The only really likable characters in Wagnerian opera are old men. While the youthful Siegfrieds, Tristans and Tannhausers are all muscleon the stage, mostly stomachand ego, their elders (Wotan, Hans Sachs, Kurwenal, et al.) are mostly kindhearted, responsible, possessed of human failings and a regard for social obligations. For 20 years at Manhattan's Metropolitan Opera these benign Wagnerian oldsters have been impersonated by the outstanding Wagnerian baritone of his generation, stocky, bald-headed Friedrich Schorr. Last week, before a packed house that rose to its feet and cheered, Friedrich Schorr sang Wotan...
Music: Wotan's Farewell
Subscriber content preview.
or
Log-In
To continue reading:
or
Log-In