Program:
Program
Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana
"Voi lo sapete, o mamma"
Heather Hjelle, Soprano
Puccini: Tosca
"Recondita armonia"
Blake Talbott, Tenor
Puccini: Tosca
"Vissi d’arte"
Heather Hjelle, Soprano
Leoncavallo: I Pagliacci
"Vesti la giubba"
Blake Talbott, Tenor
Beethoven: Fidelio
"Abscheulicher, wo eilst du hin"
Heather Hjelle, Soprano
Beethoven: Fidelio
"Gott, welch dunkel hier!"
Blake Talbott, Tenor
Beethoven: Fidelio
"O, namenlose Freude"
Heather Hjelle, Soprano | Blake Talbott, Tenor
INTERMISSION
Wagner: Tannhäuser
"Dich teure Halle!"
Heather Hjelle, Soprano
Wagner: Die Walküre
"Winterstürme"
Blake Talbott, Tenor
Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer
"Ballade"
Heather Hjelle, Soprano
Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer
"Bleib, Senta"
Heather Hjelle, Soprano | Blake Talbott, Tenor
Wagner: Götterdämmerung
"Zu neuen Taten"
Heather Hjelle, Soprano | Blake Talbott, Tenor
Translations:
Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana
"Voi lo sapete, o mamma”
You know, o those
That before he went off to be a soldier
Turiddu swore to Lola
To be eternally faithful.
He returned to find her married;
And with a new love
He wanted to extinguish the flame
That burned in his heart:
He loved me, I loved him.
She, envious of my only delight
And forgotten by her husband,
Burned with jealousy …
She stole him from me …
And I am left dishonored;
Lola and Turiddu are lovers,
And I weep!
Puccini: Tosca
"Recondita armonia”
Oh hidden harmony
Of contrasting beauties!
Floria is dark,
My love and passion…
And you, mysterious beauty,
Crowned with blond hair,
You have blue eyes,
And Tosca has black eyes!
Dissimilar beauties are together blended
By the mystery of art,
Yet as I paint her portrait, Tosca,
My sole thought is of you.
Puccini: Tosca
“Vissi d’arte”
I lived for art. I lived for love:
Never did I harm a living creature!
Whatever misfortunes I encountered
I sought with secret hand to succour
Ever in pure faith,
My prayers rose
In the holy chapels.
Ever in pure faith,
I brought flowers to the altars.
In this hour of pain, why,
Why, oh Lord, why
Dost Thou repay me thus?
Jewels I brought
For the Madonna's mantle,
And songs for the stars in heaven
That they shone forth with greater radiance.
In this hour of distress, why,
Why, oh Lord,
Why dost Thou repay me thus?
Leoncavallo: I Pagliacci
"Vesti la giubba”
To recite! While taken with delirium,
I no longer know what it is that I say,
or what it is that I am doing!
And yet it is necessary, force yourself!
Bah! Can't you be a man?
You are "Pagliaccio"
Put on the costume,
and the face in white powder.
The people pay, and laugh when they please.
and if Harlequin invites away Colombina
laugh, Pagliaccio, and everyone will applaud!
Change into laughs the spasms of pain;
into a grimace the tears of pain, Ah!
Laugh, Pagliaccio,
for your love is broken!
Laugh of the pain, that poisons your heart!
Beethoven: Fidelio
"Abscheulicher, wo eilst du hin”
You monster! Where will you go?
What have you planned in cruel fury?
The call of pity, the voice of mankind,
Will nothing move your tiger's wrath?
Though surge like ocean's waves
Ire and anger in your heart,
A rainbow on my path still shines,
Which brightly rests on sombre clouds:
He looks so calmy, peacefully at me,
He reflects old times,
And newly calmed my blood flows.
Come hope, let the last bright star
When weary not turn pale!
O come, illuminate my goal, no matter how far
Through love I shall achieve it.
I follow my inner calling,
I shall not waver,
I am strengthened by duty
Of faithful marital love!
Oh you, for whom I bore so much,
If I could penetrate
Where malice has imprisoned you
And bring to you sweet comfort!
