Unsung Composers

There was no consumptive audience at last night's glorious performance of Korngold's Das Wunder der Heliane at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

While it's a shame that Deutschlandradio Kultur may not be broadcasting the opera, it was filmed for release as a DVD on the Naxos label.

The cast was as follows:
Heliane                            Sara Jakubiak
Der Herrscher, ihr Gemahl    Josef Wagner
Der Fremde                    Brian Jagde
Die Botin                            Okka von der Damerau
Der Pförtner                    Derek Welton
Der blinde Schwertrichter    Burkhard Ulrich
Der junge Mann                    Gideon Poppe
6 Richter                            Andrew Dickinson
                                            Dean Murphy   
                                            Thomas Florio
                                            Clemens Bieber
                                            Philipp Jekal
                                            Stephen Bronk
2 Seraphische Stimmen    Sandra Hamaoui
                                            Meechot Marrero
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Conductor    - Marc Albrecht

Link to the DOB homepage trailer:

https://www.deutscheoperberlin.de/de_DE/home-live (https://www.deutscheoperberlin.de/de_DE/home-live)

Another performance of Korngold's Das Wunder der Heliane (that from concert performances last June in Freiburg) should be released this year by CPO.

I may, of course, be proved wrong, but I very much doubt whether either of these will match the superlative Decca recording which ought to be investigated without delay:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Korngold-Wunder-Heliane-Anna-Tomowa-Sintow/dp/B006IOOXJ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522671361&sr=8-1&keywords=das+wunder+der+heliane (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Korngold-Wunder-Heliane-Anna-Tomowa-Sintow/dp/B006IOOXJ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522671361&sr=8-1&keywords=das+wunder+der+heliane)

I have the Decca recording and it is, as Alan writes, truly "superlative". I gave it as a Christmas present, shortly after it was released, to a friend who had never heard any Korngold and he became an instant convert.

I don't think the Decca Heliane is superlative at all, though it is indeed very good. The singing is largely very good, but it has pacing problems that I attribute to unfamiliarity and perhaps a lack of further rehearsal time. I laud them for doing as well as they did in a work with little established performance history, but listening to the opera with the vocal score supports my opinion. What I heard in the trailer for the new production is quite superior.

I agree with Gareth. And it is in the singing department that the Berlin performance will likely be found wanting. However, it is always good to have another recording - and I'd love to be proved wrong...

I too, I agree with all 4 last posting authors. And I agree with myself, that the opera is quite boring here and there (I also find it too long), and that the libretto's literary taste is quite discussable...  :-)

I remember I became very irritated by the vibrato and wobbling-on by mrs. Anna Tomowa-Sintow on the Decca I sold the set on eBay years ago. Hope Naxos will provide a Bluray and the performance will be good; then I'll try again.

Tomowa-Sintow was certainly not a perfect singer, but I definitely wouldn't get rid of my copy on account of her performance. I've heard far, far worse.

"And it is in the singing department that the Berlin performance will likely be found wanting."

You will indeed be proven wrong.  I have attended the 2 nights that were captured for the DVD release, and both nights, the singing was superlative on all accounts.  The 3 main singers were revelations to me.  Brian Jagde (tenor) was absolutely smashing in this killer of a role (more demanding even that Paul in Die Tote Stadt !)

https://brianjagde.com/

and the staging will compensate for the moments that may seem a bit lenghthy on the audio recording.  The dramatic tension is maintained from the 1st to the last second.

I am eagerly looking forward to the DVD, after your encouraging report.

I'm afraid I must part company with you over Jagde. I find his tenor unattractive - not pleasant to listen to at all. So, the debate goes on. And, as for the production - well, judging by the excerpts at Jagde's website, this'll be a DVD better listened to rather than watched! Mind you, the soprano (Sara Jakubiak?) is stunningly good - better than Tomowa-Sintow? Well, maybe.

I don't know in what role or production you have seen /heard Jagde, but IN THIS ROLE and PRODUCTION, he was smashing. I'm not sure the quality of his voice is best tested in the italien repertoire, which he seems to have mostly been singing so far.  But he'll perfectly at ease in pretty much all the Wagner / Strauss / Korngold tenor roles, and we can hardly wait till he starts singing Paul (Tote Stadt), Lohengrin, Rienzi, or Siegmund (and even Tristan).
From all accounts I've read so far, he was the real revelation of these performances :
here's a french review for the readers who can read French : "Et l'on se doit de finir par un artiste encore peu connu mais bientôt coqueluche des salles du monde entier s'il sait faire les bons choix de carrière pour protéger sa voix. Taillé comme un joueur de football américain, le jeune Brian Jagde (bientôt à Paris dans Forza del Destino) entre avec vaillance dans un rôle de la longueur et de la difficulté de celui de l'Empereur de Die Frau ohne Schatten. Pendant les deux premiers actes, soit jusqu'à sa mort, son chant exalté et tendu ne souffre d'aucun défaut, ni de puissance, ni de couleur, avec un léger voile sombre particulièrement agréable dans le bas du spectre. Le physique massif permet au jeune homme de toujours avoir du charisme en scène, même lorsqu'il ne fait rien, ou qu'il doit tenter de convaincre Heliane nue qu'elle fait une erreur en lui offrant son être." (Resmusica)

You certainly cannot judge the staging by the one short excerpt shown on the "production trailer" : certainly it was a sober production on the visual aspect, but everything was in the acting and, of course, I cannot predict what the visual impact in DVD will be (as it's NEVER the same from the stage to the DVD), but on stage it was a stunningly intelligent production (and I'm generally not a fan of Christopher Loy).

For the Freiburg concert version, to be issued on DVD, I'm of course a bit more skeptical as the Freiburger orchestra, however good, will have a hard time matching the Deutsche Oper orchestra's performance.  And except for Nuttaporn Thammathi (in the role of the Blind Judge) I don't know any of the other voices. At any rate, it will be interesting to be able to compare these 2 new versions with the Decca recording.

The main interest of all of this, for sure, is that more houses will now be tempted to take on the challenge, and more singers to learn these daring roles.

