United Kingdom Mastersingers twenty fifth Anniversary – 2024 Carole Rees Awards: St John’s Waterloo, London, 5.10.2024. (JPr)
Within the very late Nineties as (the then) chair of the UK’s Wagner Society I used to be there initially of the Mastersingers story. The driving pressure has aways been the now-ageless baritone, Malcolm Rivers, well-known from English Nationwide Opera’s halcyon days – in addition to opera levels all through the world. Within the shiny memento programme to accompany the celebrations in a well-attended St John’s Waterloo, legendary soprano Dame Anne Evans writes of Malcolm: ‘His enthusiasm for serving to younger singers to grasp the works of Richard Wagner is exclusive on this nation. The variety of singers he has placed on the highway to worldwide careers is numerous.’
Malcolm himself writes: ‘Mastersingers discovers voices most definitely to develop alongside the strains Wagner describes by audition and networking. We coach, promote and supply efficiency expertise with orchestra and piano. Prior to now 25 years we now have heard our singers repeatedly on the Royal Opera Home, Bayreuth, ENO and the Met. To underpin this we now have offered public teaching periods in London, Aldeburgh and different centres with nice musicians as Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir John [Tomlinson], Dame Anne, Sir Donald McIntyre and director Keith Warner. Most just lately the fruits of this work has been the excellent performances within the Longborough Ring by lots of our alumni below the baton of Anthony Negus, which was broadly applauded by audiences and critics alike.’ (Learn a latest evaluation right here.)
Though they’ve achieved a lot, typically after all, essentially the most formidable plans have usually needed to be curtailed as a result of the finance was not obtainable; so, if any of what you learn right here appeals to you and you’re feeling you’ll be able to assist or donate in any method then do contact Mastersingers (extra particulars right here).
Central to those twenty fifth anniversary celebrations was the eleventh yr of the Carole Rees Awards competitors. We learnt within the programme how ‘The primary shows … had been made in her reminiscence in 2014. Carole Rees was a passionate educator who in her latter years grew to become significantly within the growth of musicians whose aspirations included that of including the work of Richard Wagner to their repertoire. She thus grew to become recognized amongst these partaking in profession growth programmes organised by Mastersingers.’ The scheme is generously supported by Roger Lee, Carole’s widower, although sadly he was unable to be current at St John’s and was believed to be following – like me – the Last of the 2024 Carole Rees Awards on Zoom.
The singers should be 38 and below by the date of the ultimate with two first prizes (equal to 6 specialised teaching periods) – one feminine, one male – to be awarded; with different finalists probably receiving different assist for teaching as deemed applicable. There may be additionally an Viewers Prize generously donated by Wendy Adler in reminiscence of her late husband – and fervent Wagner devotee – Eric. The adjudicating panel in 2024 had been Sir John Tomlinson (chair), James Black, Alwyn Mellor and Dame Felicity Palmer.
The 2024 Finalists had been sopranos Iúnó Connolly, Lorna McLean, Cressida Sharp; mezzo-soprano Zofia Hanna; tenor James Schouten; baritone Alistair Sutherland; and bass-baritones Jakob Mahase, Leo Selleck. All had been accompanied by the musical director of Mastersingers, Kelvin Lim. The occasion’s urbane host, the bass-baritone Paul Carey-Jones, defined finalists are required to sing two items by Wagner – and never essentially from his operas (although all eight these to take action on this event) – lasting not than 12 minutes in length.
The sopranos notably favoured ‘Elsa’s Dream’ (Lohengrin) and ‘Elisabeth’s Prayer’ (Tannhäuser), Waltraute’s ‘Höre mit Sinn, was ich dir sage!’ (Götterdämmerung) is a frequent mezzo-soprano selection; although there was extra selection from the male singers with Daland, Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer), Donner, Loge, Wotan (Das Rheingold), Hans Sachs (Die Meistersinger), and Siegmund (Die Walkϋre).
It will be unfair to critique particular person voices, and the general normal was pleasantly excessive. Considered one of my foremost considerations was – contemplating the emphasis placed on ‘younger rising expertise’ – that maybe the higher age restrict is just too excessive; with the strategy of all of the singers most likely properly established as they strategy their late 30s, regardless of any apparent new potential for Wagner. Additionally, alternatives for any of them to forge a considerable profession in Wagner is now extra unlikely than it ever was, and so emphasis may be extra on that ‘rising expertise’ they usually might sing one piece by Wagner and one thing else of their very own selecting. Additionally, Kelvin Lim strove valiantly to assist all of the singers although I ponder whether if they might convey their very own pianist – had they wished to – it may need improved among the performances.
Often it was apparent that the singers knew too little in regards to the characters they had been portraying or the phrases they had been singing or, extra frankly, had ever seen or heard Wagner’s operas. This was mirrored within the phrases of Sir John Tomlinson in asserting the results of the jury’s deliberations when he stated; ‘For us there was one efficiency which stood out above all the remaining and this was James [Schouten] as Loge … James mixed great supply of the textual content, nice German, readability of textual content, thought behind the textual content … character glorious. The factor about Wagnerian singing is combining all the things isn’t it? Character, voice, textual content, performing and drama; and James got here by far the closest to that perfect.’ James additionally – not surprisingly – obtained the Viewers Prize.
Apparently, the others had been deemed not of the identical all-round normal, so the second award went to the singer believed to have ‘an actual Wagnerian voice and – in the long run – essentially the most potential’ and that was Lorna McLean. For me each winners had been very worthy; although I a lot most well-liked James’s Siegmund to his Loge and while Lorna certainly confirmed ‘potential’ – given the chance – it’s extra more likely to be as Sieglinde and Brünnhilde than Elisabeth and Elsa.
It was now time for a gala live performance with some particular visitors and right here’s to Mastersingers’ subsequent 25!
Jim Pritchard
