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With Schwanewilms, there were, first of all, the supreme moments at Glyndebourne. [...] In EURYANTHE she rediscovered the lost secret of the heroine whose luminous, silent spirituality is the model for Wagner's Elsa. In IDOMENEO the raging and follies of her Elettra brought into the open, with a controlled desperation, the inner torments of a conflicted soul. No wonder the characters of Richard Strauss, with their spirit and different levels of soul, inspired by the words and feelings given them by Hofmannsthal, should have pressed themselves on an artist born with the inflexion which says everything because it says just enough. Earlier, as a mezzo, she coloured eloquently the full range of her tessitura. As a soprano, she has chosen to float rather then strike, taking the route of Desdemona, not Salome. She has sung Strauss's Chrysothemis (the most youthful and unsophisticated of his heroines), Ariadne and, finally, the Marschallin. Towards the end of Act One on the unhappy stage of the Bastille [in January 2006], the hyperactive production had finally calmed down and the sublime music of solitude and reflection, conducted with ideal transparency by Philippe Jordan, could finally begin. That was when the real curtain rose on this ROSENKAVALIER, with the monologue in which the magical symbolism of words and music began to take hold and make sense. A rapt silence gripped a house whose acoustic up to that point seemed constructed of metal. Now it was all honey and silk, and the melancholy of a painful rift. Somewhre in heaven, Hofsmannthal must have been weeping, while Strauss smiled. This miracle lasted half an hour. At Salzburg, as the very different Carlotta Nardi in Schreker's DIE GEZEICHNETEN, equally risky and daring, Schwanewilms created afresh the achievement of Delia Reinhardt in the role. She maintained a classic equilibrium and extraordinary bearing throughout the long act, at first fine and reserved and then, in the baring, and gift, of herself, scorching. When an artist has this rare ability, on stage, to obliterate the supposed borders and contradictions between the internal and the external, then another kingdom lies open: the Lied." by Andre Tubeuf, author of Wagner et Bayreuth; Le Lied Allemand; and Richard Strauss, ou le Voyager et son Ombre
ANNE SCHWANEWILMS (Extract from article on 'Heroine Addiction' by James C Whitson, Opera News, October 2009) "...Schwanewilms's riveting 'Es Gibt ein Reich' is a sterling example of vocal shading and nuance. Her incredible stillness, coupled with a well-deployed straight tone, commands complete attention, and one can sense the entire audience holding its breath." OPERA OTELLO (in concert) (London Symphony Orchestra, Barbican Hall, December, 2009) "Translucent-toned Anne Schwanewilms was cast a little against the Italianate ideal of Desdemona...Still, my old English master...would have approved her poise and sympathy. In short, she was a Pre-Raphaelite madonna rather than Verdi's more fleshly Titian woman. You felt that if anyone could have willed this Otello to engage, she would have managed it...when making chamber music alone with Sir Colin and the LSO in the eeire twilight of the 'Willow Song' and the pure relief of the 'Ave Maria." theartsdesk.com "Anne Schwanewilms was also unexpected casting as Desdemona - we know her from her outstanding interpretations of Germanic repertoire...However, she does know how to float high pianissimos and has the power needed for the Act Three finale. Dramatically she was extremely convincing, and her Act Four 'Willow Song' and 'Ave Maria' scene was profound." classicalsource.com "Desdemona's purity and incorruptibility were perfectly evoked in the unearthly silvery soprano of Anne Schwanewilms..." intermezzo.typepad.com "...the Act IV 'Willow Song' was an extremely poignant mixture of regret, sadness, and courage...Anne Schwanewilms's Desdemona crossed herself at the end of the 'Ave Maria' and 'expired' in her seat to offer a final hint of the real drama of Verdi's great tragedy." musicweb-international.com "...her 'Willow Song' was exquisite." The Times ARABELLA (Frankfurt Opera, January, 2009) "Anne Schwanewilms's role-debut as Arabella is a sensation. Her acting is sensitive and subtle, the slender voice-production and brilliant expressiveness entirely convincing. Her freely flowing soprano combines tenderness with intensity and is the emotional focus of the whole evening." Hanauer Anzeiger ELEKTRA (New York Philharmonic, New York, December 2008) ELEKTRA (Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, November 2008) "Anne Schwanewilms was in superb voice as the wretchedly mewing and whining Chrysothemis." Daily Telegraph "Anne Schwanewilms is the beautiful-sounding, very frustrated Chrysothemis." The Times "Acting and singing honours of the evening went to German soprano Anne Schwanewilms...Anne Schwanewilms - returning to the house for the first time since her stunning Ariadne four years ago - is an elegant and repressed Chrysothemis, floating glorious sounds and with a dramatic intensity that wipes everyone else off the stage whenever she appears." musicomh.com "Schwanewilms's radiant voice and elegantly feminine stage persona are ideally suited to Chrysothemis...as a foil to Elektra's asexualised obsessiveness, she could hardly be bettered." musicalcriticism.com LOHENGRIN (Amsterdam, February 2008) "Anne Schwanewilms sang Elsa with a lovely lightness. The audience was mesmerized by notes that sparkled in their pure beauty. She and Klaus Florian Vogt identified themselves completely in their roles and did so in detail. Their final scene was consequently not the mere singing of roles, but became reality. No wonder there were few dry eyes in the house." Gooi en Eemlander "The performance of LOHENGRIN was a musical experience that one will not forget. Klaus Florian Vogt and Anne Schwanewilms (a mysteriously beautiful Elsa) sang as if in an ethereal dream but both had enough volume and a beautiful high pitch for the heroic outbursts." Trouw "Varying between feather-like lightness and intense drama, Anne Schwanewilms was a completely convincing Elsa." NRC LOHENGRIN (Paris, February 2008) LOHENGRIN (Milan, January 2007)