I have listened to excerpts of Jagde singing in a number of roles; my view is that, if a singer isn't up to the highest standards in the Italian repertoire (and IMHO Jagde isn't), he certainly won't be great in Wagner, Strauss, Schreker, Korngold, etc. either. All-too often these days often we are forced to accept standards of vocal production in the German repertoire which make for excruciating listening (e.g. Stephen Gould).

Here's Jagde in Tosca: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTSsXtmwbU4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTSsXtmwbU4)
And here's Kaufmann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GVRoRILVD4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GVRoRILVD4)
And Domingo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-AF1T4OehM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-AF1T4OehM)
And Wunderlich: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcnoWl-h-Wk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcnoWl-h-Wk)
And finally, the great Helge Rosvaenge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_pM1wwMy4w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_pM1wwMy4w)

Of course, I accept that reactions to voices vary tremendously; this may be one of those cases, so we may simply have to agree to disagree. However, I have to report that, judging by the above excerpt, Jagde is sorely stretched at the top of his range and comes perilously close to a wobble. If he attempts the heavy German repertoire for any length of time, he's likely to damage his voice, as this excerpt suggests (try his strangled and wobbly ending!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCrR4n7X34w (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCrR4n7X34w)
...and this is only with piano accompaniment! So, you'll forgive me if I treat your enconium and the Resmusica review with some suspicion...

Now, if only the magnificent (and magnificently named) Nuttaporn Thammathi were singing instead of Jagde...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O_w1iEgtv8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O_w1iEgtv8)

And of course, there's the great Ben Heppner, who would have been unmatchable in the modern era in this repertoire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbrGONUmK10 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbrGONUmK10) (from Daphne/Richard Strauss)

I completely agree with Ebubu. What Marc Albrecht achieved musically with this production was astonishing. According to everything I have read about this opera it is one of the most demanding ever written; for singers, chorus and orchestra. Although I had my reservations about Christopher Loy's interpretation, I couldn't imagine the opera being better produced. IMHO everything jelled and even the incredulous final scene was believably brought off.
The audience (practically a full house) was enraptured. There was hardly a cough throughout, and thanks to Korngold's orchestration, no opportunity to clap after "Ich ging zu ihm". At the end there was justly earned thunderous jubilation.
On the negative side the use of a single set for all three acts is maybe a detraction for DVD purchasers, but it must be stressed this was a necessary solution to the fact that nearly all the stage machinery and some lighting was damaged by water infiltration through the sprinkler system last Christmas Eve.

Thanks for that review. I note with interest, however, that no mention of the singing was made. And this is opera!!

By the way: what is an 'incredulous last scene'? Scenes can't be incredulous, but people can be so described. And I am still incredulous with regard to reviews/opinions of at least some of the singing in this production. So, again, you'll forgive me if I refer friends to brendangcarroll's penetrating remarks on this topic in the Schreker thread:

One of the problems is that the big, important singers of our time do not want to spend the time learning and singing an opera of such difficulty which they feel they will never be asked to sing again - or hardly ever. So it falls to lesser talents to do it and they just  'sing the notes'.

I feel we are not actually hearing these works as they should really sound. When one reads the casts that originally sang these operas before the war in  Vienna, Berlin, Frankfurt etc - it is clear the wide gulf, between then and now.

Quotewhat is an 'incredulous last scene'?

Sorry, Alan. I guess that should have been "incredible" in the "unbelievable" sense.

I found no fault in the lead singers and I've heard many who couldn't match their competence. The Blind Judge could have been stronger, but then he isn't one of the main protagonists.

I would far rather have such a rarity performed by such a group of singers than to have the "stars" that I probably couldn't afford to see.

There's more Korngold in Berlin next season with a new production of Die tote Stadt at the Komische Oper. That won't have any stars but on past experience will have a line up of good singers.

And yet Brendan Carroll speaks highly of this very production (see discussion of Schreker). Perhaps we should wait for its release when we can judge it in its entirety. Mind you, Alan, your comparison of Jagde, Kaufmann and Domingo in Tosca was most instructive - Domingo carrying the palm, although only Kaufmann gives the correct, clear and precise delivery of "O dolci baci, O languide carezze". Almost every other singer I know either elides the "i" of baci into the "o" (I know exactly why, being a singer myself: nobody wants to sing "ee" when they can sing "o", it's a better vowel to sing on) which makes nonsense of the comma (or else produces something ungrammatical!), or makes a very, very, very short "ee" and a disproportionately long "o". There is, I note, little light and shade in Jagde's delivery, compared with the other two. But let us hear how he performs in this very different, and differently exacting, operatic role.
Incidentally, is it me or are Jagde and the orchestra not quite together on "mai tanto la vita"? - something doesn't seem quite right there.

If Jagde can't manage the end of Die Walküre Act 1 without straining and wobbling, he'll be sorely tested in Korngold. I'll almost certainly be buying the forthcoming DVD, but I just don't accept what reviewers are saying about Jagde because my ears tell me something quite different. He's a good singer; but Korngold needs a great one.

"Now, if only the magnificent (and magnificently named) Nuttaporn Thammathi were singing instead of Jagde..."


Yes, Nuttaporn's singing is excellent (and is even better live than on any of his Youtube videos).  He was excellent in his 2 productions and recording of Die Königin von Saba (Goldmark).  BUT he's not ready yet to tackle the main tenor role of Das Wunder.  And you talk about Jadge putting his voice in danger ?  I HOPE that Nuttaporn would have the intelligence to refuse such an offer.  But I know he's a very wise young man and artist, and has been very well-advised so far.

"If Jagde can't manage the end of Die Walküre Act 1 without straining and wobbling..."
That video was made 4 years ago, in the context of an audition (and yes, it was far from perfect). You don't think that artists can make such progress in 4 years time ?

"I just don't accept what reviewers are saying about Jagde because my ears tell me something quite different."

So the ears of so many different witnesses who have heard the guy LIVE in a LIVE role and a LIVE complete production can't be trusted because YOU've heard the guy on some excerpts of some youtube videos and you don't like it ?
Well, well, well, no need to discuss it any further, I guess.

