Citizendia

Waltraud Meier (born January 9, 1956) is a Grammy-award winning German mezzo-soprano. Events 475 - Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. She is particularly known for her Wagnerian roles as Kundry, Isolde, Ortrud, Venus and Sieglinde, but has also had success in the French and Italian repertoire appearing as Eboli, Amneris, Carmen and Santuzza. She resides in Munich. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany.

Meier has performed in the world’s famed opera houses (including La Scala, Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Colón Theater). The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala, as it is known in Milan, Italy, is one of the world's most famous Opera houses The theatre was This article is about the post-1945 opera company at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. The Vienna State Opera ( Wiener Staatsoper) located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important Opera houses - and opera companies - in The Bayerische Staatsoper ( Bavarian State Opera) is an Opera company based in Munich, Germany in existence since 1653 Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading Opera companies in the United States. The Teatro Colón ( Spanish) ( Colón Theatre) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is one of the world's major Opera houses She has performed under the batons of the world's great conductors, including Riccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim, Claudio Abbado, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, and Giuseppe Sinopoli. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Riccardo Muti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (b Daniel Barenboim (born November 15, 1942) is a pianist and conductor. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Claudio Abbado, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (born June James Lawrence Levine (born 23 June 1943) is an American orchestral conductor and pianist. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Lorin Varencove Maazel (born March 6, 1930) is a WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Zubin Mehta (born April 29 1936 is an Indian conductor WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Giuseppe Sinopoli ( November 2, 1946 &ndash April She has been named a "Kammersängerin" by both the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and the Vienna State Opera, and "Commandeur" of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government. The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Literature is an Order of France, established on May 2, 1957 by the Minister

Contents

Education, vocal training and early career

Waltraud Meier was born in Würzburg, Germany. Würzburg (ˈvʏɐ̯ʦbʊɐ̯k is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. [1] She sang in numerous choral groups during her younger years. Upon finishing her secondary education, she began graduate studies in English and Romance Languages while also taking voice lessons. She studied singing with Professor Dietger Jacob. [2] In 1976, she decided to concentrate on a singing career and soon thereafter debuted at the Würzburg Opera as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana. Cavalleria rusticana ( Rustic Chivalry) is an Opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian Libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti Over the next several years she performed regularly at the opera house in Mannheim (1976-1978). Mannheim is a City in Germany. With 327318 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg after the capital Stuttgart [3]

1980s

She made her international debut in 1980 at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires,[4] appearing as Fricka in Die Walküre. The Teatro Colón ( Spanish) ( Colón Theatre) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is one of the world's major Opera houses Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern Die Walküre ( The Valkyrie) is the second of the four Operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen ( The Ring of the Nibelung She also continued to appear regularly in Germany at the opera houses in Dortmund (1980-1983),[5] Hanover (1983-1984) and Stuttgart (1985-1988). Dortmund (ˈdɔʁtmʊnt is a City in Germany, located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Hanover (i ( haˈnoːfɐ on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony ( Niedersachsen Stuttgart (ˈʃtʊtgaɐ̯t is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.

Following a success as Kundry in Wagner's Parsifal at the 1983 Bayreuth Festival, Meier's international career gained momentum, and she had debuts at Covent Garden (1985) and the Metropolitan Opera (1987)[6] (as Fricka, with James Levine conducting his first Das Rheingold at the Met). Parsifal is an Opera, or Music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner. The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of Operas by the 19th century German composer WikipediaWikiProject Opera --> The Royal Opera House is an Opera house and major performing The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Das Rheingold ("The Rhine Gold" is the first of the four operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen ( The Ring of the Nibelung) by Richard Wagner [7]

She also had debuts at La Scala, the Opéra National in Paris, the Vienna State Opera and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. The Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala, as it is known in Milan, Italy, is one of the world's most famous Opera houses The theatre was Opéra National de Paris is the leading Opera company of France. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city She continued to appear regularly at Bayreuth as Kundry between 1983 and 1993. Bayreuth ( pronounced) is a City in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Frankish Alb

1990s

In addition to appearing as Kundry at Bayreuth, Meier continued to appear elsewhere in the role during the 1990s, including a 1991 production at La Scala under the baton of Riccardo Muti and at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, in a version staged by Klaus-Michael Grüber and conducted by Semyon Bychkov. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Riccardo Muti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (b The Théâtre du Châtelet is a Theatre and Opera house in Paris, France. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Semyon Bychkov ( Семён Бычков born November 30 In 1992, she appeared for the first time as Kundry at the Metropolitan Opera, opposite Siegfried Jerusalem as Parsifal, with James Levine conducting. The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Siegfried Jerusalem (born Oberhausen, 17 April 1940) is a German Operatic Tenor. James Lawrence Levine (born 23 June 1943) is an American orchestral conductor and pianist. The New York Times reported: "Waltraud Meier, bringing her acclaimed performance as Kundry to the Met for the first time, was seductive and gentle in her first approach to Parsifal, holding in reserve a strength and determination that gave her singing an eerie calm. "[8] The following year, Meier returned to the Met as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. Of that performance, The New York Times wrote:

As Santuzza in "Cavalleria," Waltraud Meier was superb at the first performance on Friday evening, singing clearly and evenly throughout her range, carrying lines smoothly and coloring her tone richly. She gradually worked an incisive, telling edge into her voice without sacrificing its basic beauty; even her shrieks were musical. And she projected a riveting dramatic presence, convincingly fragile as well as ferocious. [9]

During the 1990s, Meier also moved into roles within the dramatic soprano repertoire. Between 1993 and 1999, she appeared at Bayreuth as Isolde in Tristan und Isolde staged by Heiner Müller and conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Bayreuth ( pronounced) is a City in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Frankish Alb Tristan und Isolde ( Tristan and Isolde, or Tristan and Isolda) is an Opera, or Music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner Daniel Barenboim (born November 15, 1942) is a pianist and conductor. In 1998 she added additional dramatic soprano roles, debuting as Leonore in Fidelio at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, again under the direction of Barenboim, and also appearing as Ortrud in a new Lohengrin production at the Bavarian State Opera. Fidelio (Op 72 is an Opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading Opera companies in the United States. Ortrud is a female character from Richard Wagner 's Opera Lohengrin ( 1848) Lohengrin is a romantic Opera (or music drama in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner.