I follow my inner calling,
I shall not waver,
I am strengthened by duty
Of faithful marital love!
Beethoven: Fidelio
"Gott, welch dunkel hier!”
God! what darkness this!
Oh horrible silence!
It’s bleak around me here. Nothing lives but me.
Oh difficult trials!
But God’s will is just!
I don't complain!
The measure of suffering is yours.
In the spring days of my life
Happiness deserted me!
Truth I dared to utter boldly
And the chains are my reward.
Willingly I bear all pain,
End shamefully my path;
Sweet comfort in my heart:
My duty I have done!
And do I not feel soft whispering air?
And is not my grave illuminated for me?
I see how an angel fragrant like a rose
Comfortingly stands by my side,
An angel, Leonora, my wife, so alike
Will lead me to freedom in the heavenly kingdom.
Beethoven: Fidelio
"O, namenlose Freude”
LEONORA
Oh what boundless happiness!
My husband in my arms!
FLORESTAN
Oh what boundless happiness!
Leonora in my arms!
BOTH
After untold sorrows
Such unbelievable joy!
LEONORA
I hold you in my arms again!
FLORESTAN
Oh God, how great your mercy is!
BOTH
My wife, I hold her in my arms!
My husband I hold in my arms!
We thank you, Lord, for this great bliss!
FLORESTAN
You here!
LEONORA
I'm here!
FLORESTAN
Oh heavenly delight! Leonora!
LEONORA
Florestan!
BOTH
Oh what boundless happiness!
My wife, I hold her in my arms!
My husband I hold in my arms!
We thank you, Lord, for this great bliss!
Wagner: Tannhäuser
"Dich teure Halle!”
You, dear hall, I greet again,
I greet you joyfully, beloved room!
In you his songs awaken
and wake me from a hazy dream.
When he left from you,
how bleak you seemed to me!
Peace fled from me,
And joy went to you.
And now my bosom is lifted high,
As you now seem proud and noble to me.
He who has revived me and you,
Is no longer wanders far away,
I greet you! I greet you!
You, dear hall, I greet you!
Wagner: Die Walküre
"Winterstürme"
Winter storms gave way to the blissful moon,
In mild light shines the Spring;
On gentle breezes, light and lovely,
Weaving wonders, he sways himself;
Through woods and meadows blows his breath,
His eyes laugh, wide open: -
From blissful birdsongs he sounds sweetly,
He exhales lovely scents;
From his warm blood bloom delightful flowers,
Seed and sprouts spring from his strength.
With delicate weapons’ he conquers the world;
Winter and storm yielded to his mighty defense:
Even the stubborn door
Had to give way to his bold strokes,
Which stubbornly and firmly had kept us from him.
To his sister the he flung himself,
Love lured the Spring:
She hid herself deep in our hearts;
Now she laughs blissfully into the light.
The bridal sister was freed by the brother;
Shattered lies what once separated them:
Rejoicing, the young pair greet one another:
United are love and spring!
Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer
“Senta’s Ballade"
Yo-ho-ho! Yo-ho-ho!
Did you come upon the ship in the sea,
Blood-red the sails, black the mast?
On high deck the pale man,
The ship’s master, watches without rest.
Whee! Ho the wind howls! Yo-ho-hey!
Whee! How it whistles in the rigging! Yo-ho-hey!
Whee! Like an arrow flies he forth
Without goal, without rest, without peace!
Yet to the pale man, redemption
May someday still come,
If he found a women, who until death
Would be faithful to him.
Ah, when will you, pale sailor, find her!
Pray to heaven, that soon,
A woman will keep loyalty to him!
He once wanted to sail around a cape
In evil wind and raging storm;
He cursed and swore in mad courage:
“For eternity I shall not give up!
Whee! “And Satan hear it!” Yo-ho-hey!
Whee! “Took him at his word!” Yo-ho-hey!
Whee! And damned he now sails the sea,
Without rest, without peace,
Yet, the poor man might still
Find redemption on Earth,
God’s angel revealed how his salvation
May one day come to him!
Ah! Might you, pale sailor, find it!
Pray to heaven that soon
A woman will keep loyalty to him!