It's not simply that I don't like what I hear; it's that there is objectively verifiable evidence of strain at the top of Jagde's range. This is not a matter of opinion, but of fact. Of course, it's possible that he has transformed himself from a good tenor to one good enough for this score, but again, you'll have to forgive me if I wait to make my own mind up when the DVD comes out.

Believe me: I will be only too glad to eat humble pie and admit Jagde to the pantheon of Korngold-capable tenors. After all, we need singers who can sing this stuff.

Incidentally, does anyone know the range the tenor has to sing in this opera?

Here's further evidence of Jagde's unlovely, strained singing - this time as Calaf last year, which suggests that the deterioration noted earlier has actually got worse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_bFWE0xwd8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_bFWE0xwd8)
And here's how it should be sung (Jonas Kaufmann):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suj-2sbSFKs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suj-2sbSFKs)
Not to mention Bryan Hymel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMu9AkvMbuw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMu9AkvMbuw) or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inifaEI5tvo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inifaEI5tvo)
Or Simon O'Neill:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUP7JzDSKqs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUP7JzDSKqs)

Any one of Kaufmann, Hymel or O'Neill would be great choices for this repertoire. Far better than Jagde. If friends want to persuade me otherwise, they need to furnish me with evidence, not opinion.

Oh, and I'd forgotten Stuart Skelton - try him in the ending of Die Walküre Act 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIsOpBLYRM8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIsOpBLYRM8)

Incidentally, the tenor soloist at the first performance of Heliane, Carl Günther (1885-1958), can be heard (briefly) in various operatic excerpts here:
https://www.amazon.de/s/ref=ntt_srch_drd_B0038QLPSO?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Carl%20G%C3%BCnther&index=digital-music&search-type=ss (https://www.amazon.de/s/ref=ntt_srch_drd_B0038QLPSO?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Carl%20G%C3%BCnther&index=digital-music&search-type=ss)
I get the impression that even relatively unknown singers a century ago would be world stars today...

Played my opera-mad mother CD1 of the Decca recording of Das Wunder this afternoon. I enjoyed it immensely, but it sent her to sleep, so we switched to Godard's Dante. She loved that!

BTW I noticed how close the extended duet between Heliane and der Fremde was to similar scenes in Zandonai (Francesca da Rimini) and Montemezzi (L'amore dei tre re). Perhaps Strauss was the common factor?

Bravo Alan, that really may be the case  8)

Any connection with Respighi too, Adriano? You're the expert here!

Not so sure about this... Would have to relisten the whole opera in more details - at present still too busy with the editing of my Fritz Brun documentary...

Friends of mine have been in Berlin and they have been all enthusiatic about Jagde. I have heard Kaufmann several times live here in Vienna - his throaty way of singing seems technically incorrect and highly irritating not only to me (Villazon 2.0; cf. his recent voice troubles). Skelton and the rather faint O'Neill are just usual business - heard once, forgotten immediately; not too bad, but not impressive. Calaf (which is most of the times a roaring role) and especially Siegmund (where you have to sing long without time to rest, but also without any high pitches) are not at all the roles comparable to Der Fremde, which is a genuinely lyric role with many high pitches. However, I find the Korngold tenor roles easier than they sound. I tried Paul some years ago and found its difficulties well dosed - Korngold knew exactly what is just possible (as an illustration: Vogt was brilliant as Paul but a disaster as Bacchus). I never tried Der Fremde, but I assume things are similar there.

I hear no evidence - yet - of Jagde being anything other than strained and out of control in his upper register. His Calaf (San Francisco) shows that he is simply not in the same class as the other singers I mentioned. I heard Skelton live in Otello at the ENO in London a few years back (2014, I think) and his tenor hit the back of the auditorium: there wasn't a hint of strain or wobble. His Grimes at the Proms/Albert Hall (2012) was shattering, both in in terms of interpretation and sheer vocal prowess. To describe him as 'not impressive' beggars belief: singers like him only come around once in a generation. Try this from around 5:11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKb1n_JH1Tk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKb1n_JH1Tk). This is simply one of the great voices of today.

Of course, as I have said before, reactions to voices differ greatly. Kaufmann's rather 'breathy' timbre can divide opinion, for example, although his upper register is amazing for such a dark voice; however, what I'm talking about is not a singer's natural vocal character (e.g. O'Neill can sound rather 'metallic', à la Melchior), but uneven vocal production. What Kaufmann, Hymel, Skelton and O'Neill share is the ability to soar without losing control; this something that Jagde, if he ever had it, has entirely lost - and that's what I object to.

Here's O'Neill in Walküre Act 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqm3CX5bRV4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqm3CX5bRV4) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lu__GiRnlc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lu__GiRnlc)

I'm sorry to bring Jagde's deficiences up again, but they're here for all to hear: strangled tone, unsteadines - all in general indicating that he is trying to be more than he actually is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTJWaWvLMUM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTJWaWvLMUM)

It pains my ears, both singers! Add to that the unforgiven writing for voices by mr. Strauss............... Long live vibrato, which 'school' is that?

Vibrato isn't the issue here, but control. All singers (unless they're early music specialists) employ vibrato, but Jagde's gets wider, slower and throatier the more pressure he puts on it. I tell you this: he'll ruin his voice if he pursues the path he's on at present. He's half-way there already.

Another horror show can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0a8fsxp-rc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0a8fsxp-rc)
Here's Bryan Hymel showing proper vocal control:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW0yIa7uOQ8

Last year's accalimed production of Korngold's 'Das Wunder der Heliane' in Berlin was recorded and filmed and is about to be released in High Definition Blu-ray and DVD editions by Naxos. See link:

https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=2.110584-85

It is also available for pre order at Amazon at:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Korngold-Heliane-Jakubiak-Albrecht-2110584-85/dp/B07QQHM7YS/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Korngold&qid=1556899071&s=dvd&sr=1-2

The street date is June 14.

Sara Jakubiak soars magnetically in this production - which is 'orrible, by the way.