2000s

In 2000, Meier appeared again at Bayreuth, performing the role of Sieglinde in Die Walküre in the "Millennium Ring" at the 2000 festival staged by Jürgen Flimm and conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli with Placido Domingo. Die Walküre ( The Valkyrie) is the second of the four Operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen ( The Ring of the Nibelung Jürgen Flimm was born in Gießen, Germany He studied theory of drama literature and sociology at the University of Cologne and started his career with his first WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Giuseppe Sinopoli ( November 2, 1946 &ndash April WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> José Plácido Domingo Embil KBE (born January 21, 1941) better She also appeared that year as Isolde at the Salzburg Festival, with Lorin Maazel conducting. The Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele is a prominent festival of Music and Drama. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Lorin Varencove Maazel (born March 6, 1930) is a In 2001 at the opening of the Munich Opera Festival, the singer made her debut in the role of Didon in Hector Berlioz's Les Troyens with Zubin Mehta conducting. The Munich Opera Festival, (Münchner Opern-Festspiele, is an opera festival located in Munich, Germany and presented annually at the National Les Troyens (in English The Trojans) is a French Opera in five acts by Hector Berlioz. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Zubin Mehta (born April 29 1936 is an Indian conductor

In 2003 Meier shared a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for her contributions as Venus in Tannhäuser under the direction of Daniel Barenboim. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Tannhäuser (full title Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf der Wartburg / Tannhäuser and the Singers' Contest at Wartburg) is an Opera She devoted her 2003-2004 season exclusively to recitals and concerts. She performed in Bach's St. Matthew Passion and toured throughout Europe, Russia and the United States with a recital program featuring works by Brahms, Schubert and Hugo Wolf. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" The St Matthew Passion (Matthäuspassion (also Matthæus Passion) BWV 244 is a musical composition written by Johann Sebastian Bach for solo voices Johannes Brahms ( pronounced ˈbʁaːms (May 7 1833 &ndash April 3 1897 was a German Composer Hugo Wolf (March 13 1860 – February 22 1903 was an Austrian Composer of Slovene origin particularly noted for his art songs or Lieder.

She returned to the opera stage in 2004-2005, including appearances as Carmen in a new production at the Semper Oper in Dresden directed by Katarina Lauterbach. Carmen is a French Opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The Libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based The Semperoper is the Opera house of the Saxon State Opera Dresden (German Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden) and the Concert hall of the Sächsische Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German In 2005, she appeared again as Isolde, this time in a new production at the Opéra Bastille in Paris, staged by Peter Sellars and conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. L’Opéra de la Bastille (Bastille Opera is a modern Opera house in Paris, France. Peter Sellars (born September 27, 1957) is an American Theater director, renowned for his contemporary stagings Esa-Pekka Salonen ( (born June 30 1958 is a prominent Finnish orchestral conductor and Composer. She also returned to the Vienna State Opera as Kundry in Parsifal.

She returned as Kundry in the Met's Parsifal in 2006, appearing opposite Ben Heppner. Ben Heppner OC (born January 14, 1956) is a Canadian Tenor, specializing in opera and classical The New York Times wrote:

The role of Kundry is that of a lone woman surrounded by men, but Waltraud Meier made it the star turn of the evening. Known as volatile both onstage and off, Ms. Meier is suited to the part, propelling herself into it like a wide-bore, high-explosive cannon shell. This was singing of fierceness and fearlessness, all of it pertinent to the persona she represented. Ms. Meier gives all and takes risks, and her audience went crazy for her. [10]

Meier's 2007 performances include appearances as Isolde (Japan, Berlin, Munich, Milan), Leonore (Munich), Ortrud (Milan, Paris).

A CD featuring Meier and Breinl performing works by Franz Schubert and Richard Strauss, with her song accompanist Joseph Breinl was released in late 2007. Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 &ndash 8 September 1949 was a German Composer of the late Romantic era and early modern era particularly noted Joseph Breinl (b 1974 in Munich, Germany) is a Pianist and accompanist [11] Meier and Breinl also Breinl are preforming numerous recitals in 2007-08 in Japan, Germany, France, Austria, and Spain. [12]

References

  1. ^ J. Warrack and E. West, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera (1992).
  2. ^ J. Warrack and E. West, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera (1992).
  3. ^ J. Warrack and E. West, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera (1992).
  4. ^ J. Warrack and E. West, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera (1992).
  5. ^ J. Warrack and E. West, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera (1992).
  6. ^ J. Warrack and E. West, The Oxford Dictionary of Opera (1992)
  7. ^ Donal Henahan, Opera; A New Rheingold at the Met,The New York Times, March 14, 1992.
  8. ^ Edward Rothstein, Review/Opera; A 'Parsifal' at the Met With Meier and Jerusalem, The New York Times, March 14, 1992.
  9. ^ James R. Oestreich, Review/Opera; 'Cav' and 'Pag' Return to the Met, The New York Times, February 18, 1993.
  10. ^ Bernard Holland, Review/Opera; The Pageantry of Wagner and a Young Knight Looking for Truth, The New York Times, May 15, 2006.
  11. ^ Farao Classics
  12. ^ Waltraud-Meier.com

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic