Nina Stemme

This 2006 production from the Zurich Opera is a traditional one by Nicolas Joël in veteran Ezio Frigerio's wonderfully evocative, highly coloured sets. Then Adám Fischer in the pit leads a remarkably strong yet subtle account of the score, which – when played and sung like this – is once more revealed as one of Verdi's greatest masterpieces. Four of the principals easily surpass their DVD rivals. Stemme offers a deeply considered, expressive and superbly sung Aida, one for whom the work's vocal perils do not seem to exist. Add to that acting that goes to the heart of the matter, and one is left breathless in admiration after so many sopranos not truly fitted to the part. Licitra has done nothing better than his Radames here. At last fulfilling his potential, he sings the role with an open-hearted sincerity and a heroic voice up to the part's exigent demands.

In Richard Wagner’s 'Ring of the Nibelung', the first act of 'Die Walküre' takes up a special place. The love-triangle of the twins Siegmund and Sieglinde and the ominous Hunding stands out in the context of this tetralogy because it possesses its own dramatic tension and self-enclosed trajectory within what is otherwise such a complex, richly interconnected series of works. In musical terms it goes from one climax to the next, from the turbulent orchestral prelude through to Siegmund’s love song “Winterstürme wichen dem Wonnemond” and the passionate union of the sibling couple. At the most recent production at the Vienna State Opera, the twins were sung by Nina Stemme and – for the first time in the role – Johan Botha.

"In his 60s, Domingo remains a marvel. Indeed, he gives us a performance of Tristan, carefully studied, heroically sung, sympathetically interpreted, that truly crowns his career as a tenor and recording artist. (…) Even more remarkable is the Isolde of Nina Stemme. As she showed at Glyndebourne a couple of years ago, she offers the most telling Isolde since Nilsson's at Bayreuth for Böhm; (…) To near-perfection she is the angry, frustrated woman of Act 1, the besotted lover of Act 2 and the transfigured Isolde of Act 3. Nothing in the long and taxing role escapes her notice, yet the detail is never exposed at the expense of the portrayal as a whole. (…) Mihoko Fujimura, Bayreuth's current Fricka and Waltraute, not only has a lovely voice but - like her mistress - never misses a point in the text. Hers is a lighter voice than that of most Brangänes (…). Over all presides the alert and commanding Pappano. This is not an interpretation in the timeless, deep vein of Furtwängler, more in the dramatic mode of Karajan in 1952 and Böhm. We are here concerned with a living drama, an aching tragedy played and played out through every bar with a pulsating energy tamed by a thoughtful mind."

Alan Blyth, Gramophone Magazine / September 2005

Richard Wagner’s “Ring” at the world-famous La Scala in Milan is a first-class musical experience featuring one of the greatest conductors of our time at the podium: Daniel Barenboim. Wagner’s tale about the power of the ring, the reign of gold and the battle between dwarves, giants, gods and mortals is picturesque, complex and deeply psychological. It is a demanding work for musicians, singers and the production team. In his stage production, the Belgian Guy Cassiers conveys the aesthetic quality and musical brilliance of this gesamtkunstwerk in dazzling imagery. The challenges of the music and dramatic performance are admirably mastered by renowned singers including René Pape, Waltraud Meier, Lance Ryan, Nina Stemme, Simon O’Neill, Iréne Theorin and many others. A veritable feast for the senses, a treat for all Wagner aficionados and a wonderful opportunity to revisit the legendary La Scala in Milan.

This concert programme dedicated to the second half of the 19th Century was one of the highlights of the 2012 Salzburg Festival. Mariss Jansons, chief conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra and winner of the Cannes Classical Award, and soprano Nina Stemme offer a “superlative concert experience” (Kurier). Swedish soprano Nina Stemme is outstanding in her performance of Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder. Brilliant readings of Richard Strauss’ tone poem Don Juan and Johannes Brahms symphony No. 1 complete this extraordinary concert performance.

Richard Wagner called Die Walküre the “first evening” of the Ring of the Nibelung; he called Das Rheingold the prologue or Vorabend. Musically and dramatically, we are introduced to a radically new and different world when the opening bars of Die Walküre resound. A fully developed orchestral palette of Leitmotivs paints a wild storm scene, and the curtain rises on a modest dwelling: a fully human scene that has nothing to do with the gods, dwarves and nymphs of Das Rheingold. At the same time, however, the way Die Walküre portrays radical beginnings reveals some telling reminiscences of the unfolding of Das Rheingold. Die Walküre is exciting and deeply feeling drama.