As mentioned earlier, the biggest problem for me of this opera is it's painful libretto...

The first review of the new Bluray/DVD is just published, here:-


https://onlinemerker.com/blu-ray-disc-dvd-korngold-das-wunder-der-heliane-mitschnitt-aus-der-deutschen-oper-berlin-vom-maerz-april-2018-inszenierung-von-christof-loy-naxos/


BRENDAN G CARROLL

Yeah, but this is a review about the staging. The muscial performance and the singers are reviewed more in detail here:
https://onlinemerker.com/berlin-deutsche-oper-das-wunder-der-heliane/

For the purposes of objectivity I think Mr Carroll should make clear his involvement in this project.

The above review (in Mr Carroll's post) is typical of most modern examples of the genre, with no mention of the quality of the singing apart from that of Sara Jakubiak (who, as I have indicated, is excellent). By contrast, the recent series of opera recording reviews by Ralph Moore published at MusicWeb are a model of their kind, with proper attention given to the quality of the singing on offer.

I don't think there is any secret about my "involvement" - I wrote the notes and supplied some archive materials. I did not direct the opera, conduct it, hire the singers or have any involvement whatsoever in the production at the Deutsche Oper.

There was no ulterior motive in my post, in spite of the inference give by Mr Howe.

I posted the review because I love this oera and thought it might be of interest for those who might be wondering whether to invest in the Bluray - which is very good, compared to most opera recordings IMO.

And just for the record - if this Bluray sells well, I won't be getting any royalties or a little brown envelope from Naxos either.

Amidst the interest (quite rightly) generated by the new recording, I would caution against writing off the classic Mauceri/Decca performance. Much has been made of Tomowa-Sintow being somewhat over the hill by the time she recorded Heliane; however, she is a great singer and her singing in alt is lustrous in the extreme. Her rendering of 'Ich ging zu ihm' is that of a truly great Strauss soprano and remains hard to beat.

QuoteThere was no ulterior motive in my post, in spite of the inference give by Mr Howe.

I think Mr Carroll means 'implication' - but there was none. I was simply seeking clarification. I didn't know, for example, that Mr Carroll had written the notes and supplied some archive materials (how would I?). Whether he likes it or not, that counts as involvement - although in this respect we should probably be grateful that, as President of the International Korngold Society, he has given us the benefit of his expertise.

OK, I'm going to say it: I find certain sections of this opera glorious, but the remainder a terrible bore. It's too long, too self-indulgent and the composer could have done with the stage nous of a Puccini, i.e. musical scissors. I hardly ever listen to it and certainly won't be buying the DVD having seen excerpts from the dire production it perpetuates.

For those who may be interested :

http://operajournal.blogspot.com/2019/06/korngold-das-wunder-der-heliane-berlin.html

Sorry: it's not a masterpiece. It contains some fine music, but that's not sufficient to justify the claim; and then, as Adriano has pointed out, there's that painful libretto.

I see no reason - musically speaking - to purchase this if one already has the Mauceri/Decca recording.

Finally, I do not take on trust what critics say about the quality of singing on offer. Very few care about even vocal production and beauty of tone; one has to distinguish those who understand and appreciate good vocal technique from those who do not.

QuoteAgain, this silly, irrelevant question of "masterpiece". Who cares? it's an enjoyable score which will pleasure many listeners. Alan, your arrogant dismissal again brings you into disrepute.

Well, it was the OperaJournal article referred to by Korngold expert Brendan Carroll that made the claim:

QuoteSo too it transpires is Das Wunder der Heliane (Heliane's Miracle), another Korngold masterpiece that has been largely neglected...

I simply disagree with this. Disagreement is NOT the same as 'arrogant dismissal'. In any case, I didn't dismiss the opera: in fact I said that it contains 'some fine music' and that some sections are 'glorious'. That would make it more of a mixed bag, which I believe is nearer the truth...

Please do read what I actually wrote.

QuoteI assume this is referring to yourself. Surely the repertoire and public exposure is more important, can you do better yourself?

No, your assumption is wrong: I'm referring to such writer-critics as John Steane...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/J.-B.-Steane/e/B001HO8ULO/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/J.-B.-Steane/e/B001HO8ULO/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1)
...and Ralph Moore (at MusicWeb) who care about these things and aren't afraid to challenge received opinions about singers. What they would tell you is that public exposure of any given operatic work is only of value if it is well sung. These days the emphasis is so much on directors and their clever production concepts that the singing is pushed into the background.

Have you ever read Steane's 'The Grand Tradition' on the art of singing? If not, do give it a go...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grand-Tradition-Seventy-Singing-Record/dp/0684136341 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grand-Tradition-Seventy-Singing-Record/dp/0684136341)

What I will concede, however, is that new Heliane/Naxos release is likely to be superlatively conducted and played under Marc Albrecht. I'm simply pointing out, though, that the singing from the likes of Jagde isn't really good enough and that there are other tenors who could have done a much better job.

QuoteI will send a recording team to your home...

And I'll gladly send you a copy of John Steane's magnum opus by return  ;)

By the way, I bought the new DVD from the Berlin Heliane and it is great. Conductor and singers do a great job (expecially in comparison with the sloppy Decca recording), especially Jagde - one never would have believed that ANYBODY could sing this terrible part in such a magnificent way.

It's worth hunting out examples of the singing of Carl Günther, who sang the role of The Stranger in the premiere of Heliane in 1927. I doubt whether many today even know the name. His was a beautiful voice...

Is this only on DVD? what a shame if so, I don't know why the current trend of opera recordings don't come out on CD anymore(was hoping to get the new Vanessa too...but only on DVD I see...sigh). I'll just stick to the Decca release then.

Too many live operas today are being released only on DVD, alas! The same goes for Respighi's "La Campana Sommersa" (Naxos). I am not at all interested in some often silly and misleading stagings. The Respighi, however, makes an exception: the staging is extremely beautiful and stylistically conform.

As far as "Heliane" is concerned, I still find this "old" Decca recording a super achievement. Before I would share the opinion that it is "sloppy", I should have to compare it with a score...

