Playing homage

The history of opera has many outstanding characters, but few are as significant to Prague as Angelo Neumann (1838-1910), to whom the state opera will pay tribute with a concert Dec. 16.

Neumann was one of the most significant figures of German-language opera in the late-19th century. Appreciated for his directorial skills as much for his baritone, Neumann also played a significant role in Prague, directing the New German Theater from its opening in 1888 until his death. Prior to his work with the New German Theater, Neumann had directed the Royal Land German Theater, which is known today as the Nostitz Theater.

Neumann is remembered most fondly in Prague for his work with an international cast of famed conductors, bringing new operas to premiere in the city and promoting Prague to the forefront of the opera world. One of the rooms in the State Opera is now dedicated to the singer and director.

Sopranos Anda-Louise Bogza and Christina Vasileva, as well as baritone Svatopluk Sem, will perform a selection of arias and overtures from German and Italian operas - Neumann's two great loves - backed at the evening concert by the Prague State Opera Orchestra and Choir. The pieces have been selected for their significance to Neumann's diverse career as a director and singer, Bogza tells The Prague Post.

A Tribute to Angelo Neumann
When: Dec. 16 at 7
Where: The State Opera
Tickets: 200-600 Kč, available at Opera.cz

"Angelo Neumann was a perfect opera director, a very good opera singer, a manager and a great musician. Let us hope that this type of opera director still exists," she says.

Neumann had a special affinity for the work of Richard Wagner, whom he knew personally. In 1882, Neumann formed a touring company to perform Wagner's operas in concert throughout Europe.

Accordingly, the entire first half of the National Theater's homage to Neumann will be dedicated to Wagner's work.

The overtures and arias chosen for the concert from Wagner's most popular operas provide an overview of the career of this composer who was so important to Neumann. The overture from Rienzi, the composer's first successful opera, will showcase the best of Wagner's early work, while an overture and two arias from Triston und Isolde exemplify what is perhaps Wagner's most enduring composition. Selections from Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Tannhäuser and Lohengrin will show the depth and scope of Wagner's operas.

The second half of the concert is dedicated to Neumann's other love: Italian opera. Arias from Leoncavallo, Rossini, Verdi and Boito will provide a palpable contrast to Wagner's dramatic music, and it is this portion of the concert that Sem is most anticipating, as he will be singing the "Love Duet" and the prologue from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci with soprano Christina Vasileva.

"Both of these pieces are extremely difficult to sing as well as to properly express. I am looking forward to the entire concert, but this most of all," he tells The Prague Post.

Pagliacci, or "clowns," is the only opera from Leoncavallo that is still popular with modern audiences. The Italian composer was unknown at the end of the 19th century, when the popular opera Cavalleria rusticana, by Pietro Mascagni, premiered. Leoncavallo decided to write an opera of similar theme and style, which proved to be his most significant success. Although a lawsuit for libretto plagiarism was brought against him, he successfully defended himself.

The overture from Rossini's opera William Tell should also be a treat for listeners, as the opera is rarely staged today both because of its length - almost four hours - and the demands the libretto puts on the lead tenor, who is required to have a unusually wide range. The overture's energetic finale is the most famous and often heard portion of the opera, having been featured in films such as A Clockwork Orange, as well as in television shows like The Lone Ranger.

Verdi's Il Trovatore is perhaps the Italian conductor's most famous opera and is today his most performed. Two selections from the opera will be featured at the Neumann concert, the first an aria from the first act, which will be sung by Vasileva, and the second "The Anvil Chorus" from Act 2.

The final piece of the evening is an aria and a chorus from Boito's Mefistofole, a four part opera on Faustian themes. Vasileva will again take the stage to sing Margherita's aria from the third act, and the chorus will sing the "Salve Regina Chorus" from the prologue's finale.

Each of the pieces that will be performed has been selected for its prominence in Neumann's repertoire as well as in the interest of variety and to provide an overview of each composer featured. It is a rare opportunity to pay homage to one of the most important figures in Prague's rich operatic history.

Stephan Delbos can be reached at
sdelbos@praguepost.com