Christine Goerke Gives Top Wagnerian Performance In New Zealand

Brünnhilde Ascending: Christine Goerke is quickly climbing to the summit of Valhalla. (Photo: Arielle Doneson)

Concert review for Wagner Gala featuring Christine Goerke (soprano), Simon O'Neill (tenor) with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Pietari Inkinen at Michael Fowler Centre on June 12, 2015, in Wellington: "In 2012 we had that thrilling concert performance of the second of Wagner's Ring operas Die Walkure, and two of the outstanding cast were Christine Goerke and Simon O'Neill. Now as a kind of addenda to that extraordinary experience we heard large slices of the last two Ring operas, Siegfried and Gotterdammering [sic]. I suppose there was a hint of frustration in the hour or so of each opera we heard, in that we moved from act to act, missing huge chunks that tie the operas together, and were treated to surtitles that were quaintly absurd in the manner of English translations of Wagner's words. Having said all this, though, the evening was a marvellous experience of Wagner 'writ large'; a huge orchestra with

New Zealand Opera Explores The Seediest Side Of "Don Giovanni"

"Almost done with this pole dance, but first....let me take a selfie"
(Photo: Stacy Squires/Fairfax)

"New Zealand Opera's production of Mozart's Don Giovanni opened its Auckland season on Thursday and had already courted a little bit of controversy as to its staging. Not the stuffy, fusty 18th Century costumes and street scenes for this production directed by Sara Brodie. Rather, the setting is in a seedy, dingy Spanish nightclub, completely devoid of any sophistication whatsoever. There are poledancers and a DJ in residence and smartphones, and selfies are taken. Apparently, there's some substance abuse as well although I have to say I missed that. But you get the idea. Not surprisingly, this has detracted from the other, arguably more important elements. How's the music, for starters? Were there any sacrifices made to the plot or libretto to accommodate the setting? And was it any good at all? The good news is that the music is good and it is a pretty decent production. While some might argue that some of the traditional elements to the story are reworked to suit the setting, the sets, created by designer John Verryt, are dynamic and up to the usual high standard we have become

Hell Hath No Fury: Anna Leese stars as Donna Elvira
(Photo: Mark Stone)

accustomed to with a New Zealand Opera production. NZO's music director Wyn Davies and the Auckland Philharmonia give their customary quality performance. And, most importantly, the cast is vocally strong. The two standouts in the cast have to be New Zealand soprano Anna Leese as Donna Elvira, one of Giovanni's victims, and Australian bass baritone Warwick Fyfe as Giovanni's long-suffering manservant Leporello." [Source]

Ticket Frenzy May Occur For "The Sound Of Music" In New Zealand

"Climb Every Mountain, Ford Every Stream"
Lesley Garrett will take over as head of the Abbey in
The Sound of Music. (Photo: Simon Fowler)

"The world’s most popular musical is coming to New Zealand! Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and David Atkins Enterprises present Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian and the Really Useful Group’s London Palladium Production of The Sound of Music. The lavish and much-anticipated London production of The Sound of Music comes to New Zealand in September. Tickets to the Auckland season go on sale tomorrow – exclusively to those who have registered on waitlists. The Auckland season will run from 3 October at The Civic theatre for a strictly limited time, following on from a season at Wellington's St James Theatre from 12 September. This acclaimed production of the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein musical premiered at the home of West End musical theatre – the London Palladium – where it celebrated a record-breaking 954 performances and was seen by well over 2 million people, before going on to enjoy sell-out performances internationally. Fans are urged to act swiftly to avoid disappointment as waitlists for these tickets have exceeded any other waitlists for a major musical in Auckland during the past three years....Reprising her West End role especially for the New Zealand tour is international opera star Lesley Garrett as the Mother Abbess. Britain’s most popular soprano, Lesley Garrett CBE has found fame on the stage, on TV and as a recording artist, winning both critical acclaim and the affection of many fans and music lovers. Lesley’s operatic career includes lead roles with the Royal Opera at Covent Garden in London, English National Opera at the London Coliseum, the internationally renowned Glyndebourne Festival Opera, the Welsh National Opera as well as Opera North. Internationally she has performed in operas or in concert throughout Europe, the USA, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea. Her major television appearances include Lesley Garrett…Tonight, The Lesley Garrett Show, The Singer, Sacred Songs and Lesley Garrett – Desert Dreams for the BBC. Lesley has 14 solo CDs to her credit." [Source] A photo of Ms. Garrett as Mother Abbess, after the jump.

Kiri Te Kanawa Acknowledged By Australian House of Representatives

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa bows as she is acknowledged
while attending question time in the House
of Representatives at the Australian Parliament
in Canberra. (Photo: Rick Rycroft/AP)

"New Zealand soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, touring Australia to celebrate her 70th birthday, makes a rule of never discussing retirement. In keeping with the philosophy she says she borrowed from her own theatric hero, Dame Judi Dench, Te Kanawa won't rule out returning to Australia for an 80th or even 90th birthday tour. 'You never know,' she told The Associated Press on Thursday at a Parliament House reception where she was a guest of House of Representatives Speaker Bronwyn Bishop, an opera fan. 'Never say never, but 90th - they'd be wheeling me in in a chair,' she quipped. Te Kanawa later bowed to the House of Representatives to the applause of Australian lawmakers, an experience she humbly described as 'pretty special.' She no longer performs in operas, shifting her focus to recitals and concerts. Her work schedule is less hectic than it has been, but she continues globe-trotting at a frenetic pace. Her current 11-concert tour will end in her native New Zealand in early June. She then flies to London to learn new music to premiere at Chicago's Martin Theater on Aug. 12 as part of the Ravinia Festival." [Source] Read more about the tour and her retirement activities by clicking here.

Dame Malvina Major Returns To Pastures of Taranaki Region

"Taranaki favourite Dame Malvina Major will take to the stage at the Bowl of Brooklands next year. Reporter Taryn Utiger spoke to the opera singer to see how life has been since she moved away from the province. Dame Malvina Major is a world-class opera singer but the former Coastal Taranaki dairy farmer misses seeing cows every day. After winning the New Zealand Mobil Song Quest in 1963 and studying in London, the Hamilton- born singer, her husband Winston Fleming and their young son Andrew settled on a farm at Pihama in Coastal Taranaki. Before the 70s finished the rising international star had two more children, Alethea and Lorraine, fell in love with life in Taranaki and declared herself content with being a farmer, wife and mother. Despite her contentment, overseas conductors asked for the gumboot-wearing diva when they came to tour New Zealand and by 1986 she was back on the international stage. It seemed, for a while, she could have her career, her family and her farm. That ideal was shattered four years later when tragedy struck the

In concert with fellow New Zealander Kiri Te Kanawa

family. In September 1990 her husband died suddenly at home. He had come back from the milking shed complaining about pains in his chest. Although she rushed to phone the doctor and get her husband into bed, he died right after telling her, 'I love you.' She left Taranaki soon after. Since then she has gone on to dominate the opera world, perform for kings and queens and amass a series of concerts many would envy. Next year she celebrates 60 years as one of the world's top opera singers and she is eagerly awaiting her concert at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands." [Source]