Apropos Carl Günther (a superb voice!):
http://vocal-classics.com/product_info.php?info=p1227_Carl-G-nther--2-CD-.html

This MusicWeb review indicates that Mauceri's conducting is anything but sloppy:

Decca's state-of-the-art recording in the grateful acoustics of the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Dahlem catches all this to perfection and with a good amplifier and a set of first class speakers one can wallow in the rich sonorities of the orchestra, held on a tight rein by John Mauceri...
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/June07/Korngold_Heliane_4758271.htm (http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2007/June07/Korngold_Heliane_4758271.htm)

For a blisteringly negative, but honest view of Heliane, try this:
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/l/lon75827a.php (http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/l/lon75827a.php)

Thanks, Alan! Very interesting.
As already mentioned in earlier postings, I have a (personal) problem with this opera because I find it too long, its music too turgid and its libretto quite awful :-)
I will re-listen to this particular recording these days - alas wihtout a full score... A piano reduction alone (see IMSLP) won't do to to establish exact judgements about the performance. Dynamics etc. in piano reductions are often different than those in the full score.
Korngold considered "Heliane" as "his most significant work"...

It's not often that I take issue with you, Alan, but you say the review for which you provide a link is "blisteringly negative", but "honest". That it is negative is beyond argument and clear enough to anyone who reads it, but how can one possibly know whether it is honest or not (I'm sure it is, by the way; I just don't know how you can state that)? I should perhaps add that I like Das Wunder der Heliane, whilst being keenly aware of its shortcomings, as, indeed, exposed very fairly IMHO in the cited review.

All I meant by 'honest' was that there is no pretence on the part of Steve Schwartz to go along with what currently seems to be the dominant view of Heliane, i.e. as a masterpiece. In recent times I have read review after review lauding Heliane to the skies. Frankly, I don't buy this view, for the reasons Mr Schwartz and Adriano have given.

I too like the opera - well, parts of it. Perhaps if it were sung by the likes of Lotte Lehmann and Carl Günther I'd enjoy it more...

...or perhaps not.

In that case, I have no issue with what you wrote. I certainly wish I could have heard Carl Günther sing the part of The Stranger. The libretto is a terrible problem with Heliane. I think there was a period in German culture when 'drama' in which most of the players were symbols or archetypes became very popular (or fashionable) - perhaps it is something that appealed to the Teutonic psyche. I'm afraid that dramatically it is rarely very successful, even in an opera like Die Frau ohne Schatten where Strauss has a much better stab at making it work. Successful dramatic works, it seems to me, are almost always about real people in real situations, or at least situations the audience can relate to. Musically I think Heliane is better than you give it credit for - but as opera it is hamstrung by the libretto.

QuoteMusically I think Heliane is better than you give it credit for - but as opera it is hamstrung by the libretto.

Perhaps we can agree, then, that it's a bit of a mixed bag.

With Die Frau ohne Schatten we at least have some well-sung performances on record to choose from. And, I think, a much more varied musical experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLW14CEAf70[url] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLW14CEAf70)

Oh no, do not come up with Domingo/Solti - that is possibly the worst available recording of "Die Frau ohne Schatten". Domingo's voice is totally inappropriate for this role and his German is unbearable.

I disagree totally. Domingo sings with a beauty of tone and ease of vocal production that have never been matched on record. I agree that his German is poor - I speak the language myself - but I'll accept that shortcoming any day when the singing itself is so glorious.

Anyway, I'm aware that this is a controversial subject; I probably shouldn't have brought it up in this thread, for which I apologise.

And with that, back to Heliane.

I am also of the opinion that Domingo should never have sung German repertoire - for his latin pronounciation only - not for his voice. His "old" recording of Weber's "Oberon" is, still, quite acceptable - and respectable.
I can't listen anymore to his "Lohengrin", but for the same reason - but Solti is splendid (as in his "Frau ohne Schatten").
I had been rather furious to learn that Decca and Solti were also planning a "Tristan" with Domingo and Jessye Norman - and felt very happy that this never could be realized.

Yesterday I struggled myself through the first act of Mauceri's "Heliane". So far I have listened to this recording only once. I find it very well sung and conducted. But musically it's a boring affair and the orchestration is always so typically Korngold with an overactive Celesta etc. and those Wiener strings...

In my opinion, "Die Tote Stadt" is perfectly working - and a masterwork, compared to "Heliane". Everything is tight, it's theatre, it's diversified, plenty of dramatism and coming over like real fresh music.
"Violanta" is a similar good throw. Personally I consider "Heliane" an over-extended re-display of Korngoldian déjà-entendus. This, at least, is the impression I get after listening to the 1st act, but I am ready for suprises :-)
I am glad Kortngold later tried out new paths with "Die Kathrin" - but there (what a pity!) he failed as far as its third act is concerned - and this not only because of a disastrous libretto...

I should never have brought up Domingo in the German repertoire. I suppose my love of his singing voice - its golden tone and perfect voice production - has always blinded me to his poor German. Having said that, who has sung this repertoire (or similar) so well in the final quarter of the last century? Probably only Heppner:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs5-bN0MqbY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs5-bN0MqbY)
Jerusalem was fine, but too light. Vickers was Vickers, i.e. great, but sui generis. James King was sturdiness personified, but none too interesting. Jess Thomas started well and then wobbled. Kollo? Moser? Nope. Gould? Do me a favour!

Today, there's Kaufmann, but I don't know whether he can really sing this stuff. And that leaves us with Skelton whom I take to be a truly great singer.

Oh, for a Melchior. Or even a Lorenz. Or even a Carl Günther...

Well, Kaufmann...
In his early years he was an occasional guest at the Zurich opera, a very sympathetic and modest person. Great performances in Paër's "Leonore", Verdi's "Don Carlo" and Humperdinck's "Königskinder" etc.
In the meantime he has become big star and a Knödler, but there are divine moments when he displays his Kopfstimme or when he does not press his voice too much. And he should not always try to darken his timbre - he has enough a masculine radiation :-)
He is considered the greatest tenor of our days - even though lacking a high C (or its preceding B) - which he can only produce with Kopfstimme...
I would rather consider him a capped high baritone...
These are, of course, only my very personal opinions.
But I will never forgive him for singing Wagner's "Wesendonck-Lieder", whose score clearly indicates "für eine Frauenstimme..." and both parts of Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde"!

