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| Soprano Claire Primrose |
Featuring:
Claire
Primrose, soprano
Randy
Gilongo, tenor
Manila
Symphony Orchestra
Alexander
Vikulov, conductor
Programme:
Richard
Wagner
Overture from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Dich
Teure Halle
Prelude
and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde
Winterstürme
from Die Walküre
Introduction to Act 3 from Die
Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Immolation Scene from Die Götterdämmerung
Australian
soprano Claire Primrose is considered to be as one of the best Wagnerian
sopranos today. What better way for me to be acquainted with Richard Wagner’s
works than by a concert featuring one of the best interpreters of his music?
That’s how I set my mind when I watched dramatic soprano Claire Primrose sing
her heart out during an all Wagner concert by the Manila Symphony Orchestra
held at the Philam Life Auditorium. Completing my introduction to Wagner was
guest conductor, Russian Alexander Vikulov and Filipino tenor Randy Gilongo.
Before
the concert, a pre-concert lecture was given by Peter Porticos giving me some
vital information regarding Wagner and his music specifically on how it differs
from the Italian operas. Hearing the lecture got me a bit worried since I like
Italian operas especially those by Puccini so I thought that what I would hear
would be drastically different from what I’ve grown to like. But one thing that
gave me a bit of relief was knowing that Wagner used leitmotifs a lot and that
he has also influenced film music composers from Max Steiner whose works include
Gone with the Wind to John Williams
of the legendary Star Wars.
The
concert consisted of music from the operas Die Meistersinger von Nürnber, Tannhäuser,
Tristan und Isolde, Die Walküre and Die Götterdämmerung. The overture from Die
Meistersinger von Nürnber opened the night, giving Alexander Vikulov and the
Manila Symphony Orchestra a moment to establish themselves. Soon enough, Claire
Primrose finally appeared on stage and performed her first number which was Dich
Teure Halle, Elisabeth’s Aria from Tannhäuser. Next was the Prelude and
Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde. The Prelude gave Primrose a chance to have a
brief rest before entering again for the Liebestod. During the Winterstürme from
Die Walküre, tenor Randy Gilongo joined Primrose for this duet. Then it was yet
another purely instrumental piece by the Manila Symphony Orchestra with the Introduction
to Act 3 from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg before Primrose returned for the
finale which was the Immolation Scene from Die Götterdämmerung.
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| Conductor Alexander Vikulov and Lisa Macuja |
It’s
undeniable that the star for the evening was Claire Primrose. Her first number
brought in an extended round of applause by the audience. And that was just the
second piece of the evening! Even if I found it a huge challenge to firmly
grasp Wagner’s music, Primrose’s vocals, soared comfortably and was able to
keep up with the volume of the orchestra. I also found it remarkable that
Gilongo was able to tackle an aria which is very different from the ones he
sang during the recent production of Carmen
a couple of weeks back. Alexander Vikulov and the Manila Symphony Orchestra exhibited
good rapport brought about by their recent performances during Lisa Macuja’s
Swan Song Series by Ballet Manila. The audience responded very well without any
hint of Wagner’s reputation of being a difficult composer to appreciate. Despite the thunderous applause by the audience that probably matched Primrose’s booming voice,
there was no encore.
I
won’t pretend that this concert automatically made me a Wagner
fan. I still find his music difficult to grasp. I am still new to opera and the
productions that I’ve seen this year had been very friendly for newcomers to
the art form like me. But this challenged me to get to know Richard Wagner and
his works a lot more. Sadly, I wasn't able to attend her masterclass that happened the day after when I could've learned a lot more about Wagner. And when that time comes for me to watch a full length
Wagner opera, I’ll remember for sure Claire Primrose, Alexander Vikulov along
with Randy Gilongo, the Manila Symphony Orchestra and this concert as the moment where it all started.