"With her svelte figure and Elisabeth Schwarzkopfesque beauty, Anne Schwanewilms not only looked the part of the Marschallin but was fully inside the music and words...Her soprano revealed a warm, creamy middle range and lustrous high notes that floated over Strauss's sumptuous orchestrations. This Marschallin wore melancholy like a fine French perfume in her monologue, and her natural dignity and grace rescued the finale from any hint of mawkishness." Opera "Schwanewilms not only looked the part but sounded it, radiantly so. She commanded a warm, creamy middle range and lustrous high notes that floated over Strauss's sumptuous orchestrations." Chicago Tribune
"As Carlotta, the soprano Anne Schwanewilms was the standout, with an icy radiance to her voice and a mesmerizing stage presence." New York Times
"...Schwanewilms is a highly intelligent musician, who thinks about what she is singing. And today, that's a rare quality." Daily Telegraph "Schwanewilms is a singer at the height of her powers, in a role that suits her completely." Opera "The role fits her like a glove." Financial Times "Anne Schwanewilms sings the technically phenomenal Elettra" Der Tagesspiegel "...the heroine's music is often very beautiful indeed, and as sung by Schwanewilms, an unfailingly expressive, sensual soprano, it was irresistible." The Guardian "...the performance is carried by Schwanewilms, who looks divine, moves with classical grace and sings with Straussian purity of tone. She is not only technically perfect, she is also very touching." Financial Times
STRAUSS'S FOUR LAST SONGS (BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Jiri Belohlavek, Barbican Centre, London, December, 2009) "....sung with cool detachment yet haunting beauty by the soprano Anne Schwanewilms..."Sunday Telegraph STRAUSS'S FOUR LAST SONGS (Dresden Staatskapelle, cond. Fabio Luisi, Musikverein, Vienna, April, 2009) "Anne Schwanewilms, who gave her State Opera debut here as recently as last March in the role of Arabella, has a powerfully emotional voice: her intuitive sense for Strauss' musical character is utterly convincing...."Krone "..the orchestra had rolled out a golden carpet for soloist Anne Schwanewilms, whose phrasing was impeccable against this luxuriating backdrop ...."Die Presse "The most precious instrument is the human voice when it is completely mastered. Anne Schwanewilms proved this in her interpretation of Strauss's FOUR LAST SONGS. Her soprano voice is perfect for Strauss and Wagner, and it has all the brilliance, warmth, suppleness and technical mastery necessary here. Her intensive performance actually blended so well with the orchestral sound that one may well have considered it a solo instrument."Oesterreich "Anne Schwanewilms was brilliant, and her soprano voice always perfectly intoned. The artist was always able to make her beautiful voice rise above the sound of the orchestra, even when Maestro Luigi slightly exaggerated the volume."Kurier VERDI REQUIEM (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/V Petrenko, Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool, September, 2008) STRAUSS'S FOUR LAST SONGS (London Philharmonic Orchestra/S Young, Royal Festival Hall, London, October 2007) "Schwanewilms has made something of a specialisation of the Four Last Songs and has already given performances this year in Madrid, Amsterdam, Stuttgart and Bonn. Tonight her clear soprano floated beautifully over a warm, glowing accompaniment from the London Philharmonic Orchestra." musicomh.com "...the elegantly imposing figure of Anne Schwanewilms took to the stage. Throughout the songs, she sang with glorious tone, her voice soaring effortlessly...there was no resisting the tonal beauty of Schwanewilms' lustrous soprano..." musicalcriticism.com MENDELSSOHN "LOBGESANG" (Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Riccardo Chailly, September 2005) VERDI REQUIEM (LSO/Colin Davis, New York, September 2005)
STRAUSS/MAHLER LIEDERABEND (Kennedy Center, Washington D.C. January 2010) STRAUSS/MAHLER LIEDERABEND (Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, September 2007) "Tuesday evening Schwanewilms showed us again why she is one of the most interesting singers of her generation, ably served by the piano playing of Manuel Lange...The CD she has recorded of Strauss songs is fabulous, but nothing can beat a live performance, especially in the case of Anne Schwanewilms. She really is the classic example of how to combine perfect singing technique with apparent effortlessly produced sounds...Her sound is heavenly, sometimes so real you think you can touch it...A superb recital..." Trouw STRAUSS/MAHLER LIEDERABEND (Malcolm Martineau, Edinburgh Festival, August 2006) "...there is no doubting that her voice is well-suited to the Straussian sound world - all long, liquid lines and lustrous floated high notes." The Scotsman ![]() |
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