Looking forward to hearing more from you, Adriano, on Mauceri's Heliane...

Back from the 2nd act of Mauceri's "Heliane" :-)
Now Korngold's over-active Celesta is reduced to just few interventions... Anyway, I find the music in this act more interesting and (after its Prelude, which is Korngold film music in advance) more diversified. I particularly like the sections preceding Heliane's entrance, in which Korngold takes a more dark and "newer" tone in his orchestration. In here the music is also more rhytmic and stronger defined.
But what follows is a really overloaden and fatiguing thing. Was it really necessary to use such a heavy and loud orchestration to support those poor singers? Strauss and Schreker also used large orchestral forces, but in a more cleverly balanced way...
As far as this recording is concerned, its cast is well-chosen and excellent. They are all cultivated singers knowing what they are singing. That Hartmut Welker sounds occasionally overstrained is surely because of a tight recording schedule, not because of bad technique (I know from own recording experience what it means for a singer having to finish a session no way how he feels - and with no possibility of redoing takes). I find Anna Tomowa-Sintow and John David de Haan great. Reinhild Runkle is the right voice for the more characteristic part of the Messenger and - last but not least - my profound respect for the 67 years old Nicolai Gedda feeling in such wonderful shape!
And, again, the orchestra and conductor are super!

That's really interesting, Adriano - thanks! Sounds to me as though it's hardly worth considering Albrecht/Naxos if one already has Mauceri/Decca.

Well, since I never heard/seen the Albrecht one, I feel too partial. I consider Albrecht an excellent conductor and suppose the cast he is working with is excellent too... I've just readvarious reviews - and they are all extremely positive. Seems having been a triumphal success in Berlin. As a CD release I would perhaps buy it - but, on the other hand, it would be better buying other operas I don't know yet - or (to remain in the same epoch) continue buying alternate recordings of operas by Schreker, whose music I really love. Last but not least, my musical opinion on "Heliane" is all other than an enthusiastic one.
I am being told that the Naxos recording of "Heliane" is equally excellent and very recommendable. Reviewers just complain about the absence of a libretto, but the Decca/Mauceri reissue also none. Its original release had a sumptuous 230-page libretto...
Bollon is another opera conductor I admire. Incidentally, a "Gramophone" reviewer still finds Mauceri's recording better, but he wrote that before the Albrecht had been released.

@hadrianus: are you aware that Die tote Stadt is currently at La Scala conducted by Alan Gilbert , directed by Graham Vick?
I thought you might be interested.

Yes I am, thanks hyperdanny. But I don't travel for opera performances anymore... In a way, after so many years of working at the Zurich opera, I have become saturated by this business, in which music mostly comes in the last place...
We had, in 2003, a genius-stroke staging by Sven Eric Bechtolf of "Die Tote Stadt" in Zurich, which I will never forget. Welser-Möst wasn't too exciting, but Emily Magee, Norbert Schmittberg and Olaf Bäre were great. Bechtolf has done in Zürich also a magnificent "Lulu" (available on DVD) and a very original "Pelléas". I also liked his Mozart operas interpretations. Unfortunately, his "Otello" was not successful.

...and I too have become extremely wary of opera productions. You just don't know what rubbish the directors are going to subject you to these days.

Alan you're of course right....If I see another Handel opera in Nazi garb, or such idiocy, I'm going to scream!

Another much used location in opera staging is a psychiatric institution, where the singers are lying in their beds or on the floor in their nightgowns or underwear...

Or psychological states of mind projected onto the walls of the set. I mean, isn't it up to the performers to convey such matters to the audience? Who needs these things to be triple-underlined in such a crass fashion?

With sensational or even sexually-oriented optical effects they fear that ortherwise audiences would fall asleep :-)

That's an insult to the audience, isn't it?

Well, in an interview an opera manager once said that one must use "more modern" and "more effective" ways, in order to have younger people becoming interested in opera... And this would also cause controversy and discussion - diffreently than in the case of traditional stagings.
In a symposium on opera staging I once said that in this case it would be like having Leonardo's "Mona Lisa" exhibited into a pop art frame - or have an Andy Warhol version of it exposed at the Louvre instead. And leave the original in the vaults.
I have nothing against intelligent and "plausible" modern stagings (like, for example, those Bechtolf Zurich productions I mentioned earlier) - in which the concept and the plot was being 100% respected. One could notice that Bechtolf knew his pieces very well: during stage rehearsals he never used a piano score, but could explain to a singer what was the music doing at that very instant they were working on, like: "Right now you hear a clarinet solo, and before the harp joins in, you must land at the bottom of these stairs". Sometimes I suspected that he knew a score even better than a certain conductor - and he was uspet the latter had not informed him about his tempi etc. before staging rehearsals would begin. During five weeks I was there conducting with a piano coach, so we got used to our/my own tempi - and when the conductor showed up for orchestra rehearsals during the last week, it could happen that everybody concerned would find himself in new situations... Sometimes I felt flattered, since that conductor used to say to me before rehearsals' start: "I trust you, you will do right". And often we were not too far away... But when sometimes it came out that the conductor had not prepared the score seriously, once could really despair. During performances I was in the prompter's box giving all cues - or conducting when catastrophes happened, and that was not very funny. That was because some conductors were too preoccupied to hold the orchestra together. After one particular performance under one particular unserious conductor, which made practically all singers following me all the time, Thomas Hampson dragged me out from the prompter's box on stage during the final applause, so I got an applause too...
I witnessed celebrated stage directors setting up crazy and, apparently "original" concepts before they had studied a score seriously. These ideas had to be squeezed into the pieces at all costs (sceneries and costumes were already there) - and so 5 weeks of staging rehersals looked like a "work in progress" affair, during which the director was actually learning the piece - and singers or assistants sometimes had to correct him, saying that this or that would not be possible in this situation - or that, for example, a couplet had one more strophe than he thought. I have worked with quite a few famous stage directors holding in their hand a CD booklet instead of a vocal score.
In the last (year's) Zurich production of "Die Gezeichneten" (staged by Barrie Kosky - who had no idea about the piece), in a crucial painting study scene, Carlotta - before starting to make a portrait of her (future) lover Alviano - describes her work as a painter ("ich male" etc.). The (Zurich) audience witnessed her sitting on a small potter's wheel, trying to form a vase with her hands... That's opera for you. An intelligent newspaper review's title was "Let's mould an opera".
Not to speak about the fact that Schreker's music was clumsily mutilated and cut. The first days of scenic rehearsals all the singers showed up, they had all learned their parts, but a group of of smaller parts were sent home, because they had ben "cut" too - and nobody had told them this before learning. They just had been cast according to the vocal score's list! At the premiere's final applause, Barry Kosky showed up wearing a printed T-shirt, with a big portrait of Stalin.
That's opera today for you!
(I hope not having posted a similar text already earlier - but one cannot report such "events" frequently enough...)

