A Conversation with James Morris - Boston Symphony Orchestra

Extended excerpts from Wagner's humane masterpiece Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg- with bass-baritone James Morris in the role of Hans Sachs, and also featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus-make up the second half of the program, November 3-5, 2011, at Symphony Hall, Boston.
For tickets visit:
www.bso.org

[@wotan10950]

It's amazing that one of the greatest of all Wagner singers wasn't originally so keen on singing Wagner at all. He brought the assets of singing Italian bel canto and French style to his Wagner, which makes it so beautiful and compelling. His Farewell in the Met's 1990 Walkure with Hildegard Behrens will never be surpassed.

[@shantanu.t]

This was uplifting to listen to… I like his humour, honesty, and ability to laugh at himself. Thanks for making me laugh JM

[@joycemcgregor7457]

James Morris is not only a magnificent singer but also delightful human being. I had the priviledge of meeting him backstage, on occasion of my book on Richard Wagner and having Mr. Morris on the cover.

[@dancartlidge5202]

Pizza, poker, Hearts, Spades....anything goes backstage!! I remember taking a "break" from playing cards backstage while in the chorus in Miami while James Morris was singing in The Flying Dutchman...I spent all my spare time going to school listening to him sing.

[@divox9pqr]

Proud to say Mr Morris is a product of Maryland, with a fine lyric instrument, and is a superb musician.

[@jefolson6989]

When JM was announced for hia 1st Wotan I was sceptical. He was a bell canto singer. He rose to the occasion and more

[@jmcmurrah]

Ahhhhh I wish they’d faded the music while he was talking... at times he’s drowned out.

[@michelemandrioli]

I'm really looking forward to the performance. We saw Act III of "Die Meistersinger.." at Tanglewood a few summers ago and it was wonderful. It is my favorite of Wagner's operas.

[@inigualable.2963]

Gran voz de este hombre.!!. Excelente.!!.

[@petergraham8681]

With Hotter in mind the idea seemed to be to try & think of the Wagnerian line as more horizontal than vertical which can be more difficult, since the German consonants CAN but do not necessarily make legato singing more problematic than in the Italian language. It does present a problem for many, at least in former times. I am not sure how tenors like Corelli or Tucker felt about it but some like Caruso, Gigli, Pertile & even bass voices like Pinza & Pasero, who tried singing in German, were loath to continue doing so as their careers developed. Maybe these linguistic/vocal concerns depended on the particular Wagner opera concerned. Early works like DER FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER presented no such problems for us but as Wagner’s musical/verbal works became more complex th

[@jefolson6989]

Hes right. Bel Canto Wagner is a revelation.

[@petergraham8681]

...but as Wagner’s musical & textual works became more complex then maintaining Hotter-like legato approach might prove more of a challenge. It should be remembered that Hotter’s initial teacher used a bel canto approach in his teaching method & if one needs a better example of Hotter’s legato, than Wagner, just listen to some of Hotter’s Schubert recordings, especially those made around 1949. If one wishes to learn how to sing legato in the German language perhaps start with Lieder before taking the steps towards German opera roles

[@wotan10950]

Peter Graham When you think about it, there were no “Wagner singers” when Wagner wrote his operas. He wrote for singers who regularly sang Italian bel canto, and he was especially enamored of Bellini’s Norma. My guess is that Wagner would be horrified to hear his music bellowed and screamed, decibels being the primary requirement.

[@koroba01]

My thought exactly, I mean poker and pizza backstage? Definitely a regular guy but a heck of a singer.

[@1968KWT]

Did he sing Falstaff, by any chance?

[@petergraham8681]

Apologies once more for my typing errors causing to break up my comment below.

[@petergraham8681]

I pretty much concur with Mr. Coates regarding Bayreuth’s increasing reliance on Euro Trash approaches to staging Wagner. Having watched some of their productions on You Tube I have come to the conclusion that perhaps too many in the “new Bayreuth audience” have little recall, or appreciation, much less understanding of the vocal standards that were evident 60 or so years (and before) at this theater. Names like Varnay, Nilsson, Windgassen, Melchior, Lorenz, Berglund, London, Weber, Hotter (just to name a few) mean little or nothing to many who attend Bayreuth these days so, instead, they embrace new directorial excesses that have little to do with the theatrical & musical imagination envisioned by Wagner. Innovation is fine but instead of stroking themselves directors should be doing their homework & creating viable new dramatic ideas that grow organically out of Wagner’s text, orchestral, & vocal writing. Some directors at Bayreuth are doing this. One whom I have worked with constructively elsewhere is Yuval Sharon & when we worked together in DER FREISCHUTZ I enjoyed our collaboration even if some details in his interpretation I questioned. Whether I agree totally with a director’s interpretation matters less than if I perceive that he or she has substantially thought out what they choose to present on stage. Yuval, I realized, could also look at a score & had sufficient musical understanding to develop some of his interpretation accordingly. In the case of James Morris, the story that I heard (possibly apocryphal) was that when offered a Bayreuth contract, he had to turn it down since it conflicted with a previous stage commitment. After that he apparently was never invited there again. Whenever this was exactly I do not know but if this offer came in the late 1980’s or early 90’s it was really unfortunate since Morris’ more Italianate vocal approach to Wagner’s music would have been most welcome at Bayreuth & I am relatively certain the late composer would have approved. Even though some of his scoring & orchestral writing made this difficult at times, Wagner had designed his theater & acoustical placement of the orchestra in such a way that it would complement as much as possible the efforts of Italian trained singers. In any case, during Morris’ vocal prime, another offer should have been forthcoming. Managerial arrogance prevented this apparently.

[@lmcdougall70]

Ther IS no other Wotan nor Hans Sachs - and this "Barihunk" is so self-effacing!

[@jefolson6989]

I love Wagner but even for me Meistersinger is just too damn long! He was a great Sachs. Very human.

[@Mosil0]

It's very jarring to hear him speak with an american accent after having only heard his Wagner and Verdi.

[@celticpoet21]

and Offenbach!

[@detectivefiction3701]

It's also rather jarring to hear how soft-spoken he is -- I mean, considering he's so tall and his voice is so big.

[@jefolson6989]

Really? Its often jarring to hear a singer speak. Morris speak American with a Maryland accent. He talks like a real person, relaxed and slangy. With out the ' grahnd piahno' affectation, in contrast to Jessye Norman and Thomas Hampson.

[@petergraham8681]

One warning! KALMUS scores (the one listed in the interview above) are relatively inexpensive, unfortunately, this company has not a good track record. Too many mistakes & mediocre printing (in former times anyway). Buy cheap get cheap! I wonder why Morris never sang in Bayreuth.

[@wotan10950]

Peter Graham I always wondered about Bayreuth too. In the 1990s, two of the greatest American Wagner singers, Morris and Deborah Voigt, never appeared there. But in various interviews, Morris said that Wolfgang Wagner did indeed invite him, but he was already contracted at other theaters. Wolfgang never forgave him and never invited him again.

[@ransomcoates546]

Dave Glo I think Morris’s down home American personality would never have meshed with Bayreuth’s almost exclusive emphasis on often weird dramatic concepts. It’s been many years since Bayreuth cared about voice. Apropos ‘Meistersinger’ Alan Held told me once that Morris had terrible problems learning the part, which he more or less admits here. When I saw him in the opera the first thing he did at the final curtain call was reach down and shake the prompter’s hand.

[@ER1CwC]

@@wotan10950 I recall hearing or reading somewhere (can’t remember where exactly) that Bayreuth has a very strict audition policy. Even very established singers are required to audition. I think that turns singers who have ‘made it’ off.