At anchor every seven year,
He went ashore to woo a woman.
He wooed every seven years,
Never yet finding a faithful woman
Whee! “Sails up!” Yo-ho-hey!
Whee! “Anchor off!” Yo-ho-hey!
Whee! False love, false loyalty! Out to sea!
Without rest, without peace!
I shall be the woman! My loyalty redeems you!
May God’s angel show me to you,
You shall find salvation through me!
Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer
"Bleib, Senta"
ERIK
Stay, Senta! Stay but a moment!
Free me of my torment! Or if you wish,
h then destroy me completely!
SENTA
(hesitantly)
What is...? What must...?
ERIK
Oh, Senta, say, what is to become of me?
Your father is home, before he sails again,
he will do what he has often wanted to.
SENTA
What do you mean?
ERIK
Give you a husband!
I offer a heart true unto death,
a few poor possessions, a hunter's lot: -
Can I ask for your hand as I am?
Won't your father refuse me?
If then my heart with sorrow breaks,
tell me, Senta, who will speak for me?
SENTA
Ah, say no more now, Erik. Let me go out
to greet my father!
If his daughter does not go aboard as usual,
he'll be angry, won't he?
ERIK
So you run from me?
SENTA
I must go to the harbour.
ERIK
You shun me?
SENTA
Oh, let me go!
ERIK
You shrink from this wound
you gave me, this madness of love?
Oh, listen to me here and now,
hear my last question: -
in this heart of mine breaks with grief,
will it be Senta who speaks for me?
SENTA
What? You doubt my heart?
You doubt my affection for you?
Tell me, what gives you such pain?
What has made you sad and suspicious?
ERIK
Your father, oh, he thinks only of wealth!
And you, Senta, how far can I rely on you?
Have you ever granted a wish of mine?
Do you not wound my heart each day?
SENTA
Your heart?
ERIK
What am I to think? That picture...
SENTA
The picture?
ERIK
Can't you forget your mad infatuation?
SENTA
Can I help it if my face shows my pity?
ERIK
And the ballad, you sang it again today!
SENTA
I am a child and know not what I sing.
What? Do you fear a song, a picture?
ERIK
You are so pale, tell me, Why should I not fear it?
SENTA
Ought I not to be moved by the poor man's dreadful fate?
ERIK
Doesn't my anguish move you more, Senta?
SENTA
Oh, don't boast! What can your anguish be?
Do you know the fate of that unhappy man?
Do you feel the pain, the deep grief
with which he looks down on me?
Ah, the evil that robbed him for ever of his peace
pierces my heart!
ERIK
Alas! I recall my baleful dream!
God defend you! Satan has ensnared you!
SENTA
What alarms you so?
ERIK
Senta! Please believe me:
I had a dream! Heed its warning!
ERIK
On a high cliff I lay dreaming,
saw the angry sea beneath me!
I heard the breakers as the foaming
waters dashed in fury upon the shore.
An alien ship near the coast
I saw, strange and mysterious;
two men were coming ashore,
I recognized one as your father.
SENTA
The other?
ERIK
I knew him well,
with his black doublet, pallid face...
SENTA
and gloomy mien...
ERIK
That sailor, he.
SENTA
And I?
ERIK
You came from the house,
raced to greet your father.
I saw you just as you reached them,
you fell at the stranger's feet,
I saw you clasp his knees...
SENTA
He raised me up...
ERIK
To his breast;
ardently you clung to him
and kissed him with hot desire...
SENTA
And then?
ERIK
I saw you two sail away.
SENTA
He is looking for me. I must see him!
ERIK
Horrible! It is all clear now!
SENTA
With him must I perish!
ERIK
She is lost! My dream spoke true!
SENTA
Ah, may you find her, pale seaman!
Pray to Heaven that soon
a woman will be true...
Wagner: Götterdämmerung
"Zu neuen Taten"
BRÜNNHILDE
To new deeds, dear hero,
how I loved you, had I not left you?
A single worry keeps me tarrying:
that my worth has gained too little for you!
What the gods showed me, I gave to you:
a treasure rich in holy runes;
but the hero, to whom I now bow, took my strength's maidenly line.