It's astonishing when you think about it: on the one hand we have the HIP movement, i.e. the attempt to return to instrumental sounds the composer might have had in mind; and on the other hand we have the Regietheater trend which allows "a director freedom in devising the way a given opera or play is staged so that the creator's original, specific intentions or stage directions (where supplied) can be changed, together with major elements of geographical location, chronological situation, casting and plot." (Wikipedia)

I also remember Gérard Mortier (at that time opera director in Bruxelles) affirming in an interview of some 30 years ago, that within a decado or two, the works of Puccini would disappear from opera houses' programs completely.

With respect to the late Monsieur Mortier...... the 30 years have passed, he himself has come and gone.........but the Puccini operas are more staged than ever.
Sic transit gloria mundi.

And none of us here is surprised, of course. Their qualities are manifest and timeless.

...but increasingly mucked about, alas.

An aside on critics and voices....

As I type, I am listening to BBC Radio 3's Record Review on the new Hallé/Elder recording of Wagner's Siegfried. The reviewer, Andrew McGregor, praised the Brünnhilde, Rachel Nicholls; however, her voice turned out to be shrill, poorly supported and her top notes at the end of the opera were little more than shrieks. Why, therefore, should I believe a word a critic says or writes about singers without checking them out first? Hence my scepticism about Jagde in Heliane when all the evidence (so far) runs counter to the seemingly unanimous chorus of praise for his performance?

I find it incredible that critics can't hear poor singing when they encounter it. Here's what I mean from the Elder Siegfried:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9abjSNYqgQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9abjSNYqgQ)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1FRbIt5Ne8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1FRbIt5Ne8) (Shriekfest at end!)

Compare Anne Evans - not a 'big name', but oh, for such singing today! Especially with Siegfried Jerusalem!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJnDoKOjKLE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJnDoKOjKLE)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTimwd23SpM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTimwd23SpM)

QuoteBut I will never forgive him (Kaufmann) for singing Wagner's "Wesendonck-Lieder", whose score clearly indicates "für eine Frauenstimme..."

Adriano: did you know that Lauritz Melchior recorded the last two songs for HMV in 1923? I've forgiven him because I can forgive Melchior virtually anything - even the odd rhythmic oddity!

Anyway, I'm hoping to come to grips with the Berlin Heliane soon-ish. And I'll be delighted if Jagde turns out to be better than all the evidence (so far) suggests.

@Alan
I did not know he recorded those songs. In any case this HMV Discography starts only in 1932
Of course he recorded shellacks
http://www.45worlds.com/78rpm/artist/lauritz-melchior

I have no access (so far) to Hans Hansen's Melchior Discography...
He and Max Lorenz really were voice phenomena. Melchior also sang various baritone parts...

There is a "Heliane" item sung by Lotte Lehmann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb4qo4ScItU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVwjurlBVsk

And here is her "Tote Stadt" duet song with Richard Tauber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP7f2kOQrPk

Here is Melchior in Schmerzen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdjgmeD8v0I (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdjgmeD8v0I)
...and Träume...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNhlTbYFxrM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNhlTbYFxrM)

What a voice! Oh, my! Absolutely even, beautiful, powerful...

..and Lehmann! Again, what a voice; what an artist! Beyond wonderful...

...and Tauber! What artistry.

We just don't have anyone today who can truly compare with these singers in this repertoire. Mind you, Kaufmann and Kleiter make a good job of the Die tote Stadt duet here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBCV5ylGhfI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBCV5ylGhfI)

And Hilde Zadek and Anton Dermota were superb back in 1951:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5c-hYelyhM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5c-hYelyhM)

...and James King:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA8jXx_Gp3Q (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA8jXx_Gp3Q)

Well, I've started by listening to Act 1 of the Naxos recording - and, oh, for some vocal glamour! Instead, as the work begins, we have the workaday voice of Derek Welton (der Pförtner), unsteady in alt, and the very ordinary Brian Jagde (der Fremde) who, while not as poor as some of his online outings suggest, simply doesn't have the basic vocal allure required and is sorely stretched by some of Korngold's more demanding writing.

Korngold absolutely requires glamorous voices. I can't see the point of so much gorgeous orchestral writing underpinning mediocre singing - nor of recording it for posterity. There are singers out there who can sing this stuff well, but evidently they weren't engaged for this performance in Berlin.

A general observation: most new opera recordings are now DVD releases of live performances as opposed to studio recordings (CD only), presumably on grounds of cost. However, the result is too often mediocrity, certainly as far as the singing is concerned.

Maybe things will improve as I listen further to the new Heliane, but I fear they won't.

... with Act 2 we encounter the utterly unlovely voice of Josef Wagner as The Ruler. Still no vocal glamour in this most glamorous of orchestral scores. Perhaps things will improve with the Heliane of Sara Jakubiak...

