music and the National Opera Studio of London. He has also received acclaim for his talent in Britain, and has played Wagner roles in two of the composer's operas.
We can be proud of our Seattle opera and its dedication to excellence. Special thanks to the Charles Simonyi Fund, which graciously underwrote the competition, and a special thanks to Speight Jenkins, general director of the Seattle Opera, and all those who worked to create the competition and ensure a future generation of Wagner singers. We have a promise from Speight that there will be another competition in two years. The International Wagner Competition is in keeping with the Seattle Opera's established ties to Wagner, and is committed to identify and recognize opera singers who demonstrate clear promise toward an important career in the Wagner repertoire. Incidentally, Miriam Murphy will be singing in the 2009 Ring cycle as Gerhilde.
During the 2009 cycle there will be several symposia offered. A variety of Wagner scholars will offer insight into the complexities of the Ring from their own unique perspectives. In addition to the speakers listed below, General Director Jenkins and an additional guest speaker from the cast or artistic staff will join each panel. Past symposia have been sell-out events, so we highly encourage you to book your tickets early.
Symposia I: 10 a.m.-3p.m., Aug. 11. -Speakers include: Martin Bernheimer, Pulitzer prize winner and New York correspondent for the Financial Times of London and Opera magazine; Agustin Blanco-Bazan, deputy director of the International Maritime Organization and music correspondent at Bayreuth Festival.
Symposia II: 10 a.m. -3 p.m., Aug. 19. -Speakers include: Stewart Spencer, British author of several Wagner books; William Berger, author of several books on opera and radio producer for the Metropolitan Opera.
Symposia III: 10 a.m.-3p.m., Aug. 27. -Speakers include: Barry Millington, London Evening Standard's chief music critic, academic consultant for BBC Music Magazine, and author of Wagner: Anne Midgette, Washington Post's chief classical music critic and former music reviewer for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Opera News.
In addition, there will be in-depth three-hour seminars about the evening's opera hosted by Education Director Perry Lorenzo, who will offer insight into the themes, music, and historical context of the Production.
Exploring Das Rheingold: 10 a.m., Aug. 9, 17, 25.
Exploring Die Walkure: 10 a.m., Aug. 10, 18, 26.
Exploring Siegfried: 10 a.m., Aug. 12, 20, 28.
Exploring Gotterdammerung: 10 a. m., Aug. 14, 22
Ring Tech Talks: 10 a.m. -11:30 a.m., Aug. 13, 21, 29. -Technical director Robert Schaub leads exciting discussions about the stage magic and technical wizardry behind the Ring.
Overtures to the Opera: A brief overview of the evening's opera hosted by Education Artistic Administrator, Jonathan Dean: August 9, 17, 25, at 5:30 p.m.; on all other performance days; 4:30 p.m.
Tickets are available from the Box Office starting at 4 p.m. on any performance day, or by calling 206-389-7676 or 800-426-1619. You can also visit the website http://www.seatlering.org for additional information.
TTFN
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