Deprived of knowledge, yet full of desire:
rich in love, yet bereft of strength:
may you not despise the poor,
who can only grant you, not give more!
SIEGFRIED
You gave more, wonder-woman,
than I know how to keep.
Do not be angry if your teaching
left me uninstructed!
One thing I did know:
that Brünnhilde lives for me;
I learned one lesson easily:
To remember Brünnhilde!
BRÜNNHILDE
If you will give me love,
just remember yourself,
remember your deeds:
remember the wild fire
that you fearlessly passed through,
as it burned all around the rock.
SIEGFRIED
To win Brünnhilde!
BRÜNNHILDE
Remember the shielded woman,
whom you found in deep sleep,
whose strong helmet you broke.
SIEGFRIED
To awaken Brünnhilde!
BRÜNNHILDE
Remember the oaths that unite us;
remember the loyalty we bear;
remember the love we live:
Brünnhilde will then burn eternally
sacredly in your breast!
SIEGFRIED
I leave you here, my love,
in the flames' sacred guard;
in exchange for your runes,
I offer you this ring.
Whatever deeds I have ever created,
its virtue it encloses.
I slew a wild worm,
which has guarded it grimly for a long time.
Now preserve its power
as a consecration of my loyalty!
BRÜNNHILDE
I covet it as my only possession!
For the ring, take my horse too!
If its course with me once went
boldly through the air,
with me it lost its mighty nature;
over clouds on lightning storms,
no longer will it soar bravely along its path;
but wherever you lead it,
be it through fire
Grane follows you fearlessly;
For to you, O hero,
he shall obey!
Take care of him well;
he hears your word:
O bring Brünnhilde's greetings to Grane often!
SIEGFRIED
Through your virtue alone,
shall I still perform my deeds?
You choose my battles,
my victories return to you:
on your horse's back,
under your shield's protection,
I no longer care for Siegfried,
I am only Brünnhilde's arm.
BRÜNNHILDE
Oh, if Brünnhild were your soul!
SIEGFRIED
Through her, my courage burns.
BRÜNNHILDE
So you would be Siegfried and Brünnhild?
SIEGFRIED
Where I am, both find refuge.
BRÜNNHILDE
So my rocky hall is desolate?
SIEGFRIED
United, it holds us two!
BRÜNNHILDE
in great emotion
O holy gods!
Noble races!
Feast your eyes on the sacred pair!
Separated - who will separate it?
Divorced - it never separates!
SIEGFRIED
Hail to you, Brünnhilde, shining star!
Hail, radiant love!
BRÜNNHILDE
Hail to you, Siegfried, victorious light!
Hail, radiant life!
BOTH
Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail!
The Artists
Heather Hjelle, Soprano
Dramatic soprano Heather Hjelle is a two-time Encouragement Grant winner from the Wagner Society in New York. During a 2022 Tebaldi tribute concert, La Renatona’s Chicago Midsummer Centenary remarked, “[Hjelle’s] most potent vocal asset is direct projection... one is curious to hear her gifts in that [Wagnerian] repertoire.”
Hjelle made her professional debut as Santuzza in Main Street Opera’s production of Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana in 2017, shortly after covering the same role with Opera Steamboat. In2019, she starred in the title role of La Gioconda with Opera MODO.
In the 2021-22 season, Ms. Hjelle premiered Jennifer Higdon’s new song cycle, Love Sweet, with ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in New Ulm, MN. She also performed Wagnerian repertoire with Kenwood Symphony Orchestra and in concert with St. Croix Valley Opera. Hjelle was featured
on Minnesota PBS channels singing and teaching about opera. Later that summer, she was invited to sing with the American Wagner Project in Reno, Nevada, where she continues to train with some of the leading dramatic voice legends of our time.
Ms. Hjelle has performed internationally with Operafestival di Roma multiple times. Italian audiences have heard her in the title role of Puccini’s Suor Angelica in Rome, and as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni in Orvieto. She also performed the title role of Rusalka with the Toronto Summer Opera Workshop in Canada.