...and they do! She is undoubtedly the best singer in a distinctly average cast - although there's still no real comparison with the stars of the past in this music.

No: I'm sorry. For anyone seeking an improvement over Mauceri/Decca, this is no advance at all. It's actually a very ordinary performance of an opera that requires much, much more. Things may have felt different live in the theatre, but this has been put out as a recorded document - and it's, well, just very average. Nothing at all to get excited about, no great vocal performances - bar after bar, in fact, of music unillumined by the sort of advocacy this music so badly needs and simply doesn't get. After all, it's an opera...

If you have Mauceri, you can rest content. This is no better. And to return to Jagde: he gets worse as the opera progresses. He simply doesn't have enough voice...

Should have programmed Renée Fleming years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdbqVUrvmP8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdbqVUrvmP8)

There's vocal glamour for you...

Reading this thread with some interest as I am looking forward to the production of Heliane at this year's Bard Summerfest.  The cast includes Ausrine Stundyte in the title role (possibly this is her US debut?), Daniel Brenna, and Alfred Walker--so a promising line-up.  Stundyte sang the role with Opera Vlaanderen with excellent reviews.
On the side discussion of tenors, I think there are actually a good number of excellent tenors at the moment, including Klaus Florian Vogt (best heard live), Michael Spyres, Benjamin Bernheim, and others.  Mingjie Lei, the young tenor who won his round at this year's Cardiff Singer of the Year is very good (I have heard him live) and seems on the way to a good career.
DK

On tenors: Brenna is awful in the Naxos/Götterdämmerung, I'm afraid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5IycMgBTVk
Threadbare tone, wobbly - terrible.
By contrast, try Siegfried Jerusalem (from ca.30 mins in):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2uESjCC1Ws (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2uESjCC1Ws)

I have heard Brenna live only once, singing Laca (Jenufa) at the Metropolitan Opera in 2016, and looking at my notes I was not particularly impressed by him noting strain in his higher notes, but he had apparently been under the weather having sung only 2 acts in an earlier performance.  But we shall see, perhaps he will surprise me.

However I am looking forward to hearing Stundyte in this; I have been very impressed by her in the previous times I've seen her live (most recently in 2016), and she has had glowing reviews as well for recent roles including Salome and Renata (The Fiery Angel).  Alfred Walker is also a good singer if perhaps not quite the stage animal that Stundyte is.

I think you're right about Brenna. It seems that he may have damaged his voice in taking on roles too heavy for him. Mind you, he's no longer in the first flush of youth - he's approaching 49.

Ausrine Stundyte sounds a much better bet, but the 'tenor problem' is what kills these productions - as it did the Naxos/Berlin recording.

Gentleman, what's the best recording of Das wunder der Heliane? I know of the Decca or the new one on Naxos with the ever reliable Fabrice Bollon? I really want to hear a convincing recording of the work(perhaps get both?)

The best thing you can do, Kevin, is read through the posts above. As you'll see, there's not much agreement....

The Decca. Unless you have to have a DVD.

A review by Dutch website OpusKlassiek finds the Freiburg production (on Naxos) on par with the Decca from the 1990s https://www.opusklassiek.nl/cd-recensies/cd-pk/pkkorngold_heliane_bollon.htm
And an enthusiastic applause for the Belrin production http://operajournal.blogspot.com/2019/06/korngold-das-wunder-der-heliane-berlin.html
So I doubt the Decca is THE recording to go for. I don't like Sintow in it..... stressed.

Well, if I can I'll get both. I was very impressed with Bollon's version of Die Konigin von Saba, almost matching the classic one with Fischer. Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing Das Wunder der Heliane because I thoroughly enjoyed my single listen of Die tote stadt, a very impressive piece by a 23 year old.

It's much longer and flabbier than either Die tote Stadt or Violanta. If you don't have the latter, I'd go for that first:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Korngold-Violanta-Sony-Opera-House/dp/B002V988OS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=violanta&qid=1565782638&s=gateway&sr=8-1 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Korngold-Violanta-Sony-Opera-House/dp/B002V988OS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=violanta&qid=1565782638&s=gateway&sr=8-1)

I'd certainly avoid Bollon's Heliane. Much of the singing is very poor indeed.

Did anyone else actually see the Bard College music festival production? I'd planned not to go but was *very* glad I was talked into it. Principals were top-notch, staging and direction excellent, and orchestral forces, as conducted by Maestro Botstein, brought out the richness of Korngold's score. My original hesitation concerned the libretto, which I'd heard was problematic. It was actually something of a revelation; compared to most operatic stories I found it literate, poetic and frequently compelling.

It still hasn't replaced "Die Tote Stadt" as my favorite Korngold opera, but is not far behind. And proved once again that operas produced at Bard are not only adventurous, but continue to hit the high marks in performance and musicality.

Wow. I was blown away by this(first time listen) They way Korngold uses his orchestra makes others look tame by comparison. So rapturous and compelling from beginning to end. I even listened to Die tode Stadt back-to-back with Heliane and found them both a revelation. I didn't even notice time going by because I was so absorbed by the music.

I am a little late with my reply, but I also saw the Bard performance this summer and I second the review from scottevan3.  The score is very lush, even exotic/otherworldly.  As with all Bard Summerscape productions I have seen (a half-dozen over the years), this production was staged and sung at a very high level.  I enjoyed the choreography during the dream sequence (I think it was a dream sequence!) where many dancers dressed as Heliane are mimicking/commenting on her movements.  Very ethereal and worked very well with the music.  The ending was rapturous and uplifting and ended the performance on a high note (so to speak!).  I would encourage anyone who has even an inkling of attending a Bard performance to just go for it.  Whatever it is, you will not be disappointed.  As in previous years, I didn't have my plans together until the last minute and there were still good seats available when I finally decided to go.  One question I have is:  has anyone been to any of the panels or discussions that go along with the "...and His World" series of performances?  I'm assuming they are also well done, but I have not made it out to any of them yet.  Have there ever been any "..and Her World" productions?  I can also recommend the nearby Spiegeltent for before and after refreshment.