In 2023, Hjelle was featured in the role of Ortrud with selections from Wagner’s Lohengrin in Washington D.C. Later that summer, she returned to Reno to continue her work with the American Wagner Project. After returning to Minnesota, Heather covered the title role in Puccini’s Turandot with Fargo-Moorhead Opera.
A Minnesota native, Heather teaches vocal lessons at the University of Minnesota Morris. Hjelle also founded Resonance Opera to bring opera to rural communities throughout the Midwest. She earned a master of music in vocal performance at North Park University in Chicago. Most recently, she has performed as the soprano soloist in Dvořák’s Te Deum with the Central Lake Symphony Orchestra and looks forward to being featured in their opera concert in May 2025.
Blake Talbott, Tenor
Heldentenor Blake Talbott is originally from Newark, Ohio. He obtained his Master’s of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Nevada, Reno and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Otterbein University.
Blake has spent the last decade training as a Heldentenor and preparing the roles of Siegmund from Die Walkure, the title role of Parsifal, Florestan from Beethoven’s Fidelio, and Eric from Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. In preparation for these roles, Blake has worked with coaches from around the world. Most notably coaches from Teatro alla Scala, the Metropolitan Opera of New York, Chicago Lyric Opera, and Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Blake has attended the American Wagner Project’s summer workshop for the last six years, having worked with Dolora Zajick’s Institute for Young Dramatic Voices prior to that.
Blake was awarded the winner of NATS Western Region in 2017 and has masterclass experience with John Treleaven, Luana Devol, Dolora Zajick, Salvatore Fisichella, Laura Claycomb, Michelle Deyoung.
Wei-Han Wu, Pianist
Described as “brilliant” by the Pittsburgh Tribune, Wei-Han Wu is active as a soloist, chamber musician, ensemble pianist, and vocal coach.
He has performed in venues such as the Chicago Cultural Center, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. He has been a featured performer at the Tanglewood, Aspen, Castleton, Lake George, and Walla Walla Chamber Music Festivals.
Dedicated to the performance and promotion of new music, Wu is currently pianist for the [Switch~ Ensemble] as well as Duo Axis, which was co-founded with flutist Zach Sheets. Duo Axis has commissioned and premiered dozens of works by up-and-coming composers, including Katie Balch, Anthony Cheung, and Tonia Ko. Recently the duo was in residence at the University of Iowa, University of Missouri, UC San Diego, and UC Davis. Wu previously served as pianist for the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and he is a past president of OSSIA New Music.
As an accomplished vocal coach, Wu has worked with artists such as Susanne Mentzer, Vinson Cole, and Nancy Gustafson. He is currently on faculty at Shenandoah University and Peabody Conservatory, and served on the faculty for WNO’s Opera Institute. More recently, Wu has served as music director for several opera productions in the D.C. area, including Carmen with Loudon Lyric Opera, and Hydrogen Jukebox by Philip Glass at Shenandoah University. Wu is the pianist for The Washington Chorus, and he works frequently with the Washington Bach Consort, and the Exigence Vocal Ensemble of the Sphinx Organization.
A member of Pi Kappa Lambda, he is the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Juilliard School, the Felicia Montealegre Fellowship from the Tanglewood Music Center, and the Collaborative Piano Fellowship from Bard College. Wu holds degrees from Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, and the Eastman School of Music, where he earned two doctoral degrees in piano performance and collaborative piano.
Luana DeVol, Director
Luana DeVol is one of the world’s most successful dramatic sopranos, having sung major roles in the world’s major houses, including La Scala, Milan, Teatro de Liceu, Barcelona, the Wagner Festspiel Bayreuth, Vienna Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich, Metropolitan Opera, and New York among many others. She was twice named Opernwelt’s “Singer of the Year.” Since retiring from the stage, she gives Master Classes, maintains a private voice studio, and serves on the Panel of Experts for the New York-based “Career Bridges” for aspiring singers. She has been appointed to lead the American Wagner Project, a program which is part of the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices founded by mezzo Dolora Zajick, and works with the Richard Wagner Society of Washington D.C. in presenting Master Classes and concerts. She is an adjudicator/judge of voice competitions both in the US and abroad, most recently as Chairwoman of the Klaudia Taev International Voice Competition in Estonia. As General Director of Opera Las Vegas she produced IL Barbiere di Seviglia, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, and Rigoletto.
The Society
The Wagner Society of Washington DC
The Wagner Society of Washington, DC is one of the city's most vibrant cultural institutions. We are proud to serve the Washington community in many ways - through monthly lectures, semi-annual concerts, and special events through a network of collaborating institutions such as the German Embassy, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Smithsonian Institution. Now in our 20th year, the Wagner Society is dedicated to two principal goals:
1. To enrich the cultural life of the Washington metropolitan area by regularly providing the general public with lectures, concerts, opera performances, trips, and special events;
2. To assist the development of American singers who have demonstrated the potential for successful careers in opera.
In May of 1998 a small group of Wagner enthusiasts met to create a Wagner Society for Washington, DC. Aurelius Fernandez, who became our first president, and Barbara Karn, Janice Rosen and R.G. Head asked Jim Holman to join the steering committee as Chairman; in short order they recruited John Edward Niles, Phil Raines, Tom Arthur, and then Betty Byrne and John Pohanka, among others. The first meeting was held in the back room of Middle C music store. Professor Don Crosby, a Wagner Award recipient, presented "The Literary Sources of Tristan und Isolde." Fewer than 20 were in attendance.
It was our good fortune that Wolfgang Wagner, Artistic Director of the Bayreuth Festival and Richard Wagner's grandson, and his wife Gudrun were in Washington in February 1999 to attend the Washington National Opera's Tristan und Isolde. Wolfgang gave an address to WNO, and afterwards Jim invited the Wagners to lunch with Aury, Barb, and RG. The conversation turned to Bayreuth and in a stunning act of bravado our group asked the Wagners for an allotment of tickets; without blinking an eye, Gudrun said yes. In a few months, sets of tickets for the Rings plus other Bayreuth productions arrived in the mail. In our twenty-plus over 400 members and friends have made the Bayreuth pilgrimage in a relationship now carried forward through the Richard Wagner Verband International Association.
The Emerging Singers Program was founded a year later when John Edward Niles proposed a partnership between the Society and the famous Wagnerian baritone Thomas Stewart and his wife, soprano Evelyn Lear, who had recently moved to Washington. With Jim Holman they created a program to nurture Americans with the potential to sing the Wagner canon.
In 2012, with the passing of Evelyn Lear, the Society entered into a partnership with the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, founded in 2006 by Dolora Zajick, Rosemary Matthews, and Sarah Agler. This partnership, called the American Wagner Project, continues to support the ongoing training of future Wagnerian singers as well as presents annual Wagner concerts in Washington. The great Wagnerian and voice teacher, Luana DeVol, is the Artistic Director of the American Wagner Project and heads the German program at the Institute. The society is proud to be the primary sponsor for the American Wagner Project.
Wagner in der Wildnis formed in 2001 when members Barb Karn suggested a scholarly retreat to explore a single Wagner opera. Her idea was championed by Aurelius Fernandez and Betty Byrne. Barb and Betty secured the Cacapon, WV site. Today, coordinated by Lynne Lambert and Sabrina Cassagnol, Wildnis draws around 70 enthusiasts to Cacapon Resort State Park in Berkeley Springs, WV, to hear presentations by Simon Williams, Professor of Dramatic Arts at UC-Santa Barbara, and Jeffrey Swann, concert pianist and esteemed Wagnerian. This weekend the program celebrates its 23rd year.
We have presented The Wagner Award to a number of scholars and artists who have made extraordinary contributions to the enjoyment and understanding of Wagner's art. The honorees include Prof. Donald Crosby, John Pohanka, Jay Hunter Morris, Jennifer Wilson, Francesca Zambello, Jeffrey Swann, Saul Lilienstein, James Morris, Thomas Stewart and Evelyn Lear, Maestro Philippe Auguin, and most recently Christine Goerke, Dolora Zajick and Luana DeVol.
Learn more at www.Wagner-DC.org
To donate visit www.WagnerDonations.com